And down a different rabbit hole

I've been asked to do some sewing for school.  There's 30 tapa art pieces made by the kids in youngest's class.   I've been provided with fabric (black as I requested) and batting.   Until it's done there will be no historical sewing, weaving or knitting aside from the late night sitting in bed variety.

This is what happens when school learns you know how to sew and have all the gear, and yes, I could have said no; but how do you do that to a good teacher who puts all that effort into helping your child?

I got started on the layout (done) and the cutting out of borders today, one went a bit wonky due to low light conditions so I'll finish tomorrow when I can see what I'm doing.

In the meantime, here's the socks I finished and the start of the next pair:

Sublimation Socks in Vintage Purls Max yarn for me

same yarn, basic 5-row stripes for youngest to hopefully prevent him from nicking my socks

and my new shoes from American Duchess, 18th century shoes in Oxblood red, worn with handknit socks.   I've yet to install the very pretty buckles

Challenge #8: Heirlooms and Heritage

What the item is:

1810's shift

The Challenge:

Re-create a garment one of your ancestors wore or would have worn, or use an heirloom sewing supply to create a new heirloom to pass down to the next generations.

Fabric:

I chose to use an old sheet that was my grandmother's, probably linen, if not it's a linen look cotton and has hemstitched top and bottom that I wanted to incorporate.

Pattern:

I chose to make a Regency shift using the Laughing Moon pattern.  This is something an ancestor would definitely have worn no matter what her social status, though the cloth is quite high quality so probably my French ancestors who came over to England during the French Revolution according to family lore.

Year:

1810 or thereabouts

Notions:

Polyester thread, silk thread, poly/cotton bias binding, polyester ribbon

How historically accurate is it?

Hmm, a lot of  machine sewing due to me feeling lazy, a little overlocking for the same reason, but most of the seams are flat felled and the neck binding is handsewn on using silk thread and I've embroidered my initials on the hem using the same thread.  The pattern is definitely appropriate as well, as is the fabric so I'll give it 80%

Hours to complete:

I have no clue on this, it's been done between knitting, working, getting sick, family etc.

 
First worn:

Just for the photo shoot, one step closer to having the full outfit though.  Just need the bodiced petticoat and the spencer and I'll be able to wear it.
 

Total cost:

Sheet was free, from my grandma's stash, bias binding was bought years ago and the ribbon was refunded due to the seller stating it was silk and when I got it it was pretty obvious it was polyester.  The silk thread has been in stash for about 20 years, so effectively the whole thing probably cost me about $1.

Hem detail with the freeform embroidered initials.

 

I've Fallen Down the Rabbit Hole

It's called Skyrim on the PC with mods, it's impacted heavily on my crafting (and housework).


I've done some knitting, my second DK sock is past the gusset, my 18th century shift has been started and the sleeves are pinned in place and I've started the 2nd part of my mohair warp.   Decisions have been made on my next sewing projects but they won't happen right away as I also need to clean house.

For the moment here's a progress picture of my socks for you to enjoy

Finished some things

First up is the next Historic Sew Monthly Challenge, then there's spinning and knitting and some weaving prep

Challenge #7 - Accessorise

What the item is:
An 1810's Reticule (or bag)

Fabric:
about as incorrect as you can get.  The outer is a machine embroidered poly-silk.  The inner is a quilting cotton.   However in the case of the outer it was fabric I had no clue what to do with (why did I even buy it?) and this was a way to remove it from stash without feeling guilty.

Pattern:
Free reticule pattern is what I used, really happy with it too, it came out just how I envisioned it.

Year:
Approximately 1810 to go with my dress

Notions:
Polyester thread (I said it wasn't historically accurate, remember?)
Cotton DMC thread to make the tassle
Rayon cording for the ties. 

How historically accurate is it?
Hmm, well the pattern is probably fairly close, but it's machine sewn and the fabric....
Maybe 20%? 

Hours to complete:
Probably around 2 and a few days wait for the rattail rayon cording.

First worn:
Not yet, it's awaiting the remaining dress layers to be made

Total cost:
$8 for the Rattail cord including post; it would have been more but everything else is from very old stash. 

