The Curse!

Zen was happy enough with the sweater Mariah knit for him until ---



 --- she showed up wearing one that was all matchy-matchy!

   

Mariah said it was for a portrait she wanted taken.

 

Oh NO! Has no one told Mariah about "The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater"? This might spell the end of a beautiful relationship.



 I think knitting matching "couples" sweaters might double or triple the speed at which the curse takes effect.

Can't Have Just ONE

Apparently knitting is a lot like eating peanuts. You can't stop with just one.

Zen received another sweater today. This one is done in a self striping sock yarn. I love this colour combo on him.



I'm now working on a third one, same yarn, but looser gauge. As this will be a pattern eventually offered for sale I'd like to be absolutely sure that I find the best gauge for the most appropriate fabric and drape.

My daughter is graciously doing a test knit of the pattern, looking for errors, omissions, and places where more clarity is needed. She's been most helpful!



Bramble Thicket, her "Impldoll Sam", tried the sweater on. Bram says it fits fine, but he fears it makes his butt look big.

Snuck a Little In

With carpal tunnel surgery looming in my near future I just couldn't resist sneaking in a little "last hurrah" knitting. My hands and wrists have been giving me so much grief that I hadn't knit for months. The tingling and numbness while using my hands, and then the aching at night was enough of a deterrent. But now, knowing that I won't be able to knit at all for months, I just had to sneak this small bit of knitting in.



It's a prototype for a male Minifee sweater. I'm hoping to design a whole line of knitwear for this size.

Trouble is knitting "just a little" is like eating one peanut! It has only fueled my desire to knit even more. Not having the use of both hands, (recovering from surgery on first one, then the other), for many months is going to be torture. I guess I'll have a lot of time available to read.

Tell Me of Brave Women

A while back I received two books to review. I do so occasionally and without compensation, and, being an honest woman, the first book of the two I shall not mention. My mother always said, "If you can't say something nice ~~~". Soooo, that one I will leave unnamed and reviewless! Ahem ~~~ I wasn't able to finish it. Yeah, that bad.


But this one, THIS one is worthy not only of a review, but of accolades as well. I really enjoyed reading "Tell Me of Brave Women", and recommend it to anyone looking for a good book to curl up with.

"Tell Me of Brave Women" is a fantastic, entertaining read. I enjoyed it immensely. Although a work of fiction, the characters are well written, realistic, and very representative of the actual abuses happening to women around the world today. The message is a very poignant reminder that we must unite in our stand against such atrocities, not only in "foreign" countries, but closer to home as well.

You can read an excerpt HERE.

I'll be passing this book around amongst family and friends, and then donating it to our local shelter for abused women.

The Denim Warp Utilized

The handspun warp I wound and wove off last winter, the one in denim blues, has now found its purpose.



It became a jacket.



It has a regular collar on one side that morphs into a scarf on the other side. The idea is to throw the scarf portion over the opposite shoulder ---



--- creating a bit of a cowl look at the front.



I used the fringe from both ends of the woven yardage across the back of the shoulders.



The pieced sleeves feature deep, turned back cuffs.



.



 It's just the way it worked out, but I'm glad that the softest bits, woven in handspun merino and silk, ended up in the cuffs and the collar.



I'm not sure what I'll do with this as denim blue is not a great colour on me. Perhaps it will be sold.

Next Up

I have started working on a light jacket sewn from the handspun, denim warp which I completed last winter.

 

This came about because I discovered that the "Rainbow Tabard Vest" I had planned to enter in the Chilliwack Exhibition won't actually fit the category I signed up for. When I was choosing categories to enter I was thinking about my newest, "Lady In Red" warp, which is handspun, and I entered the "Sewn garment from hand woven handspun". Then mid stream I decided to sew a top from my "Rainbow Warp" instead. Got it all done then looked up the category and discovered the error. Darn! I could have entered the category for a sewn garment woven from commercial yarns instead. Rather than miss out on a category that I have already paid to enter I decided to do what I could with the handspun denim warp. I've been sewing all day and my back hurts, but I must continue on as I only have tomorrow to finish it. Entries must be at the exhibitions grounds on Wednesday.

Next Up

I have started working on a light jacket sewn from the Handspun Denim warp which I completed last winter.

This came about because I discovered that the ”Rainbow Tabard Vest” I had planned to enter in the Chilliwack Exhibition won’t actually fit the category I signed up for. When I was choosing categories to enter I was thinking about my newest, ”Lady In Red” warp, which is handspun, and I entered the “sewn garment from hand woven handspun”. Then mid stream I decided to sew a top from my “Rainbow Warp” instead. Got it all done then looked up the category and discovered the error. Darn! I could have entered the category for a sewn garment woven from commercial yarns instead.

Rather than miss out on a category that I have already paid to enter I decided to do what I could with the handspun denim warp. I’ve been sewing all day and my back hurts, but I must continue on as I only have tomorrow to finish it. Entries must be at the exhibition grounds on Wednesday.

Rainbow Tabard Debut

The Rainbow Tabard Vest is complete.



Photos of me wearing it will have to wait as it's way too hot to struggle with selfie body shots. I'll need cooler weather and an assistant.



In the meantime Dummie has stepped in.



Dummie is significantly larger than me at the moment so please forgive the snug fit. The tabard drapes loosely on me and creates cap sleeves because my shoulders are a lot narrower. Dummie has not yet been altered to be my double.

I think the back may be my favourite part. I love the way it appears to glow like a prism.

All Buttoned Up

Deciding what to do about the sides of the Rainbow Tabard took some thinking. I considered doing the sides in more of the same Saori fabric, but figured it might be a waste as there was already a riot of colour in the front and back panels and more would just be overkill.

I then considered doing solid coloured panels but with some free style embroidery to pull in colours from the weaving, but then remembered that holding a small needle for any length of time causes my carpal tunnel syndrome to flare up.

Then my thoughts turned to just doing plain, solid colour side tabs but with special buttons of some sort. Well, nothing "special" turned up at the fabric store so I came up with something even better. Self covered buttons done with the fabric cut from the neck hole of the tabard. Perfect!



I think they look great on the very dark navy side tabs I made. It's just the coordinated look I was hoping for.



I'll get a picture up tomorrow of the whole, finished vest. For now here is an "outtake" photo. I originally photographed the Saori buttons on my handwoven table runner. I then realized that it would be better to take the picture against dark fabric, as I did above, but I still like this photo too.

Now What?

So "The Lady In Red" warp rests and prepares for the Chilliwack Exhibition. It decided that it will present itself as yardage this year rather than as a finished item sewn from hand woven. This change of plans came about while I was doing the pressing after its wash. Sitting there on a shelf beside me was the almost forgotten earlier yardage, "Rainbow" warp. The Rainbow demanded to be made into a garment first, having been woven first and "Lady In Red" gave up her place in the lineup --- for now.

So far the Rainbow top looks like this:



Just the neckline and shoulder seams are completed, but I'm very happy with how it looks so far. I have several different plans mulling about in my head about how to finish the rest of it. We'll see which one wins.