Umme Yusuf

Crocheted Brooches

2013-05-20T13:16:00.002+05:00

My SIL (sister-in-Law) recently asked me to make a couple of brooches for her, to accessorize her stoles. She mentioned the specific colors and kind of designs she wanted. Here are what I came up with:

pattern here

Absence

2013-05-15T19:59:00.000+05:00

Just to let you now I am still here. Life got kind of hectic lately and to feel less like a candle burning at both ends, I decided to ease up on my craft hobbies. Haven't touched my yarn in quite some time and my latest embroidery project is also in time-out. I did sew a couple of dresses for my older daughter, I will try to post some pictures soon. Other than that, I have run out of craft-related blog content. Hopefully, that will change sooner than later, thank you for hanging around.

More Spring Dresses

2013-04-16T19:43:00.000+05:00

I completed three more dresses to add to my toddler's spring-summer wardrobe. The first one was the simplest one, for which I used this tutorial. However, I was quite disappointed with the result. Just do not like the style and look of it in real life. Plus, the dull color does nothing to flatter it.

The second one was quite the opposite. I was quite uncertain about it initially, but it came out much nicer than expected. No pattern for it, per se, just put together some ideas that I had. I love this one, the color and the scallops, the pink piping and all.

No pattern again for the last one. I have memories of a orange dress with a pocket, that I had as a child. I loved that pocket, even though it was far too down to reach into, with ease. When I got this fabric, I knew it had to have a front pocket, or two!

I guess this winds up my sewing for my littlest one, this season. I am hoping to do some embroidery project in the coming days. And maybe something for my older daughter. Also I should get back to the knitting, but frankly do not have any motivation and inspiration at the moment.

Embroidered Spring Dresses

2013-04-11T10:22:00.000+05:00

My daughters' dresses, the ones I did embroidery for, are all done. Done, down to the last button. The girls love them and can't wait to wear them.

I am really happy with are my improving sewing skills. I feel confidant to tackle newer things in sewing. I am already working on another dress now.

Spring-inspired Embroidery

2013-04-04T20:25:00.000+05:00

Recently, I was bitten by the embroidery bug and embroidered this for my older daughter's dress.

It was so much fun and I had a hard time putting it down. I got it done in two days, and clearly I had not had enough, because I started a similar one for my toddler. That too was done in two days. Now, all that is left is the sewing of the dress ( I finished sewing the first dress). Sadly, it has been put on hold by a respiratory tract infection that I have contracted. Can not wait to be fever free and resume the sewing.

Masa Bag

2013-03-27T19:20:00.001+05:00

This large, rectangle, crocheted piece which I also showed in the last post, got all folded and stitched together into this:

Of course, it also got a handle added to it, and a lining with a zipper. The pattern basically explains the folding technique that turns a rectangle (3:1) into a bag form.

I used a larger hook and a longer foundation chain to make a bigger bag. And in doing so, I successfully used up one of the two 12 oz (552 m) balls of Sugar'n Cream Naturals that had been languishing in my stash for the last five years. Hopefully, I will find a way to use up the remaining ball in a suitable way, sooner than the next five years.

As for the bag, I think it is nicely sized, sturdy and useful bag. Nothing spectacular but quite practical.

Stashbusting Crochet WIP

2013-03-25T12:53:00.001+05:00

Can you guess what it is going to be...?

That is nearly 95% finished, crochet-wise. Finished project post coming up tomorrow, in shaa Allah.

Sewing: Toddler Dress

2013-03-15T18:18:00.003+05:00

Every year, around this time, when it grows steadily warmer, I have an urge to do some spring sewing for my kids. This year too, I have found myself drooling over all the lovely clothes on Pinterest, for the last couple of weeks. Sadly, I do not have much fabric at hand and no chance to go shopping until the kids' exams are over. But still, I found a piece of plain purple cotton and taking inspiration from this top, got out my sewing machine. I was too lazy to look up the associated tutorial and did my own thing, but there definitely is a free tutorial for those who maybe interested.

It was a quick, fun project, in which I got to expand my skills in sewing pleats. And I may have to do another one for my older daughter soon, as she wants one too, in the same color.

