graduate successes

Nothing to show this week I'm afraid.  The brown spotty seersucker blouse has been put in the cupboard for a while, which is unlike me as generally I like to persevere to finish something.  But a combination of rather cheap material, a slightly too tight fit, putting on the facings wrongly and the tie being completely the wrong length seemed far too much to bother with.  I am trying again with some rather nicer liberty print fabric and hopefully should be finished for next weekend.

Otherwise I have been away again for work (what a jetsetter I do seem) this time to Swindon!  Couldn't really find a photogenic shot to take (apologies to Swindon), but did visit the college there for a really good conference.

I have been at yet another vintage fair and got a really good haul, though I'm not sure whether its the stalls or cakes I like.

Three lovely scarves, a beaded purse, 1950s men's toiletries set and a 1953 edition of Woman's magazine which had this funky idea for a skirt!

Don't think I will be making it any time soon, but a great stash-buster!

I've been absolutely loving this book


I'm not obsessively interested in fashion, but really interested in social history and this has fascinating information about how fashion continued during the war, at times as a direct challenge to the ruling powers (particularly in Germany).  The siren suits were a one-piece zip up which fitted over your jammies to look stylish in the air-raid shelters, these were worn with a cape with big pockets which doubled as a blanket.

And I'm dipping into this

 

 

.... to try and improve my techniques.

 

My garden is in a pitiful state at the moment, but I can still leave you with a photo of one of my favourites

 

 

 

and more importantly my lovely son has successfully achieved a 2:1 degree in bio medicine (and though this is a photo from last year I couldn't resist finishing with a one of my favourite photos).

 

 

travels, trousers and Gatsby

 

I've been away again for work, hence the delay in posting.  This time in Liverpool, very sunny, very busy and little time for anything else!

 

 



 

The fair-isle continues to progress and I'm on the last piece

 

 

 

However, there is a lot of work weaving in the ends!

 

 

What progress is there on the crochet scarf you may ask?  Well here it is!!!

 

 

 

Yes, I'm afraid that is it and it took me about 4 hours!  The wool is so fine that it's quite difficult for me to see.  I think this is going to take me about a year - and I definitely wouldn't recommend this as a beginner project.

 

 



Rather better progress has been made on the sewing front.  I made some more wide leg trousers.  This time a little more fitted and from Simplicity 3688 which is a released 1940s pattern.

 

I used my buttonhole foot.  Can you spot the mistake! 

Using the foot is easy but starting in the right place isn't.  It took ages to unpick and then I tried again.

I also tried my first concealed hem, which is OK but I think in future I would go back to hand hemming.

I'm very pleased with the fit of the trousers (not very good photo)

- they are quite tight especially since I made the size 14 (and I normally buy size 12), but the fabric picks up every single little hair (and they appear to be coming from a pet we don't even have!).  I'll probably make these again in better fabric, as I think I could actually wear these to work.

I'm also making this pattern, Butterick 6887.

 

It's a reproduction one and is a size 38, so I made a muslin first (which sounds awfully professional!)

 

 

This did help as the pattern was far too big!  I still had a lot of problems though.  Somehow I ended up making it a tiny bit small, I stitch the facing on wrong and the pattern for the bow was far too short, plus the very cheap material actually looked pretty cheap.  So this is as far as I got

 

and I'm not feeling the love, so it's going into the cupboard for the time being and I'm going to try again with some other fabric.

 

Dan and Gemma are now home from Uni and we are waiting for their results, so we've been out and about a bit.  Some antiquing, a suitcase which will hold the table settings at the wedding and a funky retro cocktail shaker.

 

 

We've finally seen the Great Gatsby, lovely costumes and we enjoyed it a lot.

 

 

                                      

 

We had our first picnic of the year

 

 

and some lovely walks

 

 

Another busy week coming up and one night in Swindon.  Hope you have had some sun and fun and thanks very much for any comments you leave.



