a little project

Knitting inspiration has been lacking so I decided to try my hand at sewing. I've had my eye on a pattern from Anna Maria Horner's Homemade Beginnings and have decided that it is time to make it.

I started by cutting strips of various widths. It was tough cutting up such beautiful fabric... I have been saving some of it for something wonderful. I passed up a few of the fat quarters, but came back to them deciding that there is never a time like the present to make them into something beautiful.

After cutting for days and weeks (you know, a few strips here and there) it finally came time to sew the strips together. I did this today before work and I must say, it is always fun to see things come together. My quilt will look nothing like the one in the book aside from the fact that it is predominantly blue. Mine will have much less variety -- I have fewer fabrics than the original. But I'm excited to see how it turns out none-the-less.

After sewing my strips into even longer strips I rolled them all up so they can wait until I have time to work on the next portion of the project.

I'm a little worried that I don't have enough strips cut... or that I have too many. I can't be sure how many are required until I have actually tried to assemble to quilt.  I can always cut more and I guess I can always make a pillow if I have too many.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend.

simple things

My-oh-my is it ever difficult to get pictures of almost-two-year-olds!! I think they are incapable of keeping still. Trying to get photos of Sawybean in these little pants was painful! Much more painful than actually sewing them. Yes, I did happen to sew these Little Kickers. Aren't they lovely? I guess you can't really tell because someone wouldn't stand still long enough for me to actually have a chance to show you so you'll have to take my word.

These little pants are officially the first sewing project I have completed entirely on my own. I didn't even call my mama for help. Wanna know why? Because I didn't need to -- the pattern was wonderful and these little pants were easy-peasey. They were seriously a cinch. Perfectly simple. They were delightfully simple and they worked up so quickly too! And dare I go as far as to say they were fun to make? Simple, quick and fun. What more could anyone want out of a pattern? Oh! They are perfectly adorable as well. I guess that is the fourth part of an ideal pattern.

Simple. Quick. Fun. Adorable.  

These little pants are also functional and practical, which in my opinion are key attributes of a great pattern, but they aren't imperative.

But my absolute favourite thing about these pants? My friend Kimberly invented them. I know invented isn't the word, but it's all that comes to mind right now. Kim has been working at Favorite Things for the past few years designing clothes and things (designing! that's the word I'm looking for!) and has recently launched a line of her own, Simple Things. 

In some of Kim's own words, Simple Things is a "collection of affordable, high quality PDF patterns" that allow you to "harness [your] creative energy by sewing things that are beautiful, practical and fun! This collection is for everyone - from beginner to advanced seamstresses and it really will be as easy as click, print and sew." And it really is that easy.

Click.Print.Sew

the mama: soulemama

I don't know how many of you have heard of soulemama, but I think she is fairly well-known. I've been reading her blog for almost five years now (woah!). I can't remember who directed me towards her blog or how I stumbled across it, but I absolutely adore this woman! Her name is Amanda Blake Soule and she hails from Maine.

I feel inspired by her -- inspired to create, to use what I have, to be resourceful, to be thoughtful, to be intentional, to be simple.

SouleMama is always creating something. Crafting, creating and re-purposing is a way of life for her and her family and this is something I admire. My favourite thing about her is that when I look at the things she has been making, I feel as though I could make them as well. Nothing is too fancy or finicky and everything has an organic/natural feel to it.

Also, SouleMama knits. She knits a lot and she knits lovely things. She knits for herself, she knits for her husband, she knits for her children. The only reason I knit this vest, is because SouleMama knit the same one for her youngest son.

I keep a list of things I want to make in my head. The list is always much greater than my capacity for creating, but it keeps me dreaming. These are a couple things SouleMama has made that I have been dreaming of re-creating for myself.

First of all: Banners. I want one for every occasion! Or even many for every occasion. I absolutely love them! I have attempted making them many a time, but have never had the motivation to actually commit to completing one. The main reason is that I love the mismatched feel of these. I don't have many scraps of fabric so I would have to go out and purchase it all... And I have such a hard time purchasing fabric because then I get too "matchy-matchy" and I hate "matchy-matchy". There-in lies part of the problem.

Look at these though! Aren't they beautiful?!?!?! And fun?!?! I think they are absolutely lovely and I want one in every single room in my house.

And they look so easy to make. I just have to sit down and do it because they would be so easy to make. I have to commit! Maybe I'll call in my own mama for re-enforcements. That lady does not know how to leave a project half-done. 

