tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35603964546157218982024-02-07T21:59:11.067-08:00More Than MomDespite having two kids and being married to the military, I'm more than a mom.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-25917085522051554202014-08-24T20:43:00.001-07:002014-08-28T10:50:25.791-07:00Site Updates<div style="text-align: left;">
I know I moved to this site not very long ago, and have had much success with Blogspot, but the needs of my company have changed, and we've had to move again. This blog will stay up for some time, though I cannot give a definitive date as to when it will be taken down. For now, you can still read past posts and make any shop purchases. I will update here one last time when the shop section has made it's transition.</div>
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You can access all of this content at <a href="http://www.littlebitfae.com/">www.littlebitfae.com</a> from now on. Please don't forget to update your blog reader/RSS feed! Bug and I still want to carry on our conversation with you!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-19984158701755398442014-08-20T13:56:00.000-07:002014-08-20T13:56:00.115-07:00Free Knitting Needle Size Conversion Chart PrintableI like to think that more people are bridging that international gap through G+ hangouts, Ravelry, Sykpe, etc.<br />
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Maybe it's just me and my online social circle, I don't know. There are a few folks that I absolutely love to "hangout" with that are not in the US, and this poses a problem when it comes to questions like, "Oh, that's a beautiful pattern, what size needle does it use?"<br />
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And then I say whatever US size it takes... and they don't know what the heck I'm talking about because they're on metric. I scoured the internet for a few minutes and found several needle conversion charts, but none of them were pretty, and they all had ads on the pages. I like my work/play space to be pretty, so I made up my own chart and thought that maybe someone else would like to have one handy for all their international knit together needs.<br />
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This is my first time offering a free printable, so hopefully I don't screw this up:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44D7C7HY58ePG1nVcz0rBvqvTSXAIR5ucWKsCvgU0TPWbnqGLGpaNz8iizC-zmx6Pv_JycGg_tzCmRRWeDGSEdjT-n7GgLhF_cVYSd2qmLbhA8z5r9QSFJGWg5VUS7s3NZIQ9AoKZOTWi/s1600/knitting+chart+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44D7C7HY58ePG1nVcz0rBvqvTSXAIR5ucWKsCvgU0TPWbnqGLGpaNz8iizC-zmx6Pv_JycGg_tzCmRRWeDGSEdjT-n7GgLhF_cVYSd2qmLbhA8z5r9QSFJGWg5VUS7s3NZIQ9AoKZOTWi/s1600/knitting+chart+image.png" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6MTDiTlgnUBNm9zclkzaHVKQTQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Knitting Needle Size Conversion Chart</a></div>
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If you have any issues downloading or printing the chart, please let me know and I will get them fixed ASAP</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-31680764858174205722014-08-18T09:24:00.000-07:002014-08-18T09:24:34.527-07:00Myrtle Sew alongI'm a bit late in posting this because I've been super busy, but a few weeks ago I joined a sew along over on sewalongs.com<br />
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Remember the <a href="http://littlebitfae.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-pattern-goodness.html" target="_blank">secret new pattern</a> that I posted about? Well, I got an email from the designer's newsletter letting everyone know that there would be a sew along for it, and I went and signed up right away. Unfortunately, it took me a bit longer to get the money for fabric together than I would have liked. (That's always the case isn't it?) So I just got my fabric for it at the end of last week, and I'm almost positive I should have been starting the sewing for it by then.<br />
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By the way, how do you write sew along? Is it indeed "sew along" or is it sew a long, or sewalong, or sew-a-long? Ever notice how if you stare at the word "along" long enough it looks wrong?<br />
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Anyway, I ended up getting two fabrics. One as the muslin for it, because I've never sewn knit fabric and I'd rather ruin the cheaper of the two first. :p<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50wvR65VfGR9VEMFN6mKKx-HtFC2rPVLfQ7Dt_Z-DYRiBFfKwxLOK3KaRUS2nIu7uMvhttNhzHXOYP_23Hqtv5HLsLIiQY2tehi9hsdjL52sLsQGoMSWeJQWTzJMeZjcPuN49J_fCdEj0/s1600/FR20758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50wvR65VfGR9VEMFN6mKKx-HtFC2rPVLfQ7Dt_Z-DYRiBFfKwxLOK3KaRUS2nIu7uMvhttNhzHXOYP_23Hqtv5HLsLIiQY2tehi9hsdjL52sLsQGoMSWeJQWTzJMeZjcPuN49J_fCdEj0/s1600/FR20758.jpg" height="320" title="dusty rose knit jersey fabric from moodfabrics.com" width="320" /></a></div>
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This dusty rose has more of an antique look to it in person, but believe it or not, it only cost me about $4 per yard, and when you need three yards, that's a wonderful deal! So, this is my muslin, and here's hoping everything fits wonderfully and I'll have two different colors of this dress.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8TTgT1V6O6XNxAhIirLLuqjyXKGSzq3BdBEjQtzYLpJjJPqwkx_fuOxvbvBNK_wavgNmrLQg9NH7bMyXZgG206UeHMa4Nua2QLQ_4PGz_4sLLyRzbCFQx-zJVagkTiCxxGPzLmz4NTpT/s1600/FP20387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8TTgT1V6O6XNxAhIirLLuqjyXKGSzq3BdBEjQtzYLpJjJPqwkx_fuOxvbvBNK_wavgNmrLQg9NH7bMyXZgG206UeHMa4Nua2QLQ_4PGz_4sLLyRzbCFQx-zJVagkTiCxxGPzLmz4NTpT/s1600/FP20387.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the color I actually ended up choosing. I know that it's not a color I picked before from that post, but I couldn't find any jersey knit in those colors, except the white, and I couldn't decide because green looks fabulous on me! So, I let my husband pick for me. Aren't I nice?</div>
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Today I'm going to finally get around to washing my fabric and tracing my pattern pieces, and then cutting them out, while reading the sew along posts so I know what I've got coming.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2trL5UxU9tCm7iLRbNDTwrI7WqwA0Qok_DH0dmlvz-wuy_CrV-t4KGG5KS1DSBErKSJ4JgOhbpZjzyTuRCcK_vT-fnko9V-z_DB-jlOIAPfui6WmXtC018V4OTcMB__WyxebcNoTiBx7z/s1600/4c74568b2dbc516e137a674f2cc03d66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2trL5UxU9tCm7iLRbNDTwrI7WqwA0Qok_DH0dmlvz-wuy_CrV-t4KGG5KS1DSBErKSJ4JgOhbpZjzyTuRCcK_vT-fnko9V-z_DB-jlOIAPfui6WmXtC018V4OTcMB__WyxebcNoTiBx7z/s1600/4c74568b2dbc516e137a674f2cc03d66.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OO2OUCHwKvCi8rrEqdz0zNQHc0bF30RtqyrCq_quDvVLcVwjMtbBDHztMXI5LnZ0Lec-0uDehW5srXFt3KFhgf2QevNCvb4zw9ruMsssRRTGItKsqOHfBnhJ4zWXFbUD8ZnY1hBHbomG/s1600/cp1030-myrtle-12-large-999b27d4062ffc1c57b8a9d208ee0ff6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OO2OUCHwKvCi8rrEqdz0zNQHc0bF30RtqyrCq_quDvVLcVwjMtbBDHztMXI5LnZ0Lec-0uDehW5srXFt3KFhgf2QevNCvb4zw9ruMsssRRTGItKsqOHfBnhJ4zWXFbUD8ZnY1hBHbomG/s1600/cp1030-myrtle-12-large-999b27d4062ffc1c57b8a9d208ee0ff6.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a><br />
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PS- We got a new kitten on Saturday, and boy does she make writing blog posts difficult!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNwIZY-qiZSyNSNDWjrFoDj252bVbHabeyfjE20Xw2E4wxKsuK28EM4ld9Ua7PBOJYcS6zld7LxPGgb1ulNlQsIDCRXp-LYzVBeb9B_I1ewDOsEs0vWmblKwW1B8cWpRjxbTxkClcfhPK/s1600/IMGP0998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNwIZY-qiZSyNSNDWjrFoDj252bVbHabeyfjE20Xw2E4wxKsuK28EM4ld9Ua7PBOJYcS6zld7LxPGgb1ulNlQsIDCRXp-LYzVBeb9B_I1ewDOsEs0vWmblKwW1B8cWpRjxbTxkClcfhPK/s1600/IMGP0998.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bailey Gwyndolynn</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-68471401175988707462014-08-09T12:16:00.000-07:002014-08-09T12:18:29.777-07:00Belated Fiber Friday: Phoenix FyreI forgot to make my post yesterday, because the day before my husband brought home a new (to me) desk. Unfortunately, it was all black and I really dislike black furniture, because it makes me depressed and at least for me, gives off that "college dorm" vibe. I've had more than my fair share of the black furniture, because hey, we need furniture, and it's cheap, readily available, and did I mention cheap?<br />
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The caveat to that amazing cheapness is that when you move around as much as we do, you're usually having to replace it. It's cheap in quality as well as price.<br />
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Anyway. This desk is probably not quite as cheap as the too-many-to-count book cases we've had to replace, but our neighbor is moving to Korea for duty, and his family cannot go with him, so they needed to unload some furniture. LOVE when that happens. :) We got it for a great price, and happened to have a mostly full quart of paint in one of my favorite colors (currently) to decorate with. A quick coat of paint in a dry brush technique... and by quick I mean it took me 6 hours total to get the whole thing painted, not including dry time between some pieces that needed two coats due to the paint beading up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglx1E1_NotZVRPFS0sQIpf2GqZEpli8MuwskOK7LKNbbzLGVT9_Qb7jo1b-F_OpSU_8g2OOcBWKvnPP_OMBCAhNv4C469IccPdqC-VLzc5v5_nXuQccVpW9EZ5OCtr5QFkvOvV9yb5XPw3/s1600/IMGP0974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglx1E1_NotZVRPFS0sQIpf2GqZEpli8MuwskOK7LKNbbzLGVT9_Qb7jo1b-F_OpSU_8g2OOcBWKvnPP_OMBCAhNv4C469IccPdqC-VLzc5v5_nXuQccVpW9EZ5OCtr5QFkvOvV9yb5XPw3/s1600/IMGP0974.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new desk!!</td></tr>
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So this is what I was doing most of the day yesterday. We got it moved into the house and I had just enough time to relax for about 30 minutes before getting ready to head out for dinner with some new friends, and their <i>adorable, </i>spiky haired three months old daughter. Obviously, it's not most of my stuff put back on it, but you can totally play "what's she working on?" and "spot the kitty."<br />
