Break Time

I'm taking a bit of a blogging break, I'll be back sometime later next week.

My Camera is Broken

Or else I'm doing something wrong. I don't know what all of the symbols mean... I don't know. I'm super disappointed, because I ♥ my camera and now I can't post pictures of the gifts I got from my secret pal. She sent me some yarn, a cross stitch kit, and some great stitch markers. (I'm really impressed with your wire wrapping skills, Secret Pal!) So thank you very much (!) and I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

Since I can't post any pictures, here are a few links:
These Pick up Sticks patterns look great. I especially like the Calla Lily and the Daffodils. I was thinking about ordering these, but they just got them at my local yarn store. (The manager offered me a job there, by the way, which was exciting because I had never asked to work there, and it's a yarn store. I don't think I could do it though, because I start my student teaching in the fall.)

I wonder how silly it would be for me to drive to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. I've never been to Chicago before; it's about 12 hours away. Not a totally unreasonable drive, but maybe it is if I'm just going there to shop.

I frogged by Stashbuster socks. They (it) had been driving me nuts (too many new techniques on one sock, I think) and when I got to the heel and realized that the sock would be too big for a large man with large feet, I decided that I had enough. I'm going to stick with what I know this time and make something simpler. I really like Alison's pattern and I think I'll use that one instead. Cables and my usual favorite 2x2 rib. What a great idea!

I bought this apron when I was in Minneapolis. I first saw it on Wee Wonderfuls. It's lovely. Hopefully, I'll be able to wear it sometime, after I get over how pretty it is.

Strawberry Picking

All Sorts of Prizes!

I got back from Minneapolis to discover that my Back-Tack package had arrived! Thank you Jen! I am so happy with what you sent me! This awesome needle/notions holder:

And the inside:

I particularly love the needle book.

And I love these owls! I don't know if I'm going to be able to stick pins in them, they may be too cute. They'll get to hang out by my sewing machine anyway, though, if my daughter stops stealing them. I found them in her room earlier. ("Where could my owls have gone?")

And she included all sorts of treats. I am fascinated by these Australian candy bars (My daughter and I were just going to have one bite of each. They're mostly gone now.), and the yarn is lovely.

Thank you very much to MeMoiJa, as well for the great fabric! I really enjoyed participating in Back-Tack. Thank you Alison and Nicole! I can't wait for the next installment!

Too add to my excitement upon arriving home from my trip, I bought this needle holder, not sure that it would be able to hold all of my circulars, and I found out it is perfect!

(Should we count the exclamation points used in this post? No, probably not.)

A Little Trip

We are going to Minneapolis today for a few days. These are the places that I want to go:
Anthropologie
Depth of Field
Needleworks Unlimited
and two new places:
Crafty Planet
Yarn Cafe

"Flower Basket" Pincushion

I made this enormous pincushion yesterday. I had originally planned on applique-ing flowers on the top, but I decided on circles instead (that took long enough). It's still a flower basket, anyway. Here it is naked:

And here it is all dressed up:

I couldn't stop myself from being compulsive about the pin placement. My daughter was helping me put the pins in and I found myself saying things like, "Flower pins go here, sweetie." I have some ideas of things I would like to make out of the rest of the felt. I also found another appropriate fabric for Tie One On that I would like to use with the one I have, but I am having trouble coming up with an interfacing that is lightweight, but opaque. I tried to ask at the fabric store, but I was one of my local fabric stores where the employees tend to be crabby, and got no help. I will have to try again at the friendly, happy fabric store.

Not So Instant After All, Or Gratifying

Yesterday I decided that before I made an apron, I would make a circular needle holder. I wanted something big enough to hold all of my circulars. So I'm sewing and things are going well and then suddenly things go very badly and that's the end of my needle holder. I wanted to make one to match the one I made a while ago for my DPNs:



Which was inspired by those made by Megan of the Organizer Knitter. Here's part of the inside:



That one looks okay, but the one I tried to make yesterday got all puckered and crooked and weird. Probably because I thought I would use frosted vinyl for the pockets and this tuxedo fabric I have for the lining and it was all slippery. I was thinking about posting pictures, but it's just too terrible to look at. So maybe I will just buy a Stick Sack.

Tie One On

I have a little bit of an apron obsession lately, and fortunately, apparently many others do as well. And I would like to start sewing more. I need some more instant gratification than I get with knitting, something that I can do interspersed with knitting the most boring sweater and the most complicated socks ever. (That was poor planning.) I can sew something and be done with it the same day and not have to completely neglect my daughter. So, when I saw the theme for July's Tie One On, I thought and thought about whether I should make something for it and then I found the most perfect fabric and one of my local fabric stores and now I'm making an apron. (Well, not right now. Right now I should be finishing up my research paper that's due this morning, but I will be making an apron.) However, the apron pattern that I have in my head involves grommets, which makes me nervous. I've never used them before. What if I get the apron done and put the grommets in all wonky and ruin it? So today I will be doing some grommet research, and later maybe I'll have an apron. All in the same day, comparatively instant gratification.