Monday, February 29, 2016

Beginning to Sew?

If you have decided to branch out from knitting or crochet and try your hand at sewing, be advised the variety of machines is bewildering!  Resist getting distracted by all the special features on the high end machines. Even professionals use a simple straight stitch most of the time!

While I have been a lifelong Kenmore seamstress (Mom worked at Sears over 40 year) I found a good review of this Brother CS6 machine.  It looks like it has just the features a beginner wants, such as an automatic needle threader, without many expensive distractions.

A word of advice if you are teaching a child to sew: Don't bother with a toy sewing machine.  A good basic machine such as the Brother I mentioned before is not expensive and will enable the beginner to have a real sewing experience.  Toy sewing machines and knitting machines often break after relatively light use.  By choosing a grown-up model, you can use easy-to-find needles and accessories instead of special toy parts, too.  Treating the learn-to-sew project seriously also shows confidence and promotes successful sewing, which leads to more successful sewing....

Check out the What Rocks site for more reviews, too.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Fun Gifts for Knitters from 5amily


Declare to everyone that, "I am a knitting Grandma. Just like a regular Grandma, but way cooler." 5amily has all sorts of delightful products, but as a knitting grandma I like this T-shirt best.  It's preshrunk cotton jersey for comfort and on sale right now for 24.99 (regular 29.99.)
Image from 5amily


Another clever gift for the knitter in your life (maybe yourself?) is a coffee mug that states, "A day without knitting probably won't kill me, but why take the risk?" I have to laugh because I can't remember the last day I did not knit at least a few rows!

Image from 5amily
The 5amily site is full of fun products at great prices, so I wanted to let you know it was out there. St. Valentine's Day may be over, but Mother's Day will be here in May.  And any time is the right time to give a small gift to somebody for no particular reason at all.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Season 18 Scarf Adaptation Done!



Finished scarf, folded many times--it's about 16 feet long


This adaptation of the Season 18 scarf from Doctor Who is shorter (while maintaining proportions in the stripes) and is made of affordable, easily available acrylic worsted instead of the original chenille.  I have no desire to knit with chenille--it requires patience I lack.  I do love the colors and hope to get a good picture in sunlight as soon as I can.  I finished the scarf after dark, so had to make do with artificial indoor lighting.

I used 2 skeins each of : Crafter's Secret in Black Cherry, I Love this Yarn in Terra Cotta, and I Love this Yarn in Purple.  For more info, see this project on Ravelry.