A Little Yarn On The Side

Really, what is the world coming to? I have taken a bit of a break on the sewing marathon to give the sock a bit of attention, and I have turned the heel!  It's a really interesting heel It's a basket weave pattern, using the slip 1, knit 1 pattern I usually use on heel flaps, but making a 4-row pattern of it, moving the slip 1 over by one stitch on the 3rd row, then back again on row 1.  I'm really pleased with it--it gives the thickness of the slip 1, knit 1 pattern, but looks more interesting.  I've done the gusset decreases & am now just at the foot knitting, so I'm hoping that moves pretty quickly.  I have a whole second sock to do, after all...... Not that I've taken a break from sewing entirely.  I decided to take a break from garment sewing, so I played around with my first attempt at applique.  I was pleased to find that there is actually something good about all those darn reply cards packed into every magazine, they make decent pat...

Last night we were meeting a friend for dinner at 7:30, so I was sewing like a madwoman to finish this which is the FIFTH paisley piece from this pattern.  I've made the dress (above), pants (complete with Joanns logo,  so they are now known as "house pants" and will eventually be joined by another pair of pants that won't be advertising anybody on my hips), jacket, tunic, and sleeveless top--which looks exactly like the tunic but shorter and without the sash.  Later I'll add a black jacket of some sort and maybe some sort of black tunic, and will have a pretty complete ensemble , provided I don't get sick of paisley.  The vintage pattern is done as well, though I seem to have messed up the closures and need to figure out a way to close the piece that wraps around the back without the loop that I thought was to go on the front.  I'm thinking snaps, but I was so annoyed when I discovered my mistake that the dress is currently in the Project Protecti...

Bernie and I are taking a break from our mad sewing marathon to give you an update: We have finished SIX projects together so far! Eat?  Sleep?  What???????????? Just a little over 4 months left in the year and 40 projects left to go!!!!!!!!! (And the weather is lovely here in Crazyland........just in case you were wondering.......)

Meet Bernie!  I tried finding a used one, but the used Berninas were going for more than I wanted to pay for a used machine, so yesterday I mustered up my courage and bank account, and bought this--which technically solves my stash problems too, because now I don't have any money to spend on yarn or fabric anyway...... It's a purely mechanical machine, and this is the one that home ec and theater classes used, so I figure if it can withstand teenagers, it will work for me for the next 40 years.  And even when I eventually DO get Jeeves back, it will be a good idea to have a heavier machine for bigger sewing projects since Jeeves has more things to go wrong. Speaking of Jeeves, I called and left a message at my Husqvarna dealer yesterday before setting out to run errands and pick up Bernie ........and no one has called me back yet--more than 24 hours later.  I think I would have gotten Bernie even if Jeeves had been ready to be picked up yesterday, but the poor servic...

There are 137 days left in the year. I need to finish 46 more projects in order to reach my goal. That means I need to do slightly better than a project every 3 days for the rest of the year.  And I'll be starting on that right after I get some oxygen............

I have less than half of the edging left to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YAY! (And tomorrow will be the 6-week mark of Jeeves's second trip in to the dealer, and of course no word yet. I wonder if I even have 50-50 odds of getting him back by the end of August?)

I learned a LOT yesterday.  Some of it quite by accident--probably most--but all rather helpful: *  Used sewing machines, while being everywhere when one doesn't want them, are nowhere to be found when one does *  Even a shop that built up a long reputation on being able to service old sewing machines can be sold, and the new owners might decide to sell new machines only, even though presumably they paid for a reputation regarding repairs that they are quickly losing *  Ebay really does have everything *  Browsing Ebay is a great way to lose 2-3 hours of one's life *  After a couple hours of browsing on Ebay, I have an insane urge to learn to make Fedora hats.   *  Bidding on used sewing machines is rather exciting, though the idea that I could win an auction, pay for it, and have a machine shipped to me possibly before I get my own sewing machine back is pretty amazing.   We'll see. *  Even though I'm bidding on an i...