Month: May 2011

New shoes for a new baby

Saartje's Booties

Say hello to Aunty Claire! My little neice, Amelia Rose (Milly, for short) was born last week. So, of course, the first thing I did was knit. And also, of course, it had to be shoes!

Milly’s reaction to the shoes wasn’t quite what I’d been hoping for – it mostly involved kicking furiously until they fell off! Still, maybe four days old was a teensy bit young for me to be inflicting ridiculous shoes on the poor child.

These are Saartje’s Bootees, from a free pattern on Ravelry.

The yarn is a lovely hand-dyed sock yarn (“Skeins” superwash merino bamboo) which is currently being knitted into socks, but I thought I could sacrifice a few metres to make these.

I started knitting on 2.25mm needles, but the shoes came out much too small. 2.75mm needles would have been too big, so I ended up using an odd size of imperial English needles that were bigger than 2.25mm but smaller than 2.5mm. I could only find dpns in this peculiar size, so I had to get a bit creative with a lump of plasticine to stop the stitches from falling off the ends! I made the larger size, and it came out to the correct measurement for the smaller size, which was about 3¼” long. Just right for tiny baby feet!

Strangely, none of my local shops actually carry 2.5mm needles. I think it might be time to go online and order a little pile of circulars in a good length for knitting socks.

Simple Shirts

I’ve been looking for “interesting” shirt patterns, thinking that I could make lots of plain white shirts with fancy details, and then dress them up with jewellery or waistcoats or (cool) bow ties. The pictures above are about half-and-half patterns that I own already, and ones I’d like to buy.

Except that I’ve bought dozens of patterns for perfectly lovely shirts over the years, and then never made any because my sewing machine hates making buttonholes. I’ve had it looked at, but it works perfectly for Sue at the sewing machine shop. Every time. Stupid thing.

I’ve made precisely four of the shirt patterns that I own, and that includes a pirate shirt and an original 1970s pattern. I altered every single one of them to either replace the buttons with poppers, or to leave the buttons off altogether, but I don’t want to do that with everything I make!

Then there’s the part where I actually own quite a number of shirts already, and I never wear them. They’re always at the bottom of the wardrobe in the ironing pile, so I tend to just throw on a t-shirt instead.

Clearly someone needs to invent a magical button-free, crease-free shirt.

Oh, wait.

That’s a t-shirt.

Ah.

Black and White

This is Vogue 1290.

The copyright date on the pattern envelope is 1993 (can you tell?), but I probably bought it in 1997 when I was given a new sewing machine as my graduation present.

The pattern is for a shirt, jacket, dress, coat-dress and trousers. It’s been in my possession for around 14 years and, despite the fact that I love it to death, it remains uncut. There’s a Vogue 40% discount promotion in the UK at the moment, and I’m actually contemplating re-buying this pattern because the size I have is probably a little on the small side for me now. Yes, I do realise that it’s completely bonkers to buy a second copy of a pattern that I haven’t made in fourteen years. No, that won’t necessarily stop me.

I dragged this pattern out of its box because I’m going through another one of those phases where I think that I will somehow magically be a much more stylish person if I simply give the entire contents of my wardrobe to charity (not the shoes, obviously) and start again. This pattern was clearly bought during another one of those phases.

I think I mostly bought it for the coat-dress (view C), which I’d intended to sew in black velvet as per the pattern envelope. It’s likely that I realised how much I hate sewing velvet before I attempted to make this, and changed my mind. I might have enough taffeta in the stash to make a pretty evening version, but I don’t tend to be invited to the kinds of occasions that would make a taffeta coat-dress a necessity in my wardrobe.

I do love the ruffled sleeves and the giant collar, although they already look rather dated. And if I didn’t need a pair of giant “novelty georgette” trousers in all those years of being a goth, I probably don’t need a pair now. Probably.

But if I made this outfit, clearly I could swish around stately homes in the sunshine, my coat and cuffs billowing out behind me as I strode elegantly through the grounds. Which I think has just hit the nail on the head of why I have so many garments in my wardrobe that I never wear. I fall in love with the pattern envelope, or with the fabric, and make things for an imaginary lifestyle that I’m never going to have. (I do this with knitting, too.) And then I wander about in jeans and t-shirts all the time, feeling scruffy.

