What's Your Point?

 Continuing on with stash diving for small projects to knit. The latest on the needles is Hitchhiker Beyond by Martina Behm. The yarn is a lovely hand-dyed from Hand Maiden -- Sea Silk (70% silk/30% Seacell) in the colorway Autumn. It's been marinating for quite a while, and I'm not even sure the yarn is being produced anymore. It's lovely stuff though, and just perfect for an accessory weight (ie not for warmth) scarf.

One thing that has become apparent from working on these small projects from many different types of yarn is how important (to me) the right needle for the job is. 

I learned to knit at the knee of my Scottish step-granny and she was a straight needle gal who tucked the right-hand needle firmly under her right arm and knit like the wind. So, that's what I learned (except the knitting like the wind part). Many years later, I discovered that circulars lent themselves to knitting while on the go, or in any group setting. Circulars are my preference today, and I have representatives of many different types and brands in the collection. They all have their place, but more and more I find myself reaching for one particular style -- sharp pointed metal with pliable cords. As my eyesight gets less sharp I appreciate that the sharper points mean less fumbling with stitch maneuvers like decreases or knitting in the back of the stitch. And who wants to fight with the needle cord, regardless of your needle type? 

My first sharp-pointed circular purchase was a Signature stiletto point. I hadn't heard of them until attending a fiber festival and seeing long lines at their booth. Not going to lie, I gasped at the price ($40US if I remember correctly). This was for one size, in one cord length. Oh my goodness though -- that stiletto point -- it was love. I bought a few as finances allowed, hoping to eventually get a set in my preferred cord length. And then, Signature smashed my dreams by discontinuing fixed length circulars and going to all interchangeable. Now, there's nothing wrong with interchangeable circulars and I can totally understand why they made that decision, but I have never been able to use screw in interchangeable needles without having them unscrew midway through my project. The tragedy!

And then (cue heavenly beam of light and music) I found ChiaGoo Red Lace circulars. They are made from stainless steel, not the pretty colored aluminum of Signature, but oh those points! 

 In the photo the Signature is on the left, and the ChiaGoo on the right. 

As an added incentive, the price is quite reasonable. It varies by needle size and cord length of course, but as an example: a size 4.00 mm (US6) with a 32" cord can be had for under $12US. 

The cords are not as "bendy" as the Signature, but are easy to use and I have yet to have one kink up on me. 

So, unless (until?) Signature goes back to making fixed length circular needles I think I have found my new best friend needle for "most" of my projects. Isn't it wonderful to have choices?

And here's the completed Miami Cuban Mitts:

So soft, so warm -- cashmere I love you! 

To all of you who celebrate anything at all this holiday season -- peace and joy! And may we all look forward to a bright and better 2021.

Addi Flexiflips -- or flops?

 Continuing with my plan to knit smaller projects (and use up some stash) I started a new cap for Mr. Minglingyarn. I've knit it before, and it's a particular favorite for its excellent ear warming capabilities -- the 1898 Hat by Kristine Byrnes. I had an unidentified ball of shades of red hand-dyed, and to make sure I had enough yarn I decided to use Bare Naked Wools Friesian DK for a contrast top. All was going fine until I got to the point of needing double pointed needles to finish off the top. 

I've been knitting a good few years, so I have quite a collection of various needles -- often multiples. But could I find the size double-points I needed to finish the hat? That would be a resounding no. In fact, most of the canvas pencil bags I use to store my dpns were empty -- uh oh, someone's been lazy about putting things back in their proper places. Luckily I remembered that I had bought some Addi Flexiflips back when they were a somewhat new thing and they might just be the size I needed. Also luckily, I had just run across them in a bag of circulars, so no running around looking for anything -- that can be postponed 'til the next knitting crisis.

Without bothering to read anything at all about them, I immediately put my hat stitches on the three needles -- hmmm, that doesn't look right. D'oh, of course! Your work goes on two needles and you knit with the third. Someone could use a remedial knitting course. Basically, the Addi Flexiflips are very short circular needles -- with 3.5" tips and a 1" cord. Also, if I had bothered to do any research on them at all, I would have known that there are two different tips on each needle. One end is the regular Addi turbo tip and the other is a (slightly) pointier Addi Rocket tip. Having grown accustomed to the stiletto-like tips of my lace Chia Goos I would have appreciated the sharper point when making my decreases. So, double d'oh!?

