Teeny tiny stitches...

I'm hemming tablecloths for the reenactment society. Good, because hemming goes really quickly compared to knitting. Bad, because it's miles and miles of itty-bitty little stitches, white on white. Yes, I could make bigger stitches, but these are for high table for an event in the spring and I want them to look perfect!

I promise I'm not dead

Though you might think that from the infrequency of my updates these days. I am rapidly approaching the end of the dress, and it's eating all of my time. I feel as though I can't update my blog because I have no finished projects to show, and there's only so many views of a green blob one can take. The wedding is a week on Saturday. Thankfully, I'm off the hook for lining it. Given the state my elbows are in from all the crochet, that's a really good thing!

I've started the toe of the first of hubby's Thuja socks. His toes are quite wide, so I probably won't do the recommended number of toe decreases. I'm working on a novelty yarn garter-stitch scarf as well - the ideal project for evenings when my brain has switched off.

This past weekend was a major Kingdom event - Spring Crown Tourney. My home Shire was hosting, and I (foolishly?) volunteered as reservations steward. Assisting in the running of a weekend-long event for 100 people is not hugely relaxing, but it was a lot of fun. And it meant that I spent quite a chunk of time frantically sewing clothing together to wear to court. My fingers are itching to sew again! I'm pondering taking some time out from yarncraft after finishing the dress in order to ply a needle for a while.

Having said that, Cookie A is in London this weekend signing copies of her new book at Loop. And I have a good-sized pile of semi-solid sock yarn needing a pattern, and I did commit to making myself four new pairs of socks this year...

I step away for 5 minutes to live my life...

...and suddenly it's been a week since I updated my blog! Oops! Major happenings on the needlework scene, some of which need their own post. So, a rundown of the minor things.

I still have no camera. This is annoying, but since little brother (who graduated yesterday! Woohoo!) seems to want to buy me one for Christmas, I am going to struggle through without one for a little while longer. However, mum is staying over this weekend and I have high hopes of taking a big batch of photos that I can dole out over the next few weeks.

I've done a bit of shopping. The reenactment group took a trip to Walthamstowe Market to look for garb fabric. I came away with 2 lots of fabric, both courtesy of my mother, and both for the same outfit! A while ago I swapped some yarn from my stash for some lovely rose-coloured cotton fabric. Only trouble was, there wasn't enough to make a full gown from. So I've now acquired some paler pink cotton and some white linen that is all going to be turned into a bodice-and-skirt number. I'm hoping to cut that out this weekend.

I also came home with 2 more giant balls of wool/acrylic to make sweater for the hub, courtesy of Grandmother. It's his favourite colour and I don't make him nearly as much stuff as I should.

There was one other thing that happened that day, shopping-wise, but it gets its own post!

Weaving Friend has now received her turquoise mitts and seems to love them. I'm glad she's happy. I'm gladder that they are out of my flat! (I've been in a bit of a purge mode recently.) Also gave Mum her garters, as well as giving her my Noro Triangle Shawl. She loves the colours, and while I really like it they are definitely more her than me. I've been promised a replacement skein of Noro Sock to make another in my colours.

While on a brief mission to John Lewis, I found 2 skeins of Kidsilk Haze in the remnants bin on half price. Needless to say, they now live with me. I'm rather pleased with them because I've just swapped for 2 more skeins of the same colourway - I'll have enough to make a sweater! Plus Mum found some gorgeous yarn that I am to turn into a pair of socks at some point in the future. I'm thinking Broadripples, personally.

Other needlework news - I finished my Wise Monkeys. They fit, are comfy, and have already been worn so are in the laundry hamper. I've decided that I don't really like the red tunic I started making for Hub last year, so I've ripped out a bunch and am going to finish it and donate it to the Shire guest basket. I finished another stripe of my bedspread last night, which is very pleasing. Halloween Monkeys are now the designated handbag sock, while the Poms are going to be my at home in the evening project. I really just want them finished and off the knitting table! Once those three projects are done, I'm seriously considering resurrecting the Coatigan. Mostly because it takes up a ton of space, and I'd really like to be able to wear it someday.

Revelation

The Yarn Harlot observed in one of her books that the appeal of knitting is the act of magically transforming one thing into another thing. The same holds true for sewing - you start with a pice of fabric, and with a little (or a lot!) of cutting and sewing you arrive at something completely new.

