A Weekend of Shawling

 

This weekend was devoted to my Lonely Tree Shawl.

The end was so near, I could almost touch it.
But I paced myself.

I went to the library.
I did some gentle weeding and rabbit-proofing of the herb garden.
I pondered potential fabric / pattern matches in the sewing stash.
I bought and cooked food.
But again and again I came back to my knitting, ekeing out the rows across the hours.

Until suddenly it was done.
With only a tiny scrap of yarn leftover!
It's blocking now.
Back to my sock!

A Short Burst of Birthdays

Yesterday marked the end of another round of family birthdays:  Grandma, FL and The Girl all get older within days of each other, every year!
The only hand-made presents were FL's socks, which you have seen already.  But here they are, modelled :D

I rustled up a batch of peach and chocolate chip muffins for the birthday boy. I might help him eat a few!
We had an impromptu lunch date at my place of employ, an occasion which lacked glamour or romance but was most pleasant nevertheless.  He was suitably humbled that I cancelled a knitting date to meet him!

The Vanishing Point

Thank you all for your lovely comments about my new Betsey Johnson prairie skirt!  :D



All 5 foot 3 of me in Betsey J trousers

Linda C left a comment, asking about the proportions of the skirt, and wondering if it "worked" because each of the 3 sections was about the same size?  She went on to say that she had been inspired to try a wider-legged trouser after I talked about the shape of my Betsey Johnson trousers and their unexpected tendency to make me look taller, and wondered if it was a similar phenomenon with the skirt?

Well, that got me thinking.  Me Made May provided me with a substantial "data set" of photos of myself wearing different outfits.  By far the most flattering combinations were "nipped in" with a high waist.  Whether it was a dress, trousers, or skirt, I looked taller and slimmer with this high-level definition.

And I realised that the Betsey Johnson prairie skirt is designed along the same principles.  No, the panels are not all the same size.  The upper section is the shortest and narrowest, the middle section is obviously wider to accommodate the hip, but is also proportionately longer, and the final flounce is by far the widest and longest section.  The result is an optical illusion of sorts:  the eye is drawn upwards to the smallest point, as if to the apex of a pyramid.  What artists would call "the vanishing point".


Llynfi skirt with apex potential

There are so many theories about "apples and pears" and the ideal clothing for different body shapes, most of which I treat with scepticism.  I am pretty straight-up-and-down these days, despite an earlier career as a flat-chested pear.  Nowadays, I have slightly more up top, less waist definition, and slimmer hips.



Potential to look short and dumpy

In the outfit above, the eye is drawn to the width across the shoulder, which is almost the same as the width of the skirt. This could have been "hourglass" with a belt... but without a belt it is a squat rectangle. Ah.

 

Although an a-line skirt fits the "narrower at the top than the hem" description, it can either make me look slim or chubby depending on where the triangle hits me.  If the waist band hits me round the tummy, I will look a lot chubbier than if it hits me higher up, just below the rib-cage, where I am slimmer.  This also increases the optical illusion that my legs are longer than they are, because the section below the waistband is so much longer than the area above it.  So I can get away with a lower waist if the hem is correspondingly lower and wider.  The most unflattering skirt-shape for me is a low-waisted pencil:  that way leads to a short and dumpy Roo, with more or less equal proportions above and below the waistband.

This is the sort of discovery people make when they draw a croquis.  I never did get round to that!  But it has led me look at pattern illustrations with different criteria in mind. All the pictures in this post are of patterns that I think would suit my shape.  I own a few of them already, but not all.... yet!

It hasn't escaped my attention that they are all from the 1970's.
Maybe this is why I am drawn to that era - I instinctively know that the line will suit me?
Mind you,  there are plenty of 1970's styles which would spell dumpy disaster... and no, you don't need me to show you!  Just think:  blouson, dropped-waists, drawstrings, short smocks with big collars...



 



Knitting Doggerel

Time for a catch-up. There has been nothing but Me-Made May and finished objects around here – tsk! ;)

This is my waiting room knitting.  You know Karina Westermann don’t you? She has just released the first pattern in her Doggerland collection and I have signed up for the KAL in her Ravelry group.

The Ronaes Shawl has been on my “must-knit” list ever since I saw Karie wearing hers at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. I am using the Shetland laceweight handspun I bought from a shed at the side of the road on the West Coast. It still reeks of sheep and I love it!

However, after three and a half hours in the waiting room, in  sauna-like conditions, my hands were coated with a thick layer of lanolin and I was all counted-out.  FL even resorted to reading the pattern when he had had enough of Tacitus. He said I was knitting doggerel.   (No offence, Karie - he just loves a bad pun!)

I need a short break from short rows after that marathon.
So this evening I will return to the Willowherb sock by Rachel Coopey. It is flowing off the needles in a very pleasing way. Although I can’t predict the chart, but have to read every row as I come to it, the meandering lace pattern has a cohesion that I love. It makes sense. Hoorah! The Lioness Arts bfl sock wool has revealed a lot more purplish handpainting as it is knitted up than appeared in the skein – lovely!

