Two finished objects -- and one of them I sewed!

Unfortunately, neither of them are very exciting, but on the basis that nothing exists if you don't blog about it...

Knitted scarf from an Aldi kit in purple

First (and most unexciting of all) another super quick little knitted project, for which I used a kit from Aldi. It's a weirdly bobbly fashion yarn in Cadbury's Dairy Milk purple. I actually love it, but a work of knitting genius it is really not: 11 stitches of garter stitch, keep going until you run out. Even I managed that without too much difficulty!

Scarf hung loose, also, assorted detritus in the background

Sadly, it's a bit shorter than I really like in a scarf if I'm going to wear it hanging, but I do like it rolled up like in the first photo in the neck of my grey winter coat, so it's at least still useful and it was €4.50 for the kit so I don't really care. (Not sure why I took this photo without moving the box that is waiting to go to the tip and my knitting bag out of the way, but never mind!) Now I just have to convince myself not to start another new easy project but to get on with finishing the Purple Jumper Of Doom. :|

Item no. 2, and officially the first garment I've produced in my new flat, and it's yet another iteration of the Ottobre 02-2013-02 "Summer Basics Tee". For anyone keeping count, why yes, this is version number 7 I've made. I might be slightly obsessed with this pattern.

Ottobre 02-2013-02 version number 7 (no, really) in blue polka dot cotton jersey

I had to re-trace my pattern for two reasons. First, I use really cheap thin tissue paper to trace at the moment and frankly 6 uses was as much as it could take. It was more tape than tissue at this point. I really need to find something better to copy patterns I want to re-use onto, though what that would be I have no idea since I balk at the horrible cost of swedish tracing paper. Second, there was a sizing issue. Previous versions were a fairly straightforward 48 shoulders-to-bust, blending to a 46 at the hip. This version started off a 46 shoulder-to-bust, 44 hip, but after a series of surgeries ended up around a 44 shoulder, 46 bust, and 42 hip. The surgeries did not improve the finish I got, but whatever, this is just a t-shirt for around the house, I can live with a mediocre finish.

I have a whole laundry list of alterations of this top at this point -- neckline narrowed by 4cm (unfortunately, I did 3cm on this top and it JUST flirts with showing my bra strap, which I hate) armhole dropped by 2cm, different neckband application, 5cm cuffs to finish the armhole rather than a bound edge. The newest change, suggested by a friend of mine, is a skinny banded hem finish rather than the usual twin needle hem that I do, top stitched (as was the neck band) in order to prevent it from curling over.

Cuffed hem, top stitch to stop it curling up.

I wish I could have made my band a little less skinny, but alas, I had an allegedly 1m cut that was the most mis-shapen 1m I have ever seen. It was 94cm along one selvedge and 106cm down the other. I was lucky to get the top, neck binding, cuffs and even a skinny hem band out of it. It came from Tissu, who usually do a much better job with cutting, and it cost £4 for a metre (with free p&p because I bought it with a bunch of other stuff).

After my 7 iterations, I've made 3 cotton jersey (including this one), and 4 slinky jerseys of various descriptions. Overall, I think it makes up best in the slinkier stuff with good recovery. The cotton jerseys slowly stretch of the course of the day so you start off with it catching at the hip as intended, and by the end of the day it's hang down over your butt.

Next up, I am tracing ALL THE GARMENTS IN THE WORLD, since I have three separate new patterns that I want to make from magazines this month. Luckily I quite like the tracing process, or at least I don't object to it.

Terrible selfie to finish off!