"Spring to Finish" Finished

On April 23 I read about the Spring to Finish challenge and boldly laid out eight projects I wanted to finish by May 31. Some were almost there. Some weren't even started. Some were in between. None of them were more than a couple months old, which is still current in my book. (I heard someone recently describe something as a UFO [unfinished object--as in languishing and not likely to ever be finished] if she hadn't worked on it in two weeks. That's crazy. My limit is closer to two years.)

Now I give you the Spring to Finish Finished! list, in order of completion:

3a. Purse: April 25. Something a little different for me. I'm usually hyper-critical of my own projects like this. (What do I mean by "like this"? Well, something with embellishments, something that has to look pretty. Something that may easily look homemade, rather than handmade.) But I really enjoy this one.

Reward fail: I was supposed to treat myself to something at the shop of the woman who produced the yarn. I have not been able to contact her, so the visit is out.

1a. Odds & Sods socks: April 29. What more can a sock be? Comfy. Cozy. Warm. Still love this sock architecture.

Reward: warm feet.

1b. Cabled Fingerless Mittens: May 4. I was able to work on the second mitten during the Stop AIDS Walk and that was fun. I also enjoyed pulling a name and giving them away.

Reward: Randomly selecting the winning name and her delight at winning.

1d. Purple Mohair T: May 6. A dream since last summer. There were many worries and insecurities on the way about fit and how the mohair would feel, but it all turned out good--love it.

Reward: wearing the "matching" skirt. Not quite as rewarding as I was expecting since the skirt doesn't really match. But it was fun pulling the outfit together.

2. County Fair Quilt Block: May 8. Two practice tries and I still had size issues! But overall I am happy with how it turned out. I'm glad I had enough fabric, and I still love paper piecing!

Reward: We will see in August...will I get a ribbon for my efforts?

1c. Whistler: May 19. What more is there to say? It's beautiful. It fits. It's everything I could have wanted it to be.

Reward: An extra night at the Purl. I haven't done this yet. I've frequently been at the Purl recently but no "extra" nights I would count as a reward. Writing myself a raincheck.

3b. Tablecloths: fail. I had promised four. Two were finished (with sewing help) before this challenge even started. One more was almost completed this weekend. I could have gotten it done if I had pushed a little harder. But at some point I decided I needed to try it on the table it's supposed to fit before I go any further. (Theory is all well and good, but I'd rather try it on and see for myself in the real world.) And there's no sense in ripping out more than I have to! The second one has all the pieces cut out (no small feat in itself) and will be sewn once I have confirmed the first one works.

Reward: no Snickers bar for me, almond or otherwise.

4. Siding: fail. This one was really close. We really did work on it regularly. Last time we stopped we really thought there was only one day left. (I mean after working on it that long, we thought we knew our capabilities.) So one day of work plus a long weekend with two work days should equal a finished project, right? It didn't work out that way.

We worked a very long shift yesterday thinking we were going to get it knocked out. But by 9 pm, I said I was done and we thought we'd finish it today instead. Heavy rains and thunderstorms prevented any work today. (Getting wet is one thing, but lightning is quite another!)  But I'm sure we'll get it done in...wait for it...one more day.

Reward: no burger from the joint down the road, but I'm sure they'll make me one when I have earned it.

So final score is six out of eight projects. Not too shabby. Although I feel the work would have all gotten done at some point, I don't think they would have all gotten done this month without this challenge. And the ones that I didn't finish certainly had more progress completed just because of this list. Thanks for reading along and keeping me accountable.

Purple! Mohair! Lace! Ruffles!

I can't imagine any one who would try to classify my "style" would ever put this T shirt in it.

But I love it irrationally. Ever since I first saw the pattern. Ever since I found the perfect purple mohair. Ever since I first put it on. It's luscious, I can't deny it.

The lace pattern was slightly modified from the pattern. (A mistake I decided to embrace instead of correct!) I think the outlined diamond shapes look a little like stain glass windows.

It was pretty easy to memorize, although I definitely had to use a row counter as it was 12 rows long and "reading" the mohair proved very difficult.

I finished the shirt last Thursday after blocking it twice. The first time was after everything but the bottom hem was done. It looked like it might be a little short, so I wanted to make sure blocking could make it right before I went any further. Although not perfect, it was close enough.

So then I picked up and knit the picot hem around the bottom.

Then I had to block it again. The picot edging curls up like crazy and that drives me crazy. After blocking, it was a lot flatter, but it still tends to a little flip.