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The real reason you're here, is because of the new yarn. I am progressing into making some smaller dye lot colorways because it's fun. And why put a dye lot indicator on my label if I'm not going to use it?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6gcgj0I_PbSzgJUMcV-IabCs2BWxaEl2f0SS0ItAfEgSJRSBIuJsejPEtSkY1zHTNREKl1JzNfEDFeix9rm94I_5Rw7C-wjREb71CATmzh79KZHBRhImhPgENy7ryp0hcbOQ2c5NuNDm/s1600/IMGP0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6gcgj0I_PbSzgJUMcV-IabCs2BWxaEl2f0SS0ItAfEgSJRSBIuJsejPEtSkY1zHTNREKl1JzNfEDFeix9rm94I_5Rw7C-wjREb71CATmzh79KZHBRhImhPgENy7ryp0hcbOQ2c5NuNDm/s1600/IMGP0975.JPG" height="210" title="Phoenix Fyre colorway yarn superwash merino sock yarn yellow orange red" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phoenix Fyre</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04RJCq5BVHeCrPn9OO7k42qdpUzmzgFyBukr5TkaKAecY-CdKG2E0xNe4hdMEAkkLzc6y159EDZdVF8hy1RZKiVKv1LHY8_mnxkr4MUykCM-Pn1JPPmXfEL42EQDHx3SkFQAkDCaXvjk1/s1600/Jean-GreyPhoenix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04RJCq5BVHeCrPn9OO7k42qdpUzmzgFyBukr5TkaKAecY-CdKG2E0xNe4hdMEAkkLzc6y159EDZdVF8hy1RZKiVKv1LHY8_mnxkr4MUykCM-Pn1JPPmXfEL42EQDHx3SkFQAkDCaXvjk1/s1600/Jean-GreyPhoenix.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of tigerworldent.com</td></tr>
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Phoenix Fyre is made in the Puck base, and can be found in the shop <a href="http://littlebitfae.blogspot.com/p/puck.html">here.</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-51520581855083286182014-07-29T11:16:00.000-07:002014-07-29T11:16:10.548-07:00Finished: Colette Patterns' Meringue Skirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIMo-_4RIjclb_s5xHm0yo6GLFzZphpvEVdnoBgghcPng0IrVvev2PbaXFBvX56WOnHeYQz-xqw7lDI3WY_HdnB6TaBGVd-jx6VCFE0JQ3DPh1K90VHCCZ0FzmEHiyPZn4E_r91xI1UcX/s1600/meringue+skirt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIMo-_4RIjclb_s5xHm0yo6GLFzZphpvEVdnoBgghcPng0IrVvev2PbaXFBvX56WOnHeYQz-xqw7lDI3WY_HdnB6TaBGVd-jx6VCFE0JQ3DPh1K90VHCCZ0FzmEHiyPZn4E_r91xI1UcX/s1600/meringue+skirt.png" height="397" width="400" /></a></div>
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I finally finished the Meringue Skirt! The muslin took way longer than the actual skirt took. Partially, I think, because I already knew what I was doing the second time, and I wasn't really procrastinating as much on it as I was with the muslin. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly I was afraid of with the muslin.<br />
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I know that half of the fun of finished projects is seeing them modeled, but...<br />
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I don't have a full length mirror to take selfies in, and I feel really narcissistic asking my husband to take pictures of me.<br />
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Alterations: I hacked off two inches in the length because I'm a petite, and I wanted the skirt to fall just above my knees, not below. Overall, I'm happy with the skirt and I wore it right away on a walk around the neighborhood with my husband. I am looking forward to pairing it with a butter yellow top that I have to bring out the yellow in the skirt, but that top is in the wash right now. :)<br />
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I should have taken in the waist a couple inches as well, but since I'm really new to this, I didn't feel confident in making that kind of an alteration. So instead of it sitting on my waist like it should, it comes down around my hips, which suits me just fine because that's where I wear my pants. Being a petite, high waisted things on me make me look shorter in the torso. I feel like <a href="http://clichelemon.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/draft_lens14427951module126920261photo_1287423192steve_urkel1.jpg" target="_blank">Urkel</a>. This means that those two inches I took out in the length pretty much mean nothing. In the models, the skirt falls a couple inches above the knee. On me, the bottom of the scallops hit just below my knee. But at least it's not that awkward few-inches-below-the-knee length that looks like it's supposed to be mid-shin but it's not...like it would have been had I not taken out the length.<br />
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To me, this skirt looks way bigger than what it is, but honestly, I know I have some body issues. I weigh more than I would like, and my shapes are not where I want them to be, but in my head, my body image is slimmer than what I really am.<br />
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The next pattern in the book is the Pastille dress, but if I'm really this big, and I google the dress and see others of my body type that have made it, I'm not happy with the results. I bought a really nice fabric, and I don't want to "waste" it on making something that I'm not going to love, all because I'm bigger than I would like to be.<br />
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For the record, this is not me being unhappy with the social standard of what I should look like vs what I really do. This is me being unhappy with the way I look because I know how I have looked in the past...and I want that back. I was a healthy size 4 (off the rack) at one point. I still jiggled in places, so fear not, I was not anorexic. Bacon cheese fries are far too delicious for that. Now, I'm a size 10. I can get into a size 8 pair of petite skinny jeans (I tried this past weekend) and they fit, but they don't make me feel comfortable with myself, and I know that if I were to have sat down in them, I'd have that doughnut tummy going on.<br />
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So for now, I'm going to stick to sewing skirts and keep working on my body until it's more where I want it to be. Shopping is great for pulling out your imperfections, especially in ready to wear. Every time I go shopping and am really honest with how clothing falls on me, I get really depressed. This time though, I knew what it was going to be like going into the "experience" and I feel that I'm coming at the issue from a much more mentally healthy standpoint.<br />
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I'm almost 100% sure that I have sewing to thank for that. Sewing sizes run much larger than ready to wear. I cut the skirt pattern from a size 14 based on my largest measurement, which is my hips (thanks to two children).<br />
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So my whole thing about sewing the entire Colette Patterns book will have to wait. I'm incredibly unfit and lose my breath easily. So while I build up to that, and slim down in the process, skirts it is! ... and loose dresses because<a href="https://www.colettepatterns.com/sewing/myrtle" target="_blank"> Myrtle</a> looks pretty amazing, even on the bigger model!<br />
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Shut up, Mom. You know why.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-82074055293715861312014-07-27T11:07:00.001-07:002014-07-27T11:07:54.468-07:00Fat Quarter Bag Tutorial by Cheri BordenI was talking with some friends in a G+ hangout about our recent fabric scores, and one of them shared this tutorial from Cheri Borden with me. Cheri is a yarn shop owner (<a href="http://www.acmefibres.com/" target="_blank">ACME Fibres</a>) up near the Canada/New York state line, and she doesn't know that I'm reposting her tutorial along with all of her pictures. That said, I don't own this tutorial, I didn't help make it, I have nothing to do with it other than wanting to repost it so that when the time comes to make some with my son, I can find it again easily. If you want to see the original tutorial you can find it <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112681309284939085930/albums/6034647346835933889/6034647354386792658?pid=6034647354386792658&oid=112681309284939085930" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This is a nice little stuff sack for small projects - fully lined & reversible.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I buy these packs of fat quarters at Joann Fabrics - they're nice quilting cotton, usually $9.99... or less if you have a coupon. This pack was $5.99, so the material cost for 4 bags would be $1.50 each.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Divide each of the 5 fat quarters in half along the short axis, and square it up to 18" by 10.5"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GrVYwLI8qujdngcCqRfEpI_S_-_XpQUuahw3oXIz3wIb0_28JL3k5kpo_dzxS2B2_CpSVw3NtFT0EbkbulTQwbP1T_YnufVnHhtJHVQgim7HSVobeacU4DQLFG_F7i5p0Fmu3qakZltQ/s1600/2_divide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GrVYwLI8qujdngcCqRfEpI_S_-_XpQUuahw3oXIz3wIb0_28JL3k5kpo_dzxS2B2_CpSVw3NtFT0EbkbulTQwbP1T_YnufVnHhtJHVQgim7HSVobeacU4DQLFG_F7i5p0Fmu3qakZltQ/s1600/2_divide.jpg" height="371" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">You'll have 10 fat eighths (sort of). Sort them until you have 4 pairs of main body pieces that go nicely with 2 accent pieces. Two bags will share one accent piece; the other two bags will share the other. Try different combinations until everything suits you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Cut each of your accent pieces in 4 along the short axis to get accent panels measuring 4.5" by 10.5". Here we have two body pieces and two accent panels - they'll form one bag. Set all the others aside - your cutting is all done, it's time to sew!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Line up an accent panel on each body piece, right sides together, and sew. I use a 1/4" seam allowance, but I'm not the boss of you - you use what you like. Just be consistent. The little pile of cuttings right there? that was all the scrap from all the bags</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Lay one body + accent piece on top of the other body + accent piece, and sew together to form a loop made of a body piece, then an accent piece, then a body piece, then an accent piece.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUf0giIZYhmUs2JohDCt4zICnN6Jikz805lZyxwS7kKghRu855ygo0rkyC41pSUmwRuULNMLS41ymKfXOLJCSKe2t7p0_G7wzF6cRFKb_OQL2e-Mw6TDYj9mjPhyphenhyphen5fIdLjkv0533Uz5G0/s1600/6_sew_right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUf0giIZYhmUs2JohDCt4zICnN6Jikz805lZyxwS7kKghRu855ygo0rkyC41pSUmwRuULNMLS41ymKfXOLJCSKe2t7p0_G7wzF6cRFKb_OQL2e-Mw6TDYj9mjPhyphenhyphen5fIdLjkv0533Uz5G0/s1600/6_sew_right.jpg" height="322" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Lay your loop of fabric out with the seams for the accent panels lined up on top of each other. Press the seams flat and pin the sides together so they don't shift.