All posts by peneloping

Hello New York

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This hat is an ego boost. It took me less than a day to finish it, I used up some leftover scrap yarn that was just going to sit in a pile anyway, and it’s slouchy and lovely. The pattern is called Hello New York and it’s really quite simple.

I actually changed it up a bit because I was running out of the pale peach colored yarn (leftover from my Hermione gloves) and I didn’t feel like I should be running out to buy more of something I was just trying to use up in the first place. Instead of repeating the six peach rows and two pink rows five times before starting to decrease, I did it four times, started the decrease, and ended up with two rows of pink at the very top. I also used worsted weight yarn (doubled) instead of DK weight yarn anyway like the pattern calls for so it would have ended up ginormous if I’d kept going with the extra pattern repeat.

It also made me feel less of a failure as I worked on my first sock ever, which I keep alternating between worrying that it’s going to end up far too huge or that blocking it is going to be entirely ineffective and it’s just going to be lumpy.

 

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I’m totally in love with the pattern though. And the reindeer.

Harry Potter apparently leads to knitting obsession.

Usually sewing is my thing. Usually knitting is something I do when I’m away from my sewing machine and so bored I can’t survive without making something, anything.

But then again before three weeks ago, really the only thing I knew how to do was knit, purl, and decrease. I had only a vague idea of how to cast on properly (I used to crochet a single chain and pull loops onto a knitting needle. Embarrassing, amirite?), a vague concept of something that slightly resembled k2tog, and not even the faintest clue how to add stitches. Needless to say, I mostly stuck to scarves and the occasional lumpy hat.

But somehow in the past three weeks, I’ve watched loads of online tutorials and read all kinds of diagrams, and not only can I do all of the above, but I’ve also mastered cables! (Seriously, cables were a bit of a mystical beast before.) I’m even dropping phrases like “k2tog” in a blog post, apparently I also gained quite a bit of coolness in the last three weeks.

Anyway, I place all the blame of this recent surge of inspiration on the latest Harry Potter movie. There’s no other explanation.

Christmas in France.

It’s my last full day in France! I’m going to peel myself out of bed at some point and head to town for some shopping for chocolates and whatnot for people back home. Tomorrow afternoon I’m off to London again and I’ll be there for a week before going back home.

Not gonna lie, I miss my sewing machine. I saw Deathly Hallows twice before leaving and I am absolutely irrevocably obsessed with Hermione’s entire wardrobe. In fact right before I left I decided that I just HAD to have her fingerless mittens so I did a lot of searching online and found this lovely site called Freshisle Fibers where I bought the pattern. Sadly my first attempt came out too small so I have to retry it when I get home.

Here’s the first attempt anyway:

As soon as I get back and get settled in I have a few projects already lined up. I’m definitely going to be looking into Hermione’s red dress. It’s too gorgeous not to make. I’ve already found some lovely hi-res photos and have been taking mental notes on construction. Then of course there’s that lovely blue/gray-toned Fair Isle hoodie cardigan. I’ve been wanting to master Fair Isle knitting for ages and I think I’ll get myself acquainted with it by making Hermione’s Fair Isle scarf from the Half Blood Prince and go from there. Yay knitting!

New camera squees!

I’d been eyeing the new Casio Exilim for ages and finally caved and ordered it on Saturday. This morning I woke up, stumbled out of my room, and there it was waiting for me outside my door.

Anyway, the point is I can take decent pictures of costumes now. Huzzah!

This is how far I’ve gotten with the ES wedding dress. The dress itself is mostly done, other than some lace that needs to be attached and I still have to hem the top of the upper skirt attachment. All that’s left is about three and a half butt-loads of gold leafy/straw embroidery. I have the pattern scaled and printed out, I just need to figure out where it goes.

As for my Halloween costume, I’ll have to post pictures of my almost-finished Snow White costume later. Squee for successfully gusseted sleeves!

I start on Halloween costumes ridiculously early.

I somehow managed to get the bodice right on the first try. This literally never happens.

The headband took me about ten minutes to make. I literally just took a thick plastic headband and attacked it with thick red ribbon and a glue gun. There was minor stitching on the actual bow part though but minimal.

For the gusseted sleeves I used Aranel’s tutorial, same one I used to make my Susan Pevensie archery sleeves. I just made the holes bigger. I can’t tell you how many tutorials I read where people cut corners by just sewing on strips of red fabric, or cutting holes without finishing them. One person even described painting red ovals on. o.O

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I also made a petticoat with two layers of tulle. I have two more strips cut out but it’s already so fluffy I want to try it on under the finished dress before I decide if it needs more poof.

I already can’t wait for Halloween! …..Maybe I should work on the part where I don’t have actual plans yet.