Think pink

When you bring your almost-5-year-old daughter along to pick out thread you are in serious danger of falling prey to pink. So here is my palette for the "Snowflake Fantasy." Light to dark pink shaded, dark pink, and light to dark avocado. I also ordered sight-unseen some opal pink beads. Pink is pink, right? We'll see. Actually, there were only a couple of directions I could go with the current selection of threads; I'd rather buy from the shop than order myself and I truly like all colors. So, pink it is.

Jasmine flower finished in one day

Amazing! Mini-Brazilian is my new best friend. Witness my mistake, though. I got carried away with stem stitch and did all the vines as stems. I like how it turned out; the stem stitch keeps everything nice and curvy, little couched vines tend to get zig-zaggy. Usually I like the zig-zaggy look, but here I like how the whole thing just swirls out.

I am moving on to a giant project next, but the mini has given me great inspiration. Here is the project the Brazilian club is doing next. They're just finishing up a bunch of minis themselves (Sunshine's Treasures). This is Snowflake Fantasy JDR #154. It doesn't quite fit on the scanner. Since snowflakes don't have eight points in the first place I am not going to get hung up on a snowflake palette. Heck, the pictures I found online of real Jasmine flowers didn't show pistils, but they sure look cute in the pattern! I was trying to figure out what color they should be. Clearly they were meant to be whatever color I had on hand in Glory thread: pale apricot. I don't know what colors I'm going to go with for the "snowflake" at all. I'll probably go down to the shop and pick off the rack. Maybe today even! School, and therefore dance classes, are cancelled due to the massive power outages. (We were among the lucky first 70,000 urban homes to get power back; another 100,000 more rural or with more damaged lines may have to wait up to a week!) I'm thinking a trip to Village Needlework and a couple of haircuts today.

Jasmine flower

Here is a Brazilian I've been working on today. It's from The Art of Dimensional Embroidery by Maria Freitas. I've been planning to make a Jasmine spray for my friend whose daughter's name means "jasmine." These are turning out really cute. Like I said, sometimes I intimidate myself out of picking up the Brazilian and make something knit and square instead, but when I finally get up the nerve I am always happy.

Speaking of knit and square, the Turkish washcloth turned out nicely as well.

We did end up losing power for about 8 hours last night from the ice storm. I told my duaghter it was an adventure; she told me she didn't want to call it that. No school tomorrow, so no dance classes. A three-day weekend!

Pictures haven't been uploading for days

I can finally post the February mid-month KAL. It was fun to do a pattern stitch--it's been awhile.
I am working on a spa washcloth (turkishwashcloth) for my husband, he nearly confiscated the KAL one for shower use. My first thought was to make all the bathroom ones blue, so we know they belong in the bathroom, but now I'm thinking I want a spa washcloth for me, too. What color do I make that one? I'm making all the kitchen ones ecru or varigated including ecru.

Here is my progress on the Brazilian. Stuck now until I can get to the shop for some more Iris 222. We are getting slammed with an ice storm as I write, so no getting out tomorrow. It's a snow day for me! Lose income, but get to stay home all weekend, which is a rarity.

Here also is my first Brazilian, which I have picked at for many years. Let's see, started it maybe 2 years before getting pregnant, worked on it again on another fishing trip when baby was 3 months, baby turning 5 next month. Dug it out tonight and figured out that I'm stuck right now, having run out of Kreinik metallic thread for the little branches. I think the shop can order it. Also have to remember what color I need to pick up to do that last rose at the top over again, I remember picking it out. I'm sure it's in my notes, I just haven't really looked. There is some questionable stitch technique here, but also some pleasant surprises looking back at it.

Okay, here is the cross-stitch. This has been fun. I have a few questions about how to finish it to ask next month, then I am on to another, I think.

It will be a fairy, but I'm not sure which direction to go. I have turned some fairy art into cross-stitch patterns (copyright guilt), and also turned some of my daughter's drawings of fairies into patterns. I may make a quilt eventually including either or both of these ideas. A quilt seems very daunting, so that's way off.

Brazilian seems daunting to me sometimes, too, when I haven't picked it up in awhile it's hard to believe I will still be able to do it!

Barbie's Beach Bag

Bikini (she also has a mix-and-match tankini top for these bottoms) , halter tank and mesh cover-up.

A funky little cloth

This is the January mid-month dishcloth, finished last night, the night before the new KAL. It's a funky little cloth--see what I mean about the topography?