Month O'Socks: Rainbow Socks a.k.a Short Row Socks

2013-03-05T19:47:00.000+05:00

My second pair of socks for this month is now complete. I am not sure about the colors on this one and am not sure what possessed me to buy it in the first place, but the pattern was so much fun. I enjoyed the short rows even more than I expected and they seemed to knit up quite fast too.

The yarn is Knit Picks Felici fingering weight. The colorway (Too Cool) might be dubious but the yarn itself is soft and cushy.

Next for the Month O'Socks, some mending and/or upcycling might be in order, as I have a growing pile of socks with holes. Also,with my kids' final exams starting in a few days, I am unlikely to have much knitting time.

Month O'Socks : Day 12

2013-02-26T23:37:00.001+05:00

For my second project during the Month O'Socks (MOS), I decided to use some stripped yarn from my stash and knit it so that it is no longer stripy. (Pattern found here). That meant working almost the entire sock in short rows, but as I do not share the general dislike for short rows, it has not been a problem. In fact, this sock has been knitting up quite fast.

Month O'Socks: Vellamo Socks

2013-02-23T14:25:00.002+05:00

I cast off the second sock last night. The pattern was enjoyable to knit. The striping kept it interesting, with the short color-work bits near the toes and and cuffs for an added spice. The pattern does not have good enough instructions for the short row heels though, so prior knowledge of that will make it easier to follow the pattern.

The yarn I used was Knit Picks Stroll in Barn Red and Navy. These socks are for my son, with a lot of room to grow into, provided they last that long. (Modeled on my feet here). He is wearing them right now, so we'll see how they fare.
Next I hope to start another pair but have not decided on the yarn and pattern yet.

Month O'Socks: Day 5

2013-02-20T01:23:00.000+05:00

I completed the first sock yesterday and have managed to start the second one. That is good progress, considering how slow my knitting pace has been lately. Still, my initial target of one finished pair in six days might have been overoptimistic and I will happy to have them done by day seven instead, inshaAllah.

Month O'Socks Kick-off

2013-02-17T18:46:00.001+05:00

I am excited for this year's Month O'Socks (MOS), which started February 15, as I hope to get more knitting done in this month than in a long time.I have started with a stripped sock pattern with a bit of stranded colorwork for added fun. This is what I got done on the first day.

The weekend has slowed me down, now on the third day, I'm now just past the heel and onto the leg.

Paper Moon Socks

2013-02-08T19:11:00.000+05:00

I had started these socks during last year's Month O'Socks, which would be February 2012. I finished the first sock in March. But then the second Sock Syndrome struck with full force, and off went this project into hibernation. I only took them out this week so that these could get done before this year's Month O'Socks. This pair is for my father, who really appreciated the first pair I knit him. He has been wearing that pair continually throughout the winter and got it promptly repaired when it developed holes. Hopefully, he will get good use out of these too. The pattern is OK, the details on the ribbing section being missing. I used Knitpicks Stroll Tonal (Kindling) for these socks.

And as you have probably already guessed, my next project is also going to be a pair of sock, or may be two, during the Month O'Sock (Feb 15-March 15). I think I will have a jump-start and start this weekend.

Little Red Gloves

2013-01-28T18:00:00.000+05:00

My older daughter requested a pair of red gloves for the chilly mornings at school. She was very particular about the details. She wanted a simple pair in red with a tiny cuff. The only red yarn I had was worsted weight, so I picked out a pattern in that size, on ravelry and got to work. These went incredibly fast especially when they come at the end of a cardigan. The pattern is a no-brainer and goes really fast. I used up less than half a ball of Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted (Red Fox).

Jaina

2013-01-21T18:32:00.000+05:00

Finally, I have a finished project. After so many weeks (almost six), my cardigan is now done, ends woven in, blocked and all. It was a slow but lovely knit and has turned out really nice. The double collar seemed interminably long and took two out of the total seven ball, to knit. And even then, I had to take 2 centimeter off both the inner and outer collar to meet my yardage. The pictures show it a lot more pinker than it actual is. The earlier WIP picture is closer to the actual color.
The pattern is great, easy to read and follow, I had no trouble with the instructions. The yarn is Knit Picks Comfy (Doe). Can't wait to wear my new cardigan.

