WIP Wednesday: whatever happened to knitting?

i've been in a terrible knitting and blogging incaseyoudidn'tnotice rut recently.  there are some reasons, or excuses if you will, for both of these egregious oversights.

let's cover knitting real quick as i think it'll be more entertaining.  after all who doesn't like to gloat over hear about others' failures?  i know i do.

first there was the ill fated black recycled lace sweater.  there was so much wrong there it's actually hard to know where to start.  first, i did not make a game plan.  i had some notes on gauge and how many stitches to cast on, which would have been enough, but i lost them.  into the ether apparently cuz they never turned up.  then i started seriously doubting  whether or not it would even be a flattering style for me and i didn't think there'd be enough yarn.  and then came the kettle corn.  my god... the kettle corn.  i don't think i'll ever get all the kettle corn out of the knitting, much less the yarn cake.  fail.

then there were the socks.  ships that passed in the night, as it were.  halfway through the second sock i started looking for the mate (cuz, you know, socks get lonely without their sole mates... and yes you can expect to hear that pun many more times on this blog).  gone.  undoubtedly absconded with the sweater notes.  (sensing a theme here?  i really need to get organized =P)  double fail.  that pretty much killed my willtolive knitting mojo for awhile.  now that the weather is turning and fall is decidedly creeping up my thoughts have turned to woolly sweaters so i've finally cast on a new knitting project.

finally, my swift is and has been broken for.ev.er.  my dad made it and insists he will fix it... but i may have to go buy a new one.  when all your yarn is in hanks it becomes a paramount task (not to mention team effort) to cast on a new project.  damn the evil spider that broke my swift.

as for the blog i can only blame myself (blaming the kids would be too easy) for my broken camera, sticky laptop keys (note the lack of capital letters and spaces... now you know why), and sporadic internet connection.  so the last one isn't really kid-related but it definitely puts a cramp in my style iykwim.  so all i can say is that i'll try and be better.  i've certainly been sewing quite a bit and reading about all the great sewing/costume making so now i feel ready to get back to it!

now that i'm done whining, anybody else started thinking about fall makings yet?

Disappointed but not defeated (yet)

I went to so much trouble on this dress.  There's all kindsa hand stitching.  I even made a partial muslin (sort of...  I made the lining first to see if it would fit.  I resewed all the bodice seams when I realized I'd sewn them at 3/8" instead of 5/8".  I resewed those curvy princess seams that were all wonky.  I redid the neckline like three times to lower and even it....

And....

I can't lift my arms above my head.

Stay tuned for the sleeveless version.

Hopefully it'll be done in time for some Me Made May action (gah it starts tomorrow!  So excited!)

Do you ever get the feeling

That you're the worst thing to ever happen to sewing?

That's kind of the day I've had today.

This is not right.  But dammit I'm done quilting and it's good enough.  Now I just need to bind it.

This on the other hand...

Umm, yeah...  That's no bueno.  This thing is  pretty much going in the garbage, there's just naught to be done.  As a matter of fact. foot. I just can't even wrap my head around how awful it is.

Now I'm going to go knit until I feel better about myself.

damn you butterick 4988

It's not for the faint of heart.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, other than that this pattern was 50 cents, uncut, and my size.  I think my recent fascination with Jane Austen has drawn me towards this sort of top, though I'm not sure why.  Something about the buttons, neckline, and poofy sleeves.

Only now do I see that this pattern is less Jane Austen and more Louis VIII.  The sleeves are so puffy it looks like they're stuffed with marshmallows. 

 And can you see those wrinkles under the bust?  It's because the top fits in the bust and nowhere else.  I checked the measurements and didn't think they were too far off, but the bust is tight and everywhere else is loose.

The top is constructed with princess seams so I feel like it should be pretty easy to take in, but where to start?  I'd have to rip out and take in the facing first because, while the bust fits, there's some major upper back gaping.  And those damn back wrinkles that I always get when I wear woven tops!

Oh my God, just look at those sleeves!  But to add to my frustration the entire bodice is easily 4 inches shorter than I consider wearable before hemming!!  So even if I did fix the sleeves and the sizing I would still have to find a way to lengthen it.  I do have a little over a yard left of this fabric, but honestly is it even worth it?!

Oh yes, and there's an  inexplicable flare out at the bottom.  So not only is it too short but it flares out like some kind of crazy anime outfit.  As a matter of fact made up in the right color scheme it might be full on Sailor Moon status.

Do I dream of dressing up like Sailor Moon?  Maaaaybe....

At this point I'm ready to consider this a muslin and move on with my life.  Unfortunately while I've read a lot about fitting on the interwebs I don't really know how to make more complicated changes to a pattern using a muslin.  Or rather, I have a guess and I'm just not up for that kind of commitment right now.  I'm keeping this as a learning tool, though, and hopefully will return to it someday soon.  You know, when I'm bored (hahahahaha).

Basically I need to rip it apart and make some alterations which I can translate to new, muuuuch longer pattern pieces

I think that the most concerning aspect at this point is that the shoulders are seriously elasticized.  Meaning that the only thing keeping the bodice in place is friction and faith.  With a baby constantly trying to get in my shirt and a toddler who just likes to roughhouse that's not enough assurance.  

