Big Bear Lake

After the festivities in Utah, we headed for southern California.  On the way, we stopped at Big Bear Lake.

We spent the night in this cool cabin.

In the morning we took a steep little hike,

where we met some lizards,

 and a log that looked like a rhino.

It was a beautiful place,

and it would have been fun to stay longer,

but we had other plans...

LaBeq's Big Day

My sister LaBeq got married last month,

 

 for time and all eternity, in the Salt Lake Temple.

 I got to make some ties,

 but she made her own lace.

Her heart on her sleeve.  Isn't it gorgeous?

 The reception was in a lovely garden center,

and featured waffles

 and a cake that tasted even better than it looked.

 Mom and Dad were pleased parents,

 and Vae and I were supportive sisters.

May they live happily ever after!

Featured on MMB

We've just returned from a hot, sunny vacation to the comforting gray blanket of the Pacific Northwest.  I'm catching up with laundry before catching up on blogging, but I did notice something in my queue that I'd like to pass along.  I recently joined the contributing writers at MMB, and my first article was published today!  MMB features value-centered prose, designed to uplift and entertain.  Check it out!

Musical Monday

School is out, finally, and the boys' piano lessons are also over for the summer.  But the older boys have already chosen their pieces for the Halloween recital.  Scoot is working on the theme from "The Phantom of the Opera."  He has been trying to master those tough minor chords, and his brothers have been working on them, too.  So we've been hearing a lot of that spooky music. 

But that is not all.  We've been enjoying the Piano Guys' music ever since Christmas time.  In one of the boys' favorites, the Guys are joined by an energetic young violinist.  She's caught the Caterpillar's eye, and ear, so he's been playing her videos pretty often lately, too. 

So, this piece seems like a natural combination of recent hits in the family:

Lindsey Stirling plays songs from "Phantom."  I love her costumes, and the music sets a high standard of performance for our Scoot.  Practice hard!

Feeling Blue

After finishing my big crochet project, I was ready for some sewing.  I did some shopping, and assembled my supplies, and realized my projects all had something in common: 

they were blue.  Dark blue, even.  I hadn't planned it that way.

My ironing board cover was looking pretty sad.  It was getting ripped and stained.  And it had always been boring.  I've replaced the cover a couple of times before, but this time I decided to make a new cover myself.  I wanted a cute print, and found one that I really liked, with just a bit of blue accent.  Of course, there was not sufficient fabric left on the bolt.  Nor was there enough of my second choice.  This happy blue print caught my attention, so I picked it up.

I mostly followed Bleuview's instructions, though I folded my fabric in half to save on cutting, and doubled the fleece layer. 

The old cover did have some advantages, like a pair of velcroed straps underneath.  So they came out of the old, and into the new.

When he saw it, Dandelionslayer asked me if I was excited to do some ironing.  And, you know what?  I almost was.

I wanted to sew a skirt to go with this:

a lovely blouse my parents bought me in Hungary, or one of its neighbors.  I considered various colors, but the dark blue suiting seemed to match the best.  

Sorry to blind you.  It's hard to take pictures on a cloudy-bright day.

The third piece is a continuation of a project I began some time ago.  At least eighteen years ago, possibly more, my dad gave me this lovely book:

Modern Sashiko Collection, by Eiko Yoshida.  Sashiko is a Japanese style of stitchery that was traditionally done in white thread on indigo fabric.  This collection of modern projects includes various color combinations, but I decided to start with the standard.  I did the embroidery for four placemats, some time ago, and still had fabric for more.  So this spring I pulled it out and stitched this:

The pattern is called "Blue Sea Waves," though the boys thought it looked more like fish scales.  The stitching went surprisingly quickly, but I'll go more into that another time.

So, as you see, the blueness of my projects cannot be traced to my state of mind at any particular time.  Except, of course, that I do really like blue.  So, here are a couple of parting shots of my boys in blue.

D2 pounces on second base

Scoot leaps for the ball

Go, blue!

Yuppies*

*Young Upwardly-growing Pea Plants

I know that my Golden Sweet pole peas need some support as they reach for the sky, so I've given them their usual teepees.

But last year, what I thought were bush peas were less bushy than I expected.  So I've tried to give them something to cling to, as well.  It's for their own good.  Floppy pea plants are easy prey for slugs.  Alas, like gangly teenagers, they resist and resent my efforts at improving their posture.  Still, I keep trying to gently rein the plants in.

