I’ve been thinking about my sewing plans. I need to reduce expectations this year. I’ve thought about what I need and what materials I have. My revised plans are below.
The Tekura Tee is my go to top in warm weather. So I decided to make a few more! I can get one from a yard of fabric, so I grabbed the two prints on the left in organic cotton knit when Spoonflower was having a sale. The white interlock on the right is from my stash.
If you look closely at the blue print, you will see an elusive character. 👀
Yesterday I sewed my second pair of Ottobre’s Casual Cotton Pants pattern in some stretch navy twill fabric from deep stash. These fit better than the last pair, but if I decide to sew them again, I will cut a smaller size. This is size 48, but probably sized 46 or even 44 after sewing, as I did not include a seam allowance and sewed with a 1/2” seam allowance.
They are super comfy. I love the high waist. I’ll think about sewing a pair in denim, but not anytime soon. I think this could be my favorite pants pattern, if I can nail the sizing. Pattern is from Ottobre Woman Autumn Winter 5/2021. This issue also has a great trench coat pattern I want to sew.
I’m nearing the shoulder seams on Freya’s purple Lodge sweater. This is pretty much the only thing I’ve been knitting on. I need to start Bob’s Knitter’s Dude soon, so I can work on it over the summer. It’s cotton and acrylic yarn, so should be nice to work on in warmer weather, and it will hopefully be done in time for his birthday in September.
Sewing
Sometimes I leave notes for myself.
I’ve cut out a second pair of Casual Cotton pants in navy stretch cotton twill. I omitted the seam allowances. I’m hoping to get some sewing time on them today. Will they fit? Who knows? I’m wearing my gray ones today even though they are too big. They are super comfy. I was hoping to be able to sew some shorts with the remnants, but I don’t have enough fabric for that.
Gardening
My seedlings are looking good, though a few have given up the ghost. I’ve enjoyed mustard, kale, and daikon radish greens as I thin them out. The peas are up!
The Chinese Celery Cabbage (like Napa Cabbage) does not like the hot sun. I suspect the growing season will be short for them. I may try to plant them in the shade of the cucumbers to extend their time in the garden, but I’ve already planted lettuce there, so we’ll see.
I saw cabbage moths today, but I’m way ahead of them. I covered the greens with netting last week. Foiled!
I’ve been spending a lot of time clearing the woods in front of our house of invasive honeysuckle and black walnut saplings. The apple trees are blooming!
Reading
This month I read The Orkney Scroll by Lyn Hamilton. I decided I needed to read a cozy located in Orkney. This book fit the bill. It was fine. I was glad when it was over. There were some redundancies. It was as if her editor told her she should write a chapter at the end explaining everything that had happened.
Here is the song I’m currently listening to on repeat:
Last year about this time, I made a slew of Melba Dresses. This was the first one. It was too big to begin with, and is unwearable now. I wish I could alter it, but the neckline is gigantic. There’s not much I can do about that.
But I love this fabric! So I decided to make good on my long-held promise to sew myself some underwear. I was hoping to get a bra out of this dress, too. Alas, there is not enough fabric. Can you believe that? I’m also planning to make a bra and underwear set out of my Paranormal Day dress fabric scraps. I’ll post updates!
ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. More information can be found here. Contact Kate or Gun to join. Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at):
For the last three weeks I’ve been applying for jobs, getting called back for second interviews, received a call from HR to presumably be offered one of them, and then my current employer offered me more work (and more income) so I would stay. And stay I did. It’s a remote position that pays well, is exceedingly flexible, and working for the nicest man in the world. Never underestimate the influence a kind and caring boss will have on your life. This week I’ve been training on my new responsibilities and my brain hurts. Not much crafting going on.
Knitting
I’ve been knitting sporadically on Freya’s purple Lodge Sweater. I also cast on a blue beanie. The blue beanie is my reset knit, when I feel overwhelmed by life and don’t want to knit anything. I frogged my Who Ya Gonna Shawl. I wasn’t enjoying it. I think colorful, complicated shawls are stunning, but not my kind of knit. I was once described by a friend as an “Over the Pond” knitter. I guess that means I like classics and basics. Technically, I know it means UK, but I’m trying to put it into a style context. However, I like trying new things, so I don’t regret giving it a shot.
Sewing
I’m so sad my casual cotton pants are too big. I love the fabric, and did a beautiful job sewing them. I need to rethink my sizing before cutting anymore cloth. I did just take my measurements, but the weight is coming off faster than I expected. It’s probably not a good time to be making things for myself.
Gardening
I’ve been gardening mostly. It’s that time of year, and takes more brawn than brain.
Tudors Art and Majesty
I had a lovely day trip to The Cleveland Museum of Art with Bob to see The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England. Other than the Hans Holbein sketch of Anne Boleyn, this small, mixed-media fiber work of Elizabeth I was my favorite piece in the exhibit. There were lots of textiles, though. Tapestries, especially. They were so grand, it was hard for me to take them in.
As you may have noticed, I’m experimenting with the title of my site. I feel I’ve outgrown Headknits. I tried Okie in Ohio, which I’m using on Instagram. But I also like Snakes & Cranes, because these are animals I’m fascinated by, and I like them as symbols. Other than that, it’s fairly meaningless, but rolls off the tongue and is memorable. (Although there is a martial arts film I clearly need to see.) (Also, it is meaningful — balance — but only in hindsight.)
Any votes for your favorite site title?
And I’ve switched to the Jetpack app, but only because they made me.
Today is our “date-iversary,” a celebration of our first date when Bob and I went out for mango sorbet. It was awkward and now we’re married. Bob agrees this statement is accurate.
