Drago[knit]fly

Before I could start any sewing on the weekender, I spent several days cutting fabric. I did not like it. With sewing you can rip, with cutting there's no pretty fix. I like a backup. I also was attacked by a rotary cutter! Look what it did to my foot! I know, rotary cutters attack in the strangest places! I figured the old sewing machine could use a little sprucing up before embarking on the hard core sewing portion of the WB. I gave her a fine oil treatment - the first in probably five years - and scraped out some of the thread fiber buildup. So, she was good as new, but without a proper home. I've always sewn on either my kitchen table (which was never in the kitchen), the floor (up until I broke my machine at least) or on my dad's drafting table (currently sitting in my parents' basement. For the first time ever we have a kitchen big enough to house our table and I think it's gross sewing in the kitchen. I don't really even want to walk barefoot in there,our...

Check out these neat blankets crocheted by my hubbie's late nana! We found these in his parents basement a few weeks ago with some of his other stuff. According to J, his nana used to "crochet all day long." I guess she made a bunch for him since he was a kid, but these are the latest in the collection. He thinks he received them in HS. The blankets are made of - you guessed it! - acrylic, I'm sure it's the ubiquitous Red Heart we all know and love. Because they've been sitting in a spider-infested, dusty basement for the past ten years I ran them through the cold cycle of the washer and let them air dry. They dried in only an hour or two. Here's the first (my favorite): Here's the other side. Check out the rockin' 70s colors! And the other, more classic-colored one:

WEEKENDER BAG With all the knitting and summer laziness, I've let Amy Butler's Weekender Bag pattern collect dust since I bought it back in February. Sad, huh? I guess you can say I have issues. I've been sewing forever, long before I ever started knitting, but I NEVER use patterns. I've never found patterns to match the idea in my head, so I've always just used the trial and error method. It's always worked out for me. Now that I'm trying out a pattern, it's not the sewing that's bringing me down but the pattern itself. I feel like I have to learn a new language. All that said, after seeing this pattern I have to at least try. So I went out and bought some materials (can I just say I spend an hour at Joann's yesterday?): -2 yards, Amy Butler's Sunbloom Lotus fabric in Parsley purchased from Reprodepot for exterior and hopefully handles and piping (I thought I could find a perfect match for a coordinating fabric, but these colors are impo...

Despite all the good warnings around swatching, I'm always just too lazy or too excited to jump into the new project to bother. I'll knit for a bit of the project, then measure to see if I'm on track and have been pretty lucky so far. For Bobble Blue, I knitted a sleeve for a swatch. That might sort of count. After hearing all the complaints around blogland about Hourglass Sweaters made with Cash Iroha stretching and stretching and stretching after washing, wearing, etc., I thought I should finally heed the ubiquitous warnings. Hence, my first swatch! I even washed and blocked it. I'm so proud of myself. I did knit two rows less than directed, but we won't discuss that. And now I'm swatching for Cherry without even casting on for Hourglass. I guess I can change, huh? Notice any changes around my blog? I'm trying to neaten things up a bit, more complex when you don't know anything about html. I'm learning, though. But, that's why I...