thornberry

I have a relatively free weekend ahead, so am hoping to start (and finish) some sewing.  Maybe if I put my plans in writing I might feel compelled to follow through!  These fabrics arrived this week from the Amitie blog VIP club.  How incredibly cute!

I plan on using the fabric with the numbers to make a childcare bag for Stella.  There is a lot of stuff that a one year old needs to take with her to childcare!  I’ll combine it with a similar print that I bought from Retro Mummy, and I’m still deciding what plain fabric to mix them with.  I’m planning on using the Large Tote & Satchel pattern from Nicole Mallalieu, with loads of extra internal pockets, and I may incorporate some clear PVC over the exterior of the bag to protect it.  The delicious little red riding hood print will possibly become the bodice of a summer dress for Stella (which won’t be made this weekend - it’s way too chilly here in Melbourne to be thinking about summer clothes now).

This top is still cut out, waiting to be sewn.  Maybe I’ll get to it this weekend.  Clare also needs a pair of school pants - once again, fabric and pattern are all ready to go, and I can whip them up fairly quickly with the overlocker.  I’ll be embarassed if I don’t get at least that project done!

Speaking of school clothes and chilly Melbourne winter, I finished Clare’s school scarf and beanie.

The scarf was done without a pattern - it is just US double crochet (Australian treble) using two balls of Patons Superwash 8 ply.  The beanie is a modification of a pattern I found somewhere on the internet, worked entirely in double crochet like the scarf.  Easy peasy.  Elsewhere on the crochet front I have almost completed the Mossy Cowl, and hope to start on a scarf using the Pear Tree yarn.  There is also the matter of two June CAL blocks to complete (but I’ve got the rest of the month to finish them off, surely).

My fat quarters are all ready to send for the Vintage Sheet Patchwork Swap.  I’m looking forward to seeing what patterns I receive in return - and thinking of what I will do with them all.  Elizabeth has promised to have some great suggestions on her blog next month.

And to finish off - another op shop dress pattern.  This one is from 1977.

Wow ladies, bad hair.  And I’m still cacking myself at this post by Jodie of Ric-Rac.  So beautifully put (or should that be sung)?

This time it took me until June to finish the May Ravelry 2008 block a month CAL blocks, but finally they are done!  The pattern is Flower Burst.  As usual, the yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8 ply, crocheted with a 4.5 mm hook.  Although the patterns are for 12 inch blocks, because of the yarn weight and hook size I am using mine end up as 9 inches.  In Lime:

and in Fennel (which was yarn meant for a different project, but now it’s made it’s way into this one):

This is how the squares are coming along so far (including a sneak peek at one of the June squares done in Fennel):

I’m about to introduce another colour - Heather, a lovely purple - since it was also in the stash (also originally intended for a different project).  Hopefully it will tone nicely and balance out the intensity of the blue.

And the Multicoloured square?

I’m only going to do one more block in this yarn which will be six, enough for a small doll blanket.  Then I’ll deliver the rest of the yarn to the op shop.  It hurts my eyes, and isn’t worth the effort.  Lesson learned - I prefer to crochet in quality yarns, preferably not acrylic, no matter how little it costs.

We were away (again!) over the weekend, so not a lot of crafting was done.  I have been reading these magazines which arrived over the past couple of weeks:

I subscribe to all of these!  Interweave Crochet only arrived yesterday, and as usual it has some stunning projects!  While visiting my parents I managed to do a teeny bit more stitching on my Brown Owls tote:

I have a few plans for lining the tote with complementary fabrics and adding them to the handles.  I’ve finished my name embroidery and just need to make a top to sew things on to!

But more importantly, I had a visit from the lovely quiltingmick from Canberra!  Lucky me - she had a few days visiting Melbourne and we were able to coordinate for an hour and a half.  It was the first time we’ve met “in real life” - and we had a great chat!  So much in common, sometimes it is spooky!  She gave me this gorgeous crocheted flower brooch, which looks absolutely huge in this photo!

