Tara Miller Designs

Birthdays and Sundresses

Usually I am so busy doing puzzles and working on blog contributions that I haven't made time to work on anything else. Well, upcoming birthdays and a visit from an Australian friend have demanded that I make time. My mom's birthday is tomorrow and I really want to make something special for her. Since I have had my daughter my crafting time dedicated towards birthdays has shiveled up and died. I vowed to make it different this year. Mom has really stepped up to help me out since Devon has gotten mobile and having Mom around gives me some time to work and be myself for just a bit, helping me to be a better mom. A small hand made gift is the least I can do. I am embroidering a set of Tea Time napkins for her since she is a full fledged Tea-head. In the morning, it is all coffee but after the pot goes cold, mom is all about the tea. I know she will love these dainty napkins. Though she is a big embroiderer herself, she will love these because they are different and just for her. 

I am also crafting up a pair of convertible mittens in a purl stripe that I know she will love as well. The mittens look as though they are purled throughout but they involve only minimal purling and are 90% knit stitch. It's pretty awesome. I just need to find some vintage buttons, weave in the ends and we are ready for pictures and gift wrap. 

For my mom's birthday, her best friend, who resides in Australia, has flown in to spend 2 weeks with her. It is pretty special considering she  came last year for the first time in 10 yrs or so and we surprised my mom. She flew in and I picked her up all secret like at the airport. Then we drove to my mom's who only knew that I was coming to see her for the day. I called my mom when we arrived and asked her to meet me outside to help me with some packages. When she opened the door, her jaw dropped and we all started crying. Mom kept asking "is it really you?" This fine lady is also the mother to one of my best friends who has 3 kids herself and can't make the voyage over yet. So I want to make some specials to send back to her kids. She has 2 boy and one little princess. For the princess, I made 2 dresses from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing: The Smocked dress and the Flower Girl dress. They turned out really nice but I think the sizing is a bit off on the Flower girl dress. I cut out 2 of the 2 yr old size (One for Devon and one for Aaliyah) and when I tried it on Devon (who just turned 2) it would not fit. It was more of an 18 mo size. I inserted a zipper into Devon's which fixed that fit issue. The Smocked dress fit but not like the book describes. I have the elastic thread working but I need to fiddle with it some more. Maybe work with the tension. I cut from the same material for each girl and used gray satin ribbon for the straps. It looks amazing on. Devon's is more of a tunic size. 

Drink Coca-Cola!

Here is my progress on Rusted Root. I am at about 3.25 in from the under arm and approx row 62. We had a power outage for over an hour today. So i grabbed my bag and went outside. Everyone is so amazed that i knit. I tried to explain that less than 100 years ago 98% of women knit, but they would hear it and insisted that they were incapable. I hate that. I just shrug and keep my mouth shut. I don't like it when people try to convert me so i will not try to make them knit. We all hoped to go home early, but after we returned from our early lunch the lights were on and it was back to work. At least i got to knit!

For the past month or 2, i have become an audio book addict. The library and Audible.com have been feeding my habit. Recently i discovered that my library system has free online downloads of books. However, you check them out. I don't really understand how that works yet but i do know it is free. So on my MP3 player this month is book ten from the Wheel of Time series. If you read fantasy, this is for you. And a new one i started yesterday is A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. IT IS GOOD. The whole book is based on a theory from an African culture in which there are 3 types of people: alive, recently dead of whom those alive still remember, and the dead of whom no one alive remembers (that is to say no one can picture their face, remember their voice and interacted with them so Einstein is out). the story is told from two points of view, those alive and those recently dead. It is amazingly creative, refreshing and interesting. I highly recommend it for knitting and sewing. 

Oh man, I think that fact that i have been painting my ass off and stressing about listing my house has me yearning for the days when i would spend my Saturdays and evenings knitting, casting-on, skimming patterns, and finishing (Can you believe it...Finishing. Imagine what that is like...dreamy sigh). Well my MIL came and went this weekend and for some reason we have the same effect on one another but with different results and with different approaches. we get each other exicted about knitting again. We always go to the Yarn Store. She comes expecting to learn new techniques and patterns. This time i showed her Knitty (which i have been e-mailing her the link for months) and Knitting Help. Both i can't live without and now she can't either. she always visits my small knitting library and selects yet another finish for her new project, capelets. She used to knit everything but after 30 years of teaching public school her time only allowed for knitting slippers which she gave to everyone but her self (and me thank god!). Now she has branched out to Warsh Rags (we gave her Mason Dixon Knitting for Christmas with about 6 skeins of requisite cotton), capelets (from a pattern given to us by Nell from Knitch) and maybe kids sweaters. I always come away excited about a project i have forgotten or or a book i had not yet read or a pattern i had previously thought too hard. Thus i have caught lace again and i am searching the net for lace of a different sort. I don't want flowers or hearts. I guess i like lace that reminds me of Alexander Henry. Retro and funky, less flowery and delicate.
In my search i found this- a blog for Barbara Walker's Treasuries. They are on a mission to collect color photos of all their patterns. They are not publishing the pattern just the high quality color photos. As previously mentioned i also want to try socks. So yesterday i ordered my annual christmas stash and a set of size 4 needles, so now i have 2 sets for socks. I purchased several skeins of lace weight and fingering weight yarn from Knitpicks. I am determined to make lovely lace shawls for the ladies in my life. I order a stash every year around this time so that i will have plenty of time to make the christmas projects and plenty of time to order more if i need it or for me.
Currently on my needles (WARNING: the term on needles can not be taken to mean being actively worked on):
Wobbly Circles
Cozy
Hat (random)
Wisp
Glee
Rusted Root
Yellow Cardi
Warsh Rag

Oh look at what i found. Lately, i don't get to do fun stuff till after dark and i often want to take pictures but no natural light. Problem solved: build a light tent