Knitted Tank

Now is the time to knit a summer tank, and I have been using Eden by Madil. Lovely bamboo that does drape wonderfully but splits a little on the needles. I totally restarted again, I had nearly two balls used in the back but my tension had changed and after some swatches decided to try my new knit picks needles and went down a needle size in the process. I changed the ribbing as well and am much happier. The back is done and I am planning ribbing around the neckline and the armseyes. So it is a nicer looking fabric and I now have a few inches done on the front. I am still not sure about increasing to make the bustline larger on the front. I keep running it over in my head, hopefully I won’t have to frog too many times.
I took the old yarn and wound it into a couple of hanks and rinsed them separately and the first one the water had gone down the drain, the second one the water had stayed in the sink and I hated discovering that the water was pink. It doesn’t look a lot different, but I had ordered extra yarn and hope that I don’t have to use those two balls. If I do I’ll be using it in every second row.

I don’t have a picture yet.

We are leaving on the boat today for a couple of weeks of sailing. There are a couple of  meetups over the weekends. I have crafts packed up for the evenings.

Just one more pair

I pulled out some yarn I had dyed quite awhile back and started again, the initial lace pattern was still too complex for me. I prefer a lace with every 2nd row plain and neatly finished on each of my needles for the sock.
I tried a second pattern several times but not satisfied with the picot edge, there was a weird twist thing. So it was back to the basic sock, and they have been finished for a couple of weeks. When I got round to finishing them the other day, one sock is a little short! So I’ll be taking them along on vacation and redoing the toe of the one sock.I love the little flower on this plant. I think I picked up this plant in New Brunswick a few years ago.

Dare to be Inspired day 4

Another get together on last Tuesday, for the Dare to be Inspired group. There were 5 of us participating.
We were playing with dyes, fabric paints and some acrylics.
A few days before the meeting, I had applied some gesso to a large piece of canvas and wiped up the remains with some nappy liners that I hadn’t used before.
I had all the supplies ready for my friends, and each was given several nappy liners, old dryer sheets, a piece of a dryel sheet, and some cheese cloth. For about an hour we applied paint to the fabrics and let them dry outside.
I was really pleased with the results but don’t know what I will do with the pieces yet.

I can see using all the pieces but the dryer sheets I think I will use in doll making and the nappy liners for book covers and a wall hanging that I have planned.

2 new necklaces

After wearing a coral necklace, a couple of weeks ago, I decided I wanted a coral bracelet as well. I knew where most of my beads were but not my strands of beads or special beads. I looked in every box in the storage room, was pretty sure they weren’t in the off site storage and was starting to feel desperate. I was finally able to find it in my sewing room in one of the large boxes, that I had looked in several times but was always put off sorting it out. On top were a bunch of bottles of glues and paints that I didn’t know where to store. I was so excited to find my missing beads. I laid a towel out on a table and brought all my beads and findings and most of the tools downstairs.
I decided to work with some beads that my friend, Anne, had given me for arranging our Fabric Tour in Portland a couple of years back. They are the six big beads in the photo.
I only used beads in my stash, old puca shells, glass beads, African beads from my eldest son, other assorted beads and curved beads from an old necklace.
These necklaces seem to be a real departure from my usual style but they look fabulous on blue and now need to make a new top or two.

I am looking for one more thing, a rusted axe head, I think it is here someplace, I have an idea for a wall hanging and I want to rust fabric for it. Obviously, it is safely tucked away somewhere, but I’d like it to appear sometime soon.

BWOF 2 garments

I finally have sewn a couple of new things from Burda World of Fashion.
One pattern I had used before, and I made the sleeves longer and also attempted to lengthen the bodice. The fabric just didn’t behave, slippery and curled up and then shed little bits everywhere. By the time, I had discovered that the only way that I could tame the lower edge into the band, it was a little shorter than planned. I finally managed to sew the band on the garment after fusing the deges of the band together and then hand basted the band to the bodice. I do like the drape of the neckline. I used #123 from 2/2008.
I made the front a size larger than the back but kept the shoulders and neckline as the smaller size.
Next up was a linen dress, As soon as I saw the pattern in in 2/2009, I thought that it would be perfect for the linen I had bought in Spain. #124A showed the dress in a linen print and the linen print I had was a pretty big print. I did make a muslin first and I did need to make it larger through the middle section. I used one size smaller for the neck and shoulders again. The dress is lined with bemberg lining, has an invisible zip.

I loved the v neck in the back, it was comfortable to wear, didn’t show creases and I wore a coral necklace, I had made.

It will Do

It will do is one phrase that I don’t like. I have used it many times, usually I think “that will do, for now.” It just sounds so unsatisfactory, just not quite finished, a better job could be done, usually I am tired and I don’t want to tidy up any more. In sewing and knitting, maybe I haven’t learned the skills needed to do a better job, maybe I’ve had to make do with what is available.
Any rate, I made a cardigan, and it will do. I am not just happy but more disappointed. It is wearable. The next sweater will have some of the problems taken care of, for instance, some shaping in the bust, less full over the flat butt, and slightly longer in the body. Those changes should have occurred naturally, they are the same adjustments needed in sewing. The sleeve heads are not a pretty sight.
This is just the sewer and knitter talking who has to point out all the errors.

This is knit using Briggs and Little yarn, it was very economical at just $3 a ball  at the Kitchner-Waterloo event last year. I made my own pattern, I just couldn’t get gauge for anything else.