Shirt & Blouse

Here's the finished shirt for Pearle. He picked out the buttons, and I made the buttonholes last night, pulled all thread ends to the back, tied them and hid the ends, applied Fray-Check, then allowed it to dry overnight, and sewed the buttons on today. I'm quite pleased with this shirt, and I will take it to the fair next week. You can see more photos here, including a close-up of the placket and cuff.


This is my test version of Marfy 1101, one of the free patterns included with the Fall 2006/07 Marfy catalog. I used a fabric I don't particularly care for, but it has no give in any direction, so it's nice to test things. I didn't use any interfacing, but this gives me a good idea of what I'll get with a different version. I think this would be nice in a chiffon actually, or probably any blouse fabric. I will make a couple of changes for the next version, including using smaller buttons. There are very small shoulder pads in this blouse, and I quite like
the fact that some padding in shoulders is making a comeback. I don't think I want to go clear to the huge proportions we left in the '80's, but a little is nice. There's a close-up of the cuff here.

You can see the pattern drawing below, and I did a very silly thing when I was tracing the pattern. It was quite late Sunday night, and for some reason, I traced a size 44 first. Of course, that's not the size I need, but if someone would like my tracing of it, let me know. First come, first served!

Size 44 translates to Bust 92cm/36.25", Waist 72cm/28.3", Hip 96cm/37.8".

Just Looking for Buttons

Here's the shirt I'm taking to the fair this year. It's all done except the buttonholes and buttons, as I don't have any I like. I'm going to go look for some tomorrow. I'm actually done over a week early! This is practically unprecedented. Please forgive the wrinkly appearance. I thought I wouldn't bother to give it a final press until after I've taken it to the fabric store to look for buttons, and sewn them on, etc. It's such a fine, silky cotton that it seems to gather wrinkles as it sits there.

I tried something new on this shirt. I did a chevroned yoke, thanks Ann Rowley! I think it turned out beautifully, and it's a really nice design detail, and perfect with the tiny stripe in this fabric. I was quite sure that the stripe was white, but apparently it's gray, as I tried white threads and they were just overpowering, so finally went to a light-medium gray, which seems to match the stripe perfectly, and actually reads as white. I'm thinking dark blue buttons might be nice. Here's the collar and the yoke.



If you want to see the entire shirt, you'll have to look here, as the stripes don't read well in a small photo.

Shoe Covering

I'd been thinking about doing some shoes again, and when the shoe issue came up with the Matka jacket, organza blouse and print skirt, I decided now was the time.

I went through all the satin dyeable shoes I had on hand, which are what I have used for covering in the past. I used to buy the mis-dyed ones on the semi-annual sale at a local shoe store, and so I have several pairs in reserve. They're pretty classic pumps, and although I could wish for a higher heel, these are actually really comfortable.

I've been asked for photos of the process in the past, and I had planned to take photos the next time I did a pair. I decided that this subject needed a lot of photos to illustrate it, and I have posted a series in a gallery called Shoe Covering on my photo site at Pbase. There are instructional captions as well. If anything is unclear, just ask. It's not particularly hard, you just have to be meticulous, and careful.

These are covered in the same Seafoam Silk Matka I used for the Marfy jacket, and the heels are covered with a crocodile print faux leather. I have not done heels this way before, although I have covered them with cloth, or even left them the original dyed color of the shoe. I also bleached and redyed one pair before covering the heels only. It just becomes very fun to dream up color and decoration schemes, and I really wonder why it's been at least 10 years since I did a pair.

Tropical Colors

I just had to share the very tropical (and a little wild, for me anyway) outfit I came up with just so that I could wear the darling polka dot shoes. I thought they were great with the pants, but didn't have anything else that was quite right, or at least right and also appropriate for a casual summer dinner. I realized that this camp shirt that I made almost exactly a year ago is the perfect color. I think the ensemble is great for a day that's in the 90's with high (99%) humidity. We finally got rain yesterday, so we're not complaining about the humidity. It's just fine!

Reversals

Well, I finished the Elsebeth Lavold tank "Audrey" on Thursday, and I'm just not really happy with it. It's just plain too long. I've tried it belted, unbelted, any way I could think of, and there's just nothing for it except to shorten it. I think I can take out length in the middle and re-attach the two halves after I'm done. I really do not want to practically knit the whole thing over again. I've never had quite this big an error before, but these things happen, I guess.

It doesn't look terribly long in this photo, but the angle it's taken from makes it look a little foreshortened.

I also finally got to the point in the Schachenmayr cardigan where you divide for the arm shaping, etc. and realized that the pattern has a mistake. It's written in metric of course, as it's a German pattern, and they put the wrong figure in the pattern for the length when you divide. It says 18 1/2" and it should be 13 1/2", so that entailed ripping back to the correct length too, although not nearly as big a deal as the Lavold would be.

