The Saturday Seven - Week 7

I knew there would come a week when finding seven things just wasn't going to happen. This is that week. This week, my count is 5, and I have no picture.

When I cleaned off the bookshelf, I found 2 V.C. Andrews books I am never going to read. I asked Mandi if she wanted them. She said yes. The books are now sitting in my "to Michigan" box. While technically not out of my house, everything that has previously been put in a "to Michigan" box has made the trip. I will count things going into the box the same way I count things going into the donation bag. (2 things)

I cleaned my room and found a purple fleece hat. I'm not sure where it came from, but it is now in the "to Michigan" box for Mandi. (1 thing)

Becka and Chris came over yesterday. I cut Becka's hair, but didn't get to Chris's hair. Instead, I sent the clippers home with them. I got the clippers a few years ago, and used them for a few months, but they have been sitting in the linen closet since we moved into this place over a year ago. (1 thing)

I found another stuffed penguin to go in the donation bag. (1 thing)

This week: 5 things
Total: 86 things

Where books and crafts collide - in a bad way

There comes a day when the book shelf you kind of use as a catch all for... life... just can't take it anymore. Today is that day for bookshelf 1 of 4 in my living room. This was the very last bookshelf I put together, so it got all the random books that didn't have a place on the other shelves, and over the past several months, I started using the top shelf for my sewing stuff because my sewing machine lives on top of the bookshelf. A lot of random fabrics and yarns, etc, have made their way onto the shelf. I looked at it today, and decided I couldn't take this eyesore any longer.

 This is the stuff that I pulled from the top shelf before I snapped the above photo:

As you can see, books and crafts were stacked willy-nilly, and it made touching anything on the shelf a gamble. I did what I needed to, in order to clean a mess that had outgrown its space - I made a bigger mess. I took everything off the shelves and piled books and craft implements on the dining table and a coffee table. I wiped down the shelves, then started organizing. I set all the stuff that needed to go upstairs in one pile, and made a pile of the fabrics that I am not currently using so they could go downstairs. I decided to keep the top two shelves for crafting, and for my library books so they have somewhere to live. The next two shelves are for books I want to keep. The bottom shelf is books I plan to get rid of.

 Even though the other three bookshelves are in various stages of disaster, having this one nice and tidy makes me feel awesome. Maybe even awesome enough to tackle the other shelves in the next week...

Gabriel thinks the shelf looks awesome, too.

Blanket Project Thursday - Week 4

I started two pairs of socks this week - one for my mom, and my first ever pair for me! The first sock for my mom is about half done. This is as far as I got last night:

You probably recognize the yarn from last week's post. I decided to go with cables after all, and am using the Simply Ginny Socks! pattern by Anna Peck Maliszewski. I decided to modify the pattern to have an afterthought heel because of the gorgeous stripes. This will be my first attempt at this type of heel. Wish me luck!

I've barely started the socks for me:

They are going to be helical stripe socks, which is mostly mindless knitting. I think I am going to sit them next to my computer downstairs for when I am waiting to load into WoW. (Yes, the game has lured me back with its promise of pokemon-type things, and the ability to play as a panda race.)

I used the lighter blue color in the blanket already - it is the big square for the week. I was going to use the skew sock yarn to make a big square, but then I loved the blues and greens too much to wait. I will use the skew yarn next week.

I did use the skew yarn and scrap pieces to make a small square, though.

Squares made: 29/776

Sewing Responsibilities

During our weekly library trip yesterday, I sat down and made a list of all the birthday/holiday gifts I still have to make. I was surprised at how short the list was - I have already finished gifts for many of the people I am making things for. This is because many of the pieces are knit or crochet, and easy to take on the go. Guess what my list consists of now. 

Did you guess sewing? You are right! Between now and the holidays, I plan to sew pajamas for my sister's three kids, a unicorn shirt for my niece for her birthday, and a quilt for Steve (started, but still a lot of work to go). It sounds like so little - only for projects. But looking at the list, I find it daunting. 

Since yesterday was Tuesday, and I try really hard to pull down my sewing machine every Tuesday, I started the shirt for my niece because that needs to be sent out in the next couple weeks. This is as far as I got:

The shirt is made from an old shirt of mine. The horn is cut from one of my niece's old shirts, the mane is from an old sleeping gown of Mara's, and the head is from a receiving blanket that got a hole in it. I am trying to decide if I want to put on sleeves, or make it cap sleeved, or just finish the neck and arm holes in a contrasting fabric. Also, should there be an eye? What about a nostril? Input would be much appreciated.

Weekly Check-In

Hi Sunday! So many good things happen at midnight, I am having a hard time waiting!

Blog Stuff: This owl giveaway week was really fun. I will be closing the giveaway at midnight (or when I wake up, if I fall asleep first). I'll draw names tomorrow, and get in touch with winners. I got a lot of interest for the owls. Stay tuned for more owly goodness.

