Summer Saltspring

I've been working through my summer bucket list: s'mores, fireworks, (tofu) hot dogs, a drive-in movie, popsicles, food trucks, a picnic, and of course, a new sundress. I decided to join the fun for Handmade by Heather B's Sundress Sewalong 2015. I love the rayon challis Sewaholic Saltspring I made last spring so much that I had to make a second.

 



This time I made a straight size 6 and did braided straps like Caroline. I was hoping to get away with making only three straps, braiding them together and then cutting the braid in half, but it was about an inch too short. I had to go back and repeat the whole process over again (womp, womp), but I love how the straps came out! I used the length of the tied straps on my first Saltspring as a guide.

I also went back and added a skirt lining towards the end. I was pretty lazy and tried this on over my clothes throughout, but I did a proper try-on at the end to decide on the hem length and discovered that it was much more sheer than I originally thought. Oooops. At least I discovered this in my bathroom and not looking at blog pictures later. I used this method from the sewalong and cut off about 2 inches from the bottom.

Other than that, there's not a whole lot else different about the construction. I did do a machine invisible hem this time because the handstitched hem on my first one is, to be completely honest, not great. I just don't have the patience for handsewing, and hemming is by far my least favorite part of dressmaking already. I'll take a slightly-more-visible hem over hours of trying (and mostly failing) to keep tiny hand stitches even.

The fabric is a bit outside of my usual color pallet, but I actual love how obnoxiously bright this is. I found about five yards of this drapey poly blend at a thrift store for 3 dollars and snatched it right up. It's a breezy, effortless dress that screams "summer".

Until next time, I'll be soaking up every minute of summer, reading in the shade by the pool and making infinity batches of fruit bars with my new popsicle molds. Happy summer!

Knitted Cupcakes and Cats

A dress bodice turned into a wadder recently thanks to over fitting on my part, and it's especially frustrating because I went to the trouble of making a muslin. Le sigh. After some careful measuring, calculating, and flat-pattern adjustments, I think I'm back on track, but the waste of time and fabric has put a little bit of a damper on my creative spirits.

To cheer myself up, I've been finishing up some fun smaller knitting projects. I made several of these cupcakes to give away as birthday gifts. They're quick to knit up and great stash-busters, but sewing on the bugle bead sprinkles takes foreevvveerrr. It just seems too plain without them though, don't you think? I'm Team Sprinkles for sure. And also Team Milk Chocolate and Team Froyo, in case you were wondering.

 

My mother-in-law gifted me the yarn and pattern to make this "parlor cat" at Christmas, and I recently finished knitting it up. She originally planned to make it for me, but then decided the pattern was too advanced. I'm glad - I love the idea of getting a kit to knit something up myself.  And if there was any doubt before, I'm pretty sure making a yarn version of Pippin puts me pretty firmly in crazy cat lady territory.

The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it? Madam Toussaud's should hire me to make a special wing of knitted dopplegangers. Ha!

I'm actually pretty disappointed in the outcome, to the point that I didn't even bother to embroider the face. My stripe matching needs some work, even though I used the "slip the first stitch of each color change" trick, and I don't like how the pattern highlights the jogs by putting them in the center back. I also wish there were some short rows in the face to make it three dimensional. Ah well. 

I also picked my Miette cardigan back up. I was pretty frustrated with the fit issues and frogging, but I finally gave up and banished it to the closet last fall after Pippin ate some of the yarn. After a night crying in the emergency vet and paying a $600 bill, I just couldn't bear to look at the damn thing anymore. But I am stubborn, and not one to leave something unfinished, plus a cotton cardigan to wear with summer dresses sounds pretty great right about now. So it's me vs. the Miette, round 3!

Ups and Downs

Oh, hey, guess what? I'm today's Featured Member on Pattern Review!

I'm sure it's a random pick by some computer program, but still, it was a really nice way to start the day. I have to admit I got a little thrill seeing my picture on the home page.

And it was especially nice, because yesterday was kind of a rough day. I'm furloughed because of the government shutdown, and so I was home alone sewing yesterday afternoon when I SEWED THROUGH MY INDEX FINGER. Like, completely through.  I have a an entry and exit wound, but I'll spare you the disgusting sight. My machine jammed while in the middle of a button hole, and I stupidly tried to unjam it by poking at the needle. I had to unjam the machine so I could get my finger out, pull out two threads that went all the way through my finger (*shudder*), and then give myself first aid, all while willing myself to not panic or throw up. But after I calmed down and realized I didn't even need stitches, I finished those damn button holes. Final score: Viking 1, Emily 1.