I did get some good work done on the Katia shell I'm making. I finished the back last night, and have begun on the front. It's such interesting yarn that it's fun to work on, even with a not very interesting to knit pattern.

Anyway, I feel like I'm taking one step forward and two steps backward today. Maybe the weirdness will stop soon. I hope so.

Star Calculations

Several people expressed interest in the star calculation method at PatternReview. I will give you what I think is an easier-to-understand explanation.

There are 3 components of your "score".

1. Number of Reviews written. (This includes tips, and reviews in all categories; patterns, books, websites, stores, etc.) The breakpoints are 1, 26, 51, 76, 101, 126, 151, 175.
2. Number of people who "favor" you. The breakpoints here are 1, 11, 21, 31, etc. up to 90.
3. 25% of the average rating on all your reviews. This is the tricky one.
   
   As you know, you can rate other people's reviews. Here are the 4 ratings, and the points each represents.

• Very Helpful +2
• Helpful +1
• Needs More Info +0
• Off-Topic -1

You must make a chart or something (Excel is handy) with all your reviews and go through and write down how many helpfuls, very helpfuls, etc. you have on each review. Then add the number of points for each review individually, divide by the number of ratings on that particular review and that's the average for that review. Add up all the averages, divide by the total number of reviews, and then take 25% of that number, and that's the third part of the score.

Example:

• 3Very Helpful, 2 Helpful on a review would give you a total of 8, divided by 5 raters = 1.6.
• If you had another review with 15 Very Helpfuls and 1 Helpful, 31 divided by 16 = 1.9375.
• One more with 2 Very Helpfuls only would be 4 divided by 2 = 2
• Total averages: 5.5375 divided by 3 reviews = 1.84583
• Multiply by .25 = 0.4614

You can see from this method that 2 is the highest average you can get on any particular review, and if anyone even gives you one Helpful rather than a Very Helpful, that drags you down quite a lot. I was really surprised to find out that Helpful is bad, apparently.

When you add the three parts of your score, you must then divide by 3, and that is your Star Rating Number. They're all recalculated every Monday morning, although I think that once you have a star, you keep it, no matter how many people unwittingly may deem you Helpful!

So, taking this example, your components would be:

• 0.25 for a total of 3 reviews
• 0.2 for 6 people who favor you
• 0.4614 for ratings on your reviews
• Divide by 3
• Total is 0.3038 for 1 Star.

You must have at least 0.3 to get 1 Star, 0.6 for 2 Stars, 0.8 for 3 stars, 1.1 for 4 stars, and over 1.5 for 5 stars. The easiest thing to raise is number of reviews, as you control that. Next easiest is number of persons who favor you, and hardest is your review rating, as you're likely to get Helpfuls as well as Very Helpfuls on your reviews, and you may have reviews with no ratings at all, which of course will draw your average down as well. No matter how many Very Helpfuls you have though, 0.5 is the most that you can get in the rating category.

All this militates toward members writing many reviews, which of course is the main purpose of the site, so this formula gives the edge to quantity.

Thanks to Irina for her Very Helpful help!

Lime Pants & Apple Top

Apparently, it's Fruit Day, and here we thought it was Independence Day.


As you can see, I finally got photos taken of the lime pants and apple print georgette top. The pants are nicely cool and a little loose, which is okay for summer, but actually, after wearing them this afternoon and evening, I think they're "growing" as I wear them. This seems to happen to some fabrics, especially rayons, and I can't decide exactly what to do. I'm thinking of washing them to make sure they won't actually shrink up again, and then recutting, etc. I hate to redo them immediately, but that may be what it takes. Now that I think about it, the fabric shrank up some and definitely got beefier after prewashing, and I probably should have ironed it back to its pre-laundering dimensions before cutting, but I rather liked the slightly crinkly look, and I didn't want to have to iron the pants back to size every time I washed them, and in all my previous experience, once they shrink, they stay shrunk. Maybe another washing is just the ticket to analyze what's really happening, and what needs to be done.

On to the top, which I quite like. It's Vogue 2683. I am glad I did a bias top, as I realized that rows of apples striding across my front was not going to be too charming, and I like the print on the bias much better than on the straight. But it was time-consuming and fiddly to sew, as each thing had to be done, then tried on again, adjusted, etc. I have made this pattern before too, and it went rather well, so I didn't anticipate this degree of fiddling around. That was a completely different fabric, however, and as we all know, the fabric is really almost the whole story. Ah well, it's done now, and I like wearing it. I think the lime silk duppioni binding works very well, although I must say I prefer facings in general. The top appears to be done changing shape and size, too. I hope. There are a few more photos here.

