girlie jones knits

Shh it's a secret

2009-05-17T13:14:00.003+08:00

I'm totally cheating on all my WIPs. Last night a started a brand new patchwork project. The lure of the new project was too strong! It's just a little thing. And I promise I'll still work on the others, and get them finished.

It's just ... the new project is so funky - tumbling blocks in blacks and whites. And every so often I'm going to throw in a diamond in red. Pictures soon.

Possible Lost Cause

2009-02-22T15:02:00.003+08:00

Remember how I mentioned WIPs that get filed away and forgotten?

I was looking for the darning needle to kitchener up this sock I finished and could not find the damn needle. Then I vaguely remember putting crafty things in the second drawer down on the bedside table on the other side of the bed. So I go and have a look and what do I find?! A cross stitch project and two different socks cast on and being knitted - one for me and one for my mum.

I don't even get to choose the next sock project as I already have some in progress!! Grrrrr ... no cast on new projects for me today!

Unfinished business

2009-02-21T17:36:00.002+08:00

What I meant to post was ... in sorting out the projects that I really want to finish this year and those that I don't and I only keep in the pile out of Started Craft Guilt, I've been trying to sort and organise my stash and my work room.

I have noticed with myself that I get overenthusiastic and manic. I get overambitious. I start a lot of new projects at once. And in the beginning of that phase, it helps to keep WIPs in obvious places, in my face, so that I keep working on them. Eventually though, I forget they are WIPs and they become ... art installations, if you will, around my home. That I no longer actually see in my daily goings about my home.

Then it's not long before a general clean up happens, WIPs get eventually admitted they aren't being worked on, sent to the WIP basket and often never thought or seen of again.

Today I finally tackled the scary yarn basket of doom - the one with a ton of works in progress, falling off needles, and wound around other balls of yarn. A big untanglefest of procrastination. Today though I started tackling it and unravelling WIPs - if I really want to do them, I can cast them back on later. And do you know what I found? I'm so ashamed to admit this. I found more than 20 individual baby booties - as in 20 unmatched half pairs!!! Of like funky baby stuff - rollerskates and ugg booties and so on. With the partner just never made.

Time to start a new to do list for 2009, me thinks!

update me

2009-02-21T16:47:00.004+08:00

My poor neglected blog! My last post promised daily photos of progress and possibly that killed the whole thing.

This is my first post for 2009. Shameful!

Especially since, crafting formed a significant part of my resolutions for this year. I didn't blog any of them but I did write them down.

One of the things I felt bad/sad about at Xmas last year was the number of awesome kits I had bought last year and the year before and hadn't finished or even started. And the idea that at this rate, my taste would change before I'd even cut some of the fabrics, made me want to cry. And the size of my stash (fabric and yarn) made me hyperventilate.

So. One of the things that I want to do by the end of this year, is be able to stand in my house and enjoy it decorated with beautiful things that I have made. That's almost the goal verbatim! And also to have spent time knitting socks and other things for me, this year. To get some joy back from the stashing and from the crafting.

I'm trying to complete one project a month. And that goal sorta encourages the completion of WIPs, which is good. I finally picked up the kimono wallhanging I was working on on my last boat holiday with the ex. Memories of that are gone and I have managed to finish piecing it all together. I just have the borders to do.

I've also been working on the hexagon project. That is going faster now than it was before. And I have completed one pair of socks for the year - these are a gift and I shall cast on tonight for a pair for me.

Photos soon!

Holidays Day 1

2008-12-24T18:54:00.003+08:00

I haven't really figured out yet what I am going to do with respect to getting crafting done whilst still having a good time with my hobby and relaxing. I don't really want to make a list cause it's so anal for something that should be fun. On the other hand, it's so easy to just faff about, a bit of this and a bit of that, and turn around at the end of a fortnight and not really get anything done at all. I might end up relaxed but I know that I will be upset or mad at myself for not really achieving anything ... yet more WIPs ...

So, at the bare minimum, I'm going to post photos every day of my holidays. I will probably get a list thing happening over the weekend.