(For the record, I had impeccable posture in my youth.  Having babies did it in.)

 

I'm also trying something new with potato plants.  I read, at Irish Eyes, that by gradually adding dirt, one can grow many potatoes in a small space.  I used what was on hand to build my containers (sign posts and landscape fabric), and bought three fancy, small seed potatoes to plant.  Two have sprouted so far.  Potatoes are funny about when they sprout, though, so I won't give up hope for the third.

 

We had a warm, sunny week, followed by plenty of rain.  After a fortnight, look at the potatoes:

 And the peas:

 

My lettuce is actually growing this year, too.  Onward and upward!

Goldihooks at Pemberley

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who learned how to crochet.  She began with scarves and hats.  She provided a steady supply of slippers for her family.  She tried her hand at baby sweaters and afghans, then moved on to big sweaters and afghans.  She had a lot of fun with amigurumi.  But Goldihooks was quite certain that she would never, ever crochet a dress.  It just seemed like a bad idea.  

Until, that is, she met the "Afternoon at Pemberley" pattern.  She fell in love at first sight, and knew that she would never be satisfied until she had tried it.  So she ordered some yarn, bought a new hook, and began a new adventure.

In Austentatious Crochet: 36 Contemporary Designs from the World of Jane Austen, Melissa Horozewski presents enticing patterns along with facts about Jane Austen, art from her era, and fanciful interactions between Miss Austen and her characters.  They are not period patterns, as crochet had yet to become fashionable in England, but they are designed with the Regency aesthetic in mind.  And they are beautiful.  

I love lace, and was excited to see a lacy pattern made with macroscopic yarn.  Thread crochet still scares me, and the "silky bamboo blend" of Caron Spa yarn sounded delicious.  I knew this dress would be a good challenge, and I wanted to do it right.  So, for the first time ever, I made a gauge swatch.  The pattern called for the swatch itself to be blocked and pressed.  This was a tiresome part of the project, as I really wanted to just jump into the pattern.  But it is a good thing I was patient.  I ended up making three gauge swatches before finding the right hook size.  When I crocheted with the prescribed F hook, the stitches were too small.  When I tried the G hook, they were still too small.  Finally I tried the H hook, and it was just right.  So I crocheted, and I crocheted, and I crocheted.  And I renewed the book at the library a couple of times.

 

 A wonderful thing about making one's own clothes is customization.  Once one gets started, this is a long, straight pattern.  I figured out how to add an increase where I needed it, and also devised some short sleeves.  When it was long enough, I wet blocked the dress (another first!), and waited and waited for it to dry.  

Then I killed it.  Or I tried, to, anyway.  The directions included pressing the crocheted fabric to add shine and improve drape.  When I sought more information, I learned that this technique is commonly called "killing," and evokes the same sort of emotions that word brings in more literal contexts.  "Don't kill your acrylic," the naysayers warn.  "It will never bounce back again."  Interestingly, that convinced me.  I don't want to block the thing ever again.  So I pressed it, gently, under a cloth.  The jury is still out on whether I succeeded.  I'm not ready to wash it yet and find out.

I used one of my favorite patterns, Simplicity 2965, to sew a simple underdress with Casa Crepe in Celadon.  It is a shame, when a pattern actually includes pockets, to eliminate them.  But I would not be able to use pockets through the lace, so I left them out. 

"But what shall you have by way of necklace?" I could hear Miss Crawford asking Fanny (Mansfield Park, chapter 26).  I picked up this pendant at the local gem and mineral show a couple of years ago, and planned to do something with it, but hadn't gotten around to it.  When I saw that it matched the green dress so well, I knew it was time.  I didn't want the pendant to hang on a chain that might catch the lace.  So I strung it on some stretchy cord, with some oval amazonite beads, some small silverish beads, and really cheap plastic pearls from a package I'd never opened.  I'm not sure why I had them, but they worked well here.  Then I strung a green ribbon through the lace to emphasize the Empire style, and my outfit was complete.

So Goldihooks put on the crocheted dress, and it was just right.  She wore it happily, and looked forward to crocheting ever after.


I'm entering this project into the Signature Look Sew-along challenge at Project Sewn.  Is this my signature look?  Well, I certainly don't wear a dress like this every day.  But it is normal for me to wear something I've made, my own take on a classic style, regardless of trends.  And I think this outfit is pretty unique, just like my signature.  So I'll claim it!  Check out the other signature looks, and be sure to vote for your favorite on Friday!