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwr44DxlmKnGacJfJEY_6hpVuiicSDh2CJLQ3cs815lSR6xJS5KERUlGl_pQoRQnvGRGEz_RbTC7eD3R-bRvzyiRNZt9dkUNiIEQUGXXQWjQ2BImvMwyQb34Jtz5IropcX7yCn97kaw5Q/s1600/7_press_seams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwr44DxlmKnGacJfJEY_6hpVuiicSDh2CJLQ3cs815lSR6xJS5KERUlGl_pQoRQnvGRGEz_RbTC7eD3R-bRvzyiRNZt9dkUNiIEQUGXXQWjQ2BImvMwyQb34Jtz5IropcX7yCn97kaw5Q/s1600/7_press_seams.jpg" height="278" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Find the centre of the short edge of your accent panels, then mark 1" on each side of the centre. This gap will form the drawstring casing - you'll not be sewing the space between these two marks. Mark both sides this same way - you'll have a gap on each side of your bag.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OO8TOic-HYqdj9kfsZ2Qit5aCPgs9Dm8-zO4J6RbDe6MWykHvEM5BlqRm-5CIFcqdsvBR7CglaF164-gJQAs_zJy4aJtVY5P_isUysyEJ2Iwnje8qqZzeBQwLHUKgzzDOLPwBuVBXw_R/s1600/9_mark_centre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OO8TOic-HYqdj9kfsZ2Qit5aCPgs9Dm8-zO4J6RbDe6MWykHvEM5BlqRm-5CIFcqdsvBR7CglaF164-gJQAs_zJy4aJtVY5P_isUysyEJ2Iwnje8qqZzeBQwLHUKgzzDOLPwBuVBXw_R/s1600/9_mark_centre.jpg" height="361" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Sew up the side seams from the folds at each end up to the mark for the drawstring casing; backstitch the ends of the seams.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPi07cTdf83jvRpn6RclnzDTxDG_3oqNhg_clXzgN68solr7t7sLCnkWRQ_zBa1HEzTrJ-W_J69axCBcGReIf3W6hhfo8oCZVfEuRxrlkWesP6OzSApTSDXVVPe2_4TOskGdjvD2Mosk6A/s1600/10_backstitch_gap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPi07cTdf83jvRpn6RclnzDTxDG_3oqNhg_clXzgN68solr7t7sLCnkWRQ_zBa1HEzTrJ-W_J69axCBcGReIf3W6hhfo8oCZVfEuRxrlkWesP6OzSApTSDXVVPe2_4TOskGdjvD2Mosk6A/s1600/10_backstitch_gap.jpg" height="336" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Press the seams flat - this makes it easier to fold the edges in when you do your topstitching later.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRmyRs6hw5PVXV3nDR_938bC4FJ5LmtI6cfVwOIvMNAVrXp7CC6XlxWFFTqQaylxG0IPmfAnf0CDJ__vnUFiN1jgxHXnK1Q5F4qik0j40C0nqANDOdpRx3GZgyf4EWiyNNk9PqY0eCxa2/s1600/11_press_gap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRmyRs6hw5PVXV3nDR_938bC4FJ5LmtI6cfVwOIvMNAVrXp7CC6XlxWFFTqQaylxG0IPmfAnf0CDJ__vnUFiN1jgxHXnK1Q5F4qik0j40C0nqANDOdpRx3GZgyf4EWiyNNk9PqY0eCxa2/s1600/11_press_gap.jpg" height="332" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Do you like box corners? I like box corners. You don't have to make them if you don't want to. I do it by cutting out a wee square measuring 1.5" on each side. Make sure you measure from the fold and from the SEAM, not the outside edge. Otherwise your box corners will be all wonky (ask me how I know).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysdKf-y_Hl6lD2lCX0m6skLrsBnwgm6q2a0ExFEyrPRNU7UBqZvF2hjxacuhmPAcN4GcrYQlsitvz3b49kgb84yRMvsks7WONJjPs4rkWXRIwszpiFBXK7OK6UeK3lKrJdR_GCKiWmdDD/s1600/12_cut_corners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysdKf-y_Hl6lD2lCX0m6skLrsBnwgm6q2a0ExFEyrPRNU7UBqZvF2hjxacuhmPAcN4GcrYQlsitvz3b49kgb84yRMvsks7WONJjPs4rkWXRIwszpiFBXK7OK6UeK3lKrJdR_GCKiWmdDD/s1600/12_cut_corners.jpg" height="291" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Pinch the corner and open out where you cut out the wee square, and fold them the other way with the seam lined up against the middle of the bottom of the bag. Sew this together to make your box corner. Repeat for the other 3 corners.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXakN9CUgEh29_AjmT8U-x_9wHZY_LLmNgHRSTPc6n-IZ_6XV8wrLp4IxGBJTv8pRUtU58IXq9FhT8mq8g2m4sjEl1rTAHriw3KwZ5MrNGrBqm6G90ondghSNXnAhFf6z1_Ou2FQvh70Qw/s1600/13_corner_seam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXakN9CUgEh29_AjmT8U-x_9wHZY_LLmNgHRSTPc6n-IZ_6XV8wrLp4IxGBJTv8pRUtU58IXq9FhT8mq8g2m4sjEl1rTAHriw3KwZ5MrNGrBqm6G90ondghSNXnAhFf6z1_Ou2FQvh70Qw/s1600/13_corner_seam.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Turn the whole thing right-side out through one of the side gaps. It'll be fiddly, but it'll all come through the hole, trust me.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYEu834t_Q4csQdwQjW35VYWIGVfjCAK8fGzXu-f7MD-WBYI5JIUE7ijxdc9SOR7poHg2Xi1ZpnZ355etzBDk8hkmt4p8f2b_ENa7A8t00R3PA-JCJvYrsoZwMm7ffmdfQVMON_DdG1Mf/s1600/14_turn_out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYEu834t_Q4csQdwQjW35VYWIGVfjCAK8fGzXu-f7MD-WBYI5JIUE7ijxdc9SOR7poHg2Xi1ZpnZ355etzBDk8hkmt4p8f2b_ENa7A8t00R3PA-JCJvYrsoZwMm7ffmdfQVMON_DdG1Mf/s1600/14_turn_out.jpg" height="391" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This is what you'll end up with. Odd looking business, isn't it? Keep going, you're almost there</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUmBpGlsIC5vZjFYlKFy8y9etyrdXFyWShCbNOXkXXVZ9bPfSD4Heh0ibwQG4JfzBYhfzOiy3U00ZRehJrUplZKeUg3ok0xNajFfkupPVqpgAVw3P5MSICEPseAFfAThpdJpbLRdqPGMm/s1600/15_turned_out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUmBpGlsIC5vZjFYlKFy8y9etyrdXFyWShCbNOXkXXVZ9bPfSD4Heh0ibwQG4JfzBYhfzOiy3U00ZRehJrUplZKeUg3ok0xNajFfkupPVqpgAVw3P5MSICEPseAFfAThpdJpbLRdqPGMm/s1600/15_turned_out.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Push one half of the bag down inside the other half.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtn_zGG-BHy6bnHgmqx85JWMayHByBqd4iQFhhtF1IGM1GnRZymeIlrL0H23jVK9FxAi63wPpX01g7CpVWOciBCso05ABDA124DqKR3K223LJ-W95iVdtTASIxHB_S4CsBUZ4n3xpucW4/s1600/16_push_in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtn_zGG-BHy6bnHgmqx85JWMayHByBqd4iQFhhtF1IGM1GnRZymeIlrL0H23jVK9FxAi63wPpX01g7CpVWOciBCso05ABDA124DqKR3K223LJ-W95iVdtTASIxHB_S4CsBUZ4n3xpucW4/s1600/16_push_in.jpg" height="360" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Line up the bottoms of the drawstring openings and pin them together. Press the top edges of the bag to get a nice crisp fold.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXePj9uFhcqaxG9hU8y5s9SEmy4TfGghHjvnWqdNVb43nIAgn4sR7FM7EFb82_bYRXoeG5GAf5GDLUfQ9eIBux2mkIK8WDK__IFnQD9e7ISN1yEq9KUe8FFUVcZMs61sVxlOrwlA_tfPno/s1600/17_match_casing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXePj9uFhcqaxG9hU8y5s9SEmy4TfGghHjvnWqdNVb43nIAgn4sR7FM7EFb82_bYRXoeG5GAf5GDLUfQ9eIBux2mkIK8WDK__IFnQD9e7ISN1yEq9KUe8FFUVcZMs61sVxlOrwlA_tfPno/s1600/17_match_casing.jpg" height="343" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Topstitch all around the accent panel just below the opening for the drawstrings and about 1.4" or so down from the top edge. Backstitch at the ends of the top edges and at the bottom of the gaps. Voila! the drawstring casing is done, and so is the sewing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUDSud55f2_dCcRaLHXSsKPRA1fiqAkQ5tjm0bFmn2858aaiaHFIrbygEvatB7LYd9oopVD7IF500-l4SO49L9nQtzcBgJbC1XOH3qU-IBUE1hbqpXdc_qMnon2_96phpR68wJo-q3IBr/s1600/18_topstitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUDSud55f2_dCcRaLHXSsKPRA1fiqAkQ5tjm0bFmn2858aaiaHFIrbygEvatB7LYd9oopVD7IF500-l4SO49L9nQtzcBgJbC1XOH3qU-IBUE1hbqpXdc_qMnon2_96phpR68wJo-q3IBr/s1600/18_topstitch.jpg" height="348" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Run a pair of twisted cords or ribbons through the casing in opposite directions and knot the ends together. You have a finished bag!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rk3NnoA_XOFVU3IIVlbtMnBxnMxpmcYws932yxCA-Vx20eNNDGlUSVuP7oykeQPuPOgvlh3sonWYUD2qxEB6yfoFLS8E3TPOB-u4uejxaSJROXbvy7C9SBBsitU8gB6Jv9WA3oE3MXrb/s1600/19_all_done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rk3NnoA_XOFVU3IIVlbtMnBxnMxpmcYws932yxCA-Vx20eNNDGlUSVuP7oykeQPuPOgvlh3sonWYUD2qxEB6yfoFLS8E3TPOB-u4uejxaSJROXbvy7C9SBBsitU8gB6Jv9WA3oE3MXrb/s1600/19_all_done.jpg" height="347" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Turn it inside out. Oooo - no exposed seams!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnzs1t7Qaoay4vdl43F7Tx8zSX2vD7UXVgVY1o5460Xl0iEYfqvESaS2hHcaSv3iMqaj7hrY2zGMMC9WIVFLIf-iobMp50oRcXYDoVrUg0Vv1naEh93L1PtRdhmKeKYEbNa8MZksbgvKW/s1600/20_other_side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnzs1t7Qaoay4vdl43F7Tx8zSX2vD7UXVgVY1o5460Xl0iEYfqvESaS2hHcaSv3iMqaj7hrY2zGMMC9WIVFLIf-iobMp50oRcXYDoVrUg0Vv1naEh93L1PtRdhmKeKYEbNa8MZksbgvKW/s1600/20_other_side.jpg" height="350" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">If you use a nice sturdy quilting cotton, you can fold the sides down to form a little yarn bowl.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzI_VfCmgWzxUAvcAq8WCRspBrKXtpKpVmG2aY3bQSwxSnpdq2I93hdrvjCE62wC-iX5DXratp5CccCzKLuBW23XqY_HwNgVTzRTeaoauuYKpmhDh9xHFSA1PFqY6gcQu9mlQTTdA0ShS5/s1600/21_yarn_bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzI_VfCmgWzxUAvcAq8WCRspBrKXtpKpVmG2aY3bQSwxSnpdq2I93hdrvjCE62wC-iX5DXratp5CccCzKLuBW23XqY_HwNgVTzRTeaoauuYKpmhDh9xHFSA1PFqY6gcQu9mlQTTdA0ShS5/s1600/21_yarn_bowl.jpg" height="347" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Finished measurements: about 9" tall and 10" wide. Big enough to hold a ball of sock yarn or other small project</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hs4AgDs8qfyix9wwRZC13mtc34xwo5Dkv9w8Kv6A-5yMM3RpNqB1w6KCXMmK6Wtr7TQUDQVBZ0hyNW78sIVzdou-kWkEBCGrO3WAOHRReTEi550f8mJFyBd3nFN0TyGE5Q0mpUsdAfM_/s1600/22_finished_size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hs4AgDs8qfyix9wwRZC13mtc34xwo5Dkv9w8Kv6A-5yMM3RpNqB1w6KCXMmK6Wtr7TQUDQVBZ0hyNW78sIVzdou-kWkEBCGrO3WAOHRReTEi550f8mJFyBd3nFN0TyGE5Q0mpUsdAfM_/s1600/22_finished_size.jpg" height="367" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Thank you for the great tutorial, Ms. Borden!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-44105850341696303692014-07-25T11:52:00.000-07:002014-07-25T11:52:24.082-07:00Fiber Friday: A Pink/Purple/White Fingering Weight Skein of Gorgeous Yarn: CheshireRight now, I can't promise a new colorway every week, but I am <i>Really</i> excited about this one, with a capital R. I kept going back and forth on this one. Do I keep it? Do I see if it sells for X amount of time and then keep it?<br />
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In the end, I am trying my best to provide great colorways for you, so that I can buy more yarn from the mill, and make more gorgeous colorways. I worked really hard yesterday on this site and re-arranging furniture in our house to make more room for the ever expanding studio area, so I'm going to keep this short, as I totally rocked it out and earned a fun day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlSZeK4T9xy9HFKo8wOvdTOw6hayvoyp-ho8Wk53zI1w7In_AVoS-wYVQDifd3GAn7N7oBUl1A8AWKK5lYyYyELkKwvaaM409feNMHYiKD7o2v1D-qqpDXklgztbaAOUZxFl_EwX-sA85/s1600/IMGP0727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlSZeK4T9xy9HFKo8wOvdTOw6hayvoyp-ho8Wk53zI1w7In_AVoS-wYVQDifd3GAn7N7oBUl1A8AWKK5lYyYyELkKwvaaM409feNMHYiKD7o2v1D-qqpDXklgztbaAOUZxFl_EwX-sA85/s1600/IMGP0727.JPG" height="263" title="pink mauve purple brown white superwash merino sock yarn alice in wonderland checshire cat fingering weight nylon disney" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IzC1PEqvnFYzZmsz69sX7F8Id6nEhXcSZGEAw7wM6O2tYPGFNX1rq6WbyX7K6Tqu0tVfIDIOrGSLxV0pKzUsAap2Rjbo5k_5Cindb46I2PkkG86iOx1QmB4WrtFiqjw0rWb5fGCtlYBv/s1600/IMGP0729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IzC1PEqvnFYzZmsz69sX7F8Id6nEhXcSZGEAw7wM6O2tYPGFNX1rq6WbyX7K6Tqu0tVfIDIOrGSLxV0pKzUsAap2Rjbo5k_5Cindb46I2PkkG86iOx1QmB4WrtFiqjw0rWb5fGCtlYBv/s1600/IMGP0729.JPG" height="263" title="pink mauve purple brown white superwash merino sock yarn alice in wonderland checshire cat fingering weight nylon disney" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can find this skein and others by clicking the link "To the shop!" in the navigation menu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Meet Cheshire. A pinky purpley mauvey with a hint of brown skein in Puck. While I think Cheshire would be great for some sock, I think he'd make an even better simple shawl to show off his colors. We all know Chesh is a bit of a show off. ;)</div>
