A Spot for Sewing

I love Ikea. If it weren't for the combination of Ikea and Andrew's grandpa getting remarried shortly before our marriage (and thus combining two households), we would have had no furniture when we married. Seventeen years later, we still have a ton of Ikea things in our house. I feel perfectly fine that my nonexistent children will not inherit antique furniture. 

To say I sew sporadically is an understatement. I can go months between quilt blocks. I had set up the machine on our card table, and the weight of it over all those months was causing the table to warp. Turns out, sewing machines are heavier than cards. That meant the machine went back in its box, which made it even less likely I would sew.

I was talking about this with a friend, and she told me that she and a coworker had recently made an Ikea run to get furniture for their office. I spent a little time on their website, and...

Alex drawer unit in pieces

My order arrived a week ago Saturday. That night, after a nap to recover from  7-year-old niece's birthday party, I started assembly.

Besides the drawer unit, I bought a Linnmon table top and two Adils legs. Even with shipping (we don't have a local Ikea... yet), it was very reasonably priced.

Then I decided the drawers could be more fun. Since I am a whore for the rainbows, I already owned paint in the colors I needed (from this project), so this past weekend I unscrewed all the drawers and spent some time in the garage.

I love it.

The drawers really brighten things up. I put an Eiffel tower lamp on the desk that we've had since our wedding (the light in that room is crap), and a Spontan magnetic board with some inspirational things and some quilt-y directions on it.

This will make it easier for me to sew more frequently, and I'm hopeful that means I actually will sew more frequently. I sewed two squares last night, so now I have fifteen of the fifty-six squares of the gray quilt finished, and I already have my eye on the pattern for my next quilt.

Fabric Stash

This post is completely self-serving. Sorry about that.

I have been known, on occasion, to purchase fabric when I'm having a rough day. This weekend I took photos of the pieces I had. Documenting what I have will theoretically be a way to ensure I don't buy repeat fabric, and it could possibly keep me from impulse buying. (That might be asking too much.) This doesn't include bits left from the first quilt or the fabric I'm currently using for the gray quilt.

Buying fabric is much better and less expensive than a crack habit. I regret nothing.

Timeless Treasures Knitting Sheep Yarnball Sheep (1 yd.)

Greatest Adventure Clouds Multi (1 yd.)

Vintage Market Main White (1/2 yd.)

Wonderland Petal Flamingoes Love (1/2 yd.)

Wild & Free Luminous Field (1/2 yd.)

Millie Fleur Bees & Bits Spring (1/2 yd.)

Fleet & Flourish Wreathed Whiff (1/2 yd.)

Polka Dot Stitches Doily Gray (1/2 yd.)

Polka Dot Stitches (Green) (1/2 yd.)

Snapshots Main White (1/2 yd.)

Snapshots Home White (1/2 yd.)

Snapshots Multicolored Hearts (1/2 yd.)

Cherie Memorandum Cosmos (1/2 yd.)

Cottage Garden Wallpaper Gray (1/2 yd.)

Typewriters - Black & White by Cotton + Steel (1 yd.)

Gradient Hat

I used some of the hand-dyed gradient yarn to make a hat.

Ombre (mine ravelled here),

knit in Ella Rae Classic Solids (hand-dyed)

I've had this hat pattern in my favorites for a long time. (Check out the pattern photos here.) I love the way this hat turned out, but you wouldn't think it was the same pattern. Changing the colors so they're a gradient makes dramatically different fabric than choosing lots of contrasting colors.

I imagine I'll knit another at some point, esp. since it's a good way to use up scraps. The only problem, and it's a big one, is that it's too small for me. I'll go up a needle size and perhaps even add more stitches the next time. I'm thinking about giving this one to my 7-year-old niece.

Gradient Raglan

Yep, I'm over the Not Knitting.

