Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Summer Funk!

The past few weeks have been notable only by my lack of weaving! I’ve found every excuse under the sun to avoid the loom! Even our lack of sunshine hasn’t kept me weaving. Our ‘summer that never was’ has had me dragging around in a funk!


Our family has been following ‘Le Tour de France’ avidly for the past three weeks and sitting glued to the DVR for 4 hours a day has sadly encroached on my productivity. I can’t believe how invested I became in the 3000 km bike race around France. I must admit that the aerial shots of all the Chateau and Churches has really whetted my appetite and has managed to really fire me up for our September in France.


Boys in spandex notwithstanding I did manage to knit quite a few of these sweet seed bead necklaces while glued to the telly.
I’ve knit the pendant necklaces in three different styles which are directly from Louisa Chadwick’s’ pattern book. My only contribution is my colour choices, gauge and finishing embellishments. They are amazingly fun to knit and end up being about 3 inches in length – soooo tiny for having more than 1000 seed beads in each!
This is the beginners’ pattern and it is the easiest to knit as the increments are easy to remember. This pattern is very much like the first but has a more tailored look.
This pattern is by far my favourite and is definitely the one you have to pay the most attention to while knitting. I love the diamonds!

I was asked recently how my Vogue blouse turned out and…..even though I had to pack everything up and put it all away several times, I have managed to complete the white cotton version. I rarely sample while weaving, but sewing is another matter entirely – this is my sample blouse in 100% cotton. I am a petite size so I had to alter every piece to fit, thankfully it all worked out! I can’t believe how much sewing and unpicking I did! It seems that if there were two ways to read the pattern I always chose the gauche! The pattern is very well laid out, but I over analyzed the collar to the point that I was ready to toss the whole thing. When I just followed the directions, it worked out just fine. I am now an expert in flat felled seams!Regardless of the lack of sun our garden is doing amazingly well. We are already dining very well on peas, beans, cucumbers, herbs and the inevitable zucchini. We have 64 tomato plants in 16 varieties that have set fruit and just need some serious sun to get sweet and plump.

I have the loom loaded up and waiting to go and hopefully I will have something on topic next time.

9 comments:

Cindie said...

well you've been productive knitting during this funk!
I love your shirt - which Vogue pattern is it?

Lynnette said...

Hi Cindie,
The blouse is the mid sleeve version of Vogue pattern #V1165. It's called a Today's Fit by Sandra Betzina and is without a doubt the most beautiful fitting blouse I've ever made! The pattern pieces have from size 6-24, so you get to customize the fit.

Bunny said...

Your blouse is lovely. I am petite also and appreciate the effort you put into this to make it fit. To do so with all those angles is pretty impressive.

Anonymous said...

The blouse is so pretty, I can imagine it in a lovely very light weight white linen. Your garden looks nice and lush, 64 tomato plants Oh my that is a lot of tomatoes!

Cindie said...

Thank you Lynnette - I have a guild board meeting to attend today, if I have time I'll stop at JoAnn Fabrics to see if they have it. It's lovely and I love 3/4 length sleeves you chose.

Susan said...

Love that blouse and it sure makes me wish I got the sewing gene!
Crisp white blouses look fab on you too.

The little knit bags are so sweet and I love the variations! When we had our laundry tub overflow years ago on Elliott Rd and I couldn't weave for many weeks while the renovation was being done, I knit up almost 50 of those bags in the simple style. They were my sanity saver! They are also great at sales as people love to handle them (and buy them!)

Boys in Spandex? Hhhmmm, I think I will leave those comments to when we're chatting on the phone! :)

;) Susan

The Weaving One said...

Wasn;t the Tour just wonderful this year? I moved my loom in front of my TV and watched every minute. Didn't actually get much weaving done, mind you - I'd find myself with elbows resting on the beam, fingers clenched around the shuttle, and rocking back in forth on my bench during all the descents.

I will name my next dog Boasson Hagan...

Louisa said...

You did a lovely job of those little beaded bags! Glad to know my booklet is happily being used. I still have several copies kicking around in a box somewhere!

Louisa said...

Forgot to mention - congrats on fitting your lovely blouse! That's the biggest issue with sewing, getting the correct fit for you. Sandra Betzina's patterns make it easier than most.