Tag Archives: works in progress

September 30, 2020 · 11:02 AM

And I forgot to title it

I’m out of the habit of being here, but need to park my project notes and such someplace other than ravelryfuckyouverymuch now…

But time is elusive, my photos are a mess, and blah, blah, blah…

(And I’m hating the ads here, but can I afford to pay to make them go away…?)

But I finally finished something I originally came here for (public shaming/accountability for long-suffering WIPS).

Quilt made from old shirts in a random pattern hung from deck with sunburst

N’s quilt made from his old 1990s button-up shirts.

I decided it would end more quickly as a throw rather than a queen size, but then it ended as a wide twin/not quite wide enough/but long enough full.

(The other long term unfinish shit from 2013 is still unfinished.)

mutt sitting in front of scrappy quilt on deck

I didn’t photograph the quilt after its wash, so it looks a little crappier here than it does now (and it’s decorated with dog hair) but between it and making nearly 200 masks, I’ve got my sewing mojo back.

But not really for clothes, though I cranked out one pair of PJ pants that are too big but comfy and a half-done skirt that was clearly too small.

Knitting and spinning are still happening and a new fiber beast came to take over the house.

blue and white cotton weaving with shuttle

More on that later.

And the garden which got destroyed this year but recovered.

I’m lucky to live in a blue state.

I voted.

I hope you do too unless you support the piece of shit there now.

 

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September 29, 2018 · 9:41 AM

End of September

Eh, I don’t want to play catch-up, nor look at the horrid f-book to reconfigure publish settings, my files are all still a mess between machines, and I’m sunk in sick of the goings on of today…

But I’m happily knitting up that mass of camelid into a truly giant blanket or two smaller ones…

I’m going to have to make that decision fairly soon – my hesitation for making it giant is that it is very sheddy, somewhat pokey (both from vm and guard hairs), and will be a bitch to wash, so I don’t really want it on the bed – but – it could still be a throw/deck blanket, just folded over… but it will still be a bitch to eventually wash. But I didn’t keep track of which skeins I’ve used, so if I do a second, I run the risk that it might come out a little smaller than I’d like. It’s mostly a pleasure to knit though – despite the occasional pokiness and seed splinter, it’s buttery soft and fun to watch the stripes form.

I’ve had a string of needle failures – and even more hijinx with size 8s – my two once trusty sets of interchangeables are finally showing their wear, so I’m transitioning over to another brand with hopefully stronger cords, but in the meantime I’ve got a motley crew of  works in progress on various sticks and strings, and a pileup on the 8s. And a few things are being packed up for the pond. This cotton blanket just came off the needles, but I haven’t frogged it yet – I still want to make a cotton blanket, and I’d still like a thin one, but that want and like don’t go together – I think I want to start it again with the yarns doubled and on size 8s or 9s to make it speedier, but not now.

I want to finish living with this beast of a fleece – I’ve nearly finished picking the best of it, the rest of it requires more patience than I’ve got now. What I don’t finish before the cold weather hits might just end up in the compost pile – it’s mostly what should have been skirted off anyway, and will probably only amount to less than a couple of ounces. My original plan for the yarn was to knit a bulky, dense coat, but there will probably be enough for that and a giant blanket, or two… But I still need to card at least some of it, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish spinning it by the end of winter. I know I won’t be able to finish it, but at least the worst/messiest part will be over.

The NJ wool festival happened and I’m just a few ounces richer in dyed wool, and one brand-new skein of indie dyed yarn that will pair well with another I’ve had in my stash for ages. I’ll probably do a (chemically) colorful quick-ish spin before starting on the beast.

Sewing basically hasn’t been happening at all, and that is making me slightly nuts – perhaps when the garden goes to sleep I’ll have more time…

Perhaps, maybe, one day, eventually, later on…………..?

Some of that shit just isn’t happening.

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December 31, 2017 · 10:04 AM

Randomly, at the very end of the year

As usual, I stay away from too much reflection (remorse?) of the past year, and resolution-making for the new year.

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Yep, that just about sums things up… #2017bestnine

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I have a few things in mind with a fairly strong commitment to finish or frog, several small house projects that still need to be wrapped up (I’m still looking at you, you bastard threshold!), but things will start growing again, and it will all be a busy blur once more.

I haven’t been sewing much recently except for a few minor clothing repairs/alterations. For the past couple of years I’ve also been drawn to hand-pieced things, but the bigger reality is that up until yesterday all but one (the one I keep ready for repairs) of my sewing machines were on time-outs which usually magically fixes them, but my luck finally ran out on that practice. (I’ve also had the on again, off again issue of work space, but that’s usually my own messy fault, and/or access issues for home repair.)

So though I intended on working on the long-ignored quilt above yesterday, I set up one machine, sewed three inches, got a snarling bobbin tangle, got out another and got another thready mess, got out another and forgot it needed a serious greasing instead of a little oil and also couldn’t find the spool pin I just found again for it, thought about checking out another, but it was two floors up and in a closet, and didn’t bother getting out the other two that need to be re-wired.

So I took a nap.

But it was a quick one, and I spent the next hour or two cleaning, oiling, and futzing with the goddamn tension to get it to behave. It’s still not great, but it’s mostly holding two pieces of fabric together now.

I hope to finish the quilt? It has a few weird memories from the last time I spend a good chunk of time on it, I really hate the quilting part of quilts – at least big ones, and it doesn’t really go with our decor so to speak, but I’ve got everything I need to finish it (provided the machines behave) and as an amalgam of stuff, it will easier to store and of course use, as a finished thing. So we’ll see.

And I don’t really need to buy any yarn again this year – I’m still spinning the last of a big wad of Jacob – and perhaps finally got a good chain-plying action going on. The only new yarn I might shop around for is reflective stuff.

I knit up this hat out of Red Heart for N. It’s not warm enough, it felt gross (though soft) to knit, and I’m dubious the wear will make it worthwhile for hand work. But he walks the dog in the dawn dark and we walk on country roads, so we need things with a ramped up visibility factor. I also have a spool of the reflective filament that can be held with any yarn too, but it was a little pricey I think, and/or the yarn was cheaper- I can’t remember now, and I think I was concerned about yarn dominance and loosing the thread in something wooly, so then I need to experiment with using it in duplicate stitch or as embroidery… something along those lines. And I’m also playing with some ideas for using it on dog accessories.

Has anyone else worked with this stuff?

And then I’m still finding myself drawn to miniature stuff – I’m oddly mildly traumatized by home renovations/repairs these days, so maybe it’s a psychological thing in that I  actually want to feel in control and spend almost nothing (but time) on a renovation project, even if it is just my childhood dollhouse to get over it?

Eh, we’ll see on that one too –

Happy New Year!

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