Thanks so much Michelle - great to finally meet you and next time we might be able to go fabric & yarn shopping together!

We’re back!  Did you notice that we’d been away?  We missed out on the blustery storms in Melbourne and spent the last week staying with my in-laws on the Sunshine Coast.  What beautiful weather, superb beaches, tremendous hospitality, and adventures to the Ginger Factory at Yandina and to Eumundi Markets!  It was lovely for the girls to spend time with their grandparents; we don’t get to see them very often.

While we were away I had my crochet with me, of course!  And boy, did I churn out the pieces of Clare’s cardigan!

This is the Sweetpea Cardigan from Interweave Crochet, Spring 2006.  I am using Harmony yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills rather than the yarn specified in the pattern.  And this is where learning the hard way comes in.

I did do a swatch, and chose which size pattern to do accordingly.  First step okay.  Back done, fronts done, sleeves done.  One sleeve done twice.  The instructions were a little ambiguous at one stage, and I chose the wrong way to interpret them.  Okay, pull it out, do it again. 

Time to sew the pieces together!  Shoulder seams together fine, then picked up a sleeve to set it in.

Did you notice that the sleeve head is about two inches too short for the armhole?  I certainly did!  What did I learn here?  When substituting yarns, READ THE SCHEMATIC.  I hadn’t been measuring finished dimensions as I went.  So when I merrily crocheted along, making sure that I crocheted until the piece measured 7″ long (for example) I didn’t take into account that I hadn’t corrected the width as well as the length.

So now what do I do?

Do I unpull a few rows from the top of the sleeves, and do increases every second row or so until I get it wide enough?  Which is also going to make it longer - potentially too long?

Or do I just pull both sleeves out completely (there goes four hours of work) and start both sleeves again, chaining on more beginning stitches in the first place to get the width correct AS PER THE SCHEMATIC?

Opinions welcome!  I strongly suspect that I’ll be frogging both sleeves are redoing them completely, dammit!  If only I’d realised to check width as well as length as I went along!

And if you’re wondering, the fronts and backs are possibly (who am I kidding - definitely) going to be narrower than the schematic as compared to the lengths (because once again, I did as the instructions said with continuing until each piece measured a certain length).  I don’t think that it will matter too much in the body of the cardigan though.  I’m still kicking myself.  At least I’ll NEVER make this same mistake again!  Moral of this story - check the schematic when substituting yarn!  Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggh!

By the way, thanks for all the positive feedback on the wrap skirt!  I wore it while we were away - it’s super comfortable.  And it even got featured on the Craftzine blog - thanks for the heads up on that one Jodie!  I’m very flattered (and a little astounded).

Crafty bloggers consistently amaze me with their kindness and generosity in the ways that they share their information and inspiration with others, hold giveaways, contribute to their communities and generally support one another.

I received a parcel in the mail today from Floss from Another Day In Paradise.

Beautifully wrapped in cute fabric and tied with a ribbon, with a lovely card attached.  Inside were these:

Vintage girls clothes patterns, all in sizes 5 and 6.  She’d seen them in an op-shop in NZ, thought of me and Miss Clare, bought them all and posted them to me here in Australia.  What generosity!  When I explained to Clare that a lady who we hadn’t actually ever met had bought these for her, she replied “wow, that’s REALLY nice”!  They’re gorgeous - and there’s one for every couple of years from 1964 to 1980.  Many have hand-written notes about who they were for, in which style, which fabric, etc.  Thank you so so much Floss!  We love them!

On the crochet front, I have been swatching to make the Empress Baby-doll top from Interweave Crochet for myself, but can’t seem to get anywhere near gauge in the cotton I’m trying to use.  I’ve asked the gurus on Ravelry for help.  I’ll possibly end up using the larger hook, but make the top in a size smaller than I’d originally anticipated.  Hopefully then it will fit me!

In the meantime I may need to find something to do with some of that Jet yarn that will be quick, satisfying and not need to be terribly accurate with size.  I think it’s going to be the “cold shoulders” capelet from Stitch ‘N Bitch: The Happy Hooker (thanks for the inspiration Michelle)!

