Knit Pattern: Cat Hoodie

August 11, 2018August 13, 2018 ~ kristinMroach ~ 2 Comments

The Making me Purr Cat Hoodie. It’s one of those patterns that was so much of a joke between Jason and I that I almost didn’t write it down. I almost didn’t share it. It’s become a classic. Knit from stash yarn and lots of laughs it’s the most popular pattern I’ve ever written to date. Originally published in December 2009. Available for purchase on Ravelry

I made Molly a cat hoodie quite some time ago. Jason and I thought RapCat (checkers’ commercials) was just too ridiculous and therefore, pretty funny. We invented a scenario where RapCat was Molly’s secret lover and it was a long standing, pretty bizarre, joke. We even joked about Molly wearing RapCat’s hoodie, you know, the blue and blue one. We laughed so hard about it…. and then I made one for her and we laughed some more. And the really funny thing is she doesn’t mind wearing it at all!

Here she is for her fitting before I picked up stitches and knit the legs.

Now I know that a lot of cats would have serious objections with any kind of hoodie being put on them, even if knit with the most love. So some other ideas for the hoodie – Big Panda Plushies, A willing stout puppy dog (a little pug maybe?), you get the idea.

I think Miss Molly will enjoy it this win- ter for running outside (we walk with her outside in the morning, it’s too cold in the winter and she gets all stir crazy). Maybe some kitty booties will be in the near future too!

Want to knit a cat hoodie? Purchase it on Ravelry.

Siding the House: Part 1

June 22, 2018June 23, 2018 ~ kristinMroach ~ Leave a comment

I say part 1, but it’s more like “years one, two, and three”. It’s been a long time in progress. And I have a long way to go, though I’m technically about 2/3 done. Potentially, all my creative energy (and time) outside of the shop and family things has funneled into this project.

It started in October 2015. Little did we know when we decided to side the house ourselves that we would, just two months later, opt to speed up our 5 year Little Woods plan to a 4 month period. We signed a lease and started the reno on our shop. So the siding took a back seat.

In 2015 we did tear off one side of the house, and found lots of dry rot and that kind of thing. After fixing it, I wrapped it up for the winter and did some reconstructive woodworking – which felt more like bondo-ing a car than woodworking.

In 2016 our kind friends helped us get the siding on that side done.

In 2017 I tore off another side and house wrapped it. As well as repaired the cracked window panes, glazed them, and replaced the window frames and reconstructed the window sill – dry rot. Oh and rotted studs had to be cut out and replaced. Let me just say. I never like seeing the inside of my house from the outside unless it’s through a window.

I also painted the porch and the other side of the house we sided in 2016. Doesn’t look too bad. Well except the gables. On this side it is in pretty okay shape so it has to wait until I’m ready to do all the gables… as in I need to figure out if I want replace or repair the siding and whether to keep it vertical or do shingles as an accent.

And here we are. Today I did a final coat of paint on the porch and painted the inner door blue. A couple weeks ago I replaced our storm door and just this week picked up the new storm windows we had made. Oh and last fall I glazed all the inner windows on the porch. What a huge difference that made with our heating bill!

A funny thing about the paint. When I painted the back of the house, the north side, it was flat. I’ve used flat paint before, but this was really chalky looking. Within a month it was super drab. I tried to wash it, but a spray down with the hose was not doing it. I still had one more final coat of paint so the paint store guy recommended eggshell. Which now looks super shiny. Weird. But it washes off really easily. And I’m 2/3 done and it takes 4 coats to go from white to plum. Just sayin’. I’m way too far in to turn back to flat now.

I know it seems like a lot and over a long duration, 3 summers now, but I enjoy the work and I get a pretty big boost of satisfaction when I finish a certain section. Or reconstruct a window frame. Or paint a door. Or replace a whole stud by sawing into the side of the house. Who doesn’t feel badass after doing that for the first time and having it actually work out okay and not collapse the house.

Until next time….

promise there will be some craft talk 🙂

Kristin M Roach

Craft Leftovers Homecoming

October 29, 2017 ~ kristinMroach ~ 2 Comments

THANKS~2 — This is me at our tea shop, Little Woods, enjoying a nitro tea during Book Club.

More than a decade ago… whoa. I started a blog called Craft Leftovers to fill a need in my life. I needed some outside accountability in busting my stash. I had my own pile of yarn and fabric as well as all the craft supplies I inherited from my grandma. Over the next several years my hobby blog grew into a full blown career as a pattern writer. It culminated in 2011 when I wrote a book for one of my favorite publishers – Storey Publishing – called Mend it Better!

Life is full of twists and turns and within a year of writing Mend it Better, I was hired as a curator at an Art Center and gave birth to our daughter Lucy. It set me on the path that lead to retiring from the art center and opening a tea shop with my husband! Whoa again.

I had always intended to write more blog posts about crafting, diy projects, cooking, and herbalism. I even took pictures and wrote the posts that just never quite made it to the internet. But right when I was ready to push that “publish” button… we got hacked. In a huge way! Literally corrupted all my data. I became pretty demoralized and the work involved to get it back off the ground was daunting and more than I could face while getting the shop off the ground and taking care of a toddler. So I put it off… until now. While we might be able to restore some of the archive eventually, I’ve decided to breath new life into Craft Leftovers and start anew.

I’m facing down that original spark that inspired my first blog post ten years ago. I need some accountability. But this time, it’s not just using up my stash. It’s doing something creative every week for me, for my daughter, and our home using what’s on hand.

Just typing this up has me fired up to craft, clean, and play with some fabric with Lucy – she’s been asking for some sewing lessons again!

Until next time!
Kristin M Roach