Felt Like Knitting

Ten on Tuesday: 10 New Year's Resolutions

I'm going to tweak the topic to 10 Creative Goals for 2010.  Ten things seem like a lot, but there is a whole year to accomplish them, right?  Not in any particular order...

-  Participate in the Knitspot Group's 2010 KAL and knit 12 scarves for the OFA Red Scarf Project.

-  Knit 24 hats for 7 Bridges.

-  Continue to improve my sewing/fitting skills by sewing at least one clothing item per quarter.

-  At the end of each month, look at the next month's birthdays and get cards ready.  I do a terrible job of sending cards out and I'd like to fix that.  Make at least one card each month.

-  Continue to blog regularly.  Having the new schedule has been helping and I hope I can keep it up.

-  Learn a new knitting technique.  A new cast on, a new heel for socks...something to expand my skills.

-  Knit a Christmas gift for each of my parents.  I've known what I want to knit.  I've had the yarn.  I just need to make up my mind and do it this year!

-  Knit/sew a Christmas gift each month.  This works well when I keep up with it.  Keeping up with it on my blog helps, too.  greetingarts told me she likes to see the sidebar when she visits my blog.  I also like seeing it but it's better when it's up to date! 

-  Clean my sewing room...again.  It's hard to create when having to step over and around piles.

-  And another repeat goal...finish my hat pattern.  It's written and I've knitted it several times.  But now I have to reacquaint myself with it, tweak it, have it test knitted, etc.

Monday morning chat

Good morning everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Here's what's been happening around here...

-  I may have already mentioned this...things are starting to blur together.  :)  Beginning last Tuesday, we will have different family members here until January 2.  I think they are placing bets on how long I'll remain friendly to them all.  :)  I'm very excited to have them all visiting us!

-  I decided to finish the mitts for my brother.  One is done (except for the thumb) and the other is 1/4 done.  He has seen me knitting on them but I didn't tell him that they are a gift or that he's the recipient.  It turns out he keeps his thermostat set at 53 and wears gloves while he's on the computer.  So he might really love these mitts!  Thanks for all your input on the decision!

-  My mom and I watched Julie and Julia last night.  I enjoyed it and thought it followed the book pretty well.  It makes me want to cook and blog.  :)

-  We hosted our small group on Saturday evening.  We ate fajitas, played Texas Hold-em and had lots of fun.  It's a good thing I don't try to make a living playing poker!  Fortunately we were just playing with chips and not money.

-  Have you gotten in on the Snuggie craze?  I personally don't care for them but Emma got one for Christmas and was very excited about it.  To each his own!

-  Going from the musical this fall to Thanksgiving to Advent prep and activities, now Christmas...well, I've had to let some things slide.  No Christmas cards going out (maybe after New Year's), no cookie baking except for that reception at church, no worrying about whether I have the right gifts for everyone, etc.  And I'm okay with it.  I can only do so much and it's more important for me to be here for/with my family.

-  Time's up.  I just realized that we left the drinks out on the deck Saturday night and we had a hard freeze last night.  Hmm, wonder what I'll find on the deck?  I'll leave you with some parting thoughts from yesterday's sermon at church:

The joy of Christmas is that Jesus showed up.  He didn't have to.  He could have stayed in heaven where everything was great.  But He chose to come to earth.  So whether you feel like expressing your joy by hugging those around you or by breaking into song... Rejoice!

Have a great week!

C'est fini!

This Friday's finished object is Emma's dress.  The picture doesn't show you how much the dress has changed from the original concept, how many muslins were sewn, how many times the sash was sewn on then taken off...

I am so glad it's done.  I actually feel a bit shaky right now.  Weird, huh?  Trying to get it perfect under a deadline wasn't fun.  I'm disappointed the sparkly organdy didn't work out, but Emma is still happy with the dress.

What I learned...

• Satin is more forgiving than I thought it would be. This material was fairly heavy and it didn't shift around on the machine, for which I was thankful.
• I love using glass head pins. They are very sharp and don't leave holes in the fabric.
• Lining the bodice is much easier than using facings.
• Carole's friend Lois has dressmaking skills and was so nice to answer my questions. And Carole was so nice to contact Lois.
• Start on the prom dress in January!

Have a great weekend!

