Sunday, November 07, 2010

This and That

I've been doing a little knitting, though not much. I finished some plain green ribbed socks for me, started some purple and black socks for me, started a couple of hats, and I think there are few other things in progress right now. I don't have any new knitting pics today, though.


Last week I wove this scarf:


And a close up:


I used a hand-painted 100% merino sock yarn for the warp and a solid black 75% wool/25% nylon for the weft. I'm pleased with the resulting fabric, though I have still got a lot to learn about creating nice selvedges. In this case, I was trying so hard not to have my weaving draw in, I ended up with a lot of slop along the edges. Sooner or later I'll get that down.

Today I finally finished a shirt I started sewing several weeks ago. There's no reason that this should have taken more than two days, except that I think I was avoiding it out of fear that it would be a disappointment.



This fabric is a bit of a mystery to me. I think I bought it on a remnant heap somewhere, without any clue to fiber content. Since I know I paid next to nothing for it, it was kind of a test run for the pattern. I'm not entirely happy with the pattern and not sure I'd use it again. The front view looks ok, but the fit in the back is pretty sloppy. It's made to be a shirt-jacket and have enough ease to wear over other clothes, but even so, it's probably not the best choice for a woman with a lot of curves. It'll be a nice extra layer in transitional weather, so worth the effort of sewing it. But it's more for comfort than style.

Our cat Guy Noir had a close call with a car in mid-October. He spent nearly a week at the emergency animal hospital. He had broken his pelvis in two places, and the base of his tail. They did surgery to put a pin in his pelvis, to keep the worse of the two breaks in proper position for healing. He came home October 20, and is to be in confinement with minimal activity for 4 weeks. He has about 10 more days of confinement, then a slow re-introduction to normal activity.

That's the news here.

9 comments:

Jill C said...

So sorry to hear about your cat Elizabeth. I hope the recovery goes well. I also liked your woven piece. I'm hoping to try that sometime in the future.

Helen said...

I like the shirt! great job :)

Poops said...

Holy crap. If you hadn't told me you made the shirt, I wouldn't have known.

LaBean said...

I'm glad Guy is on the mend. It sort of reminds me of when Sneakers fell out of the 7th floor window.

Not knowing your specific curvy figure issues I'd say the shirt looks ok, But then I'm the kind who just wants to cover everything; this might have to do with why I like boxy sweaters. Stripes!! I'm too chicken to do that or long sleeves. But, I guess it's time.

Kaye said...

I like the shirt--very impressive stripe work!
Nice scarf too. Hope little Guy feels better soon!

Cindy G said...

Wow, I think the shirt looks great. I never could get a collar to sit right - your's looks crisp and perfect.

Hope Guy is doing well.

Leslie said...

The scarf is beautiful and the shirt, too. I am NOT a seamstress so I'm impressed with anyone who can make clothes like that. Hope your kitty heals quickly!

YarnThrower said...

I think your shirt looks quite impressive and very nice on you, and I agree with Cynthia's comments regarding the collar! NIce work! Sorry to hear about Guy's accident, though glad that it sounds like he is doing very well.

jpknits said...

Looks and sounds very productive to me! Good just to have a knockabout shirt, too. Colors are good, and check out your stripe matching!

Meanwhile, my mystery word verification is flatiope. Sounds like a purple stripe to me. Very heliotrope-ish.