It's a fun, summer outfit, and I'd like to make a couple more tops that will go with the pants as well as some other things, but probably not bias for awhile anyway. The color of these pants is great with the floral Burda jacket I made, although it absolutely screams Spring so I am hoping that by next spring this color won't be hopelessy "last year". Of course, around here, last year is often somewhat avant garde, although more in styles than colors. Anyway, a neutral Little Blouse would be just the thing to finish the outfit, I think, and would be handy to have in general, as well, so I may go ahead and make that. I'm thinking small pleats or pintucks in the front, but I'm not sure yet. I often like the plainest things the best, so I should think it over.

Bias Apple Print Top is Done

It seems like the last couple days have just been overrun with "things having nothing to do with sewing or knitting." Just what I didn't want. So, I've been working when I could on the bias top to go with the lime pants I finished. It turned out to be kind of tricky. It's a rayon georgette, and very "schlimpsy" as we used to say, meaning it goes in every direction and has no body. Most of my problems were "own fault". I should have looked in my favorite sewing book "Sew the French Way" to see what she had to say about bias, because I think her method would have been great. She recommends cutting the pieces with 2"-3" seam allowances, and then either tacking them to a vertical surface with pins at the top of the piece and letting them hang out for 3-4 days, or steaming and ironing in the lengthwise direction of the pieces. Either way, the next thing you do is recut the pieces. It would have been a good idea to do this, as the fabric just seemed to keep stretching. The staystitching at the seams was semi-helpful, but of course the rest of the piece was still lengthening. It took quite a bit of fiddling to get the side-front seams fairly smooth. Hand basting was definitely my friend! Even the hem was tricky, as I decided a plain turned up hem was what I would do. I basted it about 1/2" above the fold, and cut it down to a 1 1/4" hem. I just used a supported catchstitch, taking one thread of the face fabric, but the weave was so open that I had to really watch that it didn't just pull a hole in it. It's finally all done, and looks pretty spiffy, I think.

The pattern calls for bias binding on the neckline and armholes, and I decided to be tricky and use a contrast fabric. I have some lime duppioni from a FabricMart silk bundle, which I washed a couple times so that it became somewhat matte, and that's what I used. It's pretty striking, but I think it turned out well. I have enough of the duppioni to make a skirt or something too. I'm thinking skirt, as I really don't need a bright lime jacket. Maybe a wrap would be nice, and different too. Well, it's not next on the list, so I have time to think.

It's much too late to take photos tonight, so I hope tomorrow will be a good picture day.

It's A Three Star Day!

Yes, I did get my third star on PatternReview today, thanks to all of you who helped. If anyone wants a simpler explanation of the "star-figuring" method they use, let me know. For now, I'll just say that the strangest thing about it is that giving someone anything other than a Very Helpful rating on a review will actually hurt them. I never dreamed that rating someone Helpful was not a nice thing to do. Oh well, live and learn. Now that I have 3 stars, what will I do with them? I have no idea, but it's nice, just the same. Again, thank you all, I couldn't have done it without you, and I really didn't mean to whine and beg (well, not much anyhow!)

Pants, But No Top Yet

I finished the pants I've been working on, and I like them a lot. They're a chartreusey color, more like Green Chartreuse than Yellow, and are a semi-crinkly rayon. I added 2 1/2" to the length, and they're quite long enough to wear with heels. I had planned a drawstring waist, as they're very springy/summery in color, but I decided that a Hollywood Waist, aka The Comfy Waistband, was going to be nicer. I am now working on a top from the Apple Print Georgette that I bought as a coordinate. I thought I was all decided on a Little Blouse, but I've thought of using the print on the bias since I got it, and I finally decided that the print really would be much nicer on the bias, and so I began on Vogue 2683 tonight. I shortened it about 4" from the original, which I think is a better length both for me, and to wear with the pants. Now I'm wondering if I can use facings instead of bias binding on a bias top. Otherwise, I may bind with a contrasting fabric. I'm not sure the rayon would be very good as binding, as it's kind of beefy, and the georgette is very thin. I have a couple things that might work well, including some lime duppioni. Anyway, when I get the top done, I'll post a photo of it and the pants. I found that the pants are very cute with the Floral Marfy Jacket too, but extremely springy looking, so I think it's almost too late in the year to wear them together. I hope this color of green isn't going to be a short-lived trend, as I really like it, and I'm hoping to wear it for another year at least.

Knitting Progress & Stargazing

I'm kind of between sewing projects right now, although as you can see, the knitting continues apace. The photo above is the bottom portion of the Schachenmayr Lacy Cardigan in Toy yarn. I had hoped that this would work as a somewhat outré twinset with the Schachenmayr Lacy Shell, but the colors just aren't going to work together. I hoped that there would be enough pink in the rust of the shell to go with the pink cardigan, but it's too deep a divide to bridge. Oh well, I like them both as separate pieces, so that's okay too. The cardigan is an interesting piece to knit, as it's worked back and forth in one piece up to where you divide for the armscyes, so it goes quickly, and there will be less to seam, which is a plus. Here's a close up of the lace pattern. I just love the different colors that make up this yarn.

