Making, making, making
Since my return from Mexico, it's taken me a little while to get my head around the fact that I don't have to go to work each day. I get a grin from ear to ear when someone asks me whether I had to go back after long service leave – it's such a wonderful thing to be out of there.
I certainly haven't been sitting idle – in fact I'm not sure I'm very good at doing that – and I'm realising that if this working-from-home thing is going to be permanent, then in the long term, a studio is going to be essential so my apartment doesn't look like a fabric store has exploded in it on a daily basis.
The first project I had to get finished was a cardigan for my sister's birthday. I did knit this on and off during my trip so there wasn't a ton to do when I got back... still, it always takes longer than you think it's going to. I'm not super-happy with the lace-patterned edges on this one. They have a tendency to curl and I think I'll have to look at sewing a strip of grosgrain along the inside bottom to keep it flat. All other details for this project are on my Ravelry page.
The next project I had to do was a thank you for a friend who saved my apartment from a nasty problem while I was away. I don't know what possessed me, but I decided to turn the electricity to my apartment off as I ran out the door to get the cab to the airport. This would have been OK except for the fact I'd left food in the freezer. By the time Shireen came to stay the place stank to high heaven. After a thorough fridge clean out and a box of bicarb soda left in there, it smelt as good as new by the time I got home.
I found these two weavings in a little boutique in Oaxaca called miku meko, which I wrote about back here. I figured they'd make great cushion covers and I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.
I've also been mucking around with the pattern shape for a Mexican blouse. My second three weeks at my residency in Oaxaca were spent learning how to embroider a traditional Mexican blouse – and it was definitely my favourite part of the residency.
Because the blouses are made from squares, the fabric bunches up under the arms, so I've been altering the pattern pieces to try and get a better fit. I'm just using simple un-dyed cotton at this stage, and a variegated thread to do the seams and add a bit of colour until I get the pattern right and then I'll make another with all the embroidery and crochet.
This is my first sample top, which is already fitting much better with some darts, shoulder sloping and a sleeve curve.
I'm just in the middle of a second one, as there's still something not quite right in the shoulder/sleeve area, but I think I'm pretty close now. Oh, and I'll definitely tell you all about the embroidery in Oaxaca soon too!
I certainly haven't been sitting idle – in fact I'm not sure I'm very good at doing that – and I'm realising that if this working-from-home thing is going to be permanent, then in the long term, a studio is going to be essential so my apartment doesn't look like a fabric store has exploded in it on a daily basis.
The first project I had to get finished was a cardigan for my sister's birthday. I did knit this on and off during my trip so there wasn't a ton to do when I got back... still, it always takes longer than you think it's going to. I'm not super-happy with the lace-patterned edges on this one. They have a tendency to curl and I think I'll have to look at sewing a strip of grosgrain along the inside bottom to keep it flat. All other details for this project are on my Ravelry page.
The next project I had to do was a thank you for a friend who saved my apartment from a nasty problem while I was away. I don't know what possessed me, but I decided to turn the electricity to my apartment off as I ran out the door to get the cab to the airport. This would have been OK except for the fact I'd left food in the freezer. By the time Shireen came to stay the place stank to high heaven. After a thorough fridge clean out and a box of bicarb soda left in there, it smelt as good as new by the time I got home.
I've also been mucking around with the pattern shape for a Mexican blouse. My second three weeks at my residency in Oaxaca were spent learning how to embroider a traditional Mexican blouse – and it was definitely my favourite part of the residency.
Because the blouses are made from squares, the fabric bunches up under the arms, so I've been altering the pattern pieces to try and get a better fit. I'm just using simple un-dyed cotton at this stage, and a variegated thread to do the seams and add a bit of colour until I get the pattern right and then I'll make another with all the embroidery and crochet.
This is my first sample top, which is already fitting much better with some darts, shoulder sloping and a sleeve curve.