I'm Still Here!

I have an answer to my complete lack of energy - I am anemic. I am not surprised...but it explains so much about why I'm barely functioning at times. 

I really had to push myself to get my project done for the State Fair, and there were tears! But I finished it and dropped it off last Monday. I also entered a pair of socks, the lilac baby sweater I made, and a sewn garment; I entered the top I made for the Rebecca Page tutorial on gathering with the serger. I'll find out on Thursday if I placed with any of the entries!

I used my standard gauge Brother with lambswool yarn from Colourmart. They sell these sets, referred to as "flops", and I paid $30 for this 300g (about 10.5 oz) set. The sweater clocks in below that. I actually mixed two sets of flops - one was reds and pinks, the other varying shades of brown. 

My original plan to was to do the lower ribbing in the light pink and the neckband in a very light tan. The light pink yarn gave me DRAMA AND GRIEF! It had so much more twist in it compared to the other colors. I ended up combining it with the pink and I love how that turned out. I also intended to insert the sleeves the other way - with the sleeve that has a pink cap on the brown side but I messed it up and there was no way I was going to redo it!

I used a custom pattern from the Knit It Now site. I made swatches and washed them up and the fabric that felt the nicest was the tension I went with. You enter your tension, size and dimensions and it spits out a pattern. 

For the front, it suggested 174 stitches. I divided that number in half and added 1 stitch to account for seaming. 

The two pinks pooled differently in the ribbing which is mostly okay but it is very noticeable here!

For the wide stripes, I calculated based on the number of total rows (286) and found the factors and decided on chunky blocks of 22 rows. This meant I had to weave end the start/end of each color change - WHEW! For the narrow stripes, I did the same but wanted to carry the yarn (really, more than 2 or 4 rows becomes a little tough). I included the band of plain pink and wish I'd bordered it with the brown but...it's fine. I did 4 rows of pink and 8 rows of brown. In the sleeve cap, this caused a problem. I didn't have as much give in my cap because of carrying the yarn and could NOT fit the sleeve into the armhole when I was trying to link them together. Lightbulb moment -- I placed the sleeve first and then eased the armhole in. Once I steamed it, it was perfect!

I THEN had some issues with the neckband. I wanted to do a doubled band but I could not understand the backstitch technique. THERE WERE TEARS! I came home from my trip at 1 a.m., woke up that morning, knit the neckband and attached it, seamed it up (I'd weaved in most of the ends on the car ride to/from Chicago) and drove to St. Paul to drop it off at the fair...all to be back home in time for a 2 p.m. meeting. WHEW! LOL! 

Speaking of, I was in Chicago for a bridal shower that had a tea party theme. I had some cute Burda options, but just couldn't muster up the energy to sew anything new. I scored this dress last summer for $40 and it was really fitting for the occasion! It helped that I found a fascinator in a blue that was close enough to work.

I also got more yarn to finish up this sideways knit that I started at knitting camp. I posted a video to my IG grid (@dressmakingdebacles) showing me knitting the lower ribbing. It took about 5 minutes and I said it's my recruiting tool to get people in MK! :) Just need to weave in ends!

Not a new project, but I wore this silk blouse recently (Burda 10/2021) and my goodness, I need ALL the silk tops! It just feels so good on! 

The shorts for my daughter are coming along except, they are just going to be too big for her. She has lost some weight and she is already very thin. I couldn't take them in too much without distorting the features. So I'm going to finish them and we'll see what comes! 

I just need to stitch in the ditch, secure the belt carriers and add a hook & eye. I also have to decide how I'm going to hem them. The pattern includes separate pieces for the turn-up cuffs, but I'm not sure I have enough fabric for that. And, I tried to just do a deep hem that I'd fold back, but there is a lot more fabric at the stitching area compared to the cut edge. But I don't think a regular hem will look good with this length. 

Next up, another pair of Burda 2/2013 pants (HERE) that will transition into fall well. And I'm going to make the boys some matching jackets using this Ottobre 4/2022 pattern:

I'm looking forward to them! I ordered fabric from Mood in 2 colors and plan to colorblock them and hope to incorporate some of the leftovers from theirs into my Style Arc Kennedy jacket :) I also ordered some swatches for lining choices for my fall blazer plan. 