The same picot edging was added to the neckline:

And look at that sweet ruffle! It was cleverly made from short rows of alternating garter and reverse garter panels. The short rows mean there is more fabric on the two sides then there is in the middle (making it gather) and the alternating garter and reverse garter make it alternate between concave and convex curves (making it gather nicely). Project Stats
Started: 20 Mar '10
Finished: 6 May '10
Pattern: Lace Top by Erika Knight from Glamour Knits ($5)
Materials: 127 g of Mohair in Motion by Betty Todd ($39)
The pattern called for some organza but I couldn't find anything that matched. And I like it as it is.

I was hoping for mother of pearl buttons but I didn't find any in my button tin. These will do nicely, and if I see ones I like better some day I can switch them then. (I can't believe I went to Soutache recently and didn't pick up ribbon or buttons there! What was I thinking?!)

This is the fifth item off my "Spring to Finish" list. I'm really banging them out and quite pleased about it, I must say! Today is "Halfway There" check-in day at Jacqui's blog, Tallgrass Prairie Studio. I'm happy to have five of eight done, although I think the ones that are left are the harder ones! But I have three more weeks and am confident I will get the Whistler and tablecloths done. Yes I will! (The siding, I'm not promising...)

Meanwhile, another look at this luscious T:

Oh yes, and my reward for this item was finally wearing the skirt I had bought last fall to go with the as-yet-not-even-started shirt. When I pulled it out of the spare room closet, I couldn't see why I thought it matched this shirt. The threads running through it look blue not lilac, lavender or even purple. But then I saw that the lining matches the shirt quite closely. Fooled by lining again!! Or maybe those threads are lavender, but only look blue because of the surrounding colours. (It happens!)

But I still liked the style of the skirt--seems a little retro. So I went with the theme and pulled out some T-strap shoes, and a old crocheted purse, and gloves. Yup, I went all out. But it was practical too...it's a little cool yet for Tshirts, and full length gloves do help keep bare arms warm. The rest of me did great with what felt like a big hug of purple mohair!

Odds and Sods

Remember my Odds and Sods socks? I knit the first one as a sample to promote a class I led in April.

The second one had to wait until the class started. (I like to knit along with the students...or student, in this case.) During the classes, I really only got the heel done, but once class was out I went to town, so to speak.

They are even more comfy than the first pair I made. The Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted is so soft. I had forgotten how nice it felt until I worked with it again, and wore it.

These socks were made from leftovers I had from my Christmas slipper project. I know the two colour combo is not the most attractive sock, but it really showcases the different stages of construction. Project Stats
Started: 20 Mar '10
Finished: 29 Apr '10
Pattern: Hat-heel by Kathleen Sperling (free)
Materials: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Roadside Gerry and Douglas Fir (114g of leftovers)Plus it's fun. Socks don't need to be so serious, you know?

One trick I tried on this sock was to knit the leg with different sized needles. I have had a problem with the last few socks I've knit in that they don't stay up--the leg is too tight. (And a sock that is too tight does not "grip" the leg better and stay up; no, it makes its way to the smallest part of your leg--the ankle!)

Rather than try to work out different sizing or increasing the number of stitches, I had read that you can just change your needles size. So as I worked up from the heel I twice changed to larger needle sizes (after 15 rows and then 20 more rows). This has worked like a charm.

The socks worked up quickly since they are made with a worsted weight wool. This also means, however, that they are too thick for most of my shoes and I will not be wearing them out much.

I will enjoy them on my days off, and you'll just have to stop by to visit if you want to admire them in person!

Purse: Finished!

Today it was raining, so I couldn't get siding checked off the "Spring to Finish" list. (Aw shucks!)

I did, however, get my sewing machine set up and supplies pulled out for the purse I wanted to make.

And what do you need to make a purse?


Well, I started with a square knit from some bulky&thin wool, two handles, fabric for lining, magnetic clasp, and trimmings. Project Stats
Started: 29 Jan '10
Finished: 25 Apr '10
Pattern: none, I made it all up
Materials: wool (gift), ribbon ($10), flowers ($6), handles ($6), clasp ($2.15), lining ($2.10)
And a plan! I wrote up some measurements and jotted notes on what should be done first to make sure I didn't get stuck somewhere.

Up first: sew the knit fabric up the sides to make the purse shape. The bulky&thin nature of the wool did not make it a good candidate to use for seaming. But I happened to have a thinner wool in a colour close enough to work wonderfully. (The wool from the J Crew sweater I used for the Bella Mittens.)This is what I measured to get the numbers for the rest of the pieces. You may recall I knit this up with a skein that my mom gave me this winter. I didn't follow a pattern, but just knit it as big as I could with what I had.