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<span style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Colorway: Cheshire</span><br style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.15999984741211px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Weight: Fingering</span><br style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.15999984741211px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Yards: 438</span><br style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.15999984741211px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Material: </span><span style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">75% Superwash Merino Wool / 25% Nylon</span><br style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.15999984741211px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dye lot: None</span><br style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.15999984741211px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #c3b595; font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Available: 1</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-90528251359877559212014-07-23T15:17:00.002-07:002014-07-23T15:17:44.391-07:00Time to put Zeke out to pasture: Getting a new sewing machine and website updatesI have been working diligently since last Thursday on getting things moved from Etsy to here, just to have to move from here over to my very own dot com in about a month or so. My brain is mush!!<br />
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I have added a shop page (you can find it in the navigation menu up yonder) and in that page, you'll be directed somewhere else based on the yarn weight and fiber type that you're looking for. <i>Then</i> you get to see all the pretty yarn. We had a very nice photo shoot the other evening, and they're ready to show you their best top model photos. Not all of them are entered in yet, as it's still a work in progress of it's own.<br />
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I'm also working on a very pretty shawl, and though I started it out to list for sale, I'm falling in love with it the more I work on it, and holy crap! It's actually being made from my very own hand dyed yarn. Puck will be pleased, as it falls under his "line."<br />
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I'm not normally this productive. (Hey, what I've been doing may not look like much, but I promise, mushy brain is mushy like over cooked oatmeal.) I'm bribing myself, and finding that it's working out pretty nicely. I want to do two things; 1: I want to play good ol' Caesar 3 - I really can't get enough of this game. It's so zen when you're playing on the city construction kit...or as I like to call it 'Piss Off, Caesar' mode. 2: we refinanced our car, and in the process got some money back from our previous lender, and my wonderful, loving, amazeballs hubby took me to the store to get a new sewing machine....and I want to touch it!<br />
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I unpacked it, and put it on my sewing spot and haven't messed with it at all. I've been such a good girl! I told myself that when I made decent progress on updating the shop portion of the site, I would be allowed to play with my new machine... well, I'm allowing myself to learn what all these new doohickeys do. My first machine is <i>fifteen years</i> <i>old, </i> and you wouldn't think that a lot would change in sewing in fifteen years, but oh boy...this thing has functions that I can't even begin to fathom what they do.<br />
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I know I'm not the only one that names my...how do I say this without sounding dirty....oh heck, we'll just stick with machines. My computer's name is Jet, because he's all black and dark gray. My first sewing machine I named Zeke, and I'm not really sure why. But Zeke will be going to my son, since now we've got two machines that work, even though Zeke isn't in the best shape of his life.<br />
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Now, my new machine, I'm calling her Mildred. For no other reason than when she's fifteen years old, I can say things like, "Well, Old Girl, you gave it a good try, but I think it's time you went to see The Doctor."<br />
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Here's a picture of Mildred. No, this isn't staged to show off the pretty yarn sitting next to her, that's just how it happened to be (aka: I pulled out the yarn so when making the entries for each skein, I didn't get the name wrong. Can you imagine how pissed Blue Fairy would be if I called her Cinderella?)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6yDaB86WOqN6kzOM59xmPXc1Fu85QuOBUhlLIXVUDsy71bTvxmTaqC9c31r9kKrhENqDmej8N00AuqQ63_vCDARSMIZ9X0BILcdRr95aiXT0bJFGxTK9snfOh__rBZFOlFJ3Tp42XnCF/s1600/IMGP0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6yDaB86WOqN6kzOM59xmPXc1Fu85QuOBUhlLIXVUDsy71bTvxmTaqC9c31r9kKrhENqDmej8N00AuqQ63_vCDARSMIZ9X0BILcdRr95aiXT0bJFGxTK9snfOh__rBZFOlFJ3Tp42XnCF/s1600/IMGP0832.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
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Do you name your sewing machine or laptop? I'd love to hear what you call him/her/them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-12542365385311218222014-07-18T13:00:00.001-07:002014-07-23T14:55:38.816-07:00Yellow and Gray Hand Dyed Superwash Merino Yarn and Coat of ArmsYesterday, I broke out the dye pot because I wanted to make for myself some butter yellow and gray yarn, because those are my favorite colors right now. I love the color play between the two. If done right, it can be gorgeous and no bumble bee like at all.<br />
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However...<br />
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I was using a dye that I haven't tested yet, and I really know better. Sometimes, my excitement to make someone that I know I will love gets the better of me. Here's how it turned out:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWHCgrlHw-UDXgfxUX3M8jCe70885IxmSbNTp6PzoVh8sNwDgC5O-qPqUmedJoRRKMSJwABngC3p4uJn0xffNaCKXWUeVsR1KIlMQ9ecpaA5Bw48e9dPORK_CbCWq_MbfMA6yaHVeGY0C/s1600/IMGP0702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWHCgrlHw-UDXgfxUX3M8jCe70885IxmSbNTp6PzoVh8sNwDgC5O-qPqUmedJoRRKMSJwABngC3p4uJn0xffNaCKXWUeVsR1KIlMQ9ecpaA5Bw48e9dPORK_CbCWq_MbfMA6yaHVeGY0C/s1600/IMGP0702.JPG" height="263" title="Yellow and Gray Hand Dyed Superwash Merino Yarn" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can find this skein of yarn, and others by clicking the link in the header named: To the shop!</td></tr>
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While I adore how gorgeous the gray came out, the yellow was a bit brighter than I wanted. When I showed it to my husband, he went into a Google-fu flurry and pulled up his family crest.<br />
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<a href="http://www.heraldicjewelry.com/uploads/5/2/3/2/5232707/5744531_orig.jpg?132" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.heraldicjewelry.com/uploads/5/2/3/2/5232707/5744531_orig.jpg?132" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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I started laughing, because the colors match so perfectly!! So here it is, a new skein of yarn and it actually has a name!!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">Yarn Company: Little Bit Fae</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">Name: Puck</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">Colorway: Coat of Arms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">Weight: Fingering</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">Yards: 438</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">Material: 75% Superwash Merino Wool/25% Nylon</span><br />
<span style="family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">Dye lot: None</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Guardian-EgypTT-Text, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 25px;">If you want to check out his family crest, or look up what yours is, I've found<a href="http://www.heraldicjewelry.com/name-search.html" target="_blank"> HeraldicJewelry.com</a> to be pretty helpful.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-48885095490751173762014-07-16T11:18:00.002-07:002014-07-16T11:18:56.067-07:00WIP WednesdayI think I may be done with the Nerd Wars. I really love the idea of doing it, but I'm not really one for creating on someone else's schedule. I don't mind being given deadlines for things I want to make, but being told what to make really kind of blows.<br />
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That said, if you have a ginormous queue that you want to make, you could probably find ways to make it work. Moreover, if you're doing an afghan or a hexipuff quilt, this would be great for that. You could do one square/hexipuff for each challenge, get points for your team, and progress on you WIP.<br />
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Yesterday, I decided to cast on a new project, instead of finishing something already on the needles. What I currently have going on isn't really inspiring me to work on it right now. I do have a few balls of yarn that I need to soak and then let dry to give them their shape again, so I may do that. That partly involves working on one of my WIsP. I knit a hat way back when I was first learning, and it didn't fit because I didn't change needles for the brim. <i>Years</i> later I've taken it apart, and I need to soak it so the yarn can relax.<br />
