Round Peg In a Square Hole-crafts

Monday, November 06, 2006

Updates

Still no change in my Sock Wars status. I really hate that some people aren't taking this seriously; it makes it much less fun for the rest of us. I don't know if my latest target is actually dead (she's been listed as dying for about 2 weeks), and I haven't gotten any replies to emails in over a week, so I'm stuck. Fortunately, chaos seems to be reigning above me, as well, so I don't think I'm in immenent danger of dying. Ah, well.

In the meantime, I finished the socks for my mom. Didn't really like them for several reasons: didn't like the pattern (then why did you let Samantha pick the pattern, hmmmm?), didn't like the way they knit up (probably should have used an even smaller needle size), and I grew to like the color less and less as I worked on it. However, they are wonderfully soft, and look great when on a foot, and I was very pleased with the result of my conversions of a top-down sock into a toe-up sock and the heel-flap to short-row heel. Those techniques should be very useful in the future.

Finished the foot of the first slipper for Kate's husband John, and am REALLY hoping the felting process works as advertised: this thing is HUGE! Will have to finish the second and felt them right away, as I have two more sets that I want to work on, so I need to know if this pattern and technique actually work.

In sewing news, I cut out the matching sleep shirts for Sam, my mom, and myself for Christmas Eve; this year, they're raspberry pink! (Sam picked the color.) Also, I finally remembered to pick up my mom's cross-stitch from the French Hand Laundry, so now I need to pick out a mat and get it cut, and buy the frame, then do the framing myself.

What else? Did a little more on packing up the sewing room; this consisted of building one of the two new racks that I bought for the storage space, and stacking it with boxes already in storage. Since the two new racks are shorter than the old ones (3 ft. vs 4 ft.) I'm trying to decide whether to put another of the old racks in storage or put up a pole to hang costumes from between the two new racks. Tough call.

Consulting the old accountability matrix, (spreadsheet listing current projects, their status, their due-date and their priority. Used to send it to a friend, and she sent me hers, to keep us honest and making progress on our projects; that's how it got it's name.) I note that I started the last pair of mitts for the Sewing Circle ladies (Belle is the last) and finally finished Kate's stockings! Woo-hoo! Also, picked out patterns for socks for several people and was intelligent enough to realize that I won't be able to finish them until next Christmas, so I DO learn from my mistakes. AND I finally decided what colors to use where on the tablecloth for my sister-in-law (bought the floss last year, but had forgotten what I had planned) and started stitching! Now I remember why I prefer cross-stitch to regular embroidery: there is no "right" answer in embroidery, there are only many wrong and a few not-so-wrong answers. Sigh. I'm sure I'll get back into the swing of satin stitch soon; I remember enjoying the last thing that I did that was mostly satin stitch. Oooh, that reminds me! I have an embroidery project for my mother that I need to include on the accountablility matrix.....

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