I'm still coming along with the Lavold tank with the lacy straps, and am getting close to where the lace pattern starts on the back, so not too long now, I hope.


I am also working on a top in Katia "Bolero" yarn, which has little pieces in the main yarn that almost look and feel like grosgrain ribbon. I think it's such a fun look, and I started knitting up the pattern they have for a cute tank top with buckles in the straps. I'm above the waist with it now, and have just about decided that I think I will change to a shell pattern so that I have more shoulder coverage. I don't know why I was seduced by the tank pattern, but it is really cute, just not for me.

For some reason this weekend I decided that I had to see if I could get to 3 stars on PatternReview. The formula for stars is arcane at best, but I finally figured it out. The upshot is that I either have to write 25 more reviews OR hope that 8 more people will add me as a favorite reviewer. It turns out that the part of the formula that counts ratings of your reviews is almost useless in getting stars. But, you may ask, why exactly do you want 3 stars? That is a really good question, and one to which I don't really know the answer. It was just one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time. Or something.

I think I am going to start on a pair of nice, summer drawstring pants, and I want them to be long enough to wear with heels. I loved it in the '70s and '80s when we wore heels with pants, and I like it now, too.

Border Print Skirt

I finally finished the belt for the border print skirt, which is what has been holding me up. As it turns out, it was not as important as I had thought it would be. If I were going to wear it with a tucked-in top, then it would be necessary to hide the elasticized waist, but with the tops on the outside, it doesn't show at all, and the belt, which is more of a narrow cummerbund, just adds bulk, although it can be nice over a top.

I originally planned this skirt to go with the jacket and blouse that you see above. I didn't have a real plan for the skirt, but I knew I wanted something a little different, with plenty of walking ease, and perhaps some kind of drape or asymmetric hemline. When I finished it, I wondered whether it would really work as part of the planned group. It's definitely a departure for me, but I really kind of like it, and I think it works. Dare I say that it's my "Homage to Lacroix"? I have always loved his wild conglomerations of prints and colors and styles which may look random, but are truly masterful. I hadn't planned this to attempt to approach that style, but it does come to mind.

Here it is with a knitted top, and very much milder in effect. You can see the bow much more clearly in the side view, too.

The photos are much clearer, and there are more at My Photos, including photos of the inside drape attachment.

The fabric for this skirt is from JoAnn's, and is a 45" polyester silky print. I bought 2 yards, and used almost every snippet. I did a baby hem the entire length before I started, and then sewed the side seam, and started trying it on with elastic around my waist. I tucked and fussed, and draped and pinned, and finally came up with an inverted pleat in the back, with the fabric in the pleat folded several times on each side of the pleat to give some depth, and to keep the fullness all at the back. The drape is stitched to a doubled ribbon which hangs from the waist, and is folded over several times to give a sturdy base for the stitching, and for the bow attachment. It also keeps the weight of the drape and bow from pulling the skirt down.

I think this is going to be fun to wear. Shoes seem to be the most difficult element to get right with this. They need a little weight, but not too much. I think the espadrilles are good with the top, but a little flighty-looking with the jacket. I'm not sure about the pumps either, though. Luckily, I won't have to decide on that until closer to fall, I don't think.

Sewing Expo

Well, Jane and I went to the Sewing Expo in Omaha yesterday, and we had a really good time! We had signed up for an Emma Seabrooke class on sewing with knits, and it was quite good. She had lots of specific tips on sewing with different kinds of knits, and she not only told you what worked, she told you what didn't work, and why. Her samples were beautifully sewn, and she had lots of good ideas for different kinds of knits. One of her specialties is Slinky Knit. I've only sewn with Slinky once, but we had happened to wander into her booth before the class and looked at the great fabrics she had brought, and we went back afterward and bought. I got a piece of Slinky in one of "my" colors, a gray-green, and a piece of a Missoni-like sweater knit. Jane got orange Slinky, and a coordinating print knit. Jane said she wants whatever I don't use of the sweater knit, which is fine with me, as I'm planning only a top from it. It was one of the precut 3 yard lengths available, as was my Slinky, and that's more than I need of the sweater knit. I also bought a pattern from Emma, the Aliece, which is a V-neck cardigan with a plain- or cowl-neck top. Her sizing is very interesting, and I hadn't even looked at it when she looked me over and said Size E. I didn't know what that was, but it's a 10 with a C/D bust. Sounds good to me! Her pattern line is SewKeysE, but I don't believe believe she has a website.

The Japanese buttons at the top of this post were just irresistible! They are so darling. I got enough for a camp shirt, and the long one is just because. They're kind of heavy, and I think they're magnets to which shanks were glued. They're from Japanese Textiles & Tours which is Carol Lane-Saber's business. She taught at the Expo too, and her booth had wonderful pieces. I managed to hold myself to just the buttons, though.