That's it for the bag, I've also been knitting though and I've finished the first sock of a pair

Using Vintage Purls Max.   The second sock goes in the opposite colour progression.  The second one is only 3 rows in so no photo yet.

Another Riverrun sock, this is my travel knitting as I can knit the pattern now without having to think much.

I've been spinning too:

Heavenly Wools Barrier Reef on Charcoal spun hopefully bulky 3-ply.  220m of it.

  I've also started winding warp for my next project, this is the brushed mohair and it's not that easy to deal with so I've got 2 crosses which will hopefully help when it comes time to get the beast on the loom.

Hard to see, but there's 2 colours in there.  Paprika and cobalt blue, the end result should be a very basic plaid knee rug.

I've also done a little shopping at The Fabric Store in their sale today

3m of very nice wool melton for a cloak that should work for 1775 and 1810!  I got the last of it, according to Costume Close Up I should be able to get it out of slightly less than that, hope they're right!

I'm hoping to get more plying done this week as well as some more warping and knitting, will see how it pans out though, have to ring a few places about various things, including an appointment with a specialist (not looking forward to that bill!) to get results from some recent tests I've had done.

Challenge #6: Out of Your Comfort Zone

What the item is (and why it was out of your comfort zone):

This is an 1810's dress using the Laughing Moon pattern, it's my first Regency style dress, and only the second thing from that era.  The first was the stays which had to happen before the dress.

Fabric:

The fabric is a silk/cotton blend, very lightweight sourced from The Fabric Shop in The Tannery in Christchurch.  It's a very fine stripe and feels gorgeous!   I'd say it's very close to a voile weightwise.
I also used some calico as we call it here for the bodice lining; I believe in the US it's called muslin, in any case it's a lightish weight unbleached cotton with a very close weave and works well for linings.

Pattern:

I used the new Laughing Moon Pattern # 126
Ladies' Round or Trained Gown with a High Stomacher Front c.1800-1810

Year:

1810 approximately

Notions:

Linen twill tape and cotton twill tape
Silk thread
Polyester thread

How historically accurate is it?

I'd say about 80%, the fabric is pretty close and there's a fair bit of handsewing, but the main seams are machine sewn and there's some zigzag to keep the fraying under control.   The pattern is based on extant garments as well.

Hours to complete:

No clue on this, but it should have been the blue challenge near the beginning of the year; took longer than planned due to health challenges though.

First worn:

Not worn yet, but will be when the weather warms up and I've made the bodiced petticoat and shift that will fit under it.  Fort the moment you'll have to put up with Bonnie modelling it.

Total cost:

Hmm, I think about $100, I got the fabric on special but had to pay full price for the silk thread and of course the bits of tape.   Well worth it though, even though I love the 18th century styles, this has a simplicity that is just beautiful.

It is now demanding I get on with the rest of the underpinnings and of course the accessories and spencer!

ignore the puddled hem, Bonnie has shrunk a little in height; on me it should be just right.

 

It's been a while

I've been busy spinning and planning for weaving and sewing and knitting, but not a huge amount to show for it as yet.   This weekend was mostly spent at CanAmJu's rooms helping with clean up and painting.  One of those things that meant I got only some spinnng done at guild, but nothing the rest of the weekend.   It did look a lot better once we were done though and the office is much clearer as well as two walls now being clean and painted.   We ran out of time for the rest unfortunately and my neck is slightly out again as a result of all that prep and paint work; worth it though.

On the sewing front I'm getting close to finishing the 1810 dress, just the ties and the hems to go now, but tis school holidays so my time is limited.  Might get some done tomorrow after the dentist though as the boys Grandma is taking them for the day for me, or at least for the time I'm at the dentist up till she gets fed up with them.  Youngest is being a bit hard work at the moment, so not sure how long I'll get.

On the knitting front I've finished a very warm cowl using handspun

This is my Bluegum Islanderry Cowl using handspun singles, it has a V-shaped insert which fills in the gap when wearing a revere collar jacket and it's lovely when it gets cold.

I'm also working on a pair of socks for me (well, 2 actually, but the second isn't far through)
My main pair is a DK pair for keeping me warm

Sublimation Socks

I'm really liking these, love the change in stripe width; the second sock will have the colours reversed which is such fun!
My other current socks are my travel pair which are being knit in the yarn Mum bought for me in Wales

I'm using my usual Riverrun pattern by Valerie from Wandering Cat Yarns and I love how they're looking!

