America's Favorite Ball Park

Today I worked a little on the Doctor Who scarf. That, however, is not what I want to show you. Besides, the six inches or so really doesn't compare to this...

Today, my friend "Triple-A" re-enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. Why is that interesting and blog-worthy? Because I got to go to Fenway Park with her! Yay, I've been to Fenway. The best part?

There were only about a 100 people there, not the usual game-day 35,000 (that's just a guess, so don't get all statistical on me). They say I also saw a ball player, but since I can't tell one Bostonian from another I guess that isn't as neat as it could be.

First up, we have the street shot of the park.

This a view of the field. Since they are doing all kinds of construction in the park, we were limited in where we could go.

This next one is of my friend and the Captain. Look closely, you don't want to miss the Red Sox hats that are topping off those uniforms.


Lastly, I couldn't resist a picture of their 2007 World Champions banner. Granted, I didn't see a single game, but I still couldn't resist.

Susannah's Coat

Susannah met her coat yesterday. Lovely Mommy put up pictures today. Just so everyone knows I actually create things that can be worn, here is the photographic proof.

Here we have Susannah and coat along with the goodies I put in there for Barbie. Even Barbie needs a stylish coat!

As you can see, it wasn't long before they were both sporting their wonderful new coats. For you nay-sayers out there (Honey), the sleeves are supposed to be that way. Besides, this way I'm pretty sure it will fit next winter, too.

What's next on the crafting agenda? Well, I still have way more flannel than any one woman has a right to own. (Think pajamas, pajamas, pajamas.)

Oh, yeah, I'm also thinking about clearing out my costume closet. Let me know if you want something, I might have one, or two, or .... you get the idea.

Transfer season is coming and I don't want to move it all again. Besides, I need a reason to make more costumes. Getting rid of some of mine would make room for more.... uh, was that out loud?

Black Friday

As most people know, especially anyone that has ever worked in retail, today is Black Friday. The big kick-off for Christmas shopping. Whew, Thanksgiving is over. Quick! Start shopping for the next big holiday. While Christmas isn't really my thing (I hate the way consumers are nearly forced to spend more than they have for a holiday that doesn't mean what it should.), I do like a good sale.

Yes, I did get up early, but not so early as to appear insane. We were at the fabric store well after the doors had opened and many of the other crazy crafters were already there. The trick to this is to get your number from cutting counter early. Then you shop until the basket is full, or you are disgusted with the fact that someone else has what you want in their carriage. Hopefully, by that time, your number is called. How did I make out at the cutting counter? Well, when I pulled my number the ticker read 18. My number? 55. That's not so bad. I still had to fill the cart. You should have seen another lady, though. They weren't even close to my 55 when she pulled 127. All in all we spent less than 2 hours in the store (sorry I can't be more clear, we can't remember when we got there or when we left, we think it was around 1.5 hours).

What could be so good it would make me go through this? Well, cotton flannel at $1.00/yard is the best price of the season. Since I love flannel and only pick it up on sale, this was prime Becca real estate. I use it to back baby quilts, I really like how it works up, it is soft and cuddly after washing and not a single Krage is allergic to it.

Below, you can see my wondrous take for this shop-a-holic trip. How much did all that cost? Well, I'd like to say less than $100, but the truth is somewhere between there and $150. So, who wants some cotton flannel pajamas for Christmas? Please, someone, anyone, I have 10 yards of pink, please say pajamas.

The Krage Challenge is Complete!

Finally! Yes, the 100% winter coat is complete! Oh, wait, I still need to put a label inside. Oh, well, that won't be too difficult. Then the mailing.... okay, I suppose there are a few additional steps for the little one to get her coat. Good news, the hard part is over. I have successfully turned a pattern for a fleece coat into a coat for someone that can't wear fleece. Yay!

The Krage Challenge... Almost there.

