Work on it Wednesday

Sheesh! I'm working on trying to catch up. I was buried under the Halloween costumes (I still need to get it together and post a picture! what a slacker!. Now, I'm hard at work on Christmas gifts. We're going to see family for Thanksgiving so the pressure is on to knock out some of these gifts so I can take them with me. That won't leave much time for much else since I'm a notoriously slow crafter. I've got a long list of holiday sewing planned to...now just to find the time for it. Sometimes I wish I could clone myself, lol.

Work on it Wednesday

There's just a few days before my younger children head back to school. I have lots to do to get ready so that is what I'm working on. Making a last pass through the closets and dressers to see what needs to be purchased. Reviewing the school supply list and shopping for what's needed. Cutting hair and otherwise getting them spiffed up. I also want to update my home management binder and the file box I use to keep kids stuff (you know all those forms and papers that have to go back) organized. So, I'd say that should keep me busy enough for the next day or two.

Work on it Wednesday

Today? Today it's all about errands. I need to go to the bank, I need to get the oil changed in my car, I need to pick up the items I still need for O.'s recital on Saturday. I need to run by the grocery store. I need to go pick up the wood for my square foot garden. I need to go to the library and pick up the books I have on reserve. I need to go purchase the paint for the 1/2 bathroom. I think that's it...that should keep me busy for awhile. Oh and when I finish that I plan to work on my socks. I'm almost done. I'm doing the toe decrease right now. I can see a few problems with them, like on one sock I must not have went in far enough in picking up the gusset stitches or else I dropped a stitch or something because I have a hole there. I'll fix it up when I finish. These are my practice cheap yarn socks to learn two at time sock knitting. The next pair I have planned are using some beautiful Colinette yarn that I paid about $23 dollars for a skein. Expensive socks! I don't want to screw those up so I'm working out the learning curve on some Encore Plymouth. Well, I better get going, busy day!

Work on it Wednesday

Taking a break from household projects and kicking my gift giving plans in to high gear. Mother's day is next month and I'd like to get my gift to my mother finished and mailed off on time. Can't say what it is since I know she checks on here and it's a surprise. Also I need to figure out what to make E. for his birthday, plus book his party venue now. So, I'll just be working hard on these things. S.'s birthday is next month too, but he's much easier to shop for since he just wants cash to buy clothes, fashion plate that he is! Just working on the homefront in a different way.

Tackle It Tuesdays!

I'm a busy girl...just like most of you, I'm sure. I have a mental list of a million things I need to accomplish and I'm easily distracted by shiny objects, lol. So, I thought I'd issue myself a weekly challenge to check some of those lingering projects off my to do list. I picked Tuesday because it's one of the few days of the week that I have a couple hours to myself and I liked the alliteration of "Tackle It Tuesday", lol. So, what to do first? Ah yes, the junk drawers...yep that's plural. I don't like visual clutter, yet I don't always take the time to find a place for things so you can see how that might have led to my current problem. So, that's what I will do first tackle those junk drawers.

UFO List

From time to time I have to make a list. I am apt to start a new knitting project or cut out a bunch of stuff without finishing other stuff and these list just keep me focused. I have quite a few things on my list, but amazingly enough I've been plugging through some of them as of late. Let's see now...what to do, what to do. Well there's...
1. O's quilt. I'm making progress, but there is probably no one in the world that despises hand sewing as much I do. I'm on the binding... and it will certainly take me forever. I have allowed that if I finish this by her birthday, it'll be a miracle.
2. Gads of undies for the boys. I have so many knit scraps and they need new underwear that it just makes sense to make them some. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself
3. Cross front (ala Diane von Fustenburg) dress. I've had this cut out since the summer. I don't even remember what size I cut it out as. I hope it fits. The fabric is going to give me nightmares. It's the lovely thin drapey, clingy jersey that seemed perfect in theory. We shall see.
4. Cloth ballet slippers for me. You know I have a thing about going barefooted so I thought I'd make up a couple pair of these
5. Jean capri's for me. Again cut out in the summer and thinking that the size I cut out is probably too big. I don't know why I even bothered I buy jeans all the time at the thrift store...but I guess it's just to say, I made them. It'll be my first time making actual jeans. That's right, I'm a jean virgin.
6. Weekender Bag. I don't really have anywhere to go...but maybe if I make a bag, I will, lol.
7. Slipcovers. Ok...so they are not cut out or anything, but I've really been seriously thinking about them.
8. Finish knitting socks for me, E & O.
9. Finish O's sweater...ugh, this is one of those projects that I started off enthusiastically, but soon lost interest in. I shall return to it lest it be too small by the time I actually finish it.
10. Finish the tshirts I have cut out for the boys. I want these finished so they have some transitional clothes to go from winter to spring.

See there...just a few things.

Progress!

So, I've been working very diligently on my UFO list. I've finished the 6 pairs of undies for O. and am almost done with N.'s birthday gift (the sundress and shirt combo), also been making tons of progress on my second knit project. I plan to spend some time sewing today. I'll finish up N.'s stuff so I can get it in the mail by tomorrow, finish my gym bag so I can use it tonight for my spin class, finish the tunic for O. and perhaps finish the TDK bag which will be part of the Christmas presents pile. It's a good start...I like to see that list getting smaller, lol.
Just thought I'd share pictures of 4 of the pairs of undies. Two aren't pictured since one was in the wash (the first pair of Ottobre ones done exactly by their directions using elastic which I don't care for) and one pair she was wearing.
The pink pair at the top right were made using the new TDK undie pattern that I was one of the lucky testers for. I like them. I love that they use c/l for the waist and legs. They are very modestly cut which is appealing too. However for O. I'd make a few modification, I sewed up size 4 without seam allowance so I guess they are like a 3 which fits her perfectly, but I feel that the front rise hits her in an odd place and could be prone to bunching so I'd raise that and I'd like a deeper leg hole because I thought they were more of a boy cut than a girl cut, but dd doesn't mind that at all since she regularly wears her brothers undies, lol. The other 3 are my version of Ottobre brief done using c/l for the waist and legs. I might try using lastin wrapped in rib knit too. Anyway, I have to say that underwear making is very addictive. You can get rid of tons of scraps and they are so cute and fast. Instant gratification projects. TDK is working on a her boy version which will be perfect since I have tons of boys scraps and my boys are much more the tighty whitey type of underwear guys than the boxer brief kind of guys which is probably why I never finished the many pair of boxer briefs I had cut out. (yeah, that's the reason).