WIP Wednesday: December 16

Most of you are probably in bed by now and figured that I didn't get around to posting today.  Not so!  I just spent the whole day working on Emma's dress.  It is still a WIP but I'm not going to post a picture until it's done, which should be very soon.

 

I was able to snap a photo of some mitts before the sun went down.  The pattern is Dashing and I'm finding it to be a fun knit.  They are for my brother and I need your opinion.  Here's the scene that caused me to doubt if he'd wear them. 

Me:  I'm knitting these mitts for Tim because he keeps his house so cold.  He can wear them while he's on the computer.  Do they look too girly? 

Steve:  He won't wear them.

Me:  What, are the cables too feminine?  The mitts are brown, that's a nice manly color.  Would you wear them?

Steve:  I'd rather turn on the heat.

That gave me a good laugh even if I didn't appreciate his lack of enthusiasm for my project.  So what do you think?  Would a man wear these fingerless mitts?

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Love to Eat/Drink During The Holidays

Since there is no official Ten on Tuesday topic this week, Carole and Hillary have decided to talk about their favorite holiday foods and drinks.  Sounds good to me!

1.  Sailor Duff - This is a steamed pudding (cake) that is covered with warm vanilla sauce and whipped cream.  My grandmother made it and I think of her every single time I make it.  The recipe is even in her own handwriting and I feel blessed to have it. 

2.  Sauerkraut - Because of my German heritage, we eat sauerkraut for good luck on New Year's Day.  This is the only day of the year that I get to sit down to a serving of sauerkraut.  Yum!  (On a side note, I had the best dip at Saturday's party.  It was like eating a reuben sandwich.  I'll share the recipe with you when I get it.)

3.  Stuffed shells - And because of my Italian heritage, we have Italian food for Christmas Eve each year.  My favorite is stuffed shells.  The best part is having leftovers the next day.  It's always a relaxing Christmas day!

4.  Spiced anything - I love the taste of spiced cider/apple juice/whatever.  Here's a recipe I don't make very often but I love to drink:

Hot Cranberry Punch

2 tablespoons whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole allspice
12 inches stick cinnamon, broken
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 cups hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups canned unsweetened pineapple juice
2 1 lb cans jellied cranberry sauce
a few pats of butter

Tie cloves and allspice in cheesecloth.  Combine spice bag, cinnamon, brown sugar, 1 cup water, and salt.  Bring to a slow boil.  Add juice and 3 cups of water.  Crush cranberry sauce with fork (or put in blender with some of the water).  Add to mixture and bring to boil again.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Remove spices.  To serve, put in warmed punch bowl and float butter on top.  Decorate with clove-studded orange.  Serve with stick cinnamon.

When I make it, I skip the punch bowl, butter, and clove-studded orange.  And I don't serve it with stick cinnamon.  I usually let it simmer on the stove but a crock pot would work great, too.

5.  My grandma's candy - This is something I don't get to eat anymore.  My grandma's family had a candy factory when she was young and she was well versed in how to make hand dipped chocolates.  When I was little, she would make and sell her candy at Christmas.  Our family would get a box of it for a present.  My favorites were the chocolate covered cherries and the peppermints, but it was all the best candy I've ever eaten.

6.  Microwave toffee - This recipe came from Southern Living  magazine many years ago.  It's easy and delicious!

7.  Peppermint stick ice cream -  So delicious!  Since I can only find it this time of the year, I stock up on it.  But with Emma also loving mint, the ice cream doesn't last as long as I'd like.  :)

8.  Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's - These are fabulous!  I love the minty taste of the cream filling.  And they're more like DoubleStuf Oreos because they have lots of the filling.

9.  Candy Canes - I only like Bob's.  Other kinds don't taste right to me.  Do you know that fake peppermint taste?  Hate it!

10.  Christmas cookies - It wouldn't be the same without some Christmas cookies.  And they can be so pretty!  I'm not even sure that I have a favorite because they are all so good.  What's your favorite?

Make mine caffeinated, please!

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Today is "finish Emma's dress" day so I need to make this quick.  Hopefully you won't mind bullets again!

The robotics team had their competition on Saturday and did great!  They took home 1st place in Robot Performance and the 1st place Champions Award.  Yea team!  It was much easier to watch the tournament with Emma not actually competing.  (She's the assistant coach this year.) 