Then later that evening I was working on my Miette cardigan (yup, jumping on the bandwagon!), and realized I need to start over. I'm 44 rows (1 1/2 balls of yarn) in, and it's pretty disheartening. I messed up the lace on one section of the collar, which I might ignore as a "design feature", if it weren't for the fit issues. The angle of the raglan is off - it ends way over in the middle of my arm instead of my armpit.

Then there's this weird bunching of fabric when I try to stretch it to fit anyway. Strangely, it meets nicely in the center, but doesn't fit at all in the shoulders.

I think maybe I need to go up a size so it fits across my shoulders better? I knew the size 8 needles were too small to get gauge, so I went up to a 9 but didn't bother to make a second swatch. Gail over at Today's Agenda did a really detailed knit-along, and her posts are making me think perhaps I should have gone with the size 8 needle but followed the 36" directions. Such is life. I did learn lots of useful information about how to choose the best size.

In happier news, I finished this guy last week as a "Thanks for coming to see me!" gift for my Mom, who came to visit last weekend.

 
It's my second octopus from  my Amigrumi Knits book. It's got loads of quirky animals - I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a break from fitting!

Robots and Krakens

This past weekend I finally finished something: a cute project bag.

Before this I had been keeping my knitting projects in ziploc bags. It gets the job done, but not exactly stylish, and definitely not fun. The women in my knitting group all have these adorable and quirky project bags, but until now I never attempted to make one because I am completely terrible at cutting with any sort of precision without a pattern, especially straight lines and right angles. No matter how hard I try to line everything up, it just ends up crooked.

That is until I combined the magic of a coupon, a sale and a bit of a splurge at Joann Fabric and came home with this:

I don't know how I ever lived without a rotary cutter! I can't wait to try this baby out on plackets and belts. It's like magic, and made putting together this project bag a breeze.

I used this tutorial by In Color Order and the robot fabrics were both remnants at Fabric World. My one regret is that I didn't have the foresight to put in a bobbin with brown thread when sewing the casing for the drawstring.

I'll get you next time, bobbin thread! Overall, I'm ridiculously pleased with it, especially because it's the perfect size to hold an amigurumi project and my notions bag:

That is the beginnings of a Kraken. In typical indecisive Emily fashion, I can't decide if the main color should be the lighter teal (left) or darker teal (right), so I knitted a bit of both. And I still can't decide. This is why it takes me forever to finish anything! :) Any votes? I'd love to hear in the comments!

Amigurumi Nessie

It's complete happenstance that I knit. A few years ago, while browsing around Barnes and Noble, I stumbled across this book:

I thought it was the most charming and quirky craft book I had ever seen. Who wouldn't want to receive a knitted Loch Ness Monster as a gift?! I knew I must learn to knit at once, so that all of my friends and family could look forward to their very own handmade mythical creature. (I have awesome family and friends.)

I had no reason to believe that I could actually do this. I had utterly failed at crochet in undergrad, but I convinced myself that knitting would be easier. So instead of buying the book I coveted, I went to my local Michael's and bought one of those teach yourself to knit kits. Amirigumi Knits was like the summit of Mount Everest - I would have to start at the bottom, train hard, and eventually become skilled enough give it a go. Over the next year or so, I had a couple of starts and stops, making a"scarf" that was decidedly triangular and ripping out more stitches than I care to remember.

Eventually I stopped making unintentional increases and my tension slowly improved. I made the prerequisite Gryffindor scarf, a baby hat for charity, a winter cap and a lace scarf. I learned increases, decreases, eyelets, and cables. And I gave away every single thing I made.

I received Amirigumi Knits for my birthday last October, and last week I finally made it to the top of the summit. I made my very own Nessie:

And I'm keeping him. :)

Gift Knitting

Sometimes the best reason to give a gift is no reason at all. While Christmas shopping on Etsy I came across this adorable penguin amgurumi pattern. One of my brothers has a thing for penguins, and this project, as our mom would say, just screamed out his name. I just had to make it for him. As soon as I was free of the clutches of Christmas gift knitting, I turned to this pattern.

All gifts should be like this one, with no schedule and no stress. It didn't hurt that this is a really straightforward pattern that doesn't require any of the fancy techniques that amigurumi knits usually call for (wrap and turn, I'm looking at you). I decided to knit the body and the hat in the round in order to avoid seams, but overall I found the pattern very quick and easy.

I'm pretty happy with how it came out, and the little penguin now lives in a place of honor - my brother's curio cabinet. Bill the Penguin now shares space with an autographed picture of Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness!

So awesome. I'm honestly flattered.