This though is a rough pile of some of the things I really really want to get done. The ball of yarn is Socks that Rock in Downpour or Mudslide, I should check. I balled it up about 6 months ago to make myself a pair of socks. The other skein is Mars Quake from Lisa Souza. I want to make myself a shawl from it. The newest crosstitch I started, last month. It's flappers and 1920s thang. And the hexagons. Still.

A tonne of other things are not in the picture. Steady as she goes.

Craft Plans

2008-12-21T11:07:00.004+08:00

I'm in the process of self auditing and thinking about 2009, not in a resolutions sort of way but more in a "where do I want to be this time next year" thing.

So as I stand here and look at the craft things I achieved this year ... well, I'm kinda bummed to tell the truth. I mostly made items to gift and whilst that is always fun and a pleasure, they were late to most recipients. So I not only feel bad that I have little in my own possession craft-wise to show for this year, the gifts I made missed the occasions entirely too.

AND I missed an opportunity to supply Boeme Bebe merchandise to a real live store in the US just cause I didn't have myself together this year across the board to deal with it.

So, where to in 2009? I brainstormed a very long (general life) list last night of things I would like to not still have to do by this time next year and I think not having these things weighing down on me as STILL Not Finished, will bring me further along the path to happiness. In terms of craft, I feel like I have wasted money on supplies that go unused. And I feel like I miss out on the pleasure of finishing, feeling the sense of accomplishment and enjoying projects I have made.

I still have presents I want to make and gift. So I need to sometimes be unselfishly crafting! I also have new projects I want to be able to start, cause that's always fun. But I also want to not have these WIPs that have been hanging around, sometimes for YEARS, hanging around taunting me anymore.

So it seems like I need a balance of old and new, for me and for presents, and across my crafts. I feel like it needs RULES or a LIST and I hate to feel that craft, something that is fun and for recreation time, needs to be regimented.

Not sure yet what to do.

Updating

2008-12-17T20:24:00.000+08:00

Way back in the past of August, I began the mammoth task of tacking these hexagons. Here's how I'm going with that. I have about 100 of the 600 left to go. After I took this photo I spread them out like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and I'm figuring out how to sew em together.

And a Finished Object!!!
I'm not sure how long I've been working on this. Let's just call it "awhile". Anyway. My very first lace project. It's made using Lisa Souza's Sock Yarn in the colour Delft. And a shawl patten I got from Knitty (how's that for vague on the details?).

The whole time I was knitting this (and it was a looong time and it turns out I can't knit lace tired as it is hard to unpick) I was really worried I was doing it wrong. I'd heard that lace looks like a dog's breakfast and the reward is the magic at the end when you block it. So I hung in there.

And lo and behold! Magic!!

And up close for the shell-lace pattern:

Craft Goals

2008-12-17T19:04:00.004+08:00

I've been cleaning out and organising my craft corner in my study. The thinking was that if I could see all the lovely different craft supply stashes, I wouldn't feel bad being on a craft diet and I'd also get onto finishing some of my projects. It's coming together nicely. A good side effect has been organising and turfing some of my books in order to keep one whole bookcase for craft. But I've also realised how little crafting I have done for myself this year. I have a lot of skeins of sock yarn for socks for me that remain unmade. And also a few skeins for shawls that likewise remain unmade. And a looooot of fabrix stash for cute funky out there projects I'm going to make one day.

The trouble is ... when is this "one day"? When will there be time for projects for myself? And when that time comes, will I still love all those fabrics and yarns? I do kind of go through taste phases.

So I decided to finish just one project by the end of the year ... tick tick tick tick ... I think it's going to be a silk cushion cover I bought at one of the craft shows earlier in the year. Needs like three seams and some overlocking or something. The thing though that is the hardest hurdle for me is cutting up the fabric. I have a fear of cutting it and ruining it - any piece of gorgeous fabric. I think in part that's why I like yarn so much. If you don't like what you knit, you can unpick it and start again! Not so with funky fat quarters.

The other thing though that I've been thinking about is setting some kind of project goals list for 2009 so I don't end up complaining about how I gifted everything I made this year again next year. Not sure what or how yet. Just mulling over the idea at this stage.

