Week Two Me Made May 2014 and A Bonus of a Golden Local
The Me Made roundup, of a full week . . . and because I love you so much rambles along the way.
Day three: May 3rd.
May the Fourth be With You.
Black plaid thurlows, a self-drafted tank, and my charcoal hoodie again. That shirt is actually purple, but I was using the timer on my phone camera, while mugging in my home office. Makes a kinda of snazzy shot, eh?
Remember how I said I would draft a tank this month? Done! On this one, tank are pretty easy took less than an hour, but my fabric is a bit too think. So, on to search for ribbed knit that will breathe, be comfy, and function as an all purpose wife beater. I took a well worn RTW one, as in it was black and so faded it looks like a muddy dark gray, cut along the seams, laid that on my new fabric, cut a 1/4 inch out, serged, and attached the hem and bias with my machine . . . though, apparently I need a double needle (as I only have the giant ones, that I need a new needle plate for) so I had to just wing it with a ball point needle. Note to self: get a damned double point needle ASAP.
Oh, the stack of knits from the night before. Four in total, one rayon plantain, one short sleeve organic cotton plantain, one long sleeve wool knit plantain, one short sleeve Briar . . . there would have been a fifth, but JoAnn's ate my rayon. Seriously. My Mom gave me four spools of black serger Maxi Lock. She got them at JoAnn's, which had a rash of Maxi Locks with broken threads (yes, I totally went Google happy on finding out what the hell went down with my spools). Mine was on spool number two, so that when the thread stopped coming my serger went ape shit and ate my fucking rayon Briar. Oh well. Shit happens.
Day Five: May 5th, Monday.
An Anna for your Monday. What? I wanted to wear this one this month, at least once. Totally did. Double slits, and Muttly joined in. That's a scarf I made her, she's particularly fond of it when I wear my hoodie from day three and four on walks with her. Seriously, she gets rather bossy when we match.
May 6th, Tuesday for the last week of classes.
When all else fails, wear a maxi. Always. Don't you wish you had mine in Joel Dewberry Rayon? Cha cha. She's mine.
The shoes are Gerry Wade sandals I picked up in Amsterdam last month, I've got on an evil eye necklace I bought on my second trip to Ankara back in 2007, a cuff bracelet I bought at Christmas market in Rome two years ago,and then the wooden necklace is from a friend who sells Stella and Dot. She said it would go week with my hippie side. It does. RTW cardi and cami, and that sweater snags every time I sneeze.
May 7th
The warm breezes of a NYC spring came today, well the warm sunshine that is. So . . . out with what was planned and into something truely springy.
RTW wear tee that is a near match to the skirt (between you and me, I only wear it with that skirt so that when I wash them they'll fade together . . . true story). Amy Butler Barcelona, in her Lotus fabric. It's just a basic cotton A-line. You saw it last year, and you'll see it this year. Matter of fact, I am making one this month as jennyandjulielearntosew gets that posting. Jenny asked, I oblige. ;) Though, this one I need to pinch the waist about half an inch to make it stay. Cha cha.
Those are my Tevis sandals, and . . . yes, they are the most comfortable things, wedges, and I may never take them off. My evil eye necklace T-bird gave me, from Turkey but gifted in Amsterdam. Also, I had on my elephant necklace but you can't see it here.
This was a simple day. Nice sometimes.
May 8th, working from home.
A bamboo briar, sans hi–lo, my Golden Local bolero (see below), and my only pair of RTW leggings.
May 9th, frantically finishing packing and my conference talk (well proofing it).
The wearable muslin Sloppy Josephine that I enlarged not realizing there is no need. C'est la vie. I slum in it with leggings. RTW tank underneath. It certainly is comfy, I must say. Very large though. I added three inches . . . Then I made one without enlarging on the XL size of the pattern. My XL is black, on que for next week and a respectable shirt. Nice fit. This one . . .It's lounge wear.
And a bonus, of sorts.
Golden Local.
This yarn I bought from the Union Square Green Market (hence, Golden Local) . . . I picked up five, yes five, skeins one Saturday while buying cheese, tomatoes, and apples. The yarn is Catskill Merino Wool, from their booth. The Dude I married enjoys their lamb sausage (which always smells wonderful to the girl who literally can't eat it), and I'd been eyeing this yarn for months. Full notes on the make are on Ravelry.