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The new project that I cast on is the Indigo top by <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/mishellee-zaharis-poulin" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Mishellee Zaharis Poulin</a>. I'm having some gauge issues with it, because I want to make it in a cotton/bamboo blend, and this schtuff grows like crazy! My swatch doubled in width, but remained the same in height. I may decide to save the pattern, but choose something else that was meant to be used with cotton and already should have the growth taken into consideration.<br />
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Just to prove to you, because it is WIP Wednesday, that I am indeed working on the Meringue skirt, I have a photo of my nearly finished muslin! I can tell already that there's going to be some fit issues. I've lost some weight since I took my initial sizing measurements, and found that the mark on my sewing machine plate that I'd had marked for the seam allowance, is 1/4" too small. It might all work out, but when holding the muslin up to my waist, it feels like it's going to be too big.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meringue Skirt muslin. My house is not this messy, just my crafting area.:)</td></tr>
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All that I have left to do, is stitch the part that's hanging down below the scallops, adjust for fit, and then make the real thing! I feel like making the muslin took me forever, but I know that I put it down for about a week for a couple more instantly gratifying projects. It makes me wonder why I procrastinate on things that will make me happy... like new skirts!</div>
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I'm looking forward to this skirt so much, that I even took the time to pull out the fabric, scan it in, and then resize and crop it down to something easier to look at.</div>
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Isn't it adorable?</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-32379801807381253622014-07-15T10:36:00.001-07:002014-07-15T10:36:48.182-07:00Weekend ProjectPulling all of your money out of your account (except what you need to cover your bills) can do amazing things for avoiding over draft fees. :) I'm not sure what it is lately, but it seems like we're being charged different amounts when we go to places, like instead of it being the 25.80 that we were told, when the charge hits our account, it's for 32 or something like that. Or we were double charged, like our cards were swiped twice for the same transaction. Get enough of those, and then you get over draft fees...which have <i>never</i> made any sense to me. You're going to charge me $25-50 for not having money in my account. Think about that. There's no money there, so why are you taking more money that is not there? And for stuff that isn't even our fault!<br />
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We found too, that the double charges and over charges were always coming from the same place, and trust me, it's just easier to let it go than to fight this place. So in order to stop this from happening, my husband and I decided that we're going to take the harder road and pay cash for everything except our bills and important things that having a paper trail would be helpful for (like sending an important piece of mail certified with delivery confirmation; receipt plus bank statement showing it was paid for equals 'CYA' method).<br />
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I'd heard about this budgeting system where you use a bunch of envelopes for your different spending categories, so we tried that too. We found that we were always out of money at the end of the pay period when according to our budget we shouldn't have been, and when we reviewed our bank statement, we couldn't find out why, other than going to McDonald's a few too many times.<br />
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Instead of carrying around a bunch of envelopes, which frankly, just made me feel like the idiot that doesn't know what a wallet is for, I decided that I was going to make my own wallet. It's not the best wallet in the world, and there are certainly changes that I would make to it if I were to make it again but I love having all the little zipper pockets. We don't use them all for budget categories, but I have the feeling they will get used the more I use the wallet. Right now, my husband gets the gas money because he's the primary driver, and I get the food money, and the rest of the money goes in the "other" category. "Other" is pretty much code for the kid's need new shoes, my only pair of jeans died and I need another pair, Mom found a great deal on a used twin bed frame and mattress, Mom and Bug need more fabric to raise their Sewing level to 150, and so on. I have a feeling one of those unused pockets is going to be delegated to a "craft" budget.<br />
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It took me all day Sunday to make this. There was a lot of measuring and cutting, but aside from the 'outside' fabric, I'm pretty pleased to say that everything came from items that I already had in my stash, and I love how "put together" the whole thing looks. It may not have been the best style choice to use the blue thread for the detail stitching, but I'm happy with it. That's the same thread that I'm going to be using on my first dress...whenever I can get around to stop procrastinating on the Meringue skirt muslin.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-51472694853247896872014-07-11T12:54:00.001-07:002014-07-11T12:58:42.657-07:00New pattern goodness!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've just pre-ordered the new pattern from Colette Patterns! I'm really excited for this one because it's absolutely gorgeous and labeled as a beginner pattern. I've been sworn to secrecy until they do the grand reveal, so I won't say any more than that. Time to start browsing for fabric! WHEE!!<br />
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I'm thinking either white, or one of these colors:<br />
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I'm really loving these colors right now, and they're pretty much my go-to colors, but I don't care!!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-71500918632445477262014-07-08T10:21:00.000-07:002014-07-08T10:21:08.522-07:00Finding ValueI've struggled for a long time to try and find a unifying theme for my blog so that it becomes something of value, rather than a place where I post the stuff that I make that no one really wants to see anyway. It seems to me that all of the blogs that I love to read are about something, whether it's knitting, cooking, photography, sewing, etc. They've all got that one thing that holds them together. The problem with doing that for my blog is that I am interested in far too much, and I go through my interests in phases. If I had a blog about ceramics and pottery, it will have been dead since 2004.<br />
<br />
I love to create things, and I'm finding that it doesn't matter what medium it is, I will try it a few times and see if it's for me. Most of the time, I really enjoy the activity, but sometimes, I could really do without it. Recently, I swore off of quilting. I love looking at them, feeling them, and being in awe of some really amazing work, but I don't have the patience for piecing tiny stuff together...and all that math! I love me some geometry, but not that much. It's just an aspect of sewing that I can do without...happily. The same goes for crochet. I love making tiny little crocheted dolls and amigurumi, and I love how quickly the projects go when compared to knitting, but I do not like the fabric that crocheted stitches create. It's lumpy and bumpy, and any color changes in the yarn turn into camouflage in crocheted items. The sample picture on my <a href="http://littlebitfae.blogspot.com/2014/06/super-duper-easy-dishcloth.html" target="_blank">crocheted dishcloth pattern</a> is a perfect example.<br />
<br />
So really, the unifying theme of this blog is me. Every day I wake up to my kids, either Goosie laying her head on my chest, or kissing my face (which sounds sweet, but I assure you it's at the most obnoxious hour of the morning, and I am not a morning person) or to both Goosie and Bug yelling at each other in some asinine argument that I can't make heads or tails of. Usually, it's just "Yes!" "No!" "I said 'yes!'" "Well, I said 'no!'"...and so on until I find the strength inside me to let them know that I am awake and yell, "SHUT UP!"<br />
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And then of course they know I'm awake, and both come barreling into my bedroom (thank God I don't sleep naked) to complain about the argument or that they're hungry, thirsty, bored, etc. and I'm still bleary-eyed and barely conscious.<br />
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Most of my days feel like a fight between being Mom and being myself. I struggle constantly with being who I want to be, and being who society tells me I should be. Maybe it's just my old fashioned way of thinking, but I'd really love to consistently have purple, or blue, or pink, or some other bright color of fun in my hair, but I don't because moms don't have fun hair. Moms wear God-awful jeans up to their armpits, Bermuda shorts that are too big, carry around an endless supply of tissues and bandaids, and ugh! I don't want to be a badly dressed mom-supply vending machine.<br />
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I do love my kids to tiny little pieces, but there are (many) days where I wonder if I should have ever birthed them. I'm not sure if at the end of it all, I have what it takes to see this motherhood thing through. They're 9 and 4 and I am looking forward to the days where they shut themselves in their room, blast whatever garbage they call music too loud, and they leave me alone.<br />
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And then I feel terrible for thinking these things. The Pinterest Moms are certainly going to come after me and scoff at me and judge me, because don't I know how lucky I am? Don't I know there are hundreds of women out there who can't have children, and I am just so blessed with two??? Don't I just want to scoop them up and make my whole life orbit around their every little desire?<br />
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This is why I had the "No kids after 30" rule. Because that sounds absolutely horrible to me. I don't want to lose myself in order to cater to these <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmIstuRikfg" target="_blank">poopy little crooks!</a> I swear the word that gets the most use in my vocabulary is "stop."<br />
