Yarn Crawl

Entered my First Sewing Contest!

I decided to enter my first sewing contest over at patternreview.com yesterday. The contest is for any type of garment made from a knit fabric. Check it out here! I entered the blue floral print dress (former maternity frock) in the contest, and included the issues I had with it in my review along with pictures of it before and after alterations. I don't think I'll actually win, as the competition is very strong and there are some really great pieces entered in the contest - but I can try! There are two prizes: gift certificates for $75 and $50 from Lucysfabrics.com (which I've not visited before but will.) Voting starts tomorrow and goes through August 10th. Wish me luck!

Aleita and NL 6843 FOs!

I finished Aleita a while back but wanted to make a skirt to go with it, so I was waiting to show it until then.

Here it is, with its new skirt:

Overall:

Close-up:

Side:

Back:

Specs:
Size: smallest, but gauge was a little different so it measures about 33.5" (intentionally)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Cherry Moon
Needles: size 5 and 3 addi turbos

This was actually a super quick knit - I just procrastinated a long time about doing the neckband/grafting it together. I think I was done with most of the knitting in about a week. It needed something underneath it, desperately, as it is completely indecent looking without. A cami would be fine with jeans or shorts on the weekend, but it looked too bare for work that way, so I went with a short sleeve tee instead.

On the NL 6843 "TNT" (tried-n-true, translated from Patternreview-speak) A-line skirt, this was the third time I made this pattern, and it went together the easiest yet. The zipper went in like it was nothing - 5 minutes - and I tweaked the sizing this time to cut a size smaller in the front (as I am actually almost two sizes smaller in front than back -weird.) I think it fits even better this way and doesn't have so much width on the sides now, yet doesn't cling anyplace. I am really really really glad to have a simple A-line skirt pattern I can make up anytime that always fits!

I liked working with the cotton twill fabric with a little bit of stretch, too. I probably could have even gone down another size on this type of fabric because of the 5% stretch, but this one is comfortable and (I think) looks good. I have a bunch more of this twill fabric from Vogue in my stash and I plan to use it for more items soon. I think it would make great jackets, and even structured dresses, as it has weight and structure to it but not a lot of bulk.

Actual Knitting!!

Shocker - I actually have knitting WIPs to show!

Last night I worked on Dirndl Raglan while watching a movie and separated the sleeves:

It looks very white here, but it's actually an off-white/cream color ("Devon Cream" in Elann Superwash Bamboo, to be exact.)

Also, during the day I had a CPE webcast and worked on CDR while watching it. Here it is with the first half-sleeve in process:

Even a kitteh picture! I especially like FatKat in this one - her eyes look so green and alert!

Tuesday...

Last night I worked on the first sleeve on CDR and tried it on to determine how long they should be to line up the garter stitch bands at the bottom of the sleeve and hip- 7 more inches to go - probably 6 more in the cable pattern. They are 3/4 sleeves, which I like, but have to be planned/modified on patterns to make sure that they're not that dreaded unintentional-looking in-between 3/4 and full length look. The body didn't grow much when I washed it (which makes sense as it's superwash) so the sleeve shouldn't either, and it's a sleeve knit from the top down, so I can trust the measurements I'm getting.

I also cut out the brown and white polka dot knit top for my co-worker and plan to sew it up tonight.

Did you see that Ravelry has more T-shirts restocked in the store? I adore my pink "daily dose of fiber" shirt
as it is very fitted and longer than standard, so it lengthens out my torso when worn over jeans. They aren't kidding about it running small though - I usually wear a small in tops, and I ordered a medium based on the sizing info and it fits great, but snug, the way I like. (Surprisingly) it fits me pretty much the way it fits the girl on the American Apparel site

long and pretty fitted - and I may buy more of these in plain colors from American Apparel as layering pieces as they have a lot of colors to choose from and they're nice and long to peek out underneath other tops.

