FO - sandart socks
G'day all!
The fugly socks are finally done!
They took a while cos I only knit them on the bus or when I am out at something. (I have a really bad case of the hiccoughs, excuse me for a moment... ah that is better I think!) After showing them off at the meetup on Wednesday, they have been renamed to the fugly sand art socks.
Yay!
These are my PSC socks for May. Of course now I don't have any socks to knit so I think I will wind up some lovely yarn sent by the lovely Mrspao and start knitting that (though I really need lightweight socks for summer). Of course I really should test two patterns I am thinking of releasing but we are going away for this long (memorial day) weekend and I want something braindead that I can just knit knit knit (assuming I get the chance cos I'll be driving all the way to Mt Shasta, which reminds me, must find stuff online about what to see along the way).
Details on Ravelry.
--
This week, oh dear, so much of my energy went into making a practice version of the tunic I want to make.
Can anyone tell me WHY I chose the hardest pattern to cut out and make? I kid you not. It is a princess line pattern - that is ok, they fit nicely and look nice. But they do require a lot of fussing to ease the curve of the bustline into the front piece. The sleeves were in TWO pieces. Plus they were supposed to be faced at the bottom because they have a curve in the hem.
Here's me, having not done any fancy sewing in quite some time. I've never been a great seamstress, even though I made my own wedding dress (that was cos I am cheap and couldn't find anything like what I wanted - they all wanted me to have an early spring wedding in a dress that was made for a hot summer day - no sleeves, no top part at all beyond what was needed for modesty. I would've been blue!). My sewing machines (I'm monogamous with them - Mum's Singer that died after 30 years of service, my Janome at home, the Singer here) and I have had *interesting* relationships at best.
All I wanted to do was a mock up to see if the size I had chosen (14) actually fitted me.
The knock out blow was the neckline. I assumed the fancy neckline was applied over the top of the tunic.
No. No it wasn't.
The neckline forms the shoulders and neckline of the tunic. It is absolutely vital to the, ahem, integrity of the garment. Without it, the thing won't stay up because there is nothing to hold it up at shoulder level.
So I spent the best part of TWO whole days wrangling this thing into shape. At least I've had some practice now at screwing up putting in a zipper. The fabric stretched as I sewed it in. I've put in zippers successfully before but not in an old sheet. I guess the material was very soft.
The outcome? A dress with no hem, a poorly set in zipper and the facings around the zip are not finished off either. It does fit reasonably well. There's a minor problem, apart from it not being finished and not being my colours. You won't see a pic of me in it for that very reason.
It is dead see-through. Like you can see every mole and freckle I have, along with the colour of my knickers and what I had for lunch (I may be exaggerating on the last). I had not really thought I'd wear it but y'know I had thought I'd finish it and send it on its way to the op shop. But now? I guess it will be rags!
At least I now know what size to cut out for myself.
--
Given that I have not had even ONE entry for the wotisit for this week, I must really be making them hard. Dang. I thought this week's one would be easier, especially for people who love getting out into their gardens and looking closely at things.
I'll be a bit late for dealing with entries this week for wotisit, if I get any, as I'll be getting back late on Monday. I mucked around with the blog format last week then set it back the way it was cos it was too hard to work out how to change the html. Mebbe I busted bloglines or something.
--
I've been doing a writing exercise this week, as espoused in the Artist's Way. I thought it would be an interesting thing to do. Oddly enough, rather than feeling amazingly creative afterwards, I find myself not wanting to be creative! Not wanting to blog, not wanting to do much craft, preferring to go out someplace. Of course it may not be the writing that is the problem but the dud of a tunic. The tunic isn't really a failure - I thought I did not expect it to be "me" but I expected it to be easier! Maybe I secretly hoped I could wear it after all that work. But it achieved its purpose - I know what size to cut out. I also know to do the simpler shapes in the patterns I've picked up.
I've also joined a quilt along to see if I can't get some skills going there. I think I'll try putting together some fabric from my stash, though twelve different half yard lots that coordinate may be beyond me - I can put together about have a dozen. Maybe it should have half a dozen of two clashing colourways? Yeah!
