Needles and a Pen » Knitting, Sewing, and Nursing School

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  • Welcome to my blog!

    Hi! I'm Traci. I'm a Registered Nurse who loves quilting, knitting, cross stitch, and the great outdoors. In my pre-scrubs life, I owned Real Photography, and you can still see my old wedding and portrait photography site here .

    I've created a map that shows links to our camping/hiking/general family fun review posts that you can find here. It's pretty much the coolest thing on this site. Thanks, Google!

    I great big puffy heart *love* comments, so please let me know you visited! I try to always reply!

Noodlehead open wide pouch | pattern review

Saturday, August 31, 2019 Posted in bags, gifts

I used the highly praised Noodlehead open wide pouch pattern to make a gift for my manager as I left the hospital this spring. It’s free, easy to follow, and results in a beautiful pouch!

My only adjustment was creating a two fabric exterior. It was hard knowing how the ratio would shape up given what a deep bottom this bag has, so err on the side of a skinnier top section if you want to avoid having the bag be too half-and-half.

For fabric, I used a canvas weight Rifle Paper Co print that I adore and have been hoarding as well as some faux leather from Hobby Lobby. The lining is some OLD Bonnie and Camille polka dot fabric that worked perfectly with the Rifle Paper Co canvas.

Sew Together Bag | The Manly Version

Monday, August 26, 2019 Posted in bags

Turns out you can’t make a manly version of this bag.

My dad is awesome. For his birthday this past winter I wanted to make him something great. My first try, the bray hat, I decided was too girly. So in my great wisdom I decided that the opposite of a girly hat would be a manly sewing bag.

(I do not have great wisdom.)

ANYWAY, my dad is really sweet and has been helping my mom make our growing extended family’s beautiful Christmas stockings for the last couple of years.

(The following picture is the closest I have to a picture of some of the stockings. It is from the year me and my dad scoured ebay for a year and got additional copies of the stocking holder my sister and I always fought over when young…exactly enough extra copies to have everyone else in the Originals have the prized candy train…but still not Kelly.)

He uses a series of ziplock baggies to keep track of all of the sequins and felt and needles and tools, and I thought a leather Sew Together bag would be a nice manly way to organize them. I made a mistake with the lining color. I know that now.

The ‘leather’ was from Hobby Lobby and although it would be difficult to work with in many projects, it was not a problem at all with this bag.

The good news is that the stockings are almost complete, so he can regift the bag to my mom in no time. ;D

The unisex hat | Bray cap pattern review

Sunday, August 25, 2019 Posted in knitting

I wanted to make my dad a really special hat for his birthday, so last fall I started in on a pattern I’d had my eye on for years: the Bray cap from Brooklyn tweed.

It is a cable and lace pattern, perfectly doable if you’ve tried either at least once before. I knit it while still working night shift and while it wasn’t the greatest 2am pattern, I was trying to work in my love for my dad, so tackling cables and lace at 2am all seemed very appropriate.

My colleagues were really impressed with it as it took shape, which I took heart at…right up until I told them it was for my dad. “Too girly?” I asked. As the cables and lace had started taking shape I had started wondering that myself. “You don’t think he’ll like it?”

“No! He’ll love it!” one of the other nurses said. “I mean, he’ll wonder why you made him a woman’s hat. But he will LOVE. IT.”

I worked with assholes. I miss them so hard. (Spoiler alert: I work a Monday-Friday sweet office case management gig now but I miss my old teammates so hard it hurts. And also being a real nurse. But I get to sleep at night and spend weekends with my family so it all works out in the end.)

Anyway, I decided it was too girly and I would make my dad a different project (see upcoming post). Spoiler alert: it also turned out SUPER girly. I can’t stop making my dad girly stuff apparently.

Then, after putting the hat on my own head, I decided it didn’t look so girly after all. I made Nic model it. And Will. They both argued that it was just a hat. Not a boy hat and not a girl hat, just a hat that anybody could rock. So it ended up going to my dad after all!

I used Swans Island worsted weight yarn in oatmeal. I love Swans Island for its depth and old fashioned look but still soft feel!

Sew Together Bag | Take 2

Saturday, January 26, 2019 Posted in bags

My sister was diagnosed last month with breast cancer, and I wanted to give her something special on her first day of chemo. Since she is amazing at hand sewing (applique being her specialty) I wanted to make her a sew together bag! I used the lessons I learned from the first bag and added an additional line of elastic. I unfortunately learned a NEW lesson and in my haste to get this made before we left for Seattle I missed that I oriented one of the zippers incorrectly. Drat.

I used a Heather Ross nursey versery print for the exterior, and though the yellow perfectly matched the yellow in the print, when it all came together I was a little disappointed in that choice. This project is really hard to ‘see’ how the fabrics will end up playing together. Of course I went into my closet the next day and saw the PERFECT fabric in a bag I made with this print previously. I’m pretty sure if I’d seen that fabric while making this bag I would have ripped apart that bag without a second thought! Oh well. Guess I’ll just have to make her a redo eventually with perfect zippers and fabric choices! 😀

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Speattle - I think the one zipper orientation can be overlooked in this lovely and thoughtful gift.

I’m so sorry to hear about your sister. My sister in law was just dx’d recently too here in Seattle. Too much of this going around!

My thoughts, good wishes and prayers with your sister for a complete healing and recovery. I’m sure her “making” will be a great comfort to her, and even more so with this beautiful bag.

Go Team Go Hat Pattern Review

Thursday, January 24, 2019 Posted in Uncategorized

For my sister’s Christmas present I wanted to make her a hat in honor of her new job as the ASB coordinator of the high school where she worked as a chemistry teacher. Since that job involves attending many school sports and school spirit events, I figured the Go Team Go pattern from Plucky Knitter would be perfect! I used the tulip time, wintery mix, and lollipop guild colorways for their purple and gold school colors.

To make the project easier, I printed out two of the letter charts and then cut and paste the letters I would be using together in a line so that I wasn’t having to track between letters as I knit the text.

If I were to make the hat again I would shorten the purple space between the brim and the letters to put the text higher on your head when you wear it so the text doesn’t get as lost. I love Amy Butler patterns but they tend to make for a super slouchy hat!