Despite the fact that I was blundering around like an idiot, the Addi Flexiflips worked well for the job I needed them to do. My personal preference would be to have both tips be pointier, but others might not and it's good to have a choice. One thing that did concern me was whether it would be a problem of having enough room on the needles if I had been using a yarn thicker than the DK weight I was using. I hate having to worry about stitches falling off the ends of these (or double-points too) as I merrily knit around.  Another sticking point -- the cost. These seem to run about $24US per size. Now I know why I just bought one pack to try. This isn't to say they're not worth the price, especially if you are an Addi fan, but that will certainly keep me from investing in multiple sizes of them.  Just going to have to go look for all those missing dpns! 

So, thank you past me for investing in just the size Addi Flexiflips I needed to finish up this hat. Now, where did you leave all those dpns?

And currently on the needles: Miami Cuban Mitts by Anne Hanson. 

I'm using a hank of Jade Sapphire cashmere 4-ply that had somehow made its way into the stash -- probably was going to be a gift hat for someone -- but now it will keep a certain someone from constantly complaining about my cold hands. He's right though -- they do stay icy.  😀

Around the block

 I have worked on the fit of my two Connie Crawford bodice slopers, and made up a basic shirt from each, but now it's time to try to replicate a slightly different design using my basic block. I like to give myself every chance to succeed, so I picked something I thought would be an easy make -- and also something I wanted to wear.

Like a lot of folks, I get catalogs from lots of retailers. One of the ones I get is from a clothing company called Poetry. Have never shopped from the catalog, and I expect I'm not their targeted demographic. While not high fashion, their clothing has simple, clean lines which appeals to me. As a side note, they also seem to offer more natural fiber items than a lot of others in their price range. One of their shirts from the Fall catalog caught my eye, and I decided I'd like to do an interpretation of that. Here's a pic from the catalog page in case the link disappears:

As you can see, it's a fairly simple shirt - loose fitting, with gathers in the back and a deep yoke, uneven hemlines, 3/4 length sleeves. It is listed as collarless, but it appears to have a shallow collar band.

The block I used had a darted front, one piece back with shoulder darts, and short sleeves. So, the changes I needed to make were: divide the back for a yoke and add width to the back 'skirt' to allow for gathered fullness. Add length to both front and back pattern pieces and add extra to the back for an uneven hemline. Add length to the sleeves to make them full length rather than the 3/4 length of the inspiration garment. I used the collar stand from Butterick 5678 to make the band collar.

The back yoke appears deeper than a standard shirt yoke. I went with a finished depth of 7.5" (19 cm). The one measurement of the original garment I had was a finished length of 29.5" (75 cm) so it was easy to lengthen the back skirt to reflect that, and then 6" (15 cm) was added for additional width.  The front was lengthened to finish at 2.5" (6 cm) shorter than the back.  I went with 3" (7.5 cm) for the hem turn up on fronts, back and sleeves.  All depth measurements (other than finished back length)  -- yoke, difference between front & back, hem turn ups -- were guesses. Hopefully educated guesses, but if I do something like this again I will probably go full on math and measure proportions from the photo.

And here's what I ended up with:

The fabric is a brushed cotton flannel from fabric.com (Kaufman Shetland Flannel Net Pepper) and the buttons were rushed to me (seriously, I got them the day after ordering without any additional payment!) from Wawak -- Mussel Shell Buttons, Dark Smoke color.

So, I am happy with the finished product. I learned a few things, and definitely could have done some things better, but I feel it's a pretty good first effort. I'll definitely be trying this again, and hopefully will have the confidence to up the difficulty level. 

Winter is coming

 Although the weather here is still quite balmy, it's guaranteed that eventually cold weather will be arriving. So, in an effort to avoid endless exposure to "you-know-what" on social media and the news I've been doing a fair bit of knitting.

How about a cozy cap? I've knit this pattern before, but this version is for me. It's the Orvieto Hat by Nina Machlin Dayton and I knit it in Cascade 220. I prefer a looser fit in a knitted hat (all the better to not mash the hairdo down) and this pattern fits the bill.