Today I got the lining all pieced together as well as the shell. Now all that's left is putting to two together. And the button and the snaps. Okay, maybe I'm not as close as I thought I was. At any rate, here is the most up-to-date photo. The only part I'm worried about is fitting all the lining into the shell. I'm pretty sure that the quilting made it shrink a little, so it should be fine. I guess it will be a "as you sew, so shall you rip" moment if I get it wrong.

The Krage Challenge.... yes, still.

Today I sewed the outer shell together. Well, mostly. The side-seam pockets are in and pointing the right direction, so at least that went well. Now, I just need to sew the hood on, sew up the pieces of the lining and try to put it all together into one piece. Okay, maybe I won't be done tomorrow, either. Don't worry Mommy, it will be done before she gets really, really cold.

The Krage Challenge continues.

Today I got the quilted lining quilted, the hood lining sewn together and the front and back linings sewn together. It may not look like it, but I'm making progress. Tomorrow, after my brain has had some time to work it out, I'll figure out how to get the lining into the coat. Hmm... I think I'll have to sleep on it.

The Krage Challenge

The Krage family, the only family I know that is allergic to half of everything on the planet, have challenged me to create a winter coat that is 100% cotton. Well... I guess it really is just a challenge to create a winter coat that does NOT include polyester fleece. You know, the fleece that appears everywhere in warm winter clothing. The Krages are not good with polyester. The good news? The coat only has to fit one little girl for a winter or two.

I sent Mommy some ideas, distilled those ideas into a fleece-free plan and headed out to the fabric store. Now, I will put it all together into an allergy-free winter coat.

The outer shell is dark blue denim (100% cotton, trace poly for the embroidery) with embroidered pink and orange flowers. The lining is 100% cotton flannel in a wonderful coordinating pink that I really like. The batting is also 100% cotton. Thread was a little more challenging; I ended up with cotton wrapped polyester quilting thread.

In the photo, you can see that I've cut out all the pieces and layered the quilted lining. Next step: quilt that lining together. Since this is a work-week, you should see this project as it moves along.

The Doctor Who Update

I've been working on the Doctor Who scarf a little bit this week. I realized I'd knit somewhere near four feet since the last update and decided I'd better take a picture. Since I don't have a really long surface to spread it out on, I folded it in half and measured it that way. By my estimation, it's a little over 10-feet long. I'm about half-way through the pattern, so I think it's about right. It will be one heck of a scarf when it's done!

I had to push it together to get it all in the photo. Believe me when I tell you it's longer than it looks.

The Statue of Liberty

I didn't get ANY crafting done since my last post. I can tell you that we did some work in New York. To prove it, here is a picture of the Statue of Liberty.

Red Socks

Today I finished the Red Socks (or should I say Sox?). I think they turned out well. I just hope the sizing is right. According to my sock guide, it should fit a size 8. Let's just hope they guide is right. I'll find out tomorrow if it's right. I'm off on another trip tomorrow. See you all when I return. When is that? If I knew that, I'd be in charge of something.

Baseball and Red Sox

Sometime during the third game of Boston's Red Sox sweep of the World Series, I finished these tiny red sox. Brenda was kind enough to model them for the photos. At the time, I didn't really know who was winning the Series. They were basically a trial of making sox for my friend Triple-A. She's a Boston fan (half of New England residents are Boston fans, the other half, it seems, are Yankee fans).

I actually started making Triple-A's sox after Boston had won the Series, but that isn't my fault. They could have made the Series take a little longer than four games. I think they were in a hurry.

Here are her sox, still in production.

Details: Worked at... well, I don't really know the guage. I just know that worsted-weight on size six needles is 40 stitches for a sock that will fit a size 8 foot. Yes, I know, the photo really is kind of blurry, so you miss the reinforced heel. This will be her Mid-Winter gift, even though she knows I'm knitting them. I think, that if you spend hours knitting something, and the recipient of the gift sits next to you for most of the knitting, they will appreciate the gift, even if it isn't a surprise.