A Crafting Weekend

The only good thing about being so sick you don't think you can move, is when you have your knitting in hand and a blanket in your lap as you sit on the lounge watching movies.  This weekend was one such weekend.

As I am once again sick, and stocked up on Codral Cough Cold and Flu tablets, yesterday I was so tired I didn't get out of my pj's until late afternoon, and I just sat on the lounge, with my knitting in hand, and then after lunch I decided I would finish sewing up Nessa's second dress.  It was a very lazy weekend, but a much needed one!

After I made the first little dress for Nessa, I realised that she won't be able to wear it for a while as it's still a little chilly outside.  So, I went on a hunt on Ravelry for a shrug or bolero that she could wear over the top of this dress, and the green one which I was planning on making.  I came across this Leafy Shrug (which comes in a range of sizes! best $5 spent ever!) and decided to make this in a dark teal, so it would go with both dresses.  It took no time at all to make, especially as she is only 3 and it was made with 8ply and 5mm needles!  I was quite happy as I even got to knit up stitches (yes, I am strange like that! haha!)

After I finished this shrug, I jumped onto the sewing machine to sew up the next little dress.  This one was green with a pink hem and buttons and I thought I would mix it up a little by sewing the hem with green stitching.  This one seemed to go more smoothly than the first, but I think that's because I knew what I was doing.  I decided to try something different and iron the interfacing onto the fabric and then cut the fabric around the shape of the interfacing, however that didn't quite work out as it seemed to shrink a lot more than it did the first time around.

The dress didn't take long to sew up at all, so I was at a bit of a loss as of what to do at that point.  So, I pulled out my Brothers Socks that I started to make for his birthday (back in July!! lol! but that is a whole other story.)  They are almost finished now.  I completed the food section, and tonight all I need to do is the toe, which will take no more than half an hour and it will be all finished and I will be able to give it to him (to go with the sock he already has!) and get it out of my queue.

I also really need to block out my Maluka as that has just been sitting there, waiting to be blocked.  I really want to get that off my WIP list too and to take some nice photos of it.  Hopefully tonight I can get both done.

Complete: Little Dress

Last night I finished the little dress!! I did my first button holes and i even managed to do the curved hem - a little tricky, but doable!

I have even started cutting out the pattern again to make another one!  So I must have enjoyed making it really! haha!! no, I really loved making it.

Anyway, I have a photo of the finished dress, and one of Nessa holding it up this morning (before we had dressed her or brushed her hair lol!)  She is so excited about wearing it! I was hoping that it might be warm enough tomorrow for her to be able to wear it, but I'm not liking my chances.

 

My first little dress!

Not only is it my first little dress, it is also the first item of clothing I have sewn... ever!

Now, it's not finished yet, but it will be tonight.  I just need to figure out how to sew a curved hem - which I have found a tutorial here - Burda Style: Curved Hems and I also need to do the buttonholes (something else new!! I didn't want to play around with these last night when I was tired as I didn't want to make a mistake). 

The interfacing part was quite easy.  I would have to say the hardest part of this project was sewing the interfacing section to the top of the dress to reinforce it.  It was so curvy and a little hard to navigate the sewing machine around, but I got there!  Even if one of the straps does look a little dodgy haha!!

So, at this stage, this is what the dress looks like.  Can't wait to finish it!!  I have to say I am feeling very proud of myself and I don't think it looks too shabby at all!

Cinderella Topsy-Turvy Doll

I seem to have lost my knitting mojo with everything going on in my life at the moment.  All of my current projects on my needles, just don't seem to be doing it for me.  I needed something new, exciting and different.

A few weeks ago I had to the idea of making a Cinderella Topsy-Turvy Doll for my partner's 3 year old daughter for Christmas.  I bought the wool on the weekend, but only cast on last night.  All of a sudden, my knitting mojo has come back with a vengeance and I can't wait to get home tonight to keep working on it!

