Wednesday, July 30, 2008

FO: Lacy Little Top

So, how cute is this?

I LOVE this top & am so grateful that Robin got sick of knitting it! I was thinking about knitting this one for a long time, and am so glad I did. Plus, I didn't have to do the lace part, so bonus!
The details:
Pattern: Lacy Little Top
Yarn: Elann Canapone
Needles: KP Harmony 4's
Size: 32
Mods: I despise I-cord, so I did my crochet chain method for the tie. (chain the length of the desired cord + 10%. Then slip stitch into the 'butt' of each chain)
Thoughts: I was sooooo nervous the hemp wouldn't block out at first, but it was all for naught. I pulled and tugged and pinned it into submission & It fits great!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

80s Meme

Before we get to the fun part, Lacy Little Top is blocking! Can't wait to try it on!


OK, I saw the coolest meme ever on Robin's blog Friday, and I had to steal it & join the fun. It's a show your 80's hair photos and answer some 80's questions meme. Awesome!! Warning: High Hair Ahead!!


Peg your Z.Cavarricis, clutch that industrial size can of Aqua Net, and raise that lighter to the tune of a power ballad. Gnarley! We are going 80s today, people! Show us your 80s hair!

Here are the rules:
1.Expand on the questions as much as you can. It makes it more fun for the rest of us.
2.Show us your hair, whether it be preppy or skyscraper bangs. Post some photos and make it fun. We promise not to laugh, we have them too!
3. If you get the meme from a blog, leave a comment on that person's blog so they can see your responses.
4. Post links to any videos from www.youtube.com to your blog that help you and your readers to relive the 80s.
5. Party like it's 1999.

We are so stoked to see your responses.
Post your 80s hair here!

OK, here's the pictures:
This one is of me & my dad & oldest brother. The point of showing it is the outfit. Bon Jour shirt from Lerner NY and Jordache jeans. I wore this outfit at least once a week for 3 years straight:
Fave outfit ever

This one is of my surprise 16th birthday party. I never had a steady boyfriend until 12th grade, so this is just the 'flavor of the month' as my friends called him. Check out those pants! And, I was dating a guy with a mustache at 16? WTF?
Sweet 16

This is my sophomore year prom date (he was a Junior; we just went as friends). What is WITH the hair?
Interesting hair choices

The next two are my senior pictures. You could take one or two poses with your friends, and one with those awesome velvet drapes and pearls. I can't find the one with my friends, but here's the one my high school sweetie took with me:
Why?
He was my longest HS relationship. We dated my senior year, and the following year which was his senior year. Then he went off to college and that was that. We're the same age, but I was an early kindergartener at 4 and he went when he was 5.
Now for the drapes pose:
Senior Pic
So serious!
Then, I committed the biggest big hair sin ever... Glamour Shots!! I have no clue what got on my picture here & I clearly need to dust my scanner glass:
Glamour Shot
After this picture was taken, I grew out the bangs and stopped getting the semi-annual perms. I've been straight ever since. Thank GOD!!

Here are the questions:

1. Preppy or Rocker
Rocker all the way. I have NEVER owned penny loafers and don't ever plan to.

2. Z Cavarricis or Guess Jeans and Espirit or Benetton?
Wha????? We wore Jordache acid washed jeans with the zips at the bottom or we didn't bother going to school.

2. Favorite Pop song of the 80s
Probably 'Livin on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi

3. Most Annoying Pop song of the 80s
'Mickey' by Toni Basil. Annoying but damn, it's catchy!

4. Hair Metal or Heavy Metal- Who was your favorite performer and favorite song?
Hair metal. Did you SEE those pictures??? I liked Jon Bon Jovi & Kip Winger the most.

5. What posters were on your bedroom wall or college dorm room?
I had every single surface of my room plastered with hair metal band posters and pictures. I had a Bon Jovi wall, a Poison wall, an Aerosmith Wall, a misc. wall, and Kip Winger on the ceiling above my bed. Sick, right?

6. What concerts do you remember most from the 80s?
My first was Stryper with my very religious brother, but I went to a Poison/Cinderella concert a few weeks later. I still go see those guys whenever they come through my city. They rock!!

7. Favorite 80s movies
Dirty Dancing. I was one of those people that saw it like 19 times in the theater.

8. Favorite 80s movie quotes
Oh, jeez. There are too many great ones.

9. Top 3 most memorable pop culture moments of the 80s for you.
Hands Across America
Challenger explosion
Berlin Wall

10. Favorite 80s cartoon
He-Man, Smurfs, and Strawberry Shortcake

11. Favorite 80s commercials
I have to go with the classic "Where's the beef?" Wendy's commercial

12. Boy George or Wham?
Wham, definitely.

13. Favorite one-hit wonder
Not sure this counts since they didn't have THAT big of a hit, but I'll say Steelheart with 'Never Let You Go.' Youtube says it's copywright 1990, but I was still in the 80's until 1993 at least.

