me made may-be

It’s springtime in my universe.

A lifetime supply.

An under the bed storage tub of kitchen cotton, jeez let me think, these must be from around 2009, each baby sized ball is 400g/710yds. There’s a bit of everything in here, but it’s mostly Sugar n’ Cream Confectionery Colors with names like cinnamon, hardcandy, marshmallow and cupcake, 2009 me was obsessed, obviously.

(You may or may not remember way back when washcloths and potholders were my thing ..I guess they still kinda are :)

Spring cleaning in the sense that I’m making something to clean with and not actually cleaning anything.

This color is called coconut, basically it’s unbleach cotton and is always one of my first picks. I can’t stop thinking about how lovely a super impractical lacy handkerchief edging would be on these.

Just the other day / 30 years ago.

It feels both an eternity and a blink has passed.

J + A ♡

I cut my hair a few months back and it messed up my signature schoolmarm bun, but the hairdo situation is finally getting back to normal, thank goodness. Yes, I’m always this kind of sloppy.

Ok, so getting around to me made may (mmm) which I don’t usually do too much for, but the Reynolds Dress pattern by Helen’s Closet has been haunting me for a long while. I bought it straight away when it was released and then cut it out sometime last year. The fabric is a favorite pillowcase print that’s been in my stash even longer.

Some lazy kinda sorta pattern matching and beautiful top stitching.

The face of a pondering girl who should have remeasured her bust and NOT just sewn the size she cut out a year ago. It could just be a fat sewist thing, but I’m so used to being outside of the size range or being at the top end of it, that I just automatically make the largest size with extra allowances and taylor it up/down as needed to fit me. The too big bust for littler boobs solution was to add in an elastic gather at the front, it turned out really sweet, and look the straps are granny bra friendly.

p.s Why do all the photo filters give weird lip?

The rest of my May is going to be filled with mending that pile on the right and hopefully I can get myself together enough to make a Zero Waste Photinia from Fibr & Cloth Studio, I love that one so much.

On a side note we’re eating our way through a jelly advent backlog and I’m having a really hard time recycling any of the tiny useless jars, they’re so fricking adorable! Everytime Lex and I tease Jason about his French boy preserves, he comes back with how he’s a little lad who loves berries and cream. lol.

Pullover Preview

Remember that test knit I talked about for a sec a while back? Well here’s a little process recap now that it’s wrapped up and the Penta Pillar Pullover is now published on James’ website and Ravelry.

Just finished the back of this cute thing. I’ve never knit a modular sweater before and it’s honestly so enjoyable ..but the stockinette curl on every edge is kinda breaking me.

This curl worm specifically.

I went with a 4 color patchwork, I wanted to use up a bit of lowly old stash single and double skeins. In hindsight I think it would’ve been easier with just one yarn, maybe with a long color repeat or even a solid, speckled or tonal color, because they way each modular pillar is worked off the previous pillar it really limits the ends, but add in changing yarns to make a checkerboard / patchwork and it quickly added up to a ton of ends to weave in.

I skipped the sleeves, seamed half the length of the side and just went straight to ribbing for a deep opening drop shoulder tee / vest look.

Self portrait / sink view.

It’s good, so good, I love it.

The seams are soft and pliable and I kept the ribbing extra stretchy by working a backwards yarn over before the knits and a regular yarn over before the purls when binding off, not a new trick, but I’ve found that I’m terrible at keeping things loose and always end up with a tight edge. If that’s you too, an explanation of this kind of stretchy bind off can be found here.

Realizing that my checkerboard squares are rectangles, I guess I could’ve worked a few more rows between color switches, going to remember that for next time. I also really like those squiggly vertical joins, they look kinda like decorative braid or piping.

Top down sweaters with built in necklines, cuffs and hems might always be my preference, but this style of modular knitting was a lot of fun and a really enjoyable, uncomplicated learning experience for a completely different style of sweater construction than I was used to.

A visual reminder of what a ton of ends to weave in looks like, the upside is there is a nice seam to dissappear them into.


Pattern: Penta Pillar Pullover by James N Watts.

Yarn: Solids are assorted Misty Alapaca worsted and speckled is Madelinetosh DK in the colorway The Radness.

Think adorable scarecrow + patchwork dad sweater. Let’s sit outside and talk about fruit trees.

♡

Febs

On a side street eating February ice cream cones in the rain, mine a crunch coat, yours a butterscotch dip.

Not going to lie we eat as much ice cream in winter as we do in summer, what’s unusual is we’ve been having spring like days in the 50s most of February, when we still should be frozen knee deep in snow.

This is all I’m really doing right now- something simple, linen stitch, no pattern.

Three shawl afternoon – the other two are the Romney Kerchief left and the Minai Shawl bottom right.

This color is extremely popular with me.

School Pictures (cat version)

Mae Mae a year in and she is still adjusting in one of the most important ways, learning to love Alexa. It’s been rough for these two, all Lex wants is to pet, snuggle and kiss this little grumpy kitty and mae isn’t having any of it. We’ve tried so many things to help them be friends, like having Lex be the treat giver, the soft food server, the playmate (mae will take treats, eat and play with her, but in the next breath is grumbling and hissing). We are currently using a Feliway diffuser, it works by emulating the natural pheromones released by a mother cat to help calm her kittens, it comforts and reassures scaredy cats reducing their stress response. We have it by her favorite hangout, so she can go get a hit if she starts having big feelings. Fingers crossed.

What’s worse is she is obsessed with Jason and I, purring at the sight of him, gazing up lovingly as he walks by, weaving through his legs as he stands in the kitchen, scrambling to her favorite tower as he leans in the entryway just so she can get in close and get held, or she’s following me around the house, then screaming “hello” when she can’t find me, climbing into my arms like a rubbery baby, getting up in my face shushing me with her paw (gross) if my voice gets loud, and when it’s time for bed, tucking herself in between us. I mean yeah, she gives attitude to everyone at times, she’s a tortie, you can definitely tell she misses being a wild girl. Current nicknames include: big girl, little bitch lasagna (kiki was the original bitch lasagna), beelzebub but drop the bub and say baby – beelzebaby. Oh and snake lady.

♡