 

Gradient Striped Raglan (mine ravelled here),

knit in hand-dyed Ella Rae Classic 

and Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Worsted in black

I mashed together the Adult Raglan instructions from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns with some of the instructions from the Twisted Little Raglan from the same book. The neckline is a combination of the two patterns. The decorative yo at the raglan edges and the twisted ribbing down the sleeves and sides of the body are from the Twisted Little Raglan pattern, and the other math came from the adult raglan sweater.

When you ask a coworker to take photos of your new sweater,

be prepared to have to do at least one pose that makes you feel ridiculous.

I'd like the body striping to start higher, but I couldn't figure out a simple way of doing that without having the striping on the tops of the sleeves as well, which I wasn't thrilled about. I made the sleeve stripes near the wrist, reversed the color sequence, and made the stripes smaller (3 rows of color on the sleeves compared to 5 rows of color on the body).

I bought the black yarn when a yarn shop was going out of business without having an idea what I was going to use it for. I had 918 yards, and I had only a partial skein left when I was finished with the sweater, so I definitely needed to use it with other yarn. It's very soft and lovely, and it spit spliced like a boss.

I'm thrilled I found a good use for the gradient yarn I dyed as part of the class at Nomad Yarns. Shockingly, I even had enough yarn left to knit a hat (that I haven't taken a photo of yet). Sadly, it's too tight for my noggin, but I'll find a kid to give it to.

I've gone back to knitting the Persian Dreams blanket. I'm on block 6 of 24. I enjoy it, and it feels good to be back to it even though I have to be careful not to knit too long since it's tough on my hands. 

It feels good to be back to knitting!

The Stillness of January

I stop knitting in January.

I'm not sure why it happens, perhaps something to do with the mania, the colors, the frenetic activity of the holidays, but after every New Year's I find myself looking at my knitting and then turning to something else.

This year it's mystery novels. Probably most years it's mystery novels.

It doesn't really make sense to me. January is quieter than December. There's more free time, time that in December is filled with card writing and present wrapping and food eating. In January, I breathe a sigh of relief that things are normal again. Normal means knitting.

But somehow not in January.

The end of December often brings tempting knitting presents, new yarn or needles or patterns, and one would think that would get me excited.

But it doesn't.

Plus, January is cold. And dreary. And often gray. One would think sitting on the couch in the evening with bright yarn in my hands would be irresistible.

But it isn't.

Thankfully, this has happened enough times that I recognize it for the temporary state that it is. I wait it out, reading and not worrying that a lack of interest signals an end to my hobby.*

I think I'm nearing the end of the Not Knitting now. I think this is what's going to do it for me.

Gradient yarn dyed during my class at Nomad Yarns,

paired with black Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Worsted

*Terrifying. What would I do with all that yarn?

Knitsonik

I'm in a Knitsonik post! It made my day.

Christmas Knitting

A few photos of knit Christmas presents!

Brandy requested a kitty hat, modeled here by me:

Cabled Cat Ears Hat (mine ravelled here),

knit in Loops & Threads Cozy Wool, Granite colorway

These seemed to go with the hat:

 Cat Wrist Warmers (mine ravelled here),

knit in Knit Picks Mighty Stitch in Ash and Cascade Heritage Solids in Pink

I gave a couple of presents from this post, the Gummy bear socks and the Turn a Square hat. Deanny looks awesome in the hat.

Turn a Square hat (mine ravelled here),

knit in leftover Noro Silk Garden in colorway 252 

and Knitpicks Swish Worsted in the Cobblestone Heather colorway

And then I went on the Book of Faces and saw this!

Holly's wearing her hat and cowl (and I'm going to believe she's wearing her mittens, too). I love love love seeing photos of knitting in the wild. It's great to see people wearing knit gifts going about their day-to-day lives.

My nephew went shopping with us one day and picked out yarn he liked and requested a hat. When a junior in high school requests knitwear, you can be sure I'm going to oblige. I can't predict how long this will last.

Squarshy hat (mine ravelled here),

knit in Loops & Threads Facets

I hope you had a Merry Whatever, too!