What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

A Baby Vest and A Book



I have finished two crocheted cowls recently and decided I ought to pick up one of the many UFO's lying around.  (That's unfinished objects, btw)  I began the Colin Vest last year (maybe two years ago????) when I was beginning to try to hone my knitting skills.  I began the newborn size because only one skein of this beautiful yarn was mailed to me... I wanted to be sure I had enough so I went with the smallest size.

Eventually, I set it aside because it was just too depressing- working on a newborn thing for no reason at all.

But I am determined to cut down on those unfinished bits lying about so I picked it back up and have found that the knitting is not as tedious for my fingers as it had been when I last set it down.  A happy surprise!  I don't know what I will do with it when it is done.  Maybe frame it and hang it on the wall as my first knitted garment item?  I love the yarn so much.  The colors remind me of a foggy day at the beach, when the ocean looks dark and looming and the mist lifts from the sea.  I really could hang it on the wall and enjoy it.  More likely, it will find a newborn body somewhere to keep warm and snug.

I am reading Someday You'll Write, which I discovered in bed last night as I opened the first page, was written for a 12 year old girl who dreamed of becoming a writer.  So it is a childrens' book.  Nevertheless, I was captivated and entranced as I read on and found myself transfixed and somewhere between the page I began and the last paragraph that I read, I realized I had become a girl again... just needing a kind person to take me by the hand and do a bit of gentle coaxing, with some sound advice mixed in, so that a girl may believe her dreams are possible.



In those little bits of time throughout the day when I can't read but I can flip, I have piles of crafty books laid here, there and everywhere...hoping for some homemade gift inspiration.

43 more days until Christmas and my sewing machine is no more.

It has been no more for quite some time.  I have been working on older, used sewing machines for so long (and paying for repairs incessantly) that I decided I would buy a brand new one the next time the sewing machine broke.  And then break it did and I didn't have the money at the time so I never did. And now, quite suddenly, it is prime christmas-making time and I have no sewing machine!

Of course, a sewing machine would be too kind to wait until AFTER the Christmas gift making to heave its' last sigh....but that would be too easy and too perfect, wouldn't it?  So any handmade gifts this year will NOT be of the sewn variety.

And I feel quite handicapped about it.  Now, all of a sudden, all my ideas are sewn.  Ironic.

What are you up to?  Do you intend to make any Christmas gifts this year?  Have you begun to think about Christmas gifting yet?  Read any good books lately?  Come on- let's chat!


10 comments:

Unknown said...

Oooooo...Elizabeth Yates! I'll have to look that book up! :)

I hope to make/finish Annie a throw quilt, but we will see. She thinks it is for my SIL. ;) So hard to hide things with all these kiddos around here.

Rain said...

That vest is so sweet! I was de-cluttering my craft bin this afternoon and found the size 4 vest I cast on for my now 16! yr. old son. sigh.
I have lots of crafty plans, but little time. I hope to finish a beautiful lace scarf for my mil, a kitty (pattern from Alicia Paulsen) for my 7 yr. old daughter, a stuffed dinosaur for my 3 yr. old, a hat for my 19 yr. old daughter. Clearly I won't get to all of it, but one can try.

Michelle said...

Sending you an email!

Michelle M. :)

lydia.purple said...

just one thought about buying a new sewing machine... when i bought my machine a few years back, i wanted a new pfaff, but when i went to the store i was quite disappointed by the cheapy plastic they're made of and the price tag. so i did some research and found that the 25 year old pfaff stretch and jeans 6091 is one that still many people enjoy and bought one in good condition off ebay for an eighth of the price of the newer pfaff models with comparable features. just that mine is all metall and basically unbreakable and the newer ones are mostly plastic.i never had an issue with this machine in 5 years so far.

one gift idea that doesn't require sewing... homemade craft sets. that will work for anything. just some yarn a pair of needles and instructions for a knit or crochet pack, or cut out felt petals, some yarn and thread, fun buttons, some plain hair pins, glue and instructions how to make your own flower hair pins... or a few fabric scraps and thread, a pair of scissors and some simple doll clothes pattern for a sew your own doll clothes craft pack... i did this in the past and it was always a loved gift. i usually hand draw my instructions and pack everything nicely so it looks sort of professional. it's so fun to make too and much faster than actually making the finished product for the person.

Bobbi said...

I'm knitting a hat for my mother in law, and sicks for my boy, and my first adult sweater!! Just a fun heads up, I've found wonderful super wash merino on AMAZON of all places!! For great prices!!

Bobbi said...

Socks!! Ha ha

Rebecca said...

Amy~ clever way to get things done around the kiddos! :-D

Rain- I won't tell you how relieved I am to hear that I am not the only one. You've got quite a list going! (BTW- I LOVE Alicia P's Fox and Kitty. She is the greatest.)

Michelle- awesome.

Lydia- that is so true about the big heavy metal machines. Unfortunately, that is the one that is giving me the trouble and no one around here seems to know how to fix it! They return it with more problems than it left with! The craft kit idea is a great one- last year I made homemade perfume and lip balm kits for some of my younger sisters. A candle kit too! They were hits! I think I need to branch out a bit more!

Bobbi- holy cow! You must knit at lightening speed! Your first adult sweater! Coolness! Will it be for you? That is a lot of exclamation points! But worth it! OKay. I'll stop now. ;-)

Unknown said...

hi, it's celina in virginia...

i have a sewing machine, bought in the late 90s, USED ONCE....and in a nifty travel case....it is a singer...

i would give it to you for shipping only....it is such ashame that it would be so expensive to ship....can you send things by bus here in the usa?

or any chance of having a connection between the 2 places??

my email addy

cjjjjb@verizon.net

let me know...no rush...

Timelesslady said...

I love to learn something new..."UFO"...definitely too many of those lying around my house. :)

Stefanie said...

My advice would be to watch for a used made in Sweden or Switzerland model to come up somewhere. If possible maybe at a dealer that will warranty it for a year.
Some of the new stuff lacks quality but still has a big price tag, it seems they are disposable now.
I too have repaired when I should of junked, so I am hoping something good comes your way. I can't wait for the sewing posts.