Bits and pieces

• I put away all my heaviest knitted scarves as the weather has officially turned the corner into spring and I had two entire bags full to pack away. With the caveat that I am planning to knit a green hat and scarf set next autumn/winter (and I am only giving this a pass because I already have the yarn) I am officially declaring my house a scarf/cowl knitting free zone for a good long time. Feel free to slap me if you see me say I am knitting one.

• While looking for easy beginner embroidery projects, I came across the idea of embroidering fabric to use with self-covered buttons. I had a handful of button blanks left over from another project. I made a 4 piece set of botanically improbable "seasonal" trees on 29mm covered button blanks, to which I then superglued magnets so they can live on my whiteboard. The whole thing is free-hand -- though let's not pretend that this is in any way remarkable, as clearly a small child could draw a tree better than I can -- and the embroidery is just a mix of basic stitches that I learned from that Craftsy embroidery class I finished in January.

Botanically improbable tree embroidery

• I also wanted to try embroidering with a thin knitting yarn, so I also made this one random magnet with, well, it's meant to be a grey and white bearded collie dog embroidered on it (the black dots at the bottom are feet, the black dot on the left is its nose. The puffball bit in the middle is the dog. It does have an eye as well, but it disappeared in the "fur", which is not actually unlike a real beardie). Obviously, as it looks really nothing like a dog at all, I had to put an explanatory "woof" on as well. Look, I am really not an artist, okay, I am doing my best here. /o\ You might be relieved to discover that I am using a template drawn by someone actually competent for my next embroidery thing.

  

  Woof.

• I cut out a white pintucked shirt today (using a new-to-me Ottobre pattern). I am contemplating two problems that I will have to deal with tomorrow: how best to mark the pintucks (I usually chalk line everything, but not with this white fabric I don't think, so maybe tailor's tacks) and how best to finish the seams. The fabric isn't terribly opaque, so any seam finish I choose is going to be partially visible. I am leaning towards french seams at the moment, but still thinking about flat-felling as an option.

• I am still struggling with what pattern to use to make a raincoat. I keep thinking I've made a decision and then... nope, back to the drawing board. Why so indecisive, self?