Shawls, Oh My!

Hi Maya,

Sorry I have taken so long to respond to your last two posts.  I, too, began (and finished) not one, but two shawls.  The first one I made is from the delicious cotton you sent me.  I did it on straight needles....huge mistake as it was heavy and crammed on there pretty tightly.  It has little picots around the edge, which you were right, not difficult at all.

Unfortunately, it is summer here in the good ol' U S of A and I won't be wearing this anytime soon. And also, this picture is lame from when I was blocking it, but you get the gist.  Don't look too closely or you'll see my mistakes.  But, for a virgin shawl knitter, I'm pretty darn proud!  :)  You can find this pattern here.

This is my second shawl.  I started it on Friday and finished yesterday, so it was a quick knit.  Maybe because I used my brain and did it on circular needles!?  Again, don't inspect too closely.  Apparently I like small 'shawlettes' rather than the larger actual shawl size, but again, we'll have to wait and see in the fall.  Since I will be moving to Lubbock soon (fingers crossed), I wont' be needing these for awhile.  But the first is cotton, and the second is fairly airy, so you never know.  You can find the pattern for this one here.  I'm sending you to her blog post about it rather than the Ravelry page, because she is funny and you should explore her blog.  Of course, she is no longer blogging.  I have discovered that a lot lately, and it makes me sad.  I find someone's blog by accident, and read away, then click on the home button to get the latest entry and it's from two years ago.  :(  Oh well.

THIS is a gorgeous yarn and project.  The yarn is Drops Alaska in dark purple mix.  Oh my!  I love purple!  Heliotrope! Amaranthine! Violet! Plum! Periwinkle! Orchid! Mulberry! Bruises!  Oh, okay, maybe not bruises, but you get the idea.  

This is a shrug pattern that can be found here.  Isn't it great!?  It might take me awhile since I'm going to be doing stockinette stitch for about a year.  You know me and my ADHD, but I do love the purple and that it's so neat and tidy, so maybe that will keep me motivated.  Since this is worsted weight wool, I definitely won't need it until the winter.  Hopefully I'll have it done by then.  

As you can see, knitting has taken over and I have not worked on my POD at all.  But, hopefully when I get settled I will be able to more easily pull it all out.  

Hope you're well my sweet friend!

One dress three ways - part two

My dear Michelle,

How are you doing? What are you doing? What are you making?

I am feeling much brighter, with a little more energy so am back to working on the dresses. Do you remember, i am making dresses for my three friends? We meet up once a month for supper and gossip. We always dress up and eat lovely food - what could be more perfect than new frocks for my lovelies.

I am just about to do the final dress fitting for the last dress. It has been such a journey and a little bit love/hate to be honest. I have enjoyed the challenge of dealing with different fabrics and fittings (well I can say that now...at times there was quite a lot of swearing...a little like child birth really - only remembered through a rose tinted seam ripper!) The first dress was made from the cream patterned cotton. Making a muslin or toile (pronounced twaarl to rhyme with dahl as in darling...I think the darling is essential. Every time you read toile you need to add the Darling.) Where was i? Oh yes. Toile's an absolute revelation...literally. Making up the dress from the pattern in a very cheap cotton, I then marked the alterations straight onto the fabric with a fabric marker. I moved darts here and switched out sway backs there. Re-sewing those alterations in, i could get a pretty good idea of the fit. Then i experimented with first transferring those markings back onto the pattern and cutting the dress from there. Later i just used the altered toile as the pattern, pinning it to the dress fabric and cutting straight from this. A little nervously if I'm honest. That first cut with the scissors is still always a little bit scary. 

A toile, Darling!

Who knew backs were so funny to fit... i was thinking busts would be tricky but every dress toile had to have fabric removed from the back. Maybe my yoga/pilates loving friends are exceptionally sway (ooh isn't that fabulous...'you must meet my friend, she is lovely, exceptionally sway' that is soo my new catch phrase!) Sorry, back to backs. The interesting thing was that each back had to be altered in a different way, having fabric removed at different points. I have never noticed that i need to make alterations for my own back, but then i guess i wouldn't see. That is all to change now though as i have Bertha- Remind me to tell you about her later.  

Back to the dresses. The second dress was made from the stretch twill. It being stretch it made the toile of limited use. I could do the back fitting but not much else so had to keep calling friend no.2 in for lots of fittings. We decided not to line this one, what with the stretch and all and it does look stunning. I think i am most pleased with this one. I have to say i am now expert in sewing precision darts...each dress has 11 darts. Times that by 4 toiles  (did i mention that i am making an extra dress for my gorgeous daughter in law?) then each dress, plus lining means...well maths was never my thing but it is a lot! 

The final dress is not behaving well at all. The fabric is vicious and mean. Even breathing out, well huffing then, sends it into a puckering sulk. It slips and slides under the needle even when pinned to within an inch of its life and then if i dare to have made a mistake, even the tiniest of error, it pays me back by showing every needle mark and pin prick as if declare to the world that i am butcherer of fabric of the worse kind. 

My daughters opinion, when i asked her to look at the zipper stitching was, 'If you didn't sew you wouldn't notice. But, if you sewed you'd think you'd ( as in me) had been drinking while sewing.' Not only does this fabric hate me, it's trying to convince everyone i am a drunk! Friend no.3 is coming around in the morning. I will let you know what she says. I think in reality i might have to take out the back, re-cut it and try to put in a new zipper. I might need a stiff drink after that or the very least medicinal chocolate. 

Do you want a sneak preview of the dresses?  Oh go on then, but don't tell anyone else.

Dress No.1 I am very pleased with the
 pattern matching
on the darts.

Dress No.2  This fits like a dream...
my rubbish picture does not do it justice.

Dress No.3 The difficult one. To be fair I am not
 showing her at her best. She is unfinished and still sulking a little.

The trouble is The Big Reveal is on Friday. When we all meet up for supper so i need to get my sewing skates on. I have learnt so much from sewing these beauties and enjoyed, (erhem!) spending time with them but I will equally be happy to have them out of my head and out of my sewing room so i can get back to sewing my Project of Doom.  Did you hear an echo?

God! The Big Reveal is on Friday. I've just realised. I haven't a stitch to wear.