January KAL

I've caught up on the 1st January dishcloth. I like it a lot. I think I prefer the "picture" to be all in stockinette stitch (like this) rather than in garter (like the February hearts). I suspected I would.

Started the January mid-month last night and I have to say I'm glad I have the pictures of the completed ones to peek at. I thought the topography of mine was a little extreme (like maybe I forgot how to cable properly, which is a distinct possibility) but it turns out it's okay.

Happy Valentine's Day to me!

Look what my husband got me for Valentine's Day! A Brazilian thread organizer!! I was drooling over the ones the Brazilian club had and he remembered. Combines my loves for embroidery, organization, clear things and him. :)

Oh, yeah. When I listed all my groups I forgot that I am following along with the Brazilian club even though I can't attend their meetings. I'll show the project we're starting next time and maybe I can get some ideas for colors!

Reaching into the closet with my eyes closed

Here is an adaptation of a tutu. My daughter wanted a fairy suit so one of her Barbies could play Barbie's friend Dandelion from Fairytopia. This one has undies to go with it somewhere.

Stayed up waaay too late last night

I let my preschool daughter pick out which Epstein pattern (within limits) I should make her friend's Barbie for her birthday. She picked this poncho, which I heartily approved, and she picked out the colors for the stripes. I started in plenty of time a couple of days ago and proceeded to knit half of it with the wrong gauge. Dumb. (But now my daughter's Hearts Only dolls will have a poncho soon.) So I started over and was hurrying, so of course I did dumbs at every opportunity. Seaming went quickly, but I silently cursed the stripes for producing all those little ends to tuck in. Luckily, I had convinced my daughter on the first try that it would look good without a fringed bottom. That would have been maddening at 2:00am. I actually like it better without the fringe. I did this one before in self-striping yarn and with fringe and the fringe rolls terribly.

Been having fun at http://www.darklilac.com/ making my own cross stitch patterns. Getting a little ahead of myself there... let's finish the first one.

Pictures

The swiffer cover.
The cross stitch sampler. Hee, hee, I'm up to "i" now.
The patchwork bag.
The rose dress and stole.

I've been a busy bee

Oh, dear. Most of the pictures are not inserting properly. I'll try again later.

Here is my first knit-a-long dishcloth, the February pattern. Red or pink yarn was recommended and I was happily going to play along, but Walmart had no red or pink solid dishcloth cotton. Can you believe it? So, I bought a big ol' cone of ecru and I will be sedately knitting all the picture cloths in ecru for a lovely, understated 12 cloth set. I bought a roll of ecru/someotherstuff varigated for the February mid-month. Or I might use it to catch up on the January mid-month if I get my cable hook back in the next couple of days.

Here is a detail of the "Swiffer" cover. It's almost done.

And here is the beginning of my cross stitch sampler. Met with the sampler group on Monday. They are all working on cross stitch fractals. The scope of these is amazing. They plan to complete one page of pattern each month (maybe 3000 little squares)and at that pace it will take three years to complete the whole thing! I've already done 5/26 of the letters of the alphabet in three days.

It turns out the appeal of cross stitch for me is going to be the extreme fine-ness of the work. This is on some kind of linen (32 count over 2 threads for the cross stitch initiated). I am gleeful to discover that your really do account for every single little thread in your material! Duh, but too cool. I am imagining whole dresses and whatnot in the days of yore embellished with this level of precision. Amazing. It strongly appeals to the perfectionist and the miniaturist in me.

Haven't done any work on the Brazilian this week. Time to get back to those leaves. Haven't seen the crazy quilt block in a while--three stitches behind on TAST. I had an inspired idea to embellish the crazy-quilt type Gypsy costume I made last Halloween with each stitch from TAST. Then I got it out and discovered that it isn't really a piece put together with enough care to invest that much in it. Ah, well. Maybe a smaller Gypsy piece sometime, a headscarf or something.

From Barbie's closet: a patch-work bag. This was an insane idea. I used up the last of some varigated sock yarn and cut it into little separate color pieces to knit this bag from Epstein. And a rose dress and stole, Simplicity pattern 5755.

Swiffer cover. Sigh.

Today I am knitting a "Swiffer" cover. Is that the most lame thing ever? Super useful, though. Sigh. The pattern is actually looking very clever for dust attraction. The cobweb catcher would be good too, but my crocheting is weak--I only make square-ish things. I may even sew some doorstopper "snake" thingies this week. Double sigh. Well, it's freezing here!