And this i-cord garland for the Christmas Tree. I have been intending to make this for four years! Every single year I sift through SouleMama's archives to find this lovely little garland. I love the yarn she used and even tried to contact the seller this year, but she no longer sells on-line so I will have to go to my yarn store and find something similarly breath-taking.

I think this would look wonderful on our tree this year. I am especially fond of the colours as they are unconventional for Christmas decorating. If they local yarn store disappoints then I am sure etsy will have something suitable for my own i-cord garland. 

My goal is to make a banner and an i-cord garland by Christmas. I'm going to start small with the banner and just make one that says NOEL. That way I am much more likely to complete it. I'll keep you posted.

Living/Dining Room

My parents were visiting this weekend and my mother agreed to help me organize my home. I had been so busy with school that I had no time or energy to make our place comfortable. Mom and I only focused on the living room... and we didn't do too much, but it looks and feels much better than before she came. It used to be a wide open space, but we have now sectioned it off into "living room" and "dining room" which has been great! I don't know where my "before" pictures are... just imagine nothing but the yellow couch. All of the pictures are blurry as my camera was dying and I was trying to take some quick snap shots for this.

This is the living room. Please note that one wall is brick and the other is stone. Very interesting indeed. We got the chairs and the table from the Kelowna Gospel Mission Thrift store. We were quite excited about that. I did not put up the purple curtains, in case anyone was wondering.

This picture is taken from the yellow couch above. Our TV (which is used for ancient nintendo) is tucked in the corner because I think it is an eye-sore. 

Next we have the "dining room" half of the room. We do not have our table in our kitchen because, as I mentioned earlier, our kitchen has no windows and a door which does not accommodate company or a pleasant meal together. Note the yellow couch in the corner to give you a frame of reference. Those thingys on the wall were a DIY project. I'll take a better picture of them in a bit.

Here we have the door to the room and two Norman Rockwell prints I picked up at the thrift store. I am hoping to eventually find a long table or a low dresser thing to stick under these prints so our phone will have something pretty to sit on. And I can put table linens etc in there. We'll see how that goes.

We used to have this rug in our bedroom. It is so misshapen, but I like that it gives definition to this little nook. We are still deciding what we want to do with this. 

It is amazing what these little changes can do to the place. I feel more relaxed and more at home since making these changes. It is wonderful!!! It may have something to do with being finished my classes, but I enjoyed making the space our own. It is beginning to feel like home.

Cast Iron Skillet and Laundry Detergent

Cast Iron Skillet - I have been seasoning my cast iron skillet this week. It was a wedding gift from my SIL and I had never used it because we didn't have our own kitchen. I am so excited for it! The more I read up on it the more I realize there is quite a learning curve involved and you need to get into your own groove. So we'll see how it goes. I searched out a butcher shop so I could get fat from them to season it with. I hear that's the best. So far it looks... different than when I started. I don't know what it's supposed to look like but it's kind of spotted.. more shiny in some areas than others... I'll have to post a picture so one of you can tell me if that's normal. 

Laundry Detergent - I recently made my own laundry detergent. It worked well. I think. I haven't really "tested" it as our clothes have yet to be muddy or visibly dirty. I am assuming (and trusting) that it will work. I used (as always) my SIL recipe for it. The recipe is originally from this site. 

Homemade Laundry Detergent -- Recipe:

• 1 cup grated soap
• 1/2 cup borax
• 1/2 cup washing soda (different from baking soda)

Amounts:

• 1 Tablespoon for regular loads
• 2 Tablespoons for heavily soiled loads

Erik did one load that smelled particularly delicious; I couldn't stop smelling the clothes. It turned out he put in almost half a cup of the detergent... WAY too much. No wonder it smelled so lovely.

And that is really all we have been up to. School has been sucking the life out of me. I have group meetings every day and homework on top of them. The next month is going to be hectic... but that's all I have left. One month. Then sweet summer break (which I will be sharing 9 weeks of practicum and working of course). I am so excited to be able to leave work at work though. I will have so much time to walk and craft and enjoy my husband and friends. That is what keeps me motivated.

So I may disappear for the next month... or I'll post more than ever. That is usually what happens when I get really busy. We will see. Please, don't expect much though. I don't have much to offer.

Cutie Patootie

Here is the blanket I made with the baby I made it for!  I had only made two dish cloths prior to attempting this and you can definitely tell I am a "beginner knitter". But, it was fun to do and little Amy Claire looks oh so sweet in it.