The next piece holds more meaning (to me) than simply keeping warm. It's the Dissent Cowl by Carissa Browning. The designer was inspired by the collar worn by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (US Supreme Court) when she dissented from a court decision. It just seemed fitting to be working on this while momentous decisions about the future of our country were being made. A further attraction was the designer's decision to donate  to the American Civil Liberties Union in RBG's honor - I believe the total donation was over $41,000 US - excellent!

But beyond that, I was knitting it with a yarn from very deep stash. A yarn purchased at Stitches East (now defunct) when it was held in Valley Forge, PA -- so, a very long time ago. It is a 4-ply cashmere from Cashmere America - now also not in existence. Why it took me so long to get around to knitting with it I do not know -- perhaps I have too much yarn? No, that can't be it. At any rate, it was a nice reminder of a time long past when knitting expos were a new-ish thing and folks got together and had good times without regard to anything other than the joy of our craft. 

The Cashmere America yarn is the lighter (undyed) color -- the other yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy with cashmere. It has variations in the (mostly) dark green color, but that doesn't show up too well in the photo -- or in real life actually. It was my first attempt at working anything in mosaic slip stitch, and didn't take too long to get into a nice working rhythm. The Dream in Color yarn was a bit lighter weight than the 4-ply cashmere, but didn't pose a problem. 

Here's a closer look at the stitch pattern -- 

And next it's off to the sewing room to attempt to replicate a design from RTW using my shirt block-- wish me luck!

WHAT?! Another coatigan?

 Yup, but hold on -- there's a good reason for yet another coatigan. For one thing, the climate here is well suited to a light-weight coat or jacket and it could see wear far into December, then again as Spring approaches. But really, I mostly wanted to use up a length of boiled wool that had been hanging around the stash closet for a while (a couple of years? Maybe). Even though I find cool toned colors more flattering now that my hair is a silver/dark grey combo, I still have a goodly amount of warmer colors in nice fabrics from before -- and what better use than an outerwear garment that can go over the more flattering colors and then be removed when you go inside? See, reasons!

So, once more -- McCall's 7476 in view D, a nice shawl collar (a favorite of mine) and patch pockets for those necessary items when out for a brisk walk in the autumn air. Which is pretty much my only reason for leaving the house these days. 

The pockets were upsized just a bit, and given a slightly slanted top. Instead of a raw edged finish on the sleeve and bottom hems I did three rows of top stitching on a turned up hem. The collar also has the same topstitching, as does the top edge of the pockets. Shoulder and side seams were sewn conventionally, not lapped, and were topstitched on either side of the seam in order to hold down the seam allowances. Only one row on either side of the seam though, not the triplicate of the hems. By some feat of serendipity I found a vintage button in my collection that nicely matched the color of the boiled wool, and instead of a buttonhole I made a simple thread chain to loop around it.

There was some pants sewing also, but not pictured. Nothing much to be seen from navy pants on a hanger. The pattern used was Vogue 8909, an athletic style pant for woven fabrics. So -- sweatpants with pretentions. The fabric used was a Tencel twill from Stylemaker Fabrics. As you would expect, it frayed fairly easily, but was pleasant to sew. 

I'm a bit "meh" about them. They fit, and will get worn, but they won't be a favorite reached for again and again. I made view B, which has self-fabric elasticated cuffs and I knew sewing them up that they were slightly cropped (i.e. above ankle length) but I was hoping to step outside my comfort zone and try something new. Umm, no. That length just doesn't feel as comfortable in this style of pant (to me). Well, live and learn. 

Still hoping to get started on the slacks block pattern from Connie Crawford, but I keep putting it off for other things. I think because I know this block/sloper pattern will require much more work than the two shirt patterns of hers that I just made up. 

B is for Basics

Lots of sewing -- lots of pics.

The weather finally turned cool for a short moment (warm and humid today though, ugh!) and I finally got the urge to sew up a few things for autumn. Nothing fancy, nothing to 'ooh and ahh' over -- just down to earth basics that will see a lot of wear. And the best thing? All from patterns that have been sewn before, so just straight, fast sewing with not a care in the world about fit. 

 I've been a big fan of Style Arc patterns for years now, and I reached way back in the pattern drawer for their Cosy Cardi. It's a streamlined cardigan -- no frills, drapes or fussy bits -- but it's one I reach for time and again. I was using a knit with very little stretch, so this one got graded up in circumference with the length remaining the same. 