As I said earlier, I was hoping for silk thread, and I found it! I got some lovely colors of Tire thread, and one spool of DMC cotton embroidery thread, all 50-weight. Jane pointed out the DMC, and said she's successfully used it when she needs a very perfect color-match. Anything DMC is usually great, so thought I'd try it. I'd not seen it before.

We also each bought a starter kit from Bo-Nash of their 007 Bonding Agent. I had seen it advertised, but never really figured out what it did. Well, they had a woman demonstrating, and it appears to be a miracle product. You can invisibly fix holes and tears in things, and I saw everything from a patterned thin silk blouse to a wool jacket. It also will bond lace appliques to silk chiffon invisibly and with no stiffness whatsoever. We both thought of many good ideas for it. I plan to try it to attach the Angelina Fiber koi fish I'm going to put on the next purse I make. I've been wondering what would be the best way, and nothing was really looking like the answer, but I think this may be it. The kit also included a leather/vinyl bonder that works the same way, a large Teflon appliqué sheet, and iron-cleaning sheets. There is no excuse now for lack of industry.

We also watched a fashion show of Park Bench Patterns. It was interesting, and the patterns are much different than the drawings I'd seen before. All in all, it was a very nice day, and I hope they will hold the Expo next year too. They say they will, and if so, I'll be there!

Today, our neighbors were having a garage sale, so I went over to chat and look, and my very sweet neighbor gave me this wicker suitcase filled with yarn that had belonged to a friend. Really a nice collection, and a complete surprise! It will be fun to play with, and the wicker case is great!

Moving Along

First of all, I want to thank everyone so much for the very kind comments on my run of bad luck. I appreciate your concern more than you know. The burn appears to be alright. I apparently cooled it quickly enough to prevent much damage. My shoulder is still hurting though, and I'm becoming resigned to its being a problem for some time. Maybe not such a big problem I hope. Because of it, I went and got a haircut today. Does this seem like a non-sequitur? Well, I can't wash it and fix it, so thought it was time for a trim anyway, and I feel much better now. I also treated myself to a blissful pedicure, and I feel quite princessy!

I'm going with a friend to the Sewing Expo in Omaha tomorrow. We will take a Knits class with Emma Seabrooke, and then just wander the vendor area until we succumb to temptation. I'm hoping for Tire silk thread. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to break down and order it. Other than that, I don't think there's anything specific I'm looking for, but I'm thinking hard, as I'm sure there must be something that I'm overlooking.

My sister sent me a really great article perfect to read before going to a sewing/fiber/textile show. It's called Right From the Start by Marci Petrini. Even if you're not going to a show, it's a good prod to begin thinking about why you approach your art the way that you do.

I received a new Katia knitting pattern book today. It's #448, Spring/Summer and there are some wonderful patterns. I have made several Katia patterns previously, and I really like their books. They always have several that I would seriously consider, the directions are good, the charts and schematics are clear, and I have decided that I think they're among the best of the yarn-brand pattern books I've seen.

One more thrilling tidbit. I feel like I'm learning to use the computer all over again, as I have begun using the mouse with my left hand since yesterday. Moving my arm from the keyboard to the mouse was obviously a problem, and I finally switched, and it was not horrible, but non-intuitive, until my sister suggested that I should switch the buttons too, and that helped a lot. Now a left click is a right click, but more importantly, it's still the index finger doing its thing!

Burning Questions and Cold Shoulders?

This bow is for the Border Print Skirt I'm working on. I thought I would get it done today, but as you'll understand if you manage to wade through the rest of this post, I didn't finish today. I did get the hand sewing on the bow done, so that was something, and very satisfying. I also worked on the Pink Lacy Cardigan to go with the Lacy Shell I finished previously. I decided I'd better at least have a nice photo of the bow, as there's nothing else good to show for today.

Well, luck has been in plentiful supply around here lately. Just not good luck. Warning: non-sewing content ahead for a ways. I know I mentioned the bad cold/respiratory thing I had, and still have the vestiges of, after about 2 weeks. Apparently I also somehow injured a shoulder, although I don't remember doing anything memorable. It's been painful down my right arm, and seemed to be somewhat of a muscle problem. I got an anti-inflammatory and was told to see if it was better in a couple weeks.

Last night I was working on my border print skirt and the Peep hopped onto the ironing board, and then decided to get off quickly. The board and the iron began to rock, and I grabbed quickly to save the iron. Very bad move, and my arm was immediately unusable without a lot of pain. Fine. It would take more time to heal.

This morning I was only using the left hand and arm to do things unless absolutely necessary, which wasn't so bad, if awkward. There was chicken noodle soup in the microwave this noon (Pearle caught my cold. More luck.) and it was boiling pretty good and was ready, so I decided to take it out. I started to lift it out, and my right arm quit, and I spilled boiling soup all down the inside of my right forearm, and all over the floor of course. So, I was alternating between running cold water on my arm, and getting down on my hands and knees trying to get the soup off the floor, with one bad arm to start with. It was quite a travesty.

