I did nearly finish my dress at the weekend, like I said but it wasn’t how it hoped. Four inches wider than I’d hoped! You can imagine my frustration considering that I’d made a muslin! …but doubts crept into my mind. It was last winter I’d made the muslin and I didn’t have a clear memory of any alterations I’d planned. I have also lost weight since cutting out my fabric. So my lesson is this: if it’s been a while, to re-measure the pattern pieces and keep notes of what adjustments I made. Sounds obvious, right?! Anyway, I left it hanging for a day and refused to do anything until the heat of my rage had passed. The following night in bed, I realised that I could just open the side seams and take it in. Now, I’d be a bit more wary if this wasn’t such a basic pattern. I was really happy with the fit across the back as well as the princess seaming on the front. There really was just an excess at the sides. It was an easy fix and I am thrilled with how it fits now. In other news, I’ve been planning my autumn and winter knitting, crochet and sewing. This year is my most organised yet! I hope to integrate my favourite hobbies to make a few interchangeable outfits.

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I think it’s fair to say that, with regard to sewing, I’ve had a good run of late. Sure, I’ve had a few blips but almost everything I’ve made in the last year, I wear regularly. Not this one. It’s the alternative view of the here – and wear it loads. I got some denim at the K&S show and thought it would be really nice for the other view.

This was more tricky than the other view. There are many sections to the front and the piping needs to be very carefully applied. I took my time and was very pleased with how it turned out.

The back, too, turned out very nicely and I’m happy with how the piping lined up.

The problem lies with the pleat. It looks fine here but when on, it sticks out at the most ridiculous angle. No amount of pressing and re-pressing could get it to behave. I think it is a combination of the thickness of the hem and the fact that the pleat starts at the widest part of the skirt. Either way, it doesn’t work. I have left it to one side but am considering redoing the hem in a way that will make it less thick. Sigh!

Alb and I are in Galway this weekend. I had a really nice time mooching around town earlier. Whatever you’re up to this weekend, have a good one!

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You guys, I made it. My dad’s jumper is done. My mum worked her steam iron magic on it and it is wrapped and under the tree. My mum’s secret jumper – an Elizabeth Zimmermann Ribwarmer – is done, too, and it is wrapped with the rest of her present.

I have experienced the seven circles of stupid with these two projects. The Ribwarmer is wonderfully straight-forward. It is two pieces knit exactly the same in garter stitch. One is reversed and they’re seamed down the centre-back. Easy, right? I knit the neck tab (an extra piece that forms a small collar) on the wrong side on the first piece. I knit the second piece correctly but assumed it was incorrect upon comparison with the first piece. I freaked (this was yesterday). I took a scissors and cut the tab off the second piece, cast off the cut part, picked up stitches, knit the tab on the other side. Went to seam the two pieces up and discovered they were now both wrong. Ripped out newly-knit tab, took out cast off, reknit onto previously cut stitches. Cut other tab off, cast off, picked up, knit new tab.

I knit one sleeve on my dad’s jumper too long. By about four inches. Then, when I was trying to tidy up the collar, where I’d sewed it down, I snipped what I thought was where I’d secured my sewing yarn but what in fact turned out to be the first stitches at the base of the collar which unravelled quicker than I could scream…

I’ll let you dwell on that while I find the link to some finished photos of my shorts – because that’s the most sensible thing to sew on the solstice, right? Here’s the front, the back, how frayed the fabric ended up after much sewing and re-sewing, a pocket. They fit perfectly. In fact, I love them and I cannot wait to wear them.

The dress and skirt are both waiting for their linings to be seamed and then they’ll be finished. I saw this idea earlier today and I think I might steal it! The grey dress I am a little disappointed with. It turned out exactly how I pictured it in my head; it just doesn’t look as cute on me as I’d hoped. I’ve had a good run! And it’s not like it’s unwearable… in hindsight, it was probably never going to live up to my hope.

(If you like the photos, check out the tutorial here. It’s very easy.

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I can’t seem to stop knitting. I have been a bit under the weather over the last week – I think it’s weather related. Our weather has gone from hot to cold and wet and now back to sunny-but-cool. It has been a bit of a struggle to get back into the swing of practice so it’s nice to have been productive on at least one front.