It will be worn open, so no buttons or snaps -- the thick knit doesn't lend itself to either. In the photo it's pinned together at the neck so as not to expose the model. Yes, it's just a bit of plastic, but I'm not about to risk running afoul of internet standards.

Next another Style Arc pattern -- Brooklyn. This is sewn in a double sided knit, black with white spots on one side, black and white stripes on the other. It's a loose boxy top and will work well in cooler weather with an under layer.

A twinset (of sorts):  The cardigan is McCall 6844 and the pullover is a mash up of Pamela's Patterns Perfect Tee and the cowl from Sewaholic Patterns Renfrew Top (links in next garment). Fabric is a grey rayon/poly rib knit from Fabric Mart.

I've combined two patterns in the next make -- Pamela's Patterns Perfect Tee for the body, and Sewaholic Patterns Renfrew Top for the cowl neck.

Anyone noticing a neckline trend? Yes, I do love a cowl neck. Fabric is a bamboo jersey from Emma One Sock.

It can't be All Cowls All the Time though -- the next one is Kwik Sew 3658. I love the bamboo jersey knit from Emma One Sock and hope it holds up in the laundry, but I'm a bit nervous that the white markings may crack with repeated washing. Although it is a vee neck, it comes up in the back to keep my neck nice and cozy. 

And lastly, a garment from last season that I don't think ever was featured. I know it was made too late to be worn in the autumn and it really isn't a style for really cold weather. It's a coat/cardigan combo (coatigan?) and is McCall 7476.

.
Again, it's pinned at the neckline to preserve plastic modesty, but will be worn open, or with a beaded silver/grey kilt type pin that I have.

The fabric is a dark grey boiled wool/rayon blend and the trim is a knit which I think is a wool or wool blend popcorn textured fabric. Both were from Fabric Mart, but I'm sure they are long since sold out.

And a closer look at the trim fabric:

Still no slacks, but I finally got the Connie Crawford slacks/pants sloper, so I hope to start on that soon. 

The Best Laid Plans...

 ...or, what didn't make the cut.

Normally before sewing starts for a new season I lay out the fabric I want to use, and then search through the pattern stash for what I want to make it into. I leave the fabric out on the counter in the sewing room as a reminder.  But this season life got abnormal. So here are the fabrics that didn't make their debut this season.

I had great hopes for refining the fit on a pair of woven slacks. I was bound and determined to make the Gobi  culottes -- neither happened. In fact, no slacks, culottes or shorts happened. Sigh.

  I am thinking of working with the Connie Crawford pants block from Islander Sewing. I've had very good results with the two bodice blocks of hers that I have recently fitted, so hopes are high that the pants sloper might work out too. I feel good about the fit I get from the Style Arc knit pants draft, but a nicely fitted woven slack eludes me.  The grey twill may still be in play if that happens.

This was the season I was going to make a couple of loose, flowy, silk tops. Nope.

The Liberty silk (background) has been featured before, the red silk from Fabric Mart hasn't  -- these still have a (small) chance to be sewn up soon, but the problem is -- where will I wear them?  Silk is definitely not my go to fabric for everyday/around the house wear.    

Then there were two pieces of woven cotton -- the grey gingham check was slated to be a tunic length shirt, the overdyed seersucker almost made it into a Style Arc top. I'm sad about the grey gingham -- that is a seriously nice piece of cotton shirting. Sold by Fabric Mart as a Thomas Mason shirting, it would make a great man's shirt too, if one were so inclined (I am not.)

And lastly, a border print rayon challis. Sorry rayon challis -- you did not get made into a short-sleeved summer top. Better luck next season!

So, into the stash closet for these fabrics. What will take their place on the counter for autumn sewing? Stay tuned.

World's Simplest Hat Pattern?

 Maybe! 

 It's The Egg Hat by Center For Pattern Design and is described:

"The bias-cut Egg Hat is inspired by Madeleine Vionnet's approach to pattern design. It is a simple, clean design which is easy to assemble and yet delivers a timeless elegance typical of her manner."

