365: 241-260

I've fallen a bit behind but I am still interested in this project.  It's definitely hard to find things to capture when you're going through the daily grind.  Even so, I quite like this set.

241.  The daily commute.
242.  Awesome movies are awesome.
243.  Memes at work.  Yes, memes at work.
244.  A peacock!  I saw a peacock!!
245.  The bonboniere at a recent wedding I attended - Penguin books for everyone!
246.  Artfully composed shot of new project.
247.  Crochet out of hibernatio, with added Kitten.
248.  Love me a bento.
249.  New addiction.
250.  Sweet gift from a sweet friend.
251.  Cinema carpet.
252.  Melbourne trams.
253.  Cute graffiti is cute.
254.  Oliver Lane in the rain.
255.  Honey Cowl III coming along.
256.  My favourite Eight Treasures tea from Shandong Mama.
257.  Awesome gifted craft book.
258.  A gift from a lovely sister!
259.  Love this picture of The Kitten.
260.  Checking out the rebuilt Southern Star (LOL has actually been renamed the Melbourne Star).

~Tan

Caturday

It's been a while hasn't it!  Thought it was time I updated you on The Kitten!

She's still cute!

~Tan

FO: Honey the second

This pattern is really awesome.  But with over 13,000 projects that goes without saying.  I made one of these for my sister last year and while simple, it's super wearable.

The lovely Rhonda gave me this great yarn for my birthday.  It has some very subtle long colour changes in it, and I instantly wanted to use it in something that would show off the yarn.

I used about half of the mega 200g skein for this cowl, and it has already seen much wear.  In hindsight I wish I made it a touch wider, but I'm always in a rush to cast off and show off!

Pattern:  Honey Cowl duuuurrrrr
Yarn:  Patons Australia Rainbow in a blue/purple mix.
Needles:  4.5mm circulars.
Ravelled here.

~Tan

365: 221-240

221.  Making a Gertie skirt.
222.  Bought myself a piece of bismuth, just because.
223.  Planted some new succulents.
224.  Re-reading TFIOS.  Just because.  Spoiler alert, it's still really sad.
225.  Birthday cake made for my godchild/niece.
226.  The Kitten keeping my company while I sew.
227.  Makin' my Meringue skirt.
228.  Stuck in traffic.
229.  Eggs and bakey.
230.  Ask for train postcards and ye shall receive.
231.  Nearing the finish of Hanami.
232.  Matchbox carousel appreciation.
233.  Another new sewing project.  As yet unfinished.
234.  Blockinggggg.
235.  Sweet dogtag with my org's values.  Teamwork yeah!
236.  Bright bright sun.
237.  The Kitten posing gratefully in my lap (that's my leopard skin snuggie you see in a lot of my pics!)
238.  KING KONG!  He's very very big and he's very very strong!
239.  Purty horses.
240.  Purty yarn delivery!

~Tan

FO: Hanami Stole

Here's my finished Hanami Stole!  Very happy with it, silk just has the most beautiful drape.

This took me way too long, as is my habit with large projects I procrastinated and worried about how long it was going to take me rather than getting on with the job.  Once I started working on it every day it did work up quickly.  Even with having to refer to the pattern line by line, no memorising this one, definitely my most complicated lace knit to date!

pre-blocked

 This was a definite skill-upper for me, at the beginning I was writing out the pattern line by line as I found the chart too difficult to keep track of, but by the end of it I was able to follow the pattern and read the chart. as I went

Photo-shoot at the local man-made lake!

 This was a wedding gift for a dear friend.  I intended to make a scarf for the groom as well, and indeed started on it, but ran out of time - oops!

Ducks could not give a crap about my shawl.  How rude!

Luckily, this is not my colour, otherwise it would have been very difficult to wrap it up and give it away!  No word on my friend's thoughts are at this point (ok, the wedding was only on Saturday so I'm sure she has other things to do...).  I'm sure she will love it but I am insecure and am in desperate need of some feedback!  

This is how I would wear it.  Hint hint nusm!! 

All in all, happy to have this done and looking forward to making some more knitted wedding gifts!  Have already promised 2 scarfs for a late December wedding... stay tuned!

