The other day I came across these cool t-shirt shorts made by Jessica.
I thought it would be nice to have a place where everyone could share their finished shorts and pillows (and whatever I come up with next!). I’ve set up a flickr pool here. I’m still trying to find my way around all the cool stuff I can do with the group, but in the meantime, share your finished shorts and pillows!
UPDATE: Thanks to WhipUp for their link to my pattern!
When it comes to gift giving, it’s really hard to buy for my brother. Same with his girlfriend. They don’t have a lot of time for hobbies because they both work really hard at their jobs and at school. The only thing that is consistent with them is the Hokies. Something burgundy and orange usually goes over well, but how much VT gear can one really want? I decided to ask him. I told him to be honest. Do they both really love the Hokies that much? The answer was YES. So for his birthday, I made him this:
And that’s not even the cool part. Look at the other side:
Because they are so busy with work and school, they wind up watching more games in their living room than down in Blacksburg. I figured a VT-themed remote control pillow would be perfect! What’s even better, I made this out of one of his old VT sweatshirts. He had handed it down to me a few years ago and it had been sitting in my closet for awhile. I figured I’d give it back to him new and improved!
I think this would be a cool gift to make for any sports junkie in your life. It would probably work just as well with a t-shirt. I’d just use a more substantial interfacing to give it structure. I’ve written up a pattern and you can download it here. Let me know if you make one! And as always, drop me a line if you have any questions.
You know what I’m talking about. The Inner Elmo. The la, la, la, la that runs through your head all day. You just want to make it stop. I can imagine that parents with a talking Elmo doll are probably on the brink of insanity. I think that’s maybe what happened to Christy.
We were at knitting one Saturday afternoon and I was talking about how much Bella LOVED Elmo. Christy said she had an Elmo to give me if I wanted one. It was in her closet. I told her thanks, but I don’t need an Elmo that continues to sing la, la, la, la after I turn Sesame Street off. She said no worries. This Elmo doesn’t work anymore. Oh. Well, in that case, cool! We’d love to have an Elmo!
When I brought him home a few weeks later and showed T he had two things to say: “Oh my god, Bella is going to LOVE that!” and “Oh my god, does it talk?” I told him that Elmo was broken and he said, “Cool!”
I showed him the doll and he commented on how heavy Elmo was. All that mechanical stuff inside made him kind of clunky. T suggested that I take it out. Huh? He reminded me that I can sew and that I could do anything I wanted with Elmo. Yes, knowing how to sew can sometimes be dangerous. It makes you fearless with regards to Opening. Up. Elmo.
5 Easy Steps for Silencing your Inner Elmo
I did all of this in the evening after Bella was in bed. I was afraid she’d get upset if she saw me cutting Elmo’s insides out. A few days after he was finished, Bella was freaking out about getting dressed because OH MY GOD PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME TAKE OFF MY ELMO PAJAMAS. I was in a hurry get out of the house, so I made a deal with her: take off the Elmo PJs and I’ll let you play with a real Elmo.
They have been best friends ever since.
T has been riding his bike to work the past few weeks. He needed something to keep his pants from getting caught in the chain. I offered to make him something out my scrap fabric.
We measured twice, with his pants on. Somehow the first one turned out too small and the second one too big. Hopefully, this one will be just right. Once I get the measurements down, I’m going to make a second one for him. I might also write up a tutorial, although it’s pretty straight forward. I used a cotton fabric that looks like denim, but is lighter in weight (and hopefully cooler, too!). I also used some fusible interfacing and velcro.
Did you make something yourself this week? Post it here.
Remember when I mentioned I was doing the Artist’s Way? Well, I am in Week 4 and one of the tasks is a week of reading deprivation. At first, I thought it would be easy. I’m always complaining about how I don’t have enough time to read. How hard could it be?
Well, it’s not just reading. The purpose is avoid distractions that clutter up your creative mind. That includes television. I watch a lot of television. I’m only on Day Two and have had to work really hard not to watch cable news. I pick up the remote dozens of times and then put it back down again. I always joke that I’m addicted to the news. I really need to take a look at this habit!
I also read a lot of blogs. Actually, I never really put blogs in the “reading” category. They’re not like sitting down with a book. They are just little bits here and there that I fit into my day. It has been really hard to work at my computer, check email, and not go to my google reader. In fact, it’s been painful. More painful than not watching the news.
The hardest thing I thought would be giving up evening television. It’s my time to hang out with T. I get a lot of knitting done then. So far, I haven’t missed it at all. I was amazed at all of the stuff the two of us accomplished last night in the three hours between M’s bedtime and my bedtime. I even spent some of the time knitting.
Of course, I found out I had to do this for a week the day after I went to the library and checked out a bunch of books. There is one that I got through inter-library loan that I feel like I should be reading now. It’s about freelance writing. I’m trying to convince myself that it is work-related reading and not brain clutter. I am so eager to move forward with my writing. How can I put this off another week? It can’t possibly go in the same category as the Savor Section of the newspaper, can it?
It’s hard for me to trust in things like “spiritual paths to higher creativity.” I feel like I am such a grounded person. But so far, it has worked really well for me. I’m one third into the program and I am already feeling a sense of purpose and clarity that I haven’t felt in a long time, if ever. It’s killing me not to read that book. Do you think that’s the whole point?
This is one of my favorite pictures from the Kearney Cruise. It was in the 90s with hardly a breeze or a cloud in the sky. There were a lot of cars generating a lot of heat. We spent a good deal of time walking or sitting on hot pavement and asphalt. Here, Bella cools off with a big bucket of ice while her dad, reflected in the window, gulps down a bottle of water.
This week has been so busy. I actually had something else to post today for “I Made it Myself,” but I don’t have time to blog about it. In fact, I can’t believe I’m blogging at all. I got up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday so I could do morning pages and post my socks before we leave for Kearney. Who am I? Here are the socks:
And here are the stats:
yarn: cherry tree hill sock it to me cabin fever
needles: size 2.75 mm
pattern: slip rib pattern from stitch dictionary
I am totally in love with these. I’ll blog more about them later.
