Rolling in the Hay

My Baby Alpaca has been rolling in the hay. No really! As I am knitting this absolutely amazingly soft baby alpaca yarn into my McQ sweater, I have been coming across more and more tiny, short straw particles. Carefully I am pulling them out, and I am discovering that this is going to be one warm sweater. Baby Alpaca: super soft, super snuggly, super warm. The good news is that the cuffs on both arms are completed and now I am working on shaping the raglan sleeves. Then, just the cowl left. Overall the yarn is a little less structured than I was hoping, but I picked it out when I was still a very (k)newbie knitter, so I didn't know that it was going to have a little personality of its own, but maybe that is a good thing. I am such a perfectionist, if it is not perfect, it just won't due. This sweater isn't going to be exactly like the picture because of the baby alpaca, but I think that that is actually OK. I think I am going to really like it anyway. I've worked so hard on it, I hope that I can just be proud of it when it is done.

So, even though I spent all day working on Ramon's new work website today, I still had a sewing success at the end of the day. I drafted a pattern, which I started at 5:30, and by 8 I had the final garment sewn! Ok, let me just say that this is like the most simple project ever, and I still have some of the finishing to do (hem, binding, etc), but I went from none to done in two and a half hours! It is a very simple lightweight knit dress with a racerback, and it is made out of the most amazing bargain bin fabric ever: blue gradient snakeskin print. Oh holy hotness, I love it. I made a test garment out of some horrible burgundy knit that I have had for an eon. I again had success with Ramon's measurement taking. I had to take into account the stretchiness of the knit, which I haven't ever done before. I did have to do some tailoring/adjusting after it was sewn. But the more I do, and then have to fix, the more I learn. All in all, I couldn't be happier.

Oh, and for the fist time ever, I did not have to rip out one single seam! I will post pictures of it as soon as I finish the finishing!

And lastly, as promised, pictures of the Gap Kids size large Sherpa jacket that I turned into a skirt:


My current drafting, pattern cutting, fabric cutting, sewing, and serging table: