Falling for Warm Colors and Chunky Knits

Hi there!
It's that Back-to-School time of year. Are you finding new inspiration in the change of season?
Here at Optimistic Craft mini DIY space and shop, we've stocked up on some great fall colors of Brown Sheep Nature Spun, Lamb's Pride and Burly Spun yarns. Here's a little sampling...

I'm loving the chunky yarn trends! Could spend hours looking at ideas over on Pinterest

We're continuing to be open on Saturdays only from 12-6 for Open Studio and classes. See tab for scheduled classes. You can schedule time for evenings and Sundays if you want to take a class on a certain day, just let us know. Or if you'd like to get a group together for a learning session party we can do that, too!

As for personal projects, starting A LOT and being very Optimistic about finishing -- especially sewing a new winter coat! More on that later, but now here's my first completed sewing pattern review. Contests are a great way to get things completed! Hopefully I make it to the 2nd Sewing Bee Round.
Enjoy your projects-in-progress!
Optimistically,
Elisabeth

Optimistic Crafty Resolutions

Welcome to February & belated Happy New Year!

I've been optimistically working on the agenda for 2015's projects. Since I  like to work on multiple things at once, and in multiple mediums, this is not an easy task! I do find the getting-ready-to-make- stage one of the most fun parts of making things though. It is not hard to come up with inspiration by looking at magazines, art exhibits, other people. I also find inspiration in material and patterns themselves. While some people have an organized process, I tend to just grab for what feels right. 
So far, tentative plans involve:
Sewing
I don't think I sewed anything in 2014, except finishing The Oranges dress from 2013 which I still haven't posted a picture of. So [sew] that has got to change this year. I would like to start with a simple black practical skirt. I have the pattern. I have the material. Somewhere under some stuff. And my sewing machine is under there too. Another goal: carving out a dedicated sewing space at home.
Knitting
I focused on a lot of knitting last year. This year will likely keep going. On the agenda, some small things to start: mittens, dish cloth, SOCKS - time to tackle my first pair! With knitting I will get out a bunch of yarn in my stash, lay it out and match it up to a pattern that calls for the yarn - or vice versa, starting with the pattern and then seeing what I already have to make it with.
Embroidery and/or Needlepoint - really want to do something in these mediums this year!
Crochet - a dust/sweeper cover, for sure. (No need for throw-away sweeper refills!)

What is on your to-make agenda? What are your sources of inspiration? ...Happy making, whatever you decide!
Optimistically,
Elisabeth

P.S.
Well, this has been a long post. Finishing it with some actually FINISHED knit items!!!

Pastel Color Play Baby Blanket/Throw
Michelle Hunter's book ... is SO MUCH FUN!! I highly recommend it for easy skill advancement with colorwork.

Coffee cozy cutie! I made this up by using an Oblique Rib stitch pattern found in a knitting stitch dictionary and using the cardboard piece shown as a template. 

Optimistic Crochet & Finished Sewing!

Hi again!
Here in New York it is finally cooling down. Happy to get out of the air-conditioning for a bit, even though it has been really productive to sit, relax and work on yarn projects! Anyone else agree? Do you craft when the weather is hot?

Acorn Shrug is growing!

This Acorn Shrug project is a bit tedious! Even though it is any easy stitch, it requires careful focus to catch the back loop every time--that's what makes the ridge-y texture. Unlike with some of my knitting, I can't catch up on Netflix while I work on this one. So maybe I need a good audio book. Any suggestions?

In sewing news, I totally forgot to share with you another project I worked on a couple months ago! PJ pants for my hubby! He's been playing pool a lot so when I saw this fabric I couldn't resist! I sneakily worked on them over the course of several times when he was out. Ta-da! A finished project!

Keep up the craftiness everyone--and stay hydrated in the heat!

Parallelogram Pillow Plus

Hi everyone!
Spending a rainy Sunday being crafty, well sort of. Lately it seems I'm doing more un-doing than doing. I picked back up on the wrap cardi knitting project. The lace was intimidating me, but now I am addicted to it! It is so fun, even if I have to undo some rows because I am forgetting some of the yarn-overs if I am not paying attention. For every 14 rows of the repeat pattern, I have to undo about 3!

70's sundress

And then there's the sundress I mentioned in the last post. The top part I was fussing over is figured out, but the side seams puckered like crazy after I did them. So I picked them out and am examining the machine for tension problems. Here's the pattern. I scanned it last week. 

