In Review: 2011

Finished sewing projects, only a few of which I actually want to link to: 32

• Simplicity 2451
• The Kate Dress
• Oliver and S Ice Cream Dress
• The Peekaboo Bonnet
• Refashioned Skirt

Finished knitting projects (at least, four finished and blogged. It’s possible I left some out): 4

Thoughts:

I haven’t been knitting very much. It’s partly because I’m having trouble committing to projects, and it’s also because I’m not making good use of my knitting time. C almost always drives when we go somewhere, and I never bring my knitting. If I knit every time I was in the car, I’d probably have at least … SIX finished projects!

There’s been a big learning curve with the sewing. I’m getting better at picking fabric, that’s for sure, but I still have a lot to learn.

Resolutions for 2012:

• Buy fabric with a specific project in mind (at least until I learn more about buying fabric)
• Branch out from quilting cottons!
• Focus on one major knitting project at a time
• Spend less time thinking about sewing and knitting and more time actually doing it!
• Don’t let 75% finished projects sit around for six months.

Goals for 2012:

• Knitted: 12
• Sewn: 24, including a handful of items that I actually wear

We have a big, exciting (and scary!) year coming up, so I may get derailed. But creating things is really important to my mental well-being, and I’m going to try to do it more mindfully this year.

FO: Cosy Tank Top

This tank top is one of the first things I ever made, beside some ill-conceived and executed scarves. I made it for my quasi-ironic hope chest long before Abby was around and rediscovered it the other day in one of my periodic stash dives. 

It’s designed to add an extra layer of warmth over pajamas and turns out to be perfect for doing just that. 

A few days ago, we set aside the sleep sacks A’s been in for the past year, since they’ve finally gotten undeniably small. I don’t really want to buy more, but she’s not awesome at keeping her new owl blanket on, so this tank top has actually come in handy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a closeup so you can admire the horrific seaming job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, a comparison, where you can see the dramatic improvement that three years has made. On the left, the inside seam of the tank top. I think it’s supposed to be mattress stitch, but I wouldn’t swear to it. On the right, the seam from the sweater that I just finished. Beautiful! I’m so proud of that seam. 

 

 

Pattern: Cosy Tank Top

 

Yarn: Can’t remember–I think the off-white is Rowan Cashcott, and the brown is some washable baby something or other.

 

Notes and Mods: None, except I think i-cord might be nicer as an edging. I’m not a huge fan of this sort of crocheted edging. 

FO: Owl quilt

Yes, this quilt is a little ugly. Owls are big around here right now, a close first ahead of trains, and it’s adorable when A points and says “oww! oww!,” so, when she spotted the fabric at Joann’s a few months ago, I bought it. This is what you get when your fourteen-month old (now seventeen-month old) picks out the fabric.

I pieced it pretty quickly and then let it age for a while while I contemplated my next steps. Quilts are a craft I’ve never had too much interest in, since they require a precision that’s not really my forte, and anyway my sewing machine is not really designed for anything more than casual use.

Also binding is my nemesis.

It turns out, my thanks to Made by Rae, that you don’t actually have to attach binding–you can use the backing itself, which I even think I like better than separate binding.

A seems to like it. I’m not totally satisfied with the color choices, patterns, or evenness of the stitching or cutting (which I realize is pretty much everything, for a quilt), but the overall effect is cute.

Also, I figured out that the real hindrance to my crafting is not actually lack of mojo or lack of time. C just bought a new game for his Xbox, and suddenly I have all the time for crafting I could possibly want!

Christmas Bunting

I love to say the word ‘bunting’ because I only learned it as a synonym for what I would call ‘banner’ when I started reading craft blogs a few years ago. Yay buntings! They’re festive, and I made one.

The circles are a little jagged, but if you stand far enough away they don’t look it. Using scissors adeptly is actually much more difficult that it seems.

Also, I finished a sweater but I have no one to take pictures 😦 It gets dark before C comes home from work these days, and fat chance of us getting it together in the morning.