This 'n That

Erik has a hairy chest.

Or more appropriately... Erik has hair on his chest.

This is a new development. He had about 5 when we got married and that number has sky-rocketed to hundreds!! Unbelievable!

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We are heading to Stanwood, Washington for the weekend. Friends of ours are going down to Seattle for a music conference and we are hitching a ride. I am very much excited as Stanwood is one of my favorite places.

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My aforementioned lipoma is dearly missed. It is strange to not have it perched on my head. It's like seeing yourself in the mirror for the first time after you cut all your hair off... over and over again. Every time I touch my head I am a little bit surprised that it is not there. Silly, I know, but true.

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I am currently in a bit of a knitting frenzy!! It is absolutely lovely. I really need to make something for myself though. Knitting is a great way to expend anxiety and frustration. It is great stress relief between studying for exams. It is wonderfully mindless for after an exam. It is just all around great. I think I have spent way too much money on yarn though... woops. And I have "nothing" to show for it because I have yet to keep something. Oh well. I love a productive hobby. My girlfriend asked me to teach her how to knit so we started dish clothes yesterday. It was lovely.

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My littlest brother, Benjamin, turns 18 on Friday! Wow! How did he get so big. He is quite possibly the sweetest kid I know. He is so gentle and genuine. AND he still says "I love you" whenever we talk on the phone. My fave!

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I sent our Christmas lists to our families... two weeks ago?? How great am I??? Now I just need some in return (hint, hint) so I can finish up my Christmas shopping.

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My friend just showed up and we gotta work on our group paper now. Have a great day!

Canning

Erik and I canned tomato sauce this weekend - it made me think of my family. Canning was always a family affair for the Jansens. Mom would line us up and give us each a job and away we would go. We had quite a sophisticated system going on - we worked like a well-oiled machine. As much as I hated it at the time, I now have very fond memories of those days in my parent's backyard.

Our friends were out of town and were gracious enough to let us use their suite. Canning was not as romantic as my memories of it are, but we set up our own assembly line and made many phone calls to Mom. Our friends have a juicer/pulpifier that we used to make all of our vegetables into a pulp. Super handy to have around. I'm a bit nervous as the recipe I used called for cinnamon. The whole pot smelled strongly of cinnamon which threw me off a bit - we'll have to wait and see how it tastes. I think I'll give it a while to stew before I crack one of these open. And I sadly put all the sauce away before I took a picture so here they are lined up in our closet. We got a dozen quart jars of sauce and three of juice. Not bad for 30lbs of romas. I wasn't planning on doing tomatoes until later in the season, but I was at a farm and asked about "seconds". They gave me the 30 lbs for $12.00. Not bad.

Knit Happens

I have been working a lot of night shifts lately and have, therefore, had plenty of time to knit. My patient slept through the night on 3 of those nights (hallelujah!) so those provided some prime-time knitting. I was worried about knitting in the hospital, especially baby items, but I talked to a nurse who knits and she said that she dry-cleans everything when it's done. While at work, she grabs some clean linen and knits with it on her lap so the knitting has a clean surface and she obviously washes her hands frequently. This was comforting.
I've been keeping my projects simple. Things most knitters could do with their eyes closed, but it is helping me learn to keep my tension even etc. etc. All good practice. I thought I'd share some of the things I've been working on.

On the Needles.

1. This right here is going to be a baby blanket. I hope. It's the most complicated thing I have done. The first thing I made after dish clothes. It's only complicated because I knit the blanket and then I had to pick up the stitches all the way around it and knit on the border. It is almost finished! Almost. I really have no idea how it will look. I don't even know if it will be square. I don't even know if all the sides will have the same number of stitches because I had no idea what "pick up stitches" meant. Everything looked the same to me so I made that part up. I also didn't know how to increase stitches, so I made that up too. I also "learned" how to add another ball of yarn when I ran out of the previous one. I watched a confusing online video and then, you guessed it, made that up too. I think it will look ok though... maybe I'm just hopeful. Anyway, here it is.
2. This is a scarf that I have been working on. It's made out of beautiful yarn that I got on sale!!! I love getting things on sale. You can hardly see it, but the yarn weaves in orange, pruple, red, green, yellow, and different tones of blue. It is just lovely.
3. Another baby blanket that I just started. I couldn't get the picture to turn sideways. I am practicing a different stitch. This is called the moss stitch. It is a knit, purl, knit, purl pattern. That may mean nothing to you, but to me it means that I have to switch the yarn from the front of my needle to the back of my needle on one stitch and then back to the front of my needle on the next stitch. Repeat. Repeat 110 times for each row. Very time consuming, but pretty and I'm told it doesn't stretch out as much.
4. And of course, dish clothes. They are a nice little project that only takes a couple hours and can be done while watching TV. Perfect.

