What I have been mostly been up to this weekend

2010-04-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to this long weekend for a while; firstly I really needed a break from work stress, and secondly, I really needed a few days off to get things done! And with that in mind...

I bring you my first ever skirt! This is the first item I fully finished this weekend, it has been almost finished for a week, but I was scared of the facing and hemming, which I hadn't yet even practiced, because I didn't really get it. I figured out that to get it would have to actually do it, because that's the way my brain works. Sure enough as I did it, it made sense.

Sorry for the picture quality, but I have no one with me to take pictures for me today, and never did get that tripod!

For my first ever attempt at sewing, I'm very very pleased; I wrote the pattern myself using the guide in Sew What Skirts. I threw caution to the wind, and decided to make the skirt I actually wanted, which is the one it tells you to leave til last ;-) What can I say, I just wanted to make the skirt with the slits! The drawing out of the pattern piece was actually really easy, I had to fudge the facing a bit as I didn't have enough material to cut the way the book wanted me to cut. You can kind of see on the picture that my seam isn't quite right on that side, but it looks okay. The zipper isn't great either, but practice makes perfect! But I was most worried about the hemming, and I actually probably did this the best! And as you can see, my first try is definitely a very wearable skirt, I'm just sad it's still a little too cold to wear it at the moment! Oh, the fabric is one I got from John Lewis' sale back in January.

Sorry about picture quality by the way - I'm having to use my iPhone at the moment!

Next we have Coraline:

blocking as I write, about 2 metres away from me! The yarn is Blue Sky Alpaca's Silk & Alpaca in Plum, and let me tell you, that yarn is so beautiful; lovely sheen, lovely drape, a pleasure to knit with. The buttons are from my local bead and button shop.

I was very hesitant about doing the smocking, and had read on Ravelry that a lot of people had given up on the sweater at that point because it was so hard. However, maybe the yarn you pick has a lot to do with it, because it was no more difficult than cabling. I was also hesitant about the sewn button loops because I've never done them before, but those were fine too (shame you can't see them in this picture). Can't wait to wear it though, hope it doesn't take too long to dry out.

and finally - over a year in the making (I wasn't always so productive as I am now!)

February Lady:

I started this back in January last year, came to the conclusion it was going to be too small, ripped it back, and started it again around May, and got bored of the lace pattern, so it languished for quite some time. Around this January I picked it back out of my UFOs pile and thought 'I really want to wear this',and got cracking. It's actually a nice simple pattern to knit, but unfortunately I made a very poor yarn choice; Rowan Scottish Tweed I think it was. I think it looks lovely, and has definitely softened a lot in the wash, but I found it really horrible to knit with, very scratchy, and it didn't like my needles at all. I'm glad I persevered thoughas I think I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this.

Not entirely sure why the left button band looks narrower than the right, they are exactly the same width!

Meanwhile I have two pairs of socks to finish off (forget which ones specifically, but they are both patterns from Sock Innovation by Cookie A, another sweater, and a pair of fingerless gloves to rescue from UFO obscurity before I have actually finished everything I have in progress (unless you count the Noro Kureyon blanket I am working on, but I don't count that as I'm only allowed to buy a skein a month, and with 20 or 25 squares to knit (haven't decided yet), that will be quite a while in the making, and I'm ok with that! I have several projects planned however. Two Vivian's (one for me, one for my sister - the latter of which will be made from this beauty:

Mine will be made from the mustard colour you can just see on the swift in this picture. (and that's an owl sleeve you can just about to see on the couch)

But I also have yarn to make both Little Birds and Vine Yoke cardigans, also patterns by Ysolda (I do make other people's patterns honestly), plus I have a whole load of sock patterns and yarn bagged up ready, together with a couple of shawls. Really trying to make a dent in the stash, but it would probably help if I stopped, you know, buying yarn!

Finished projects

2010-04-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Ishbel keeping my guitar (which I've just remembered I named Jeremy back in high school) warm.

Snapdragon in left over lion and lamb

Rose Red

Briar Rose. I really need to model this, but I look hideous in the pictures I took with it on, and need a willing victim to photograph me out in the sun wearing this I think!

2010-03-02T04:20:00.000-08:00

I realised the other day, I really miss having a knitting blog. I update on ravelry, but I don't really write about what goes in to the process, or anything else about knitting, which is a shame, because it's such a major part of, well, me. It's the thing that keeps my hands busy so I do don't go all OCD on the rest of the world, it helps me take in information, and it helps me get through the day at work (on the quiet admittedly, since I haven't yet managed to bring anyone else round to my philosophy that it helps me work, rather than the opposite.

Yesterday I washed and blocked three recently finished projects, will photograph once dry!

Rachel Knits

What I have been mostly been up to this weekend

Finished projects