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I hope we get a good school system when we're done being stationed in California, because I want to send Bug back to public school. I want to have confidence that Goosie will have a good start in Kindergarten and that they Army keeps their word on not moving people from station to station once a year, and sticks to the once every four years at a minimum. I cannot wait to have all my days filled with silence and doing whatever the hell I want.<br />
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So there's my unification. That's why I changed the name of the blog. I am more than just their mom. And I will claw at the sides of every box that people try to put me in like a feral cat with rabies. They are not my life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-89805540566117713672014-07-06T10:15:00.001-07:002014-07-06T10:15:45.456-07:00Sewing is Addictive!Oh my gosh, it's seriously been almost a month since I wrote a post, not counting moving the crochet dish cloth pattern here from wherever it got lost on the internet. I didn't write, because at the time, I had really nothing to write about, and I don't want to have a bunch of filler posts just because writing-a-post day has sprouted up.<br />
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I've been sewing a lot, and my knitting has been suffering for it. I really, really love the thrill of having a project done in a day. Making clothes for my daughter totally fulfills that. She's got two new skirts to prove it.<br />
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I've almost finished the muslin for the<a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/51125" target="_blank"> Meringue</a> skirt from <a href="https://www.colettepatterns.com/books/colette-sewing-handbook" target="_blank">The Colette Sewing Handbook</a> book. I got to the part about putting in the zipper, and kind of freaked out. I've sewn in one zipper before, and it was into a makeup bag that I was making for my daughter to put her pretend make up and brushes in. It didn't turn out. Well, the zipper was okay, I think, but there was a misunderstanding of the instructions, or the instructions were written badly for a "beginner" audience.<br />
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The first skirt that I made for my daughter was a circle skirt style. I botched up putting on the 1.5 inch elastic waistband a little bit, but you can't really tell. She absolutely loves it. I added some tulle underneath to give it some poof and a bit of modesty, but since she's a wild little thing, she still needs to wear shorts under it.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-60426156648191797012014-06-23T15:44:00.002-07:002014-06-23T15:45:03.890-07:00Super Duper Easy DishclothCrochet Pattern<br />
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<span id="goog_1792485620"></span><span id="goog_1792485621"></span><br />
Hook Size: 5mm; H<br />
Yarn suggested: Lily Sugar'n Cream<br />
Yarn Weight: Worsted/Aran<br />
Gauge: Not important<br />
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Ch: 20<br />
R1: sc in every ch; ch2 turn<br />
R2-9: dc in every stitch, ch2 turn<br />
R10: dc in every stitch, pull tail through last stitch until you have a loop as long as you'd like leaving enough extra yarn for the knot, then tighten. Take the loop and knot it, making sure the knot is snug against the dish cloth, then break yarn close to, but not right up against the knot.<br />
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Makes approximately one 6in x 6in dish cloth. To make it bigger chain extra stitches and measure, then repeat row 2 until length is the same as width.<br />
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I get roughly 3 dish clothes from one ball of Lily Sugar'n Cream. You may get more or less depending on the size of your dish cloths.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-29386294785483151622014-06-19T16:08:00.002-07:002014-06-19T16:08:47.700-07:00Jimmy Bean'sThis is one of the main reasons why I love buying from Jimmy Bean's Wool (dot com):<br />
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<br />
I ordered this 3 days ago, and it arrived today. I paid $4 for shipping. The only thing I have ever been disappointed about with Jimmy Bean's is finding out they're no longer going to carry anything sewing related. It's yarn from now on. Given that I knit and stuff, I am happy about this because there's more room for more yarn, but it means that my go-to place for fabric, notions, and freaking fantastic customer service now gives me a sad.<br />
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I'll still shop here, happily! But I'll have to find somewhere else to go for sewing.<br />
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Now, onto some great news. What's shown here would have cost me about $100. It cost a hair under $50, because it's all on sale. Since they're not carrying sewing things anymore, they're selling it all from 40-50% off. Great things some times come from a sad.<br />
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As a side note: I love that Colette patterns come in little booklets like that. They're totally cute!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-2399692267209698522014-06-16T15:08:00.000-07:002014-06-16T15:10:31.242-07:00Why Another Hobby?I know my husband thinks it, even if he's totally amazeballs and never says it. He's always 100% supportive and very honestly just wants my happiness. But I can see it for the most brief of moments, "<i>Another craft?"</i> Which for most translates to, more money on crap that will sit around the house? Not for him, which is awesome. I know he just looks at our space and wonders where it's all going to fit, and when I'll find that <i>one thing</i> that satisfies me and I will never need another hobby.<br />
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Well, for my husband, and anyone else who wonders why the heck I need another hobby when I already knit, crochet, spin, and dye. This is pulled straight from The Colette Sewing Handbook:<br />
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<i>We have no shortage of choice when it comes to picking what we want to wear. With constantly rotating trends, new looks, and "must-haves" every season, the simple act of dressing yourself can often feel overwhelming. </i>[Not exactly overwhelming as it is depressing.] <i>We're constantly urged to try new styles, and it's true that they can be exciting and fun. But if you're anything like me, deep down, all you really want is a closet filled with your favorite things. </i>[YES!] <i>These are the clothes that make you happy to put on, that make you feel like yourself. Instead, many of us feel that we have a closet stuffed with clothes and nothing we want to wear.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
It goes on to say that sewing your own clothing can magnify this problem. Ha! She does not know me. I am shorter than 5 feet, and so very, very tired of nothing fitting. Petite usually means rail thin, not built with shorter measurements. I used to shop in the Junior section...and then I had kids and my hips grew. I have several pairs of jeans, but I only wear one pair. No exaggeration. <i>One pair.</i> Because when I go to the store, they either fit my hips and butt right where I want them, but the waist is too high and nearly in my arm pits, or the length is too long and I'm walking on the bottoms of every pair of pants that I own. Or the length is right, but they're far too tight in the thighs and cut off my circulation around the middle. I have one pair of jeans because when I first bought them, they fit in the hips, didn't sag off my butt, weren't too high, and holy crap, they were <i>extra short!</i> I don't walk on them!!!... and they were the only pair left in the entire store.<br />
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Clearly, I'm not alone.<br />
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I would <i>love </i> to have a closet full of clothes that actually fit me. Tired of buying shirts that are lowish on normal sized women, but when I put them on, the cut is so low, a boob is hanging out and the whole gym locker room can see the color of my bra.<br />
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So please, bring on the problem of having a closet full of clothes, and I still can't decide what to wear, because I want to wear it all.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-44844101196210840362014-06-16T12:49:00.001-07:002014-06-16T12:49:22.051-07:00I'm Going to Do It!!Over the weekend, HusbandPerson and I cleaned out our under the stair storage area, that was supposed to be a craft area/study closet. Yes, it's that big.<br />
<br />
We had it crammed full of stuff that we didn't really have a place for but didn't want to throw away. (Yes, I will some day use that rather large art portolio case.) Most of the space was taken up by half or less than half full boxes. So we unpacked them, put their contents (mostly yarn) in their homes, and put in a couple of cheap but very tall and narrow book cases that I got for a steal from a local garage sale community on Facebook. It's amazing how much more space you can find when you store vertically!<br />
<br />
Anyway, while sorting and unpacking and placing, I found all my sewing patterns, fabrics, and my machine. Hooray! I knew it was in there somewhere! I'm going to do it! I'm going to finally take out my fabrics and do some thingmakery!<br />
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I really, <i>really</i> want to finish cleaning up the mess that we made when we organized. I do feel like we need one more bookcase to put paints, brushes, and papers on. So I will probably get to that before I get to cutting and sewing. Until we get another bookcase, I really don't have much of a choice but to put all those boxes back in and make my pretty new place all ugly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTDMmaH8ZgOGavUzmtztGAH-xOLcf8CrsRwcoKz2cEfFBBq0nRXOejbz6olF4EEqLy8ej4fngjHbx7WnkKuMG-L9vdeIHsqzR-96DVQWJsu49-ySzHrycSwXtoRcf1EDbswKHEUZPoqX5/s1600/IMGP0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTDMmaH8ZgOGavUzmtztGAH-xOLcf8CrsRwcoKz2cEfFBBq0nRXOejbz6olF4EEqLy8ej4fngjHbx7WnkKuMG-L9vdeIHsqzR-96DVQWJsu49-ySzHrycSwXtoRcf1EDbswKHEUZPoqX5/s1600/IMGP0609.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My crafting closet; at the entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of my two new bookcases. One has fabric and a creepy head, the other has dye stuff and Gold Canyon candles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wire rack right across from the other two book cases. Has base yarn, dye stuff, two yarn swifts, packing materials, shipping materials, and my massage table next to it (topped with colorful project bags)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y0TiSCYf4It4Qq5xmur085aSv16POAumPXyr693nPSkK8LnysF2JJUVkFjdLLoImLKivnMO_VYGA7-ZZohbW95NYkqM5xkFmKfKkbreF3hOA9FYjJ08uhgRWmtqAbN-0uPamCr81KmYC/s1600/IMGP0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y0TiSCYf4It4Qq5xmur085aSv16POAumPXyr693nPSkK8LnysF2JJUVkFjdLLoImLKivnMO_VYGA7-ZZohbW95NYkqM5xkFmKfKkbreF3hOA9FYjJ08uhgRWmtqAbN-0uPamCr81KmYC/s1600/IMGP0612.JPG" height="400" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the way back and to the right, oh what's this?? More storage space! This is the only part of the room I have to duck to get into. The level part of the ceiling is roughly 9 feet high.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-74874895594700633262014-06-10T20:50:00.003-07:002014-06-10T20:50:55.749-07:00To The Woman at Denny's...I have kind of a long story that I want to share, so please bear with me.<br />