At the moment, the website seems to be undergoing some restructuring and not all patterns are shown, so here's a peek:

I had a large scrap of navy felted wool so I thought I'd (finally) give it a try -- the pattern has been living in the pattern stash for several years. As it happens, that was not a great choice in fabric for two reasons.  One, the felted wool, even cut on the bias, had zero stretch. (Duh!) But more importantly, it also rubbed off navy dye all over my hands when working with it.  Nope -- I may be a granny, but I can do without blue hair, thank you very much! It's funny, I never noticed that problem when cutting a vest out of the rest of the fabric, but I suspect there was a lot more handling of the fabric with the hat.  At any rate, there's a cut out vest I won't be finishing.

There is only one pattern piece -- an ellipse -- that is cut out twice.  Looks like this:

Sewn right sides together, then turned and folded in on itself, like so:

Scootch up one side into soft pleats and either secure the pleats with stitches, or as I did -- with a pin.  Done!

And a side view:  

While this one will end up as a test model, I do intend to make up another one -- next time in something that will have a bit of stretch, as this one was just too tight for comfort.

Playing with blocks

 I think I need to forget about doing a coordinated wardrobe module and just call this what it is -- "the summer of tops". That has been the bulk of what I've sewn since March, and it continues. Perhaps autumn can be the "the season of slacks" and I can back into a planned wardrobe.

At any rate, I have put some planning into the next two tops. I am a big fan of a shoulder princess seamed top pattern. It suits my build, and is (fairly) easy to tweak the fit for narrow shoulders, large bust, thickening waist, etc., etc. My original go to pattern for this top of shirt had been Simplicity 8053 (now discontinued). It had a sleeveless view, collarless vee neck, regular shirt collar, 3/4 length hemmed sleeve, cuffed long sleeve and tunic length and regular shirt length. It served me well, but after numerous hacks, changing sizes and changing lengths -- plus fit adjustments -- it was pretty much a mass of tan tissue and Scotch tape. It was time for something new.

So, when I saw this I thought it was worth a try. It's a sloper or block (and I have no idea what the difference is) for the very style I needed. Basically, it's a fitting pattern -- you are meant to use it as a guide once you have it fit -- either to add your own customization (collars, sleeve style, etc.) or to check the fit of a commercial pattern of the same style.  Since shoulder princess shirts are fairly scarce in the pattern books, I intend to use the basic sloper and add my own details.  Most likely I will take details from already drafted patterns and add them to the bodice. I have drafted a few simple pattern details from scratch, but my skills are very basic and I see no reason to 'reinvent the wheel' if the details I want can be found in other patterns. Like most who have been sewing for a while I have an extensive library of patterns. 

I made up my test sloper with minimal changes. I shortened the armhole length (and the corresponding sleeve cap height) which is something I need to do for many commercial patterns. I sized the test garment by full bust measurement (as directed in the instructions) but graded out to a larger size in the hip. This change ended up being unnecessary. Although I normally need to narrow the shoulder, I left it as drafted. All the pattern pieces were nicely drafted and went together very smoothly. Results? A pretty good fit right off the bat -- with a few tweaks needed. The shoulders were amazingly close to what I need, although a small amount can be shaved off for a closer fit. The bust fullness needed to be lower -- no surprise there -- gravity is not a friend to the well endowed. As mentioned, the extra width in the hip was not needed, although for my first trial garment I left it in since I was going for a flowing summer top.

For this I scooped the front neckline and seamed the front up the center. The short sleeves came with the pattern. The top of the center seam is simple turned back and stitched down and closes with a thread loop and button. The back neckline was lowered a bit also.

For my second make, I went for a shirt styling. I wanted something that would be good in the heat (which will remain for quite a while) but also have a bit of autumn vibe. I ended up with this:

The neckline is raised back to a regular shirt/collar height -- only the stand was sewn to keep to a summer look. The sleeves (and armhole) were taken from a Vogue pattern, but faced with a contrasting fabric instead of hemming. One sleeve in the photo has been folded back to show that. Some hip width was removed, but more will be needed for a streamlined look. Although a small amount was taken from the shoulder width, a bit more could be removed -- perhaps due to a different fabric? Or, more likely, I wasn't as careful as I could have been in transferring the different armhole shaping to the block. I ended up using natural shell buttons from Wawak as I didn't have enough of the black ball buttons I wanted to use. Although not perfect (as absolutely none of my makes are) I am well pleased with this and will make this my basic sloper for a shoulder princess seamed shirt.  In fact, I decided to go ahead a get the block/sloper for a regular darted shirt. I do love my princess seams, but sometimes a darted shirt works better for stripes, plaids and the like. 

