Question...

So I'm looking at ripping out my Simply Sweet sweater again. I'm knitting it in a variegated yarn, and this is the first time I've used one. I've read that to avoid pooling, you should alternate balls of yarn every two rows. The first time I knit the front, I didn't do that, and the second time I did...so, my question is...when you use something that you think is going to pool, do you alternate, or just let the colours settle where they may?

Great weekend had by all...

So we had a great weekend. Me in particular...it was my birthday on Friday (I turned 27 for the eighth time.) I did pretty much nothing all weekend. (Nothing as in no cleaning, relatively no cooking, etc.) Friday night, we went out for dinner, and on Sunday, we went on a brunch cruise on Elliot Bay. I did a lot of knitting on O's new sweater. She's actually wearing the sweaters that I've made for her. Yesterday, she wore the first sweater I ever made...I used Knitty's Devan, and used really brightly coloured Regia sock yarn. It's colour 5269, which has crayon-coloured stripes interspersed with a grey and white fair isle look, so it makes it look like you put a lot more work into it than you actually did.

Well, it's gymnastics day, so we should get ready for that.

New Sweater time...

So, bolstered by my success with my first stranded colourwork sweater, I've started another. This one is for O. We have a wedding to go to in June, and I've decided to start preparations early. It's another Garnstudio sweater, but instead of being steeked, this one is worked flat. It's a lot simpler, because you only have to keep track of three different yarns, instead of eight.


I found a pattern for the perfect dress to go with it. It's just plain white, but the colour comes from the geometric smocking and embroidery across the front.

I've been told that I should take advantage of this 'dress her in whatever I want' idea now, because it's definitely not going to last forever.

Stick a fork in me...

'Cause I am Done!!! Just a quick bath needed, and of course, that button, but all the thread tails are woven in, and all the facing are sewn.

Goal for the day...

Get that cardi finished.

Well, 99.999% finished...It calls for six buttons, which I had (because the neck band has one, and since I still have to pick up for the neckband, I couldn't sew it on). Now, button #6 is MIA. Not a biggie, because I wanted to send along some extras anyway with the completed sweater. Fortunately, I bought them locally, not online like a lot of my purchases.

O had a relapse of her cold, with a worse version this time than the first, so not much was done this weekend. I think it's a law of children that any malady that they have during the day is about one hundred times worse at night.

I'm getting so organized, it's scaring me...

I was trying to find some patterns that I recently bought for O. So, naturally, I looked in my newly organized pattern box. Nope. Looked in catch-all drawers. Nope. They were with my sewing magazines. Third place I looked! Woo hoo! Personal record for me!

In my pre-organized state, I'd have had to empty out every drawer/box/grocery bag in the closet.

Yup, progress.

It's Friday again?

Wow...where does the time go? This week flew by. Maybe because I've actually had things to do, balanced with fighting off a relapse of whatever nasty virus is going around.

The Gardener Cardi has the second sleeve set in, and I just have to sew down the facing, then pick up for the neck band. O had a doctor's appointment yesterday (she said the other night that her ear hurt, so I took her in to see if she had an ear infection...she's never had one before, and she's still ear-infection free), and then we went out to Pacific Fabrics to do a little retail therapy. I picked up the pattern for Indygo Junction's Trench Topper.

I saw it at Sew Expo made up
in this incredible retro-looking
reversible fabric. It's from Jenne Maag, and I just love it.

I just love going out with O. She's so well-behaved now. It took a lot to get to this point, because when she started walking, she wanted to run off and grab things, but we worked really hard with her to get her to hold one of our hands, and not to grab things. Now, it works really well.

Almost too well.

Sometimes when we enter a store, she loudly announces, "Now, Mom...no touching."

Things that make you go arrrggghhh....

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Oh, hi. What's that noise? That's just me, thumping my head against the wall. My frustration has nothing to do with my knitting projects (the second sleeve of the Garden baby cardi is on the shaping) or anything, it's more of a life thing.

On my weekly phone call home, my mom brought up The Chairs. Again. We had a similar conversation shortly after their last visit, and obviously, the subject needed revisiting.

You see, my mom had this idea that O should have two of these wooden chairs that the church that she goes to back home uses for the Sunday School classes. At the time, we were still in the townhouse, with limited room, and I kept telling her that no, we didn't have the room for them, but thank you for the offer. And she kept on week in, and week out, insisting that they bring them down, so I think I may have said, ok, whatever.