I’ve made progress this week on Powdermill. I’m enjoying this knit. Nothing like straightforward, repetitive colorwork to keep you going. (I’m giving Arrowhead side-eye.) Also, this yarn is scrumptious. I’m glad I have a stash full of it!
I’m also up to 12 inches on the body of the purple Lodge Sweater. It’s my mindless knitting. However, spring is coming, and I’m starting to shift my focus to sewing.
This week I finished sewing my Ottobre casual cotton pants. I can’t wait to wear them. It’s still too cold for this cotton twill, which is a medium weight. I’m planning to sew another pair in navy stretch twill, and then Simplicity s9376 in black brushed cotton twill.
The new Ottobre has a lovely summer top pattern, and it only takes 1.5 yards for my size. I have some cotton prints in mind for this from stash. The polka dot was a gift from BonnyKnits, and the batiks are fair trade from Global Mamas in Ghana.
I continue to alter my sewing plan (see what I did there?) as I assess my wardrobe needs.
Spinning
I finished spinning my Pumpkins for Sale BFL fiber. This was my first time chain plying, and I enjoyed it. My spinning is getting more even, but I still have a long way to go.
It looks good with the yarn I spun from the same fiber, and dyed orange. (I was exhausting a dye bath.) These plus one more color will knit up a nice Shift cowl in the fall. I have more BFL fiber in stash to spin. What color should I dye it to go with these? Maybe russet, or olive green? I’d like the cowl to be made completely from hand spun. Let me know your opinions on the color in the comments.
DIY Hair Care
I thought I was on the right track with my homemade hair care products. But after a few weeks, my hair started feeling like straw. I’m back to purchasing products. Maybe if I get a good crop of soapwort this year, I can try again with that.
Gardening
It’s still too cold to start seeds or plant peas. I hope it warms up soon!
I finished sewing my cotton pants, and I have to say, I like them. These turned out more like old school chinos instead of jeans, which I’m really happy about. I skipped the belt loops, as I never wear a belt or tuck in my shirt (except here so you can see the trouser top).
I cut a size 48, and I should have gone with a 46. I had to take in an extra centimeter on every seam, but made it work. They are still a little loose, but it’s a good thing since this fabric is 100% cotton and has no elasticity. Next time, though, I’ll cut the same pattern without a seam allowance, and sew a 1/2” seam allowance.
The rise came out well, as did the fly. My only complaint is the instructions said to cut a bias binding for the inside waistband edge. This was unnecessary and, in fact, made it too long. I ended up having to hand stitch it down. Next time I’ll omit this step and top stitch the serged edge of the waistband through the seam on the outside.
Pattern is Casual Cotton Pants from Ottobre Autumn/Winter 5/2021. Fabric is gray cotton twill from stash. I’ll make my next pair in some navy stretch cotton twill, also from stash.
It’s nice to have woven pants that fit. I was getting tired of wearing joggers, or dresses, or overalls. Okay, who am I kidding. I never get tired of overalls.
This is my first time participating in ScrapHappy. I’m really excited about this group, because I think it will help me use up materials I have rather than buying new materials I don’t really need. I decided to ease in with something simple.
My oldest turned 26 last week. Our plan was to go to Perkins Observatory on Friday, but the birthday kid came down with Covid, so we’ll try again another time. Here is our gift, wrapped and ready for next time. (It was an overcast day anyway. Maybe next time we’ll have clear skies and get a look through the big telescope!)
When trying to come up with gift wrap for this, I thought about reusing a paper bag and decorating it, or wrapping the books in fabric. However, knowing my oldest would not have any need for a scrap of fabric, I decided to try something new. A gift book sleeve!
This sleeve has clean lines and makes a great pouch not only for gifting books, but also packing a lunch, or holding a journal, pen, and pencil. The fabric is leftover from my Winter Solstice Project Bag made in 2020. I was thinking about purchasing a piece of space fabric, but I thought, “Let’s just look in the ol’ stash first.” When I found this star fabric, I thought it was perfect! It’s two rectangles of fabric the size of the largest book, plus a couple of inches on each edge for seams, gussets, and top hem. If you want to add a drawstring and casing, you’ll need a couple more inches on the top side.
ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. More information can be found here. Contact Kate or Gun to join. Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at):
I’ve got a good start on my Casual Cotton Pants. Right now I’m waiting on a matching zipper to arrive to sew the fly. I had a gray zipper that was too light, and a black zipper that was too dark. I could have tried to make do, but zippers are under $2 and I know I will use those other zippers some day. Normally I serge the seams, but in the interest of being able to alter these should I lose any more weight, I decided to serge the edges of the waistband pieces and stitch them together. They will be easier to unpick that way.
Knitting
Clue 3 dropped on Who Ya Gonna Shawl? but I’m still knitting Clue 1. I love these colors together. I’m not sure I’m knitting the stitches correctly, and they don’t look like the spoiler pic. It may be because I chose a dark contrast color instead of a light one. Ultimately, I don’t think it really matters. Ghosts or Galaga? Who cares, right? I’ll keep working on this as the mood strikes. I honestly don’t know how people keep up with mystery knitalongs like this. There are some fast knitters out there!
I’m a little down on knitting right now. After finishing Arrowhead (which I ironically call “my opus” to myself) I guess I need a little break. I’ve been thinking about picking up a long languishing project, or even casting on something new from stash. Or, I might spin for a while.
Have a great week, YOPpers! Sorry not sorry about the title. Bob and I watched Weird: the Al Yankovic Story last week and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Snakes & Cranes 