The Blob!

I got started on sewing the skirt pieces tonight. Here you can see the three separate flounces:



Basically all I've done so far is sew the front & back piece of each flounce together on the sides, and sewed around the bottom edge of each piece so I can get ready to turn the hem under. I made it a lot easier on myself by taping a 1/2 inch guide onto the machine. Otherwise I have a hard time keeping it straight, and I figured since I was trying to sew around the curved edge of a wobbly fabric cut on the bias, I deserved a little help!




Is that cheating?

Next step: press the hem, trim the edge, turn under, and sew again. This should be interesting.

Blazing Needles
This is probably as close as I'm going to come to posting any knitting content for a while.

Somehow, I think we're going to get arthritis/carpal tunnel either way.

New (Big) Sewing Project


Lately I've been thinking I might like to try to sew myself a skirt. Just something rather simple, easy, good practice, something new & cute to wear. So last weekend I went to Jo-Ann, and found this pattern that I liked:



But they didn't have my size. Long story short, neither did Hancock when I went there today. McCall's patterns were on sale so I looked but couldn't find anything similar. I was ready to give up, but Carrie came and she ended up convincing me to get this pattern:



And remember, the pattern was only 99 cents on sale. In the pattern catalog there was a picture of a real person wearing this skirt and it looked nice. Now, the next dilemma: what fabric? There were plenty of colorful fabrics in various weights and textures, but everything I found was dangerously old-ladyish. (That's the problem with polyesters...) But then I found this one on the clearance table, for $1.45/yard:



I really was not sure about this when I bought it. I thought, well, this stuff is pretty cheap, so I can practice on it, and if I don't like it, fine. I only spent about $12 on everything.

So when I got home I ironed out the creases and cut out the pattern pieces. I laid them out on the fabric on the floor:



I'm a little confused about one of the pieces, the yoke. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out. And the other thing is, I realized that this skirt is supposed to have a lining. But the yardage for the lining is listed separately so I didn't notice it at first. After scrutinizing the back of the envelope, I found the teeny print that says it HAS a lining, but there is no recommendation for the type of fabric to use for that! How am I supposed to know? I guess I could make the skirt with no lining. But I've come this far. I scanned the directions, and there are a LOT of steps involved. Might as well go whole hog.

So I guess I've got more shopping to do. I'm thinking I might need some pinking shears, too, to clip the seam allowances once it's sewn together. Since I don't have a serger...

So at this point I haven't cut the pieces out of the fabric yet. It seems like it's cutting it pretty close with the yardage. Not much to spare. I think I'll wait until after I've had a good night's sleep before I take the scissors to it. After all, that's $5.33 worth of quality fabric!

This is a much bigger project than I was anticipating. Might take me the whole summer to finish it! To be continued...

Crocheted Star

So it's the night before Mother's Day, and the thing you ordered hasn't come yet and you just didn't get around to going shopping... what do you do? Never fear! Just consult your stash. I pulled out some blue cotton and lime green Lion Brand microspun. I went to the internet, hoping to find something lacy to use the lime green for. No such luck. But I did find this pattern at crochetpatterncentral.com. Of course I had to modify the pattern a bit (I always do that) but I think it turned out alright. Don't know what she'll use it for, if anything, but I guess it would make a nice hot pad, or maybe it could go under a potted plant. Who knows.

The original pattern describes it as a small afghan. I guess I prefer a rectangular afghan myself, and I think this pattern would get pretty boring after a while. But to each their own. It sufficed in a pinch.

Fiber Arts in the Movies
If anyone happens to catch the movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, watch for a scene in which the characters suddenly turn into knitted versions of themselves, with everything around them being knitted as well. One character, Arthur, becomes sick and vomits up a bunch of multicolored loose yarn, then they return to normal but he's still pulling the strand of yarn from his mouth. Weird.

Hold on to your Hats!



coming soon

Podcasting about Knitting

Here is the first podcast I came across:

Knitcast

Podcasting is Cool!
I'm so excited! Podcasting is cool! I know that there are knit-bloggers out there who have already experimented with this technology, but I can't remember where I first saw it in order to provide a link.

I do, however, have a link to a GREAT podcasting site, which doesn't have anything to do with knitting, but does have something to do with my DNA.

Check it out:
LRB Podcasts

Maybe one of these days I'll find a way to incorporate podcasting into this blog.

More Handmade Gifts

I didn't quite finish it before Christmas, but I got it done in time to give it to Carrie on New Year's Eve! This is the rectangular quilt thingy I made for her. I don't know what to call it, since I don't know what purpose she will give it. Perhaps it's a mini table runner. Anyway, I took inspiration from Carrie's house when I went shopping for anything red, brown, or yellow, and came up with these calicos. I really love the pink roses on yellow background. And the red toile for the backing just said "Carrie!" [whoops, it's upside down!]

And here is what Carrie made for me: a thread catcher! At least I think that's what it's called. The top part is weighted with sand and you can stick pins in it. Although I got another great pin holder: the magnetic "pin pal"! That's the blue thing on the right. It was a gift from Danica. And Carrie also gave me the book of knit stitches.

Happy 2005!!!

Red and White Stocking

Here is the stocking I made for Danica. The initials are MDT. This time I decided to do the initials where the name goes in the pattern, but instead of following the directions and knitting it plain and then duplicate stitching the letters on afterward, I tried to be sneaky and knit the letters in. I think that was a mistake, because they're a little misshapen, but I guess it's okay. This stocking is 100% cotton, which I'm told is an unforgiving yarn.