Happy Halloween 2015!

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Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all have lots of fun, lots of scares, and lots of delicious candy!

"Happy Halloween" 
Original music and lyrics: Junky (http://twitter.com/Junky_Box)
Original choreography: まなこ / Manako (http://www.nicovideo.jp/user/16546526)

~ COVER ~
Vocals and dancing: Kyttyee (http://www.youtube.com/KyttyeeChii)
Artwork/Animation: Kyttyee // Papillon de Nuit

~ OUTFIT ~
JSK: Angelic Pretty
Hat + "Belt": Handmade by me
Petticoat: Sock Dreams

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Bathrooms Can Be Cute Too!

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The bathroom in our apartment is rather barebones in terms of built-in organization as well as space in which to put extra shelves or other storage items. As such, there was really no good place to put extra toilet paper rolls within easy reach. While that is fine as long as one maintains awareness of imminent toilet paper shortages, it is somewhat less than convenient, especially if there are guests or people who aren't used to our particular bathroom arrangement.

In order to remedy that, I decided it would be pretty easy to just make a toilet paper holder that hangs below the actual toilet paper dispenser, and perhaps also serve a bit of a decorative purpose for brightening up the bathroom.  And... voila!

It was simple to make, consisting basically of two identical rectangles of fabric sewn together into one very large tube with one open end. With the tube turned the right side out, I then folded the open end of the tube down a bit to create a neat edge for closing it, and top-stitched all the way around the now-rectangle. I actually used four pieces of fabric for better stiffness, but that could also be replaced with interfacing on just two pieces of fabric.

This very large rectangle I then folded in half, and stitched a line down the middle of it to divide the space for two rolls of toilet paper.

I then sandwiched two lengths of grosgrain ribbon folded in half between the two sides of the top area of the folded rectangle, then closed off the top with a couple rows of stitching, also securing the ribbons to the rectangle. Those are the ties for attaching the whole thing to the toilet paper dispenser.

It was super quick, and increases the convenience of the bathroom as well as being cute and polka-dotty!

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A+ Mittens

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I am always knitting something, usually several somethings at the same time. However, with the approach of winter and its biting cold leering on the edge of my consciousness, I decided that I absolutely must finish this pair of mittens for A+. I lost one of his nice leather gloves last winter, and as a result, he has no good cold-weather hand gear!

I was determined to make him the best mittens I possibly could, even though I had never knit mittens before. Many of the patterns I found were unsatisfactory due to either sizing issues or a displeasing shape. I am personally not at big fan of mittens that turn out pointy at the top, and really wanted to find a pattern that would give a more flat or round finish.

After much searching through many knitting books and the internet, I finally came upon this wonderful "Easy Warm Mittens" pattern from HJS Studio. The shape is exactly what I was looking for, and the "pattern" is in fact more of a lesson on how to design a custom mitten pattern, which is great for sizing!

Once I started, each hand took me about a day of knitting on and off to complete.  Here's one hand one, with the other in progress:

And now both mittens are done!

I stuck to a simple stockinette stitch for my mittens, and single color, so nothing too complicated to deal with in the increases and decreases. If I find some suitable yarn, I might decide to knit some more pairs for myself or friends/family in more interesting patterns!

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Whipping Up a Quick Bow

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I recently had a photo session for which I needed a neckbow, similar to what one sees in some Japanese school uniforms, or in nanchatte uniform fashions. It was on such short notice that I couldn't really order one in from an online shop, nor did I really wish to pay for the shipping.  Besides, bows are one of the easiest items to make with some basic sewing and patterning knowledge.

I made mine by referencing an existing detachable bow from one of my JSKs, just to make sure I had the right structural basics for the shape of bow that I wanted. Specifically, I wanted the top half of my bow to be looped, while the bottom half or "tails" should have only a single layer.

After some quick midnight cutting and sewing, I made a rather presentable bow. For easy wearing, I just whip-stitched it by hand to a length of white grosgrain ribbon that I could then tie around my neck.

This was so quick and easy to whip up that I think I might start making more bows! Given more time, I would probably have made a proper neckstrap that buttoned in the back, and could even be adjustable, so that's something to work on for any future neckbows~

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Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny... Sweater

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A colleague of A+ recently had a baby daughter, and I find it really fun to knit tiny people clothes, so I was really excited to make something for them. I had a stash of some variegated baby yarn along with some extra Caron Simply Soft in pink, so I decided it would be fun to make a raglan cardigan. I knit this following the Daisy pattern from Knitty, which was very straightforward and easy to follow, assuming you're familiar with basic stockinette and increases/decreases.

I think it turned out pretty cutely, although I sort of wish I had used a more structural yarn for the neckline. At least now I know for the next time I knit a sweater-type garment involving Simply Soft.

Now I just wish there were more babies around that I can knit little hats and booties and mittens for! I would especially like to make THESE. Baby Miis!

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