Bits and pieces

KS 3555

• I decided if I wanted anything new in my wardrobe at the moment, it was more classic shirts. You may recall that I particularly like (and still wear on a weekly basis) the two shirts I made last year using Ottobre 05-2012-07. However, although I like that pattern a lot I decided I wanted one specific thing -- a back yoke -- that the Ottobre pattern doesn't have. As I handily happened to have a pattern that does in my stash, Kwik Sew 3555, I am currently working on adjusting it for a first attempt. The only think KS3555 is missing that I really want to try is a tower sleeve placket. I'm going to do the regular facing for my first version, but I might look at the Shirtmaking book to see if I can copy the tower placket pattern from that and have a go with it for a later attempt. (I admit my desire for a tower placket is a little bit bandwagon-y as it's due to seeing so many contrast tower plackets on completed Sewaholic Granville shirts. I will never buy the Sewaholic Granville for myself because I am so emphatically not the pear shape that she designs for that her measurement chart puts my hips and bust 5 sizes apart from one another, which: no.)

•  I am also enjoying knitting quite a lot at the moment, and have made loads of progress on my Groovy scarf (Ravelry link). I picked this pattern deliberately, even though, to be honest, it's a very dull stocking stitch thing, because it gave me a great deal of necessary practice re-learning to purl. This was because I discovered I was twisting every purl stitch by mistake in previous knits. I am still not as fast purling as I am knitting, but working on this scarf has really helped. I actually ripped back my alleged second project (an aran weight sweater) for loads of boring reasons, but mainly because I think I just like knitting one thing at a time. It's only postponed until a more suitable time of the year to work on a winter-weight sweater, and in the interim I have picked out my next knitting project (and of course, bought yarn).

• The reason I would never pledge a total RTW fast: this week I bought 4 pairs (three for summer, one for now) of my favourite (well-fitting) high street shop trousers thrift, all of them brand new with tags, for less money that it would have cost me to buy one pair brand new from the shops or buy the fabric for two pairs. I will have to take a couple of them up at the hem (they are "extra-long" and I wear "long"), but that's the most trivial of alteration tasks. I totally could have sewed trousers for myself, but I don't see any reason to when the stars aligned to give me well-fitting RTW for half the price. On the other hand, I am glad that I can dismiss the minor alterations needed as "trivial" because I sew.

•  I am experiencing uncharacteristic indecision about what bags to make for myself with the fabrics I've pulled from stash. I keep making my mind up and then... un-making my mind. Thus, I am no further on with any of my bag projects that I was two weeks ago. I think I just need to get over myself and do some cutting out!

• I've gone a bit quiet on the embroidery/Alabama Chanin front, but it's not because of a lack of thinking about it and some activity in the background. I definitely have a lot to say about the Alabama Chanin thing in particular, but I want to finish one last little thing before I post any photos or my long-winded thoughts on the topic.