Or do you? Well, let's think about a sample of my current projects. Odessa - string into beaded hat. Grey floaty scarf - string into amazing airy piece of lace. Teal gown - rectangle of fabric into a dress. Veil - rectangle of fabric into... Oh, wait. Nuts. A rectangle of fabric. No wonder it's no fun to work on! No transformation! No magic! In all seriousness, I'm sure that's why it's not much fun. Once it's done, I get to hold it up, look at it, admire my hemming, and then have a rectangle of sage-green fabric.

Still, teal gown is going well. I finished the neck hemming over lunch and am going to sew the neckline trim on tonight while in the pub for a Shire meeting. Lots of fun.

I am resolutely not working on any of the lovely knitting projects that are calling out to me. Not a bit. And it bites.

Slowly going mad

I am so sick of sewing! And yet it's all I want to do! ARGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent most of my free time over the weekend sewing. It was productive. I'm nearly done with my red gown. And yet, I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I'd hoped (I was hoping to finish it yesterday), and I can't go any faster because it's killing my left arm and both wrists. Incredibly frustrating. Basically when I can't sew it's all I want to do, and when I am sewing I'd rather be knitting. And I still have a ton to do before Coronation.

I am making fairly good progress on my Odessa hat, though. Only 4 more repeats of the pattern and then the decreases for the top. It would be the perfect portable mindless project if it weren't for the beads. They are fiddly as hell, and I can't figure out a decent transportable storage container for them. Right now they are living in a dip bowl on my needlework table.

I want to knit socks. I want to work on my Swallowtail Shawl. I want to crochet my bedspread. What I'm going to do, probably right up until the 27th, is hem miles and miles of costumes. Ick.

Bah

Betrayed by the frailties of my own body, I didn't manage to get the green tunic finished over the weekend. I had done so much sewing that I was having muscle spasms in my right forearm every time I made a stitch! So on Sunday I worked on my Odessa hat, which was great. I might even get it finished this month, who knows?

I also worked on my veil. I'd cut it a little wider than I needed, which ended up being a good thing. Turns out that it has some stains on the edges, so I was able to just cut them off. Now it's just a case of pinning, ironing and hemming. I hope to get that done this week, once the last little bits of hemming on the tunic are done.

And I went shopping. For a good reason! I had bargained with a friend who does tablet-weaving for a belt in exchange for some elbow-length fingerless gloves. Foolishly, I figured that she wouldn't have time to make it for ages, but no. When we met up at the Shire picnic on Saturday, she had finished it! It's absolutely gorgeous, and will look splendid with my teal gown. I'd brought along the skein of Alpaca Silk I bought back in March to see if the texture was ok for her gloves (she's allergic to wool, poor thing), and not only did she love the yarn, but she loved the colour! So I went and got a second skein to make her the gloves. And since I was in the yarn shop on the 1st of June, when I'd declared 100g of yarn to be permissable, I indulged in a skein of Jitterbug in the colourway Copper Beach. It's destined to become a pair of socks for the husband once Summer of Socks starts! I also got a set of DPNs in a size I didn't have for the gloves and some removable stitch markers.

A frustrating lunch hour, though, as I'd forgotten my black sewing thread and couldn't sew. So instead I worked on another pair of booties. The first one is nearly done, so I will have a gift to take when I go to visit Baby and his mum! Yes, one of my friends has had her baby. Amusingly, he arrived on her birthday.

Progress and admitting the need to change

First of all - I finished the chemise yesterday! I haven't actually tried it on yet, but it fit after I'd sewn up the major seams, so I'm pretty sure it's ok. I will try to convince the husband to take a photo of it tonight, since I'm now working on his green tunic. I'm getting faster at hemming, so managed to do half of the huge neckline today over my lunch hour. It was good.

In other news, I have been thinking more about Mission:Possible. As it stood from the beginning of the year, there was no way that I was going to complete everything after taking up with the SCA. Sewing is just too time-consuming.

So, rather than abandon the Mission entirely, I’ve decided that I’m going to rework my goals into something a little bit more realistic given my new commitments. Because this is about making progress on using the yarn instead of hoarding it, finishing the projects instead of letting them hibernate! So, my new and improved and achievable goals:
1-4: Finished four of the original list - Monkey Socks, Black shawl, Dr Who leftovers, alpaca neckwarmer.
5: Finish Swallowtail out of crimson Eva
6: Finish the crocheted ripple bedspread that will use up most of my acrylic stash
7: Knit something, however small, out of some of my 6 skeins of Tapestry
8: Knit a pair of Anne-trelac socks
9: Knit a pair of Pomatomus socks
10: Mystery project (I may have signed up for a new mystery knitalong)
11: Finish Interlocking Cables sweater
12: Knit flag for the 198 Countries Peace Project

Not too different from the original list, but reduced a fair bit. I think it's doable!