Current Project

2013-01-02T09:08:00.000+05:00

I'm working on a cardigan right now, in fingering weight, for myself. I started about three weeks ago, but have not been able to put in much knitting time. This picture is a few days old, I divided for armholes last night. The pattern is Jaina and the yarn is Knit Picks Comfy (Doe). Despite the slow-going, I am enjoying the plain old stockinette stitch very much.

A little Quilting/Sewing Project

2012-12-25T19:48:00.000+05:00

I needed a pouch for my smartphone in the likely case it slipped out of my hands and fell to the ground. I found this nice pouch via Pinterest that really fit the bill. So I got out my cottons and got to working. My quilting and sewing skills are still not upto the mark and putting in the zipper led to a bit of the puckering. But on the whole, I am happy that this butterfingers' smartphone is finally well-cushioned.

Koolhaas

2012-12-21T10:50:00.000+05:00

My son needed a new school hat so I knit him Koolhaas. The visually stunning lattice pattern is quite simple and was a joy knit.

Gradient Cardigan

2012-12-13T19:28:00.000+05:00

This is the second small project in my recent small project series. I intended to use the yarns left over from the recent projects into something nice and useful, so went the top-down, raglan route and a knit a cardigan for my toddler in worsted weight yarn. I am working on the pattern right now, but hopefully will be able to make it available (free and in a number of sizes) in a week's time, inshaAllah.

Jar Lid Cover Turned Doily

2012-12-05T14:24:00.003+05:00

Now that the life is busy and bigger projects take ages to get done, I find myself drawn to smaller projects. Also crochet had been calling me for sometime now so I decided to hook up a small doily last week. I took the pattern out of a crochet magazine and as I wanted to use it as a jar lid cover, I added a dangling edging to it. And a drawstring.
Next up is a baby project and possibly a free pattern.

It's Hero Time!

2012-11-26T12:45:00.003+05:00

Ben 10 is my son's favorite TV cartoon show and an ongoing obsession. So when he asked me to make him a jacket like the one hero wears in the cartoon, I hurriedly complied (he was moving on to the various alien costumes). Ben 10 seems to be quite a favorite with the boys this age, as I discovered many similar projects at ravelry. One reveler even shared her intrasia chart which saved me much time and grief.

For the actual sweater, I did not follow any pattern. I did ran into trouble with the set in sleeves, it took a few attempts to get them right. The yarn is our local acrylic worsted weight.

I don't have to tell that this sweater is a resounding success. My son would like to wear it all the time. He also went off to show it to his grandparents, who had no idea what or who Ben 10 is. Even his little sister has been trying it on. As for my hope that it will be the only piece of knitting based on Ben 10, that seems to be futile thinking as I am already receiving requests for one more. Maybe next year, just maybe.

Divan Cover

2012-11-21T12:30:00.001+05:00

While I struggle with the sleeves of my son's cartoon hero jacket, here is a quick picture of a divan cover I sewed for the in-laws a while back. It replaced a somewhat similar cover I made several years ago that had seen a lot of use and now needed replacing. This is made out a standard king-sized bed sheet with coordinating pillow covers.

Still Here

2012-11-14T12:02:00.000+05:00

The reason I have ignored the blog for the last few weeks is twofold...firstly, we decided to take a little impromptu vacation and went to Lahore for a few days. We had a great time there but I could not get much knitting done. Secondly, I feel I have burned myself out with the vacation, housework, and taking care of the baby. So even when I find a quiet moment, which is ever so rare these days, I don't feel like doing anything. Knitting, blogging, net-browsing, all feel like a lot of work.
Hopefully, this phase will pass soon and I will be back to blog about my hobbies regularly, inshaAllah. For now, I will leave you with a picture of my current WIP. It is going to be a zippered jacket for my son. This is on his special request and is something his favorite cartoon superhero wears.

Red Hat and Eid Mubarak

2012-10-27T08:12:00.000+05:00

Here is a hat to go with the red coat I recently completed for my daughter. It was a breeze to knit though I procrastinated with the photo shoot. The design is my own quick version of a beret with an two-buttoned overlapping band to match the coat.
We have Eid al-Adha today. It will start with Eid prayers, folliwed by sacrifice and distribution of meat and three days of celebration. Eid Mubarak!