I've got other things on the needles, but they're all on hold while I finish the socks, supposed to be taking part in a KAL for Truly Myrtle, but I think I may be overcommitted so this may not happen.  I could cast on tonight though, it's for a hat and I could do with another warm hat; what do you think?

On the spinning side of things I'm taking part in the Tour de Fleece which started on Saturday, here is my planned spinning stash:

Starting from the bottom I'm finishing my perendale, far right is the remnants of the Spin The Bin selection (3 items), then into the box we have the jersey lot of Heavenly Wools Merino/Haunui in the Barrier Reef colourway to be spun bulky, under that is a bag of Southern Cross Fibres in the Vetinari colourway and the remaining alpaca to be spun long draw.

I've already done some of the Perendale

Hoping to finish this bobbin today, it'll then be ready to ply with the other full bobbin I already have

Just before TdF started I also finished this polwarth/silk from Artemis Fibers

Night photography is not ideal, but this is a gradient in approximately Aran weight and will be a Baa-ble Hat once I spin some white in the same base to go with it.

On the weaving front I've not actually started warping up yet, but I have done the plan for my mohair rug.   Had to make some changes as my loom isn't quite wide enough for my original plan, but it should still work out well.   I'm certainly not going to dry to make a double width on this warp, brushed mohair is going to be interesting enough without throwing learning double weave at it too.

Best be off and finish this spinning, preferably before the chimney cleaner arrives.   There is also of course washing to get in and cleaning to ignore as well.

C1 is out

I had the chiropractor on Friday morning, sometime on Friday night (while I was sleeping) my C1 joint went out, Saturday and Sunday were not nice, the dizzy/vertigo head was back with a vengeance.   Got it readjusted this morning, thank goodness there was an appointment available.   I'm feeling a bit better now, but still not right, my neck still hurts a bit which is probably muscle tension.  It's not as tight as it was though; you could have used me for building materials!

Before all that happened though I did get a couple of things finished.

325m of Aran weight Finn yarn in the Nobby and Vetinari colourways

And a pair of vanilla socks, originally for me, now for youngest.

In other news our new vanity unit is now in

Before, we had Almond Ivory

And now it's a grain print in grey, so much nicer!

Nice soft close cupboards and drawers, ceramic top and an overflow to reduce the chance of needing to do this again.   We have to pay extra for all this, but I think it's worth it.   The other option would have been the original version in white, which would have been too stark in this room.   Unfortunately we still have the peach bath with pink tiles (what were they thinking?) and the almond ivory loo, but we didn't have the money to replace them at the moment.  It's on the list, but seeing as they both still work and we still haven't won Lotto...

Starting, Finishing and Continuing

I needed to cast on something new, broke a tooth this afternoon so this is to make me feel better.

Islanderry Cowl

I'll need to make the dental appointment tomorrow, no pain, but I don't know if I can leave it or if it'll need work and it's better to check now I think

I finished my Jellyrun Socks using Wandering Cat Yarns Alley Cat; love that base but it's not so easy to get here due to shipping costs and of course the dollar being less friendly nowadays.

So comfy; I adapted the pattern to my sizing as it's currently man sized only.

I'm still working on my 1810's dress, the skirt is almost ready to attach to the bodice and I've started changing Violet, my loom, over to Texsolv heddles and tie-up.  No photo's of that yet, but I do have a photo of my current sock which is the second of the pair and about 3/4 done

Vanilla and Iris Socks

This is a plain sock using a double gusset heel which is now my default heel.   I dyed the yarn some time ago and am loving how they're knitting up.

I've been spinning too, Vetinari and Nobby on a Finn base from Southern Cross Fibres, I'll ply these two together to make sure I have enough for socks.

Nobby Nobs

and Vetinari

 Both are from the Discworld MegaSAL; I have more of Vetinari on other bases but those will be spun later.   My next spins will be from my Spin the Bin selection as I still have 3 of those left to go; I also want to save my Vetinari for the Tour de Fleece.

I've been working out, hoping it'll help with my health issues, so we got a rowing machine.   So far I've done it 3 days a week since we got it and I need to keep that up.   Sugar consumption is way down and I'm taking some truly hideous herbal concoction to help with my issues as well.

