Progress Update: Cosplay and Knitting

Cosplay:


The hemline needs to be brought up about 5 inches for it to be the length I want. There are a few areas of concern in the gathered waist that I will be fixing over the weekend. Still needs sleeves, collar, and zipper. :D So far, it is going well. I have not started designing the pinafore, but will likely get started on that this weekend. (PS-this is my Alice in Wonderland costume).

Knitting:



My Demi pullover, likely started in 2008...I can't remember. I really wanted to have this done by my b-day (November 14th), but I seriously doubt it's going to happen. I've just started the armhole on the back (no, the front is not finished yet!). Yikes. The sleeves will not be full length nor will they be cabled. I have very little yarn. Probably just enough for a short sleeved sweater (or possibly only a vest!).

Stitch Markers!

A friend had a Gumbo and stitch marker making party! It was a lot of free fun! Here's what I made:



I'm super excited!

Always eager to do my part, I baked some cupcakes for the get-together:


It's a sad day when a bit of loose change is all the booty you can find in your household. Note the predominance of copper there. The cupcakes are just from a box mix, but I made a homemade lime glaze and added some pomegranate to the top for fanciness.

And more things are happening. I finished this yarn:


Because it is brown and rolled into a skein, I can't help but think it looks a bit like a turd.

But it's' a really soft and fuzzy turd!

Now, I'm working on this fiber:


It's some hand dyed merino wool that I got at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art festival that I'm finally getting around to spinning. I'm actually drafting it out completely before hitting the wheel because that's the only way I've found to spin bulky yarn!

It's going to be a super bulky three-ply!! SUPER BULKY!

I'd also like to show off my favorite furry things:


Awwwwwwwwwwwww...

PS: I changed my blogger template because I noticed that my photos were being "cut" to fit the template. Because I have some OCD qualities, I could stand it no longer. I'd rather have a boring template where my photos aren't messed with than a flashy background and photos that look like I have no idea how to frame a photograph.

Today's Lesson

Today's lesson is "Never assume. Always baste." I can't tell you how many times I have sewn beautiful seams, pressed them open (sometimes even finished the entire garment) before realizing that I needed a little bit more wiggle room. Which meant I had to rip out the seams I just painstakingly stitched and finished.

Well, I just did it again.

I pinned it to "roughly" to where the 5/8" seam should be and I'll be damned if I dare take a breath! Here's what I don't understand though. I created a muslin on the dress form and while the dress form isn't a perfect model of me, it should be a perfect model of itself shouldn't it? My muslin pieces, which are identical to those cut in my fashion fabric, seemed to fit the form when I created them. I definitely have a lot to learn about pattern creation and modification, but I just don't get it. It's not as bad as it could be, I guess. I have plenty of fabric in the seams to let it out a bit and I'm really not that far off in terms of this bodice fitting in the waist (like a 3/8" seam rather than a 5/8"). It is quite annoying, nonetheless.

The annoying part is not that I messed up and have to sew it up again. I expect things like that in creative endeavors of any kind. What's aggravating is that I didn't baste the seam first to make sure it was going to fit me! So, picking out those stitches is going to be a royal pain in the ass!

I'm still knitting

This is actually a knitting post, for once! :) I've got a couple of things to show you.

Blommsterknopper (a swingy cardigan):



Silk Stainless Steel Jacket:


Lillehammer (a hat):


Coraline Sweater!!!!:


I am most excited about the Coraline Sweater! I'm making it with this awesome navy blue yarn WITH SPARKLE that I found at Joann's! It's a Vanna's Choice yarn and I am amazed at how nice it feels despite being acrylic.

I'm sold! It's the perfect color (and the perfect price!)

New Things

A few days ago, I started a new blog. It is not about knitting or crafting, but is rather a place for all my rants, raves and struggles with being a writer and philosophical, political, and religious issues. That isn't to say that this blog will now be safe from these things, because quite frankly, this is MY blog too.

If any of you are interested in following my "other" blog, here's a link. It is also in the sidebar. I'd like to get some good discussions going over there. So, please stop by if you get a chance. I'm good people. :)

As far as knitting and crafting goes, I have half a million projects...and little motivation to work on them. Don't let me cast on any more. I don't think my brain could handle it. There's a lot of schtuff going on with school right now (papers, readings, group projects), and I'm doing my best to keep sane.

In fact, I need to leave for class soon...

Rant? I don't know what brought it on.

Today I have class. It's not my favorite class, but it's all right I guess. Listen to me, censoring myself again. I need to stop doing that or I'll stifle the revolution.

Sometimes I imagine I'm in a revolution.

What would I change if I could? Anything? Is it arrogant to assume that changing things is the way to making things better?

Nah. As long as it all changes the way I think it should change, things should be just fine. Republicans and Democrats, I am your worst enemy because each of you thinks that I am the other! You are both wrong, of course. So very, very wrong. And you're wrong about Obama too. That's right, both of you! Honestly, I could take him or leave him. He's really just filler...and that's a dangerous thing because it only succeeds in maintaining the current state of things.

Well, whatever, the Republican/Democrat argument is as old as the dirt. The words mean nothing anymore. If you think the words do mean something, it is because you identify as one or the other. It means something to you...you make sure it means something to you. That's OK. Just know that to people who don't identify as one or the other, the words are meaningless letters and both ideologies are wrong. That's the benefit of objectivity.

You'd think I were boozing heavily before writing this. On the contrary, it's just me and Earl Grey in this neck of the woods. Maybe the fact that I have a lot of reading to do for my class today has something to do with it.

Once a procrastinator, always a philosopher.

Emoticon.

I'm probably up to something

This just happened in my mad scientist lab. I found this strange organism while looking through my microscope:


It kind of looks like a science experiment, right? You know. Like an iodine stain revealing strange life on a glass slide...or something? OK, nevermind. So, here's what I'm really doing:



Tatting. I'm at it again. :)


Needle felting. It's finally working for me. :)

I've also started one of my Stitches sweaters. I've decided to knit the entire sweater Continental style (holding the yarn in my left hand rather than in my right) in order to master the skill. No pictures yet.