Update

I haven't posted in quite a while. Life has been different around here. I had hip replacement surgery on February 7, which means that tomorrow is the two week appointment with the surgeon to see that everything is on track.

Unfortunately, there is no longer physiotherapy offered for patients who have hip replacement. They still have it for knee replacements, but cutting costs in the medical system has meant some services are cut and physio for hips is one of those.

(Aside to Americans: I'd be really wary of getting a health care system like ours in Canada. While everyone does get to see a doctor and can go to emergency for care, the wait times and the amount of care have to make you wonder. I am definitely in favour of a two-tiered system, where you can pay extra to have some things done a whole lot quicker.)

Before going in for surgery, I almost finished the houndstooth version of Vogue 8548. I just have the buttons and snaps to sew on and will get a photo up when I can move around enough to take a photo and then upload it to the computer. Some things just involve too many steps to undertake at the moment. Getting up and down stairs, getting to the bathroom with a walker and checking email on the laptop is about the extent of my ventures in the house.

Due to the sedentary nature of my life at the moment, knitting has taken over. Last night, I finished the second sleeve of a cardigan, and will sew in the yarn ends today. Hopefully I will get round to pressing it this week, and then sewing it together before adding the neck and front bands. I have discovered www.ravelry.com and am checking out the next project. It is really nice to know that I can order wool online and have it delivered quickly so that I won't be without something to knit.

Although the next project I know will be an Aran baby blanket. My daughter Elena is expecting a baby in June, and the ultrasound showed that this one is a little girl. We are all excited about that, as she has five children and only one of them is a girl. Hannah will be nine when this one is born, and she already has so many mothering skills that Elena will be lucky if she gets the baby to nurse. Even the boys can look after wee ones now, as Joe was seen rocking Isaac when he was fussy and Elena was cooking.

The reaction of most people, when I tell them that Elena is having her 6th baby, is one of shock and disbelief. It seems that having a large family is considered impossible these days. But, if you could spend some time around one, you would realise that the children are happy having all those siblings, they really do look after each other, they always have someone to play with and as a result are very imaginative. No computer games for these kids, they play tag and cops and robbers, and endless games of hide and seek.

Elena and her husband will have six children and my oldest daughter Rebecca has five children with her husband Nathan. And all are thriving. I am so proud of all of them. Both these girls got post-secondary educations and not just simple degrees. Rebecca has a PhD in mathematics and Elena has a BA in history and a Bachelor of Education too, so she is trained as a high school history teacher. Both of them have opted to be stay-at-home moms while their children are young and they may even choose to home-school, if the schools do not provide the quality of eduation and the environment that they consider good for their children. They are post-feminist women and I am so proud of them, for making the choices that they have. There are days when I am sure they would much rather be at work, getting "things done" and feeling a sense of accomplishment whereas many days at home feel as if you have accomplished nothing. But the results are in the long run, not the short haul. Their kids have so much going for them, given that their moms have made that sacrifice. Kind of an old-fashioned choice in today's world, but sometimes you have to swim upstream to get what you really want.

Sweater Blocking

I finished knitting this sweater a couple of days ago, and then began the rather lengthy process of threading in yarn tails and sewing up seams. I understand why people prefer to knit on circular needles, so they don't have much of this to do. But the weight of a sweater on circular needles is not something I enjoy, so I will have to sew up the seams on all future sweaters.

Having read a little about blocking, I thought I should do this with this sweater. It is advisable to block the pieces before they are sewn and I should have done this. But I shall see how this method works. I covered a styrofoam board with 1/4" gingham, thinking that I would use the gingham to measure the sweater. Not at all, I took out the tape measure and pinned the sweater to the dimensions written on the diagram. Now I will mist the sweater with water, get it fairly damp and cover it with a towel for a few days until it dries completely.

I am not sure how this yarn will behave, as it is a new kind of yarn and acts very much like rayon fabric. It feels wonderful in the hand, but is heavy and drapey when made up. The finished sweater may grow in the wearing, we shall see.

Vogue 8548 Finished

Front view of the coat

Side view

And the back

I am going to take this to a dry cleaners and have them steam press it, as I just don't seem to be able to get a good final press of the wool.

Inside view of the bodice, I added interfacing to the side front and back side as I thought this wool needed the extra body.

Button loops from stretch cording, this is the kind of notion that is used in fur coats.

Inside view of the bodice before the bottom is attached. The wool is double on most of the top, including the centre back piece.

I am pleased with this coat, but there are a few things I would do differently. The pattern does not call for shoulder pads, and I think the sleeves would hang better with a small pad. The lining is attached by machine to the armholes before the sleeves are inserted and then the sleeve lining is hand-stitched in place. So I won't be undoing all of that to add shoulder pads at this point. I will live without them.

