Sunday, May 19, 2013

Parallelogram Pillow Plus

Hi everyone!
Spending a rainy Sunday being crafty, well sort of. Lately it seems I'm doing more un-doing than doing. I picked back up on the wrap cardi knitting project. The lace was intimidating me, but now I am addicted to it! It is so fun, even if I have to undo some rows because I am forgetting some of the yarn-overs if I am not paying attention. For every 14 rows of the repeat pattern, I have to undo about 3!
70's sundress



And then there's the sundress I mentioned in the last post. The top part I was fussing over is figured out, but the side seams puckered like crazy after I did them. So I picked them out and am examining the machine for tension problems. Here's the pattern. I scanned it last week. 
And here is a picture of the parallelogram pillow I started as an easy project to take to Knitting & Boozing. Now it is almost finished, at least the knitting part. 
I found that parallelograms are a fun and easy way to add texture to a project! The parellogram pattern is for a multiple of 10 stitches. I cast on 42 stitches and alternated k/p for first and last stitch to make an edge.
I think I've achieved a square, but it is very stretchy so it looks like a rectangle. Next, optimistically, I plan to block it to see what size closest to a square it is--hoping for 12x12. Then I'll sew it to a lighter grey fabric back. Maybe the closure will be mix and match geometric buttons? We'll see.
Have you been up to anything crafty this weekend? 

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Sewing tk

Hello friends and happy Spring--at least where I am, it is finally lovely weather!
I don't know why the abbreviation for "to come" is tk instead of tc, but that's how I write it, learned from my copy-editing experience.
Recently, my friend Kadee and I went to a sewing pattern party at Brooklyn General. What a wonderful shop, and FULL of sewing enthusiasts there for the Colette Patterns visit! Sarai of Colette Patterns is a lovely lady. I did stop and say hello despite being shy about it--I have been reading her blog for, like, years after all. She also seemed quite shy but was enjoying being in New York from far away Portland. Kadee and I were so inspired we bought patterns and fabric and, as former Brooklynites, vowed to return to our old Brooklyn neighborhood again soon!
Colette Sencha
I didn't take pictures, but here is the link to the Coletterie 
blog where Sarai wrote about it.





sundress in progress

I bought the Sencha blouse pattern. Sewing ahead!
Looking forward to making it and also finishing the black sundress I started 2 summers ago! Got the interfacing, still fussing over the adjustments I made to the pattern. See March post.


And of course instead of plotting to use from my existing stash of fabric, I bought some more! ...you'll see, I hope soon!




Optimistically,
Elisabeth