Pardon me: I've just made the cutest thing ever

Yes, that's right. I've made the cutest thing ever - the apron from In Stitches. The fabric is from Purl, of course.

As mentioned previously, it took quite some time for me to get up the guts to cut and begin. My anxiety was reinforced once I actually started sewing, when the very first pieces I put together had been measured, um, "creatively", and I had to re-cut one (fortunately, a small one). There were also a few surprises along the way, such as too much fabric left here and there. A little trimming fixed those. I think it's the Elizabeth Zimmerman approach to sewing.

I am SO pleased with the result. I learned so many things - hemming, pleating and following sewing pattern directions to name a few. If I did it again I'd use interfacing in the waistband to make it stiffer and prevent the darker skirt part from showing through. I also didn't realize that most of the stitching would be top-stitching over the blue trim, so I chose a green thread, which looks fine, but I might have gone with something to match the blue. The topstitching on the waistband is a little wonky but I am almost out of thread on my bobbin and it hardly seemed worth threading a whole new bobbin to redo it when the recipient certainly won't mind.

One question to anyone who's made this or knows something about sewing - according to the directions I folded the bottom trim in from the short edges by 1" and then down from the top 1/2". When it was sewn altogether it left this little hole along the edge. Seems to me the 1" fold-in should have been bent around the back of the apron and enclosed the edge, and no hole. Does this make sense? Is anyone out there who has a thought? Hullo? Hullo?

Also, a big shout-out to my dad who solved my sewing-machine-is-busted crisis with his suggestion that perhaps the bobbin was wound back on itself and not feeding correctly. Apparently bobbin technology is similar to fly reel technology (who knew?).

Now I have the confidence to begin on the matching potholders!

Hats in action

Baby B got his new hat today. As soon as his mom opened the door I knew it would be too big... and it is. I knit the ear flaps upwards of the brim so he could turn that up and get a little more wear out of it. I think he likes it.

And Mama V graciously donned the Fishtrap hat for a little photo shoot in the West Village. Now if only it would get cold enough so I could wear the hat.

In other news, I've been taking advantage of my days off to hit some of the new and not-so-new yarn stores around the City. Last night it was Knitty City on the Upper West Side. I had heard good things about this place and they were true! Cute store, nice sales people and a broad selection of stuff. I browsed for a good long time and no one bugged me. I just had to take this home - Colinette Jitterbug in Velvet Leaf. The picture does not communicate the depth of color, despite my and my camera's best efforts - the name is about right. It's like the richest pine tree you ever saw. A velvet pine tree. What I will do with it is unknown. As I've mentioned, I'm not the biggest sock fan. It will have to be something though...

I am also up for a little stash-busting this week. First on the list is this little beastie that I got from School Products at Stitches East this year:

Delicious udon-noodle-fat cashmere. It will be a hat. (Note: I have not worn one hat yet this season but will now have knit two.)

And this is one of the gems of the collection. Hand-dyed cashmere sock yarn from Loop in London. First off, this place is good fun - go if you have the chance. It's adorable and well-stocked. This yarn is by Hip Knits. Since I have no great love for socks I knew this was destined for something else. I've decided on the Lace Cowl from The Purl Bee. I think it will go smashing with my new cream hat repertoire. PS: The yardage on this is insane! 500 meters! Hurray!

Tomorrow: Hopefully a finished apron.

Sparkly bright

I'm a sucker for Christmas decorations. I walk by this tree at the Bloomberg building at 58th and Lex each day on my way to work. I think it's among the more tastefully decorated in the City. No bells, no whistles, no animated singing sculpture things (yes, I'm looking at you Bl00mingdale's...).

I will be off the blog for a few days. However, I'm on VACATION (!!!!) next week and planning to get all sorts of crafting done. Goals for the end of the year include finishing my Fishtrap Aran hat and the apron. Also, Baby B has grown his noggin right out of his hat and his Mama V has requested a replacement - with earflaps. I must consult the stash to see if there's anything suitable, otherwise, more yarn for me!

Happy holidays!

Apronly

I picked up these fabrics at Purl Patchwork last weekend to make a gift for my best friend's birthday. As I 've mentioned, I have a serious fear of actually taking scissor to fabric, so it took me a week to get up the courage to cut and about two hours of meticulous measuring before one fiber was severed. Plus, I had to measure, mark and cut without my trusty rotary cutter and mat because of the size of the pieces (although I'm sure a more adept sewer could have handled this). I resorted to cutting with scissors (gasp!), as instructed in the pattern. Drawing straight lines on hardwood floors is not easy friends!*

This is what became of the living room in the midst of the, um... fun (?). Apologies for the dark picture, this adventure lasted well beyond daylight hours.

In the end I finally got everything cut out. However, not one stitch was sewn! So much for having this finished upon the friend's arrival next weekend. Not to mention I didn't even begin cutting the pieces for the matching potholders. I guess this will have to be a belated birthday package.

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* Adding to the frenzy was a two hour tiff with my email server at work which was preventing me from emailing out a document I'd been waiting to send all weekend - in between each mark and measurement I would trot back to the computer, call IT support, scream at my screen, etc.