Modern Sewing.

Our Modern Sewing Meet Ups have been a little inconsistent since being displaced when Satin Moon changed hands (and location). Since then we've been bouncing around without a permanent home until now. Sunday was our first meeting in our new space and it was so great to be able to sit and sew with good friends for the better part of the day. 

 

My goal for the day was to make a small drawstring project bag for my Purse Knitting. I've been using a plastic Ziploc which doesn't stand a chance against pointy needles and is already riddled with punctures which my needles of course fall out of... it's a scenerio that needed to be remedied. 

I based my bag loosely on these two tutorials: Photo Tutorial by Yarnmonster & Video Tutorial by Knitting Blooms. I didn't bring any notes with me and couldn't remember what size to make the bag but figured that I could probably figure that out on my own. Well... my bag ended up being way too big, it was about the size of the Knitting Blooms bag which was not my intention. I wanted a small and skinny bag that would fit in one corner of my purse. I went home a little frustrated that I had nothing to show for my sewing day. 

But I wasn't ready to admit defeat and when I got home, instead of putting my machine away I set it up and started making a template (like she does in the video) for a smaller bag. This was beyond easy to do and made the whole process so much easier. I went with a 5 x 5 inch square for the base and decided to make my bag about 11 inches high (when finished). The second it was finished I transferred my Georgia Socks to my new project bag and was so pleased that it was the perfect dimensions and fit in my Sugar + Candy bag perfectly. 

Feeling pretty proud of myself I decided to drag out my project from our last meet up. I attempted to make this dress but failed miserably on my first attempt (are you seeing a pattern here?) and stayed up into the wee hours that night to make the dress again. At least dress #2 fit me this time but things went horribly wrong with the finishing because I didn't have my mentor beside me. I balled it up and shoved it in my fabric stash and didn't pull it out until yesterday after my successful project bag was complete. I ripped out my hideous finishing touches from last time and tried to copy a few things I had seen Shannon do. Well? It's finished. It's not perfect but it's totally wearable so I'm satisfied :) 2 wins in one day!

Georgia KAL

There is a Georgia Knit Along being organized over in our Ravelry Group so if you've had this pattern in your queue for a while, this is your push to cast on. The KAL is slated to run from May to July with relaxed guidelines so the pressure is low for those of you with too many yarny commitments on the needles :) 

For participants I am offering a little promotion, from now until the end of July enjoy $1 off when you buy the Georgia pattern. Just enter the code GeorgiaKAL at checkout either on Ravelry or from my pattern collection right here on the site.

So come and join in on the conversation and get those needles ready. A big huge thank you to Gemma for hosting this party!

In the Garden // Plotting

 I've mentioned before that this year I am determined to be far more organized about the vegetable garden. I've made a group of spreadsheets to help me stay on top of planting times, what I'm growing, and adding notes where I'll be able to find them next year. I've mapped out my plot in order to plants the beds in a way that makes the most sense in terms of early, mid, and late season vegetables. It was a bit of a challenge and already I'm questioning some of the plans, thinking maybe the lettuce won't be ready to harvest by the time the tomatoes need use of the bed.

 { Tomatoes looking longingly out the window at their future home }

The tomatoes are definitely my pride and joy, they are the heart of the garden for me, if I could grow just one thing it would be tomatoes. I carefully selected a handful of varieties from the West Coast Seeds catalog based on their performance records within my climate, I'm hoping this makes all the difference over last year. I also collected seeds from a few of last years favorites and I am happy to say that they were viable.
 

   Our house looks like an Italian Villa. It has this decorative wall out front, arbors everywhere, and this centerpiece in the middle of the driveway shaped like the Star of David complete with bird bath and fountain. The property is certainly unique. The Star of David looks pretty ugly in the winter but as soon as Spring arrives it jumps to life with the most colourful display of daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and more. Because we're renting and haven't been here that long, I didn't plant any of these things, everything is a surprise when it surfaces. And what's even more special, is that someone was thoughtful enough to plant things that have different bloom times so there are about 3 or 4 different displays throughout the growing season, there is never a dull moment. 

{ One of my personal favorites, Sweet Woodruff }

:: I am sad to report that despite turning the soil over the entire plot and lacing all of the rows of seeds with coffee grounds, those pesky slugs mowed down every single spinach sprout! Yesterday I crushed up some egg shells I found in the compost and scattered them among the seedlings, we'll see to what effect. 

Classic Raglan KAL // Week 6

Hooray! Week 6, the grand finale and I was able to finish on Wednesday, block it on Thursday, and photograph it today :) Once we were into week 6 and I could finally pick up my knitting again (I tell you, it's not been easy recovering from this stomach flu, it was a full week before I woke up feeling okay), there was no stopping me on that last sleeve. 

I am so happy with my finished pullover! It fits perfectly, with two inches of negative ease, just the way I wanted it to now that we are ready to shed our winter coats for Spring. I knit the 32 (I am a size 34 bust) and followed the instructions to a T with the exception of the lengthwise measurements... I realized once I had begun the hip shaping that following the measurements for the size 34 instead, placed the shaping right where it needed to be. I didn't add any length to the body because I knew that it would grow after blocking and grow it did, I gained an extra 3 inches of body length which means it sits perfectly at my belt line. 

Austen, our lovely knit along host, has also finished her pullover right on time and it looks amazing! So hop on over to the Canadian Living craft blog and check it out. Be sure to leave a comment as she has some prizes up her sleeve!

And we are done just in time to jump on board Shannon's latest knit along! Hop on over to luvinthemommyhood and get your needles ready for Tops, Tanks, and Tees!!!

Petite Purls : Renaissance Mom

I was so excited when Petite Purls asked me to be their next Renaissance Mom! If you are interested in reading the interview hop on over to their blog.

There may even be some secret knitting revealed in the weeks to come :)

Classic Raglan KAL // Week 5

I wasn't able to post about my progress on Friday for Week 5 of the Classic Raglan Knit Along because I was very sick with the stomach flu and stuck in bed for 2 days... No knitting or blogging for this girl :)

Now that I am back from the dead, here is my belated report on my pullover progress. I am now half way through the second sleeve which means finishing within six weeks is more than manageable. If you've been following along I was actually speeding through this project and was trying very hard to pace myself. 

As always, we are chatting about the knit along in this thread over in our Ravelry Group, and you can catch up on Austen's progress over on the Canadian Living craft blog. I also can't help mentioning that a few amazing knitters have already finished their pullovers and they look amazing! Congratulations on a job well done to Karen Blackburn, Gemma of Super Knits, Nendy, ummashin, Celtic Cast On! If you've finished your pullover share a link in the comments below so that we can admire your handy work!