Stella!!!!!!

I came across the Stella McCartney collection for Gap Kids about a week or so ago online. The clothes are a little pricey for a kids collection (IMO), but very well priced for Stella. If you're not familiar with her, besides being the daughter of Paul McCartney (aka one of the Beatles), she also brought the design house Chloe back from the brink in the last decade. She really has her finger on the fashion button in terms of being both fashion-forward and wearable.

Anyway, I was at Fashion Square with my little sister today taking a break from the rest of the fam, and we poked our head in to Gap Kids to check it out. It was a wee bit crowded in there, so she got on line while I perused the collection. I loved the cashmere pullover with the intarsia leopard, but it was far from practical in real-life (and for something I wouldn't wear often, $98 is a little expensive).


I did, however, find a grey asymmetrical cardigan in kids XXL that fit me just right. For the price, $58, I couldn't go wrong, and I will even go so far as to say this is my new favorite sweater! I fully expect to wear this until it falls apart. The cotton/cashmere blend also make it feel really nice. Did I mention I'm excited about this? I really am, like, stupidly so! And, I can forgive the XXL tag by reminding myself that it's a KIDS XXL, not women's! Muahahahaha

Day 5 - Tune in Thursday

I'm not a huge fan of episodic TV - miss a week and I'm Lost (no pun intended). That said, I do occasionally fall for shows - HARD. Usually, the ones I like get canceled - Square Pegs, anyone? What about TV 101? (Yes, there are more recent examples, I'm just drawing a blank). I adore most of the sci-fi on BBC America (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Being Human, Primeval), but not so crazy about the period pieces (Robin Hood, for example - too soap opera-y and they killed Marian, wha???). I despise reality TV shows, to the point that I feel they suck the life out of you and are hastening the demise of Western Civilization (merely MHO, of course! Others LOVE them, but I'll just continue staging my one woman boycott to make myself feel better).

So, the reason I'm posting is to say that I really like Flash Forward and don't want it to go away! The pilot was intriguing, and there was enough there to make me want to see where they're going to go with the idea. Oh, and Joseph Fiennes is cute, which never hurts ;-)

The only other show I'm interested in catching is V, though I missed it Tuesday when I went to Disney Hall. Still, I'll catch up over the weekend on abc.com and see how I feel. I liked the original version way back in the day, and the kid who played the lead's son sat behind me in French class that year, which made it that much cooler.

Day 4 - for reals

Ah, Wednesday, that un-special, middle of the week, hump day. Half way through the week already (thank goodness!). I really ought to be sewing, but am procrastinating while watching TV. I wish I could craft as fast as I come up with ideas, but have to remind myself: It's the process, not the finished product that makes it enjoyable. That said, I've finished quite a few knitted projects over the last two weeks that just need blocking/sewing together. I'll get it all done eventually...

Anyway, not feeling particularly verbose this evening, so will sign off for now...

Day 3 (kinda sorta)

I'm a little late today, but I'm still up from yesterday - does that count? I stepped out of my comfort zone today and spontaneously agreed to go to listen to chamber music at the Disney Hall in downtown Los Angeles. My friend, R, had amazing seats down in front and we had a great time. I've only had the pleasure of knitting with her every month or so, but going out outside of knitting was a good thing. Turns out, we have quite a few things in common! Anyway, I'll leave it brief for tonight, but just wanted to share a little something from my day.

Day 2

Now, don't get too excited, but yeah, I'm back for Day 2 of NaBloPoMo! Today's theme is Make It/Mend It Monday. On the mend it front, I fixed the hem on my favorite pants. They'd only hung out in the mending pile for a month or so... (sad, I know). I really do love those pants, and anyone who has met me in person knows this, as I wear them every chance I get. They're brown linen palazzo pants that I made from a New Look pattern. In fact, they're my second pair since I loved the first ones so much, I wore them until they fell apart.

On the make it side, I made a top from a vintage 1980s Simplicity pattern (design by Hang Ten - remember them?). I finished the top a couple days ago, and am already in love. The thing to keep in mind here is there was some serious wardrobe refashion involved here. NxtDrGuy gave me a periwinkle T-shirt with holes and a stain (artfully covered by the pocket!), and I proffered up a navy workout T-shirt, and a remnant of darker periwinkle ribbing. I'm seriously in love with the outcome, and if I could get away with wearing it everyday, I would.