<br />
I started doing this online "game" where you're rewarded with experience points and gold for real life activities. It's geared toward helping you make good habits and break bad ones. When you do something you're trying to stop, you're punished with the loss of health points. (I don't know what happens when you reach zero health, that's not happened to me.)<br />
<br />
Tonight at dinner, an unattractive woman walked in with four children, all of them 10 and younger, with no male figure in sight. Immediately, I judged her. I'm not proud of this. I assumed that because of her looks that no one could possibly want her, and the only way that she could have those children is by being promiscuous.<br />
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No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I felt, deep in my gut, that this habit needed to change. I felt prompted by God (yes, I have faith) to add "Do not judge others" to my list of habits I want to change in the game. It may seem really silly, but games work for me. Being <i>that</i> kind of person does not make me feel proud of myself.<br />
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I also felt that I needed to go to her, and confess to her my horrible thought, and give her a gift. I am not proud to admit that I did not ask for her forgiveness. I introduced myself, asked her how on earth she manages four young children by herself, and gave her a small tea light and some information about the company I work for. I didn't ask her to join, I didn't explain the career opportunity: I just told her that inside there is a candle, and I wanted to welcome her to light that candle after the kids had gone to bed and take some quiet time for herself, because I know she could use it. She thanked me, and I left her to her meal and her family.<br />
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I remember how hard it was for me to manage two kids by myself, and how I hated the glares I got from strangers because I was a "single" mom. I don't know anything about this woman! I didn't even ask her name. For all I know, she could be where I was two years ago: married to a man deployed in a war, and trying to hold life together.<br />
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To the woman at Denny's... if you ever read this, I am sorry for judging you. I should know better. I have added "Do not judge people" to my list of bad habits to break and have clicked the minus button and taken the loss of health points... but that is not enough. I know that you have no idea what I thought, but I am sure you get looks similar to what I had been given when I was in your shoes, and I am better than that. I am no better than you, and there is nothing I can tell myself to reason away my wrong. I am very, truly sorry. If you ever read this, I hope you can forgive me.<br />
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I also hope that you enjoyed your candle. No strings attached. You have my business card too, call me anytime if you want another; it's on me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-14820724693873809762014-06-04T08:18:00.001-07:002014-06-04T08:18:57.514-07:00Wednesday Already?I had a really crazy busy day yesterday, and I'm having a difficult time coming to terms with Wednesday. This is not helped at all by the fact that I was up until 10:30 last night working on a WIP that has been driving me crazy. No matter what I do, or how carefully I count my stitches and make sure that everything is good, my stitch counts were not coming out right.<br />
<br />
Last week, I enlisted the help of a friend from Google+ hangouts, and he was having the same problem. So I felt like (then) that maybe it wasn't me. Maybe it was something with the pattern, or something with the way we were doing increases. So last night, I was working on it again, and everything was great. I had all the stitches I needed just as the pattern said, and then I got to the eyelet increase row where you are making a new stitch every third stitch. I came up 4 stitches short.<br />
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The way this pattern works is that you have 3 stitches in the center that you use to keep the shawl centered, and on each side of those 3 stitches, you have a mirrored design. So when I came up short 4 stitches, I thought well, maybe I just missed a few yarn overs (making new stitches) - so I double checked. Everything is as it should be. So I counted again - maybe I'd just miscounted. Nope. Still 4 short. The weirdest thing about it though, is that I was 3 short on one side and only 1 short on the other side. Then I vented my frustration to a different friend through Google+ hangouts, and she took a look at the pattern.<br />
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-------If you don't want to read the math, skip down-----<br />
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The math works in mathematics, but it does not work in practice. Here's an example. Before you start row 42, you have 139 stitches. Subtract 3 for your center stitches: 136. Divide by two and you have 68 stitches on either side of the markers. Then you knit 2 for the side border: 66. Add in a yarn over. (Don't count it because you are putting in a stitch where there was none.) Knit 2 again: 64. Make another stitch, again, not counting it: 64. Every third stitch is making another stitch, so you have 64 divide by 2: 32 sets of stitches with an increase between each set. 32 stitches added on one side. Then you knit your 3 center stitches, and do it again, but in reverse. Instead of knit 2 add a stitch, you're adding a stitch and then knitting 2. So another 32 stitches added on one side, which gives us the two stitches left for the border, so go ahead and add another stitch, and knit those last two. For a total of 64 stitches plus the 2 added just after/before the border: 66 added.<br />
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Your row total of 139 stitches from before you knit this row and then add your 66 new stitches: 205 -- but the pattern says I should have 207 (a difference of 2 stitches) in the size that I am making (large, because large is fluffy and comfy!). Double check the other sizes, just to see if something there gives me a clue about these two missing stitches and it is 171; and 177 - no where close to where I need to be<br />
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And I really don't trust my math, because it is not my strong suit - because even with working it out right here on the blog, I am not getting what I actually got, which is off by 4 stitches... and I do distinctly remember (because it was just last night) having no issues working from one side to the 3 center stitches - I knit 2 and added a stitch with no problems, I ended with adding a stitch just before the 3 center stitches marker. But when I came down the other side, putting my added stitch first, and then knitting 2, I had THREE stitches left where I should have only had those 2 border stitches. My math says I should have added 66 stitches, the pattern says 68.<br />
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So assume the pattern is wrong (which is total blasphemy because pattern designers are <i>always</i> right, and aren't human, so <i>they</i> don't make mistakes). That explains why I was 1 stitch short on the first side...and then also 1 more stitch short on the other; but what about those other 2 that I was actually missing?<br />
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I promise you and I will swear it on everything that I triple checked my work and everything was done exactly according to the instruction and I did not drop a stitch anywhere.<br />
<br />
------End math-----<br />
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She came to the same conclusion that I did: the pattern is wrong. So we researched. Other people bold, and brave enough to speak out against a wrong pattern stated they had issues. Other people assuming they did something wrong, and like me, couldn't figure it out, frogged their projects and moved on. It's not unusual to have done something wrong while knitting a pattern, so assuming the problem is you and not the pattern is pretty typical. Most people fudge it and keep going (ie, add a missing stitch or two where needed): no one ever notices. They're design features, not mistakes.<br />
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Then we thought, maybe there's a newer version? There was. <i style="font-weight: bold;">However...</i> reducing the row number in order to fix a problem without adjusting stitch counts (how many have been added/how many you should have total) does not fix a problem. If your count is off early on in the pattern, and you start increasing stitches, it's going to be off the entire way through.<br />
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I will probably never knit another pattern from this designer again. If I can't trust her math, I cannot assume that her other patterns are mistake free just because she's a designer. That said, friend #2 is going through the pattern and fixing the math for me, God bless her!<br />