Mum and Dad got back from England today as well, I suspect they're already heading bedwards after either an omelette or vege soup.   They got me a very pretty skein of BFL sock yarn too

They found it at a wee market in a Welsh village

It'll be my next travel sock once I finish the green one, well, there might be one DK sock first for eldest cos I promised.   Youngest keeps thinking I've promised him more socks, but he already has 3 pair so he can wait a wee bit.

Day Seven (Sunday 17th May): Your Time, Your Place

Where and how do you take time out to knit and/or crochet? Maybe you don’t take time out at all and instead have your needles twirling as you try to juggle a multitude of other tasks with no ‘spare’ time to think of. Maybe you enjoy nothing more than to crochet whilst  winding down from a yoga session, chatting with some friends in a nearby cafe.

Whether social or solitary, tell readers about your crafting time and space, and where you either most enjoy (or can simply find a few snatched moments) to turn yarn into something even more beautiful.

I knit on the way from school in the mornings as I'm walking home, only a few rows but that's how we build a sock anyway.  I knit while waiting at the doctors office, waiting for youngest to get out of class, just before bed and sometimes while watching a movie at home.  I always have a pair of plainish socks on the needles for the walking and the waiting.  The world is my crafting space; nowhere is out of bounds so far, in social situations knitting is what keeps me calm and stops me from running away.
I keep something more complex for the evening and daytime knitting when at home, but at the moment I'm concentrating on one pair of socks as I'm getting low on socks for me

Day Six (Saturday 16th May): Polls Apart.

Blog Survey

Today's post is simply a small survey (3 questions) asking what type of content you prefer to read, I'd love to find out!

Day Five (Friday 15th May): Something A Bit Different - Worldless

Day Four (Thursday 14th May): Bags Of Fun.

Time to delve into that most treasured collection of tools, notions and oddments as you are asked to spill the contents of your knitting or crochet bag, caddy or other method of organisation and put your crafting unmentionables on display.

You may wish to talk about your bag of crocheting tools as a whole, or delve deep into the contents of your knitting caddy and talk about the contents each in turn. Good, clear photography can help readers familiarise with your tools, and you might just help someone find a new item for their wish-list if they are awe-struck by your pom-pom maker.

 Ok, I'm pushing the envelope a bit on this one, I'm not going with a collection of tools etc, I'm going to show you the one tool I would hate to be without.

 This is my Nancy's Knit Knacks ballwinder and it'll wind up to 1lb (approx 500g); I've not wound that much as 200g is usually my max but it does a really good job on everything I've thrown at it so far.  It's not cheap, but sometimes it's worth paying the extra for a really well made tool like this.

There are other tools I love, my Clover Chiba darning needles, my Chiao Goo knitting needles (both fixed and interchangeable) and my Clover row counters but in most cases I could make do with other things, but the ball winder is the result of making do with things that didn't measure up and now that I have it I will never ever go back!

Day Three (Wednesday 13th May): Experimental Photography And Image Handling For Bloggers.

Today is about changing things a bit for project photography.    Like most people I normally take a shot of my finished yarn/project from above or the side in decent lighting with my cellphone camera or occasionally the real camera.   It'll often be on the carpet or the bed or if fine outside on a particular rock or half tree trunk that we use for a seat.

Today I popped outside with my latest finished yarn and tried a few outdoor props I haven't played with before.   Some didn't work that well like the ladder and the car door.   The letterbox wasn't too bad, but the almond tree was my favourite (not the yarn's favourite, the yarn was not happy due to rough catchy bits)

438m of 3-ply merino.   There is some more to come, this was a full plying bobbin; I'm expecting to get to 600m total.   This still needs washing as well.   I'd say it's a heavy fingering weight now, washing will probably make it bloom into a DK

It's All About You

Day Two (Tuesday 12th May): It’s All About You.
Cast your hooks and needles aside!

This year you are challenged with one of those tasks that some bloggers can find quite daunting: but there’s never a better time then when we’re all in it together, so let’s shift the focus and turn the attention from the things we make to the things that make us.