Saturday night we had a Christmas party to go to.  I stayed to help clean up and got home about 12:30 or so.  Then I blew up an air mattress for Emma because her friend was sleeping over.  I think I got to bed around 1:45 or so.  Do you think I got up at 6:00 Sunday morning when my alarm went off?  :)

Another very enjoyable event this weekend was a concert by the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Ludwig.  These middles school musicians are so talented.  There is no way I sounded like that when I played my violin in middle school!  Unfortunately I didn't hear much of the concert because I was preparing for the reception that followed.  30+ cookies were gobbled up in very few minutes.  :)

Last night I fell asleep on the couch.  And I found out that Steve's parents are coming tomorrow and I thought it was Wednesday.  My cup of tea this morning will have to have some caffeine in it!  Have a great day, everyone!

Finished Object Friday: December 11

I've decided it's much easier to blog when I have prompts during the week!  I think Friday will be the day that I show the things I've finished during the week.  Not much talking, mostly pictures.  Kind of like Eye Candy Friday combined with FOs.  :)

 
 
Edited to add:  The label was designed by Melissa for the Red Scarf Project and can be found here.  She even designed care tags!

Tutorial: Evergreen mailbox decoration

I really appreciate all the tutorials out there posted by helpful bloggers.  I've never written one and feel I should give back a little.  So yesterday when I made my Christmas mailbox decoration, I decided to document the process.  I hope it helps someone at least a little.

 

 

 

Materials you'll need:

Evergreen clippings - These don't have to be from a conifer.  I'm using eleagnus because that's what is available in my yard.  I also bought some fir and cedar clippings from my local nursery.

Pine cones (optional):  If they are closed up, dry them in a 200 degree oven for about 2 hours.  (Or you can use the microwave if you're careful.)

Wired ribbon (about 2" - 3" wide)

Green paddle wire and/or floral wires (I like the covered kind)

Pruners and wire cutters (optional), a tape measure can be helpful

  

First, measure (or eyeball) the length you want your decoration to be.  I was aiming for 30" then actually made it 40" which was fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put the tape measure on your work surface for something to go by.  Using your longest clippings (eleagnus), cut them to about 2/3 the length you measured.  Arrange the clippings on the work surface so that some tips are pointing down and some tips pointing up.  The cut edges will overlap in the middle.  Later you will be securing the evergreens at a point slightly "north" of center - a little more close to the top than the bottom.  I put a few more evergreens on the bottom part than I do on the top.  Don't worry about tucking in all the cut edges in the middle because you will be adding other layers.

Note:  If you use a clipping that needs to be trimmed on both ends, try to clip it at a point where leaves will hide it instead of having a "stick" showing.

 

Repeat, adding the next layers as you desire.  Here I first added the cedar but then I ended up putting the fir under it.  On your last layer, tuck the cut edges under other branches to hide them.

Wrap the floral wire around the evergreens and secure on the wrong side.  This will be just like using a twist tie to close the bag on a loaf of bread.  Remember that you will do this slightly off center.

 

Secure your bow at the point where you tied the evergreens.  I've used this bow for several years and I just fluff it up after I'm done hanging the arrangement on the mailbox.  (I just realized I should have shown how to make a bow.  Let me know if you want me to do that.  Although this bow is not the greatest!)

 

 

 

To add pine cones, cut an eight inch length of paddle wire.  Wrap the wire around the top of the pine cone then twist the ends together.  Wire the pine cones to individual branches of the arrangement.  I try to use odd numbers of pine cones.  Here I put two cones on the bottom and one on top.

 

Give the arrangement a shake to be sure your branches are all secure.  If you need to reinforce a branch or need to add a short branch, secure with paddle wire to individual clippings in the arrangement.  If you want a decoration on each side of your mailbox, make another arrangement.

Using a long length (36" or more) of paddle wire, secure your arrangement to the mailbox.  I line it up so the bow is at the base of the mailbox.  You may need to secure it in more than one place.  If desired, repeat on the other side of the mailbox.  When wiring on the second arrangement, try not to wrap the wire on top of the first arrangement.  But don't worry about wire ends showing because they are green and won't be seen.