Vanessa is a very girly girl, which was quite obvious when I introduced her to the world of Barbie DVDs - which has become a new love for her.  I thought about making her a little doll or something, and then I remembered the Cinderella doll.  I have always wanted to make it and this gave me the best option.

For the first time in a long time, I am using acrylic.  Yes, I can hear most of you groaning now, but let's face it - it's for a 3 year old and who knows how many times this is going to have to do a run through the wash?

The good news is that as she is so young, I was able to get her to help me pick her favourite colours in the wool without her having any idea what was going on.  Instead of being blue, the ball gown will be pink (her favourite colour) and rather than the yellow on the rags dress, it will be light and dark teal.  I haven't decided what colour the raggy bodice will be, but I will see what I have in my stash.

I hope she will love it as much as I am loving making it.  I really think that she will get a lot out of it!

These pics are from the Jean Greenhowe website

All on socks...

Last night I finished the Harris Tweed Socks for my Dad's birthday in just under 2 weeks.  I am really happy with how these have turned out.  I think that socks in an 8ply is really the way to go - I just love the texture and how they look especially tension-wise.  I really think 3.75mm needles are the way to go.

I made the Boyfriend Socks in a 10 ply, and I don't think I like the texture of them.  I think it may be the needle size, so will be trying to make another pair of Thuja's for my brother's birthday (also in under 2 weeks).

It was really hard to get a nice pic of the Boyfriend Socks - black just doesn't show patterns very well!!  I am doing my Brothers Socks in a Navy, so hopefully that will show the pattern a bit better.  I am unsure whether to up or down a needle size to get a similar texture to the Harris Tweed Socks.  I think I will make them on 4.5mm needles so that they are just a little bit bigger for my brother's gigantic feet.

Once these final pair of socks are completed, I want to finish off the Little Lady Bug dress for Nessa and I also want to complete the Top Down Jacqueline (so I can wear it to the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show).  Once these are completed, I want to make another February Lady Sweater as a KAL, but not sure what colour I want as yet as well as another Yggdrasil Afghan which I want to make out of a 4ply as a baby blanket.

So many projects, so little time...

A Successful Project

What do you class as a successful project?  Being learning a new skill? Seeing it in use? Or simply knowing that you have done the best you can?
For me, I have to say one of my most successful projects is my Purple Dress which I made for my friends newborn, Jasmine, in 2009.  Why is this my most successful project?  Well, it's because I made this project 2 years ago, but it is still in use.  I love that this pattern which is originally a dress, became a tunic and is now a top. At 18 months, Jasmine is still wearing the dress and I get a sense of pride knowing that I made something that her parents love enough to keep dressing her in it almost 2 years later.  The pattern is simple enough, but just so amazingly versatile.  You can see from the pictures below how much use it has had, and how Jasmine has grown.  I have a feeling that there may be another Little Sister's Dress in Jasmine's future.

 

And my all time favourite photo

It's been a while...

So, it has been a while since I have updated this blog.  I realised this morning as I was updating my Ravelry projects page that I tend to write so much in my projects pages, that I may as well start blogging again.  Admittedly, I have the worst attention span, so expect 3-4 posts and then crickets, however the mood has struck and here I am... again.

I decided to give my blog a bit of a refurb, which I think is quite fun :)

So, what has been happening with me in my little knitting bubble... a lot actually!  I have multiple projects on the go at the moment and have had a few successful projects which I have been proud of.  The biggest one is probably my Circle of Life Blanket for Tory and Matt as a wedding present:

I also recently finished the Academia Cardigan as a test knit.  I made this in 4ply Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury - it was a lot of stocking stitch!  It was actually not too bad because there is a spine up the back.  I don't have any pics of this, because I felt my butt looked massive in the pics! haha!!

Well, I think that is enough for now, I really should get some work done!  I seem to be on a sock binge lately, with socks made for the boyfriend, dad and brother. Although I have finished one pair, and half-way through the second, I need to finish these and my brothers by the first week in July... Lot's more knitting coming my way!