Musical Butterfly

Just a reminder that my Wordpress blog is still going strong over at MusicalButterfly! Come over and say hi, and check out what i'm working on at the moment :)

FOs 2009

FOs 2009, originally uploaded by Ballatrina2008.

I finally got around to doing a photo montage of all my projects of 2009, so I thought it best to finish off this blog with the photos. More details can be found throughout the blog.

New Year, new blog

I am now blogging over at my new WordPress site, Musical Butterfly. I'd love it if you could stop in there and say hello, and maybe bookmark it or subscribe to follow along with what i'm up to from 2010 onwards!

I've started things off there with a list of my goals for 2010, and shortly there will be a photo post of what craft projects I completed in 2009 on the Knitting page.

See you over there!

Merry Christmas!

Today is my last day working in the office I have been in for the last four years - its going to be sad to leave.

But - I have tomorrow to look forward to - I leave for America! (Just for a holiday...)
I'm sorry I haven't been around to blog in the last couple of weeks, but its been crazy around here, training up my replacement - which was harder than I thought it would be, and trying to catch up with as many people as possible before heading off. Its a good kind of crazy though.

I may not be able to speak to you again until well into the new year, so I leave you with this message...

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Safe travels to those of you who are going away, and I hope that everyone has a nice relaxing break with family and friends.

Ballatrina xx

Crafty links!

Image from here

I'm getting to the stage now of ticking off what needs to be done at work, and counting down the days until I hand over to my replacement in a week. I had a day of lasts yesterday - last day of board meetings, last day of full corporate-wear, last time i'll see most of the people i've been working for for the last two years... and I must say, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face! I was kinda excited about it all!

Work is not the only thing i'm organising and ticking off - i've got to think about my crafty side too! I've made the decision to leave alot of my crafts at home when I move away - WAIT, before you start scowling and throwing things, let me explain! - I will have very little space, and honestly probably very little time to work on things between classes, readings and assignments. So - i'm going to sort my knitting into project bags, with patterns and yarns and needles as much as I can, and just take a couple with me for term time, then swap them out when I head home for the holidays. I'm not sure what i'll do about my sewing stuff, i'll be taking my machine and my box of threads and other bits and pieces, but i'll probably leave my fabric stash at home and just repurpose old clothes rather than making new things.

My other crafty area to look into is the ol' blog. I've said before that i'm switching it over to Wordpress to have a fresh start for next year (want a sneek peek? Here it is! Feedback is gratefully accepted!), but that leaves the problem of all the blogs i've stored in my blogger reader, if i'm not checking in on blogger that often. The answer? Google Reader of course!

Since its so easy to add new blogs to Google Reader, i've managed to add quite a few to my reading list in the last couple of weeks - a mixture of knitting and sewing, with lots of tutorials and easy things to try at home. Here are a few of my favourites...

• Crafterhours - I want to try their t-shirt 'side panel refashion' - what a great idea to extend the life of a t-shirt!
• Knitting to stay sane - I love these Wizard of Oz-themed socks!
• Lilley's handcrafted lovies - Check out these awesome little ninjas!
• MADE - these are oh so sweet hair clips for little ones
• Made By Rae
• Make it and love it - she made a QUIET felt Mr Potato Head!
• Oh So Crafty - complete with crafty cakestand from a plate and candle holder
• Ruffles and Stuff - I want to add ruffles to everything after seeing these creations
• SouleMama - have a look at the family halloween costumes!
• this mama makes stuff
• Totally Tutorials - alot of this list is made up of posts by these other authors - seriously, if you're looking for a tutorial on ANYTHING, this is where you'll find it!
• Wardrobe Refashion - i've mentioned this before, but its very inspiring to see how others are recycling old clothes and accessories
• French Press Knits - creator of the slippers that made the most popular pattern on Ravelry!

Just a few more quick ones for good luck - I could spend all day reading these!

• Sumo's Sweet Stuff
• Get Your Craft On
• Look Ma No Patterns!
• Samster Mommy - this is the blog that started my addiction, I think now i've read all her posts right back to the first one!
• U Create - another kind of hub with profiles on different crafters

So go and check 'em out! Tell 'em I sent ya :)

Tell me - what are some of your favourite crafty blogs to read?

~Happy crafting!~

Refashioning fun!

I've been reading the Wardrobe Refashion blog, and particularly Sew I thought's posts, about making clothes and accessories from what you have or what is second hand, rather than buying new all the time. This includes giving new life to vintage clothes, or making something from the fabric in your stash.

So, after a quick stop in at a Recycle Boutique and a browse through their vintage sections...
This...

...became this...

The original dress had a dropped waist, and the arm holes were crazy long. There is a button tab on the shoulders, so I just unpicked that, bought it up a few inches until the armholes were right and attached the buttons again, then took in about an inch on the sides. Some work is still needed on the hem, but I quite like the raw edge, so I may just straighten it up and snip those loose threads. Its a little tight over the bust so I may have to have another look at the arm holes, and i'd like to bring the waist in a bit so I don't have to wear it with a belt all the time, but that will mean putting in a zip at the back so I can get into it! I'm happy with it for now, but more adjustments will come.

I also got this....

...and i'm thinking about this...

- but any suggestions are welcome! I was thinking of just shortening it to a knee length skirt, but I had the belt out so I thought i'd try this, and its growing on me! It wouldn't be hard to attached a length of elastic under the bust to get it to fit right.

What do you think? And have you done any refashioning projects yourself? Are you game enough to take the Wardrobe Refashioning Pledge and not buy anything new for two or more months? (I'm not at that stage yet, but this is a good start!)

~Happy sewing!~

Feels like winter

So, here in the southern hemisphere, its supposed to be spring. Its pouring with rain and freezing cold outside, so I don't think so! Therefore I don't feel weird at all about looking at the preview of the winter Interweave Knits magazine.

Not that I really need to add anything to my queue, but I think my favourite pattern from the preview is the Aquitaine Pullover...

Photo: Interweave Knits. Bonus photos here.

[Rav link for pattern]

It would probably look best in a plain yarn, but i've got ten balls of this marbled-blue Patons Zhivago just sitting there that i'd like to use for it. Too crowded/busy do you think?

Also, the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn. Zhivago is only DK, but as the smallest size in the pattern is 34 1/2" and i'm smaller than that, I think working with the lighter yarn might make it the right size. What do you think?

Tell me - what's your favourite pattern from the winter issue?

~Happy knitting!~