Up for the challenge

I've been a little lax on the blog front (work stuff has kept me busy for the most part, which would be too boring/technical/eye-glaze-inducing for all but the nerdiest out there to get into here), and so have decided to participate in the NaBloPoMo* this November in order to shake me out of my quietude.

Perhaps, the easiest way to get back in the groove would be to have some themes going... For sure, I will post some of my crafting projects this month, as I really need to get back into that habit. My fear is that I will post all my good intentions here and then not follow through. That would hardly be fair and certainly wouldn't make for very interesting reading. Oh, and since I've been promising to post some Blythe knitting patterns, I will publish those this month (sorry, Kittenlash, I really haven't meant to drag this on for so long!).

Okee dokee then, that's gonna have to do it for today, but I'll be back tomorrow, I promise!

*National Blog Posting Month

Tulip Skirt

A couple of weeks ago, I was tooling around flickr and saw this skirt. I thought, "Gee, that looks like a skirt in the first issue of Stitch magazine." Well, lo and behold, they are the same! For some reason, I never put the designer of the skirt pattern, Jenny Gordy, together with her line "Wiksten." Anyway, I decided to give the pattern a spin and make one of my own.

These are the results:



I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with how the pattern turned out! My measurements put me in between a small and medium, so to be safe, I went for the medium. Well, for once, my erring on the side of caution means my skirt is a little on the big side (but, hey, it's easier to take things in than let them out, so even though it meant an extra step in my case, it was the wise choice). Instead of ripping the skirt apart to take it in on the sides, I just took it in up the back.

Jenny mentioned a few errata in her blog, but I noticed a couple of minor things as I went along - the arrow directions for the pleats on the front are incorrect (I just followed the photo of the finished object), and the grain line on the pattern for the front and back pieces are swapped.

Details:
Fabric - a 100% cotton corduroy from Joann's. I pre-washed it, and cut it out with the nap going up (gives a richer color).

I didn't feel like doing as much hand-finishing as Jenny's pattern calls for (I like instant gratification and hand sewing is avoided like the plague at chez NDG), so I did a lot of extra top stitching, which really works with the fabric I chose. This included topstitching the placket closed, and also edge stitching the center front edge of the placket. I did the same thing on the wasitband - both topstitching it closed and edge stitching the top. I guess I could have edge stitched the belt, too, but it didn't dawn on me until this moment. In addition, I also pressed up the bottom of the waistband facing prior to attaching it to the waistband for a neater finish at the front edge. I also added a button to the waistband, and one more at the bottom of the placket. I would probably do that again, but I debated between horizontal and vertical placement on the waistband and well, I'm still not completely sold (but it's better than hook and eyes, which I've never been very good at getting to sit right).

I will definitely be sewing this again, and love the fact that this skirt lets me be a size small!

Oh, and because I cut the belt out along the grain, I had almost half a yard left over, so I'll be making a tote bag for my knitting projects. Win win all the way around.

My New (old) Love

My first love in the crafting world is sewing, but since I prefer using a machine, it isn't a terribly portable craft, and so my love of knitting, cross stitching and needlepoint was born.

But, I digress... Sewing, although my first love, has been relegated to the bottom of the totem pole in my crafty world and this weekend, I realized how much I miss it. I mean look at this shayna punim, how can you not love it?



So, to get back in the grove, I went through a few of my boxes of fabric and came across some fabric scraps given to me by a cousin who worked in the schmata business at the time. The scraps have probably been in my stash about 10 years, and have been sore point with me - too good to throw out, too small to be of much use. And then I realized what I needed to do with them. I pinned and sewed the pieces one after the other until they were long enough, and then folded the whole thing in half lengthwise and sewed them into a tube. I kept second guessing myself, but gave myself permission to screw it all up if I had to. Well, I didn't screw up, in fact, I had enough to make two! But, please, don't take my word for it, judge for yourself (but forgive the flash photo, it is night after all!).

Oh my

Why.Must.The.Time.Change.Be.So.Painful? Seriously, it hurt to get out of bed this morning, and if work weren't so busy, there's a good chance I would have called in sick.

