Stash-busting time

I need to stash-bust, because I've committed my budget for next month already :P (I'm going to get a Storchenwiege woven wrap.) So my sewing and knitting for the next month will have to come from stuff I've already got. Shouldn't be that hard, haha.

I've been a bit slack lately, because Alastair's not been sleeping well. I did make two PUL covers for Alastair, and I'm finally happy with my cover pattern for both snaps and touchtape.

Mermaid pants!

These are the pants for a Little Mermaid costume for a cute little girl who's turning four soon:





It's not blurry edging on the 'fins', there's a layer of netting-type fabric in front. The fins pretty much stand up on their own. These were pretty simple really, but I'm still proud of how they turned out. I took a basic pants pattern, then drew a fin freehand, cut 4 in satin and 4 in netting, assembled the fins, and just sewed the fins in as I was doing the outer leg seam of the pants.

I finished my first glove, and it FITS. Yay! The yarn didn't stripe/pattern quite how I thought it would, so it's come out looking a little odd, but after getting halfway through I wasn't going to rip it back :P
I wish I'd done a rib edging at the bottom, so it didn't roll, but again, I can't be bothered ripping it back - as my first pair of gloves, there'll be other things wrong with it, so I'll just aim to do better next time :)

FO!

Finished object: 4BF Merino longies






Pattern: Shannon's free longies pattern (on Nappycino), in Toddler size.
Needles: Addi Turbo 3.25mm 40cm and 4mm 30cm, and Clover bamboo 4mm 40cm circular needles.
Yarn: Four Bags Full merino, hand-dyed by Katanya of BaaBums.
Thoughts on pattern: I love the fit of these with the wide legs and the short row placement in the back. Pretty easy to follow.

I need to fix the cord, it's FAR too short and not twisted enough. I was finishing them in a hurry for the Perth nappycino today!

I also acquired some more projects:
- a Little Mermaid costume for a friend's daughter's birthday in July

- a black cape for my nerd-brother to wear to a Harry Potter party in July
- something to sew for a WAHM as an experiment :)

I should get off the computer and get on the sewing machine!

A couple of pics of the pants in action. The pants part fits really well, but I need to shorten or add another snap to the straps because they kept falling down. I think it's partly the shirt he's wearing (excuse the grotty shirt, it's the one he wore to bed), but he looks kind of like Joe McDonald, the CFMEU boss, with his belly hanging out, lol.

WIP/FO pics

The camera is FINALLY back!

Tonight's project: a very '70s pair of red velour pants/overalls for Alastair. Hey, I think they're funky. I got the pattern from an op shop (well, the idea/straps/instructions - when I opened the envelope it was missing the actual pattern pieces for the pants but I just used a basic pants pattern I've drafted), and just used resin snaps instead of buttons, because I hate buttons/buttonholes. It's 100% cotton velour, and it is soooo soft.



My current WIP (well, one of them, but the one I'm currently focussed on) is this pair of longies. On to the second leg now!

I'm really happy with the 4BF merino. Not only is it lovely to work with, but I'm about two-thirds of the way down the first leg, and still on the first 100g ball. There isn't a contrast waistband, either, it's all done in this colourway.
Two of my short row spots have obvious holes and I'm not sure why. I don't think I did them any differently from the others. I also noticed if I do an 'm1' increase I get a hole but 'kfb' is farrrrr less noticeable. It's probably just my technique.

On my to-do list

I gave up on knitting my sister's scarf in time for her birthday. It'll have to be a Christmas present - a scarf in summer? Why not! It was getting tedious, though, and I got caught up in knitting with my new Baa Bums wool, sooo I just ordered her a T-shirt online instead. Sometimes I'm very lazy ;)
The longies (with the Baa Bums wool, using Shannon's pattern on Nappycino) are coming along nicely, I'm about two-thirds of the way through the body. This wool (4BF merino) is a dream to work with.
I despair of my jumper ever getting done. I think for my first adult garment I should have picked something in a bulkier yarn (it's knit on 3.25mm needles). But depending on what the weather is like as I come to the end of the body, I could easily make it short-sleeved or even sleeveless for spring evenings.
And my first glove is about halfway done. I think I'll go back to that when I finish the longies.
I've just drafted a few different patterns together to get a basic pants pattern that should fit Alastair perfectly. I have some cotton velour and corduroy to do up into pants. I think Emma might like a pair of velour pants too.
Unfortunately our camera has been at the repair shop for EIGHT WEEKS *grrr* so no WIP (work-in-progress) pics for now.

First post!

I doubt anyone's reading this, but hello big internet world.

I already have a blog over at LiveJournal but felt I wanted something different so as not to bore the friends I have there with my crafty endeavours.

I call myself 'surprisingly domestic' because I never really considered myself the domestic arts type, but I now love to bake cakes, sew and knit. I was more of the academic type in school, and never thought I'd even have kids, but here I am, a SAHM to two children, knitting up cloth nappy covers in my spare time.