I plan on making this again, the version with the more open neckline and I have a houndstooth wool in mind for this. But I will make some changes. I will reduce the flare at the sides of the coat, as I am not keen on this on me. It looks great on the others that I have seen, but most of the flare seems to be on my back, and I would prefer to have less. Also, I will attach the bodice lining to the bodice front and then sew that piece to the lining of the skirt part of the coat, then attach the entire lining to the coat at the front edges. This will eliminate most of the hand sewing which was rather tedious. I think it will be easier to press as well, since I will be dealing with single layers, rather than the bulky seam at the empire waist.

The wool was a dream to sew, and top-stitching really shows up well on this. I particularly like the seams on the bodice being accentuated that way. A good pattern, even if it is out of print. You can still buy it on the Vogue pattern site, under their OOP pattern link.

Happy New Year

Wishing all a happy new year. New resolutions? not here, not this year anyway. I am anticipating some upheavals soon, so no need to add to the stress. Every time the phone rings, I think "that's the hospital" with a mix of fear and relief. It will be good to have this hip surgery over with and the rehab period over as well.

Meanwhile, knitting has been progressing as we have been watching quite a few movies here. My husband is a Brit from Liverpool and my parents came from the UK as well, so watching British flicks is normal fare. We just discovered the series Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. The repartees are hilarious and it is hard to believe this was written and filmed in the 80's. It seems as if nothing has changed. If you like political satire, try it. It is good to laugh at such things, and perhaps become a little wiser to the machinations of politicos and civil servants.

We made a short three day trip to Maine and stayed in Orono. There is a small lovely wool shop there, called Fiberphilia. I had hoped to find an apple green wool there for a cardigan, but there was no such yarn. And the shop here, LK Yarns, is also nice but smallish. So online I went and hopefully, the company I contacted will have the wool I want.

Anyone have sources for buying yarn online? I would prefer Canadian sources as the shipping from the US to Canada is very steep, often as much as $25 per parcel. Which means it is not worth buying anything unless you buy $100 or more.

I have a pair of LH Cruise pants cut out and ready to sew. I have never tried her Euro Pant pattern but took it out to compare. Basically the two pants are the same, with the Euro having wider legs. The crotch curve is identical and the Euro does offer an elastic-waist version, which is what the Cruise Pants are. I will stick with the Cruise Pant pattern as I have made this at least three times and there is no altering to do at all now. I even made a flat-seat alteration, taking a 1/4" tuck down the entire back leg. At my height, all extraneous fabric needs to be removed.

And just before Christmas, I was searching for some grey coating to make this coat - Vogue 8548.

I first saw this coat on Tany`s blog and I ordered the pattern, which took three weeks to come from Vogue. Then I saw the coat again on Erica`s blog and saw her line about pockets. Good advice, I will be adding side seam pockets to mine. The pattern is out of print but still available from Vogue.

There was no wool coating that I liked at our local fabric store and I really wanted a grey coat. I already have a black wool coat and the majority of my clothes would go best with either of those colours (or red, but I don`t want a red coat this year). Online again for a fabric search. I discovered that there is not much in the way of heavy wool coatings to be found. Most retailers have wool for jackets, but it is simply not heavy enough for a Canadian winter coat. I found lots of wools that are boiled wool weight, but that would be a cardigan in my neck of the woods.

I did find some at Vogue Fabrics and it seemed the right weight, although the colour was a little lighter than what I wanted. But I thought why not, I am not going to find anything more suitable at this time of year. And I want to make this coat for this winter, not for next. So that is next in the queue, after I finish the Cruise pants. So a quick trip to Fabricville for some grey satin lining, hopefully they will have Kasha, and thread and buttons. I have plenty of interfacing here, and will probably use weft insertion fusible for this project. I hope this will go quickly and I will have some pictures to show in a week or so. Enjoy your sewing adventures, and knitting ones too!

By the way, the wool coating arrived within two weeks and it is great, it has a brushed surface and has a slight bluish tint to it. Vogue Fabrics did indicate that on their webpage. I was very impressed with the shipping time. Usually parcels from the US take three weeks to reach Nova Scotia.

Fabrics Came in the Mail

Enabled by Carolyn, I placed an order with FabricMart. I have been hesitant to purchase from the US, as shipping can cost a fortune, sometimes not making it worth the expense. But FabricMart only charges what the post office charges, no extra, so that seemed reasonable to me. And I know that shipping charges can be steep, as I became painfully aware during the last year of my business when they were becoming my greatest expense.

So what did I get?

This is a stretch cotton woven plaid in purple and black. I have been looking for a black and white plaid that would work for a shirtdress, but you have to compromise when it comes to fabrics. The fabric in your mind's eye will probably not be out there; I remember Pati Palmer saying once that you should shop for fabric first, pattern second. This is because, for most sewers, a fabric will tell you what it should be. Sound crazy? not at all, just walk around a fabric store and see what the fabrics are saying. They talk to me all the time! Not that they say the same thing to everyone, that is the beauty of sewing; the same fabric can become many different things.