So, it looks as though this pattern’s going back on the shelf.

I still might go ahead and buy the bigger size though, just in case.

Is it a skein of yarn?

Rowan Colourscape

This beautiful yarn, sparkling with water droplets, used to be my Colourscape Cabled Jumper.

The yarn was a gift from a friend, and I loved it so much that I invented a jumper pattern for it almost straight away. However, over the last two years I’ve kept taking it out of the wardrobe and then putting it back in again, because the pattern wasn’t quite right. The body’s a little bit too short, and I always end up with a draughty gap around the top of my jeans. The sleeves are very wide, and I always end up dangling them in my dinner.

While I was in hospital, I was reading Knitting Rules! by Yarn Harlot. There was a section on what to do if the hat you’ve been knitting turns out not to be a hat after all. There’s a list of suggestions… is it a bag? a tea cosy? but the last of them asks is it a skein of yarn?

That might seem like a bit of a weird question, but it did serve to remind me that what I have in my wardrobe doesn’t have to be a badly-fitting jumper in the most beautiful colours. It can be five skeins of yarn. Which means that eventually it can be something else.

I do have something of an emotional difficulty with unravelling something that I’ve spent hours and days and weeks making, but it turns out that two years of stuffing the jumper back in the wardrobe creates enough distance for me to be able to manage it. Mind you, I’m also having something of a practical difficulty with unravelling this particular jumper, because once I’ve knitted something, it’s really not designed to come undone. Not ever.

So, I’m taking it slowly. I’ve undone the giant polo neck, and one of the sleeves. Those two skeins of yarn are now wound around a clothes-airer in my sunny back garden, drying gently. (I did briefly consider not wetting-and-drying the yarn, but it unravelled looking like a telephone cord, and whilst I might be lazy I don’t want my next jumper to be crap.)

I can’t quite face tackling any more of my own indestructable seams today, so once these skeins are dry I can wind them into balls and start knitting the next jumper. I’ve found a terrifically 1980s pattern, knit sideways on one 4.5mm and one 12mm needle. That should give me vertical stripes and a nice airy jumper, which is what I fancy this time around.

And if I fancy taking it all apart in another two years’ time and starting again? That’s fine.

Organic Fabrics

Organic Fabrics

While I’ve been thinking about making lingerie and slippers, I thought I’d have another look at what’s out there in terms of organic and fair trade fabrics. I still have a lot of my Bishopston Trading organic cottons, but I wanted to find out whether there was anything new and exciting around.

The samples above are from Organic Cotton, who are based in Wales, and it’s just a small assortment of the enormously expanded range I was pleased to find there!

On the left is cotton poplin, which has been dyed with various plants and herbs to achieve the different colours. (The red is madder and the yellow is pomegranate, for example.) The dyes will fade after wearing and washing, but I think that adds to the charm of this type of fabric.

On the right are “colour grown” cottons – did you know that not all cotton is naturally white? There’s no dye at all in these fabrics – just the natural colour of the cotton as it was grown and harvested. These won’t fade either, as there’s no dye to leach out of the fabric when you wash it.

At the top are herringbone woven cottons, heavier weight, suitable for furnishings and definitely good for slippers!

At the bottom is bamboo “silk” – bamboo fabric which definitely feels very silk-like, and would be lovely for underwear. They also stock bamboo jersey, and a mixed cotton and bamboo woven fabric.

I still have mixed feelings about bamboo though, no matter how lovely the resulting fabric seems to be. Although it originates from a natural material, it has to undergo so many chemical processes during its transformation into fabric (as do rayon, viscose and acetate, for example) that its environmentally-friendly credentials are somewhat questionable. There are some cellulose-based fabrics that can be manufactured using closed-loop production methods (ie the chemicals can be re-used rather than discarded), but it certainly isn’t standard practice yet.