14. INXS or Depeche Mode
INXS. Michael Hutchence was sooooo hot.

15. Poison or Warrant
Poison. No, Warrant. No, Poison. OK, both.

16. Did you ever meet a rocker or 80's pop icon? Where were you?
I met Alice Cooper when I was working in a movie theater when I was in college. He didn't have any makeup on, so I had to blink a few times for it to register who he was. I said, "Are you....?" and he said, "Yes." I said, "$5.50, please."

17. Snap bracelets or Jelly bracelets?
Jellies. Hundreds of them.

18. Fess up. Who had the garden weasel bangs? Did you ever measure your wall o' Aqua Net love?
We all did. The bigger the better.

19. Favorite 80s sitcom
Growing Pains. Kirk Cameron had a spot on the miscellaneous wall.

20. Is Jon Bon Jovi still hot or what?
OMG, YES!!!

21. "Double Dare" or "You Can't Do That on Television"
Double Dare. Good stuff.

22. Who was your favorite Brat Packer?
Molly Ringwald. I could totally relate to her in so many ways.

23. Jellies or Reebok Pumps
Neither, really. I did have a pair of electric purple Reebok high tops, though. Does that count?

24. Favorite pizza parlor arcade game
Miss Pac Man. But I never was that good. Kiss pinball was pretty cool too.

25. Deep South "Good 'ol Boys" or "L.A. underground vigilantes wanted for a crime they didn't commit"
Dukes all the way, baby! I never missed a single episode.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Yay! Presents!

The other day Robin, of Yarn Crawl fame, asked me if I would like a sweater she was half-done knitting because she couldn't take the hemp yarn anymore. I completely understand her frustration with the stuff; it can really be rough to work with. But I LOVE the sweater she was working on and I also don't mind the hemp so much, so I was happy to release her from her UFO prison. Here's what she sent me; she totally did the hard part for me:
Lacy Little Top
And a little BONUS hemp!
Lana Hemp
Love the green! I have no idea which of their tops I am going to make with it.... There are so many patterns to pick from & I can't decide! But anyway, back to Lacy Little Top, I haven't been able to keep my hands off it since it arrived, and am just about done:
Lacy Little Top
It looks like it should fit a 12 year old, but I know that hemp will block to whatever I tell it to block to, so I'm not too worried. Thanks again, Robin! Can you tell I like it? ;)

p.s. Have you guys read Twilight? I'm reading it now & WOW. It's billed as teen lit, but like Harry Potter, adults get just as sucked in. Can't wait for the movie this Christmas!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Sewing FO: Mccall's 3566

Well, I took the plunge and cut and sewed ACTUAL swimsuit fabric this weekend! I like the boy short bottoms of the McCall's pattern I showed last time:

And, here's my version of them:

They fit really well. I'm so glad I made the muslin! Here's my favorite RTW pair on top of the new ones:

So, as you can see, they're pretty close in size! I don't really like any of the tops in the pattern, so I'm going to wait for my Jalie pattern to come in (which should be soon!) before I make the top for it. I am loving having the freedom to make my own swimsuits, because I HATE HATE HATE shopping for them!

Monday, July 07, 2008

O, Hai!

I can’t believe the last thing I blogged was that faux pregnant picture of myself. I have been up to a lot since then. Progress is happening on Joe’s sweater:
Anniversary
I also made him a swiffer cover (he loves to vacuum and swiffer the house):
Swiffer cover
The pattern is loopy dust mop sleeve by MK Carrol. I changed the pattern a bit to accommodate my swiffer Max (which just means it’s bigger). And, I also liked the bobbles on this swiffer cover for holding it on, so I improvised some bobbles for mine. I love how the yarn made those stripes!
Then, I made a baby feet washcloth (with improvised bobbles again for the toes) for the bff:
Baby feet washie
After my all cotton, all the time stint, my hands and wrists were begging for some wool. So, who am I to refuse them? I started Salina from Vintage Knits with some JoSharp Silkroad DK from the stash:
Salina
I have been wanting to make this one for a while, and am glad I finally got off my butt and started it. In sewing news, I made a muslin of the shorts on this pattern:

Sorry, no modeled shot of that one! I’m glad I made the muslin, because I need to go down 2 sizes from what I thought I was and I didn’t waste any good fabric finding that out. Also, the crotch of this pattern is kind of weird, so I may try to figure out how to improve their design a little. Or maybe not. We’ll see. Rocco helped the whole time, of course:

What is it about pattern tissue and freshly washed fabric that is irresistible to kitties?? Oh, speaking of fabric, I just realized I never blogged about our trip to Osgood’s. We couldn’t take the bike because it was rainy that day, but it’s only 40 minutes away, so we went in the car anyway. I got a few knits to make some tops (just solid colors, nothing exciting), and MORE swimsuit material:

I really hope all these swimsuits come out OK. I’ll have plenty of practice if not! How was Osgood's, you're wondering? It was……… overwhelming. There was fabric everywhere and it wasn’t the best organizational skills I’ve ever seen. The knits and spandex blends were together for the most part, but I found some random sections of it mixed in with the cotton and with the satins. I can’t complain though, it was more fabric than I’ve seen in a really long time. I'll be back, but I'm going to need a shot of whiskey or something first. LOL