The Bug Quilts....explaining myself

Why, you ask, would I have chosen the cookie monster cables for my very first knitting project when normal people learn to knit scarves, then felt bags, then socks, and THEN attempt a sweater? I'm posting some pics here of my first quilt. Maybe this will explain how insane I am. I don't seem to be able to just get a pattern for anything and follow that. I'm really an outside-the-box kind of gal. Patterns are never what I want. When I use them, it's merely for launching purposes.

The bug quilts came about during my 3rd pregnancy. Knowing that after the baby was born, our girls would be sharing a room and bed, I went looking for something fun to decorate it with. I decided I really liked the loud colors (lemon, rasberry, lime, orange, etc.) and wanted a bug theme. There were several ready-made bug comforters out there, but none quite what I wanted (read in between the lines...none were quite loud enough!) So I thought to myself, "self, you know how to sew, surely you can figure out how to quilt" I got out my sketch pad, colored pencils, and graph paper and set out to make matching quilts for my girls. After I got the tops put together, I realized I didn't really know how to "quilt" all the layers together. I took it into my local quilt shop to see if they could help me out. I distinctly remember their stunned faces:

"THIS is what you did for your FIRST quilt?????!!!!!"

Anyway, after 16 months (give me a break, I had 3 kids under 4 yrs old at the time!) both quilts were done. The only differences are the blocks in the center are personalized to each girl: monkey for Olivia, grumpy bug for Zoe (ohh, you have to know her!) and Zoe's is smaller b/c I didn't realize HOW small it would be. Doing Olivia's second I decided to add a border and make it bigger. I've always meant to go back and add the border to Zoe's...maybe it'll be a nice graduation present or something (she's 5...do you think I have time?)

The Alpaca

This is the yummy alpaca sweater I made for Kevin for Christmas. The yarn feels so wonderful, but the project hit some hitches. This is the first sweater I've completed (still working on Cookie monster cables, even though I started it first). There are a couple of obvious places where I did the wrong stitch.

Then there is the unexpected "stretch" factor. I knit (is that the past tense?) this on size 11 needles. It went very fast, but b/c of the loose-ness of the stitch, the arms stretch out when you put it on. I'm going to attempt a technique my knitting teacher in college used to make shoulder seams to try and counteract this stretching....as soon as I can get to the sewing machine in my studio!!!

Here's the technique....Place pins perpindicular to the seam on either end of the shoulder seam. Then wrap yarn around these pins in a figure 8 pattern, cinching up the seam to the measurement you want. Then sew with a sewing machine zig zag stitch to secure.

Hope it works.

I also found out 2 things about alpaca AFTER I had the whole thing done. 1) it sheds, and 2) it's heavy.

I'm not sure if Kevin will ever actually where this or not, but it was fun to make. I think I'll try a similar pattern to this next time in wool and a slightly smaller needle.

My Studio...or not

These are actual, current pictures of my "studio". We moved in to this house over a month ago and I can't seem to find the time to get down to this room and get everything put somewhere. I'm really trying to go through all the boxes we've had in storage and get rid of as many things as possible. That, and the daily needs of the other 4 people who live in my house have really put a hamper on getting this project done.

I recently checked out a book from the library "Where Women Create"
This is are really neat look at well know artists, quilters, etc and their studio space. There is a quote in the book that really hit home with me:

"It is both rejuvenating and inspiring to have a special place where I don't have to explain myself, accommodate others, or accomplish something - where I can just lose myself ...making something with my hands."

I really miss my own space and can't wait to have this done. My wonderful friend Kelley is home this week from college and is supposed to come over and watch the munchkins for me so I can get some work done, but it's a blizzard out right now, so I don't know if she'll be able to make it over or not.

Oh, here's what the room outside my studio looks like, which is what I have to get done first before I can get the studio done.I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have found a house where I have my own space. I'm really ready to be able to use it.

also lame

I just had FOUR fillings put in this morning. Figuring that I couldn't eat anything, I stopped by Pikes Perk to get a yummy strawberry fusion smoothie after dropping Zoe off at kindergarten. My lips are numb......so I can't close them all the way to suck on the straw! I'm sitting here right now eating a smoothie with a spoon. Lame.

