It Had to Happen

Suddenly from somewhere deep in my head the vision of another unfinished project surfaced. So numerically speaking, I'm back where I started with 66 projects to go.  But who the heck is speaking numerically?  Because I have one completed project and 66 to go, not zero completed projects.

A lime green fleece vest is in my future.  The pieces have been pinned in place.  I did that sometime before June, but it went no further.


                                                                    
I have been working on my red blouse. Speaking about a red blouse, I'm very fond of Antonio Carlos Jobim.  Do you know the name?  Were you cognizant in the 60's?  I loved Brazilian jazz/ samba.  I still do.
What's she talking about now? You ask.  Still Antonio. The second cut on his 'Wave' album is 'The Red Blouse.'     I have his albums Wave and Tide.  I had no clue how to attach the MP3 to my blog so I went to Youtube.  Alas, no Antonio playing The Red Blouse, so this is the one I picked.  Normally it's an instrumental,   I like this one anyway. I hope you enjoy it too.      The Red Blouse by Nos Quatro
Do check out Carlos on Youtube, he's there. Or you could listen to samples. here.


My aqua hoodie is coming along nicely.  No photo yet.  It excites me to do something new to me and have it work out.  So putting the sleeve stitches on to scrap yarn, casting on new stitches and  then going on with just the body of the sweater just made my day.  I am trying hard to finish this by August 1st, but as I started the blog on July 9th, I have until August 9th to finish.  We will see.


Quiet little drum roll here.  Presenting . . . . .In person . . . . . that 35 pound bundle of fun . . . . . . 
                                   Sophie Louisa Marie 

Oh, believe me she is a bundle of fun.    She's just darn cute when she's asleep.

        
This her more vibrant self. You might want to mute this, I'm loud.

More stuff as soon as I can manage. Hope your day is sparkling.

Oops

As I started to work on Sewing Project #2, I realized that the pattern I posted here was not actually the one I cut out for this red blouse.  So here is the correct one.  Again my close-up photos are not very clear.

I'm making the short-sleeved top like the two in front, but no skirt or slacks.

I have also been sewing for the theatre as I mention.  Doing repair work, taking out old stitching and making some cravats.  You know in the early 1800's in France men wore cravats rather than ties.    The costume coordinator plans to have some group sewing days. We'll see what happens.

Brocade and satin cravats, white breeches, a ruffled shirt and other such things. Enough for now.

And what about the garden? Garden? Yes, just a couple of photos.  It's because veggies and flowers are so wonderful.

A hellebore.

A daylily

My first bell pepper.

My raised bed all fenced in and veggies growing.





Thank you for visiting.  Please come again.  You never know what might be waiting.

One down. Sixty-five to go.

Well, howdy.  And hooray for me!  I finally finished one of my projects.  It's the Valentine scrub top.  How I wanted some great photos, but  I live alone so there was no one but me to take me modeling it.  That didn't work out very well.  I'd hoped to show it with red pants and with black.  Red looked best.  You'll have to take my word on that.

  

So here it is all done.

This is the pattern I used.  I used to have a large bust and regular scrub patterns don't have darts.  So I ended up looking like a chubby RN with shoulder pads like a football player under my top.  This pattern has three different necklines.  I often chose the square as it was so different from regular scrubs.  There were no pocket with the pattern so I cut large patch pockets and added them.  A nurse has to have her tools handy.

A bit of history on my next sewing project.  In 2005, I bought a beautiful pair of shoes. Josef Seibel. Red

                                                                                                                

They are pretty.  Don't you like that black stitching?  I didn't wear them though.  Are you crazy? You ask.  Well,  I didn't have anything to wear them with.  Sooooooo,  I took my shoes to the fabric store.  It's true.  The shop salesperson thought I was strange.  Or different.  She smiled indulgently at me.  So I found this fabric. 

 See the red is almost the same shade and it has some tiny black flowers there.

This the pattern.  I really tried to get a better shot, but when I used the flash it  completely whited-out the envelope.  Perhaps you can  click on it and it will be easier to see.

So for some reason I've had endless troubles with posting today.  Photos not working out as I'd hoped,  trouble placing photos on the page and aligning the text where I wanted it.  I don't know why as I'd not had these problems  before.

Ah, well.  It okay now because I'm done for today.  With posting, but not with my projects.  I need to do some knitting and work on the theatre sewing too.

Come back a see me a few days.  There might be more.  Rowing at 0500 tomorrow and no rehearsal for me until Saturday.  Ciao.

Finished my first week of rowing

Yes, it's true.  I did manage to do all three of this week's lessons..  Big deal you say?  Wait a minute.  Two of those were at 5AM and 50 miles away.  Tuesday morning it was very chilly.  The wind off the river was cold a rather nice change from 95 degrees during the day.  Today not so much wind and we really rowed for a long ways down the river.  Eight row people and a coxswain (instructor) in each boat.  And another coach in a launch watching our technique from a distance.

Just before dawn. Waiting on the dock.  Waiting to be assigned a position.  What a lovely start to the day.

Notice how choppy the water is?  That was Tuesday with all the wind.  Today the water was smooth, but I was too busy rowing. seat 2 in the bow, to get a photo. But I did take one after we got ashore.

We carried it out in the dark, but thank goodness it was light when we had to put it back.  You should see us lifting it out of the river.  Maybe I can get a photo of that on Saturday.  