I finished my Drops alpaca cardigan. This was my world cup knitting and, even though I thought it would be an unachievable goal, I completed it easily. Got the sleeves set in before half time and now all it needs is a good blocking.

I am still a bit mad about forgetting the buttonholes but the garment fits so nicely and the yarn was so lovely to work with that I can’t really stay mad at it for very long.

I finished up Audrey as well. I was sort of putting off finishing it because I was certain it was going to be too big and floppy. But when I got the button bands and neckband on, I realised that it fit really well.

All I need now are buttons. I am thinking about putting a hook and eye at the very top since I forgot to put in a buttonhole. I will post more detailed, modelled shots when these two are blocked and finished completely. I made a few mods in both which I’d like to document for others to use.

I have been trying to work my way through my backlog of almost-FOs. I did finish off the Minimalist cardigan but really, it’s been a disaster from start to finish. It is the most ill-fitting sweater I have made in a long time and even with my mods for the sleeves, they turned out enormous. But you can’t win ‘em all so I have put it away in the hopes that someone will appear on my horizon that I can give it to. In the meantime, I have dug out my only other languishing sweater – ole Henley Perfected.

All this needs is a sleeve and a half. It got put away because winter came in rather quickly last year and I wanted to move on to woollier things. The yarn is Calmer a stretchy cotton blend from Rowan. It’s usually quite expensive – about €8 a ball – but I picked up a bag of 10 for about €40 last summer in Galway. It’s a beautiful colour and is really lovely to work with.

But really, my tricot du jour has to be Veera’s new pattern, the 3/4 hap shawl. True, when I saw the pattern the weather had just broken and true, when I cast on, it was pouring rain outside. But now that I have started, wild angry crocheters couldn’t get me to put this down.

The green is Malabrigo Sock in Lettuce and I bought it originally to join in on the Annis knitalong at This is Knit. I kind of put off casting on because of the huge amount of stitches to start with and the rumours of nupps. In the meantime, this little gem appeared and I knew what I had to do.

The purple is Brown Sheep Nature Spun Fingering which has been patiently waiting in the wings. It’s a pretty stark contrast but really, purple and green belong together, don’t they?

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Sleeves and I have a love-hate relationship. I love them because, well, they’re sleeves. They keep me warm. Sometimes they even keep my ears and nose warm if I create inventive sitting positions. I hate them because knitting them is the equivalent of trying to control a violently sprouting weed or possibly even a ravenous herd of goats. On this occasion, it’s the sleeves of my Minimalist Cardigan. The body went swimmingly. I even grafted the front borders at the back of the neck. But the sleeves? The first one was too big. Too big as in the cuff was certainly big enough for the two of us and possibly even Alb, too. A triple teapot cozy. A giraffe scarf. The second one was definitely the right size but – and that’s a noone-to-blame-but-myself-’but’ – my increases were very odd. The result was a pretty sleeve with a tumor. Not even a tumor you could cover up. It was a very, my goodness, your arm is growing suddenly in a contrary direction type of tumor. I must stress that each of these attempts involved at least ten inches of moss stitch.

Anyway. Behold my goat.

It fits. It is almost the right length. And soon, all I will need to do is make another one…

There have been some distractions, of course. My Fountain Pen Shawl totally ran out of yarn. I ripped out the half border I had knit as well as a repeat of the main chart. I have now reknit half of the border and still… still…. do not have enough to finish. I am going to need to take out another two repeats of the main chart.

Still, when all is said and knit, there is nothing to take the sting out being thwarted at every stitch like the prospect of new projects! Hope springs anew! Check these guys out. First up there’s Liesl, an oldie but a goodie. Then there’s the Vine Yoke cardigan. This free Tokyo tshirt pattern has me very excited! And then there’s Girl Friday, for which I have a gorgeous smooshy sea-blue aran wool. Don’t get me started on Game Knitting! And possibly the best thing since sliced bread – or at the very least, Owls – Get Off My Cloud.

So little time… too… many… sleeves…

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