Drum Roll, Please!

Notice anything missing from the "On The Needles" section? I have finished my jacket. After three weeks of working on it, it's finally done! So, without further ado, here are pictures of the finished product.

So, there you have it. My first jacket. Not bad considering. And just in time for Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Blast from the Vintage Past

Before I go into what the title is all about, I just want to let you know how the jacket is coming along. I'm almost done. I just need to do the sleeves of the lining, attach the lining to the jacket, finish the collar, do final hemming and attach the button(s) (I might put two instead of one like the pattern says). I've been sick, so I haven't been feeling up to doing much of anything other than sleeping. Bleh.



So, on to the actual subject. I was looking for some holiday present ideas since I'm poor but I have toooons of yarn to make stuff when I came upon this awesome site. The picture to the left will take you there if you want. It's called Vintage Purls. They had some awesome clothes to knit back then. You just don't see that kind of quality nowadays. . .well, you do, but it's rarer than it was then. And they have patterns for men, babies and children. How cool is that?

Apparently, there's more than one vintage site out there. I did find some more. You could, too. Just do a search for vintage knits. I accidently stumbled onto these searching for "holiday knit ideas." See? Accidents can be beneficial. I'd love to try and make some of the articles listed on Vintage Purls, but my project list is so long and I need to come up with some Christmas presents for family that I probably won't be able to start anything until after the big holiday season (mid-January if I'm lucky).

Well, I hope you enjoy the site as much as I do! You're welcome.

Back to the Craft!

So, I finally decided I wanted to finish a jacket that I had gotten all the fabric and notions for TWO years ago. All the pattern pieces had been cut out (something that had been done earlier this year with my new post-baby measurements) so this last week I cut out all the pieces and started sewing. You can see what it's supposed to be in the On The Needles section to the right.

Here's what it looks like so far (mind you, I'm a beginner at sewing):

Not bad so far, if I may say so myself. When it's all done (and when I'm happy with it) I'll post the final pictures. Fun stuff!

Fingerfoods

You know what I don't have nearly enough of? Severed fingers. Unfortunately, I use all 10 of mine for my living (curses! I was taught to type correctly and can't pigeon-pick my way through life!), so it'll have to be someone else's laying around. Thankfully, Lady Linoleum over at Monster Crochet has thought of this, and gives me a viable option:


They're all purple and rotting! It's neat! What's even cooler is that the pattern for these babies is totally free, so you can click here to bookmark it and/or print it and start leaving these in inconspicuous places. For example, an ashtray at a friend's house or bar -- wait, they don't smoke in our bars anymore. But an ashtray somewhere. Or, if you were riding in someone's car, just casually leave one or two in a cup holder. I highly recommend leaving some strewn in a baby's crib for laughs, though you might want to do it when baby isn't in it because I don't want you blaming me if baby eats it or something. The possibilities are endless, so always keep a steady supply on hand (har har). You never know when you'll need an extra, rotting finger.

Hey there! Hi there! Ho there!

Yay! The second half of the genius is finally here!

Anyhoo, this is just and introduction. I am a stay-at-home mom. That means I have time to work on stuff, right? WRONG! I have a very active 10 month old (he can walk and climb). I have a very long list of projects including several pairs of slippers, two beanies, a scarf, a blanket and many more. I'll try and post pictures (PhotoBucket is being retarded right now) and put a complete list in the sidebar.

I haven't actually updated my profile, so check back later to get and the knitty gritty details.

Covet & Shove It

Burda is a fun little anomaly to me. I know it's a mainly European company and they [seem to] aspire to be cheap and easy patterns, which I appreciate. They try to be funky and sometimes fall short, but in a fun, "Aww, they tried," sort of way. I also love that their costumes are labeled as Carnival costumes, which sounds ever so much cooler and adult than Halloween. (And don't get me wrong, Halloween is my favourite holiday.) This pattern is, obviously, not in their Carnival collection:


My first thought upon seeing this trim little jacket? "Your grandma's going to be so pissed you turned her couch into a jacket." I understand the appeal of upholstery fabrics, really I do. Every time I go to the fabric store I squeeze to the very back with all the big, thick tapestry-type bolts and imagine having rooms full of couches, sofas, and chaise lounges with all of those prints. But the thought never crossed my mind to actually wear them. It's not like the print screams "Young and hip!" and with the way the model is standing, I'm thinking she's more likely to have a hip problem. The black bands across the 'pits make me think of a couch even more, you know, those couches with the leather bands across the base to hold the seams together and make it look not-so-monotonous?

But I'm evening the karma with Burda by unabashedly coveting this coat:


It's cute! It's houndstooth! I must admit I was very happy to see that houndstooth is en vogue again, because I've always loved it and it's always in season to me. It also reminds me of the C&R my dad used to get his suits from in the mall, for some weird reason. Anyway, I love coats that are cut in more of a 50s or 60s style but are really timeless, and this is it. I want to buy it and make at least five copies and wear one (maybe more) at all times.

So, are we cool Burda?

Z is for zombie, that's good enough for me

Okay, so I have to get this out in the open as soon as possible. I am madly in love with zombies. There was a phase in my life where I fell asleep every night to Dawn of the Dead. I find videos like this



and this



and just lose it (in a good way). So, when I saw that Average Jane Crafter did a special on zombie embroidery, I just had to covet it. And share it with everyone. Is that not the coolest? You could make a whole set of zombie tea towels, like my great-aunts used to. Except they did finches and teapots, but you know, basically the same thing. !!! I love it!

Missing something?

God, this sweater is so warm! With the high collar and the thick yarn and the long sleeves, it's just perfect for a wintery day.

So perfect you don't need to even bother with pants, apparently. Other than that, I have absolutely no problem with the jacket or its pattern. I just, you know, like to cover my bum before leaving the house. Maybe I'm just a prude, or maybe I just get cold too easily.

MST3What?

Okay, so I don't know if anyone here is familiar with You Knit What???, but it was a great blog dedicated to finding the absolute worst in the knitting world and ripping those garments a new one. I really, really loved it and was sad to see it go. I also love Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K, for those of you in the know) and was sad to see it go as well, since they took bad movies and ripped them a new one. I decided that, in the spirit of homage (though you may see it as ripoff), I would do the same sort of thing with any handmade or craft good, because seriously, there is so much bad stuff out there just begging to be mocked. How could I not? I don't know what to call it yet, but here's the first installment:


Ladies and gentlemen, the Hamburger Dress. Um ... yeah. I'm all for making superfluous things, especially if they're to be knitted (this dress is crocheted), but I feel that maybe this fad may be getting a bit tired. Crocheted sushi once is cute, a knit uterus is funny, and I really don't get the whole pastry phenomenon, but when you start wearing it and taking it seriously, you might need to lie down for a bit.

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to our blog. "Our" meaning my sister's and my blog, but she's not here right now because her computer is on the fritz. So really, just me speaking in the royal plural and sounding vaguely unhinged.

Anyway ... do you like the design? Thank you. If not, sod off. You try learning CSS.

So. This blog will be about all of our crafty endeavors, together and apart, hobbies and serious projects. She crochets and I knit. We both sew, we're both left-handed. We're both crazy cat ladies, and we have the same parents. How eerie is that?