I’m still working on Christmas presents, but have a few other bits and pieces that I wanted to share.  I embroidered these Christmas ornaments when I was in primary school.  The little house is still waiting for a ribbon to hang it with!  Clare found them today when we put up the Christmas tree.

These fabrics are all by Lara Cameron of Kirin & Co.  They’re original designs hand-screened here in Melbourne, on beautiful fabric.  I’m saving them to use in something special.

And lastly, I am working on some crochet.  I started this little dress for Stella some time ago, but I’m getting a bit stuck in the textured pattern used for the skirt.  It is easy to lose where I’m up to due to the yarn texture - I think I’ve introduced a few increases where there shouldn’t be any.  The pattern is the Baby Blues dress from Crochet Today.  Once the skirt is done I’ll work an edging around the neckline, sleeves and hem.

It’s probably a really bad choice of colour for a red-head.  I keep on forgetting Stella’s hair colour when buying yarn/fabric - at least she doesn’t have much hair yet, so will be able to get away with it!

Oh wow, I really meant it when I took that Handmade pledge (see button in sidebar) this Christmas!  I have NINE THIRTEEN (I just recounted and had missed four) projects cut out ready to make.  And that’s not all I need to make!

Whatever was I thinking?  How many weeks left until Christmas?  It’s been a cutting out marathon, and now I have a LOOOOONG list of notions to buy today so that I can get to work on these (you know, zips, more interfacing, buttons, thread, etc etc etc).  I reckon that when making bags I spend more on the wadding, interfacing, zips, clips etc than I do on the fabric!

Speaking of fabric, this lot arrived this week (edited to add: from Z&S Fabrics again).

At this rate of online shopping I will have to return to work from maternity leave earlier than I’d like!

I have recently become a member of Ravelry - for those of you who crochet and/or knit and don’t know about it, it’s the most amazing resource!  It’s also another way to spend WAY too much time on the computer.  Through it I have discovered crochet washcloths and dishcloths.  Why on earth would you crochet a washcloth or dishcloth, you ask?  Because it’s quick and functional and a great way to use up otherwise “waste” cottons.  It’s also a terrific way to learn new stitches and to check gauge!  I’ve just started this one:

It’s a Sedge Grit Stitch washcloth (a free Lionbrand pattern available from their website) and I’m using Anchor Magicline cotton.

Have you noticed how much the Australian dollar is worth compared to the US dollar at the moment?  I certainly have - on comes the online shopping!  My latest purchase from Amazon:

Just arrived and not even browsed through yet - I’m dragging out the excitement of anticipation!

Also, check out the Sew Mama Sew blog for their November Handmade Holidays month with 30 days of links to tutorials for things to sew.  Just click on the button in the sidebar!

The blog has been a little quiet over the past few days - crochet is much slower than sewing!  No finished objects to show off, so here is the work in progress - the seashells and posies dress.  Skirt complete, waist trim done, working on the bodice.

It’s coming along much more quickly than I anticipated, and I’m enjoying working in the finer yarn.  I may be converted to fine hooks and 4-ply or less!  It is challenging (I’ve had to frog a few sections at times) but satisfying.  I am learning and improving all the time! 

I took my crochet along to a party on the weekend, so that I could hook as I chatted (is that a weird thing to do - it’s probably taking multi-tasking to an extreme).  There were many bemused expressions as I crocheted away happily and lots of crochet and craft related questions.  Better than talking about politics!

I’ve made a start on the Seashell and Posies Dress from Spring 2007 Interweave Crochet, to fit Miss Stella next summer (giving myself over a year to complete it)!

I’ve never crocheted something like this before.  It’s started quite well though, and I’m enjoying the challenge of following a more complex pattern and of making something to fit a specific size (unlike scarves).  The yarn is 4 ply cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills, in lavender, and I’m going to do the trim in the rose pink cotton in the photo.  I wonder how long it will take me to finish this?  The blog may be quiet in the meantime!