The important thing here is to remember that you don’t have to go into great personal detail and certainly do not have to reveal anything too personal. You can be as candid or as private as you like, but you can also give your readers a feel for those things that you like to do outside of your crafting.

• Do you like to walk or keep fit
• Do you read or enjoy movies – are there any personal favourite books or films that you would recommend?
• What is your dream holiday destination, job, dinner party guest list?

This post can be about your reality, your aspirations, past, present or future. Enjoy talking about you. If you really don’t want to write about yourself, though, use your creative license and invent yourself an alternative persona, whether you are a spy, deep-sea diver or astronaut (who just happens to love yarn).

So, that's what we're looking at today.  Anyone who follows me already knows some of this stuff as I've always kept things pretty real on here.   You already know my house is often a bomb-site and that my crafting is my sanity choice so I cope with the challenges of parenting two special children.
You also know I'm currently attempting to clean up my food choices (we won't mention the macaroons currently sitting across from me), you also know I have very little willpower but am also working on that!

I've just taken a short break from plying yarn to do this and have lunch, today I think might be vege soup (from a packet unfortunately).  This afternoon I'll be working, I get paid to handsew collars and zip facings on merino/possum knitwear, it's a small help to the budget.   That's another thing I'm working on, reducing my unnecessary spending (yarn, fibre etc); I've already made some progress on this but have a way to go, remember the willpower?

Films - luckily I like kids movies, youngest is currently full bore into How to Train Your Dragon movies so I'm watching a lot of that, currently watching Wall-E but my tastes are fairly wide ranging.  I love zombie and vampire movies, but I also love things like Pitch Perfect and The 13th Warrior.
I'm interested in historical costuming and I sew for my family as well.
I love reading, currently re-doing all the Terry Pratchett Discworld books and I read a lot of Anne McCaffrey and Diana Gabaldon, a bit like my movie choices my book choices also range over a fairly broad area.

My dream job would be something to do with my fibre crafts, teaching or producing, but I think teaching would suit me best, I'm fairly good at it on an off the cuff basis and people do seem to enjoy when I do my wee bits of information imparting.  Dream holiday would involve visiting fabric and yarn places all over the world including Germany, New York and the Shetland Isles.

Now I'm going to stop dreaming and get lunch before going back to plying my yarn; it's a true 3-ply (300g total) so is going to take some time, and I have to make sure I get started on work as soon as I'm back from the school run so am going as fast as I can.   I hate stopping partway through a plying session.

If You Were Yarn

I'm taking part in the 6th Annual Knitting And Crochet Blog Week over at Eskimimi Knits and the first day's topic is "If you were yarn".    Obviously the expectation is that you would choose an appropriate commercial or indie dyed yarn, but in my case I'm thinking I'm handspun.

Probably a 2-ply with the odd weak spot in the singles which is strengthened by the other single each time.   Merino for bounce and silk for strength and the pretty, probably like this one

You've seen this beauty recently, it's a dark merino/silk with sheen and bounce and recovery and strength, just like me when I have my family behind me.   My family is the strength behind the weakened spot.   This yarn is also versatile, just like me and machine washable if you have a front loader.

Healthy Dinner

No photo I'm afraid, it got eaten before I thought about it.   It's only George and I home tonight as Ian and his dad are at school camp, so I asked George to cook dinner.   The original idea was scrambled eggs, but we decided to raid the garden and fridge to find additional ingredients.

Some oldish mushrooms from the fridge and some very nice kale from the garden were added to what was now a omelet.   Free-range eggs and lots of yummy green; very nice indeed and a good start to our new way of eating.  

I've been thinking about this for a while due to my health issues (IBS, Perimenopause), I think I've posted about it before, but it got brought forward due to last night's hideous IBS event. So we'll continue as usual with meat (NZ meat is pretty good, no feed-lot animals here) and lots of homegrown veges when available, even if it does mean extra protein since I don't spray.   I know I found all the caterpillars, but the aphids are harder.   They are organic though!

I may have to purchase more spices and herbs though, I love casseroles like chicken chausseur and lamb ragout but of course the premixes won't be an option for future purchase, will have to pull out the recipe books and I'll have to take all over more of the cooking too which is not my favourite thing.   However if it works I'll have more energy which means getting more stuff done the rest of the time and hopefully also working more quickly on the paying job too.