FO: Ballet Bear's Steeked Cardi

This little thing came right out of my brains with the fair isle design yoinked from Alice Starmore's Fair Isle Knitting. It's off-center, but Ballet Bear didn't complain. He did say that he liked the improvised shawl collar, though. 

I used some leftover Knit Picks' Brava, about fifty and some yards of the green and twenty-four of the brown. That yarn is now out of the stash and I learned to steek. For this one, I hand-sewed the steek before cutting to make sure that I grabbed all the yarns and I didn't worry overly much about finishing the inside. Again, Ballet Bear did not complain.

Here's a better picture of the design before I put in the sleeves:

Overall, I give it an B+, would go again, but perhaps with wool next time. Teeny bear sweaters are just about perfect for practicing technique and great for using up little odds and ends of stash.

SAFF Sweater and an Unexpected Dog

 So, in the car on the way to SAFF, I finished my sweater just as we got to Asheville. I immediately put it on and wore it about the delightfully Southern/hippie/artist town. I felt very much at home. We stopped at the awesome Tupelo Honey Cafe when we got there and afterward I got to toodle around town in my new, though unblocked digs. Here it is in it's washed and blocked glory.

I love the saddle shoulders and though it's a bit shortish, I think I will keep it that way. This is the Seamless Saddle Shoulder Pullover by the legendary EZ. I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash in the Garnet Heather color, about 754yds.

The first batch of Delphi & Delos is done and I love how it turned out. The picture doesn't really do it justice. There's a richness to how the two colorways blend together that I can't quite capture. 

In other news, we have a new family member. This is Rufus, a sweet, chill, little pug. His former owner, Randy, was the person who introduced me to John. Randy passed away this week and this little snerfledog needed to go to a family who would love him and be his forever home.
It's a big adjustment for me, but the kids fell instantly in love and he seems to be settling in pretty well.

We also had a Nutcracker Tea this week. Bu dressed up for the occasion.

And so did Iris. (The lady to the right of Iris with the fascinator on is Bu's dance teacher.)

A good time was had by all. There were nutcracker-appropriate snacks and an abbreviated version of the ballet for the little dancers to watch. Iris did such a great job and Bu was totally into it once the dancing started.

Dear Halloween,

Dear Halloween,

You and I have had some fun times through the years. I've always loved you and I always will.

Remember that time I stayed up much too late finishing Iris' Dorothy costume? That was great. It didn't matter that she only ever wore it once, that one time was just perfect. I think that this was probably her first real cosplay and it'll fit Bu next year.

And carving pumpkins with Anna was pretty great. I always think of her in October. We didn't carve pumpkins this year, but that's okay. We still have pumpkins adorning our front yard and stoop.

Bu as the Hulk in purple pants and a green onesie felt like a stroke of genius. It was great for a tired mom and a small person who just wanted to be comfortable. Many a year, Iris has recycled old dance costumes and there were several years in a row where she slapped on a pair of wings and called herself a fairy. Now she's an avid cosplayer and I credit you, Halloween.

Bu loved being Captain America and even though we bought her Spider-Man costume this year, that's okay. The comic store guy invited her to a Halloween thing they're having. There's supposed to be a Spider-Man there. Sadly, we'll be out of town. I'm getting the impression that this one is going to become a cosplayer, too.

And me? I was a cosplayer before I even knew the word. My favorite costume was the Star Trek: TNG uniform that my mom made for me (in Science Blue, of course). One year we were the Three Weird Sisters from the Scottish Play. One year it was poodle skirts and the year we were the Addams Family, I accidentally let my baby sister, who was being Cousin Itt, walk into a stop sign... and then into the side of the house. I still feel bad about that.

I'm wearing my doublet this year because I love that piece and it's been a while, John is working on joining the 501st, Iris is gathering her own cosplay pieces, Bu is set with her Spider-Man outfit, and I'm already planning for next year. It's an election year, so I want to be a suffragette.

There are those who seem to think that Halloween makes it okay to be racist and there's the whole "sexy ____" genre of costumes and, if you're underage, "sassy ____." There are a whole lot of problems with the kinds of costumes you can buy, especially for girls. I'm not going to go into that except to say that it makes me angry, it makes me sad, but most of all it makes me happy that I can sew. You're the reason I love costuming and making my own Wednesday Addams dress is why I even learned to use the sewing machine (though that might have been inevitable). I still have that dress.


Thank you for spreading the love of costume to my kids and to John, thank you for giving me an opportunity to express myself through my craft, and thank you for helping me expand my skill as a sewist. Thank you for being such a big part of my life. Thank you, Halloween. Thank you for being you. I'm glad I know you.

Stay Spooky and see you in NC,
-Jess

Dear Readers,

I've nearly finished Louise. We'll talk about her come November.

Love,
-Jess

I don't care if I ever get back...

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will have noticed a lot of blue yarn singles getting spun up in the last couple weeks and babbling about the Cubs. Well, the season is over for the Cubs as of last night and I have some great yarn with which to knit Crackerjack by Stacey Simpson Duke for next year. I just need a white and a grey to go along with it and I have some red in stash, for sure. This BFL/Silk from Rain's Obsessive Stitchery in the Cardiff colorway is going to be beautifully tonal and a delight to wear. 

I've joined the sleeves on the sweater now and though it kind of looks like a lump, it's more of a sweater-shaped lump than two sleeve-shaped lumps and a tube. With a little work, it could conceivably be done by the end of the month.

The carrot dye test is underway now and sitting on my deck just hanging out for a little while, absorbing dye. Chemistry tells me that carotenes should be pretty stable as dyes go, but it's looking more toward the pale yellow end than the muted orange end - and that's fine. It's a test, right? I want to see if I can get any color at all. 

No new kid pics today, so here are a couple from about this time last year. 

There's a lot more going on in my world, of course, and I had one of those days that I wanted to do so many things that not very much got done. Eventually, I settled down and made a list and hopefully soon, some of those things that I've started or wanted to start will get underway and chugging along. Sewing, embroidery, and quilting all need attention, but at least dyeing, gardening, cooking, and spinning have seen some progress.

Now to make applesauce unless I get distracted again.