On the bright side I did successfully lengthen the button band.  The original pattern has the button band stop about belly button height (Is that weird?  Yes.  Should this have been a warning sign?  I think so.) but I prefer a more traditional length (as in, uhh.. the same length as the shirt).  I figured I'd hem it together with the shirt bunow I'm thinking there's a better way to do it.  I intend to consult with Sewing for Boys as it's the only sewing resource I have that's helped more than it's caused me trouble.

I actually think that it's gotten me into trouble, though.  It makes me think I'm a better seamstress than I really am, thus leading to moments like this one.  What needs to happen is those girls need to write a book called Sewing for Women.

'

And I think that's about all there is to say about that.  Unless you've got something funnier: let's hear it!

the sound of settling

or at least socks of settling.  i think we all get in funks.  you see a lot of people say they lose their sewing/knitting/whatever mojo.  

here's the project page if you'd like to relive the excitement and here is the pattern which is free.  it's just a basic stockinette stitch sock pattern worked from the cuff down with an afterthought heel, except mine are done toe up.  obviously i did an eyelet row (yo, k2tog) on every light green stripe to add some interest.  oh, except for the first two after the heel turn on the back of the second sock.  i realized i had forgotten half of two eyelet rows on the sock leg and just kept going.  now that's settling for mediocrity.  surprisingly it doesn't look all that bad when the sock is on but it was mind-numbingly boring to knit while still requiring me to actually look and see what color i was on.

also known as a bull's eye heel for obvious reasons.  it's pretty much the only thing i don't hate about these socks.  i bought this yarn when i was first starting to knit socks...  before i realized i really don't like self striping sock yarn.

oh, haha, and i bought a ton of it because it was on sale at my lys's mother's day sale and obviously i lost my mind.  i mean a handknit green giraffe (with no tail btw).  there's obviously something wrong with me.

mmm..  ill fitting.  maybe because i'm a million years pregnant and my ankles are all swollen out of proportion.  you can see that the heel itself is baggy yet the same point on the top of the foot is tight.  wtf?  i appreciate how the heel allows the stripes to continue uninterrupted though

what broke my mojo?  a pair of shorts that i believe will be too small even after  baby's born (with flat-felled seams and a lapped zipper that's already inserted no less) a button up shirt for dc that is too small (actually i figured it would be i made it to check the fit and then couldn't get him to wear it even long enough to check fit) and it doesn't help that he still won't wear the awesome fishy henry shirt i worked so hard on.  would that it were my size i would wear it.

i remain optimistic, though.  i've started a quilt (that's right, now i'm a wanna be quilter too!)  i'm currently knitting not one but two blankets.  we'll see how far this one gets.  i started it this morning because i was tired of wading through piles of fabric scraps trying to get to my ironing board.  you've actually seen all of these fabrics before.

and something i actually know a little bit about: a second pair of big fishes for my dad from shibui sock which is too yummy to not cheer me up =)  at least some of my handmade fish clothing is appreciated!

and here is some other stuff that doesn't suck.  my little dj, passiflora in my garden, giraffe made from sock yarn seen above, and lots of dc on the beach =)

here's hoping that better things are coming...  more beach and less bitch 

defeat and victory: small things

Do you ever have one of those days where you just get cocky?  This is why they teach you the word hubris in high school I think...

Last night I walked to the store, took DC to the playground, made a delicious, nutritious dinner everyone enjoyed, and fixed the backed up drain (with liquid plumber, but still, I plumbed, people!).

This morning I finished knitting the Latvian Baby Blanket as well as sewing the neverending baby dress.  I don't know why, but that dress just took so much longer than it should have.

Check out the contrasting patterned piping.  I made that!  It was my first time making and using piping-- of course that's part of what took so damn long.  It isn't cut on the bias though.. I just used a little scrap of fabric and a short piece of acrylic yarn that were lying about.  The piping doesn't go around any corners or curves anyway.

I was determined to finish the dress so I could sew up a pair of shorts for DC.  I had all the pieces cut out and just needed to start sewing.  In one unusually productive morning I managed to get the shorts almost all the way done.  This is the Little Heartbreaker Pants pattern so it's a bit time consuming, what with all the topstitching, edgestitching, understitching, and fancy seam finishes (I used all French seams, of course).

It doesn't look like much does it?  Pictures cannot do justice to the pain, the folly, the hubris =(

What you see here is what it looks like when you sew the back pieces together upside down and then sew them in like that.  Basically what you see here is so many wasted hours (I may be exaggerating, but nonetheless it's heartbreaking no?) and the result of being cocky.  I may or may not rip them out and sew them in correctly, but seriously, they're all French seams!  Is it even worth it?  Sigh...

Just one of those days....

Do you ever have one of those days where you can't seem to get anything right?  Like you lose your debit card (in the ATM at the bank, and thank the kind soul who found it and gave it to the bankers)  and then forget it at home when you go out shopping.  Like you spend all day pinning (and sometimes sewing) the wrong pieces together in the wrong orientation.  Like you break your sewing machine (but fortunately it's not really broken) and lose the brand new pack of denim needles you just bought without which you can't really finish any of your WIPs.

