Play nicely

My football team did not win, we shall not talk about that.  What did happen and we can discuss is that I ripped out the beginning of my Paulie sweater because I flucked it up, majorly.

Even a casual glance at the beginning of my top down raglan cardigan would show that those raglan lines are too short.  Did I mention this is supposed to be the point where I take the sleeve stitches off and work only body?  Wha?!  I knew my gauge wasn’t that off so I reread the pattern that I was SURE I understood.  Guess who forgot 2 rows out of every 6.  Yes, I left out 1/3 of the rows and did not notice.  Argh!  Plus I don’t think raglan lines should be pointing straight at  my triceps.  Not really the fit I was hoping for.

Of course that horror was ripped and I began again adding in the rows that should be there.  So far so good but I’m getting a bit over garter stitch.  Plus I want to start the stripes!  Sadly this won’t be a travel project so it’s gotta chill for a week while I’m out shaking my money maker.  Don’t they look sad?

Well, we went big

If you don’t like (American) football skip down to the next paragraph.  Yup, my team won (go 49ers!) in one darn crazy, nerve wracking game.  But they won and I drank some wine and calmed the hell down.  My friends knew not to call, so the texts I received were of the “go 9ers” and “you must be pissing yourself” ilk.  AND it’s all happening again on Sunday.  Must get more wine…

Lest you think I’m a football watching yahoo, I like to craft while watching football, though crafting was nigh impossible during the aforementioned BEST GAME EVER.  But I did make a tunic – there were 3 other (boring) games this weekend.  I saw Mariko’s tunic last week and knew I wanted one too.  I chose Burda Style 08-2008-118 as my tunic.  Mariko made her own pattern to copy one she’d seen in Japan.  I am lazy so I used a pattern I already had.  The only change I made to the tunic pattern was to make it A-line (I added 2 cm to the front and 4 cm to the back side seams – blended to nothing at the waist).  I sewed the seams with a narrow zigzag first then serged.  Hems are finished with serger then twin needle.  It took an hour to make the pattern and half a boring football game to sew it up.

The fabric used here is ponte di roma in a lace pattern.  I’ve never used ponte di roma before and I love love love it.  I want a whole wardrobe from it.  I overstate, but that’s how I am.  I’d used ponte before, that is kinda nasty double knit that you get in cheerleading outfits and pants with a sewn in front fold and elastic waist.  No thanks.  Ponte di roma is still poly but has one way stretch and is magically made soft, has a warm hand and doesn’t look like poly.  Though I could park my car on top of this tunic and it still wouldn’t wrinkle.

But why am I looking like a dork in the photo above.  It’s because of ponte di roma.  When cutting this tunic, my scissors really felt dull.  Mind you these are the very same scissors from when I was an FIT student one billion years ago (well the mid 90s but whatev).  Gingher G-8 8-inch Knife-Edge Dressmaker Shears.  I had to get them sharpened asap, like you do.  The sharpening guy was at the Marin Farmer’s Market that very morning.  I had him sharpen my scissors, which he complimented on their superior scissor-ness-itude, not like that cheap crap some folks bring in I’ll bet.  I wandered the market while I waited and bought organic butternut squash and beets.  While taking these very photos of dork-facedness, I was actually wondering if my roasting squash needed turning.  It is a very superior squash I purchased.  Hence ponte di roma caused me to buy a squash and cook it during my photo shoot and I am making a dork face into the kitchen window.  Clear, that.

I shall leave you with a closeup of the tunic that so very clearly looks like an homage to Muench’s The Scream.  Too bad I didn’t do it on purpose.

More info in my pattern review here.

Go big or go home

Today is football day.   I mean American football for those international sorts among us.  After nine years of not-so-good-ness my fave team (SF 49ers of course) are in the playoffs.  Honestly it’s been so long since last post season we all don’t know what to do with ourselves.

