Scout Tee and Fitting Take 1

I've tried to make a few more small sewing projects, but I get frustrated by the fiddly bits, so I figured why not just jump into garment sewing.

I'm starting out with a simple tee, the Scout Tee by Grainline Studios.  Using some of the techniques from the Crafty class "Sewing the Perfect Fit" I made a basic muslin.

Not too bad a fit with no alterations.  I'm adding two inches to the length, but I'm not going to fiddle with the neckline/shoulders just yet. Might see after wearing my first version for a bit how I like it before making a second.  

It is so nice having a separate room for sewing that I can close off from the cats.  Being able to layout/cut/pin one night and then sew another without having to put away all the not-for-cat things in between is really nice. 

Pics of the craft room to come at some point when I get all the pictures hung and such. :) 

Guess what?

It's Thursday!

I'm crossing my fingers the rain has let up for a little bit and I'm feeling pretty good. Also, I felt the urge to blog a little and realize it's Thursday! So to pick back up my Thoughtful Thursday posts I'll check in on all the new stuff that is going on in my life.

For the past few months, I have been getting used to a new schedule.  I changed jobs and am now commuting into the city by train.  This has been one of the best changes I have made in a while.  Might come after my breast reduction as a close all time good change in my life.  When I went home for Easter most of my family commented on how much happier and lighter I seemed.  I didn't quite realize how my old job was really affecting my health and I couldn't be happier with making the step to change that.

At first I allowed myself to just get used to my new schedule.  Eat whatever, not worry about working out, etc.  I just wanted to make sure I was eating regularly and sleeping well.  I wanted to get used to walking from the train station to the office and leaving the office at the right time to catch the train.  Once I hit a place where I felt the routine sink in, I started adding in a few more health improving things.

I'm paying more attention to what I'm eating.  I'm trying to up my protein intake to feel fuller longer, add a few more vegetables in where I can, and not eat out as often for both health and budget.  Now that I'm working in the city the options have really opened up for eating out and it's hard not to just be lazy and not pack a lunch.  But so far I'm packing up leftovers and easy to keep in my desk things so I have options that don't include heading out.  I've been reading a few fitness blogs (Girls Gone Strong, Lift like a Girl, and Eat Lift and be Happy to name a few) and one of the consistent approaches to food they have is being conscious of what the food is doing for you.  They ask questions like, "is this going to make you feel good or sluggish?" and "is this helping you towards your goals?."  I'm not making any major diet rules or changes, but I do want to be more conscious of eating food to make me feel happier.

So cheers to a happier and healthy year for me!

Three Thursday-ish

The socks are done! My boyfriend is happy and so is Pi.  She spent a good portion of last night trying to snuggle his feet harder.  Trume was definitely a success and I can't wait to start on my own pair.

I spent this weekend slowly getting my craft room in order and have been adding my stash to Ravelry.  Once something is in Rav I've been trying to match up patterns (preferable ones I own) and add both the pattern and yarn to my queue.  Did you know you can actually print out a nice list of your queue? Definitely adding it to my cork board in the craft room and maybe a copy to my day planner.  So I can remember all the projects I have lined up when I'm eyeing something new in the LYS.... Check it out.

When Engineers Floor Plan

I am lucky to have a boyfriend that really gives me free reign of our living spaces.  When we originally moved in together we rented a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment with a "roommate" floor plan, just in case...  After a few years, I decided we didn't need the just in case bedroom set in the second bedroom and might be better if I could chorale all my craft stuff away from him and away from the cats.  So, I sold off the bedroom set and bought a sewing table!!  Reorganizing the room is still in progress and I bought some new Kallax ikea shelves to provide more yarn storage.

In an attempt to save myself the hassle of moving around furniture more then necessary I pulled out ye olde Visio.  With some help from ikea's website, I put in the dimensions of my furniture and have been trying to figure out the best floor plan.  I can't wait to post the finished pictures. I'm hoping to come up with a layout that allows me lots of space to lay out sewing projects as well as blocking sweaters.  Plus I still need a place for the random overnight guest.  This is plan 1:

Thoughtful Thursday/Friday

I wish I could say change was in the air. But the frigged temps don't look like they will be subsiding any time soon and the snow just keeps pilling up.  I think my area is around 6' at this point.  I'm really worried about the black ice that will be forming once it does start to warm up.  Between the flooding from all the snow and the fluctuating temps I may just wear ice skates for a while.

Even though change isn't in the air, a big change will be happening to me. I can't wait to announce it. But it will have to stay under wraps a little bit longer.