Plans and lists, for I'm obsessive like that

I have a bunch of stuff that I'm making or going to make that has an external deadline on it and needs working on. Plus I have a bunch of projects that I'd really like to get finished just so that they are done. So, I'm going to do a calendar run-down with deadlines and things to help keep track of what needs doing.

May 22-31: Finish enough garb that the hub and I each have an outfit to wear to the revel on the 31st.

-finish hemming bottom of chemise ASAP
-sew up seams of green tunic, teal gown and red gown on 24th with E's sewing machine
-hand-finish tunic and teal gown once machine sewing is done
-hem veil
-if time allows, apply trim to teal gown and cut out and assemble a pair of braies

ALSO work on mum's birthday present and the bedspread when not able to sew.

June 1: Camden Green Fair. Today I can work on anything I want, and may buy up to 100g of yarn providing I have a plan for it.

June 2-9: Cut out, hem and embroider handkerchiefs for Coronation. Keep working on mum's birthday present when not sewing.

June 10: Day trip to St Albans - birthday knitting on the train and in the purse.

June 11-17: hand finishing on red gown, repairs on red tunic, cut out blue court tunic for the hub, birthday knitting as and when, hopefully finished by June 18, swatching for silk gloves

June 18: pack before going on holiday, no needlework!

June 19-26: visiting mum, finishing up any remaining handsewing plus making blue court tunic and possibly pink gown, Socks on Vacation for SoS

June 27-29: Coronation - knitting silk gloves, maybe finishing some inside seams if I can be bothered.

June 30-July1: Bugger all. Two days off playing in London!

July 2-18: SoS will start properly for me at this point, since all the sewing will be done. Also knitting flag for the 198 Countries Peace Project

July19-31: SoS continues. Other priority project is the Swallowtail shawl

August 1-7: break from socks prior to the Knitting Olympics - will work on one of the Mission:Possible outstanding projects. Probably Interlocking Cables.

August 8-24: Knitting Olympics, during which I will attempt to knit an entire pair of Pomatomus socks in 17 days.

August 25-31: Interlocking Cables sweater and last few days of SoS

September 1-5: finish Interlocking Cables

September 6 - iKnit Day and the great wearing of the sweater to meet the Yarn Harlot herself! A small amount of stash enhancement is also permissable

September 7-10: anything I want to work on or cast on for

September 11-15: Raglan Ffair - silk gloves again

September 16-30: very little of anything, given that term starts and I will be exhausted from freshers.

October-December: finishing up as many WIPs as possible - ideally I'd like to start the New Year with no unfinished knitting, crocheting or sewing projects. NB sewing not embroidery - I'm ambitious, not clinically insane!

My chemise, it has a cuff!

Actually it has two cuffs, one on either wrist. Now all that remains is hemming the bottom, several hours of work. I love full skirts, but finishing them is a PITA!

There are also now two korknisse ready to be given to best friend on Friday. I might get one more done, but if I don't it's not really a big deal. Fortunately the friend in question has just taken up knitting and has known me for years - she's happy to wait for her real knitted birthday present! I also worked on another round of booties for a baby that was supposed to have appeared on Sunday. Guess the little guy likes it where he is...

How many pairs of socks will I knit this year? I've already done three pairs and have the yarn for 16 more pairs, but then last year I only made three pairs in total!. (Well, plus a pair of Christmas stockings - surely that makes it 4 pairs?)

Husbands - Help or Hindrance?

Discuss, citing examples to support your argument.

After going through all of my sock yarn the other day and choosing patterns, I discovered that I really needed some more DPNs - 2.25mms and 2.75mms. I've thus far been fudging things with 2mms, 2.5s and 3s. So yesterday when the hub rang me over my lunch hour to say he was in a yarn shop with a knitting mutual friend and did I want anything, of course my answer was "Yes!" And he very kindly picked up the 2 sizes I needed.

And being the sweet man that he is, he decided I needed something to cheer* me up. We met up that evening and he handed me a bag containing a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock! The colourway is Dusk, a lovely deep blue-purple-green with flashes of hot pink that is ever so yummy. I'm thinking that it is destined to become a pair of Coupling Socks.
And of course, this means that my stash is now one skein bigger than it was, although I love the yarn. Whoops.