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In the mean time, I'm going to work on my Nerd Wars project.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Joc_2vflQGtjDbvMcdAik20y4F-GISR04kshdtcmwLdJPwXX5Ki-hZTY_l4ZSisHMYqHwfrvzzwx9f3jH2XIYjGQSc-KerJN-JNCUd-4-qtXim6QiVI_79nHWt7xXYGB69d4ngxKUGch/s1600/IMGP0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Joc_2vflQGtjDbvMcdAik20y4F-GISR04kshdtcmwLdJPwXX5Ki-hZTY_l4ZSisHMYqHwfrvzzwx9f3jH2XIYjGQSc-KerJN-JNCUd-4-qtXim6QiVI_79nHWt7xXYGB69d4ngxKUGch/s1600/IMGP0553.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whippoorwill: pattern by Carina Spencer. Yarn: Malabrigo sock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPLWNE8hEHGLauIuMtz_SgAmDxq86Xj-exCL2EZg3u7Rm8YlNCsarHUFirS8VfSbCFTQ7zVTntFPLdf2xH0vXShuxePZg0MQfkgsZVMH-n2t7ZxLPWA6rZUc-lgJb15b2Kq2iFPy5HPqV/s1600/IMGP0554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPLWNE8hEHGLauIuMtz_SgAmDxq86Xj-exCL2EZg3u7Rm8YlNCsarHUFirS8VfSbCFTQ7zVTntFPLdf2xH0vXShuxePZg0MQfkgsZVMH-n2t7ZxLPWA6rZUc-lgJb15b2Kq2iFPy5HPqV/s1600/IMGP0554.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nerd Wars project: Four Winds. Pattern by Alasdair Post-Quinn. Yarn: Silver: Cascade 220 Superwash. Purple: Anzula Cricket</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7Ij2KtpqZh92Z45_5ehogPWuvG_Py6xQChQVLt7dv8aMTpQUpvn5I364SOwqt_Y0RZFMBFDtgFN2IdX3MRoBhB8-yPdJc3r4svU9-MAoLVs4mkmVqJE7kM9hHpMSG1jg_6zpor2xfO3n/s1600/IMGP0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7Ij2KtpqZh92Z45_5ehogPWuvG_Py6xQChQVLt7dv8aMTpQUpvn5I364SOwqt_Y0RZFMBFDtgFN2IdX3MRoBhB8-yPdJc3r4svU9-MAoLVs4mkmVqJE7kM9hHpMSG1jg_6zpor2xfO3n/s1600/IMGP0555.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glow in the dark sheep stitch marker by me. Isn't he cute?!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-89951610603100385052014-05-30T08:29:00.002-07:002014-05-30T08:29:54.615-07:00Just in case you didn't see yet...I'm super excited!! My first ever international yarning! Off to Ireland!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j-tqfrdfp7A/U4ihdPVpjUI/AAAAAAAAKhU/xnq6YF55Nuw/s1600/IMGP0545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j-tqfrdfp7A/U4ihdPVpjUI/AAAAAAAAKhU/xnq6YF55Nuw/s1600/IMGP0545.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></div>
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Just the thought of them being in another country has made my morning. :DAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-15770555319770600652014-05-29T16:07:00.000-07:002014-05-29T17:47:51.521-07:00Work in Progress WednesdayYesterday, my internet was down all day. It really sucked. Like, really, really sucked. I never realized how bored I get when I don't have the internet. There's NOTHING on TV during the day, I can't access my design files because I store them in the cloud, most of my patterns are stored on Dropbox and the ones that aren't I printed out right after I learned how to knit and purl, so they don't even interest or challenge me, the house is as clean as it can get with 3 cats, a dog, and wood floors, and so on.<br />
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So, the day that started out as a Work in Progress Wednesday...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBV66OOjsgEMRC3dY4oZH3V2OOy4HOakkMAnY6JGk1HNtdOAjXDZ_rC69rRes2VqJdqTID6DYFT6qGBvP1rayAH2MOOWawjoXvxD5owGgeZAQ467nqPHZFESnfYtccRKDgLa_UqWKrKBL6/s1600/IMGP0246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBV66OOjsgEMRC3dY4oZH3V2OOy4HOakkMAnY6JGk1HNtdOAjXDZ_rC69rRes2VqJdqTID6DYFT6qGBvP1rayAH2MOOWawjoXvxD5owGgeZAQ467nqPHZFESnfYtccRKDgLa_UqWKrKBL6/s1600/IMGP0246.JPG" height="262" width="400" /></a></div>
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...quickly turned into Finished Object Wednesday, even though I'd intended for it to be done on Friday because Alliteration.<br />
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Now that that's done, I'm back to working on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/whippoorwill" target="_blank">Whippoorwill</a>.<br />
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I will beat this project!! I WILL!<br />
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I've only started, ripped out, and restarted three times now. I'm actually, currently un-knitting a few rows. I don't know what the heck I'm doing, but my stitch counts are always off. If it was like one or two, fine I'll throw a couple make ones in there and keep going. But we're talking like 50-90 stitches off.<br />
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I'm employing lifelines. I shouldn't have to employ lifelines. The majority of the pattern is:<br />
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k2, yo, k1tbl, k to last 2 sts, yo, k2<br />
k2, yo, p to last 2 sts, yob, k2<br />
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WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT THAT SEQUENCE THAT IS ALWAYS LEAVING MY STITCH COUNTS OFF?!<br />
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Sigh.<br />
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Part of me feels like I should be doing something for Nerd Wars, but since this is my first tourney, I have NO clue what I'm doing, so I'm going to wing it!<br />
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Edit to add: The finished object is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/squish" target="_blank">Squish</a> and is a free project on Ravelry. This is the second time that I made this pattern, and I did modify it some.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-89976995749509041822014-05-22T16:13:00.001-07:002014-05-22T16:14:38.440-07:00Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiwapQFGM0F47b6BhJ1MkIj-l5wwvAjSwbejl5zTVmNgNmr4ex2aNy6t4GaKASUdWJnoebWn1en5NOnNmgQ3HQ0vutAm_XvDwXJ8WrjxvLPY9fYXMEL0fBThNHMts07opxlT0U_IRBBOk/s1600/ouat0101br-0880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiwapQFGM0F47b6BhJ1MkIj-l5wwvAjSwbejl5zTVmNgNmr4ex2aNy6t4GaKASUdWJnoebWn1en5NOnNmgQ3HQ0vutAm_XvDwXJ8WrjxvLPY9fYXMEL0fBThNHMts07opxlT0U_IRBBOk/s1600/ouat0101br-0880.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once Upon a Time: Welcome to Storybrooke</td></tr>
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I'm kind of a Once Upon a Time Junkie. (If you haven't seen it yet, the first two seasons are on Netflix, and the third should be making an appearance just before the fourth season airs.) Kind of might be an understatement. The spin-off wasn't really as good, in my opinion, but hey, if you want a bit of Wonderland, I'm not going to stop you.</div>
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So last night there was an impromptu hangout and I got to talk Nerdom with a couple friends, and then I remembered that over on Ravelry, Nerd Wars is currently picking teams <i>and </i>there is a Once Upon a Time (OUAT) team, so of course I was thrilled, and I mentioned it to the hangout and well... it's so much fun watching the nerd come out of people. I'm pretty sure I've got another OUAT teammate, and our super sciencey friend is planning on a thesis for doing a double knit scarf (I think...could be doing a blanket too) of organized glass molecules for a thesis project (a project that will justifiably take three months to knit).</div>
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So this is my I'm super excited because I've found something to keep me occupied during the season break post. I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I know that I'm going to have tons of fun making projects that are more than just something pretty to look at. Adding sentimental value to a project tends to make it more special, and of course, makes me less willing to part with it...and to date, I've given away 95% of all of the projects I've ever made. Including my first 15-20 projects which were all dish cloths in order to get practice mechanics, and give me a sense of accomplishment.</div>
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I don't know for sure when the first project challenges will be issued, but I'm <b>super</b> excited to get started. Until then, I'm plugging away on an improvised cowl. I need something to help keep me warm in the mornings and evenings (wind from the ocean, sheesh!) and to get the feel of a yarn I bought a while ago, but haven't used yet.</div>
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Expect a LOT of OUAT in the future...maybe I'll even dye up some more yarn to go in the Faerie Tale Fibers series.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560396454615721898.post-40341476953113606982014-05-21T09:30:00.001-07:002014-05-30T08:21:45.604-07:00New home!Getting set up here did not take as long as I thought it would! As much as I love the versatility of Wordpress, and would love to be there, I chose this place because of its integration with Google. I love me some Google.<br />
<br />
So here we are. Take off your shoes, stay a while. I'll work on posting more than once every 3-4 months. In the mean time, thank you all so much for moving with us. I see this as a smaller apartment, with just the right amount of cozy, and cheaper rent. Cheaper rent is totally a good thing. In fact, it's free. Free is good, because I always forget to include overhead costs in the prices of our yarn, and it costs us in the long run.<br />
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The upkeep on the website wasn't expensive. I think we spent $200 in the course of 2 years, which is pretty darn good for web hosting as far as I'm concerned. If you want to know who we went through, I'll be happy to share. If blogger cannot contain our awesome in the coming years, we'll be going with them again.<br />
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Moving here was mainly a financial decision. It's hard to be a craft person in the age of disposable everything and consumerism. So that being said, give us your money! Buy our yarn!<br />
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Seriously.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUU0tPpL11IaKww7dvDRdGQx2TCpkcXHhuJYENp35Kp9VdDGh4PfPSDx5Hd-bcpzn6S6HdaUrmplfhnEjNkp4Nb9KfiIKNeCwjlv_eiCeMp6WB1PC-lDKZSqMdQIAM02RVzvhrLw5oQ8s/s1600/Skeined+Batch+2131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUU0tPpL11IaKww7dvDRdGQx2TCpkcXHhuJYENp35Kp9VdDGh4PfPSDx5Hd-bcpzn6S6HdaUrmplfhnEjNkp4Nb9KfiIKNeCwjlv_eiCeMp6WB1PC-lDKZSqMdQIAM02RVzvhrLw5oQ8s/s1600/Skeined+Batch+2131.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
I <i>think</i> if you click on the picture you can see it larger. I realize this is the same batch that we've been pushing for a while, but we need it to sell in order to bring you new stuff. That's the way commerce works and all that.<br />
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<b>Titania: </b>Fingering weight. Superwash Merino. Sparkle!<br />
<b>Puck: </b>Fingering weight. Superwash Merino. Nylon.<br />
<b>Oberon: </b>Worsted weight. Superwash Merino.<br />
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<b>ADOPTED: </b>23; 24; 26; 28; 30; 31<br />
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If you're interested in doing bulk orders (10 skeins or more) for custom dyes, we are now willing to work with you on that. Just keep in mind our process. We are not a large industrial dye company. Skeins will vary.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05919098811191640996noreply@blogger.com0