The model on Ravelry actually looks like hers is shorter on her, but it could just be a difference in body type. I'm a little smaller/narrower chested so that may make the difference.

I also bought one of these now:

I think it's cute, and I like helping them out and getting a cute shirt at the same time. They say they are coming out with new designs soon too!

Blogged Myself Out....

I can't believe I blogged so many times over the weekend. As a result, I have nothing new to share today EXCEPT last night I made another A-line skirt, this time trying out some of the stretch cotton twill fabric I had in stash.

Here it is before I put the zipper in (went in super easy this time with this narrow zipper foot I tried out for the first time)

and hemmed it with the coverstitch machine.

I started and finished it last night, and plan to wear it this week with Aleita (finally!!)

I'm wearing the blue floral dress today to work with some turquoise jewelry my friend/co-worker Dawn made for me, and white thong heeled sandals. I brought the white jacket with me in case I get cold, but we haven't turned the office into meat-locker-temperature here yet, so I haven't put it on. I got some nice compliments from my co-workers, plus a compliment from a random woman I saw in the lobby when I walked in!! That was great.

Today Jim borrowed the car, as he's playing golf (his last week before going back to work) and so I brought Cable-Down Raglan to work on at lunch. I also am almost ready to separate the sleeves on Dirndl Raglan too. I think my next "thinking" knitting project will be the Opulent Raglan from the latest (GREAT) Knitscene, once I finish both CDR and Forecast.

Eats Rayon "Slinky" Knits for BREAKFAST!!!

I don't know what it is with me lately posting twice in one day, but anyway....

I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I had a heck of a time sewing that rayon "slinky" knit that I used to make the sleeveless dress. My newer Viking Platinum machine kept jamming up and didn't want to feed the fabric through, and although it worked fine on my serger and coverstitch machines (because of the differential feed, which pulls through fabrics like this) I don't like sewing the initial seams with the serger as there is no margin for error.

Because of these factors, I was a little bit worried about the other slinky knits I have in stash (five pieces, to be exact), so I knew I either had to try a walking foot with my newer machine (which I have not tried yet despite having spent like a million dollars on that foot) OR try my old Husqvarna Viking 960 on it. I had not tried that machine out on knits, as my knit fabric frenzy came on after getting to know my newer Platinum a bit better.

OK, this 1980s (LOL, the theme re-emerges) era machine EATS SLINKY KNITS FOR BREAKFAST. In a good way. I tried a scrap of a few different knits that were giving me problems on my new machine (both "slinky" and one other type that was slipping around alot) and I got a perfect, non-pulling, stable stitch without any issues whatsoever. There's something to be said for this metal workhorse which by the way, proudly proclaims it is "Made In Sweden". When do you see THAT tag these days??

I *heart* this machine. Slinky knits, here I come!!

NL 6729, Split-Neckline Tee and Dirndl Raglan

Last night I wore the tan and black animal-print dress and it was a great choice. It looked great and was comfortable all night, and my friend couldn't believe I actually made it. She and I both knit (I got her back into it as she used to do it obsessively as a teenager in Germany, but she got back into it when I took it up) but she didn't really know about my new sewing obsession. So it felt good to see how impressed she was. She said something about it like five times throughout the night - "I can't BELIEVE you MADE that - you would never know!" Very cool.

Yesterday I made this after lunch - another view of NL 6729 (a/k/a the watermelon top.) Although it looks OK on J.Lo (who has no cleavage) it needs a cami underneath it on me as the V is too low.

The pattern on the back isn't quite lined up, and I would pay more attention to that on the next version. Overall though, I am really liking it and loved using my coverstitch machine to finish the neck all the way from the front, around the back to the other front. The bottom hasn't been hemmed yet, and the sides are just basted for now, as I'm considering pulling the side fronts over more to give more chest coverage but am worried it might be too tight then.

