Thursday, December 14, 2023

2023 Makes

 So many makes this year, some house related, but a few items of clothing, many knit things and a couple of beaded things.


As I moved photos over I realized how much I really did accomplish in a year where moving into a new home was the big event, I still did bead, knit and sew a lot!


Here is my coat I drafted from a coat I owned and made totally reversible.  The floral fabric was gifted to me by someone in the local buy nothing facebook group.  I also used my embroidery machine to embroider some tula pink accents.




I cast on the first of these hats in grey for my friend Sherry.   It's the April hat from the Kelbourne wool series year of the hats.  Then I cast on a green to go with my night shift shawl but my friend Tracy liked it so that one became hers.  The third time I found an even better match to the nightshift and made myself one.  While I'd like a pink one, three in a row was enough.








Our new development has a lot parties, this one being Halloween.  I couldn't find a decent witches broom in the stores so I made one with a bunch of dried flowers, some tulle and a dowel which I painted black.




This is Steven Wests Esjan which is on a time out because the mohair lace edge is truly daunting and I'm not sure I love it.  So trying to decide what to do with it.  The yarn is a cashmerino gifted to me by my friend Lynne and was a special colorway from the Mermaid Purl in Rhode Island.  It's dreamy and needs to be turned into something wearable.



I joined in on a knit along at the slow fiber store in Monterey and made this helix cardigan.  Then I was gifted a book on knit embroidery by my friend Susan and did this tone on tone floral embroidery down one shoulder.






My friend Tracy makes these beautiful embossed hearts and provided a kit for turning them into earrings.  They are amazing.  I made a matching imagin love and peace necklace as well.



 Tracy and I collaborated on this piece 'imagine peace and love' to teach at a retreat in October of this year.  We had a blast.  Tracy made all the  hearts with words by request and I made all of the shrink plastic toppers.  Everyone's piece became uniquely their own!



My adventures in bead embroidery started with this sweet pouch made for my friend Anita to hold her hand embroidery supplies.  

Pinterest inspired front do or basket which is a nice alternative to a wreath.

Mark turned 75 t his year and at his party I invited everyone to paint a garden rock, this one is mine.


Also for Mark's birthday I made a colorful banner



One of my favorite knitwear designers is Andrea Mowry.  This is her winter beach cardi which I adore.  Lot's of cabling and pockets!  A bit of a tedious knit but worth it.  I completed the bulk of it during our five week trip to Holland this year.



By request for an 8 year old birthday these are a watercolor pastel gradient.  This little one likes everything rainbow so she got her socks in a rainbow  bag embroidered with her name.





These three peace signs were commission by a friend of a friend who had seen hers and my friend connected the two of us.  It's not my style to make three of the exact same thing but I was grateful for the commission and she was happy with the outcome.  



Home project included ombreing the front of these ikea cabinets for the studio.  I love how they came out.  
 In the summer I attended an indigo dyeing workshop at my friend Kates house with a number of woman with whom I do an annual sewing retreat.  Kate gifted this fabric which I dyedd and then make these elope pants, adding the detail of the cargo pocket which I copied from my favorite Johnny Was cargo pants.  I also make the shirt, but that was a couple of years ago.

Also from the indigo workshop.  I intend to mount them in brass circles and use them as decor.....someday.

These roman shade window treatments were a joint effort with Mark.  I did the sewing, he did the hanging.  I used a tutorial from 'a square pillow isn't square' you tube channel which gave really great instructions.  I priced having these made at $350 a window and I made them for a little over $75 a window including all the fabric and supplies, but certainly not my time!  I do however love the result.




An easy knit with a great result, this a free pattern on ravelry called the age of brass and steam which my friend Heather introduced me to.  The yarn is a squishy indie dyed yarn I bought in seaside in Oregon a couple of years back.



This year before Holland we visited Maine where friends Miriam and Sherry were teaching.  I also met Apolina for the first time and was able to make this gorgeous piece of hers.


Friend Cindy Holsclaw designed this amazing piece called Keplers  Harmony and from the first time I saw it I knew I had to make one!  Another beaded piece I completed while in Holland.


And the third piece from that trip was this one of Miriam's.   She made me my very own colorway and I love it!


A sweet, pink, easy to knit and easy to wear shawl called fandango.  




This is the felix cardigan done in peace fleece.  It's got a sweet raglan detail on the sleeves.  T his may have been completed in 2022, my memory is a little distorted this year with all the house stuff.


another hat from the Kelbourne collection, this may be the august hat....I did the first one for Sherry with cream and pink motif's and then did the inverse for Miriam so they could be hat twins.  Ot was my first latvian braid and it was fun.

This I bought as a  it from Roxannes in Carpenteria.  My friend Carole and I traveled there together while I was living in Ventura last year.  I believe it was called evening in Paris.  It was a fun knit and also easy to wear.



This was a sweet sweater for a newborn grand niece.  I know I got the yarn and pattern at Monarch my local, very good yarn store.  I don't recall the pattern at the moment.


This took some time!  It was a pinterest inspired ombre for my studio cabinets.  Painting them befo 
re assembly was indeed the way to go!


and finally a pair of shortie cabled socks made from fiber co sock wool which I really like!



Wednesday, December 22, 2021

my annual post!

 Well that was not the intent to make this blog one annual post,  but a quick look tells me that is what is true, I posted last, in December of 2020 and now it is December of 2021.

So what did I do in a year?

We used the safety of the airstream to do some travel including visits with friends and family.  I returned to sewing class and have had varied results, but the last two makes were good ones.

I made some health changes, choosing to eliminate alcohol for the most part (for now, we'll see what the future holds) increased the walking and lost twenty five pounds (so far).  I feel 90% better....it would be 100 but my body is sometimes in reaction to my age and is sometimes achy and crickety.

I also made a lot of stuff!


metamorphosis by sew liberated




Sew sweetness train case


Tiny tassels


a few shrink plastic bottles


How I roll socks with yarn cafe creations mini skeins


sweet bottle in pink




Sabine Lippert heart



Yarn Minder bag by sew sweetness



Tracy Stanley heart



Pink fizz by Andrea Mowry



Shawl pin by Sabine Lippert


Tiny tassels
hand warmers with beaded cuff



fabric bowls from Modern fabric bowls




Merriweather in Kestrel by quince and co


Sugar slip in white linen by Tina Givens
Gifted earrings
Yarn minder gifted


sugar slip in black linen tina Givens
airstream travel in Santa Cruz Ca
summer socks little boxes by Summer Lee knits
ghastlies fabric coin purse by Sew Sweetness
Noodle head bag purl fabric
sunshine in my pockets for Bella's 6th birthday
Julies wrap by Joji Locatelli
uneek socks by Urth
Levenwick in Brooklyn tweed, buttons by Lisa Peters Russ
woolfork by Jacqueline Cieslak from the book Embody.  Fabric by Tina Givens
Felix in Peace Fleece from the wooly thistle
Thalia by Tina Givens in stretch bamboo fleece from Mood
Vanilla sweater kit from wooly thistle
heart by Tracy Stanley embroidered by me
magnolia cardigan, yarn from Apricot yarn supply 
noodle head pattern redwood tote in canvas linen, gifted


Birdie designed by Heather Kingsley Heath
Vogue 7700 in Tina Givens cotton lawn
me with my honey at Sensorio in Paso Robles





Half of the family at Chaminade Santa Cruz


Merry Christmas to all!