 

And that's it!  You can see here that I didn't do a good job with some of my clippings at the top.  But by the time it get's rained on and blown by the wind, it won't really matter anyway.  :)

Okay, so writing a tutorial is harder than I thought it would be.  It was a bit difficult to explain things in a way that I hope make sense.  Happy decorating!
 

 

 

WIP Wednesday: December 9

I really enjoyed knitting the One Row Handspun Scarf  for the Red Scarf Project so I cast on for a scarf for myself in the same pattern.  This fall I bought a magenta coat (that I love!) and this should go well with it.  The yarn is Araucania Toconao and it's great to knit with.  The colors were a little prettier before the hank was wound but I still like them.

One more thing about the Red Scarf Project in case you didn't see it on Anne's blog...  Anne is offering prizes if you post a picture of your finished scarf in the Knitspot group red scarf emergency KAL thread on Ravelry.  Also in the Knitspot group, there is a thread asking us to vote for a charity that buys knitting machines for Columbian kids at risk.  Their goal is to "Provide vocational training (couture machine knitting) to teens at risk in Colombian orphanages so that they may become successful entrepreneurs in their communities."  That sounds like a good project!  If this charity wins the contest, the money will help pay for more knitting machines, yarn, and instructors.  We can vote every four hours and the contest ends on 12/10.

This hat is for homeless people being helped by 7 Bridges to Recovery.  I may have mentioned this before, but volunteers from our sister church go to downtown Atlanta every other week to help the folks who live under the bridges and overpasses of Atlanta.  They take food, hygiene kits, and clothes to them.  I hate to admit this but I haven't had enough guts to join them.  But I can knit hats.  Seeing the pictures on the 7 Bridges web site and hearing the stories makes me realize how incredibly blessed I am.  The next time I complain about having to take my dog out at night when it's cold, I'll try to remember my brothers and sisters living under the bridges.

The last WIP is an Everlasting Bagstopperfor Emma.  The yarn is some that I bought on eBay when I first started to knit.  I never could figure out what to make with it but I like it in this bag.  This project has been going on for quite a while so I should really pick it up again.

I think I have some unfinished dishcloths and a couple of UFOs (sock, sweater) but this is about it for the knitting right now.  Good luck with all of your projects!

Edited to add:  Does anyone know how to make distinct paragraphs in Typepad?  The post looks all lined up when I compose (picture on left with text on right and spaces between paragraphs) but then it looks like a staircase when it's published.  I've changed a little of the HTML code but nothing works and I don't know much HTML.

Ten on Tuesday: Ten Great Things About Christmas

Only ten?  This may be hard...

Ten Great Things About Christmas

1.  Celebrating the birth of Jesus

"I bring you good news of great joy for all the people."  Luke 2:10  Jesus was and still is good news!

2.  Family

My Christmas memories revolve around my family.  Getting together with my mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve then going to my dad's side on Christmas Day, sitting on the steps with my cousins in chronological order for the yearly photo, trying to decide whether or not I could eat the beautiful silver dragees on my Great Aunt Rose's sugar cookies,...

3.  Friends

Since I moved away from home right after college graduation, friends are very important to me and often function as my family at holidays.  I try to recreate for Emma the same fond memories I have so we get together with our friends every Christmas Eve.  This year there will be a fusion of friends and family!

4.  Music

My taste in Christmas music has changed over the years.  While I still enjoy songs like Bruce Springsteen sing Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, I mostly listen to traditional Christmas carols now.  I still like them rockin' though!

5.  Making presents

The planning, the knitting/sewing, the joy of giving a loved one something you made yourself.  Ahh...

6.  Decorating

I love decorating with fresh evergreen branches.  They look beautiful and smell so great! 

7.  Baking

It's fun to try new cookie recipes and comforting to make traditional favorites.  One of my favorite things to make are spritz cookies.  Yum!

8.  Food

I like trying new food, especially appetizers.  Last year we baked Brie for the first time.  Very easy and so delicious!  

9.  Mail

I don't like the task of sending cards out but I love receiving them in the mail.  It's great to see how friends' kids have changed from the last year.  I have this feeling I won't get my cards out this year...

10. Fresh start

I think I've blogged about this before...Christmas Day always feels like the beginning of a new year to me.  I enjoy the feeling of getting things cleaned up and organized.  There is certainly a lot of that to get done around here!

What are some of your favorite things about Christmas or the holiday that you celebrate?