And here is a picture of the parallelogram pillow I started as an easy project to take to Knitting & Boozing. Now it is almost finished, at least the knitting part. 
I found that parallelograms are a fun and easy way to add texture to a project! The parellogram pattern is for a multiple of 10 stitches. I cast on 42 stitches and alternated k/p for first and last stitch to make an edge.
I think I've achieved a square, but it is very stretchy so it looks like a rectangle. Next, optimistically, I plan to block it to see what size closest to a square it is--hoping for 12x12. Then I'll sew it to a lighter grey fabric back. Maybe the closure will be mix and match geometric buttons? We'll see.
Have you been up to anything crafty this weekend? 

Sewing tk

Hello friends and happy Spring--at least where I am, it is finally lovely weather!
I don't know why the abbreviation for "to come" is tk instead of tc, but that's how I write it, learned from my copy-editing experience.
Recently, my friend Kadee and I went to a sewing pattern party at Brooklyn General. What a wonderful shop, and FULL of sewing enthusiasts there for the Colette Patterns visit! Sarai of Colette Patterns is a lovely lady. I did stop and say hello despite being shy about it--I have been reading her blog for, like, years after all. She also seemed quite shy but was enjoying being in New York from far away Portland. Kadee and I were so inspired we bought patterns and fabric and, as former Brooklynites, vowed to return to our old Brooklyn neighborhood again soon!

Colette Sencha

I didn't take pictures, but here is the link to the Coletterie 
blog where Sarai wrote about it.

sundress in progress

I bought the Sencha blouse pattern. Sewing ahead!
Looking forward to making it and also finishing the black sundress I started 2 summers ago! Got the interfacing, still fussing over the adjustments I made to the pattern. See March post.


And of course instead of plotting to use from my existing stash of fabric, I bought some more! ...you'll see, I hope soon!




Optimistically,
Elisabeth

March!

Well another week has gone by! Mine intermittently included some crafting. Met up with the Why Leave Astoria blog group "Knitting and Boozing" on Wednesday at Mosaic, a comfy bar/lounge, for some knitting fun. 2 new knitters and one pro... and me, wherever I fit in. The new people I met were great and I was able to work on my teaching skills! I was working on a pink cowl that I started on Superbowl Sunday.

just getting started Feb. 2013

and now it is being stitched up into a circle and then to block and finish. Almost there!
Besides that, I've been itching to sew something and couldn't figure out what to work on, so rather than starting something new, I figured why not working on FINISHING something already started. Striped Sundress, started 2 (maybe 3?) summers ago. I am going to LOVE this dress, but I think I'm afraid of making a mistake since I am veering off of the pattern. Instead of gathering and adding a band across the back, I put in elastic which looks great!

back of dress, with elastic

Then, for the front, instead of gathering, I put in some small pleats, which I am not so sure about. I made this dress once before and the gathering made me look busty and the band all the way around made it shifty and uncomfortable. Got my confidence up, but then realized I need some lightweight interfacing for the front band. So, will get back to that one. There's the optimism for today!
Hope you all had a great weekend. Until the next time...
...remember March is not just Craft Month, it's also Crochet Month! Let me know what craftiness you are up to.
xo

Knitting Class and When Will There Be Sewing Time?

Wow! This week I taught my first group knitting class--well, half of it--after hours at the office. We got through casting on and knit stitch. I think I left them hanging a bit when we all had to break for our evening commutes. Part 2 is purl stitch and the details on how to turn what they're doing into a wearable project--scarf or cowl!

Enthusiastic students and me at Knitting Class Part 1

NYC is already starting to have the excitement and hecticness of the holidays. Not much project time these days with a busy schedule. Over at Tilly and the Buttons I found Tilly getting ready to be involved in a tweet chat thisafternoon about finding time for sewing. How relevant! I've been squeezing in a little knitting, but that's about it.
Optimistic that the Thanksgiving weekend will have some time for sewing as well as showing you some of the knitty DIY items in progress.
Any crafty plans for Thanksgiving? Whatever you are up to, I wish you good times with family and/or friends. So much to be thankful for!

Sewing Progress Report

Wow. Lately have been pretty productive! Finished making this a couple weeks ago--the top in the middle...

(Will post an actual picture soon--see tiny herringbone print fabric swatch.) It turned out great and was really easy. I admit I left it hanging without a hem for about a month before finishing as is my usual procrastination method.

The same weekend I started on this, knowing I'd have to work quickly since it's a summery dark grey on black searsucker sheer cotton fabric.

And as of yesterday, it's done! (I know, need pics! I'll wear it this week.)
Another one that I'll make again, for sure. The armholes are very tight though, so must remember to make them a little bigger.



Also, I've been managing to knit A LOT on the wrap cardi the last few weeks while watching the TV series Borgia, among other things, on Netflix. Watching scandalous tales of history while knitting=fun!
How crafty were you this weekend?