And I have just arranged for a couple of hours' access to a sewing machine this weekend for the making of garb. Thank goodness for kind friends!


*Originally I typed shear. Clearly I am warped and in need of taking up spinning.

Le Weekend

Busy, but not as productive as I'd hoped.

The chemise is coming along nicely. I did almost all of the seam finishing that needs to be done before hemming, and hemmed one of the sleeve cuffs. I've got 4 seams left to finish, the second sleeve cuff and the bottom of the chemise to hem, then it's done. The green tunic basically didn't have anything done to it at all bar pressing the shoulder seams. I decided that finishing one thing at a time would be better for my moral! Having the sewing machine out all weekend really did help, though. Even if it was a pain.

In between rounds of sewing I worked on the bedspread, which is motoring along. I love it, and I'm looking forward to having it done! I also indulged in a little Summer of Socks preparation. All of my sock yarn is now in a bag, I've dropped some bad yarn off at a charity shop and made more space that way, and have been working on using up my scraps of sock yarn leftovers before I start generating lots more. I've been making korknisse! These are little trolls made by knitting a sweater and a pointy hat for a wine cork. Very cute, utterly quick, really good for using up scraps. I'm going to make half a dozen or so for my friend's birthday on Friday.

I've also been planning which sock patterns to make with my yarn. Here's the list, although it will be subject to change:

• Jitterbug in Bright Charcoal - Butterflies and Bees Socks from the Six Sox Knitalong
• Wool-Rich in Fruit Fondue - Bellatrix Socks
• Wool-Rich in Green Pumpkin - Aquaphobia Socks
• Matchmaker 4-ply in Grey - Austrian Socks
• Wool-Ease in Rose Heather - Hiking Socks and Cabled Footies
• Bulgarian Cotton in Orange - Fishnet Knee-Highs
• Kroy Socks in Easter Egg - Wendy's Feather and Fan Socks (pdf)
• Laura in Chi-Chi - Petticoat Socks
• Lucia in Ruffled - Kaibashira Socks
• Regia Semisolid in Blue - Baudelaire Socks
• Schoppel Admiral Dark - Conwy
• Schoppel Admiral Light - Monkey Socks (again!)
• sKnitches Kettle Drum in Aegean - Pomatomus Socks
• Wisdom Yarns in San Diego - Anne-trelac Socks

I'm going to be busy this summer!

Sewing is good

Especially when one realizes that, much as with knitting, it gets faster when one practices. Last night I took advantage of a sunny evening and an empty flat to cut out a very basic smock-type t-tunic for the husband. Wide neck, square shoulders, and a plan of leaving the lower part with a split 'skirt' so he can move. I finished sewing both shoulder seams in about an hour and a half, which is quite good for me. Especially using black thread on almost black fabric! I'm hoping to finish it and my chemise this weekend, assuming the light is good enough and I don't get cramp.

In knitting and crocheting news, I have resolved to work primarily on the rippled bedspread this month. Mainly so that I can be rid of all that yarn! And of course, to acquire a new blanket thing just in time for summer... I'm also working on a summer tank top which is designed to use up all my DK-weight cotton. Conveniently, there should be just enough yarn to make the top and not have much in the way of leftovers. Whatever is left can be turned into a dishcloth.

I really wish I lived somewhere with enough space to have the ironing board set up all the time. The biggest hindrance to my sewing right now it needing to constantly press a seam or two, but never two seams close enough together to make it worth keeping the board out. My living room is just not that big, and the drying racks take up most of the space!

And we're sorted again

This weekend just gone was one of the best and most relaxing I've ever had. Fantastic birthday party for the husband, who is 30 today(!), a truly impressive haul of leftover wine, glorious sunshine, fresh air, oh, and some knitting and sewing.

I seem to have recovered. It was a case of not really doing much of anything on Saturday, I think. Then in the late afternoon I picked up my mostly finished chemise on a whim, and somehow managed to hem the entire collar in 2 hours or so. Stopped because I had cramp in my left hand, and decided to cast on for a new project. This one's a summery tank top in cotton - basically two rectangles sewn together in a couple of places. Alternating bands of garter and stockinette stitch. I'm doing this one in stripes, with the garter stitch bands in a mystery blue-green cotton that a friend gave me, and the stockinette bands in white cotton that I picked up in a charity shop a couple of years ago. It's worked on 6mm needles, which means that it goes very quickly.