Fabric Stash!

2008-12-07T21:25:00.004+08:00

Thought I'd post the new additions to the stash:

The two pink ones are the ones part of the whole Pink Kitty set that I've been collecting. I want to do some kind of 1950s but retro thing ... I just don't know what yet.

And this one ... I have another piece in the same design - the cups and saucers with steam rising out. I'm thinking of just doing something really simple, like cutting out the squares from this panel and doing something fancy interspersed with the other fabric piece in alternate squares. Or something. This might very well be the small project I try and finish up before the end of the year. And I want to hang it in my kitchen.

A craft post at long last!

2008-12-06T09:15:00.003+08:00

Wow was it really the first of June since last I posted here? That's 5 months ago! I guess I really did lose my craft mojo around the time that I met the new boy. For a while I wondered if I had lost the need to craft or no longer needed what craft brings to me, having met someone who seemed to so perfectly fit with me - I no longer needed craft to fill a gap or to inspire me or to be my creative outlet. Then we brokeup and I didn't feel like crafting. Then we ... well it's complicated.

But. I am crafting again. Have been for a little while now. And I think the pressure of keeping a craft blog for me is about the photos - craftblogs NEED photos and photos are hard for me. I'm going to try and balance that a bit. Let's see how I go.

But the reason for the post today is ... today I went craft shop crawling with my friend C. And ... I have a serious fabric addiction. I was totally going to just look and browse and support C and then have coffee. But in the first frigging shop I found a couple of fabrics I didn't have that are in the same set as some I am collecting. Well! I had to have them of course. And this was the first time ever I actually got fabrics cut - I totally have only ever bought fat quarters.

On the way out I decided that in exchange for positive fabric stash accumulation, I HAVE to finish SOMETHING by the end of this year. A project. And I think socks don't count. Course as C pointed out, that's only 3 weeks away. Sheesh!

Etsy thoughts

2008-06-01T20:58:00.010+08:00

My current projects still cannot be photo'ed and displayed so here, instead, is a sample of something else I have been working on. Here are some of my photos I've been taking whilst playing round with my light box and uploading to my Etsy store

A long time ago, in a lifetime far far away from now, I had a lot more time on my hands as I waited for someone to come home and spend time with me. I hate being unproductive so I started knitting. And I knit and I knit and I knit. All sorts of little baby booties and hats. With the idea of maybe selling them at the odd fair. Or to give as presents. Anyway, that was a lifetime ago and I have moved house and on with my life and am left with a very large stash of baby bits and pieces.

So I have on my to do list, to put as much as possible up on my Etsy store and hopefully sell them - both to make room, to use up much of the yarn I bought specifically for this idea and also in part to recoup some of the money I have spent on craft in the last couple of years.

Either way, it's been a good reason to learn to take better close up photos of objects!

Thursday

2008-05-29T22:53:00.003+08:00

Phew! Just made it in. And to be honest, I only got some knitting done because I had said I would post everyday! It was a long day today and I only got home at about 8.45 pm. So all things considered, not bad on the knitting front! Lucky I had some online reading to do!!

So ... what do we have here? The Rhodonite socks are coming out in a lovely striped pattern. And as usual are knitting up quickly. Blue Moon Fiber Arts are one of my favourite sock yarns to knit with. I always forget how lovely the yarn is till I come back to a STR project.

My sock is sitting on the vintage kimono materials for my silk cushion cover which is also on my to do task list this week. Not quite sure when this is going to get sewn up ... hmmm

I have several craft tasks on my overall weekly (and master) to do task list(s) just because I really want to start making inroads on WIPs, projects and presents. I'm interested to see how well I do and whether this helps.

Still knitting socks!

2008-05-28T22:22:00.004+08:00

Well. I am back. It's been a loooong journey in between posts. And sadly, I lost some of my crafting mojo for a while. But ... never to be defeated, hopefully I am back bigger and better than ever! I am back to crafting every day and I just set up my very first soft light box for taking photos. I've been uploading images to my etsy store but I am going to try and commit to posting crafting photos here every day, if I can, of projects in progress.

