Groovy Remake

I finally traced a pair of old, favorite underwear that were falling apart. I made a pattern and cut them out of a large, tie-dye t-shirt from the thrift store.

I’m very excited about this fabric. I didn’t have quite enough for a matching bra. I did cut the sleeves off to sew a headband.

Maybe I could find a complementary tie-dye shirt another time, and make a mismatch bra?

Today’s Halfway to Haunts prompt is: “Beware the Overgrowth! Imagine your craft supplies took on a life of their own. What would your stash over grow into?”

Probably a yarn noodly Thermian. They would be horrifying at first, but lovely once you get to know them.

Happy Friyay!

Yesterday’s Halfway to Haunts prompt was another one about greenhouses. I decided to skip it. Today’s prompt is Make Along Moodboard, which sounds like fun, but too much work. Maybe I’ll try that down the road.

So here is the song I am listening to on repeat today. I love this guy’s voice.

Wearing Cardigan Finished!

I finished knitting my Wearing Cardigan! Pattern by Donna Smith. Yarn is Brooklyn Tweed. Buttons are vintage mismatch.

I am so happy with this garment. It’s something I will wear all winter. The fit is great. It’s comfortable and my color. The yarn is warm but lofty, so not too dense and hot. It’s super squishy.

Today’s Halfway to Haunts prompt is, “Nature Walk Lore: Share a spooky tale or feeling you associate with your favorite trail, garden, or outdoor space.”

The hill where our greenhouse is located is full of mussel shells. At first, we thought they may have been put there by previous owners to amend the soil. When I looked that up, however, they would have been ground to a powder. These are half mussel shells.

Ohio used to be under water long ago. Also, Native American tribes and early settlers used mussels as food, and then collected the shells to make beads and buttons. Are we living on top of a discard pile? That’s a pretty cool thought.

We also have a natural spring, and streams running through the land during the rainy season. They dry up at the end of the summer.

Though it is unlikely we live on a midden, this place feels magical to me. I love that we have water elements. Maybe I will start crafting decorations with the shells.

Halfway to Haunts: Days 19 and 20

I missed posting yesterday. The prompt was, “Monstrous Botanicals: Describe or design your own creepy fictional plant.”

I enjoyed the haunted greenhouse prompt, and the comments about what a haunted greenhouse might be. This led to me thinking about plants that grew fingers instead of pole beans, and beating hearts instead of tomatoes. And what if the gardener planted bones along with seeds to grow living body parts? Super creepy!

Today’s prompt is, “Forage and Find: Show us what you’ve gathered, sticks, stones, stash of yarn, or lore.”

I have gathered my May mending. So far the pile hasn’t gone down at all. But we have been building a greenhouse, so…

Two sweaters to refashion. One shawl to pull out and reknit a stretchier bind off. One Frida Kahlo dress I found at the thrift store I need to take in. And one tie-dye t-shirt to sew into underwear.

Halfway to Haunts: Ghost of Project Past

Today’s prompt is, “Resurrect a forgotten WIP and share its story.”

I was so excited about this Herding Cats collection of minis for the Herding Cats socks pattern. I wanted to pair it with from something in my stash for the main color. It’s a tough one, as the collection has lights and darks. I went for the neon green, because why not?

Because bleh. I don’t like it. I’ll use the green with black for bat socks. I’ve seen the cat socks in a mid-blue, so I will keep an eye open for something like that.

Do you have a ghost of project past that needs to go into the light?

Halfway to Haunts: May Magic

Today’s prompt is, “Share a small ritual, mantra, or moment of creative self-care.”

Make space for yourself.

Make a space for yourself.

Fix up an area in or around your home where you would like to spend time. Make it comfortable, organized, pleasant, pretty, or whatever it needs for you to want to spend time there. Maybe a cozy reading corner? Or a special place to practice your craft? Or a hammock in the garden?

Unrelated, but on topic: a mantra I have begun saying to myself is, “I have everything I need and I am loved as I am.”

Something I have wanted to do here is share music with my posts. I’m going to try to do it more often. It might be on topic. It might be something I’m listening to currently. Or it might be new to me. My musical tastes are eclectic, so I hope you enjoy! Also, when presented with the opportunity, dance. Instructions included.

Friday Finishes

I got my elastic and finished up my new pair of Free Range Slacks!

It’s hard to see the detail in black fabric. This is my favorite summer outfit: linen trousers, a t-shirt, and espadrilles. I think I’ll sew another pair in beige linen.

I also finished sewing the Mocha Betsy tunic dress in printed linen. I fell in love with this fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club. Here’s an indoor pic so you can see the print better.

And it looks great with my silver platform chucks!

Today’s Halfway to Haunts prompt is: Haunted by a Color. “Is one color dominating your projects or mood?” Clearly it’s silver, because it matches my hair.

This is 58!

Happy Birthday to me! Bob got me a lifetime subscription to Babbel so I can improve my French, and these beautiful earrings by Dawn Gill! I saw them on her blog and fell in love with the earrings and the story behind them. I emailed the link to Bob as a gift idea.

Today’s Halfway to Haunts prompt is “Witchy Spring Cleaning: What are you letting go of this season — physically or creatively?”

I am ready to let go of strictly following patterns in my sewing and knitting. Not completely, but I feel I’m ready to get more creative with my garments. We will see if I do.

I grew these Columbine from seed, and the foxglove behind them. I’m so proud!

ScrapHappy Day!

I have been saying I would turn these peanut bags into planter bags, and I finally did it! I sewed two together at the sides. I wanted to sew a round bottom, but didn’t have enough bags for that. Instead I sewed a deep gusset. I’ll plant some zucchini in one once the greenhouse is ready. Maybe I’ll grow okra in the other one.

ScrapHappy is a group of bloggers creating with scraps. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible to write about. If you would like to join in on the 15th of the month, email Kate at the address on her Contact Me page.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy on occasion.

Kate, Eva, Sue,Lynda,
Birthe,Turid,Tracy,Jan, 
Moira,Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny,Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Ann,Dawn 2,Carol,Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,
Tierney, Hannah and Maggie

Halfway to Haunts: Frog Pond Vibes

Today’s prompt is, “Are you frogging a project? Show the process or emotional side.”

I have frogged and reknit one sleeve of my Lodge sweater, and just started the second. Pulling out ribbing is the worst.

And here is the real frog pond. Lots of algae, but no tadpoles this year to eat it. Maybe the dragonflies will return to breed here. We had nymphs last year.

Today I dug a crescent-shaped bed to plant flowers for the bees. In addition to bee and “deer resistant” mixes (we’ll see) I planted zinnias, snapdragons, Joe Pye Weed, black-eyed susans, flax, sweet william, sunflowers, calendula, borage, and broom corn. Yep, broom corn! Because I like making brooms, and I ran out of flower seeds. Anyway, fingers crossed!