In which I try to blog each day in October…

Date: 2010.10.01 | Category: random | Response: 0

… and you laugh at me. Because if you look at my previous posting history, it seems unlikely.

BUT. When I look at my previous blogging history, I see something else. A distinct and predictable pattern: I blog during University holidays. You see, I stated this blog during “leave of absence” for my first child. In 2006. And then I went back to Uni to study, part-time, until my second child was one.

Since then I’ve studied full-time and minded the kids.  Which is, for me, quite a bit of work. I like Uni, I try to do my best.  So I decided early on something (well, some things) had to give: (1) a tidy house, fancy home-cooked meals and general domestic godessness, and (2) blogging, crafting, other extra-curricular activities.

So there you have it: why I don’t blog much.

I can see plenty of reasons why Blogtoberfest mightn’t work: exams, lots of major assignments due in October (that’s what ended kid’s clothes week). But I want to give it a go anyway.  I’m nearly graduated, I’m nearly out of this no-spare-time-even-nights-or-weekends tunnel…

Kids’ Clothes Week: Day 2

Date: 2010.05.11 | Category: sewn | Response: 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.

Kids’ Clothes Week: Day 1

Date: 2010.05.10 | Category: sewn | Response: 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?

Twofer: knitting in progress

Date: 2010.04.22 | Category: knit | Response: 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!

Glad I’m not a cat: Curiosity #001

Date: 2010.04.13 | Category: knit | Response: 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?