And then I did a bit more sewing. I've nearly finished the last seam, then I need to hem the wrists and bottom. Then it's done! Who knows, I might even post a picture of me in my medieval underwear.

And then there was frogging. A while ago, I started making a Shedir hat in the recommended yarn calmer, which is a cotton and microfiber blend. Lovely stuff, but when combined with 1x1 cables, it gives me neck cramps and muscle spasms. I picked it up, knit for 10 minutes, couldn't turn my head, and ripped the blasted thing out. I'll do this pattern someday, but in wool. Of course, that left me with a single ball of yarn with no pattern, which is just bad. So I went over to Ravelry to browse, and spotted a very nice set of Odessa hats made with Calmer. It's a lovely spiraling lace pattern with optional beads. I thought I'd leave the beads out so that I didn't have to go shopping, but I realized that I already had a small packet of lovely clear glass beads which just happened to fit the yarn and match it nicely. And I had the right sized needles! So I promptly cast on for that as well. I finished the ribbing last night and am starting the patterned part later today. It seems to be going quickly, especially since the needles are a couple of sizes bigger than the Shedir needles.

And I packed everything away in preparation for the party, so I'm reveling in not having so much stuff out. It really feels good.

I'm also thinking about dropping out of Mission:Possible. Basically, I'm making a ton of progress on my projects. I've even finished the neverending black shawl. There is no deadline for anything that was on my list of 12, and I actually do have several other projects waiting that do have deadlines. Plus, now that we're playing in the SCA, I've effectively committed myself to a crap-load of sewing year-round. I even somehow got myself signed up to make some Coronation gifts, which need to be done by June. Plus, I'd really like to get cracking on my silk gloves. I'll think about it for a while longer, but I'm thinking that this knitalong is one to which I'm really not suited.

(And I may have just signed up to have another go at Summer of Socks.)

Biting My Tongue

I finished another project this morning. The mini-Who scarf is now done, and there is not a scrap of Dr Who yarn left waiting to projectified! Woohoo! I made vast amounts of fringe, mostly because I couldn't face knitting so much green mohair. So it has an uber-fringe in green and yellow, and it is going to go live with a friend as her birthday present.

Aaaaaaaaand, it means that I'm now back on track for one Mission:Possible project a month! I have finished 4 of them now!

Last night was also quite productive in an inverse way. Some friends came over, and one brought some fabric that she wanted rid of. Nice fabric, I hasten to add, for garb-making. Now, I really didn't want to buy it from her, since I'm trying to save money right now. But it turned out that she wanted to raid my yarn stash! At first I thought that there was no way I'd have anything I'd be willing to swap, but once I fished out everything, I remembered/rediscovered the 2 enormous hanks of white laceweight mercerized cotton that I've had forever and was never going to use. And I found the third skein of the self-striping yarn from which I made the Jaywalkers. I liked that yarn, but one 50g skein isn't really enough to make anything with but a hat, and I have a million hats. So three skeins of yarn are gone and I'm now the proud owner of 2m of 55-inch-wide rose-coloured cotton. I think it's cotton. It might be linen, but I'd have to check.

I really need to figure out my sewing machine...

Those who can't knit go shopping

Or something like that, anyway! Instead of indulging in a morning of needlework, as I normally do on my Thursday mornings off, I decided to clean my flat. It needed doing, and there was a chance that I was going to bring a friend home with me later. So I tidied, washed dishes, and did not a single stitch of knitting. But there was a plan! Said friend had never been to my favourite shop and wanted some 2mm DPNs. I knew they had some in, and since she'd expressed a desire to meet for lunch, I suggested a shopping trip instead. So we met and went up to Kentish Town. 'Twas great. She ended up with a bunch of stuff, and I bought white sewing cotton, cream-coloured bias tape and some wooden buttons. And then we sat in a cafe and poured over the charts for one version of Eleanor of Toledo's Stockings, a very popular piece of historical reproduction knitting. She'd been confused by the written pattern, which seemed to omit some decreases needed to make the patterns match up around the leg. And I, obsessive that I am, just had to rechart the lozenge pattern on the cuff so that it was symmetrical. And we discussed the relative virtues of an assortment of double decreases. I'm fondest of the one showcased in Grumperina's Jaywalker Socks (remember those?), slip 2 together knitwise, knit 1, pass both slipped stitches over and off the needle. In fact, I'm so fond of it that I decided to replace the double decrease in the Swallowtail Shawl with it. It is just more nicely centred, in my opinion.