The color in this photo is a little bright, but the others are true to form . . . the color is corn pup, and it falls within the goldenrod family. About three months I up and decided I wanted a goldenrod sweater. I didn't know the type, so I pondered. I knew a cardi would be too hum drum and not get worn enough. A full on pullover would be too much. So . . . as I crafted a list of sewing must haves for my upcoming trip to Turkey and the spring I I stitched up a leopard print dress. There's a smidge of goldenrod in the print, and bazzinga . . . just like that I had a vision. I wanted something I could pair with my dress, done with a tee, not be too slumpy, not be a full on cardi . . . and well, here we go. I do like the occasional retro feel of a bolero. Invokes the late 1950s and mostly the 1960s for me. You'll see this up in Me Made next week, as I'm traipsing it to Turkey with me.
Vision complete.
Verdict: 16 bones a skein. So worth it. Every last penny. Yes, it was a splurge. No, it can't happen everyday. Yet, it is something that I've been pondering. As I knitted this (unsure of the pattern, but in love with the feel of the yarn) I juggled money in my head. Meaning I juggled the money I set aside for sewing. Yes, I don't buy clothing anymore (except for socks and running pants), but sewing ain't cheap folks. Needles, machine upkeep, the cost of fabric . . . folks, you really aren't going to get a t-shirt for five bucks sewing it. Probably closer to 12 to 15, but it will fit you, last longer than four washings, and not have the taint of child labor. Of course, if you are like me you use the scraps for everything from undies to stabilizer.
So . . . I think I'll buy this ombre grey, black, and cream they have for a cowl neck. Yes. What I'm thinking is if I adjust how I spend my money, and keep doing what I have been, I'll be good. What? Well, buy what I love, good quality, and really own it. Why? Lasts longer and makes me happier to make and wear. I keep myself on a hundred bucks for sewing or knitting supplies every month . . . not each, total. And since Mom and Dad bought me some sweet silk at Mood last month, and I've been planning makes from my stash and sale purchases I'll be fine. I have some knits and denim to buy for summer makes, but nothing that must be bought now. All about a balance. It's not like I need to make 12 100+ dollar sweaters this year. Nope.
Instead, like many of my favorite items I'll let them stew and fruitate before I plunge. As then I usually get something I suddenly don't know how I lived without it. Yes, kinda like the things we buy in our lives . . . computers, phones, couches . . . we wait and get what we want and suddenly we are pleased that we waited and didn't buy trinkets along the way.
Enough with that, finish examining my splurge, if you will.
On that note, I fly to eastern Turkey tomorrow. I'm sure my cohorts will oblige and take a Me Made photo or two . . . So I may or may not make a post on Monday and the week roundup might be a day late. Hang in there. . . I'll post again for sure.
Day three: May 3rd.
While grocery shopping at Union Square . . . my Mavi Jeans I bought in Bodrum last fall, my Longchamp slides I bought in Amsterdam last month (ring around the world, perhaps), one Briar (unblogged) I knocked out the night before in a lightweight wool knit from Mood, my Sol Hoodie in charcoal, my elephant necklace from my Italian gal Elisabetta, and the earrings I picked up in Ecuador. Knickers, you can't see. That's a dying RTW cami underneath.
May the Fourth be With You.
Remember how I said I would draft a tank this month? Done! On this one, tank are pretty easy took less than an hour, but my fabric is a bit too think. So, on to search for ribbed knit that will breathe, be comfy, and function as an all purpose wife beater. I took a well worn RTW one, as in it was black and so faded it looks like a muddy dark gray, cut along the seams, laid that on my new fabric, cut a 1/4 inch out, serged, and attached the hem and bias with my machine . . . though, apparently I need a double needle (as I only have the giant ones, that I need a new needle plate for) so I had to just wing it with a ball point needle. Note to self: get a damned double point needle ASAP.
Oh, the stack of knits from the night before. Four in total, one rayon plantain, one short sleeve organic cotton plantain, one long sleeve wool knit plantain, one short sleeve Briar . . . there would have been a fifth, but JoAnn's ate my rayon. Seriously. My Mom gave me four spools of black serger Maxi Lock. She got them at JoAnn's, which had a rash of Maxi Locks with broken threads (yes, I totally went Google happy on finding out what the hell went down with my spools). Mine was on spool number two, so that when the thread stopped coming my serger went ape shit and ate my fucking rayon Briar. Oh well. Shit happens.
