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occasional glimpses

• Kids’ Clothes Week: Day 2

  11May
  Categories: sewn Comments: 0

  

  One hour today got me all pieces traced onto the red fabric, 3 pieces cut. Half an hour extra and I’d cut the remaining pieces. I didn’t trace or cut the fake sleeves yet. They’ll be contrast fabric, and surely not first in the order of construction? (Actually, it’s pockets first, then shoulders; neckband; sides: good.)

  How I love tailor’s chalk! Once in a while, having the right tools helps so much. I thought it mightn’t mark the furry side of the fabric so well, but it did, easily.

  Distractions today? Not so much. Unless you count a monologue about what it’s like to work in a library (from a 5 year old point of view) as a distraction. I don’t.  Having kids around when I sew is half the point: so they see where clothes come from, how they’re made. And so they see that the skills they are learning at school (like neat cutting) actually are useful, right through life …

  Sewing’s tomorrow. That will be … interesting. I haven’t used a twin needle before & I’m not sure how this (cheap, crappy) machine will handle fleece. We’ll see.

  Tags: child's, clothes, handmade, kids, WIP

• Kids’ Clothes Week: Day 1

  10May
  Categories: sewn Comments: 1

  

  Meg from elsie marley sent out a challenge: work for one hour each day for a week, sewing children’s clothes for the coming season. See how far you get.

  Well, there’s my one hour, above. Two sleeves traced, one back. Some reading the instructions.

  I wanted to be honest. And to find out how long sewing really takes me. How can I improve, estimate for the future, try to fit more sewing in my life if I don’t know how long things take? (That’s roughly what my software programming lecturer says, anyway. But not about sewing).

  Maybe I’d be quicker if:

  • I wasn’t trying to be so environmentally friendly & use up all the little scraps of pattern paper;

  • I had a bigger kitchen table … or perhaps a more professional set up?

  • I wasn’t distracted by emails about a University group assignment, asking if my part’s done (yes, done & sent). I’ll blame my cutting the hem fold line (stuck back together) on that distraction. And tracing the wrong size pocket (easily scribbled out) and forgetting to trace a neckline on related distractions, too. I didn’t count them in my time.

  • I’d've known the sleeve on view B is really a different shape to sleeves A and C. I ended up having to trace them all, because I want a fake long sleeve, rather than an argument about which top to wear underneath.

  It actually took me 2.5 hours to get the whole dress traced. Which doesn’t seem quick. But it is honest and it will help me estimate better and sew more kids clothes in the future.

  Wonder how much I’ll get done tomorrow?

  Tags: child's, clothes, handmade, kids, WIP

• Twofer: knitting in progress

  22Apr
  Categories: knit Comments: 6

  

  I’ve realised I rarely show work in progress here: each project seems to be featured only once, either at the beginning or the end.

  Well, I’m still working on this, and still enjoying it.  I think it’d be a great pattern for a beginner, it’s only knit/plain/garter and decreases. But I think a beginner would need a friend to talk them through it, I agree it’s more like a recipe, it does require some  knowledge of knitting. And I read the decreases wrong, and had to go back: should’ve trusted that nagging feeling it wasn’t right.

  I’m trying to finish both hats together, a bit like a chef tries to plate everything up at the same time. That way the kids won’t argue about who’s first, who’s second …. I hope!

  Tags: beginner, child's, hat, knitting, simple, WIP

• Glad I’m not a cat: Curiosity #001

  13Apr
  Categories: knit Comments: 0

  Elly from green olives design recently wrote about Lands’ End and L.L. Bean. What got my interest was the shoulder seam on one of the knits she showed: it’s rotated to the back. (Above, courtesy Lands’ End). The arm joins the shoulder as usual.

  I’ve seen this before on commercial knits, but never really thought about it. What’s the purpose? Eliminating bulk? Just a style thing?

  Then I started thinking about hand knits: is there any technical reason why you can’t rotate the shoulder seam on a hand knit? I had a look through quite a few of pages on Ravelry (social site for hand knitters, with a huge user-created database of patterns). I couldn’t see any examples of this type of shoulder, although they may exist. I wonder why it’s not common?

  Tags: curiosity, handknit, knitting, knitwear, machine-made, rotated, seam, shoulder

• Guilt knitting

  06Apr
  Categories: knit Comments: 1

  

  I’ve been starting to think about writing down the knitting patterns buzzing ’round my head. I did once before.

  This means, for the first time ever, I’ve bought wool just for swatching. I feel irrational guilt about it. You see, after swatching, some wool turned out too thick, or the slubs didn’t look right, or the whole idea won’t work, at least not now, not easily, not ’till I think about it some more.

  I’m not a big stasher, I’ve 2.5 average-sized plastic boxes full of wool. (Ok, technically I should say “yarn”, but most of it’s actually wool). That’s my everything, all my half begun; abandoned; dreamt about but still untouched knit projects as an adult. I pretty much always have a plan for the wool I buy, even if that plan changes like, 5 or 6 times!

  So I’ve been feeling really guilty about my just for swatching wool. And hurrying madly to find a project for it. Yeah, I fully agree that’s irrational, but it’s how I feel.

  Mustaa villaa’s hat pattern is perfect for this situation, especially since it calls for 8ply/DK. If you’re Aussie you know that’s the most common weight here … by far. I’m really enjoying mixing the colours for the band, and looking forward to a guilt free knitting future. And to finally telling the kids, when I’m near the end: “Oh, yes, this one’s for you”.

  Tags: 8ply/DK, beginner, child's, hat, kids, knitting, pattern, swatches, wool