My Painting

On Friday I had the opportunity to go and paint. It's something I haven't done since I was a kid and was a lot of fun. Check it out:

Storms!

It seems like we have been getting quite a few dust storms in Arizona this year (and even some rain!) The dust that these storms produce is intense - it basically is a wall of dust that moves across the region. I managed to get a few amazing photos of the most recent storm. Check out how the mountain disappears; these were taken in a span of 5-10 minutes.

 

Finished Object Friday

 

Well today is Friday and I have a finished project to share. The surprising part is what the item is. I figured, based on how far I had gotten by Wednesday, that my finished object would be the cat KAL. However after I finished sewing the limbs yesterday I just couldn't motivate myself to do any more sewing for the face. I really wanted to knit! So I decided to cast on something from my long list of planned projects.

I chose the coffee cozy for the color work challenge. I figured it was the project that I had the best chance of completing before the Ravellenic games. What surprised me is how fast it worked up. I managed to finish it in just a few hours.

This was my first experience with stranded knitting (or anything like it). My previous forays into color were limited to changing color at the end of a row, which is really no different than starting a new skein when you run out on any project. I don't know why I let this intimidate me for so long. It was actually really easy. Plus I crossed something off my resolution list!

For more finished objects, check out Tami's lovely site!

 

WIPs and Blogging

It's time for another WIP Wednesday! This week I am remarkably close to finishing the Mystery Knit Along. I definitely know what it is now - and spoiler alert on the off chance someone is reading this and also participating in the KAL - it's a cat!

I've actually finished with the knitting part and have moved on to sewing. I should finish him this weekend since I only have two limbs and some embroidery left (plus I'm off two extra days this week - yay - so I have more time). Plus I know what I'm going to do with him now. Turns out two more of my coworkers are pregnant (one with twins) and I sort of set a precedent of giving a stuffed animal and story, so this project will be perfect for one of them. Now I just need to find a good kids book involving a cat.

Aside from that I don't have any other projects except for the hibernating socks. Now that I'm done knitting the cat I can get back to them. I also have a few other things planned. I want to participate in the color work challenge that the Simply Notable group is doing on Ravelry. I also plan on doing a dishcloth for the Ravellenic games; this will be my first experience with cables and lace. I'll also need to get two more stuffed animals done. Lastly I have plans to knit a Serina cardigan. It will be my first try at a cardigan. I'm super excited because I found some great yarn at a Joann's clearance. It's the brown and blue yarn in the photo below.

And on an unrelated note, I just realized my 2nd Blogoversary was this week. I really can't believe two years have flown by since I started this blog. My youngest was only six months old when I started. Now he is two! And my oldest will start Kindergarten shortly. It's hard to wrap my head around this, but it's been a great outlet for me. Here's to another year!

 

For more great works in progress, check out Tami's Amis

 

Tutu Tutorial

I finished my second tutu yesterday; this was the tutu for my niece's doll. I thought since I've been talking about tutus a lot this week I would post a tutu tutorial (wow that's a mouthful).

These tutus are so simple to make. The only materials needed are tulle and a piece of elastic. For the tulle I just used the spools that you can buy in most stores.

The first step is to measure the waist. Since mine is a surprise for my niece, poor J had to step in as my model. I figured I would need just a little bit of negative ease so I sewed it about half an inch shorter than I measured. In this case I cut 20" and overlapped it by half an inch to sew it down.

The next step is to cut the tulle. At this point you will need to determine how long you want the skirt to be. Take that number and double it. Then check the width of your elastic and double it. Add the two numbers together. In my example I wanted a 9 1/2 inch length and my elastic was 3/4 inch. So I cut each strip to 20 1/2 inches (9 1/2 + 9 1/2 + 3/4 + 3/4).

Now take the tulle and fold it in half. Place the folded end of the tulle inside the elastic waist, pointing towards the bottom of the tutu. Take the unfolded end and pull it over the top of the elastic and through the loop. Repeat until the elastic is covered. I find it helpful to stretch the elastic slightly while doing this to make sure everything is covered well.

The doll tutu was very similar. I did cut the pieces of tulle in half lengthwise since it was a lot shorter. My doll is 10 inches around and I wanted a 4 in length so each strip was 9 1/2 inches. Otherwise the process was the same.

Voila! That's how it's done!

I'm linking up to parties at It's Overflowing, I heart Naptime, Six Sisters Stuff, and Bru Crew Life.