I went down one size (tracing off the pieces - as there are only two, it wasn't difficult) but the chest might have been more covered up if I went down two sizes. Or, the other alternative would have been to take up the shoulder seam a bit, which I could still do. I might just leave this version "as is" and wear it with the cami, then make adjustments to the next version. I have a few RTW wrap tops that I wear to work (with camis) and I love this style, so it would be worthwhile for me to tweak this pattern to get something that fits perfectly without the need for a cami.

Here's my progress on the split-neckline tee from Fitted Knits. I shortened this by 2" (as it was supposed to be 16" from the armhole BEFORE starting the edging) and added waist/hip shaping, as it was supposed to just be knit straight down and although I may not have a lot of shaping necessary from bust to waist, I do need some from waist to hip.

On this one, I will be trying a hem on the edges for the first time - folding the contrast bands in half underneath and slip stitching them in place. You can see a bit of how that will look with the picot edging at the bottom where the hem is folded under in the front. It will need washing before I do the final finishing, so it lies flat as it's curling a lot on the edges. I had to order another skein of the contrast yarn, so this one will be hibernating for a week or so.

Also, I started the Dirndl Raglan as my replacement "mindless knitting project" for the split-neckline tee and have a few more rows to go before joining the neck in the round.

Today I think I will work on Cable Down Raglan and/or Forecast outside as it looks like it will be a nice day- back to sleeve island! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Two Sewing FOs!!!

Since we've been doing soundtracks to accompany posts all weekend over here, let's get back into the present with this high energy one:

Here are the two dresses I just finished up. You've seen them before, either on J.Lo or on me prior to redoing them, but these are the new and improved versions. I am sooooo happy with both now!!!

The first one is Simplicity 2850, one of the newer patterns that came out in the past few weeks. I'm loving this. I even like it without a belt, which I am surprised at as usually "shift" type dresses don't work on me without some sort of waist definition. I made my regular pattern size on this one as I saw it didn't have a lot of ease, and I was worried about the bottom being too clingy if I went any smaller. I think I made the right decision, as this is comfortable without being too baggy. I'm going to wear this one out tonight (with the belt) when we go downtown to have dinner with Stefanie and Tom.

Here it is first with the belt:

and without - in this first shot you can see it's a little big in the armholes, which doesn't show as much for some reason when the belt is on. I could just wear a black cami underneath it.

The second dress is Simplicity "Threads" 3678, a/k/a the former maternity frock. I took this apart, cut down the side seams by almost an inch on each side, and re-gathered. MUCH better. I would wear this with or without a jacket now.

and I think it even looks ok from the side view now:

This angle's a little less flattering, but still not so bad.

I am soooo glad I took this apart and fixed it. Now I have two new dresses to wear. Oh, and I just realized that the flowered print one (Simplicity 3678) was my first dress. I feel pretty good about how much I've learned about sewing and look forward to improving even more!!

Two MORE!

First, click the optional soundtrack to set the mood....

Jim unearthed two more 80s hair pictures for me this morning (of him and the girl he dated throughout high school. I've met her and she's very nice - she's a hairstylist and actually still does his aunt's hair at her house, so she's over there occasionally.) I call them "Baby Jim" pictures, as he looks so young in them!! Chubby cheeks going on and everything - he's so much more lean-looking now. I guess that is the upside of looking young in high school - you still get carded at 41!

The first one says "May 1985" on the back in bubbly cursive script:

He says they were the same height, it was just the 80s hair making her taller! Hmm....

Here's another one:

His quote? "Check out my 'fro!"

80s Meme, or Show Us Your 80s Hair!!

Sharon and I were talking about the 80s the other day, and talked about having a day when we post pictures of our embarrassing 80s hairstyles. We decided to do it this Friday, and she came up with this great meme about it too! Here it is:

Peg your Z.Cavarricis, clutch that industrial size can of Aqua Net, and raise that lighter to the tune of a power ballad. Gnarley! We are going 80s today, people! Show us your 80s hair!