That's how my week has been progressing.  Fortunately God watches over fools (isn't that how it goes?  or maybe it's fools and drunks) and I certainly feel lucky that all these potentially awful things turned out to only be minor inconveniences...  It could be early onset Alzheimer's I suppose, or a lesser known symptom of pregnancy.   Basically, though, I've been doing a lot of sewing related stuff this week with very little to show for it.  As a matter of fact, this is all I've got:

It's the raw edge raglan tee from Sewing for Boys (again) but this time all did not go smoothly. First, the dark blue shirt had super short sleeves and was in an almost child size (I used to wear it when I was 12 or 13) so there was not enough for sleeves.  Like at all.  Not for this pattern, not without doing some serious piecing which I was not prepared to do.  Not having anything to really match I ended up using an old white men's undershirt (all right, a wifebeater...  I don't know what else you'd call it but everybody knows what that is right?) which was in almost new condition.

Unfortunately the blue is very stable and the white is completely unstable!  I cut the neckband (as usual) a bit on the long side and it and the sleeves totally stretched out as soon as I got them cut out.  So basically it was a very '80s looking off the shoulder toddler tee.  Rather than ripping off the neckband and cutting a new one (because it's impossible to rip stitches out of this material, it just falls apart) like, oh I don't know, a sane person, I ripped a small hole and threaded through some 1/4 inch elastic.  It kind of gives a gathered neckline/sleeves effect but it fits and I was not fiddling with it anymore.

As for everything else:

Muslin #1 of the Darling Ranges dress (so excited) all sewn up except for closures because I do not have a buttonhole foot.  Even with no closures, though, I can see some places where there's some serious work to be done.  Like the darts.  WTF?  I don't even know how to explain, much less fix, what's happening there.

Little Heartbreaker Pants #2 are almost finished, unfortunately I really need those heavy weight needles to finish the waistband (already broke one trying to sew down the many layers).  For anyone planning this pattern, unless you're working with a really lightweight fabric I recommend a heavier needle because in so many places there are just soo many layers to sew through.  That's what I've seen with my machine, anyway.

Little Hearbreaker Pants #3 are cut and since they're a heavy denim I'm not even gonna start sewing til I find those needles =(

And in desperation tonight I cut out and pinned another raglan so I actually have something to sew tomorrow morning.  BTW, don't you love when care tags say something crazy?

In case you can't read that it says  "Steam ironing maybe required for restoration"  The tag is from a T-shirt.  Restoration of what?!  I'm still pretty new to both ironing and label reading, though, so perhaps this isn't that strange a direction.

On a lighter note: fabric I'm excited about (perhaps for the Darling Ranges dress proper)

Successes and Failures

Sometimes it amazes me just how much time and money I'm willing to waste in my quest to do it without a pattern... Knitting, sewing, whatever. I like tutorials but, I'll be honest, I enjoy the mindlessness of working from a pattern sometimes--especially when I don't really know what I'm doing.

I found this tutorial for a little boy's shirt on Cirque du Bebe which I am totally addicted to. She has done some very inspiring versions of the 90 minute shirt. The tutorial has you draft a pattern from an old shirt and it's got a cute little lapped collar (is that what you'd call it? I don't even know.

On my first version I forgot to add seam allowances... but only to the bottom half of the shirt. For some reason I thought it'd be okay to just add them on to the top half which hadn't been cut yet. The result was pretty much unwearable, or, at the very least, a bit too far off the shoulders for a little boy. Plus, I used a straight stitch instead of zigzag which isn't stretchy enough.

Version 2 was done with some old sheets that were lying around. While better, the stretch of the fabric ran perpendicular to the pattern so it just looks weird. I know Dj doesn't much like wearing it.  I think this pic says it all =P

Version 3 was the first one I went all out on; I went and bought a thrifted shirt for 99 cents, ribbing from the fabric store for significantly more than that, used a zigzag stitch, did french seams (why? i don't recall). Unfortunately, the shirt is a bit tight in the armholes and Dj hates wearing it, too.

On Version 4 the fit is all right but a bit loose in the body and Dj still doesn't like wearing it. I finally decided that it's the neck detail (which I thought was soo cute) that he doesn't like!

That's a pretty cool graphic, though, right?  Oh, and on this version I pulled the ribbing waaaaaay too tight so the neckline has this weird scalloped effect to it.

Finally I bought a pattern. Actually, I bought the book Sewing for Boys and used the raglan pattern out of it. I measured Dj and opted for the 4/5 size with a bit of length added. The first one fit perfectly even though I had some problems cutting out the pattern pieces and ended up making the back piece lower on top (and as a result had to make a longer neckband) which was still almost impossible to stretch enough.  But finally a shirt he doesn't mind wearing!

There will be more of these to come. As a matter of fact I have one almost finished (just need to finish sewing on the collar and hem it) and another one mostly cut out (just deciding on sleeves). I finished the first one this morning, so they're definitely quick to make. As a matter of fact, if you strategically plot your pattern pieces onto thrifted shirts you can even get finished edges without doing any finishing!