This second fabric is a bamboo knit in a gorgeous sky blue. I have been reading about bamboo and wanted to see what it was like. There is no way bamboo fabric is ever going to be here in my Fabricville; no sense waiting. This fabric is heavy and drapey and, if it weren't for the label, I would have guessed that it was a rayon knit. I have 2 yards, enough to make either one of these tops. By the way, Sandra Betzina has a new knit top in Vogue that is gorgeous, with a center panel that is gathered. I saw a top like this on my aquacise instructor and was smitten by it. The nice thing about this pattern is that it includes all sizes, so if I decide to make this for my daughter, I will have her size there too.

The last fabric I bought simply to make the parcel worth shipping. And it is the best of all. A 100% cotton shirting that feels so light and silky, it will be a delight to sew and wear.

Now to finish up the robe and put that aside with the nightie, ready for the hospital stay. I am still knitting the blue sweater, finished the back and am doing one side now. And as always, cruising the internet for the next project.

I discovered some wonderful blogs and you might like them too.
Lilacs and Lace

I discovered this blog from another, as we so often do. One blog led to another and this one popped up. Laura just won a Threads competition and her prize is a new Bernina sewing machine, which I am sure she will put to good use. Take a cruise down her blog, page 2 especially where she shows that she binds all her seams with rayon binding that she dyes. This is essentially Hong Kong finish and it is lovely to see, especially since the binding matches the fabric. This blog has kindled an interest in vintage patterns and can you ever get immersed in that subject!

The second blog that has captured my interest is
Wry Punster
This is a blog of an incredible hand-knitter. I can't find the post right now, but she has a sweater that is full of beads. Now I can't stop thinking about the possibility of knitting a sweater with beads on the yoke. So many ideas, and not enough time, right?

Oops, sorry, the beaded sweater is here on Laura's blog, this woman can not only sew, she can knit beautifully. And I can see these knits teaming up with vintage skirts and dresses so well.

Beaded Sweater

Sewing for Bedtime

I remember one of my daughters remarking that she knew I would be sewing something new to wear because I had an event to go to. She is absolutely right; everytime something comes up in my life, my first thought is what will I make to wear to it? I don't know why this is so, unless it says that my wardrobe is so pathetically lacking in a variety of outfits, that I feel compelled to make something appropriate.

And this doesn't even stop with daytime wear. Since I am on a list to be called for hip replacement surgery, I thought "what will I wear in hospital?" And then an old sewing friend of mine said "you better have a new nightgown and a robe that covers you up". She then went on to explain that the robe should be long, but shorter in front than in the back so that I wouldn't have any trip-ups. She said long, because she thinks that nothing looks quite so bad as bare legs shuffling along a hospital corridor.

So, now the kids' jammies are done, wrapped and ready to be posted, I must get this nightgown sewn up and whip up a robe to wear with it. My friend is right, I don't want to be caught in hospital reduced to their gowns or having to wear my own old tired nighties.

I just found out the hospital stay will most likely be three days, which probably means I need two nightgowns! Better get cracking, as I might get a call if there is a cancellation. One woman in the pre-op class was called last Friday and she is having surgery this coming Friday. And she had been expecting to wait a year for her surgery. While the expectation of surgery and recovery is not something I am looking forward to, I will be very happy to have this over with. I feel as if my life has been on hold for the past year, given the mobility issues of a bad hip. I understand now what people mean when they say they got their life back after joint surgery. Looking forward to it!

Who Knew?

I have had a revelation. Perhaps I have been in knitting limbo but I had no idea about blocking knit garments. When I finished my last sweater, I asked the question if anyone knew how to steam a sweater once it was completed.

Ann suggested that I ask Ann Rowley at Stitcher's Guild so I did. Ann asked what the fibre content was, and if it was wool, it could be steamed into shape. She suggested "wet-blocking" which would entail completely soaking the sweater in warm water in the tub, then lifting it out and pinning it into the dimensions desired and leave it to dry. And I thought I could just press this sweater! Hah!

A google search on blocking sweaters has been eye-opening. Even though I grew up with a mother who was constantly knitting, I don't ever remember her blocking anything. I don't think she did. I know that she pressed the pieces before sewing them together, but she didn't pin anything into a shape.

What I found here in this article, To Block or Not to Block is fascinating. So I thought I would pass it along to anyone else who knits or crochets. The advice is so valuable. I had absolutely no idea that you could mold the shape of your garment by wet-blocking. You can build in shape where required, such as a little bust shaping, and you can lengthen sleeves if they are too short. All of this depends upon your fibre content, I am sure, with wool being the most cooperative.

What a surprise! How could I have been around knitting and crochet for so many years and not know this? But I don't recall any patterns that concluded with instructions to block the garment before sewing it up. It must be assumed that we all know this.

Perhaps all you knitters know this already. And I am just late to the game. Or maybe I have just been blissfully ignorant of this technique. But, if it is of any use to you, I am happy to pass the information along.