Some recent projects

Ribbed Lace Bolero

Yesterday, I finally finished knitting a sweater I had started ages ago. Actually, I've been working on so many other projects this summer, that knitting, often what I call a "winter sport" got knocked down significantly on the priority list. But the weather has been growing cooler, the damp days in the aftermaths of the September typhoons lingering, and dusk coming earlier and earlier to bring in chillier evenings has led me to want something warm wrapped around my shoulders. So I finally finished a lovely little knit lace bolero. I found this design on Kelly Maher's great blog, 10 Feet High. The design is simple and clever, and I was interested in testing out my knitting chops with this great lace pattern. Actually making the lace is not so difficult. I, however, am a bit of a rare item: the left-handed knitter. I've read plenty about "Continental Knitting" which kind of adjusts knitting for left-handers, but, having started learning with my right-handed best friend 10 years ago, I just picked up and starting knitting backwards and have never been able to change. It wasn't until last year or so when I knit a pair of gloves and realized that, while I intended to knit the right glove, I actually came out with the left one. And then I realized, in order for me to follow a pattern requiring a lot of shaping--increasing or decreasing stitches, I literally have to read the lines of the pattern backwards. And it works!
So this sweater was knitted with acrylic Red Heart that I had bought years ago while still living in the States. I loved the color. This sweater perhaps would be better in a wool or cotton, instead of acrylic, as it holds its shape better. Even though I blocked this, it's already stretched a bit under the arms, but that was my fault, as I should have paid more attention when casting off, as it's a little tighter than I would have liked it to be. But it still works, and it looked nice on my date last night! And the evening was the perfect temperature to wear it!



Sexy Summer Sarape

I found this great sarape pattern on another great blog, Weekend Designer. Unfortunately, after 100 posts, the author has decided to discontinue it, but I hope that she will leave it up, as her patterns developed from couture designs are fantastic, and I often get a lot of inspiration and advice from her site.
This sarape was so easy to make. If you follow the Weekend Designer's directions, it is so easy to make this project. The toughest aspect for me was handling the fabric. I picked a sheer rayon that frayed easily. Doing the hems was no problem, but making the bias tape for the neckline and sewing it on proved to be quite a test of patience. But all's well that ends well. It's been a great addition to my summer wardrobe, especially in the ridiculously hot, muggy, city afternoons.



Sinfully Simple A-line Skirt

This was actually my first sewing project on my new sewing machine. I didn't use a pattern, I just measured and chalked the fabric. I had to do some adjustments on the waistline towards the end because I didn't like the way it sat on me, but, other than that, the project was so unbelievably simple. I just measured my waist, hips, and decided on the width at the bottom. (I wanted something that wouldn't be as tight-fitted as a pencil skirt nor as loose as a circular skirt.) Then I measured out the waistband, sewing one side of the skirt first, attaching the invisible zipper. I found a great tutorial on Sew? I Knit! After that, I sewed on the waistband, and that was it! It was so easy, even my mom, the sworn anti-sewer, could do it.



Paisley Pouch

I was shopping for fabric at Yuzawaya with a friend of mine, where, at the register, there was a basket of remnants on sale for a hundred yen ($1) a piece. There was this magenta cotton that was just so vibrant, I absolutely had to have it. Coincidentally, there was a nice striped pattern there as well that turned out to be a perfect match. At the time, I wanted something I could carry my embroidery hoop and thread around in (I absolutely must have something to do on the train, and sometimes I just don't feel like crocheting). So, in the "thread" of embroidery, I thought I'd decorate the bag a little.
The pouch itself was really quite simple to make. I just measured and cut the fabric, and then did the embroidery. After that, I sewed it together on three sides. I folded it in half, and sewed up the sides. I liked the effect here, because a little bit of the striped pattern showed through the seams. My sewing machine is just awesome, and has a lot of decorative stitches, so I used one of them on the seams in a contrasting, blue thread. I planned on making a drawstring by creating a double crochet chain out of some blue cotton yarn, but instead, I used some nylon rope that came on a plastic drawstring bagI had bought flip flops in. Recycling is always good!
The embroidery was actually quite easy. I really love Southeast Asian design, Indian and Thai particularly, so I just drew out a simple paisley design with a pencil on the fabric and followed it. I only used four stitches: split stitch, lazy daisy, satin, and stem stitch. I am no expert on embroidery, but I found with knowledge of a few versatile stitches, you can actually do a lot. I always use "The Sewing Stitch and Textile Bible" by Lorna Knight as a reference. It's a great book, and has helped me with not only embroidery, but also mending and fabric information, too.



Beaded Curtain

The truth is, I started knitting more than ten years ago, but I never bothered learning how to crochet. The pretty flowers and round patterns one can make with crochet were enviously elusive, and seemingly unapproachable. As I mentioned, I like to keep myself busy on the train, so, for a while I was knitting on my way to work. But I came to realize that, sadly, no one wanted to squeeze in next to my clickity-clicking needles gyrating past my elbows. So I thought maybe crochet would still keep me busy without alienating myself on the train. So I bought a book, and started browsing the internet for patterns. I found a charming book called simply "Crochet | Handmade Style" by Stephanie J. Milne, and in it, there was a great beaded curtain. My best friend had some beads hanging in strands (they were lovely, but not enough to call it a curtain exactly), and I always remembered them. So with my love of beads, and with a desire to perfect my chain stitch, I made one. It went by surprisingly fast. Actually, I spent more time searching the shops in Tokyo for cool beads, than I did making the project. And actually, buying the beads was a joy. An expensive joy, but still. Here are a couple of details of some of my favorites:











The marvelous thing about beads is that they are tiny little works of art, each with its own personality, but when put together, especially in a setting like a beaded curtain, they create a lumious chorus of color. Since I made this curtain, I have spent many quiet moments watching them dance in the breeze from my window.



Button Up Ipod Sweater

I love my ipod. It goes absolutely everywhere I go, and I'm almost always plugged into it. I couldn't imagine a life without music, so without my ipod, I'd be doomed to a very quiet existence. So I want to take good care of what is now my third ipod. So I designed this case for it.
The design is really quite simple--I made two panels of stockinette stitch with size 2 needles with a nice cotton yarn. I knitted it tightly because I wanted something that would really protect my ipod as it gets jostled in my bag. After that, I crocheted a simple circle with a double crochet stitch until it was about the size to fit on the front of the case, and stitching it halfway around, made a perfect pocket for my headphones. After that I pieced the front and back panels together using a double crochet stitch, and weaved in a final chain of single crochet to attach to the toggle button. It was finished in about a week, and my ipod is now warm and safe.