Crafty?

I am very happy with knitting ... I find the process of knitting relaxing (great for when I am watching a good sports game) and fun (watching a pattern emerge, multicolored yarn stripe/pool out...). Knitting , or maybe reading other blogs, has peaked my interest into other crafts. I love my handmade sweaters, hats, mittens ... what if I could sew? And fabric seems to be be just as enticing as yarn.

So, with the new apartment, and a limited budget, I made a small foray into the sewing world:

See the headboard? And the pillow?

I bought some pretty fabric and stapled it to 2 canvases, then hung them behind my bed. Obviously, very influenced by Apartment Therapy. Specifically this, alright not influenced, copied!

What to do with that leftover denim when you get your jeans shortened?

I then made a simple pillow using some more pretty fabric and the bottoms of some jeans that I had shortened a long time ago (and have been holding onto, including going through 2 moves because the jeans were expensive, and I couldn't throw away the scraps!). This was also influenced by the internets, I read Sew, Mama, Sew! sometimes, just wondering what if I had a sewing machine...

Afternoons = nap time, Chief was tres annoyed, but not giving up his turf!

Imperfect, yes. But I am happy. I'd love to learn how to sew. Maybe make some lounge wear pants, a new laundry bag, skirts....Right now, there is no time, but hopefully someday....

Late to the party, but just in time...

My first cowl:

Gloria Cowl
Misti International hand-painted sock yarn, held double
US 8 needles

It was a little big, I cast on 99 stitches - so, I did a gentle shrinking in the dryer, and its so nice when mistakes work out! The yarn was beautiful to start out with, but the drying process really enhanced the softness and fuzziness of the yarn from its alpaca content (but just a little, we don't want too much fuzz around our necks - itchy!) . Perfect for fall! I've been enjoying the weather, letting my apartment get a little cold and snuggling up with the cowl and a quilt. Now, if only the grocery weren't out of apple cider (how!) ... I guess other people love fall as much as I do.

So, keeping with the fall/october theme ... I have been a little spooked lately. This is a knitting blog, but I am going to go beyond that now, so don't read on if you just want knitting!


8 years ago, I thought, how much damage can one person do, especially if there is relative incompetence, they just won't know how to do things, so, nothing will get done. Well, we saw and will continue to feel where that went. Now, what about the thought of having someone even more so as the vp, with an above average risk of becoming the president, exhaulting and aiming to emulate a person who has done unmeasurable damage to this country's ideology (and democracy itself), whose job she hopes to have - very, very, scary. The top of the ticket doesn't fall too far from the tree either. If you aren't registered to vote, please do, the deadline is just a few days away, don't be late to the party! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have some optimism?