I should get the shorts finished, but there may not be any other sewing this month. I have a BUSY workweek ahead, a doctors appointment on Thursday that may take me out for the rest of the day, grandson's birthday on Friday, friends coming to town that day too and a visit to the State Fair on Saturday, and my husband's birthday on the 31st. 

As always, more later!

July Wrap Up and August Plans

 My July plans were:

• Burda 7/2022 birthday dress
• Socks at knitting camp
• MK summer cardigan
• Butterick 6640
• NL6692

I made my birthday dress and socks. Woohoo! :) I did not get to my summer cardigan, but I do have two machine knit tops as WIPs (I need more yarn for both). 

I also cut out a pair of shorts from Burda 8/2014 for my daughter and made a couple of Cricut projects.

WIP: sideways knit sweater with hand manipulated lacy sleeve

MK socks with Paton's Kroy

MK socks with Wisdom Angora Lace
So soft, warm, and snuggly!! This yarn has been discontinued. I bought 4 skeins (all solids, boo, but Yay!)

I got really excited about these pleated shorts...then she balked at the length. sighhhhh.

We'll see what she thinks once they're ready to fit.

July turned out a little different than I anticipated. I ended up taking a trip to the ER last weekend turning the entire next week into a wash. I just wasn't able to do much of anything. Bonus though was time with the babies.

B is in FULL toddler mode and it is hilarious (well, at least to grandma it is! haha!)

At one point, I asked him to come get changed and he shook his head and said, No, while walking away. Then he came to "help" while I was making dinner. He repeatedly started the dishwasher and kept pulling all these strainers and bowls out of the cabinet.

F is obsessed with B and never wants to stop going. I kept trying to put him down for a nap, but now, he just fights til he passes out. 

I broke out the Cricut this past weekend to make a birthday present for my sister. She loves Scrabble and I've been meaning to make these coasters for her for ages. I finally got it done and I love the way they turned out! 

The wood blanks are 4x4 inches and I wanted them to fill the space as much as possible. I tried to very closely match the orientation of the point value with the letter. I then did 3 coats of Modge Podge with about 10-15 minutes between coats. Did you know that it takes 3-4 weeks for it to fully cure?!? I did NOT know that! Whew! Once fully cured, no sealant is needed. However, I would like a glossy finish so I'm going to get something to spray over top.

I cut out 3.5x3.5 inch squares of felt and adhered them to the back with the Modge Podge. The felt is adhesive, but I wanted to ensure a really good seal. 

Lastly, Beyonce's 7th studio album was released on Friday. It is full of fun-upbeat dance music but Thique has  heavy baselines, and THAT is right up my alley! :) I’ve been bumping the song all weekend. 

Someone posted that merch was available for 7 days only so I go to the site. $45 for a T-shirt?!? Beyoncé or not, there's just no way I'm paying that much for a tee, so I made my own! I really wanted to use this silver holographic vinyl that I had on hand, but I could not get it to weed cleanly around the curves (Cricut vinyl in general, sucks). I pulled out this Siser glittler vinyl in gold and made quick work of finishing the tee. It's a men's medium and fits well through the body, but it was long. I chopped off 9 inches, folded up 3/4" and hemmed it on my coverstitch machine. Woohoo!

August's plans? eh.

I am going back up to St. Cloud on Saturday for monthly  machine knitting meetup. Mainly because I had stuff I forgot to buy when I was there for camp, but I am also interested in the meeting topic for the month. 

The following weekend I am in Chicago for a bridal shower. Then, in the last 5 days of August, I have grandson F's 1st Birthday, out of town friends visiting so we can go to the MN State Fair, and my husband's birthday. 

Oh, plus I'm trying to knit a sweater to enter into the fair and that has to be completed and dropped off by August 15th. 

And I have several medical appointments as I try to figure out these health issues.

So what are my August plans? TO SURVIVE THE MONTH! haha!

I plan to finish the shorts and a top for my daughter and hopefully the Butterick shirt dress. I also hope to finish the 2 WIP machine knits once I get more yarn, knit the sweater for the fair, and finish the teddy bear I knit for the babies. 

As always, more later!