So, at their last visit, they brought The Chairs. They had been painted and repainted and covered with paint drips, and were chipped in places. Mom said that all I'd have to do is sand them, and repaint them, and they'd be fine. But that little voice piped up in my head.

'What are the chances that these have lead paint on them?' I asked.

'Oh I don't know...just sand them, and they'd be fine."

'Well, I'm going to have them tested for lead, and if they're positive, O is not going to use them.'

After they left, I went to the hardware store, got myself a lead-testing kit, and checked them. Pink meant a little bit of lead. These were bright red. So, needless to say, I triple bagged them, and disposed of them.

And then the questions began.

'So...what have you done with the chairs?'

'They tested positive for lead, so I got rid of them.'

'Hmmpf...that's ridiculous...there was nothing wrong with them. I can't believe you'd do that.'

'Well, I was not going to have O touch them, and possibly get sick.' (Silly me, erring on the side of caution and all.)

'Well, you used them, and you're fine. (I hate that reasoning...that just because something was okay in the past, that means it's okay forever.)'So don't tell me you threw them away...I'll take them back to the church. They can use them there.'

'I don't think anyone should use them; it's dangerous. Besides, they're gone.'

'But I paid ten dollars for them!'

'I. Will. Pay. You. Back.' (By this time, I'm starting to get that flat, clipped tone to my voice.)

Unfortunately, that was not the end of the conversation/argument...but I won't go on anymore. Suffice to say, my actions are supposedly 'riduculous', and 'stupid'.


Oh well, I just have to keep telling myself that I am O's mother, and I am the one to decide what is good for her.

Sigh.

All better now...

I just have a bit of a cough left, but now, I fear that O is getting sick. It's amazing that she held off for as long as she did, but when two-thirds of the household is sick, the odds are stacked against you.

I had an amazing weekend...it's hard to believe that it's Friday again. In the past, I've gone to Sew Expo for only Saturday, but this year, I really went for the royal treatment and went for two days. I think it worked out better, because there's so much to see and do, you need more than one day. I scheduled Saturday as my heavy class day. I started at 8:30 and went straight through to 4:30. The sewing class offerings include quilting, machine embroidery, embellishments (beading and such), and garment sewing. There's also a few knitting classes, but I didn't take any of those. I stick with primarily garment sewing, and I took one on beading, and one on hand smocking.

Sunday was shopping day, and whoa....could you drop a bundle. Fabric....yarn....buttons....nifty gadgets...and more books than you can imagine.

Another thing that I love are the fashion shows, especially the one from Pacific Fabrics (a local retailer)...they have an incredible show every year showcasing garments that are both sewn and knitted. And, they even sell beads, so if you want to make your own jewelry to go with your outfit, you can. It's one of my favourite stores...a fabric store with extensive yarn and bead sections...


I picked up Louisa Harding's Beachcomber book...I especially liked the Drifter pattern, as seen to the right. There's a lot of really nice patterns in the book. Very simple lines...the yarn is the focus.

On Sunday, I went to a few more fashion shows. It amazed me this year the number of young girls who were attending with their moms. It's nice to see. Anyways, there was one mom and her daughter in the front row of the fashion show, and the girl (who couldn't have been more than eight or nine), had her program in front of her, taking notes (!) on it as the outfits came down the runway.

It was nice to get away for a little vacation, too. The Sheraton was nice. I had a room on the 22nd floor, overlooking the bay. I took some of the catalogues that I received during the day up to the lounge on the 26th floor to occupy me while I had dinner. I dined on duck boscaiola with risotto at a window table. It was a nice respite from my everyday life, and an awesome early birthday present.

I am sooooo sick....

Sew Expo was amazing, but now I'm paying for it...oh well, it was worth it...

So I have this big weekend coming up....

And I'm fighting off a cold AND a cold sore on my bottom lip.

Yuck.

Big weekend coming up!

I love to sew...almost (maybe even more) than I love to knit. This weekend in Puyallup is the Sew Expo. I've gone every year since we moved here in 2000. So, I've been busy getting ready for that...because this year, I'm going for two days. It's my early birthday present. I'm staying at the Sheraton in Tacoma all by myself. It'll be my first night all alone in three years. D said to me, "Won't you be bored, all by yourself?"

I just gave him the look. "Are you kidding me? Bored?"

This sums it up....

Found this button on the Liberty's Yarn blog. Too funny...