Pattern:  Hanami Stole.  Most of it is charted, and it has very detailed instructions for a beaded cast on (which I didn't do because I thought like 30 beads in the scheme of things would not make much difference).  Also has instructions to make
Yarn:  Handmaiden Fine Yarn Sea Silk in Moondust purchased from Eat Sleep Knit.
Needles:  I started with 4.5mm, but it was far too loose for the lacey design and went down to 3.25mm.  Really want to work on something chunky now!!
Raveled here.

~Tan

p.s.  I also commissioned Anna Rettberg to draw a portrait of the couple (and their cat!) as an additional gift.  I think this is the coolest gift ever!

p.p.s.  At said wedding they gave out PENGUIN BOOKS as their bomboniere.  If that's not the tightest shit you've ever seen then you can just get out.  I chose The Shiralee - I've seen the miniseries and did not even know it was a book!  Adam chose The Power of One.

FOXY KAL wrap up

The FOXY KAL has officially finished and I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who participated and made an awesome foxy hat of their own!

I thought I would do a quick round up of the makes!

Row 1:  ttvphoto, aggrokikker, AlexandriaB, TheBumbleBee
Row 2: rofelpixie, ejeddington, hayleyransley, booniesangel
Row 3: perfectlytracy, Jazz0209, mar2713 (knit and crochet versions!)
Row 4: teaandcraft, DWScissors

Those are some fantastically foxy hats, I especially like how different everyone made theirs!

I partook making my own version of Lisa's excellent crochet fox hat pattern:

Both of the fox hat patterns released during the FOXY KAL are now available for free to everyone!  The knit version here and Lisa's crochet version here.

Thanks again to anyone who participated or spread the word about our first KAL - the response was overwhelming and I'm quite grateful to everyone!  Extra props must go to co-organiser Lisa, whose enthusiasm I am always in awe of - it was a total treat to collaborate with her on this project!

If you do make a fox hat I'd love to see it!

~Tan

Colette Meringue Skirt: oranges

As with my crochet and knitting, I'm finding myself with more and more WIPs on the go at a time.  I should not have expected anything else, it's in my nature and one cannot ignore one's nature.  Anyway, I was working fairly monogamously on a sensible black pencil skirt for work, and then I got up to this pesky hand sewing bit when I suddenly felt the need for something else.

I recently purchased the Colette Sewing Handbook, and picked up some cute  printed cotton from Spotties for $3 a metre.  The decision was really made for me.

First off, it was a real treat to make something not black.  I should have known what a toll sewing in black would be, given I feel the same when knitting/crocheting with it.  It makes everything harder.  So white thread and a fun print really lifted me!

And what's a novice to do but make modifications?  That's the sensible thing to do isn't it?  I lengthened my skirt 5cm and, more ambitiously, rather than making separate waistband and hem facing, I made a full facing.  I attached the fusible interfacing for the waistband to the reverse side of the facing.  I sewed the left side of the front and facing pieces together as per the pattern, and then with right sides together, sewed the top and bottom of the skirt making a big tube (it must be a tube to enable you to turn it right way round - I learned the hard way - ie rip rip rip).

I also inserted the zip into one side before turning right way leaving you only to awkwardly insert the other side of the zip.   (btw, the Colette directions for enclosing the zip into the facing are excellent).   Everything gets a bit difficult sewing that final seam up, and there's a bit of hand sewing involved (which I executed poorly) to fully finish the skirt but I really like how neat (for a given value of neat) it turned out - I don't have an overlocker and didn't want ugly edges staring at me, and I did not want to mess about with catch stitch, I find it weak and even more unfinished.

Next time, I solemnly swear that I will make more effort to get the zip right.  Ugh look at it.

Pattern:  Meringue Skirt from the Colette Sewing Handbook
Size:  I cut a straight 14.
Fabric:  What I can only assume is quilting cotton from the remnants table at Spotties.  $3 a metre!  Used pretty much all of it - note pattern calls for 2.1m, and I had enough for my full facing (I did have to have a centre seam in the back facing.  Like you can tell!)
Notions:  9" invisible zip.
Modifications:  Lengthened by 5cm, omitted the waistband and hem facing in favour of a full facing.

New skills acquired:

• dem scollops!
• full facing on a skirt!
• enclosed zip! 

On pattern review here.

~Tan