Anyway. The thread and the bias tape are for the chemise that I worked on on Saturday. I still can't believe that I ran out of white sewing thread. The buttons are for a project that hasn't even been cast on yet! Remember about a year ago when I finished knitting that blanket that had been in the works forever? Well, I still have more of the blue yarn left. So I decided that for her birthday this year, my best friend would be getting a matching pillow. I'm planning to just work a big sack of seed stitch on circular needles and graft one end closed when I finish. No seaming! Just miles of seed stitch. So now I've got some big wooden buttons to hold a flap closed once it's done. (I'm a fan of removable cushion covers. It prevents spillages.) Given that her birthday is less than a month away, I maybe should start working on it...

Lots of progress, no more finishing

I may bite my tongue later, but I don't think I'm going to finish anything else this month. Although it'd be nice if I did!

I was home sick from Friday until yesterday, and I got quite a lot done as a result! Well, up until Sunday, which was when I got to the dysfuntional part of the cold. On Friday I managed to finish the green and yellow mitts for my mother, and I'm quite pleased with them. They were very good practice for working corrugated ribbing, of which there is a lot on the Ivy League Vest I'm hoping to make some time this year. And because I've finished the mitts, I can now add the remnants of the yellow and green yarn to the mini-Who scarf and finish up a fourth goal! Mmmmm, mindless garter stitch.

After finishing the mitts, I decided to indulge in a new project. One of my goals was to knit up the crimson Posh laceweight that I've been hoarding. Trouble was, it was only 400m of yarn, hardly enough to make a shawl and I didn't really want a laceweight scarf. And then Knitting Daily published the e-book of old patterns that was supposed to have come out back in March. Contained therein was the pattern for the Swallowtail Shawl, a truly gorgeous pattern that calls for... exactly 400m of yarn. And just after they published it, the Posh Yarn Group on Ravelry decided to have a knitalong for the Swallowtail. Destiny, surely. So I cast on. The pattern is delightful. It flows beautifully, and each pattern repeat is only 6 rows long. And only 3 of those rows actually have pattern on them - the others are just purling back across. I've finished the first chart and done 4 of the 14 repeats of the second chart. There are then 3 border charts to work through, although they are each only worked once.

The 3rd and 4th charts are interesting. They contain nupps, which are a bit like miniature bobbles. On one row, you do a whole bunch of increases into one stitch, and then on the following row you purl all of the increases together to get back to where you started. There is a popular alternative to the nupps where you add a bead to the knitting instead of working a nupp. Much easier, and uses less yarn, so very good if you're worried about running out. Now, I live close to a bead shop, but I was concerned about being able to do the beads. You see, unless you want to go to the trouble of prestringing all of the beads (which is really bad for the yarn), you need to have a tiny crochet hook. Tiny enough that the head and the shaft fit into the opening of the bead. I had some pretty small crochet hooks, but nothing on that scale. And then I went to the shop on Saturday.

It was an honest trip - we were going to the recycling centre on our way somewhere else, and the shop was just before the centre. So I waited in the shop where it wasn't raining while the lovely spouse got rid of an ancient computer monitor. And I found a tiny crochet hook! This sucker is only 0.6mm in diameter. So, I bought the hook and some black beads to go on the red shawl. Goth I may be, but I was inspired by the Kitri Socks.

And then we headed off to our somewhere else, and I got to be even more productive! It was our monthly Shire Revel, and we'd decided that it was going to be a day of garb-making. So I spent Saturday morning cutting out the pieces of a chemise, and spent Saturday afternoon assembling them. Well, I pinned, and our Seneschal ran them up on the sewing machine. I can use a machine, but she's much quicker than I. Especially since it's her machine! So the result of the afternoon was a completed seamed chemise. I just need to hem the skirt and cuffs, finish and apply trim to the neck, and finish the insides of the seams. And the insides aren't really a priority. I can work on them here and there as the mood strikes me.

One of our members is a whiz-kid with a tablet loom, and had brought a load of trim for finishing her most recent gown. And when she had a bunch left over, she offered it to me for the new chemise! And this of course inspired me to strike a bargain. She's going to weave me a belt, and in exchange I'm going to knit her a pair of elbow-length fingerless gloves. She can knit, but isn't really good at it (her comment, not mine!), just like I could probably figure out a loom, but don't really have any desire to. So it works out well for us both.

