WIP Wednesday 3/27/2019

I'm making slow progress on Margaret Tudor. I've done all the math and figured out what I need to do to enlarge the pattern. Now I'm working on the back right panel with size adjustments. So far, so good.

I finished the knitting on the layette cardigan I've been working on too. It just needs a button. Now I'm trying to find time to knit the hat for it. And booties and blanket. I have made a goal of working a minimum of 2 hours a day on Margaret Tudor. I've been sticking to it, but it doesn't leave me much time to knit on other things. Especially since I've been sewing.

I finished my shirt. It actually fits good. I wore it Sunday. Folks got a real kick out of the knitting sheep.

I've purchased some fabric for another shirt. This is SO PRETTY! The colors are so vivid.

I found some leftover green in my stash that I'm thinking about using for the collar. Hope to start work on it over the weekend, since we're supposed to get rain.

The past week the weather has been wonderful. We had several sunny warm days in the upper 50's/low 60's. The snow is melting like crazy. None is blocking the windows and we've even got a bit of bare ground. The frost has come out of the driveway. Just a matter of time before stuff starts blooming.

There's still a lot of snow on the deck. Daughter Ruth actually went out and shoveled a small amount off the deck for the cats. They wanted to go outside onto the deck and lay in the sunshine but there was so much snow. She shoveled around one of the chairs so I could sit out there with them and knit, which I tried to do. The sun was very warm, but the breeze was so cold blowing across all the snow in the yard I gave up and went back inside, with freezing hands. Another week and it should all be melted off and then I can drag the cushions out of storage and set up the deck furniture properly.

Well, that's it for today.

Live long and prosper. \\//

March Already

It's March. What happened to February? The year is going too fast.

I finished the shirt I was sewing.

I learned some things while doing this project. For one thing, just because the pattern says it's a particular size doesn't mean it actually is. This shirt did not fit me when it was done. It was way too small. Couldn't even button it. It was devastating. I googled and learned that pattern sizing is not standardized in any way shape or form. I looked at the measurements on the pattern envelope but didn't take measurements on me. I just assumed the store bought size and the pattern size would be the same. My bad. I would have known it wouldn't fit. I will check that from now on.

It's not a complete disaster, though. It fits daughter Ruth, so she's happy. She got a cool new shirt.

It had been close to 30 years since I've sewn something like this. (except the top I made for the Star Trek cruise which I did not blog about, but it was completely different.) I've been sewing crafty type stuff which doesn't require making sure it'll fit. I forgot so much about garment sewing. Had to relearn almost everything, plus new stuff cuz I'm a plus size now.

Also learned some things about my sewing machine. It is one cool machine. I'm very happy with it. I have a Ricarr, which is a Japanese made machine.

My husband gave it to me for Christmas  in the early 2000's when I still had the shop. I had planned to get into heavy sewing and my old Montgomery Ward machine couldn't have taken the stress. It's not a fancy machine. Totally mechanical. No electronics to it at all, but that's why I love it. I just wanted a good heavy duty basic machine and that's what my Ricarr is. It'll sew through 9 layers of denim. It will handle stretch fabrics, the softest silk, and anything else I can throw at it.

It was definitely the first time I've made buttonholes on this machine. It has the coolest buttonhole making foot. You just put the button inside it, start sewing, and it makes a perfect buttonhole. I did 8 buttonholes in half an hour-and that included messing around with a scrap to learn how the thing worked. Totally mind blowing.

Anyway, I actually enjoyed making the shirt on this machine. Not to be defeated, I have acquired more fabric with adorable knitting sheep on it.

Who knew there was so much fabric out there with knitting sheep on it?

and a shirt pattern that will be the proper size.

I popped into Joann's and got some proper fusible interfacing for the button plackets and collar, and bought some really cute fabric with cats on it for a tank top (pattern arrived Friday). It's in the dryer right now. I'm planning ahead of the shirt.

I have been knitting too. Doing at least 4 hours a day. I've got both back thistle panels done on Margie T and I'm almost done with the first front thistle panel. It takes me about 4 hours to do one thistle pattern repeat. I'm making less mistakes too, which is always a good thing.

Every so often I have to take a break from Margie T and knit something mindless, so I'm working on this cardigan for another KnitWits layette set.

Look! No bobbles or yarn overs! I'm loving the color combo.

Since the weather has been unseasonably cold lately, I've been putting sweaters on Zoey.

It was getting into single digits at night and she's practically hairless. This is keeping her toasty when she goes outside to do her business. She loves it. I've never seen a dog who loved wearing sweaters so much. She's positively joyful after I put one on her.

Today the sun is shining and it's actually feeling warm. It's actually above freezing and the snow is melting. More snow is predicted for tomorrow and Tuesday (damn it!) but at least it'll get above freezing during the day. Come on spring!

Live long and prosper. \\//