I'm feeling a bit lost today. I think it is because I am waiting for a phone call to go pick the car up. Whilst I wait, I do little things, like wind some yarn or vacuum the living area or tidy up something or put away my washing or write a list of things to take for this weekend (must find out what the weather will be). The little things are adding up but the waiting - gosh I hate waiting! I have a hat to knit, I have lots to do and even more things to do when I get the car back (not that I have driven the car since the Napa trip except for driving to the car place today), I just don't like waiting! Waiting waiting waiting.... was hoping Mr Car would be back by now. It will be good to have the car in tip top working condition again. Did I ever say what happened?
I drove over a rock at a lookout near Death Valley, weeks ago. I didn't realise that there was any damage - it wasn't obvious. It just scraped and nothing was seen to be wrong.
So we drove on. I'm doing 70 (mph) down a long hill with the wind coming diagonally across the car from the driver's side. Car starts making a funny noise. We all look at each other and I decide to stop, with full consent from my passengers.
Hmm. The plastic tray that sits under the engine and protects it from stones/sticks/etc and also catches any drips has split. It is dragging on the ground on the side that has the fan belt, alternator belt, yadda yadda. It is also bent and is perilously close to the disc brake and said belts.
I sacrificed a pair of scissors to the cause (scissors are still usable, just have one blunt spot). AM crawled partway under the car and started hacking away - I knew there was a good reason for taking him along! Nathan is too big to fit and I am a girlie and won't get mucky if someone else can get mucky for me (except for garden dirt but garden dirt is good for me!). He and Nathan ended up pulling the whole thing away on the right side.
Only problem is now I can't drive on dirt and gravel roads for fear that a stone or something will get up into the belts and cause Issues. Even California has gravel roads. So Mr Car is getting fixed. (He needs a better name but I've not come across one that suits him well. It should be German. Das auto is boring. Hermann the German is taken.)
So I expect to be back early next week with Even More Photos to Avoid Editing and Uploading. I take soooo many and sooo many don't get to go on Flickr even!
anon!
The fugly socks are finally done!
They took a while cos I only knit them on the bus or when I am out at something. (I have a really bad case of the hiccoughs, excuse me for a moment... ah that is better I think!) After showing them off at the meetup on Wednesday, they have been renamed to the fugly sand art socks.
Yay!
These are my PSC socks for May. Of course now I don't have any socks to knit so I think I will wind up some lovely yarn sent by the lovely Mrspao and start knitting that (though I really need lightweight socks for summer). Of course I really should test two patterns I am thinking of releasing but we are going away for this long (memorial day) weekend and I want something braindead that I can just knit knit knit (assuming I get the chance cos I'll be driving all the way to Mt Shasta, which reminds me, must find stuff online about what to see along the way).
Details on Ravelry.
--
This week, oh dear, so much of my energy went into making a practice version of the tunic I want to make.
Can anyone tell me WHY I chose the hardest pattern to cut out and make? I kid you not. It is a princess line pattern - that is ok, they fit nicely and look nice. But they do require a lot of fussing to ease the curve of the bustline into the front piece. The sleeves were in TWO pieces. Plus they were supposed to be faced at the bottom because they have a curve in the hem.
Here's me, having not done any fancy sewing in quite some time. I've never been a great seamstress, even though I made my own wedding dress (that was cos I am cheap and couldn't find anything like what I wanted - they all wanted me to have an early spring wedding in a dress that was made for a hot summer day - no sleeves, no top part at all beyond what was needed for modesty. I would've been blue!). My sewing machines (I'm monogamous with them - Mum's Singer that died after 30 years of service, my Janome at home, the Singer here) and I have had *interesting* relationships at best.
All I wanted to do was a mock up to see if the size I had chosen (14) actually fitted me.
The knock out blow was the neckline. I assumed the fancy neckline was applied over the top of the tunic.
No. No it wasn't.
The neckline forms the shoulders and neckline of the tunic. It is absolutely vital to the, ahem, integrity of the garment. Without it, the thing won't stay up because there is nothing to hold it up at shoulder level.