On Sunday I dived into my husband's tunic, the one I've been working on for AGES. Or so it seems. The incredibly productive Saturday inspired me, and I've just about finished attaching the bias tape to the collar. There's still a lot to be done on it, but getting the neck nearly done makes it look a lot more like a proper piece of clothing.
And then my cold caught up with me, and I spent the rest of Sunday laying on the couch feeling like hell with a fever, and Monday mostly in bed resting. And crocheting the ripple bedspread. I went through the bag with my Mission:Possible stuff in it (and the contents are shrinking!), and pulled out all of the acrylic that isn't for the bedspread. It's now in its own bag so that I can just get on and make all of the little scrappy projects I need to do.

Pretty busy, huh?

Odds and Ends

The interview yesterday went swimmingly. I am now sleeping like a log since it's finished. And because it went so well, I decided that I deserved a little shopping expedition. Of course that meant going to the needlework shop! I was very good and didn't buy any yarn (although a social event is going to take us perilously close to Loop tomorrow afternoon. I may succumb.). Instead, I bought Rowan Magazine, Issue 40. I've never been entirely sure about Rowan knitting magazines. Their yarn is great (this is the company that makes Kidsilk Haze, referred to by many knitters as 'Cracksilk'), but their patterns have always seems a little too runway model for my liking. Or so I thought. I was organizing my Ravelry queue the other day and discovered that my blog-hopping adventures had put no less than three Rowan patterns in my queue - and they were all from issue 40! So when I went up to buy garb-making thread and noticed that they were still selling this back issue, I took note. And then bought it yesterday.

Upon getting it home, I read through it cover-to-cover, as one does. Closer inspection has led me to the conclusion that while many of the patterns are not something I'd necessarily wear, almost all of them are things that will inspire my own designs. And the things that I had queued are great. A very good investment!

(As an aside, I'd always been put off by the cover price of the magazine. It's £10.50, which seems huge for a magazine. Until you realise that there are nearly 50 patterns in each issue. Most knitting books retail for between £10 and £20, and rarely have more than 20 patterns. In fact, they frequently only have 12-15.)

My library will be expanding even more in the next week. I received a very belated birthday gift certificate, part of which has been spent on knitting books. Hurrah for Amazon! There will soon be a copy of Knitting Without Tears and Son of Stitch n' Bitch cuddling up on my already overstuffed bookshelf. Book reviews will follow, of course!

There has also been knitting. I'd lost my mojo prior to the interview, mostly due to stress and exhaustion from not sleeping. But I've got it back with a vengeance! Last night while watching In Search of Medieval Britain I finished up the first mitt of the pair. And this morning I cast on the second to avoid Second Mitt Syndrome. I also put in half an hour's work on sewing the husband's tunic, so I'm feeling very virtuous.

The plan for the weekend is to completely make the second mitt and to make a good start on using the remnants on the mini-Who scarf. Other than that, I have no fixed plans. Apart from sleeping, of course!

Mess can be productive

I had a party a week ago, which meant hiding all of my needlework stuff in bags and putting it in the bedroom so nobody spilled beer on it. I know my friends well. (I also hide the throw rugs for the same reason. Handwashing woollen rugs? Ick.)

Of course, because I was in a hurry and was in the middle of a baking session, I didn't put things away in any particular order. Which meant that when I went to look for my lucet this weekend, I couldn't find it. This meant pulling every single scrap of needlework stuff that I own out and putting it all in the living room to sort it out. I found the lucet in the bottom of a bag of yarn when I thought I'd put it in the tin with all my oddments. Oops. It, its instructions, and all the string I'm planning to use with it now have their very own bag to live in, and I've finally got a use for the bag. It was a freebie that was too small for any knitting projects, but I couldn't just throw it out. The reason I was looking for it was that I finally bought the sandpaper to sort the edges out and make it useable again.

While delving in the depths of my stuff, I was inspired to finish the crocheted pillow. Mostly so I could just get rid of the naked pillow form that had been lurking on top of the wardrobe. It turned out I was a lot closer to being finished that I thought, so I just got that done. And I've now met my 2 projects goal for March! Woohoo! I also found the lime green baby jacket I started ages ago, and decided to fish it out and finish it. It's so small and was going so quickly, and in fact is still going quickly. I finished the body, sewed the shoulder seams, and did half of the first sleeve. I've got it and a darning needle in my bag for the lunch hour, so hopefully that plus the pub tonight will allow me to get most of it done. I haven't brought a circular needle for the edging because picking up stitches evenly is a task that requires good light and sobriety. If I finish everything else, I shall work on the alpaca neckwarmer.

