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I flew home this week to surprise my mom and to take care of my parents for two weeks. It is the first Spring I have been to Pennsylvania in five years so I’m definitely enjoying everything. Before heading over, I knitted two more sets of wrist warmers for my nieces. The little sister of the first recipient requested a green pair for her Spring birthday and their cousin, my other niece, requested a pink pair.
In addition to the knitting, I crocheted face cloths for my parents and added two Scottish soaps. I wanted to do a seaside theme with them and so I did scalloped ’shell’s around the edge of the green cloth, but did not like the result of a crab-stitch edging (which I thought would look like a sailor’s rope) around the blue one. They really liked them and it was such a satisfying gift to make and give. After feeling different cloth thicknesses, I think using a 4-ply yarn is definitely the perfect weight for a crocheted face cloth. Yarn for all four projects came from my stash, making me a happy crafter.
These jeans debuted last weekend on a road trip down to Richmond and Kirby Stephen, England.
They were originally a pair of mens “fashion” jeans, as evidenced by all the neatly arranged holes. A few weeks ago, two holes near the knee joined forces and i knew I had to patch these up before all the holes followed suit!
I trimmed the threads holding each hole ‘together’ so that the fabric would show through. Then, I took two large rectangles of fabric from my stash (we call it the Time Lord fabric since I think it looks like space and time travel…I used it to line a Tardis bag I crocheted a few years ago) and sewed them into the thigh areas, leaving several inches around the holes. I then turned them right side out to stitch boxes around each individual hole with a few zig-zag lines over top both fabric layers. Last, I made (what is supposed to be) a lotus flower applique and added it to the outside. I LOVE them! I am so proud of this refashion and know that they’re once more my party-jeans!
After trying the reach the boxes near the knees, I think I finally understand the idea of a free-arm sewing machine. It would have given me much more maneuverability!
Another completed project- which I handed in yesterday- is my first rough draft of my thesis! Still plenty of work to do on it but now, all my ideas are on paper in a structure that I think works!
My partner and I have recently put our thrifty heads together in a tightening of the household budget as evidenced in our recent gift giving, cooking and in enjoyment time. Since my thesis (and tutoring for the undergrad course) is taking up a large portion of my crafting time, this post is largely about gifting, sharing and clothing!
Yesterday we spent a few hours playing in the charity shops in the capital looking for new work clothes. Partner made out like a bandit with two gorgeous pairs of pinstripe trousers and two dress shirts from the same original store- one with a pair of cufflinks. Working as a team it was amazing how quickly we could swoop in, identify the important racks and grab stuff to try on. Not that we were rushing in any way- two pairs of eyes just kept us more focused on the quality goods.
As partner was paying for something at the till, I looked up to see this lovely lady surveying the shoppers below. Tucked behind an earring rack, I asked the shop worker if I could photograph her saying that I’d move the earrings back in place. He said yes, but seemed to wonder why I’d want a photo!
There were many hidden joys in the 8 or so shops we hit, including this crocheted dress I had seen in the store window a few months ago. Sadly, no one seems to want it. Sure, it’s ugly, but someone made it!
In addition to the charity shops where I had no luck yesterday, we’ve received some clothes from freecycle recently and have given away two bags of clothes. My partner got a brand new suit- trousers and jacket- perfect for interviews, etc. Unfortunately, it is dry clean only- so we shipped it off to the supermarket along with the skirt pictured below, which I also got from freecycle. While £4 for dry cleaning is obviously cheaper than purchasing a new suit, we worry about the chemicals used. I plan on airing my skirt out very well before I wear it…and on washing it by hand in the sink next time!
The grey cardigan also came from freecycle and it was covered in sequins. Luckily they weren’t sewn on very securely so I snipped them off with minimal effort. The cardigan is cropped and is a very soft blend of acrylic, nylon, angora and lambswool. The two pairs of trousers are charity shop finds- the brown pair is linen and will be for dressier occasions, while the tan pair are a linen/cotton blend and are for regular wear. The grey-black jacket is a hand-me-down from a friend. She was cleaning out her closets and never wore it- after wearing it on two of the 5 days I’ve owned it, I know I’ll be wearing it often. I really like the artist-smock type cut to it and the large pockets. It may acquire a small stencil but I cannot decide which shape to use. The t-shirts were also hand-me-downs from two friends.
Lastly, in the clothes category, I dyed three shirts last month. Using a rich purple colour, I transformed one shirt that is a peasant style in a natural colour- but getting so see-through that the colour just looked dingy instead of “natural” white. I wear that one as-is now. I also dyed two other short sleeve blouses that are quite boxy and awaiting a bit of tailoring.
For partner’s 26th birthday this week, I made another chocolate cake upon request, and gifted a green Friends mug I found months ago. We had two in the house already- partner lived in Staffordshire where they are made and loves the show Friends. We also used the ipoints I had collected to order a (birthday gift) book.
