Saturday 29 September 2012

From scarf to top.

 I couldn't get to sleep last night, had to listen to 'I can make you sleep' hypnosis cd twice.  The reason I couldn't sleep was because I had just finsihed making a top I really was pleased with.

From an $8 Kmart scarf.  Had gone to Kmart earlier in the evening with the view to buy some cheap tshirts for reconstruction and found this pretty muslin scarf.

It was too long to make a top so I folded it in half and stitched aross to make shoulder seams. used a tshirt to mark and cut the scooped neckline out.

The neckline is bound with strips of the same fabric.  I actually used glue (couldn't find the fray stop) to stablise the neckline and stop it fraying while working on it. Just painted it on the very edge and let it dry.  The neckbinding was stabilised with iron-on hemming tape, folded in half and one edge machine stitched on, the other I hand stitched.  I cut the binding on the straight, next time I'll do it on the bias as it gapes a little.  The sides were stitched straigh down the selvage edge of the scarf.

Was worried about fit, but it fits perfectly and is going to be a perfect top to wear on hot summer days, now on the look out for more pretty scarves. 

Friday 28 September 2012

Who aaid knitting was relaxing?

It's been awhile since my last post, I've been busy, doing extra shifts at work, wasting time on Facebook and TV and doing a little knitting.

The yarn I dyed turned out to be a lovely muted apple green,  happily found a pattern I liked and started knitting.  Knitted from 2 balls at once, 2 rows each to help with the dyelot issue.  Started it one night and was happy to see that the colour was uniform ... until the next day when in daylight the dyelot issues showed right up as stripes in the stockinette section.  It wasn't obvious where there was lace and moss stitching, I'll need to find a lacy pattern for this yarn.

I was however in love with the pattern I chose and needed something to take to the knitting group so with only 5 minutes to spare rushed in to Spotlight and bought a lovely soft acrylic/bamboo mix, Moda Vera Gardenia, in purple.



I've also fallen in love with the new Patons Embrace yarn.  Bought a few balls and the Embrace book and tried to get started on a shawl.  I say tried becasue it's been really trying, first it took me ages to cast on the 400+ stitches, then I couldn't get past the first 2 or 3 rows, kept frogging the whole thing - a result of my counting skills and my stitch dropping skills, the pattern itself was quite easy and straight forward.  Then it clicked and I was happily knitting along and almost finished the first pattern section, was so proud of myself.   Then I took it to knitting on Wednesday and immediately noted a dropped stitch so put it away to concentrate on at home.  It took a while to pick up the stitch in the lace work but I managed to do it again was so proud of myself.  After that diaster struck, my circular needle decided to break as I was trying to move stitches along it, nothing I could do each time I tried to pick up the stitches they just ran, leave me with a confusion of loose threads.  I figured it would be quicker and less frustrating to start again...............at another time.  My knitting has now been transformed back into yarn.  Who said that knitting was a great tension reliever?


I have to wonder whether I was sabotaging myself as I chose to do the shawl on the front cover but kept wondering if I should do the larger version of it.  Oh and I was feeling guilty for not completing my purple cardy first.  I'll do that then get back onto the shawl.