I went through my Mission:Possible stuff again this weekend too. The biggest project in the pile is the crocheted ripple afghan, so I think that's going to be the at-home priority. It's not the most complicated or the one that'll take the longest, but it needs an entire bag for all of the yarn that goes with, so it needs to go!

Other goals are making progress. I started the pair of mitts that will use up most of the green and yellow Dr Who yarn. They are looking good, although corrugated ribbing is really, really fiddly to do. They will take longer than I had hoped, but they're still fun. (Remind me I said that in a month or two when they are making me nuts.) I did a couple of rows of the silk shawl, but it's really not something I can do in company. Conversation makes me lose count, and then I screw up. And tinking silk laceweight is right up there on my list of not-fun, somewhere around the point of getting chewing gum out of hair. I can do it, but I'd really rather not. I did some more work on the Dr Who yarn mini-scarf, too, but that's obviously not something I can finish until the mitts are done. I thought about knitting the black shawl. And then I decided that on the not-fun list, it's well above the chewing gum mark. So I left it in the bag to marinade for a while longer.

I changed one of my goals, too. I told the Ravelry group, but I don't think I ever posted it here. I think I might turn the Kaalund laceweight into a very ornate Pi Shawl, which will probably take me much longer than a year. Especially since I don't want to rush it (and since truthfully? I don't want to use the yarn. It's the first really great yarn I ever bought, and I'm emotionally attached to it.). So, replacing that goal is the coatigan. When I started making it, I loved it. I loved the yarn, I loved the way it was turning out. And then I had to buy interfacing, and then buttons, and then I couldn't get the right size needles, and gradually I came to resent it. Which is silly, because it's about to be the perfect weather to wear it, I've now got everything I need, and it'll take a couple of days, tops, to knit a sleeve and a half, a collar, and finish the lapels. So my replacement goal is finishing my coatigan. I rounded up all the stuff that I need to finish it, and I think I will work on it over Easter on the days when the spouse is home and I can't work on the shawl. Maybe I'll even finish it!

And we also sat down and figured out exactly what he's going to need in the way of garb, and how much of that I'm going to be doing. It's not too bad, actually, and he's keen to learn to sew well enough to help out.

So, as you can see, sometimes making a big mess can be really helpful.

Too many projects, not enough time

I finished the gusset decreases on the Monkey sock. All I want to do is sit and finish them. But I really need to spend this evening sewing so that at least one of us has completed garb by next Saturday. Fortunately spouse already has purchased hose and a shirt that will do as an under-tunic for now, so I might be able to get mine done in time too. Fingers crossed.

It is very nearly Easter closure, and I am looking forward to it immensely. I'm hoping to get the first chart for the half-hexagon shawl completed. This chart is by far the largest part of the shawl, something like three quarters of the shawl. (There are a lot of repeats.) It's also the easiest section of the shawl, which means it's slower. I know, it sounds weird, but I concentrate harder when things are more complicated, so I'm less likely to make mistakes and more likely to do more. That's why I've set aside this big chunk of time for the first chart.

The cast-off for the shawl is this funky crocheted quasi-picot thing. I can't decide whether I like it or not. You can see it on Ravelry if you have an account there. I may end up using a cast-off from Gossamer Webs, since they claim to be incredibly stretchy. Still, it's a long while yet before I'm going to need to worry about that!

Parcelly goodness

I got a package this morning from my lovely grandmother. Among other things, it had the newest issue of Interweave Knits and Knit Simple, two rather great magazines! I had a quick scan through over lunch, but I'm planning to read them in depth while eating my dinner. (Bagel and a soup, if you're interested.)

I resisted the urge of getting a book at Waterstone's today, since I've been told not to shop till after my birthday next week. But I have been planning some good shopping, and am looking forward to it immensely! It will involve a good friend and a couple of yarn shops to which I've never been...

Sock is going well. I've nearly finished the gusset decreases, and will probably finish them tonight. At least I hope to. The magazines may distract me. With any luck there will be a finished pair of socks to photograph by the end of the weekend, and maybe even a mostly-done tunic! Although that's going to mean another trip to the shop for some bias tape and a long phone call with mum to figure out what to do with it.