So I spent the best part of TWO whole days wrangling this thing into shape. At least I've had some practice now at screwing up putting in a zipper. The fabric stretched as I sewed it in. I've put in zippers successfully before but not in an old sheet. I guess the material was very soft.
The outcome? A dress with no hem, a poorly set in zipper and the facings around the zip are not finished off either. It does fit reasonably well. There's a minor problem, apart from it not being finished and not being my colours. You won't see a pic of me in it for that very reason.
It is dead see-through. Like you can see every mole and freckle I have, along with the colour of my knickers and what I had for lunch (I may be exaggerating on the last). I had not really thought I'd wear it but y'know I had thought I'd finish it and send it on its way to the op shop. But now? I guess it will be rags!
At least I now know what size to cut out for myself.
--
Given that I have not had even ONE entry for the wotisit for this week, I must really be making them hard. Dang. I thought this week's one would be easier, especially for people who love getting out into their gardens and looking closely at things.
I'll be a bit late for dealing with entries this week for wotisit, if I get any, as I'll be getting back late on Monday. I mucked around with the blog format last week then set it back the way it was cos it was too hard to work out how to change the html. Mebbe I busted bloglines or something.
--
I've been doing a writing exercise this week, as espoused in the Artist's Way. I thought it would be an interesting thing to do. Oddly enough, rather than feeling amazingly creative afterwards, I find myself not wanting to be creative! Not wanting to blog, not wanting to do much craft, preferring to go out someplace. Of course it may not be the writing that is the problem but the dud of a tunic. The tunic isn't really a failure - I thought I did not expect it to be "me" but I expected it to be easier! Maybe I secretly hoped I could wear it after all that work. But it achieved its purpose - I know what size to cut out. I also know to do the simpler shapes in the patterns I've picked up.
I've also joined a quilt along to see if I can't get some skills going there. I think I'll try putting together some fabric from my stash, though twelve different half yard lots that coordinate may be beyond me - I can put together about have a dozen. Maybe it should have half a dozen of two clashing colourways? Yeah!
I'm feeling a bit lost today. I think it is because I am waiting for a phone call to go pick the car up. Whilst I wait, I do little things, like wind some yarn or vacuum the living area or tidy up something or put away my washing or write a list of things to take for this weekend (must find out what the weather will be). The little things are adding up but the waiting - gosh I hate waiting! I have a hat to knit, I have lots to do and even more things to do when I get the car back (not that I have driven the car since the Napa trip except for driving to the car place today), I just don't like waiting! Waiting waiting waiting.... was hoping Mr Car would be back by now. It will be good to have the car in tip top working condition again. Did I ever say what happened?
I drove over a rock at a lookout near Death Valley, weeks ago. I didn't realise that there was any damage - it wasn't obvious. It just scraped and nothing was seen to be wrong.
So we drove on. I'm doing 70 (mph) down a long hill with the wind coming diagonally across the car from the driver's side. Car starts making a funny noise. We all look at each other and I decide to stop, with full consent from my passengers.
Hmm. The plastic tray that sits under the engine and protects it from stones/sticks/etc and also catches any drips has split. It is dragging on the ground on the side that has the fan belt, alternator belt, yadda yadda. It is also bent and is perilously close to the disc brake and said belts.
I sacrificed a pair of scissors to the cause (scissors are still usable, just have one blunt spot). AM crawled partway under the car and started hacking away - I knew there was a good reason for taking him along! Nathan is too big to fit and I am a girlie and won't get mucky if someone else can get mucky for me (except for garden dirt but garden dirt is good for me!). He and Nathan ended up pulling the whole thing away on the right side.
Only problem is now I can't drive on dirt and gravel roads for fear that a stone or something will get up into the belts and cause Issues. Even California has gravel roads. So Mr Car is getting fixed. (He needs a better name but I've not come across one that suits him well. It should be German. Das auto is boring. Hermann the German is taken.)
So I expect to be back early next week with Even More Photos to Avoid Editing and Uploading. I take soooo many and sooo many don't get to go on Flickr even!
anon!
Oh your socks are exactly like sand art. Perfect description!!!
ReplyDeleteI like the name Gerhard :) The sand art socks look super.
ReplyDelete