And here's a closer look at the shirt fabric : 

The main fabric is an Italian cotton shirting from Emma Onesock -- lovely stuff, as are most of Linda's selections. The contrast fabric is Liberty Tana lawn from The Fabric Store, a New Zealand company that has a fabulous selection of merino knits, plus lovely linen and some nice Liberty fabrics. 

Topping Up

 It's been a crazy few days -- which makes it a random Saturday in 2020. Ventured out the other day for the first time since March to a public space (other than neighborhood walks) and it felt quite strange. Precautions were taken, but there was still a level of discomfort. It certainly made me appreciate even more all the essential workers who are out there everyday to keep us safe and keep things going. On to some sewing...

All my plans for a (somewhat) coordinated summer wardrobe have flown out the window. Loss of 'sewjo', lethargy and not having much need for anything new being the main culprits.  I have made a few simple things from my tried & true (i.e. already fitted) patterns and for some reason they all seem to be tops. They also mostly seem to be navy blue or black, so my not so good phone pics will be even harder to see -- so be it.

The recently shared lemon print got made up into a Style Arc Anita peasant style top.  I even managed two tiny tassels that look pretty good and have held up through a wash.

This was a rayon challis from Telio, purchased at fabric.com.  I love the print, but the fabric itself just doesn't have the same body as the rayon challis from Cotton + Steel. Still, it's a fun, breezy summer top and will get some wear.

I was disappointed with the top I did make from some Cotton + Steel rayon challis, also recently shared.  This disappointment is entirely on me.  I really wanted to have some flowing 3/4 length sleeves and in a major idiot move didn't purchase enough fabric to do that. Arghhh! Why is it so hard to remember that it's a narrower width fabric and I need more yardage? At any rate -- a simple short sleeved loose top based on the Loes Hinse pattern 'Rochelle'.

(apologies -- since the Blogger change I haven't a clue how to position the pics in anything but the center of the page -- eventually I hope to master this)

Also, a couple of tees -- these are made from Pamela's Perfect Tee pattern. 

The navy/white stripe is a 100% cotton jersey from Organic Cotton Plus -- very nice stuff, as is pretty much everything from there.  The black tee is a mix of cotton/hemp from fabric.com.

And finally, a tank top -- this is also a Pamela's Pattern, and is a Telio bamboo jersey. Hardly visible, but the trim is simply the reverse side of the black pin dot fabric. Because it's a jersey, the reverse side is purl stitch, but it matters not to me. 

There was one new pattern made, from Love Notions, a pair of Namaste pj's. Those are currently being worn, so no pics -- you're welcome.

Full On Norma Desmond

Well, it was bound to happen. After making (and wearing) wide, turban-style headbands it was only a matter of time until I tried the full turban.

Thinking it would be too artsy or costume-y looking made me pause, but at the end of the day I decided I just didn't care. My hair, my hair cover up. Anyway, who was going to see it and roll their eyes -- my family? Ha! Bring it people -- moms have their own deep wells of embarrassing childhood moments which could be easily retrieved to counter any snarks or snickers. If one were so inclined, of course.

At any rate, the pattern is Surimani by Opian available on Etsy or The Foldline and is listed as suitable for stretch or woven fabric. Two sizes available, with instructions in French and English. I used a large scrap of Art Gallery cotton/Lycra jersey to make my toile and made it up in the smaller size, figuring the fabric would stretch if needed. If memory serves (and it often doesn't) the finished sizes were 56 and 60cm -- translated to American -- about 22.04" and 23.6".

And the result? Not bad at all, in fact, kind of fun. It's comfortable to wear in a cotton jersey -- not too heavy or constricting -- not much more "head feel" than a wide headband. Added warmth might be a factor for some -- temperatures here are currently running in the high 80's, low 90's with heavy humidity (31+C to 32+C to the rest of the world), but I don't plan on being out in that anyway.  I like it worn back a bit on the head and with some hair showing around the face, but with the back hair tucked away.

