Bah, kids

I sewed a cape for Alastair last night, and he refuses to wear it :P

We're going to the Fairyland Festival at Kings Park today, so Emma is, of course, wearing a fairy dress, but I thought Alastair would like a wizard's cape. Luckily it was easy to make.



Here's the pattern I use - I did have a commercial adults' cape pattern but it was unnecessarily complicated. Excuse my crappy MS Paint skills. Dimensions don't matter hugely, but the circumference of the curves at the top needs to sit nicely round your shoulders. I used fold-over elastic for the top this time, because it was late and the velour was fighting me.

Yeh, not much time for domestic pursuits lately. The full-time study load with a high-needs toddler is kicking my butt.

I have almost finished the main bodice for Emma's 'Monica' tank, though (then I knit the frill, and attach the two).

That really is about all I've done in the last couple of weeks :( I did find some really good-looking heavy duty webbing and buckles at the army surplus store (saved me a 2 hour trip to Spotlight and it's better quality IMO), so an SSC Mk II is on the horizon. I have some Amy Butler Nigella twill coming in the mail though, so I think I'll wait and use that.

Should be some funky PUL prints coming too (and then I SWEAR I am off co-op buying, honestly), which I think I'll make into some show-off AIOs for summer.

I have established a compost heap and done a whole lot of weeding, and will be re-mulching my fruit trees next week; I suppose those are domestic pursuits too.

Longies in action (I need to cuff them properly).





Dora outfit I made Alastair today because he's obsessed with Dora and you can't buy boys' Dora clothes:

I've been slacking!

Whoops, it's a month since I've updated.

The carrier is FANTASTIC. I used it all over the Gold Coast and it's my go-to carrier for quick back carries now. I'm itching to make another one and adjust a few things, but I need to get to Spotlight and get more webbing ... and I really can't make that trip until uni semester ends unless I get Garry to drive me (can't throw away an entire day).

I need to update my WIP sidebar thingy. Gave up on winter pants & PJs for Alastair, heh, but I'm going to make him a Dora outfit for spring since he looooves Dora and all the clothes in the shops are for girls (a pair of denim long shorts with Dora pockets, and an appliqued T-shirt). I also finished him a pair of longies last night:



Tried to get some action shots today but he didn't really co-operate.

Details:
Picky Pants pattern, XL/Toddler size, adapted to 8ply/DK (first time I've done this - I did a gauge swatch and the maths and adjusted the pattern)
Addi Turbo circular needles, 4mm 40cm and 4mm 30cm.
Cheap 100% wool from K-mart, I love this colourway though.

I highly recommend the Picky Pants pattern, especially for beginners. I've used two free patterns before purchasing this, and though I do really like Shannon's pattern, being a freebie it didn't completely explain doing an enclosed elastic waist or how to eliminate the holes around the crotch. The PP pattern did and now I can tackle any longies pattern because I have the basics down!

The fit is just what I wanted - a little big at present. Folding the waist down gives a perfect fit up there, and the legs are about an inch too long, which I will cuff. This way they should fit next winter (although hopefully he'll only need nappies for night-time by then).

I've just cast on for Knitty's Monica in a bright pink and yellow for Emma (Debbie Bliss cotton DK). This is my first time working with cotton and it is definitely different from wool!

Unfortunately I don't get as much time for knitting and sewing now that I'm studying full-time from home. Boo hoo.

SSC! (Soft structured carrier)

I stayed up until 1am this morning sewing this (started after the kids were in bed, about 9pm), but it was WORTH IT. This is my first soft structured carrier. The waistband is curved, divided into three sections, and padded with 2 layers of a thin but dense camping mat. The straps are padded with 1 layer of the same mat. The body is unpadded; I tend to prefer it that way though I did like the padding in the leg section in the APLX, if I can work out how to do something like that.

I still need to make a chest strap (because it is worn rucksack-style, the chest strap holds the two shoulder straps together across the top of the chest - it works much like a heavy hiking/camping rucksack), but I'm out of webbing. The straps don't seem to slip too much, so it's wearable.

When I make my next one (I have plenty of camping mat left, and got some buckles off Freecycle and of cours e have plenty of fabric ;P, so the only added expense will be some more webbing), I will make the waistband a little less wide/tall, and the shoulder straps a little less wide. Other than that I'm pretty happy with it, especially considering it's a no-pattern job again (I used some tips from The BabyWearer DIY forum, but no actual templates or anything).

Alastair DOES fit in it, and I WILL get some action pics but not when I'm still in my PJs at 11am on not much sleep ;P

I finished B's mei tai while Alastair was napping, but I forgot to take pics of it before I nicely rolled it up, poo. It's nice and bright though - a wavy bright striped pattern with solid purple cotton drill straps. Pretty happy with it, I didn't make any of the little annoying errors I made with previous versions (like not getting the straps quite even/straight, crooked stitching, etc). I just need to make her two wetbags and her package (6 covers, MT, wetbags) is ready to go. Luckily, since she had her baby last night. Wooo!

Then I am done with all the things I promised other people, and I need to sew some stuff for Alastair/me. I really need to get cracking on the faux-AngelPack (I borrowed an AngelPack LX and loooved it, so I will model my SSC on it) because I want it for our trip to the Gold Coast in two weeks. Alastair needs 5 or 6 more pocket nappies/microfibre inserts by then too, because I need quick-drying stuff for hand-washing in the hotel room.

Cast on for a pair of longies in the Picky Pants pattern ... next project I NEED to start on is Tam and Eric's wedding present, which Ican't go into details about in case Tam is reading (but don't worry, guys, it's nothing BIG that'll suck to take back to the US with you, and hey it might fail and you'll end up with something store-bought anyway!)

One-Skein Wonder! Stupid mirror photos :)


This is the WIP I'm currently working on, now that I knocked off the one-skein wonder and the gloves (almost - just need to do the thumb and weave in ends). It's a striped jumper that I started a few months ago and abandoned for a while because it's on 3.5mm needles and will take forever!