Then it was time for a lining.I bought the trim at Soutache last week and thought it would be a nice way to finish off the top of the lining and give it some structure. In the picture, I have the lining right side out so you can see the "nice" side but of course it will go into the purse the other way around. Notice there are a couple pleats to give the purse a little fullness.

Once the lining is together, you need to add the magnetic clasp and handles:Isn't that some lovely basting?! ha ha. The lining fabric was so slippery and "shifty" that I had to baste--pins wouldn't hold it. The sleeves that hold the handles on were sewn so they would end up between the lining and the outside knit fabric. The magnetic clasps are not visible in the picture but were installed through the ribbon, just below the handles.

Then I pinned the lining into the bag and sewed it in by hand.My stitches are nothing to show off, but the red thread on red ribbon hides it pretty well.
I'm really happy with the look of the lining, and I even managed to get the lightest colour to land in the middle--centered and matched left to right sides. (A wonder!)

And unable to leave well enough alone, I added a little bling bling. (Do people still say bling bling? I suspect not. But, really, what else can you say about gold, silver and bronze sequined flowers?)I love it!

Spring to Finish

I have jumped onto a challenge going at Jacquie's blog Tallgrass Prairie Studio that she's calling, "Spring to Finish." Commit yourself to finishing specific projects by May 31. Give yourself rewards if you get them done. Report back and get a chance to win a prize. (You know how I love prizes!)

I'm thinking of it as spring cleaning for my WIPs and UFOs. Clear off the "things I've started" list to be able to do more off the "things I want to start" list!

Putting the list out there, publicly, can really help to focus your attention on what you want to accomplish. And ticking things off the list can be very motivating and affirming. So I'm joining in...but I have to say, assigning myself a reward is really hard. I don't work well with rewards. (Prizes, yes; rewards, no...hmmm that seems contradictory.) I usually find rewards a little too manipulative--I'll do something because I want to, or because I think I need to, or not at all. But trying to get into the spirit of the challenge, let's see what I can come up with...

The "spring to finish" list:

1. Knitting: I've got a record number of projects on the needles. But the time to finish them is ripe.

a. Odds and Sods socks
The socks I started for the class I taught on the Hat Heel sock. I've held the second class (it went very well, thank you) and now can whip through the second sock that I had been holding off.

Reward: warm feet, of course! (Ok, that wasn't so hard...)

b. Cabled fingerless mittens
for the Stop AIDS Walk prize. These will get done on or shortly after the Walk on May 2. (You still have time to sponsor me to get a chance to win them. Email me.)

Reward: I'm going to really enjoy pulling the winning name and seeing who is going to receive these mittens. (I like giving prizes almost as much as winning them!)

c. Whistler
This sweater has been very patient, but it's just time to get it done. I just need a rainy weekend or two...

Reward: tough one...I would say the final project is the reward, but I don't think that's what Jacquie had in mind. I know! An extra night at Red Purl. (Then I can show it off too! See how sneaky I am?)

d. Purple mohair T
This is buzzing right along. It's seems well suited to taking with me and working on it during lunch breaks. I originally hoped to wear it this spring, and it looks like I may be able to!

Reward: Finally getting to wear the skirt I bought last fall to wear with it.

2. Quilting

The county fair quilt block. Time to stop thinking about it and get it done. I hope May's quilt day will afford me the time to work on it.

Reward: This is a delayed reward, but I'm still hoping for a ribbon. (Will it be blue??)

3. Sewing

a. Purse

I need to line, attach handles, and install a clasp in a purse I knit. I hope to visit the person who spun/dyed the yarn in June, so I'd like to have the purse done to take with me. (Plus I'll be seeing the person who bought me the yarn--thanks, Mom!--so I'd like to show her too!)

Reward: I plan to buy lots of goodies when I visit this person's farm/shop.

b. Tablecloths I agreed to sew for my church for special events. Two of four are done--time to make that four of four.

Reward: a Snickers bar. Ok, so I'm running out of reward ideas, but I really love Snickers bars and don't eat them often. Maybe I'll really splurge and get myself an almond Snickers bar.

4. Other life
It would be really sweet to finish the siding on Troy's shop by May 31 too. Let's see...we can do up to five pieces in an afternoon...we have about 30 pieces to go...so that's about 6 sessions. We have 7 possible workdays between now and May 31, so I guess we'll have to hope for a few sunny weekends...

Reward: I think burger and fries from the great place down the road will do.

It's becoming apparent that I could go on and on with things I'd like to have done, but I think keeping this focused is the key. And I do only have 38 more days in which to get this list done...gulp!