The pattern itself is 6 pages in PDF format, but only 4 pages need to be taped together. Instructions are brief, but this is a fairly simple design so that shouldn't be an issue. It was a little unclear to me exactly where the back pleats should be started up from the band, but checking  a back view photo (on Etsy) gave me a good idea. I'm not sure how critical that is anyway. My only deviation from the instructions was to fused down the serged edges of the front opening to the inside of the turban so they wouldn't peek out when worn. I also tacked the small band (part C, called a "bow") to the seam allowance of the band so the seam of the "bow" wouldn't migrate out to the public side. 

Battling lassitude

Lassitude: a state of physical or mental weariness, lack of energy, lethargy.

It’s been a stressful few months for most of us, and creativity (for me) has dropped. Ironic, yes?  Time enough to make, and no real desire to do so. But lassitude feeds on itself and grows stronger with inaction, so, what to do? Here’s what I’ve tried to bring back some joy in the sewing room.

Just begin. A variant on the “Just Do It” ad I suppose, but without the pressure of a completed project. Just make a start — no deadline. One small step. I just finished a simple tee — it took me 4 days for something that would normally be a morning’s work. No matter, it got done.

Think small. Maybe now is not the time (for me) to embark on that tiny needles, thin yarn sweater. For some it might bring on a comforting, soothing meditative state, but for me it’s just another endless task. A lacy cowl, a cabled hat though — small, still interesting, do-able.

Rely on your “Tried & True”. Take comfort in the patterns you know work well for you. Give yourself every chance for a successful outcome. It may be “just a tee shirt”, but how much more satisfying than yet another “wadder”.

But don’t avoid the new if you can set aside that need for perfection. Just sample different stitches or techniques — play. Some things work, some things don’t. If they don’t please you not much is lost. If they do — a small creative spark!

These are things that have helped me fight against the hopelessness of “Why bother making?” A small thing in the larger picture of life in 2020, but I’ll take hope where I can find it.

Hair in the Time of Social Distancing

In the greater scheme of things the state of one's hair is extremely far down the list of current worries. Still, it's another small thing that adds to the malaise of 2020, so here's how I've been coping with that -- headbands.

I was last in a hair salon a few days before lockdown and closings.  I decided to get a new style -- a not quite pixie, but very short cut.  Good planning? Well, no. This was the sort of style that looks good when it's well maintained and trimmed frequently. The sort of style that often grows out -- oddly. 

No sense crying over something that temporarily can't be fixed, so let's go to a backup plan -- cover that mess! I considered a full-on turban, but then decided to ease into the style with a turban-like headband.  You can, of course, purchase a million different kinds online, but makers gotta make.

I have quite a lot of knit scraps that I fully intend to turn into - something? - in the future, so here was a good chance to get rid of a few. I looked at several tutorials, and ended up using the one from Dina's Daughter.  That link will take you to a measurement chart, and a further link to her YouTube tutorial. I used some leftover Art Gallery jersey and ended up with this:

Very comfortable to wear, and that particular fabric has plenty of "snap back".  Luckily it's also my favorite fabric for cotton tees, so plenty of scraps to choose from.

















Recently however I ran across a pattern for a woven fabric headband and decided to give it a try.  The tutorial is from Sew DIY - sorry, no direct link as Blogger takes me to the home page instead of to the tutorial despite typing the loooong address of the tutorial - which is sewdiy.com/blog/ulalouise.com/2013/07/diy-tutorial-turban-headband - but if all else fails - Google? It is apparently a knock off of an Anthropologie headband - the tutorial is from 2013, but the headbands are still being sold (if that matters to anyone). I can't say the tutorial is very clearly written, but it suffices - and my version looks like this:

Hmmm, I seem to like navy/white stripes, don't I?

Overall, I much prefer the knit version.  Because a headband needs to stretch, and woven fabric doesn't (much) any woven band will need to have elastic added to provide the stretch - and elastic will need to be covered by slightly gathered fabric. This adds an extra 'lump' to the back of your head, especially if your hair, like mine, is not luxuriously long - even if your fabric is quite thin.  So, while I love the fabric, and it looks good from the front - I can really live without that extra head lump! 

So, for now, my growing out hair will continue to be 'styled' with bands. Although in our locale the salons are re-opened, I won't be rushing off until things are more settled. Given the Metro area prices we pay I'd really like to not have my stylist working around required face masks when she's doing her precision cutting. Just me -- your mileage may vary.