Future Project.

• I have the perfect little project for this yarn here. You will..... well you might have to wait until next summer as school is starting soon... but I will keep you updated.

Here ya go.

I am finally able to show you the cross stitch projects I have been working on! They have been done for almost 2 months now, but I haven't been able to show anything because they are Christmas gifts for my SIL. I was able to "give" them to her when we were in Stanwood for Erik's brother's wedding, but I took them home with me because I want to get them framed for her... or at least do something with them. They are so immensely creased because they have been folded up in a little bag since I bought the materials three months ago. I will have them dry-cleaned and framed and then they will look great!

DKDS and TJPS are our nephews initials. I really wish I could wait until they were officially framed and everything because these photos are awful, but that could take months so you'll just have to use your imagination!

Diego Kinder Dune

Truen Jules Pumpkin

Knitting, Aprons, and Mice

Knitting
I mentioned that I learned how to knit a little while ago. This was my first little project. I made a "knitted dishcloth". It is supposed to be a square, and I stretched it out to look pretty good I think.Since making that first cloth I have been attempting to make more. I was five rows from finishing another one when I dropped two stitches accidentally and had no idea how to get them back. I tried to figure it out, but could not so I ended up dropping some more. I unraveled the entire dishcloth and started over. This is the one I am currently working on. Apron
And this beautiful thing is an apron I found for 50 cents at a garage sale. I think it is just beautiful! I love aprons and I now wear this one all the time! Love it.
Mice
There are mice downstairs at the recovery house I work at. I was writing in the office when this little mouse came scuttling along. One of the girls was sitting on the couch behind me and I was like, "umm... do we know there are mice running around this place?"
She looked at me and replied, "why do you think we have so many cats?"
I hate cats, but I think I will put up with them now that I know they have a purpose in the house. Even if they are sissy city cats... They are intimidating sissies.
Back to the mouse in the office.
The girl on the couch jumps up and starts chasing the mouse around. She ran around for a good 5 minutes before chasing the little guy in my direction. As I was asking her politely to make it go in the other direction, she stopped moving. She looked up at me and said, "You don't have to worry about that thing no more." ... "I don't?" With that she lifted her foot and there was a little convulsing mouse with the better part of it insides strewn across the floor.
I looked up in disgust, "Honestly?? You just chased a mouse and stepped on it? That is sick."
She laughed and said "You'll get used to it."
I think I'll take one of those dreadful cats with me whenever I go downstairs.

Sewing

I received a refresher course in sewing last weekend. I once sewed a vest when I was very young. It was beautiful. The fabric was black with all these bright colorful stars outlined all over it. I wore that baby with pride. I have decided that I want to start sewing. Simple projects. I just want to be able to make basic gifts and be able to fix things around the house. I think sewing is a very practical skill to have.
My mom found a sewing machine that she is going to send to Mexico with my brother next time he goes, but she has given it to me to use until next March when that trip rolls around. She spent a good hour showing me how to put the thread in so that I can actually start a project. I have already forgotten this little skill, but I am sure a quick phone call home will fix that. I decided that I would stick to straight lines for the first little while. It has been a long while and I do not have a steady hand. I cannot program this machine to go slower like I could on my mom's sewing machine and I have a pretty heavy foot so I am often out of control!
I made two pillow cases on my first day of sewing. They are perfect. I honestly love them and I do not want to give them away, but I made them specifically as Christmas gifts. None of my lines are straight and I messed up so I had to made a parallel line on one of them.... definitely not straight. At one point I think my parallel lines cross over each other. I love it though. I love that it is imperfect because it shows me that I have so much to improve on. I am so proud of those two little pillow cases. I made them. I made them by myself and they are functional.
There is something about creating something for someone else. It fills me with such joy! I was frustrated and ready to quit at many different times, but I thought of the recipients of this gift and it relaxed me. I enjoyed thinking about them while I worked and it really made me feel connected to them. It was a wonderful experience. One that I highly recommend. Here's the finished product... already wrapped.

Strawberry Picking

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I was home in Surrey this past week. I came down because Erik had to make his yearly trip to Alaska to go commercial fishing for three weeks.