In the mean time I have been working on my Charlie's Cardigan.  I have one front finished and I'm working on the second.  I was able to finish one of the Trume socks for my boyfriend in time for Valentine's day but the second is still in works.  These socks are super soft, squishy and warm.  They are the perfect at home lounge socks and I can't wait to make myself a matching pair.

Also, I swatched for something a bit more springy.  I want to knit Balta from Gudrun Johnston's new book The Shetland Trader Book 2.  I have Quince's Sparrow in Citron for something different  for my wardrobe and hopefully will get me ready for warmer weather.

Thursday Thoughts

Since by the time the week hits Thursday I get the bug to blog, I'm going to try to put up a small post every Thursday. Hopefully I can get my thoughts out and keep things a little more consistent.

I have been coming across a lot of mental illness related knitting and non-knitting articles and I figured I would share a few.  If you follow me on twitter (@anxiousknitter) you may have already seen some of these.

The one I came across today was not knitting related but close to my heart and head.
When Taking Anxiety Medication is a Revolutionary Act
It takes a lot of mental energy to deal with anxiety and bravery to do something about it. And even more of both to post such an in-depth article about your personal experience with anxiety, three cheers to the author. One of the lines that really resonated with me was:

"But we were all wrong, and learning that we were all wrong, that there was an actual medical thing going on, overwhelmed me because it meant that it wasn't a tornado of character flaws that landed me where I was."

Following that up, an article that really needs a different name:
Ditch the Prozac, Take up Crafting?
Most mental illness comes from chemical imbalances in the brain.  They are real illness and there should be no shame in taking medication for them. But of course this is not a perfect world and our society hasn't come fully around to the notion yet.  So while this article goes into detail about how amazing crafting is and how it really is good for your mental well being, the title is a bit of a sore spot for me.  But I still recommend reading it.  I love to hear more about how scientific studies are examining benefits of crafting.

This article also brought to my attention some other resources for organizations bringing crafting to people.

QuiltTherapy
StitchLinks
Project Knit Well

And to end one more link, a bit about how crafting can not only improve your own well being but others too.
I don't pray... Who can I make a prayer shawl?

Swatch Fest

Confession time. I haven't always been a swatcher. I used to figure if I was going to make a big swatch I might as well just start the arm or some other piece and then check it every so often.  And this isn't necessarily bad if you are ok with ripping or planning to felt it or something else drastic. As I keep knitting and I want to make perfect sweaters this isn't the best method.  Between starting to use Customfit and Amy Herzog's sweater methods plus learning about the power of water, it started to become clear if I wanted a great sweater I would have to swatch better.  

Water isn't just the universal solvent it is also a changer of wool.  At some point in the life of your sweater you are going to get it wet.  If not right after knitting to even out stitches then later when it needs to be washed.   When that happens, the fabric is going to change.  Natural fibers have a tendency to bloom, some fibers shrink, other grow, but no matter what it does usually your fabric will look so much more professional and even that you can't help but give it a bath.  

I generally fill up a container, either a dough bucket* for small things or my top loading washing machine for larger things, with cold water and bit of wool wash.  I really like Eucalan in the wrapture scent. Let is soak for the length of a tv episode (really scientific) and then squeeze out the excess water by rolling it in a towel. NEVER ring out the fabric; this will cause too much strain and stress out the fibers. No one likes to be stressed out, fiber included. I then lay out the fabric on a towel. If this is the finally product then I will shape the sweater pieces to fit my desired end measurements and pin the corners.  As you can see below I just let the swatches lay there. I don't try to block them to specific measurements; this would defeat the purpose of swatching.

After a few snow days and over the last month I have been collecting swatches so that I can put them all into Customfit and get my sweaters ready to go.  I have two more swatches in process and more that I need to start**.  As for the ones I finally gave a spa day to yesterday my plans are:

Capretta - Amy Herzog's Afterlight

Sliver Moon DK - Customfit basic v-neck 3/4 sleeves

Silky Wool - Amy Herzog's Coracle

Jill Draper - Customfit mashup with Wool + Brick's Whiteleaf

Owl - Amy Herzog's Charlie's Cardigan

Chickadee - Customfit mashup with Gudrun Johnston's Empire

* A dough bucket even comes with a lid to keep curious cats out.

** Hopefully this method of prepping a bunch at a time will mean I will knit my stash down and  not be tempted to buy any more sweater quantities this year. Cross your needles for me.