Some fabric therapy...

...and a fabric disappointment.

It seems foolish to order fabric when you aren't sewing all that much, but hopefully that will change and nothing lifts the spirits like some fresh, pretty yardage.

First up -- some Telio Viscose Challis -- and how cheerful are lemons on a striped background?

I haven't used this particular challis before, and although it seems a bit thinner than my usual "go to" I think it will work quite well for a breezy peasant top. I'm thinking of Style Arc Anita and I'm hoping to find (or make?) some yellow tassels for the neck ties.















Because it is so lovely to work with, I indulged in some more of my favorite rayon challis --Cotton + Steel Rifle Paper Co. -- this particular pattern is "Wonderland".

It could be considered a bit whimsical -- with the Alice in Wonderland patterns -- but I don't think it jumps out at you.  Besides, what's wrong with a little whimsy these days?

Right now I'm planning to make a Loes Hinse Rochelle
but switching out the sleeve for a 3/4 length bishop sleeve.

This is a simple, classic pattern, but I like its floaty fit in a drapy rayon.








And lastly, a bit of a splurge --  Liberty Fabrics silk crepe "Marbelle Hall".

This was on clearance at Fabric.com for (not quite) 50% off, so why not? It is an absolutely lovely piece of silk and the pattern is not quite as twee as Liberty's ditsy flowers. Still pondering on the best pattern to use for this piece.

And now for disappointment:  I purchased some embroidered chambray to make a light summer dress -- Style Arc Lacey 

Doesn't look too bad from a distance, right?  The pattern itself is a good one for the type of everyday summer dress I was looking for. I lengthened the bodice by a bit (it's still above natural waist as the designer intended), and shortened the sleeves by an inch. I also used self-made bias binding on the neck instead of facings for no other reason than that's what I prefer.  So, no problems at all with the pattern.

The problem occurred when I took a close look at the embroidery.  What I had seen and assumed were French knots were in fact loose stitches. The embroidery is done entirely in chain stitches.  Chain stitching itself is not the issue, but the haphazard way it was fastened off is.  If you've ever unzipped a pet food bag you know that once you've pulled on the right end the stitching flies off.  

The yellow loops at the far left are loose stitches.  I've tried to fix the worst of them (and there are many motifs with this issue), but there's only so much you can do. So, I'm not really sure how long this will hold up -- there's no way a summer cotton isn't going to need to be laundered at some point. Sigh.  It even got a compliment from Mr. Mingling Yarn when I first modeled it.  Double sigh.

A little nosh

Taking some time off from downloading videos to indulge in a new food interest -- fermenting.

I've started out with giardiniera, an Italian vegetable pickle.  I think the original may be a vinegar based pickle, but I'm using the lacto-fermentation method that develops food rich in probiotics. I've followed the guidelines from Fermenting for Foodies as far as salt/water ratio, but used an assortment of veggies on hand instead of their exact recipe.

The red color of the brine is due to red onion and purple cauliflower -- eat the rainbow! I make it in small batches, as Mr. Mingling Yarn is the primary pickled food eater. That's a one quart, wide-mouthed canning jar with a fermentation lid. I invested in a fermentation kit from Year of Plenty  This is the third batch, and it has been well received.

Also being made is yogurt, along with cultured buttermilk. We've been trying various strains of cultures for the yogurt (from New England Cheese Making Supply Co. mostly) and so far Bulgarian seems to be the Mr.'s favorite and Creamy is mine. Actually, it's all delicious! Being able to make buttermilk as needed has been a great help. I really like using it in various bread recipes and it isn't always readily available in the full-fat version that we prefer.

I use a simple non-electric yogurt maker, which is basically a mason jar in a vacuum container.  Years ago I tried various electric yogurt makers (with little individual jars) and results were varied. So far results making one large batch (1 quart in our case) has been overwhelmingly successful -- coincidence, or are big batches somehow better?? One of my daughters uses a similar system but with a styrofoam container for the jar to keep things insulated -- mine is a stainless steel insulated container.  

It's not all healthy food though -- 

Easy Sugar Cookies from the Dessert For Two website of Christina Lane.  Plenty of tasty recipes (not just dessert) in small quantities. Yum!