Santa was good to me this year! The new craft room just acquired some great pieces.

A drawing table! I miss having one of these. I've wanted to do more drawing like I use to in addition to working up design sketches.

But that's not all! [In best game show voice] How cool is this craft/sewing armoire??

The table folds out and is adjustable in length, and then everything closes all up nice and tidy.
It's inspired me to get out an oooold project for a revamp.

Thrift store work shirt that I trimmed in leopard print. (I have a fondness for affixing fur to things) The shirt is huge however, so I set out to find a reconstruction tutorial to make a more fitted top. Then Whipup did it for me (great site btw), and recently linked to this one on Craftster. Should prove interesting to see if I will be able to manage the sleeves with my minimal sewing experience. Anyone have some good sewing references, favorite links, etc?

Posted by Jen at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)

The deadline knitting is done and I'm spent. Real post coming tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this little gem of a recent fortune cookie.

Posted by Jen at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I feel as if I'm running pel mel towards the end of 2006.

There are so many things I'm looking forward to getting started on (and finished up) with the start of '07 however. I'm so close on the Lace Leaf Pullover I can taste it. It'll probably be what I jump to first. Itching to work on some more lace with the Peacock Feathers shawl and I'm really looking forward to getting some time with my spindle. I've been eyeing a Tahkli spindle for spinning up cotton too, but you know- that whole walk-run thing.

I've have lists and scribbles of all sorts of design ideas/sketches and other patterns that make my fingers twitch with anticipation. It's one of the things with designing and publishing that often, it throws a wrench in your project plans. If something is suddenly due, everything else goes to the bottom of the queue. All the things I have mentioned on my blog are in various stages of development. Upcoming items such as a handbag in the sari yarn, a felted clutch, lots more double knit concoctions, a pictorial lace scarf in the luscious Kaalund, more socks, another corset inspired top with bell sleeves, more celtic cables, and Rouge (finally).

Have a Happy Holidays everyone, I'm off to go dig up my copy of Rudolph.

Posted by Jen at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I couldn't help it, really. I needed a little breather, something different from the Deadline Knitting. I suppose "little" is the operative word here.

Cute, no? Now one for scale.

A seamless 12 stitch sock in crochet thread on 0000 needles, no wait- really I'm not completely crazy. I think if anyone admitted to enjoying working a dozen stitches on four double points everyone would back away from them slowly. What captivated my attention on this little guy is its great use of my favorite technique, Double Knit. It's knit entirely "flat", or more accurately, back and forth but produces a seamless tube. This type of technique allows for what would otherwise be an unwieldy amount of stitches in the round to be worked relatively easily. I wanted to experiment with just how small I could take it and thus this little stocking was born. (See Aubyn, new knitting content!)

Inspired by Beverly Royce's Baby Socks from "Notes on Double Knitting" these toe-up socks use short-rows for the toe and heel shaping. A thicker thread or yarn could easily be substituted for a slightly larger stocking as well. I used just what I had in the stash. The red is actually left over Classic Elite Provence from Scarlet Woman split into 1 ply.

I've written up the pattern here, so hop on over and join the crazy, er, fun!

Posted by Jen at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Into other crafting areas that is.

Look! I do know how to use a sewing machine! Ok, so by "use" I mean I remembered how to set everything up and make it actually go- but hey, that's an accomplishment to me. The table runner itself was purchased after much searching for a decent one, but it ended up being too short. It seems they do make 90" runners but they appear to be hard to come by, and I liked this one damn it. So I figured I could handle sewing on little extensions. A quick trip to the fabric store produced remarkably close matching fabric and trim; I took that as a good sign.
It's not 100% perfect (that sewing a straight line thing is tricky and all) but you would never know if you're not scrutinizing it, therefore I call it a successful project.
The new Craft Room in the works has plans for a little sewing table, as I really do want to sew more. I think it'll be much easier if the machine isn't buried in the bottom of my closet as its only storage place. Next up a needle roll case and these great headbands.

Knitting? Oh yeah, that. The magazine project got delayed and the new deadline is now the end of this month and thus nothing to show really. I hope to be more interesting soon.

Posted by Jen at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)