Moving and making

We moved house again. We moved downstairs in the same building, which sounds easy but sadly still involved packing and then unpacking every single bloody thing we owned and we couldn’t really get movers when we didn’t need a truck. The new flat is smaller, a whole room smaller, so lots of stuff went to the op shop or out on the street. Four bookcases went out on the street and were gone in a few hours. One pedestrian after another stopping, pulling their phone out to call someone with a car, then standing guard over ‘their’ new shelves.

We own the new flat (well, the bank owns most of it) so we never have to move again. That’s pretty fabulous. We painted the walls with colours because we’ve had so many years of renting places that were beige (the really cheap rentals) or white (the slightly nicer rentals) that having colour seems more luxurious than anything. The kid chose orange. The kid really knows how to live large.

I made myself some socks.

They’re pretty good but check out the baby socks I sent my oldest friend.

She had a baby, I didn’t just send her random baby socks.  That would be weird.

And the slippers the boy and I put together to his design. They’re lovely ornaments. He insists he doesn’t get cold so he doesn’t actually wear them.

I’m still getting my head around the camera in my current phone. Everything’s washed out and blurry til I get the hang of it or give up and go looking for the actual camera.

I decided a few months ago that I needed to conquer my fear of the fly front pant and concluded that making pants for the kid was the best way to test my skills. I had an olive green hand me down remnant that was about right for making him something, so the first pair cost me the price of the zip and the pattern, which is Simplicity 1286. The insides are a mess but they fit and they haven’t fallen apart so it’s a win.

For the second pair I bought the bright green corduroy, thinking that if the kid thought it wasn’t the right colour for him I could make myself a skirt. Sadly he loved the fabric at first sight so I got on with cutting out pants. I was a bit tired after work doing the cutting and didn’t think to add the obligatory extra three inches to the length. The second pair came together faster than the first, though still with a fair bit of looking at finished pants and re-reading the instructions. I left off the belt loops and faux pocket flap on the second pair because I couldn’t be arsed. They’re only going to fit him for five minutes.

I offered the kid three options for the contrast facings (the first pants were faced with the same fabric as the outsides because it’s pretty lightweight, the cord was a bit heavier so I wanted a quilting weight cotton). Two of the options I found in amongst the scraps in the stash were slightly murky greens. The other was this pink floral. Living large on saturated colour, he informed me that the choice was easy. I found a bright green zip and some off bright green bias binding to neaten things up bit. Obviously I couldn’t be bothered changing overlocker thread. In my defence, I had spent the entire Sunday before threading and re-threading and adjusting the tension on the overlocker and I couldn’t face the idea that it might go wrong again.

Then, to make the bottom hems as small as possible, I added a few inches of facing to the teeny tiny hem. They’re Springy sort of pants so I guess when he outgrows them in a few weeks he can turn them up to reveal the gaudy cuffs. He’s really pleased with them. 

I tried to convince the kid that now I’ve figured out how to make him pants I can teach him to make his own pants. He’s unconvinced. The next day I said “It’s Monday, it’s your cooking day”, he replied “Nah, I gave up on that”.

Which is pretty funny because he hasn’t given up on eating.

 

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We finished these, in fits and starts, the boy and I

Bright, multicoloured, flannel pjs. He seems to like them. He is less keen on having is photo taken, so you’ll have to put up with blur.

List of Doom and List of Finished Objects

I haven’t blogged much lately. Recent lists have also included “dentist”, “tax return 09/10” & “pap smear”. I suppose I could have blogged those lists, but frankly, I’m sure you’ve all got your own lists of doom and don’t need to devote any more energy to mine. I hope to emerge from these lists before “tax return 10/11” goes on the list.

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I have been thriftily knitting my way through my stash since November and today I’ve actually taken photos. My friends are finished their PhDs, now they’re having babies. Some of the ones who didn’t do PhDs are having second (and third) babies. There are a lot of babies to knit for, many of them are due in winter, this is excellent. They’ll all get out and about in a Friends of Innercitygarden uniform.

I made a promise to myself that if I knitted up useful things (presents are useful, I would buy something for these babies if I wasn’t knitting for them) from my stash then I would earn some Habu yarn with which I can knit Kirsten’s paper crane top. I’m nearly there. The paper crane has been in my ravelry queue for quite a while.

Details are on ravelry for the interested. I took that last cardigan to craft camp this weekend – I sewed on the buttons and seamed the sleeves and declared it a Craft Camp Finished Object. So what if I did all the knitting part over several months? I worked through a pile of almost finished objects and made them finished finished – I replaced elastic in my fire engine red skirt ready to wear for winter (it’s an 80s wool number, apparently it originally came with a matching batwing sleeve top), attached velcro to the kid’s cape so he can be a superhero (or wizard, it’s black with a star) and warmed up on the craft camp sewing by making a wheat bag for the kid. I can’t photograph it, it’s in his bed. It’s a hand-me-down light brown cordoroy, a very basic rectangle. He loves it. He has low expectations. Anyone who shows him Tania’s wheat bags will have me to answer to. I pieced a doona cover top, I ran out of fabric to do the back of the doona cover. The Bloke had threatened to leave me Craft Camp until I finished finished the doona cover. I was prepared to wait him out. I haven’t photographed it.

I made myself a wrap dress. I’m pretty happy with it. As usual, there are things I’d do differently if I was doing it again, but that’s to be expected with a make it up as you go along type pattern. This is the only photo that’s not totally out of focus. Do you like the stripey sock on the floor? I must have words with Teddy about putting his laundry away.

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Now, the photo above of my list was taken this morning. This evening the list looks like this:

[Buy] caustic soda

Put washing away

Make bread

Superannuation

Make soap

Museli

Knit

Pay childcare bills

Nobody say anything. So long as no one speaks I might be safe from thinking of anything else that is on the list but not currently written down.

The beach skirt

I love a long summer skirt. The sort I know is going to create some breezy airflowyness and also stop my legs from getting burnt, without being all heavy and hot-making. I also love a remnant in a One Week Only Fabric Shop, and the freedom that gives me to experiment with fabric. It is a great thrill to be ok with screwing up, although the fabric is quite lovely and I would have been very sad if I had screwed it up. It took me nearly a year to be ok with cutting it. It’s (I think) a linen knit, I’m guessing like the the one Sooz used for her top, and I bought all there was. I have just enough left over to make a t-shirt for a mouse.

The odd-looking spots are imperfections in and on the mirror. I was going for that comfy capacious feeling one gets from wearing something tent-like or old t-shirty, with the look of something rather more fitted and flattering. So there are little pockety bustlely thingies around the knees, which are working out quite nicely.

Now all there is to do is train the kid to take photos rather than interrupt them, and find a house where the carpet doesn’t clash so badly with my clothes.