Here are the rules:
1.Expand on the questions as much as you can. It makes it more fun for the rest of us.
2.Show us your hair, whether it be preppy or skyscraper bangs. Post some photos and make it fun. We promise not to laugh, we have them too!
3. If you get the meme from a blog, leave a comment on that person's blog so they can see your responses.
4. Post links to any videos from www.youtube.com to your blog that help you and your readers to relive the 80s.
5. Party like it's 1999.

We are so stoked to see your responses.
Post your 80s hair here!

Optional soundtrack:

OK, here are my 80s hair pictures:

Sophomore year of high school class picture (circa 1987)

I think I get extra points for that picture because not only was I rockin' the 80s hair, I also was wearing a Z. Cavaricci sweatshirt bought from, I believe, that popular 80s retail chain "Merry Go Round" and stonewashed Guess jeans, skin tight and zipped at the ankles. I believe they were size 26 (0?) if I'm not mistaken, too.

Senior year class pictures (1989) - what was with these cheesy poses??!!??

I didn't knit then, so I didn't make the sweater, but I think my obsession with sweaters started in high school. I saved up my money from my after-school and weekend jobs and bought Liz Claiborne sweaters and purses and had a rainbow of Guess jeans. My friend Monica also actually borrowed the sweater I'm wearing in my class picture and wore it for hers as well!

Here's an embarrassing prom picture. WTF was I thinking? I went a *little* crazy with the tanning before prom here and I refused to wear an actual prom dress. I get double points on this one too because my boyfriend at the time also had 80s hair. The caption on it says "Open Arms (alluding to the sappy Journey tune) Prom 1990".

Here's another dance picture - I agreed to go to this dance with Monica's cousin Wally, who had a big crush on me and also had a mullet going on, I notice now. What was I wearing, a green trash bag??

The hilarious thing is it took me a while to give up the 80s hair and I had a version of it (the SPIRAL PERM, and big BANGS) all the way through undergrad college graduation in 1994

through later that year in 1994 when I was rehearsing for my first (farcical) wedding, pictured here with my dad, who looks oh-so-thrilled to be going through these motions. Who was I trying to be in this picture? Clearly some sort of second-rate spokesmodel or something! Crazy!

I have one more picture to share - not of me - but it's kind of a picture of an 80s era star. Sort of. Well, someone dressed up as that star for Halloween. I'm sure you can look closely and figure out who was showing off the sexy legs (and stuffed bra)!! Yep- Jim! This is circa late 80s, when he dressed up for Halloween at work (the bank where we both met), posing in front of the old cubicles they had then. What a scream!

Well, after all of that, the questions may seem anticlimactic, but here they are! I am going to skip the ones I'm not sure about, but I'll try my best!

Here are the questions:

1. Preppy or Rocker
Kind of a bit of both - I was a preppy who dated the rockers

2. Z Cavarricis or Guess Jeans and Espirit or Benetton?
Z Cavariccis and Guess Jeans - not much Esprit and Benetton

2. Favorite Pop song of the 80s
Hmmm. I have to say "I Melt with You".

3. Most Annoying Pop song of the 80s
Anything by Huey Lewis, I think. "I Want a New Drug" is standing out right now.

4. Hair Metal or Heavy Metal- Who was your favorite performer and favorite song?
I actually liked Whitesnake. Skanky, I know!

5. What posters were on your bedroom wall or college dorm room?
My mom didn't allow me to hang posters, but they probably would have been of Duran Duran, because I remember reading those Tiger Beat magazines and drooling over Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon.

6. What concerts do you remember most from the 80s?
I wasn't allowed to attend any!!! I used to go to these juice bar/teen dance get-togethers though - basically bars with a teen night on Sunday nights, usually. No one over 19 was allowed in, and my friends and I used to LOVE to lay out tanning all day in the summer time, spray our hair with Aqua Net and put on our shortest miniskirts, and have one of our moms drive us all to the latest teen hangout and pick us up later. No booze or anything was allowed, but I had one friend that would sneak it in, in her purse. We were baaaad girls. I used to collect phone numbers and rarely did I date one guy exclusively in high school. I was never the girl in high school that had the long term relationship.