I've got several posts to put up in the next few days. We moved 3 weeks ago into a new house and directly I came down with the FLU. Flue sucks. Next year I'm getting a flu shot if I have to tackle some old person to get it! Then after the flu, I got bronchitus (sp?). Needless to say, not a whole lot of unpacking or blogging has been going on around here. Hopefully it'll all get done soon.

My take on people who work at Joann's

I have a bone to pick. I strongly believe that people who work at specialty stores should be experts in their field. That way they can ACTUALLY HELP YOU. The people who work at Joann Fabrics are often annoyed. I believe this may have something to do with the fact that they are always severly under-staffed. Secondly, they rarely know an answer to any of my questions.

Just this afternoon, I went in to get some muslin for a toille I'm making. A toille is a muslin mock up of a formal gown for fitting purposes. I asked where the muslin was. It's with the quilting fabric I'm told. This seems arbitrary, but oh well. There was a sign on that said "Muslin, 99 cents/yard" so I found what I wanted & took it up to the cutting counter. The lady says, this is $3.99/yard. I told her about the sign & she says "this is not muslin". Seriously, I think I know what muslin is. It's unbleached, loose-weave cotton, often with telling little brown specks in it. It was muslin. So she proceeds to roll her eyes (yes, she actually did this) & told me it was quilting cotton. I FLIPPING KNOW WHAT MUSLIN IS. So I went back & found something suitable for $1.99 a yard (the 99 cent stuff was un-usable) & she askes me what I'm making. I think it's in their employee contract that they have to ask you this. I don't know why that gets up my craw everytime I'm trying to check out that I have to explain myself, but it does. I told her it was for a fitting. She said "you mean lining?". I said, "no, a fitting". She said "you mean a pattern?". Really, am I not supposed to be alarmed that an attandant at a fabric store has no idea what a muslin fitting is?

Lame

I'm so lame. I sliced open the outside edge of the tip of my right index finger. It is incredibly hard to knit with a bandaid on the tip of your finger. With what dangerous cutting impliment did I wreak such havoc upon myself?.....a butter knife. Wait a minute, did you hear my right? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a butter knife. I'm so lame.

Cookie Monster Cables

This is the sweater I've only been working on since last summer. It's actually my first knitting project, so I'm giving myself some slack. I got a book from Joann's on how to teach yourself to knit and, in typical Alisa style, jumped right to the last project in the book, skipping all the beginner scarves, etc. It only had one size for the sweater. Not my size, natch. So I got out the handy-dandy calculator and changed almost every row. I really wish I had thought out the stripe effect at the joining a little better. Because it's full-fashioned, the stripes meet at odd places and I don't like the visual effect. The underside of the sleeves looks as if it's "twisting" around to the front, but it's just where the cable rows meet and it gives it that "wobble" effect. When I tried it on, I discovered that it's not long enough, so I scoured the internet to find a free lace pattern that would mimmic the scallop lace at the top. I ran across www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/lace/scallop.htm




In the picture of the pattern it really looks scallopped, but when I made it up it looks more like a pineapple design at the bottom. I'm going with it anyway. It's not such a bad match and I really would like to get this sweater finished before it's too hot to wear it!




This is a picture of the neck lace. Thanks Liesel for the help, I would have been trying to figure out the YO forever by myself! I can't believe how differently the colors look. The one with the lace on it is the closest to the real "cookie monster" color. This is a microspun yarn, so it feels delicious!

I make things. I make clothes…everything from mending holes in underwear to couture bridal gowns. I make crafts. I’m make scrapbooks of stuff my kids did 5 years ago. I make budgets. I make banana muffins out of all the yucky bananas nobody will eat. I make piles of laundry all over the house. I make babies. I make job charts. I apparently can make tomato plants grow (this has come as a complete shock both to me and to everyone who has previously come into contact with my vast and limitless abilities to kill all plants left in my care!). I make lists. I make money selling everything in our basement on E-bay. I knit and crochet all manner of things that can be made with yarn. I make decisions…both good and bad. I make sock puppets. I make a chocolate pound cake you would sell your grandma for.

This blog is a record of the things I make. How the process is going. Why I'm making it. Who it's for. Where I screwed up and had to backtrack. What the FO (finished object) looks like as well as shots of the UFO (un-finished object).

Enjoy. I do.