In some ways, I wish I had - I started off the day by leaving my blackberry in my car, necessitating a run back to it after my morning meeting, and ended the day leaving my wallet at work, necessitating a run back to the office. It was a perfect, if nerve-wracking, bookend to the day.

In knitting news, NxtDrGuy lost the Noro ribbed hat I made him 2 years ago :-( Luckily, I found the same colorway, and ordered two skeins (an extra, just in case!), and he feels sufficiently bad about losing it. So, at least he's knit-worthy...

And finally, in shopping news, I scored the Dr Martens flats I'd been ogling for a few months on crazy sale (we're talking cheap!), in my size and the color I wanted. Here they are in all their gorgeous red technicolor (nom nom nom):

Happy New Year

I slept hard after last night's eat-a-thon, and waking up was painful, until I realized it was New Year's Day and all I had to do to today was putter about the kitchen and maybe finish some knitting. I really love days off!

Nxtdrguy and I celebrated New Year's Eve in the usual way - dinner at Black Angus. It felt different this year, though. The place was pretty quiet and it was way too easy to get a parking spot. If this is not a sign the economy is in the dumps, I don't know what is. What I do know is that this is the first time I haven't felt a twinge of sadness at the passing of a year. 2008 was really a shitter of a year, and I hope 2009 will be a vast improvement on it.

Speaking of vast improvements, I've been using the time off work to get things done around the place, and am finally getting my crafting mess a bit more organized. Me + organization results in more mess, but it's coming together, albeit slowly!

The big project was building an Expedit bookcase from IKEA to hold my mags, dolls and the fabric I want to sew now (much more stored elsewhere!). Yarn is stored in the closet (sorry no photos, though maybe I will flash the stash this year).

Here's a photo of the first round of organizing the Expedit (it's likely to change at some point, but will do for now):



All my magazines fit across the bottom row - I'm ever so proud of that! They look so much neater there, and have freed up a bunch of space elsewhere. The Blythes and other dolls fit in the top two shelves, and that cleared two smaller bookcases, which I think will go in the dining area to hold cook books and other displayable items, like Pyrex, etc. See? Already making plans on how to whip my place into shape...

Ah, and speaking of plans... It is New Year's Day after all, and tradition dictates one should make resolutions. I think I'll make mine a list of things I'd like to accomplish this year, so I can refer back to it periodically and make sure I'm on track.

1) exercise more: I have started hiking on weekends with a friend of a friend, so will continue that. In addition, I am to exercising two times a week after work with a co-worker.

2) knit more: I already have dedicated time for knitting on Saturdays, and do a little during the work week, too. I'd like to knit through at least ten miles of stash yarn, and I think the best way to do it is to make a list of what I should work on per month. I intend to follow that up by posting picks of FOs here (yeah, right - haha!)

3) stay in touch more: I tend to get so into work that I feel like I never come up for air, and it promises to be even more challening in the next few months, so I will set aside time to hang with friends. If nothing else, I'll update the blog so everyone will know why they never hear from me!

4) write more: yup, it's time. Will do that by blogging more, and finally getting my laptop out so I can work on my stalled novel. Really.

5) keep my place neat: I can't say organized, because my sense of organization is quite different than anyone else's! But, stuff put away and not on every surface might be a good start. I would also like to purge some things this year, which I think will help.

6) do fun things: I'd really like to finally learn to play guitar and chess! I know, so weird that my idea of fun is learning new things. I blame the IHP. XD

That should cover most of it. I'd add travel more, but I've not been in love with travel for while - it seems like more of a chore for some reason. But, if I do, it would be to visit friends in Italy.

How's About a Nice Cup of STFU?

Car shopping is the pits. Friday, I spent about two hours getting dicked around by the dealers at Honda Airport Marina. They totally marked the Honda Fit up $4000 over sticker because they weren't smart enough to get enough in. Two hours later and we'd barely gotten them to halve the difference. That was when we got the most perfectly timed instant message from our boss that said, "If they are still charging over the sticker, get the fuck out." So, we walked. They totally followed us to our car still trying to work a deal and I had just had it. Why can't there just be a shut the fuck up sign - kinda like the Staples easy button? Seriously, I would use it all the time in restaurants when parents don't control their kids, or you get the guy/gal who needs to fill the room with their voice.

