Two Wool Skirts. Day 45.

At 12:07 last night Ramon woke me up as he was coming to bed by saying that there was a "Yarn Emergency." I groggily asked him what happened, and he said, "I don't know, but it's bad." I'd been blocking his sweater—which I am almost done with, just have the neck-band left, surprise!—and dumbly left it out on my new sewing desk in my new sewing room. Big kitty was already asleep on the blocked pieces because she was so exhausted from attacking a yarn-ball that was attached to a sleeve and wound up all over the living room. I lost a few rows, but luckily that was all. The project now rests in a drawer, safely stored away from my four-legged-fur-balls.

With the sweater almost done I patiently await the yarn I ordered a-week-and-a-half ago, but alas it has not yet arrived! I called them today to ask if they knew anything. They do! It got returned, as the post-office indicated that my address doesn't exist. Hrmp. Well, now it is on it's way to Ramon's shop, and as he gets hordes of deliveries there I have a hard time for-seeing a delivery problem.

Yesterday I went out and had a fabulous lunch in Half Moon Bay with a fabulous girlfriend I haven't seen in forever. And, OMG, she knits! How did I forget this fantastic fact. I remember her telling me long ago, but we don't see each-other very much, and I only started knitting a few months ago. It slipped my mind.

I think I might be going about this all wrong. I am finding that through working on this project I am making more connections with people than before, which is great, but I am learning the skills on my own. Michelle and I went to a yarn shop near where she lives after having lunch, and there were 4 ladies knitting away in a circle, telling stories about the DeYoung and modern art. They were learning from each-other while socializing. When I need to learn something new, I look it up online. It would be great to learn these skills with people, like in a knitting group, or a sewing club, and then translate them into projects. I think I should get out more.

Before lunch I finished wool skirt #2. I pegged this one, because that is how it looked to me in the picture. It is also a little longer, and has two darts in the front, as opposed to one, like the black wool skirt I completed with the peacock lining. My mom and I searched and searched for wool the same color as in the Alexander McQueen Cape Suit, but no luck. I decided on the light grey because it is similar in color density, while a few actual colors away. I didn't want olive, or forest green. I like the grey, and I feel happy with it as an alternative, but if I do find the right color, I will probably be inclined to get it, and make the skirt again. With pegging the skirt it has a little less ease in the hip than the straight black skirt, but I really like the way that it fits, and I really like the texture of the wool, and the lining—which is of a more standard variety than the peacock print. So, I still have the cape to start for this look, and this will require finding some trims, something else I haven't ever really done before!




The McQueen original pegged skirt:


I know, it has been a millennium, but here, finally, is the black-wool skirt. I put the peacock print in the kick-pleat, but I am having a really hard time getting pictures of that. So, at some point, I will post that, too.


The McQueen original straight skirt:

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: