Crafty...where did my craftiness go!

Since I haven't posted since Oct. 20th, I think it's pretty obvious that I'm having a bit of a crafting drought. I've finished a few things but have yet to photograph them and I'm pretty stalled on what to make next. Even my stash is failing to inspire me.

On the upside, I only have 1 sweater's worth of yarn in the stash! Somehow this year, I have seriously managed to stash bust. My current problem is I'm no longer crazy about the yarn I do have on hand to make a sweater.

But I do have piles of odds and ends so last night, I combed through the stash and made up 5 baggies each containing one little project to use up some scraps. So expect to see hats, mittens, baby sweaters, and socks for the next little bit until I can decide what sweater to knit next and purchase some new yarn. Which I'm a little excited about since I haven't had new yarn in over a year (except for one incident with a bright pink skein of sock yarn)!

Usually when I hit a knitting wall, I end up focusing on sewing for a bit (and vice versa) except I'm also at a bit of a loss for what to sew next. I switched my closet over from summer to fall/winter clothes...and I have a lot of clothes. I definitely don't need any more skirts for a little bit after my skirt making binge of fall 2008/winter 2009 but I'm just not sure what I do need. I think I'll focus on making dresses for a bit. Might be time to comb through my BWOF and pattern stash and find some new patterns.

Anyways, here's hoping that I get my crafty mojo back soon!

Dead Socks

I finished these socks in March 2006 and noticed that they've developed a very large hole in the bottom. Most likely from getting snagged on a nail in my hardwood floor at home. That floor can be deadly!

Reading my blog post from when I originally finished these socks reminded me of how much I hated knitting them at the time but I've actually worn them quite a bit and the St. Ives yarn did hold up very well.

At the rate that I destroy knitted socks (I maybe ruin one pair a year), I seriously still have enough socks to last me the next 15 years. This is probably why I don't knit nearly as many pairs as I used to and most of the pairs I knit now are gifts. I can't even tell you the last time I purchased sock yarn and I still have some real gems in the stash.

M5817

Pattern: M5817

Fabric: Navy wool

Modifications: absolutely none. I really like the double vent at the back of this skirt and I used a closed lining following instructions for an older copy of Vogue Patterns. And I'm so glad that I didn't shorten this skirt, it would have been too short if I had!

Here is the line drawing so you can see the detail of the back vent since it doesn't show up very well in navy:

Blue Wrap Top

Pattern: New Look

Fabric: matte jersey

Modifications: none but I should have made some!

In theory, this top is a good idea. In practice not too much. It's too short (and I didn't even shorten it), the waist is too low (something I should have fixed), the sleeves are too baggy/long (also something I should have fixed) and it just would not stay put. I felt self-conscious in it all day because I had to keep adjusting it.

It might grow on me so I'm going to put it away with my spring/summer clothes and see if I like it better next year!

M5890 View B

Pattern: M5890 View B

Fabric: tan matte jersey (94% polyester/6% spandex)

Modifications: shortened the fronts/backs/sleeves by 1 inch.

I read a review of this top on pattern review that pointed out that the wrong side of the fabric would show with the shawl collar and that the hem would also show. So I actually split the front pattern piece in two along the centre line and then sewed those two pieces together so that the wrong side of the fabric wouldn't show. I also didn't hem the fronts or bottom. Instead I just top stitched all the way around 3/8" in. Leaving it completely unhemmed just felt wrong but something just top stitching felt okay since it doesn't effect the drape of the fabric and I didn't have to struggle with hemming the front bottom edge.

This is a very easy cardigan to just throw on and a nice alternative to all of my more structured/fitted cardigans.

Kwik Sew 3489

Pattern: Kwik Sew 3489

Fabric: navy matte jersey, 2 yards

Modifications: after reading reviews on Pattern Review about the ties in View B being too narrow, I used the tie pattern piece from V8379 instead. I also modified the sleeve to have 3/4 length sleeves. And I did my typical length alterations; 2 inches out of the skirt (I'd go with 3 the next time)and 1 inch out of the bodice.

Overall, I'm happy with this dress. When I wore it to work this week, I had four very nice positive comments. 3 from people who don't know that I sew...for some reason this matters to me...it's like they mistake it for RTW and I'm happy that my handmade clothes look like something from a store. It's odd, I'm proud when I make something I really like but yet I don't necessarily want everyone to know I made it. I've been thinking about this a lot recently and I think it comes down to confidence. I'm a very confident knitter and I will happily tell anyone that I've made my own sweater but my confidence level with sewing just isn't quite there yet.

Anyways, the fit in the bodice is a bit off. The bust dart seems a bit low and I would raise it next time. There is also some excess fabric so the front looks a bit like it has pleats when it doesn't. If I make this again, I would play around with altering the bodice pieces a bit more than just the length.

Hmmmm

So where have I been in the last two weeks...well I've been sewing but I haven't been blogging. And now I've got four finished projects that I still haven't photographed! And I started seaming up a sweater, finished 4 pieces of another, and swatched for a vest.

I guess after such a busy summer and September, I've just kind of been hibernating (and cooking a lot) in my p.j.'s at home when I'm not at work but I will get around to taking some photos and posting some finished projects this week.

One other thing I have been doing is organizing my extensive collection of Cooking Light recipes. They were taking up way too much space in our apartment so I finally went through 3 years worth, picked out my favourites, and put together a binder. Kind of boring but it needed to be done.



See you soon!