7. Favorite 80s movies
Not very original. My mom (again) didn't allow me to see anything R rated at home on cable, until I was officially 17, but I would watch the cleaned-up versions of Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, etc. I only got to see the real uncut versions at my friends houses when I slept overnight over there. Yet my mom would think nothing of my friends and I deciding to go "running" at 3 am when they slept over at my house (our code for meeting boys and sneaking nasty stuff like peppermint Schnapps out of my dad's ancient liquor cabinet.)

8. Favorite 80s movie quotes
I'm so bad with movie quotes. How about a movie scene? I really liked the scene at the end in The Breakfast Club where Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson get together and she gives him one of her diamond earrings. I related to that scene in my teenage angst as I was always pushing the envelope with the guys I would date. People would not usually understand my choices as I was an A-student, honor roll, etc. but chose to date the wild ones.

9. Top 3 most memorable pop culture moments of the 80s for you.
Not sure I can think of any. How about the whole Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Relax" neon T-shirts? Is that a pop culture moment? Or the Madonna dressalike thing?

10. Favorite 80s cartoon
Hmmm. Not sure on this one.

11. Favorite 80s commercials
I'm bad with the TV ones as I wasn't allowed to watch much and whenever I did I was told to go outside or clean something.

12. Boy George or Wham?
Wham, for sure. I loved George Michael.

13. Favorite one-hit wonder
Another tough one!! I'm sure everyone else will have great ones for this.

14. INXS or Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode for sure!! I liked INXS too, but Depeche Mode was the best. I still listen to their music and love it - it's "high energy, drinking lots of caffeine and sewing" music for me.

15. Poison or Warrant
Poison. I wasn't crazy about either one though.

16. Did you ever meet a rocker or 80's pop icon? Where were you?
Dennis DeYoung of Styx. I think he was already playing "fests" (a/k/a carnivals) in our area by the time I was a teenager, and he was originally from the Chicago area so he did a lot of them around here.

17. Snap bracelets or Jelly bracelets?
I didn't wear either one, but I think I saw more of the jelly bracelets on people.

18. Fess up. Who had the garden weasel bangs? Did you ever measure your wall o' Aqua Net love?
My friend Sandra used to have those bangs - my mom used to call it "Bird of Paradise" hair. My friend Monica would use this gel in her asymmetrical, short "new wave" hair that my mom swore was getting on our bathroom ceiling when she'd come over, because she would sort of whip it through her hair with a flourish (like she did/does everything) and it would fly around the bathroom. Then my mom would yell at me later about gel being on the light fixtures above the mirror.

19. Favorite 80s sitcom
The Brady Bunch (but I think they were reruns by that point)

20. Is Jon Bon Jovi still hot or what?
I was never that into him. Monica had a boyfriend who used to sing all his songs, earnestly and intensely, in a Guatemalan accent and it kind of ruined it for me.

21. "Double Dare" or "You Can't Do That on Television"
I didn't watch a lot of TV (I was a sheltered child). I've heard of the second one?

22. Who was your favorite Brat Packer?
Oh, ROB LOWE. In St. Elmo's Fire or About Last Night. No question. Well, there IS Judd Nelson. I liked him too, but he wasn't in as many movies.

23. Jellies or Reebok Pumps
I had a pair of the clear jellies. I also had a goofy pair of gym shoes that had rubber high heels on them! Is that the same as the Reebok Pumps?

24. Favorite pizza parlor arcade game
Pac-Man or Space Invaders. I loved Atari and I played it alot at home. That was one thing my brother and I were allowed to do (with time limits - and if we said we were bored, we were told we would be GIVEN something to do, which was usually stuff like cleaning the bathrooms.)

25. Deep South "Good 'ol Boys" or "L.A. underground vigilantes wanted for a crime they didn't commit"
I don't know about Deep South!! I will have to google.