I have also started the mid-January cable dishcloth. Yes, I know tomorrow is February. It's okay, I have 2 sets of size 7 needles, so I'll finish it fast while February's first pattern is eeked out and then go back for the January snowflake.

I am pleased to present progress on my Brazilian WISP (work in slow progress.) It was in non-progress forever, now it's in pretty-fast progress, so it's an averaged WISP. This pattern I notice is called "Dorothy's Denim," but as I'm not doing it on denim... whatever. The autumn one's official name is "Mary K.'s Chrysanthemum." The leaves on the tallest stalks of this one here are giving me trouble. They were supposed to be buttonhole on each side of that narrow little leaf, but that was looking bumpy, not silky, so I tried buttonhole across the whole leaf. Well, that needed a stem stich border up the open side and, presto, they look like leaves chopped in half. Okay. I am hoping with a little tweaking I can make them look like mostly-folded leaves.

Today Barbie is raiding Ken's closet. Here is his favorite sweater (knit with self-striping sock yarn.) He has a hat to go with this somewhere. He looks pretty hip in the hat, but I guess he's being macho without it in this sub-zero weather.

Was accepted into the Yahoo! Brazilian Embroidery Group today. Had forgotten about that. Okay, no more groups. Dishcloths, Brazilian and TAST (unofficially) online and the cross-stitch thing in real life. I have to remember my job, my husband, my daughter, my house... where I am supposedly hosting a Super Bowl party Sunday... Is there a group for cleaning the house? Yep, and I belong to it. Flylady.

Dishcloth Knit-A-Long

Last night I joined a dishcloth knit-a-long group. When I found it, I laughed out loud. I knitted like 14 dishcloths for Christmas gifts this year! My favorite pattern was this "woven" one. So, watch out friends, the season of the dishcloth has been extended! The group knits 2 a month: one seasonal theme one and one pattern each month.

From Barbie's closet: The Swan Lake tutu, a variation of the Firebird tutu Summer 2006 edition DanceCamp tutu.

Cross Stitch Sampler

I have joined a "Stitch-Along Sampler" group at Village Needlework. I can't come to the Brazilian group on Monday nights, so I found a group on Monday afternoons. They do cross stitch, so I guess I am going to do a cross stitch sampler. It's a really charming alphabet pattern from Heart in Hand. Cross stitch has never particularly appealed to me, becuase it's all little "x"s over and over, right? We'll see. Maybe it's zen. An alphabet sampler does appeal to me because my mother has one framed that was my great-grandmother's. This one I think has already claimed a future spot in my kitchen, unlike most of my projects which remain dismally homeless.

From Barbie's closet: I sent my daughter (the Barbie owner) to go grab something that I had knitted for Barbie and this is what she brought--right off the closest Barbie. I think it was a pattern from barbiebasics where I first explored knits for Barbie. I don't see any free patterns there anymore, but they are for sale. Most are both stylish and simple patterns; a good starting place before moving on to Epstein and/or designing your own patterns. I remember this dress seeming to take forever! I could whip it up so quickly now.

If the dress is not exciting enough for you, Barbie has big news! I am designing her an "Extreme Makeover Home Edition." This is the basic idea. Did I say basic? Well, maybe not, but this will be lots of fun. I have the pattern pieces all mapped out to cut out of plywood (my dad will do that for me) and then I slap it together with some glue and brads. Then I get to decorate it! Curtains, rugs, wall hangings, wallpaper, carpets... !

Barbie's Sterilite Box

Here are several pieces from Barbie's closet.

First, I found the crocheted tote (Epstein) to go with the dress from yesterday. Barbie's clothes are not actually in a closet (gasp) but in a large Sterilite box in my daughter's room, which is chock full of everything Barbie. I have had this tote in prgress for myself in a really thick grey for a year or so. I just don't need more bags, so it has fallen by the wayside, cute as it is.

Here are a few others I dug out today:

A pink and white ski sweater & hat (Epstein); pants to match not shown.

One of my first from Epstein a couple of years ago--the Valentine sweater--which Barbie should be digging out herself soon. This one is starting to show that it has been loved.

My first tutu; still one of my favorites. The carry-along yarn added just the perfect stiffness. It was also knit flat, seamed and fitted with with snaps for really great lines.

And a recent tutu for a friend's daughter. I knit them in the round now, once I figured out they fit over the head fine. It works better for little hands and there are no choking hazards.

Crocheting for Barbie?

