FO: Whiteness of the Whale

This is Whiteness of the Whale by Ann Weaver. My yarn is Simply Shetland Silk & Lambswool, which is a tweedy blend of silk and wool. It's very lightweight and perfect for the cooler days of spring and summer. The best part of this sweater is the back -- I love scallop-like stitch pattern. I made mine a bit shorter by eliminating one of the scallop patterns. I added on about 1.5" after the last scallop and flattened the curve by doing my decreases next to the yarn-overs. I also changed the placement of the bottom hem cables. I only did two on the back and one on each front. The back ones are located at the edges of the last scallop.

There are other pattern mods here and there. I used a provisional cast-on for the shoulders so that I could use 3-needle bind-off to attach them. I narrowed the shoulders a bit and made other sizing adjustments. For the bottom and sleeve hems, I did four rows of purl stitches and bound off in purl and just let the edges roll inward. I wanted a sturdier front edge so I applied a 5-stitch I-cord and left openings for the small button holes. I only wanted buttons on the top front and my sleeves are 3/4 length.

I'm very pleased with the end result. This might turn out to be one of my favorite lightweight cardigans.

Sewing FO: Vogue v1352

This is Vogue Patterns V1352, and it's a great summer dress. I wanted to make this as soon as I saw the pattern, even though I think it sort of looks like a nightgown as it is shown on the pattern envelope. The pattern recommends a knit fabric, but I wasn't going there because I figured that it would just look too droopy with a knit. Also, I didn't want the long length, which probably contributes to the nightgown look. Instead, I used a linen-cotton fabric to give it a crisper look, and I shortened the pattern to knee length. The fabric is fairly lightweight, so I lined just the skirt with some cotton lawn cloth. I made the smallest size and I gathered the neckline a bit more to bring it in. The only surprise about the fit was that the waistline came up higher than I expected. From the pattern photo, it looked like it might be loo low. Perhaps using a knit would have made it fall lower.

I love this dress because it's really easy to wear and ultra comfortable in warm weather. It sews up really fast because it only has five pattern pieces. The most annoying part of the sewing was gathering up the neckline to fit within the neckline band.

Scenes from the Maker Faire

I finally went to a Maker Faire this weekend. It's been on my bucket list to attend one. I know, it's not an exciting bucket list item, but sometimes you get that. This one is held in San Mateo, California, and it is indeed chock full of interesting show-and-tell.
Here's some sort of ginormous Lego ship

And here's a Lego microscope

I should have taken a video of this one -- the fish and lobsters all move




The stuff on the wall are hangers. The stuff on bottom is made of rolled up masking tape

These are air filled and blown

Paper clothing (I wonder what happens if you get wet?)

Crafty zone -- there was some knitting and spinning in this area

More of the hanger art

WIP: Whiteness of the Whale

I've finished the body of the Whiteness of the Whale. The photos don't do this sweater justice because they do not show the back detail clearly. I made mine shorter by doing only five of the vertical repeats. I added a bit more length to the bottom by continuing the yarn-over increases but doing the decreases right next to them. This smooths out the tail a bit. I also put just one set of cables on the bottom and I placed them at the edge of the stitch pattern after the last repeat. For the bottom, I added four purl rows and just let it curl under.

For the fronts and neckline, I applied an i-cord instead of picking up stitches. I wanted a firmer edging and the i-cord allows for easy and sturdy small button holes.

Everything is finished on the body and it fits beautifully. I've started on one sleeve and it shouldn't take long now because simple sleeves go very fast for me.