I did end up at the doctor this afternoon, and he is sending me to an orthopedist, as he says there's something unstable in my shoulder, and he doesn't think rest is going to really do much for it. The burn turns out to be not nearly as bad as it might have been, because apparently cold water is exactly what you should use on a burn. I always thought we should use ice, but I guess not.

It's been a strange week and a very strange day, as these are the kinds of things that don't usually happen to me, but I guess it was my turn, or something.

Lacy Shell is Finished

Last night I finished the Schachenmayr Toy Lacy Shell. It was fairly quick to knit, and I'm quite pleased with it. I got the yarn and the pattern book from Elann.

This was another garment where I did the front and back in different sizes. I knitted the Front as a large, and the Back as a small. I usually like the results I get this way, and this was no exception. Since the shoulders are cut in, I made crocheted strap keepers, which work very well. The collar was kind of weird, as they have you stop after a WS row (all plain purled row) when you put the neckline stitches on a holder. Then, when you're ready to do the collar, there are live stitches on each side in the back, and some at the CF, with bound-off stitches in between. So, I put the live stitches from one side of the back on the needle, picked up the stitches before the CF live stitches, and then realized that my pattern was going to be all screwed up if I just knitted across the CF stitches and picked up the side stitches again, as then I would purl back, and so would have 2 plain knit rows in the middle of the lace pattern. I finally picked up the side stitches and then just put the live stitches from the CF on the needle and picked up the other side stitches with a different piece of yarn, and put the live stitches on the needle from the other side of the back. Then, I began with another piece of yarn from the right-hand edge and worked a right side (lace stitch) row. This made for a few more woven-in ends than I otherwise would have had, but I didn't want a strange mistaken-looking part in the pattern right at the center front at the top. I wonder if this is what they expected you might do, or maybe this is the "obvious, done thing", or maybe there's an actual right way that I missed entirely, but this worked anyway.

You can see more photos here. It was a really windy day and I took photos out on the top deck, so hair was flying everywhere. I don't think it adds much, but there you are.

The reason I seem to suddenly be finishing a lot of knitting is that I've had a really bad cold or something (which is wonderful on top of allergies) and it has hung on like crazy. So, not so much energy to sew, but I can sit and knit. I'm finally over it, I think, but my right shoulder is now causing a lot of problems. I've never had anything like this, and apparently it's just muscle strain (they think) but it's hard to try not to use it, especially when I'm right handed. Oh well, just a small whine for the day.

Organza Blouse Finished

This is the finished Organza Little Blouse with the Matka Marfy jacket that it was made to coordinate with. I think the colors are very nice, and the blouse is okay too. I like the way the collar lays, and I think the tie ends look very nice with the jacket. There was a lot of this type of look shown in the Fall '06 runway shows, and I liked it. I would like it in a softer fabric too. It was a fun project, and it will be nice to wear when it's a little cooler out. It was in the 90's today, and I was not tempted to leave it on any longer than necessary.

I changed the neckline to a V, added a button-front placket with 6 very thin pearl buttons, and a bias tie collar. The sleeves are plain elbow length. I'm wondering if I should weight the back hem somewhat, as the details in the front add weight that pulls it forward slightly. This doesn't happen with a fabric which is not so weightless to start with.

I will start on the coordinating border print skirt next, and I'm wondering if this is going to be a wilder-than-usual outfit for me, since it has two patterned fabrics. (Oh, the thrill of it all!) Here's a view of the blouse on a hanger, and you can see more photos here.

French Seams

Well, it's been awhile since I sewed anything particularly sheer that needed french seams, but the embroidered organza Little Blouse I'm working on has seemed to call for this technique. I worked on the pattern last night, changing the CF-on-fold and scoop-neck to a button-front with V-neck. So far, so good. The fabric sews beautifully, and I just hope it won't be too stiff to be a nice blouse. It's awfully pretty fabric, and the color is great, so I'm counting on its turning out well.

I've been getting some knitting done on the Silky Tweed Tank, and am about up to the waist on the back. I've also begun seriously reading Barbara Walker's Knitting From the Top, and I can see that it's going to complicate my knitting life somewhat, for a while at least, but I think in the end it will be very helpful. It should take a lot of the fit guesswork out of knitting, and that's something I've always hated. Following a pattern in the usual way, by the time you know what you needed to do, it's way too late.

Cable/Bobble Sweater is Finished!

I am so pleased! I finally finished this sweater last night. I've been working on it since the end of January, I believe. I know I ordered the yarn about the 30th anyway. I like the way it turned out, and it was really quite fun to knit. It certainly never got boring! It's made with Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, and the pattern is from Vogue Knitting's winter '01-'02 issue, pattern #25.