New from the babies: Gabriel is still potty training. I know *shakes head*. Anyway, today while I was at knitting, he pulled his diaper-thing to the side and peed on the floor by the shoe rack. Steve saw him do it, and was like "Gabriel, what are you doing?!?!??!" Gabriel pointed and said "Look, dog peed." As if we couldn't tell the difference between boy pee and dog pee. I have to admit, when Steve called me and told me I got many strange looks from the other people in the Barnes and Noble cafe because I nearly peed my pants laughing.

Mara has decided she cannot possible be awake without shoes on. First thing when she wakes up, she grabs her shoes and makes me put them on her. I am sure she would sleep in them if I would let her, but they have miniature spikies on the bottom (for advanced grip to prevent clumsy toddlers from dying) which hurt when she kicks. I get kicked a lot when she wakes up with nightmares.

Crafty things:

Nerd Wars starts tomorrow!!! (Which is really only an hour a way right now!!!!) So I was really good, and only started one new project. Other than this Cthulhu and the owls, I only worked on WIPs.

I managed to finish two of them! Both of the pairs of socks I had on the needles are done! This is good, because I need those needles to make two pairs of socks in October for Nerd Wars.

Still no CAL sqaures. I know, I need to work on them. I have been unmotivated for squares, though. I will try to get motivated. And I have a concrete plan for my niece's shirt/dress (dependent on the fabric I end up going with for the base), so that WILL happen this week. I will probably CO some socks tomorrow, too. And maybe the owl my best friend asked me for.

Books:

I finished reading "The Waters and the Wild" by Francesca Lia Block. Ah-may-zing! This had her stylist touch that I missed from''Pink Smog". The lines between reality and imagination were blurred in the best possible way. At only 128 pages, it is a super quick read, but worth the time. Yes, I know it is a 7-9 grade reading level book, but I will never stop loving the words that fall out of Block's head. Really, if I could crawl in her head for a week long vacation, I would. Any longer, and I would probably go insane. 

I also finished The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters by Lynne Vogel. A lot of the information went over my head. I think this book will make more sense to me once I actually make a sweater. I don't have yarn to make a sweater yet, but one day...

The Saturday Seven - Week 6

Last week, my friend Katie bemoaned the cost of maternity clothes on her facebook. Who can afford to buy a whole new wardrobe for herself that she will wear for less than a year, when also facing the looming costs of a newborn? I couldn't; I put off getting maternity jeans until I was 6 months along with Gabriel, and I lucked out with being gifted a handful of shirts and a dress I really loved. A friend of my sister's had her baby a couple months before I had Gabriel, and she lost her baby weight super quick, so she gave me her old stuff. A lot of it I have never worn. Whenever someone I know gets pregnant, I offer to let them sift through the baby clothes I have, and I set out my maternity clothes bin for them to look through, too.

Katie lives too far away for me to just drive over with some boxes, so I took pictures of all the clothes I had, and put them up on photobucket*. Katie looked through and picked out 7 pieces. Just like that, my Saturday Seven was done. (7 things)

This morning, I started cleaning my room and came across a few things to put in the donation bag:

A pair of khakis I will never wear, a purple crushed velvet-type shirt that I will never wear, two t-shirts that I bought when I was pregnant with Mara that don't fit me anymore, but aren't maternity shirts, and a stuffed Stitch. (5 things)

This week: 12 things
Total: 81 things

*If you or someone you know is looking for inexpensive maternity clothes, I still have 20 items. You can look through them here, and have whatever you want for $2 for the first item and $1 each for additional items for postage, or free if you come pick them up from me.

Blanket Project Thursday - Week 3

Only three weeks in, and I have made a square out of every color of leftover sock yarn I have. Expect the sample skein (10 yards) I have, but I plan on adding that this coming week. I really love this project, and it is hard to keep myself to a strict one square a day. I want to just sit and knit up the blanket, but I don't have enough leftovers yet. 

I finished a pair of socks this week, so the leftovers have been added to the basket. 

I knew I wasn't going to use the entire skein, so I made a square with it last week. I am trying to decide if I want to let myself start the helical socks, or force myself to wait until the October 1 to cast anything on. If I wait, I can maybe use the project for Nerd Wars. If I decide to wait, I will work on the skew socks. I think the skew sock yarn would make a great addition to the blanket.

I picked out the yarn I want to use for the Personal Sock Yarn Club in October. I am going to look through my sock book and at my ravelry queue to find a pattern. I am considering cables, but I'm not sure - I haven't done a cabled project yet.

I went to Joanne's because someone told me they were having a sale on sock yarn; I must have missed it. I was a little disappointed. I would like more sock yarn for the time between PSYC socks. Maybe my boyfriend got me a spot in the Ewereka yarn club?

Squares made: 22/776