Mind you, every fibre used for fabric production has its ups and downs. Whilst organic cotton may not use harmful pesticides, it still requires a huge amount of water in its production. Man-made fibres such as polyester may be derived from petrochemicals but they’re easy to recycle, and can be manufactured from already-recycled materials. Very little fabric of any kind is now made in the UK, so everything’s subject to being shipped halfway across the world before it even gets here.

I suppose it’s a question of deciding what matters to me right now, and making as informed a decision as possible. Easier said than done, I suspect.

Cycle Chic

This, I believe, has to be the best bike helmet I have ever seen. It’s from Cycle Chic.

Coolest. Thing. Ever.

So, I’m currently applying for a job. It’s a brilliant job, but one that will require a commute that’s a little longer than I’d normally prefer. In order to make the commute a little less dull, I was thinking about livening it up by cycling at either end of the train journey instead of catching the bus.

I’ve already done my window shopping for a folding bike – it has to be a Brompton. Preferably a hot pink M3L, with a Brooks leather ladies’ saddle and six gears. Oh, and a matching hot pink and black bag, of course.

While I’m doing a little fantasy shopping for a) tweed and b) things I can’t afford, how about an utterly fabulous Lumatwill Cape from Dashing Tweeds? Shame it doesn’t come in pink…

I may not have even applied for the job yet, but I’m going to be the most stylish commuter you’ve ever seen!

Eternal Magpie on Tumblr

Over the past few months I’ve also been keeping a blog on Tumblr. I’m using it mostly as a way of collecting and sharing images that interest me, or that I’d like to keep hold of for future reference. (This screenshot is of the archive, where you can view lots of thumbnails at once.)

I mostly use the “queue” function, which automatically publishes content as often as you tell it to. That way I’m not spamming people’s feed readers with dozens of images in one go whenever I find something particularly interesting.

I don’t use Tumblr for posting my own pictures, or for writing about anything, but if you feel like having a sneaky peek at some of the images that I find inspiring, you’re welcome to come and follow me.

New Knickers

Silk knickers

Remember the black silk knickers I made back in January? Well, they were gratefully received, but unfortunately they turned out not to fit terribly well. So, despite the best efforts of both my sewing machine and my overlocker (which I think are both overdue for a service), I made another pair.

I made some changes to the pattern to make them slightly deeper at the sides, and also to allow more room at the front. As you can probably tell from the mannequin, yes, they’re for a man. Hopefully this pair will actually fit!

Summer Shorts

McCalls 6328

The Easter weekend was very hot, so I thought it would be a good idea to sew a little pair of floaty shorts for the summer. (SInce then it’s been too cold to wear them. Typical.)

They’re McCalls 6328, view D, and this is a link to a line drawing because you can’t really see the details on the photo. Basically they have an enormous great ruffle at each side which makes them look like a little skirt.

I followed the measurements given on the pattern pieces, and annoyingly I could have made one size smaller. But I can wear these as a lower-waisted style, and cut one of the others in the next size down. They’re meant to come up to your bellybutton, which I like, and most of the views are on separate pattern pieces so that you don’t destroy the others by cutting out one. Except for the waistband, which I can copy and re-size easily enough.

My next mission is to adapt the pattern and see if these will work in a lightweight silk as a pair of very fancy french knickers. I just need to decide whether to move the centre back zip to the side, or whether to re-draft the waist and finish them with elastic instead.

Prototype Pants

Prototype Pants

Today I have been mostly trying to remember my technical drawing lessons, and drafting a pattern for french knickers. This pair are made from spotty jersey (t-shirt weight), with frilly legs and an elasticated waist.

They’re quite high-waisted, they should come up to your bellybutton, pretty much. They’re designed to be a close fit to the body, as they’re in a stretchy fabric. They have a small lined gusset, so you don’t get lots of seams bunching up underneath.

Because of Complicated Technical Reasons (also known as I Can’t Do Maths) they’ve come out a bit big for me, so I need to re-draft the pattern and try again.

In the meantime this pair have been relocated to a good home, where they have been described as “a perfect fit and AWESOME!!!”, which is always good to hear!