My class is a mixed group. Young working people and retirees, fit folks getting fitter and not so fit and chubby,. ( This would be me.)  Our instructor is wonderful, informative, caring, and positive.


THE CHALLENGE:   I have been working on my knitting and sewing projects this week and making progress.  I'll have the scrub top done by next post and I've already picked out which one to do next.  The knit hoodie will easily take me the full month to finish.

Here are a couple of finished items from my past so you can see that I do get things done.

Going to church on Easter in their "Little House on the Prairie" dresses.   I used a Hollie Hobbie pattern which had a knee-length or long version.  I just shortened the long one to make it more like Laura's and Mary's.

Ninja Boy AKA my grandson.  His mom is the little one in yellow above.  Making costumes is lots of fun.  That's one of the reasons I volunteered to help at the theatre.



I love to knit socks.  Here's a pair knitted with Noro Kureyon.   I am mad about this yarn  How I love hand knit socks,  the fit is excellent and they look so cool when wearing Birkenstocks.



I close for this time, but I will be back.  To quote a song from Heart, "That's a promise and a threat." Bye

What list?

You've heard of people making a list of things they want to do before they die.  Some call it a bucket list.  I 'm not wild about that term.  Remember the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die"?   There's one called, "1000 Books to Read Before You Die."   Well, I say what about the things you want to do before you're too old?  Ill or infirm?.  Of course no one knows for sure the hour of their death nor do we know for sure when something we always dreamed of doing becomes too hard to even attempt.

No that's not me on the river though perhaps in the future. She is sculling.  Today at 0830 PDT, yours truly began to learn to row with the hope of someday doing that.  Think opening sequence of "The River Wild" with Meryl Streep.  Meryl is sculling on the Charles River in Boston.  I love that scene. So I had a 2 hour lesson and the only thing I had trouble with was getting out of the boat.  More about much much later.  Or never.  The lesson was wonderful.

And then . . . . 

I picked up my viola.  What did she say?  I thought this was about sewing and knitting and baskets and finishing, not boats and fiddles and starting.   Okay,  you are right.  And I fully intend to finish my rowing lessons and to finish my viola lessons unless pain interferes.  I have arthritis in my hands.

And then . . . . 

I went to the theater for rehearsals (because I always wanted to be in a musical) and while there got another handful of  costume items to work on.

But here's the good news
.  I finished my first basket.  Even though I didn't finish it exactly as it was supposed to be,  I am happy with it.  There's another one to do, but it's a kit and I have permission to start it in a few months. There will be no other basket making until that kit is finished.  Here's my basket.  I'm calling it Molly.

Hooray!

Thanks to Joan Soth and Pam Crause of the Hangtown Fibers Guild Basket Group.


That's all and that's enough.  Please come again.

Another Project?

A couple of months ago, I volunteered to help with the costumes for a local production of Les Miserables.

Last night, the wardrobe mistress gave me some clothing to alter.  Just a few little things and they are now done.  Sewing costumes is fun.  There are 70 cast members. The show is opening November 29th.  The costuming part will pick up speed I'm sure, but I am still planning on keeping on with my challenge.

The hoodie I'm knitting is at a difficult part for my hands.  There are 284 stitches on the needle right now.  One round is taking me about 30 minutes.  Every other round I increase 8 times, but I'm nearly to the number of stitches I need to put the sleeves onto holders while I finish the rest of the body.  That should go a bit faster.  I got a cramp in my left had during one round today,  so I tried to stopp every few minutes and stretch out my fingers.

Here's the sweater.  The yarn is cotton from Halcyon and the pattern is Knitting Pure and Simple which I purchased with the yarn

The photo is from my phone as my camera was out of batteries.

Besides the costume work, I've worked an hour on the Valentine scrub top.  Photo when it's closer to being done.  And now for something to make you smile.  Right next to me enjoying the twilight from the window sill, it's Edward P. Cat.

That's all for now.  Keep on finishing and smiling.

(Last year, 2022, the blue hooded sweater was finished with help from my daughter. She finished the sleeves and made the hood and the draw string. 7/21/23)

A Challenge for Me

Welcome to my blog.  It's a personal challenge for me to finish the many unfinished projects I have here in my home.   I spent quite a bit of time finding and photographing the 66 projects.  Although beading is also a hobby I enjoy,  I didn't include bead projects.  I may be adding them in later.  So . . . 

My  list:

•  Sewing    22  unfinished
•  Quilting   16  unfinished
•  Knitting   24  unfinished
• Weaving    2   unfinished     
• Basketry    2   unfinished   (there won't be more, not my   favorite)

 

My  plan:

• Finish these unfinished projects in 15 months
• One sewing project per week
• One knitting project per month
• Weaving and Baskets will be finished
• Buy no new fabric or yarn during this time
• Enjoy it because I know I do.
• Do it because I want to say I did it! 

Starting  with :

•  On the far right,  it's a knitted hoodie. Knitting from the neck down then adding on the hood.

•   Although I'm retired from nursing, I had one scrub top cut out.  I'll start with this one. On Valentine's Day I can wear it.  Or not. 

Do you have unfinished projects?  Come along and join me.  

Post Script: This used to be called Finishing the Unfinished. I changed the name in March 2014.  SF