Sweet Success

Last week I completed Zach's Aran blankie. Why hasn't there been a picture you ask. Because my darling infant began teething shortly after the creation was completed and has been unwilling to pose for any picture in which he does not play the part of a lobster who is ready to be cooked pleading for his life. After no less than 50 attempts to get the picture while he was awake I had a stroke of brilliance.

I would get the picture after he went to bed. So, tonight I endured our nightly crying ritual as I waited for the beloved baby tylenol to work its magic (all hail baby tylenol savior of mothers around the globe). I snuck out of the baby's room and past the hubby, who was working on the couch, and grabbed the digital camera. As I walk past the hubby for the second time, holding said camera, his head darts up and with a look of shock and horror he asks what I am doing. I smile and reply "going to take a picture of the baby sleeping." Chad gives me a look that indicates he is sizing me up mentally for a straight jacket, sighs, and resumes work.

Meanwhile in the baby's room I am sneaking like a mouse to get a picture of my sleeping darling. After some light stirring, I have my picture and a sleeping baby.

I AM THE KING OF THE WORLD!!!!!

Something beary cute

Just another manic Monday. I drove over two hours to meet my subject today and when I got there I realized my video camera was malfunctioning so I have to do it all again next week! After 5 hours of pointless driving I get back to find out that another subject wants to reschedule so my week of being "awesome grad student girl" is quickly (and I am talking warp speed here) going in the toilet. On top of which, I learned that my cousin's wedding (which I had firmly believed was one week from Saturday) is actually this Saturday so I have to scramble to get everyone ready to leave for Minnesota on Friday.

Anyone else have days like this?

So on this day of chaos when I feel like tossing my head back and screaming "WHY ME GOD WHY ME?" (okay so really nothing that dramatic but a good run and a pint of Ben and Jerry's might substitute) I have decided it is finally time to post a picture of a FO. I need the thrill of accomplishment on a day when I have managed to accomplish nothing and actually put myself further behind. So here it is...........

One beary cute finished object



The pattern is from a box of pattern inserts called "knitting to go." This pattern comes with a companion duck which I have also made, however, I finished it mere hours before I gave it away and in my sleep deprived state failed to take a picture of it. The pattern recommends Rowan's cotton glace which is in short supply around here. Therefore, I substituted with Lily's Sugar and Cream using size six needles. This hat was made for a friend who recently had a baby, however I am considering making another bear and a duck for the upcoming preemie project donation date.

There, I feel better already.

Sewing with gas?

I hope that everyone had a marvelous Independence Day. Amongst the fireworks I managed to get a fair amount of sewing done.

I dislike sewing. Therefore, I wasn't sure what possessed me to buy an unnaturally large amount of flannel. I think that it was brought on by the limitations placed upon me by summer of stash, if I can't buy yarn flannel will do. It turns out that Acquiring 54+ yards of flannel was the easy part..... making them into blankets for the Preemie Project turned out to be a little more complicated. I couldn't get the blankets to feed through the sewing machine. However, I could get the machine to sew if I pulled the blankets through using quasi-Herculean strength. Therefore, I stopped quickly and put "fix sewing machine" on the to-do list.

My friends mother was in town this week and she is an experienced seamstress so I asked her to take a look at my machine. Within ten minutes she had the thing working again. It turns out that it wasn't broken as I had believed but rather I had thread the bobbin backwards and if you do that the machine won't feed.

Now that the machine has been fixed I have been sewing with a vengeance. I got all of the boys blankets done and two of the girls' large blankets. It looks like I won't have any problem making the August 1st donation date. The pile pictured below is the finished blankets. There are 10 large blankets (at least 30x30) and 11 small blankets (at least 20x20).