Like the crappy photo from my tablet at 3 am? This is actually where I discovered that my double needles are the ginormous ones, too large for my needle plates, and . . . well, I zig- zagged the edges. Actually, I didn't hate it. On that black plantain I set the stitch to a one on the sleeves. It looks like a decorative, thick seam finish, and on the hem I think I used a two . . . the stitches are further apart but still looking like a decorative hem. All-in-all, I can't complain. I might play with it again and do it another time, as go flip through Coldwater Creek mags right now. And, go into local boutiques. A) you'll see something similar and B) you'll see clothing sewed on a large stitch length (making it weaker and not meant to last long). I win.
And then . . . Sewaholic is going to kill me this year with these new patterns.
I keep loosing my shit for the new designs, and well . . .they are drool worthy.
The skirt was also the night before, and that zipper when in on the first try and without a hitch. I was like, well damn I must have done these a few times before. Ha ha.
Shirt, Sunday.
And, yes, both of these are on que. The shirt accidentally matches my rayon (above), so that is the outfit I'm wearing for my conference talk next week. But . . . I actually made it for my anniversary this month. Last year I dropped some change to make a party dress (FYI, I teach on LI and there's a JoAnn's there that I'll use for needles and such . . .though, I've got my go-tos in the city that I prefer and use them more often than not). This year I opted for separates for the anni. Actually, I had some vintage silk I was aiming for another dress, but then I bought some sateen (we think) at a Flea Market in Holland last month. Fell in love, made a Kelly sans buttons and took a swatch to Mood (when my folks came) and matched it to this silk. So . . . separates this year, by happenstance. But, I do think I will wear them a hell of a lot more. That dress . . . haven't worn it since our anniversary and all that fitting drama.
Day Five: May 5th, Monday.
An Anna for your Monday. What? I wanted to wear this one this month, at least once. Totally did. Double slits, and Muttly joined in. That's a scarf I made her, she's particularly fond of it when I wear my hoodie from day three and four on walks with her. Seriously, she gets rather bossy when we match.
May 6th, Tuesday for the last week of classes.
When all else fails, wear a maxi. Always. Don't you wish you had mine in Joel Dewberry Rayon? Cha cha. She's mine.
The shoes are Gerry Wade sandals I picked up in Amsterdam last month, I've got on an evil eye necklace I bought on my second trip to Ankara back in 2007, a cuff bracelet I bought at Christmas market in Rome two years ago,and then the wooden necklace is from a friend who sells Stella and Dot. She said it would go week with my hippie side. It does. RTW cardi and cami, and that sweater snags every time I sneeze.
May 7th
The warm breezes of a NYC spring came today, well the warm sunshine that is. So . . . out with what was planned and into something truely springy.
RTW wear tee that is a near match to the skirt (between you and me, I only wear it with that skirt so that when I wash them they'll fade together . . . true story). Amy Butler Barcelona, in her Lotus fabric. It's just a basic cotton A-line. You saw it last year, and you'll see it this year. Matter of fact, I am making one this month as jennyandjulielearntosew gets that posting. Jenny asked, I oblige. ;) Though, this one I need to pinch the waist about half an inch to make it stay. Cha cha.
Those are my Tevis sandals, and . . . yes, they are the most comfortable things, wedges, and I may never take them off. My evil eye necklace T-bird gave me, from Turkey but gifted in Amsterdam. Also, I had on my elephant necklace but you can't see it here.
This was a simple day. Nice sometimes.
May 8th, working from home.
A bamboo briar, sans hi–lo, my Golden Local bolero (see below), and my only pair of RTW leggings.
May 9th, frantically finishing packing and my conference talk (well proofing it).
The wearable muslin Sloppy Josephine that I enlarged not realizing there is no need. C'est la vie. I slum in it with leggings. RTW tank underneath. It certainly is comfy, I must say. Very large though. I added three inches . . . Then I made one without enlarging on the XL size of the pattern. My XL is black, on que for next week and a respectable shirt. Nice fit. This one . . .It's lounge wear.
And a bonus, of sorts.
Golden Local.
This yarn I bought from the Union Square Green Market (hence, Golden Local) . . . I picked up five, yes five, skeins one Saturday while buying cheese, tomatoes, and apples. The yarn is Catskill Merino Wool, from their booth. The Dude I married enjoys their lamb sausage (which always smells wonderful to the girl who literally can't eat it), and I'd been eyeing this yarn for months. Full notes on the make are on Ravelry.