So, I am still with Neon and I swear it's like something new goes wrong every time I drive her. The driver window is now completely off the guide, which just makes getting in and out of work a royal pain. Not to mention the lack of AC, meaning it's a necessity to put the window down every time I get in anyway. Maybe I can just sweat off the 10 lbs I want to lose before I get the new car. Ugh.

The Long Goodbye

I took the Neon to the mechanic yesterday, and before I'd even arrived at work, they called to give me the bad news. The transmission is shot and the mechanic did not recommend putting another dollar into her. Needless to say, I was distraught.

The Neon was the first new car I ever bought and I've become quite attached to her and her idiosyncrasies. We've been through a lot together - road trips, blow outs, accidents, friends, dating, dieting, short hair, long hair, dyed hair, job after job after job... As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, it was my first permanent job in entertainment that allowed me to buy her, and she's come along for the ride as my career has been built. She put up with me shifting her into lower gears to gain extra power to pass more powerful cars, carried me faithfully to and fro work and held her head high even as her age showed. I spent most of yesterday mourning her, crying during my daily meeting and tearing up at the thought of not driving her anymore.

I spent some of today researching my next car, which I think will be the Honda Fit. I still need to sit in it and test drive (trust me, we tried to do this today, but the local Honda dealer sold their last Fit last night - harumph!), but aside from that, I like what I've seen. And, let's face it, the Sport version comes in purple, and as far as I'm concerned, that is the most important thing of all.

The picture on the Honda site makes it look more navy blue, but IRL, it's more of a blackish purple with glitter:



As a goodbye gesture to the Neon, I took a picture of the mileage on the way to work this morning. It seemed fitting that after more than 12 years together, the mileage should be 121212:



I know we will be going our separate ways within the next month (the mechanic said I could drive her for about that without too many problems), but the times we had were good and that is what I will try to remember.

And speaking of... Here are two pics of the Neon the day I got her:



My first time behind the wheel:



Ah, memories..... *sniffle*!

Long Time, No Blog

That whole New Year's Resolution to better balance work and life has been a bit of a bust. What can I say? It's been a busy year! The good thing is, I think I may have a bit of a breather before it gets really crazy, and let me say, I'm going to need it.

My poor car - I've needed to fix the AC for months and there has just not been any time to do it. I'm taking her in for a few other things tomorrow (transmission/oil change/tire rotation) and depending on what they say, I may be car shopping *sniffle*. I really don't want to deal with buying a new car right now! And truth be told, I like my car. Silly, I know, but in a sea of sameness, she stands out.

So, I've been trying to decide which direction to take my blog in - obviously, since it's public, I keep most personal information out of it (stalkers need not apply), but I'm not sure whether to skew it towards my crafting or my dolls. Both of those hobbies bleed into one another since I do make a lot of things for Blythe, but I think it might be better if I focus on crafting in general, with the girls making an occasional appearance. I also wouldn't mind working on improving my photography. Usually, I'm happy when everything is in focus, but honestly, I think the best way to showcase my crafting is through better photography.

Speaking of crafting, a co-worker and I are already planning what to make for the Holiday Bazaar at work in November. We'll see if anything comes to fruition as I am always full of plans (better than full of $hit, I suppose), and have trouble with the follow-through (hello, lonely blog o'mine). It can't hurt to try advance planning, and roping someone else into it means I am responsible to that person and less likely to flake. See? Already an improvement! ha!

And just so this isn't the most boring post ever with no visual stimulus in sight, I leave you with professional pictures (not taken by me, natch) of the two pairs of shoes I bought this week - both by Born (spelled with a / through the o, only I don't remember the code to get that to show up, but you get which brand I mean...). They're supah cute and supah comfy. In fact, I think my feet will be having a deep and meaningful relationship with these shoes for the next few months!

Pair #1 - the heels:


Pair #2 - the flats:

Happy New Year!