I made it as written except for adding one stitch pattern column on each side of the front. I think this gave it a good fit, as I didn't want it to be tight at all. I did have to make the sleeves much longer than they said, but that was no surprise. I joined the yarn as I went from ball to ball, so there were only a very few ends to weave in, which was quite wonderful. I ended up with about 3 1/2 skeins left over, so I guess if I need a hat or a bag or something, I'm set. The collar looks like ribbing, but it's not. It's supposed to just fall over, and it does. I tried folding it down, but I don't really care for that, at least right now. Here's a photo of it on me, and you can see close ups of the stitch patterns here.

Lots of Finished Knitting

Here's the front of the Silky Wool tank I've been knitting from Elsebeth Lavold's yarn and pattern. I like the strap pattern especially, and it's kind of boring knitting until you start the lacy leaves pattern. The thing that really surprised me is that I'm running out of yarn! I never run out of yarn, and usually have some (or a lot) left over. I'm knitting this at the correct gauge, and I'm even making it shorter by several inches than the pattern specifies. She calls for 4 skeins, and I started on the fourth one as I was finishing the front, so I'm way off, and it really makes me wonder. I checked Lavold's website for errata, as I could tell there was a YO missing from the lace pattern, and the lace pattern correction was there, but no mention of more yarn being necessary. It's really a puzzlement. I was able to order more from Yarn Country, and they had my dyelot too. It shipped today, so I will have it very soon. Here's a close up of the lacy leaves pattern on the strap.

Last night I also finished the second sleeve of my Bobble/Cable sweater! I am really thrilled about that. Of course, by the time I was onto the second sleeve, I had finally memorized enough of the pattern repeats that I didn't need the chart except for the center panel, which is tricky. It would have gone much quicker all along if I had been able to do this sooner. So, now all I have to do is sew the second sleeve on and do the collar. Pictures as soon as I'm done, which may be tomorrow, I hope!

Lupines on Finigan Ridge

 

These beautiful lupines are among the wildflowers we planted along the road when we developed Finigan Ridge. They're about 2 feet tall, and beautiful enough to be in any garden. What a great view, too! 

May Flowers

 
Here's the first waterlily of the season. It's small, but lovely. This is its second day; they usually last 3 days, closing at night. The fish get all thrilled whenever I come by. I suppose they think it may be dinner arriving.

It rained hard, over an inch Tuesday night, and there was a lot of small hail, which really beat up the peonies especially, but you can see that a few of these poppies lost their petals too. They're such a fluorescent orange that they look unreal, but they're the same every year, although this is the best show so far, with more buds yet to open.
 

I was knitting out on the swing this evening and the Peep was out in the yard. I came in to take a phone call. When I went back out, the Peep was just coming in, very upset. He had clumps of hair (not his) all over him, and in his claws, and his middle claw on his left front foot had been jerked out and his paw was bloody. Obviously I missed a big fight. I think this must have been his first experience like this alone, without the Catso, and it didn't go particularly well, although the other guy must have a claw stuck in him somewhere at the least. I can't believe I didn't hear it, even from inside. I've got a cold and my ears are kind of plugged up; I guess that's my only excuse. 

Color Everywhere

 
My package from Elann came today, and what fun! All the yarns look so summery and lovely. I'm planning some summer shells, mainly with my old favorite Berroco pattern.
The top left is Katia Jeans.
Top right is an OnLine yarn which will be part of a belt, somewhat similar to one shown in VK's Winter issue and in this earlier post, which includes a picture. I will add other yarns to it, but I liked this base color.
At the center is one of Elann's new undyed yarns. It's a nylon Ladder Lace, and I think it will make up as a nice shell.
The bottom two are Schoeller yarns, which will be shells. They're similar colors, but one is coral and one is rose, and I like them both.

Anyway, that's the plan for now. Changes have been known to occur!

I also ordered a couple pattern leaflets, one from Berocco for their Silk yarn, which has a laced front cardigan with interesting stitch patterns, and I now find out that is it rated as Extremely Experienced. Who knew they even had a rating like that? I'll have to see how it goes. I scanned through it quickly, and it mainly looks like you have to do a lot of shaping on both sides of a piece at the same time, while doing pattern stitches. I hope it's not worse than that.

The Dale pattern book I ordered includes this cardigan, shown in two colors, which I just adore! It's very much a ladylike, dressmaker-suit jacket style, and as I've been told, and pretty much agree with, that's me. I like both the velvet ribbon whipped edging and tie on the navy, and the more cording-like edging on the tan.

I also got a couple more Bryspun circular needles. After extensive personal research, I have concluded that these are the quietest needles on the market. Practically silent in most cases. This is very important, as I get many complaints around here for knitting loudly (i.e. making tiny sounds now and then). Anyway, I've tried a lot of needles, and I really like these, besides the fact that they're quiet. Everyone told me that bamboo was the way to go, but they're no better than Addi's in my opinion. I love Addi's for knitting, but for silence, the Bryspun are the way to go.

