Aqua Sweater Refashion

I wasn't feeling the tight neck, so I decided to loosen it up a bit. I got this sweater at the Goodwill Outlet in St. Louis where everything (literally, everything) is 79 cents per pound, except glass and books, which are 39 cents per pound. I estimate the cost of this sweater at about 12 cents. 

I cut off the neck conservatively to account for the stretching.  

I turned it inside out and folded over the edge twice so that the raw edges were not visible. 

I took it over to my machine and sewed it down with matching thread, but I left the presser foot on the machine raised so it didn't stretch out the neck even more. 

Later I frolicked. 

Then I frolicked more. 

Then I wrestled my phone away from Gabby. 

My awesome photographer Gabby! 

Senior Soiree Dress Refashion

Senior Soiree is a time honored tradition at Kenyon that involves the senior class in formalwear and lots of alcohol provided by the college. I bought this dress for .99 cents at the local Goodwill and shortened it, lengthened the sleeves and readjusted the collar. Shoutouts to my photographers Bheki and Abby for their wonderful photographs that made it all possible. 

Brandy and a Little Christmas Cake on the Side

The fall of my sophomore year at Kenyon, my knitting teacher Marilyn invited me to be part of her English family tradition of making Christmas Cake. Its similar to what Americans think of Fruit Cake, but with what seems like an abundance of brandy. The ingredients include lots of dried fruits, 6 eggs, and brandy. The idea is that everyone in the family takes a turn stirring the mixture and making a wish while stirring. I was invited back this year and thought to document the journey. After the cake is cooked for 3.5 hours, it is cooled and as Marilyn said "fed with brandy whenever I think of it" to keep it preserved and moist until it is iced on Christmas Eve.

All of the fruit is coated in flour to keep it from sinking to the bottom of the cake. 

The 6 eggs, sugar and butter

Can't forget the Brandy

Mushing the mixture into the pan

The brown paper helps keep the edges from burning. Who knew?

Putting the baby in the oven

The cooks! 

Sadly, while I was actually writing the post I was informed that the cake was accidentally burnt to a crisp and it will have to be re-made, but I still got some great experience.

Fuse Sweater Progress

I've been off the map for the past few weeks working on my senior thesis currently entitled "The Farce of Desegregation in St. Louis Public Schools 1954-1972". I turned in 12 of 35 pages today and I am rewarding myself with a blog post. The pattern for this sweater is called Fuse and can be purchased here on Ravelry. So far it has been kind of stressful to knit but now that I've got the hang of the pattern it's easy to work on in class and I'm making more progress. Until next time. 

Yellow Flores Dress Refashion

This is my first refashion since I have been back in school and its been so hot (no AC) in my room that its been hard to do any manual labor, but I have had such positive feedback from friends at Kenyon about my dresses that I have to keep going! I have been so encouraged and inspired by hearing all of the kind things people have been saying! Please keep reading, commenting and sign up for email updates on the sidebar! Also, be on the lookout for my first giveaway coming soon!!

Tiger Face

Special thanks to Lamont and Dulce for photos!!

Turquoise Dress Refashion

This dress started out as a sad sad reminder of a time when it was more fashionable. For the bargain price of $2, it has a new lease on life. 

I was looking at the neighbors, ugh. 

Blue Tulip Dress Refashion

This is another dress rescued from the Salvation Army for the bargain price of $2. It has a slight fish tail and is a bit longer in the back than the front. A few cuts and a little elastic goes a long way. 

Blueberry Picking and Dog Tricks

On my quest to rehabilitate Beau from his thuggish ways I am starting with basic obedience. He has 'sit' in the bag, but I figured it was time he learn a new trick. I scoured Youtube for help and came across this video and it worked like a charm.  Luckily for me, this dog will do anything for kibble. 

In other news, yesterday we took a trip to a blueberry patch and picked some of the cheapest ($1.95/lb) and delicious blueberries ever! We shamelessly ate the whole pound in 2 hours and I would do it again if I could. 

Me in the thick of it.

Hand Dyed Fairy Vomit Sock Yarn

This is the first of my pilot color ways that will be up for sale in some kind of online store that does not exist yet. I am planning to knit up something with it, like a hat or mittens. This is Deborah Norville Serinity sock yarn that was white, but I have dyed and rewound into a beautiful skein, and later a center pull ball. I have 50grams/~230 yards to work with, so we will have to see what my options are on Ravelry! 

I think the name Fairy Vomit accurately describes the wide varying range of colors in this color way, but I'm not sure that I am attached to it. If you have any ideas about a better name, please leave a comment below!