Last night's celebrations were not too much in excess. Maybe it's getting to a certain age that makes you realize overeating isn't all that anymore. Nxtdrguy and I went to Black Angus, heretofore known as "The Anus" (yes, we really are that immature) to celebrate and split a pound of prime rib - ugh, my stomach is in knots thinking about it! We've now gone there the last 3 years straight, mainly because we know they're one of the few restaurants that are open late and we like to reward them for that with our loyalty. After eating, we went to his place and watched "Serenity", which played so differently, now that I've seen the entire Firefly series. A lot darker and a lot more action. I still wish they'd do a sequel, but that's because most of what's put out by Hollywood is just so much dreck, aimed at the lowest common denominator.

When the film ended, we played a little Animal Crossing to watch the clock change and celebrate with our virtual friends. Somehow it seemed better than watching Dick Clark kissing his wife and listening to Ryan Seacrest pretending he's cool and down with that. Yuck.

Anyway, that was last night. Today, of course, is the first day of the new year, and well, that means one thing: RESOLUTIONS. I usually make fun ones like "getting in touch with my inner bitch" and "must learn how to play guitar", in the hope I can actually follow through on (Let's say I was successful with one of those...)

So, without further ado, here are my resolutions for 2008 (in no particular order):
1 - incorporate more exercise into my routine and watch what I eat
2 - file the papers that have piled up
3 - sell what I don't use on ebay
4 - keep in better contact with my friends (I've been a little out of the loop)
5 - find a better balance between work and home life
6 - knit through more of my yarn stash and sew through my fabric stash
7 - save money
8 - teach nxtdrguy how to play backgammon

I think I can manage most of those (even if I detest filing). I guess we'll know how successful I was by the end of the year! XD

My So Called Crafty Life

I am drowning in yarn and fabric, and yet I wouldn't have it any other way. The one thing I wish is that sewing were more portable, then I would be able to get more done on that end of the spectrum. Instead, I've taught myself to walk and knit (so long as there isn't any lace involved) and can usually get a row or two of knitting in while I walk from the parking garage to the office. So, at least it feels like I've accomplished something before I get to work. Otherwise, it feels like all I do is make lists of all the things I'd like to be working on :-/

To better organize myself and how I spend my time, I've made a general weekly schedule, which assigns projects to me during the week - everything from work, to exercise to sewing and writing (yup, I've decided it's time to get back to work on the novel). At least this way, I have my little checklist to tick off one line item at time so I know I've done more than play Animal Crossing and Picross (most evil game ever!) all week.

Sunday nights are devoted to cutting out sewing projects, and so far, I've cut out a pair of pajama bottoms from a pattern I've made quite a few times. They'll sew up super fast and then I'll have yet another thing to cross off my to-do list :-D

I took a crappy flash picture so I could share the fabric - it's bagels and New York style coffee cups on a red background. I have a ceramic version of the coffee cup, which I use every morning for my coffee at work. It's one of my favorites (favorite one being the Snoopy "I think I'm allergic to morning" one I've had since I was 4). Cute, huh?




I figure every little bit counts when it comes to getting back in to my crafting life.

Dr. Who?

While organizing my closet last night, I had the tv on in the background, and was lucky enough to catch some Dr. Who on PBS. Gah, the new Dr. Who is so frickin' sexah! Maybe it's the accent, I don't know, but I do remember the original 1970s Dr. Who always reminded me of my Algebra and Philosophy teachers combined, and the new one, well, he doesn't!

Anyway, watching it got me to thinking about Dr. Who's scarf, a fairly well-known accessory, and cause for obsession amongst fans. So at 1am, I pulled out some yarn and created my own version using this website as a guide.

Here are the results (before weaving ends in - there are a lot of them!):



I'm fairly pleased with the results, and have written the instructions, if you'd like to make your own Blythe-sized Dr. Who scarf (and who wouldn't want one?)

You will need:
sz 2 needles (2.75mm)
fingering yarn (aka 4ply) in 7 colors: Purple, red, tan, brown, gray, yellow and green

Using the color guide below, CO 10 stitches in the first color, and then follow the guide for the number of rows in each color (the rows are even numbers so the front side will have a seamless change of color). When you're done, bind off and weave in ends and take lots of pictures :-D

Rows - Color
2 - purple
12 - tan
4 - brown
2 - yellow
6 - red
2 - purple
12 - grey
6 - green
2 - yeloow
8 - tan
4 - red
2 - brown
2 - purple
12 - green
2 - yellow
4 - gray
2 - red
12 - tan
2 - purple
6 - green
4 - gray
2 - yellow
6 - red
2 - purple
10 - brown
2 - tan
2 - gray
12 - red
4 - yellow
6 - green
2 - purple
10 - tan
4 - brown
6 - gray
2 - red
4 - purple
2 - tan
4 - yellow
12 - green
4 - red
4 - gray
2 - yellow
6 - brown
2 - purple
2 - tan
8 - grey
2 - red
2 - yellow
4 - tan
2 - purple
8 - brown
2 - red
10 - purple

As with all my patterns, you're welcome to make items to sell from them, but please credit me for the pattern.