Sun, shawls and mysteries

 
I had a lovely bank holiday weekend in the glorious sunshine. The view on our favourite walk was stunning

The bluebells and wild garlic everywhere

 

The blossom is beautiful against the blue sky

 

 

... and the grass is growing so high that Rosie can hardly make her way through ...

 

 

 ...My favourites are the cowslips

Cowslips remind me of being a child.  Not just because of their links to sunshine but because one of my favourite books was Alison Uttleys Little Grey rabbit's series Moldy Warp the Mole, where Fuzzipeg the hedgehog and Moldy Warp (great names!) makes cowslip balls.

until I managed to do something to my back .... did I do it rock climbing, doing the tango,  gardening,  no I'm afraid I was making the bed.  I'm sure I will be fine in a few days, but at the moment I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself and tied to the settee.  I'm not even up to sitting at the sewing machine (which is a shame because I have some trousers nearly finished).  I have, however, finished my shawl, and I do like it.  It is not much bigger than a scarf and I think if you don't know if you would ever wear a shawl it's the perfect inbetween as you can wear it pretty much like a scarf.  I hope it doesn't look too grannieish!  Once upon a time I had never heard of blocking knitting (obviously I stopped reading the pattern before the" making up" instructions.  However, this is actually in praise of blocking.  Here is the shawl before

and after

As you can see the pattern is much crisper and the scallops clearer.  I just block on a towel on my bedroom floor (and I'm a bit slapdash - but even this approach makes a big difference).

And here it is on my lovely assistant.

 

 

 

This was my first try at i-cord casting off, which is really easy (but took ages for 350 stitches).  It gives a substantial "cord-like" edge ideal for shawls. 

The wool is malibrigo sock yarn and I really liked it.  You can see the gradiated colour (not too strong, just right to be interesting) and it takes less than one skein.  The pattern is Dauphine and I would say an easy intermediate project.


I am a huge fan of the Miss Marple and Poirot series.  Nothing better than a "pleasant" murder mystery.  Part of the attraction is the styling and clothes.  I've just finished watching an episode which had the most beautiful dresses and one in particular caught my eye.

 

 

 

 

I couldn't find a better picture but these should give some idea.  It had a full skirt and would be an early fifities style.  The problem is I have decided that this is the dress I would like to wear to Dan's wedding!  (Having had no idea before).  I am going to have to hunt high and low to see if I can find a pattern somewhere (maybe even a letter to Granada), not that I would make it myself.  This is and example of a "Popover" dress introduced by Claire McCardell in the 50s, another great example here.

 

 

 

Mind you on that kind of figure a sack would look good!  Till next weekend, then, when Dan will hopefully be home and I can photo my trousers on!

 

Taking a liberty

It's been a very busy week, hence the delay in posting, infact over the last 3 days I've clocked up 31 hours so I'm really looking foward to a long weekend.  Partly of the long hours has included a trip to London which of course involved the need for some "vanilla" knitting for the train.  I don't know why I thought that a shawl pattern with lace and cable was suitable for this, as actually it required quite a lot of paying attention!  It is knitted on a circular needle

and there is no increasing or decreasing because it is shaped using short rows. 

You can just aabout see the pattern here, but it will need blocking.  This is how it is supposed to look

More info on the pattern in case you are interested on Ravelry.  Hopefully the completed item on my next blog.


In the lunch break in London (I was on a conference) I was determined to give myself a little treat and so I dashed down Oxford street to ....

Passing the most beautiful flowers

... and in less than 10 minutes left with

which contained 1 1/2 metres of fabric.  Not by usual style but it is beautiful and soft and will eventually turn into a blouse.

Last weekend I went to an Antique and Vintage Fair at Lowther Castle

... and came back with a lovely teaset, which included the basket

.. and a beautifully made vintage doily

I also bought some gorgeous plaid, at least 2 metres, enough for a jacket for £10 (I looked at some plaid on the internet recently and it was £40 a metre)!  Perhaps Rosie is sizing it up for herself!

Well all for now ... hope you are enjoying some sunshine where you are!