So ... here goes!

I am working on a couple of top secret projects so those will have to wait. In the meantime, I cast on the socks I am knitting socks for my Mum's birthday (belated) ... Blue Moon Fiber Arts in Rhodonite.

I am *loving* the colourway. Might have to find a way to get me a pair too.

What? More Yarn?

2007-10-23T22:56:00.000+08:00

I could show you a picture of the finished sock but it looks much like the previous shot but in complete sockiness. I am nearly up to the heel on its pair but .... well tonight was the dinner for my uncle's birthday and I had to just gift him the hot water bottle and cover and an IOU.

Here instead is some yummy yarn I could not resist. I've been meaning to check out the Yarn Wench for a while and last week or so she had a sale. The discount on these two beauties basically covered my postage and with the dollar so strong ... who could resist. I *know* I'm about to see yarn stores of the world but these balls look unbelievably delicious in real life. I almost want to eat them up or something. Strawberry Mocha Creme sitting on Devine Melon! Yum!! Those socks are gonna be mine!

The Next Project is Not a Pair of Socks

2007-10-18T22:48:00.000+08:00

But at the moment, I am still knitting socks.

I cast them on last night:

And here is where I leave the first sock tonight:

Ink, by Claudia Handpainted Yarns. Delicious yarn to knit up.

More socks in October

2007-10-17T23:44:00.000+08:00

My sister's socks done! They are wrapped now and all piled up with her other birthday presents.

Another gift bites the dust! I did say they'd be a quick knit!

Here's my Daffodils socks. I'm still only knitting a row for each item I tick off my final countdown to do list before I go off on my month trip overseas. I'm not sure if this is a lot or a little - we were out Monday and Tuesday nights this week.

I cast on the next pair of socks to be knit tonight. Pictures of that tomorrow - my uncle's socks in Ink by Claudia Handpainted Yarns.

More Sock Knitting

2007-10-14T21:40:00.001+08:00

I can't show you the pair of socks I finished today because they're a present for a bloggy person. Consider this a bookmark and I'll get a photo of them on said person's feet later.

Instead, here's my Daffodils sock - am knitting a row for every task I cross off my pre-WFC to do list. Kind of.

Sock knitting

2007-10-13T22:25:00.000+08:00

Casting on for the second sock for my sister's birthday socks. I cast on last night.

Here's about where it was about an hour ago. Soooooooooo close to turning the heel and then I got distracted by this:

Daffodils by Dani at Sunshine Yarns. Yummy!

More FOs

2007-10-12T23:13:00.000+08:00

My uncle is going to be 60 at the end of the month. He really enjoyed the cashmere socks I knitted for him last year so I thought I'd go the knits again.

Here is the first part of the gift.

This is a good representation of the colour. It's Cloud colourway from The Knittery.

This is a better representation of the object. (I'm still figuring out how to take photos at home when you are only ever there at night!)

I'm also going to make a pair of socks. I have till Thurs 25th! Argh! I have 2 other pairs of socks to finish first!

The Christening Jacket

2007-10-12T22:00:00.000+08:00

I think commission work *sounds* good in theory but I'm not a huge fan of it in practice. So I'm making this Christening Jacket for my hairdresser's baby. Last appointment she was all "whenever" and then the appointment last weekend she said, "yeah its next weekend" (aka this Sunday). So ... I tried my very best but it was not to be.

Firstly, I didn't read the pattern properly - and I tried to make a 4 x 50g ball jacket with 2. It, um, didn't work. So I made the back and thought maybe I should source more yarn. Noone anywhere online in Australia was stocking it. So I decided to try and order it from my LYS but online. I have no fricking idea if they ordered the yarn because they never got back to me and they never took payment details. But none of that really is important, is it? I mean ... this is how far along the front left side is:

SO tomorrow I have to call her and tell her the sorry news. She told me she wanted it anyway, even if not for the christening. And in truth, its supposed to be 31 here this weekend so she may not have wanted a jacket anyway. Trouble is, if I don't get it done before I go, I get back very late Nov and surely she will not want such a thing then.