I will leave you with a view of my earliest peony, which only opened yesterday, but already looks like it's seen better days. It's 90 today, and getting windy, so they may not last long. I have a couple more further from the house, and they open successively.

  

Front of Toy Shell Done

 
Here's the front of the shell from Schachenmayr's Toy yarn. What a very silly name for a yarn, but whatever. I like the way this turned out, and I think the back will go more quickly, as I'm doing it in the smaller size. This sizing strategy has worked out well before, and I hope it will again.

Here's a photo of what's left of the spring flowers, taken from under the deck. The iris are just beginning to come into their own, and the peonies are about to pop.

  

A Very Simple Knitted Shell

 

When I was trying things with the matka jacket, I ran across this knitted shell that I've had for years. It's the perfect color with the jacket, and in fact, because of all your kind, encouraging comments, I wore the jacket yesterday with this, and I think it is going to grow on me somewhat. I even got a compliment from a lady at the grocery store on the beautiful color combination! I think Mardel was right when she said that since it was not my usual style, it may not conform to my image of myself. That was an "aha" moment for me! So, I will give it a fair chance and see how it goes.

Anyway, I began to think that this shell might be a fun project for any knitters, or crocheters out there. It's done in a very loos gauge, and has only simple armhole shaping, and very slight neckline shaping. It's basically a square/rectangle, with an icord drawstring at the waist. I didn't make this one, but I did a couple crochet versions years ago, when sweater vests were popular, but I've always liked this as a shell. It's kind of a mohair-y yarn, and would be very quick. That's the project for the day, I guess. 

Matka Marfy Jacket

 

I finished the silk matka Marfy 9411 jacket yesterday. I hope to get some better photos of it, but you can get the general idea here, anyway. I like it open better than closed. I think it may be the wrong length to be flattering on me, and I'm not sure that classic blazer styling is ever going to be great on me. Live and learn, but slowly, seems to be my motto. I do like the color, and I think it will be nice with the border print skirt and embroidered organza blouse I am beginning work on. You can see these fabrics with the Matka, below.

 

Here's a closeup of the jacket on a hanger. You can see the pink and white silk lining. These jackets always seem to look odd on a hanger, as they have a lot of shape built in, and when hanging, they look almost misshapen. Strange shadows also seem to be the norm for this fabric, and I had a horrible time getting any photos that were halfway decent, and I'm not really pleased with these, either.
  

One Sleeve To Go

I finished the first sleeve of the Cable/Bobble sweater, and made it quite a bit longer than the pattern specified, as I have long arms, and I also was attempting a slightly less dropped armscye than the original. I was worried that I didn't have it long enough, and I've also been a little worried about the fit in general, so I sewed the shoulder seams, set in the sleeve and sewed the side and sleeve seam, and tried it on. I think it's quite good, and maybe better than I'd hoped. The yarn I'm using, Silky Wool, seems to be quite a bit finer than the Rowan that's called for, and it has a different drape than the VK photo. I'll have to see whether I still think it's an improvement when it's all done, but so far, I like it. Anyway, it's spurred me on to get with it on the second sleeve, and I'm done with one bobble pattern repeat so far. 10 rows done, and only about 200 more to go.

As soon as I took the fabrics from FabricMart down to my sewing area, I held the silks up to the Matka jacket, "just in case" and was pleased to find myself liking the pink and white stripe with it. So, I think that it will be the lining for the seafoam Matka. It looks quite cheery, and I don't think it will matter that the silk is slightly crisp, rather than very soft. It might even be a plus.

FabricMart Order Arrived

 
The 2 fabrics above are from my FabricMart order. I ordered 4 lengths, but two were sold out, and unfortunately, they were the ones I was depending on. Sigh. That's about the way it goes, unfortunately. Anyway, I am planning a camp shirt from the turquoise, and the wild silk print was just kind of a spec fabric. I thought it was really nice, and it may be a lining and a blouse for something.

I also ordered 2 bundles, which I have not done before. This photo shows the Silk Bundle. They did quite a nice job of coordinating colors with things I have ordered, for the most part. The lime duppioni matches the silk print perfectly, and I think I'll wash it a couple times and see if it softens up. It's pretty stiff right now, as you might expect. The deep plum silk is a sheer, and the turquoise is a sueded charmeuse. The pink/white stripe will probably be a blouse.
 
The free bundle includes a muted lime print which feels like either a stiffish silk or a rayon, and has a vintage look to it that is quite appealing. It's not bad with the duppioni either. Also, a linen/cotton print which I like a lot, a nice blue shirting, a fine black wool, black/blue houndstooth wool and a black knit with floral print. So, all in all, not too bad. I'm not sure I'll try a bundle again soon, but it was kind of fun. I thought it was nice that they gave me the free bundle even though my order was under $100 because of the sold-out items. Not my fault, but still very nice.