My Lonely Tree (Brambles) shawl had to take a back seat while I waited for new needles. I knitted a whole ball of the JC Rennie chunky aran before running out of space on a pair of nasty “free with a magazine” plastic straights. I am not a needle snob, but the varnish has worn off, leaving a rough and sticky surface, which makes them really unpleasant to touch. Yuck! I ordered a Knitpro Spectra interchangeable mini-set, with three sizes of point and three lengths of cable and can’t wait to get going again.

But where are all those cardigans you planned to knit in May, Roo? Errr… yeah. I don’t know why I suddenly stopped knitting the back of my “Learn to Knit Love to Knit” cardigan. I think it was to prioritise FL’s birthday socks. I need to pick that up again, because it was looking good the last time I saw it.

And the Kex blanket? Another casualty of birthday sock syndrome, but eminently pick-up-able, and the love is definitely still there!

Sewing?  I have thoughts to share... watch this space!

FO: Lace, the Final Frontier (Betsey Johnson 4089)

 

 Stats:

Pattern:  Betsey Johnson for Butterick 4089, from the 1970's, size 25 waist, with an extra centimetre added at centre front and back.

Fabric:  2.2  metres vintage broderie anglaise, found on ebay for about £10; 1 metre Sevenberry Bandana Collection Collage in red £9; and 0.5 metre Sevenberry Bandana Collection Paisley in red £4.50 both from Fabric Inspirations.

Other:  Vintage crochet-style cotton lace, gifted to me by Debbie of Minnado's House.  An "I am half agony, half hope" label from Scrapiana, an Etsy UK seller.  Zip, interfacing and thread from stash.

 

Ever since I  pounced on this heavy vintage broderie cotton on ebay a year ago, I have been searching for the ideal pattern to make the most of it.  For a long time, I planned to interline it with a strong-coloured voile to make a simple Boden-inspired a-line skirt.  But how predictable that would have been!

So the fabric sat in the stash, a contant niggle at the back of my sewing brain.

It was only when I was making my linen wrap skirt with the same pattern, that I hit upon the idea of leaving it unlined, as the final flounce on a 70's prairie skirt.  Because it starts below knee-level, it doesn't matter that the lace is so open.  

 

If anything, it makes the maxi length a lot more wearable, and less... um... Amish?

All the time I was sewing, I was looking forward to combining it with my cowboy boots.
And wondering if I could justify buying another pair!
  I have left the bottom un-hemmed as the broderie stitching is incredibly sturdy.  Even if it starts to unravel with wear, I think the distressed effect will add to its charm.

The final layer is cut like a circle skirt, and I had to shorten it three or so inches to fit the pieces onto my narrow fabric.  Luckily, it turned out to be Roo-length!  The first time I tried it on, I sashayed around the house, enjoying the twirl and transparency of that final flounce.

 Verdict?
Oh my goodness!  I know it's crazy and eccentric, but I love it!
Usually, after taking my photos of a finished object, I change back into my jeans before I sit down to write a blog post.
Today?
I'm still wearing it!
I wore it to cook the dinner and to bring in the washing and to sit on the sofa and catch up with the weekend papers. 
As soon as I finish this, I will settle down to my knitting and I will still be wearing my new skirt.
I think that says it all.

Help in the Garden

The late spring has led to a confusion of colour in the herb garden.
Tulips, allium, euphorbia and the occasional stray narcissus are all in flower at the same time.

While elsewhere, the casualties of late snow are struggling to survive the sudden blast of sunshine on thin sandy soil.
The Boy has been helping me apply liquid First Aid.

 While over on the other side of the farmhouse there is a verdant woodland glade.

The harebells are in full bloom.
Those are my kitchen windows at the top of the picture.  Every evening I watch rabbits lolloping around the drying green as I do the washing-up.

 

See that pipe?

It has been relocated from the heap at the side of the garage by our dog, Hero.

Why?

Because he knows there are rabbits hiding inside!

Every time we go out there, the baby bunnies seek refuge in the first "burrow" they can find...

Hero runs from one end of the pipe to the other, pipe after pipe,waiting for the moment when the fluffy-bottomed ones try to make a getaway.

 

 "I know they're in here somewhere!"

 

One night, he stayed out here for three hours on his own, waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
In the end, FL had to go out and march him down the hill to bed.
As far as we know, Hero's career as a sniffer dog has led to no loss of life.
And it has given him a new lease of life!
Daft dog!

This is Not a Pair of Boots

So... the fridge freezer blew up last night.
The Boy said he saw the flash from upstairs.
The new one arrives on Monday.
Meantime I am seeking to re-home several slabs of venison... and new boots are probably not in the budget!
Ah well, at least the new appliance is energy efficient, unlike the (very) old one.
C'est la vie.

The Perfect Summer Boot



Ash at Plumo



Seriously.
Wow.
I'll make my skirt first...