There were a few things in Epstein's Crocheting for Barbie book that looked intriguing that couldn't be done by knitting. So last year I taught myself to (gack!) crochet. Here is one example of Barbie's retro crochet couture. I am not a very good crochet-er. I throw the yarn/thread around the hook instead of picking it up (which I could stand to learn in knitting as well) and I pull the yarn up the hook so the stitches do not reflect the size of the tip of the hook, totally messing with gauge. Anyway, a couple of good results.

Back to Work

Back to the dance studio has been all right. I thought I might feel overwhelmed to jump from 0 to 25 hours in "one swell foop" as my MFA advisor used to say. But, it just feels like old times. This week back we had the extra break of measuring all the dancers and the extra fun of introducing the dances they will learn for the end of term concert. I am pleased with the fledgling choreography I have introduced--the dances are developing their own themes and they are not echoing old ideas as far as I can recognize.

Here is the finished autumn Brazilian. Never sure what to do with the things I've finished. Framing is hideous expensive. I finally got an vintage dance poster replica matted and transplanted in an old frame for the bathroom this week and that was expensive enough!

Next I will likely finish this piece from a Brazilian class a while ago. It was designed to go across the upper back of a denim shirt, but I don't wear denim shirts. I am a very monochromatic and unembellished dresser. Wearing too much color or pattern freaks me out. Not useful for an embroiderer, knitter, etc. So I don't know what I am going to do with this piece either.

From Barbie's closet today is a summer-squash-multicolor seed stitch sweater and coordinating skirt perfect for warding off the early fall chill.

Barbie's Closet

JDR Brazilian website is back up, so now I can forward you to the designs by dorothy-platt. The nine-patch flowers sampler and the autumn chrysanthemums are her patterns. I don't see the autumn one and its companions on this list, so I'll have to go thru other channels to get the rest. Here it is as far as I can go today. I ran out of Iris thread for the last wheat stalk--aren't they adorable?

Also figured out how to create a link to inaminuteago in case I ever have anything to add to TAST. Hey, remember my back-and-forth buttonhole? Turns out it is actually Cretan stitch. Why aren't they related in the stitch dictionary? And feather stitch is related?! Wow, I'm new to all this, but my block is going like crazy with all kinds of buttonhole and herringbone (and the one running bullion I couldn't resist) so TAST is working for me. I can't decide about the bigger lazy daisy flower. I put it there to balance the big buttonhole fans which turned into 3 bowties. You can see one at the bottom. It does balance it, but it's kind of a sloppy flower. I kind of wanted it to look not-too-perfect, like a doodle, but I don't want it to look just sloppy.

Here's today's peek in Barbie's Closet. Hey--that would have been a better name for this blog: Barbie's Closet. This is a poncho from Nicky Epstein's book. I would have loved to own this myself in about 2nd grade!

Back to work tomorrow. I hope I can keep up my creativity at work with all this creativity flowing at home. I'm going to choose to believe that each will feed the other!

Knitting for Barbie

So, in between my revived mania for Brazilian and my new exploration in crazy quilting, Barbie has had to suffer with a closet that is sooo last season. But here is timeless piece from her wardrobe--a classic cable sweater in surprisingly versatile mustard.

Here now is a good start on my latest Brazilian project. I actually just finished this same one for a friend at Christmas and loved it, so I'm making one for me, too. It is an autumn bouquet design by Dorothy Platt, a local Brazilian guru. There are patterns for the other seasons as well. I have a thing about 4-seasons stuff. I already did her Brazilian trees in 4 seasons, which hangs in the livingroom. And the sampler posted below is her pattern, too. It's kind of hard to scan the dimensional embroidery because I don't want to smash it down and distort the look. These are chrysanthemums made with cast-on stiches. Wait till you see the cutest-ever wheat stalks that come next!

Now my crazy block--not showing up super well either. I have decided to limit myself to the stash of rayon thread I have and a package of multicolored seed beads. This will keep my head from swirling with too many possibilities. I have done a herringbone seam with contrast couching and beads, a buttonhole seam with beads, some buttonhole fans... with beads, and a back and forth (up and down?) buttonhole with contrast woven thru... and beads, and some running bullions... with beads. Can you tell I'm having fun with the beads? I guess this is going to be a pillow top or just a sampler. For any bigger project I would want to have some sort of color schema.

Back to a bit of my job today and the rest will slam me next week, so I hope I've made some inroads here toward keeping some sanity projects like these going.