Presents

2007-10-12T21:33:00.001+08:00

I feel so bad with this blog - a knitting blog should have colourful, enticing photos that lure readers in and inspire knitters to start new projects. My photos are all so hideously bad that I can't even keep my own attention on this blog!

I'm knitting up a storm on projects I need to wrap up before I leave on my month's holiday. My sister deserves a really cool birthday present this year. One part will be these socks.

Here's the skein unravelled and is close to the colours as they appear in real life. The yarn is Socks that Rock in Spring Fling which is a colourway they recently retired. I was checking out all the colours that they were retiring and thought that my sister might like socks in this colourway.

Another, closer shot. I love the potential of a skein of yarn.

The first sock cast on. My sister has itty bitty feet (yay - quick knit!)

And the first sock all knit up! Am just doing the ribbing after casting on the second sock. No time for second sock syndrome here.

Yarn purchases

2007-10-08T12:35:00.000+08:00

In terms of stashing, it makes sense, right, to buy a lot of next year's yarn this year when I am in the USA. I mean the dollar is stronger, making the yarn cheaper AND no postage.

I'm just sayin' ...

Rocking Sock Club

2007-10-08T12:30:00.000+08:00

I got my internationals invitation today to resubscribe for the Socks that Rock Rocking Sock Club. The price for the club has gone up again - it went up last year. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I personally think they might be absorbing some of the postage costs in the club price but ... I dunno, I guess at some point, if it increases every year (but the regular skeins stay the same price) I might eventually get priced out of the market.

Not this year though! Last year, when the club cost $20 less, I bought mine when the Aussie dollar was 75US cents. This year, the new cost price gets bought hopefully when the dollar is still strong - we don't pay till January, today the Aussie dollar was 90US cents. I'm still wayyyyyyyyyy ahead.

Kimono Patchworking

2007-10-04T13:48:00.000+08:00

This is a photo of the kimono kit I've been working on this last week. I've done all the squares with the light background. The material for the dark background is a lot lighter and it turns out, less accurately drawn templates on. Lots of fiddling and easing going on.

So this might be one of the projects I take with me when I got overseas at the end of the month - especially since I've made it transportable now. And I can't see myself finishing it before then. I have at least 3 pairs of socks to make in the meantime - 2 of which I have not even balled the skeins of yet. Any ideas about crafting on board a plane? I'm thinking a needle and thread can get on - so cross-stitching could be an option. If I didn't need pins I could take patchwork? I'm vaguely toying with making fans to be appliqued onto blocks later. I could do that with card templates, tack the material on and then overstitch edges together.

I dunno. But the flight from Sydney to JFK is gonna be looooooooooong.

Craft weekend!!!!

2007-10-01T20:13:00.000+08:00

Had a heavy schedue of crafting this weekend. No photos today but will post some this week.

I made a nice indent into the second sock I am making for a gift.

I also pieced half of the kimonos for my kimono wall hanging. There are 12 in the whole piece - 6 dark on calico background and then 6 lighter ones on darker background. I did all the dark on the calicos this weekend. And I'm especially impressed with myself because I fixed one of them that had been sitting in limbo for months. Does that ever happen to you? You're rocking along happily on a project nd then wham! something kind of annoying or fiddly happens and you put it down to fix later and the 'fixing it later becomes so big in your mind that the whole project comes to a grinding halt? That's what happened to me on this one. I bled on a piece of the background ... or something red got stained on it .. and it needed to be fixed somehow. And even though I could have left it for later and done all the other squares and come back, I didn't. Nothing happened and sewing ground to a screeching halt and I worked on knitting instead And you know what? It required undoing 3 seams, replaced the piece, redoing two more seams and voila! Done. I did it. And now the project is full steam ahead. I hope.

The other cool thing I discovered was that I think I was slow on this project because I was working one square at a time. On Friday night I stood and traced out all the pieces for all 12 of the kimonos. I cut them all out and put each kimono set in a ziploc bag. Then when I sat to sew, I could pick up one, and work on that without all the others getting in the way. Organisation! And portability! I loved it! I will definitely use this method in future. The cutting out really stalls the work and puts me off working on it.