updatey-ness...

It's been quite a while! Life took over there for a bit - but now I'm DONE with comps, the school year's over, and some stress that happened right at the semester end is past. I've been knitting bunches, but mostly posting things on Ravelry instead of here... because it's easier and I'm lazy. I do want to get back into the blogging-world, so expect new posts here soon :)

Salina!

Pattern: Salina from Rowan Vintage Knits
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed in Watery

I finished it!!! It only took about five months, but it was worth it. I feel like I really accomplished something with Salina - buttons, LOTS of sewing-up, and the smallest gauge I've ever used on something this big. My only real mod-type-thing was to lengthen the arms by working more stitches between increases than the pattern called for. They came out my absolute perfect length - past my wrist and able to stretch up & cover my hands if I need them to. Mmm.

My main gripe with the pattern was that it definitely used more yarn than called for, which is looking more & more to be a kind of Rowan trait... at least next time I'll be prepared with extra. Felted tweed is fantastic; I absolutely love how it knits up - light, yet sturdy-feeling and warm!

I'm not totally satisfied with the whole group of finished-Salina-pictures I have so far, plus I haven't blocked it, so I'll probably be posting a few more in a bit. But for now yay happy finished sweaters!!

my buttons, let me show you them

Thing the first: Today was a SNOW DAY. It was fantastic. I made a big homemade breakfast and then just lounged around, doing various work-y and craft-y things. Very restful.

Thing the next: My recentest obsession is: buttons. They are neat! And cute! And useful! What's not to like? I had bought a random box of Ball jars at Walmart a while back, and just now realized that cute little jars make perfect cute little button containers.



Also, over Thanksgiving break on a random craft-store whim, I invested a total of $2.30 in two packs of "MAXANT Buttons To Cover" which promptly fell to the bottom of my travelling-back-to-Iowa bags. But not for long! Today, I made them! They are the AWESOME. They are maybe the easiest crafty thing to make ever (seriously: cut fabric into circle. push the whole dealy together. tada! button) and you can have buttons that match anything! So of course I made some that match nothing I actually need buttons for. But someday, they will be needed. I made tiny purple ones and not-so-tiny star print ones.

In other news (like say, knitting) I have been working like mad on Neaty! She is all sewn up! What's left: 31 ends to sew in ...GAHhh, and the left side buttonband to finish (once I get the yarn for it in the mail). I'm happy with the general cozy-ness of the yarn and sweater design, not so happy with the fact that the yarn estimates given in the pattern were WAY off. I am going to have used something like 80 more yards of contrast (trim) color than the pattern called for by the time this is all said and done. So warning if you're looking into this pattern, buy extra stuff, don't listen to the crazy Rowan pattern yarn-estimatey people, because clearly they're confused, just a bit.

v. short

but still here! I'm feeling... out of sorts, and just kinda behind on things, which is why the not-much-recent-posting. I have been knitting though, just not picturing so much. Neaty is almost done! It's got one side seam & sleeve sewn (geez, alliteration much), and the second sleeve on the needles, and so far it even seems to fit. Finished-sweatery-goodness soooooon.

I also was donated a tripod over Thanksgiving break! So when I do get back to picturing, they will be so super. No more of that amazing "looking up from the floor" angle or attempting to prop the camera sideways with tape & books. It will be super and professional and all that stuff, so I'm kinda excited really.

rav l reeee

I got into Ravelry (about two weeks ago) and have FINALLY gotten around to putting some actual content on my profile. Right now it's got pictures of Clessidra, Lily, Neaty, Juliet, Salina, and the Easy Flame Lace Scarf (*hearts the malabrigo laceweight*). I think my favorite part of Ravelry is looking at all the things I want to make, but on actual people rather than models! Before I was on it, I had to be content with one or two google links to someone's blog (which I'm not discounting!) every time I was curious about a new project, but now... NOW! I look up 'Salina' and right there: 113 projects. Amazing.