Me, I finished my red cowl which coordinates nicely with the team colors.  It’s still way too warm to wear a cowl, unless you get up at 3am and go to work.  I’m not doing that today since it’s football day.  Pay attention.  I just made up this cowl figuring I wanted it about 40″ around to fit over my head doubled and be snug and warm.  I knit up a gauge swatch and then did the math.  180 stitches for ribbing (3×1), decrease 4 stitches after 2″ of ribbing.  Knit stockinette for 3/4″ and begin the very simple Latin Star motif from Walker’s Third Treasury.  Then do the other stuff in reverse and voila!  Cowl.

In hindsight, I could have just done 2×2 rib for the whole shebang since you really don’t see the motif when scrunched up on the neck.  I shall have to remember that when next I want a cowl.  Sizewise I’m pleased with the 40″ circumference and the 9.75″ width works too.  My fabric is rather scrunchable and drapey which helps the overall wearability.  There’s more info on my rav page if you really want to know.

Next up will be a pot of tomato soup for football watching enjoyment.  Red soup will coordinate nicely with the team uniforms…Me, I plan to be in my pajamas all day.  Fingers crossed!

Shexy

Ok, I tried to eat the oatmeal every day but I balked on day 4.  No way was that oatmeal gonna go in my mouth.  Wheat toast to the rescue.  Though if you’ve seen any of the new Ab Fab episodes, Patsy’s “French” breakfast is caffeine and nicotine.  Even that sounds better than oatmeal today.

That wheat toast energized me to make two pairs of pj bottoms, sweatshop style.  It really is much faster making them simultaneously and not one by one.  I’ve got scads of new flannel since Joann was practically giving it away before xmas.  Each piece cost me about 5 bucks for 2.5 yards.  I know!  How could I not buy way too much?

The pj pattern was taken off a pair of perfect pj bottoms that bit the dust years ago.  I’ve knocked these off for years now.  I love them and you really need to wear pjs in hotels in case of midnight fire alarms (more common than you think) or lax cleaners.  Shexy they’re not, but whatev.

Knitting-wise I started a cowl because last week I went to St. Louis where it was 17 degrees.  I was cold and apologize to any passengers who may have been offended by me calling their charming hometown a “frozen hellscape” (even though it is).  I had no idea it was this cold already since California has been blissfully warm and nurturing a drought.  A cowl should take up less valuable space in my bag and it’s red to sneak it by my work dress code nazis.  I’ve calculated 38″ should go around my neck twice AND go over my head with no remainder.  Ravelry had no acceptable cowls to make so I just made one up.  I added the moss stitch snowflake motif to break up the monotony.  Plus I’ll know to wear it if I see said snowflakes “live” as it were.

This week I shall button the lining into my coat and bring a hat and gloves.  Thanks for the heads up St. Louis.

Gruel no more

I’ve returned home from that last week and a half of work tired and with a cold.  But it’s OVER!  Back to a normal schedule please.

Despite me thinking that yesterday the holidays were over, every flight out west was jammed to the gills.  I managed to get the very last seat on a flight to LAX which is not SFO but close enough (out of almost 300 seats on the plane – that’s a coup!) and spent a good part of the flight watching Dr. Oz on the TV.  I don’t usually watch daytime TV, but the offerings are pretty darn awful and Dr. Oz was the pick o’ the litter imho.  Unfortunately every time I watch his show I learn too many things and freak out about my lack of fiber/too much salt/lip balm addiction.  Yesterday was about healthy foods.  What could be so bad?  Today I’m waiting for Whole Foods to open to see if they have ground chia seeds.  That’s what can happen!

Yes, chia seeds are the wonder food and I will now hunt them down.  They made muffins with them on the show so I’ll let you know how they turn out.  This morning, in an effort to get back to healthy food eating habits (unlike working in airports where there is no healthy food) I made oatmeal.  I hate oatmeal.  It tastes fine, it’s just wall paper paste and won’t easily go down the old gullet.  But needs must so I found an oatmeal recipe (yes I needed a recipe) and made steel cut oats for the first time.  Voila!  We have a winner.  I added cinnamon, apples and a bit of maple syrup and ate it up.  Tomorrow might be bananas and pecans.  We shall see.  The world of steel cut oats has just opened for me.

Crafty-wise I’ve got nothing.  Maybe some new flannel pj bottoms for you tomorrow?  A bit of knitting?  I’ll see what that good breakfast can do for me.