The color in this photo is a little bright, but the others are true to form . . . the color is corn pup, and it falls within the goldenrod family. About three months I up and decided I wanted a goldenrod sweater. I didn't know the type, so I pondered. I knew a cardi would be too hum drum and not get worn enough. A full on pullover would be too much. So . . . as I crafted a list of sewing must haves for my upcoming trip to Turkey and the spring I I stitched up a leopard print dress. There's a smidge of goldenrod in the print, and bazzinga . . . just like that I had a vision. I wanted something I could pair with my dress, done with a tee, not be too slumpy, not be a full on cardi . . . and well, here we go. I do like the occasional retro feel of a bolero. Invokes the late 1950s and mostly the 1960s for me. You'll see this up in Me Made next week, as I'm traipsing it to Turkey with me.
Vision complete.
Verdict: 16 bones a skein. So worth it. Every last penny. Yes, it was a splurge. No, it can't happen everyday. Yet, it is something that I've been pondering. As I knitted this (unsure of the pattern, but in love with the feel of the yarn) I juggled money in my head. Meaning I juggled the money I set aside for sewing. Yes, I don't buy clothing anymore (except for socks and running pants), but sewing ain't cheap folks. Needles, machine upkeep, the cost of fabric . . . folks, you really aren't going to get a t-shirt for five bucks sewing it. Probably closer to 12 to 15, but it will fit you, last longer than four washings, and not have the taint of child labor. Of course, if you are like me you use the scraps for everything from undies to stabilizer.
So . . . I think I'll buy this ombre grey, black, and cream they have for a cowl neck. Yes. What I'm thinking is if I adjust how I spend my money, and keep doing what I have been, I'll be good. What? Well, buy what I love, good quality, and really own it. Why? Lasts longer and makes me happier to make and wear. I keep myself on a hundred bucks for sewing or knitting supplies every month . . . not each, total. And since Mom and Dad bought me some sweet silk at Mood last month, and I've been planning makes from my stash and sale purchases I'll be fine. I have some knits and denim to buy for summer makes, but nothing that must be bought now. All about a balance. It's not like I need to make 12 100+ dollar sweaters this year. Nope.
Instead, like many of my favorite items I'll let them stew and fruitate before I plunge. As then I usually get something I suddenly don't know how I lived without it. Yes, kinda like the things we buy in our lives . . . computers, phones, couches . . . we wait and get what we want and suddenly we are pleased that we waited and didn't buy trinkets along the way.
Enough with that, finish examining my splurge, if you will.
See the seam on the back? I knitted this bad boy with a larger needle, an 11, and then I did a mattress stitch here. Seriously, I've seen more than one similar to this in stores (hovering around 90 to 100--mine came in at 64). I really like that look. I was pretty nervous knitting this stuff though . . . that would have been a lot of money to waste. So I decided if I hated it I would frog it for round two. I totally would have.
The Dude was having no part of these pictures. Sorry.
On the cuffs I did a mini ruffle and the large edge is just a basic lattice. You can't really see it now, but as this piece flattens with wear it will show more . . . I really like it now. It certainly isn't my most elaborate knitting project, but is certainly is functional and fitted to me.
So that leaves another week down. About this point those of us doing Me Made are noticing what we lack...me: I need more plain tees. Specifically, I need Briars, a Renfrew or two, and of course the Plantain. Though, I will add that I'm a big fan odd the sloppy Josephine. Though, I do wear a tank with them. This week I wore tees, once or twice (ha), but I have to tell ya I was a struggle to find one to match. Why? I have stripes, a leopard print, and then . . . I have long sleeved cream and black renfrews that are from a thick knit . . . a knit best for fall and winter weather. So, I'm on a mission. I'm planning to make more than a handful of tees this summer (especially the briar), in short sleeves. Though, the Nettie is on que . . .
Who doesn't love a body suit? So, I have the fabric for three Netties waiting for my return. It's funny, you think you have loads of tees until you need them. Then again, when you wear them the most they tend to wear out the quickest.
On that note, I fly to eastern Turkey tomorrow. I'm sure my cohorts will oblige and take a Me Made photo or two . . . So I may or may not make a post on Monday and the week roundup might be a day late. Hang in there. . . I'll post again for sure.
Comments