I even actually knit some today (look above if you don't believe me)! Neaty is coming along sooo fast - a great counterpoint to the slow-itude of the Salina.

Finally I leave you with this: my camera attempting to look up my skirt (and the lone finished Clessidra!). This is what I get for having the 10-second timer as my only photoshoot buddy...

SHIRTYAY!

I finished the shirt!! And I LOVE IT!

The pattern, as you may recall, is Simplicity 3964 - one of the Built by Wendy shirts. I will SO be making more of her stuff - it was (mostly) fun and the perfect mix of easy/challenging to get me back into this 'sewing' thing. Back from the one time I made some pj shorts, in seventh grade or whenever it was we took sewing class. The cheapo fabric from Walmart actually worked well with the pattern, I think - a thicker/nicer fabric would stick out a lot more all around (which defintely is not needed). I'm torn on the size a little - my practice was a 12, and I went down to a 10 for the real thing, but looking at the practice pictures, I think the bust on the bigger size actually fit a little more nicely. I still love it, though! I am super excited to sew even more things in the future :)

Linky time for more photos of shirt at flickr! Note: some of them are scary so watch out! Also you may notice what appears to be a tiny mole on my face. Further post-picture inspection revealed that to be chocolate ice cream. Hee.

Speaking of love... the knitting's actually been getting some again recently. I've just been feeling all-around a little more on top of things, and inspired to work on projects, in the last few days. I went ahead and bought some extra Felted Tweed for Salina, because I think my fear of running out (a totally legitimate one, you'd believe me if you'd seen the making of sleeve #1 which, for one thing, involved ripping out the gauge swatch for extra yarn) was keeping me from moving ahead. I also put in a little time on the old Clessidra. They will be done... someday. I think I started them in March, so if I could have it in me to finish them before say, next March, I think I'll be happy.

I also started Neaty! I actually think I like it, despite the chartreusey-ness of my yarn choice (click for the pic, but the internet does not adequately capture just HOW scary bright yellow-green it is). It's basically a cardigan with a big wide contrast bottom border, collar, and buttonband, and as I'm knitting it up, I really am getting the feeling that the darker green contrast border will have the power to make the whole thing work. Plus I need out of my grey/navy blue rut! Now if I could just finish one whole sweater before the winter descends... it'd be lovely to be warm, it would.

Lastly, I kind of just bought craploads of yarn/patterns (I blame the internet, and anyway it was payday, so it's all okay!) so be expecting many happy knitting updates to come.

not knitting, but...

I am making this shirt! The one you see in the picture's my
practice version - both to figure out the sizing, and to deal with the fact that I haven't sewn since, oh, seventh grade. I'm amazed! It's going along really well, and the screwups I've made are all stuff that'll be way easy to fix when I do the real thing. I'm making my final version one size smaller in dark/light purple (dark on the yoke/diamond part, light on the bottom) and I just finished cutting out the pieces tonight! Let the sewing-up commence! The pattern I'm using is Simplicity 3964 (it's in the middle of that page) and uh, yeah it's awesome. Also, my back hurts. I will be watching the upcoming season of Project Runway with a newfound respect for how much work this is! I mean, I've only made one measly practice shirt and I'm a little wiped out.

There is some knitting occurring too, not to worry. It's just that I'm a little afraid I won't have enough yarn for my 2nd Salina sleeve. I finished the first sleeve using an entire skein, plus my unraveled gauge swatch, plus a little extra of the felted tweed. And all I have left is one last whole skein, plus a little extra. So it all depends on how much that 'little extra' is. And then seaming? Yipes. I'm pretty sure Rowan's yarn estimates were off, cause I'm making the small and it lists six skeins as the needed amount for the extra-small, small, AND the medium. I'm way on gauge and I know I'd've run out long ago if I were making the medium.

Yargh. So that explains a little of why I've turned to sewing the last few days. Also, sewing is awesome and also, it was making me a little sad to have spent all that money on a sewing machine that wasn't getting any use. Well use it will get! I don't care if I have to neglect all my schoolwork to do it!