It's a Knit Knit Knit World

Ah, Summertime! When brains turn to mush and fingers ache for something to do... I compiled a list for myself of the projects I would like to work on/finish this summer (keep in mind - this list is made for a perfect world where days last forever and things actually get done). Anyway, without further ado, here's my list:

1. Rowan Scottish Tweed ballet wrap sweater - body is done, sleeves are half done
2. Sheela Scarf - on needles
3. Tagliato Shawl - on needles
4. Rowan Linen Sweater - back is half done
5. Fitted Knits sleeveless turtleneck
6. Fitted Knits puff sleeve cardigan - on needles - I'm using some vintage angora yarn from the thrift store - so soft!
7. Fitted Knits Alexandra ballet top - on needles - in naturgarn in goldenrod
8. Nxtdrguy's Noro hat - not like he can wear it now, but it'll be ready for the winter at this rate!
9. Noro Kureyon Cardigan - back is done, fronts are on needles
10. Noro Kureyon throw - on needles
11. Debbie Bliss Soho turtleneck
12. Debbie Bliss Soho arm warmers
13. Knitty Fetching fingerless gloves
14. Noro Kujaku tea kozy
15. Twinkle knit vest in Cascade Magnum
16. Vogue Patons cape - on needles

I'll be happy if I can get 1/4 of the list done (that would be 4 projects for the fractionally challenged). Any more than that and I'll be ecstatic! And of course, pictures and links are forthcoming on all of these. No fun reading the list when pictures can show you!

Wardrobe Refashion

While trolling through some comments on my flickr, I came across a picture of a shirt made from Simplicity 4589, which led me even further down the rabbit-hole to this website. O.M.G. I must do this! It feeds into all my neuroses... er, I mean, hobbies! 1) I love to sew and knit, 2) I have a ton of fabric and yarn to be gotten through and 3) I really need to save some money after splurging on a certain Blythe doll...



I've already bought the fabric I want to use for my high school reunion dress, so I think I'm covered.... Oh, wait - there is one more pair of shoes I want to buy... Hmmmm... Well, I haven't signed up yet, so I could in theory buy them and then sign up - that wouldn't really be considered cheating, would it? ;-)

Sheesh

So many things... I'm supposed to be finishing up my 2nd craftster swap (apologies to my swap partners - your stuff will be rad), but frick, it's hot and I've been rearranging all my crap today and I've realized I HAVE A LOT OF CRAP! Not that I didn't know that before... But, somehow moving it around to try to organize it just makes the problem so much more obvious. I'm annoyed with myself for letting it get this bad, and annoyed that work has been so busy that I haven't had time to fix it. Ugh.

On the plus side, I finished a project and wanted to share - it's knitty's fetching:

Aren't they cute?



I think I should concentrate on the shorter projects as, well, they go much faster! :-P Though, I do get supreme satisfaction out of finishing the more involved projects on my list, they just take forever to do...

New test hat

I've been playing around with strand knitting (aka fairisle) and have completed a test hat for the Blythes. Tiff had some ideas I couldn't resist, so I tried them out on the hat. :-)



I like the braids, but think I made them a little too long. The weight of the braids isn't allowing the flaps to curl up, which I find to be one of the cutest details of the hat. I'll either make them shorter or leave them unbraided next time. The fairisle pattern was my own addition and I think needs some tweaking - I was shocked to find that the row after I finished the pattern, I needed to decrease already! So, I've adjusted it, taking two lines out of the pattern, which should work better for placement overall.

Here are some more pictures:

Ear flaps up a` la Sherlock Holmes:


And tied under the chin (definitely needs a pom pom on top!):


Oh, and if I don't post again today - hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!