It was busy at home. I learned how to knit, sew, and can strawberry jam. I helped my brother, Anthony, with the Amazing Race he puts on for his youth group. I went to my nephews kindergarten graduation and my nieces grade 8 grad. We went to my grandparent's house for a Father's Day barbecue on Tuesday. I saw Alicia who I haven't seen since August. And I spent an entire day home alone cooking and baking. It was great.

I went strawberry picking with Alicia, my niece Kaitlyn, and some of my little cousins. we picked over 90lbs. of strawberries in under 2 hours. It rained on us a couple times, but my cousins were troopers. When I got home I went to work washing and freezing some and then also making strawberry jam with some. We didn't actually do the whole "canning" thing with them. My aunt said that she just pours 2 Tbsp of vinegar on top of the jam once it has cooled off completely and then screws the top on. She doesn't even leave the vinegar on. She uses the same 2 Tbsps of vinegar for all of her jam jars. I'm a bit nervous about this, but we'll see how it goes.

Picking in Progress

Finally finished!

Italian Parmesan Bread

I have been contemplating putting up this recipe. I wasn't going to, but it is just too good to keep to myself. I made this bread four or five days ago and it is still soft and moist and delicious! Maybe I'm bad with bread, but my homemade bread is usually dry by now. It is from my Simply in Season cookbook.

Italian Parmesan Bread

2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
Combine in mixing bowl, stirring until dissolved.

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup butter (melted) or oil
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp onion flakes or 2 tsps onion powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
Add and mix well.

1 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated).
Add with enough additional flour to make a soft dough (I needed almost 3/4 of a cup in the end).
Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Place in greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise 1 hour.
Divide in half and divide each half into thirds.
Roll into 15 inch ropes. Braid loosely into two braids and tuck ends under.
Place on greased baking sheets, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
(Instead of braids you can make it into three loaves).
Bake in preheated oven at 350F until golden brown, 35 minutes.

And that, my friends, is all. Delicious.

Scrap Fabric

I have decided to try sewing. I have been looking around and have found some little things I would like to try out. They are pretty much fake quilting. I was wondering if any of you have any scrap fabric lying around. If you do... I'd like it. Please. With a cherry on top. I don't feel like going out and buying 1/8th of a yard over and over only to cut it up into smaller pieces. Mom, I know you have some. Shawna, you're bound to have some from your gift bags lying around. Aunties?? Anyone??

Cross-Stitch Update

It has been a painful process, but I think I'm enjoying cross-stitching. Scratch that. I AM enjoying it.

I have pulled apart many miss-counts, twisted my thread too often, pulled some stitches tighter than others, and done the wrong color in some areas, but I am seeing progress. I think that is what I really enjoy about it: progress. At first it is a bunch of little lines on the fabric. Then the lines become "x"s. Then the "x"s start to make a picture. I enjoy the (sometimes) rhythmic in and out. Well, I guess it's not that rhythmic as I am constantly taking out stitches and redoing then. It's amazing to see how if you look at the first couple rows and colors I did you can tell that I really didn't know what I was doing, but I think I am really getting the hang of it. I sometimes cross-stitch for so long that the squares start swimming and I cannot see what I am doing. I just guess where I am supposed to go and press on rather than stop like I should... I have learned that is bad. Swimming page = making quadrilaterals other than squares. It also = twisted thread.

Cross-Stitch is frustrating too though. I can work for three hours and get this much stitched...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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A bit depressing, but it works. After all, it's progress.

The Need to Create

For years I have been taught to think rationally and to logically come to conclusions. There has been one correct answer to every question. Sometimes that answer is hard to find, but you can use the process of elimination to reach it. I have been told exactly how to express myself and how to interpret information.

I've been feeling as though I need to express myself creatively. Maybe not even express myself, but I've been wanting to challenge myself, or learn something, or do something to be proud of. I can't quite explain this nagging feeling to be more. To stretch myself. Maybe learn how to express myself a different way. I want creativity to be a part of me and a part of my life.

Suffice to say I want to try something new.

Because of this I have been doing a lot of baking. I made Mrs. Reimer's Cinnamon Buns a couple nights ago. They were delicious! Not nearly as good as Mrs. Reimer's though. Those are unbeatable. I have also made many cookies. Although they are gratifying to make... and to eat... they aren't very kind to the waistline.

I have also decided to start up cross-stitching. We'll see how long I am motivated with this. I am looking for something small to start off with. Then we'll see if I can commit to something a little bigger. Something worth keeping... or giving away.