idyllicchick

I’ve decided that the easiest way to work on remaking my wedding dress is to go from the top to the bottom. I have a definite deadline on this project (September 28th), so I’d like to get the hardest parts over with first. That coincidently means that I’ll do the sleeves first, the back next, and the hem last. Because everyone knows that in a worst case scenario, your hem can be taped up if you don’t get around to actually sewing it.

Step one, removing the existing sleeves, was fortunately easy. My mother-in-law made the bodice and the sleeves of my wedding dress separately, lined all three pieces, and only then attached the sleeves to the bodice of the dress by hand. This made easy work with a simple seam ripper to remove the sleeves while hanging out with some friends, playing Bananagrams.

It was after I removed the sleeves that I realized that the bodice of the dress was now basically a corset top with underarms in it. Not only did I need to think a bit on what kind of sleeve I wanted to add, but I needed to consider how they would fit in with the high back of the dress.

The ‘sleeve’ I’ve decided to aim for is a retro-feel halter type top. Because this halter will come underneath my armpits, I’m going to have to (Gulp.) cut my dress in order to place the halter. And this is the part that I’m fearing.

I played around with some muslin (I was wise enough to buy a halter bra right away so that I can place the dress straps to cover the bra straps.) in front of the mirror the other day, and constructed a couple of prototype halter straps. I pinned them to the dress and tried the dress on again, took the dress off, recut the straps, on with the dress, adjusted pins, off with the dress, and so on until I think I have the straps the way I want them. But I can’t get myself to just cut the damn dress! What if I mess it up?! Would there be any saving it? I’ve cut my own knitting without thinking twice. I’ve cut into all types of garments, old and new, handsewn and storebought. But this is my wedding dress! My wonderful MIL made it for me! What if I destroy it?! Is there any hope at all?!

Luckily I have a good batch of friends who I know I can call and ask to just sit on the phone with me while I have a small panic attack and a large vodka and cut away at my beloved dress. So stand by your phones, my friends! The next call you take might just save a dress!

About seven years ago my not-yet-then Mother-in-law began making a dress for me. A long, full, princess dress of fuchsia and black in which I would marry the love of my life. Susan and I designed the dress together beginning with a couple of yards of embroidered organza that I had found at the fabric shop a few months earlier.

I love this dress. I love it so much that I don’t want to let it go. I want to wear it again and again and again, and keep receiving compliments on it. So I’m going to hack the sleeves off, crop the hem, and remake my wedding gown into a funky party dress to wear to my 25th high school reunion. There will be lots and lots of bustle, oh yes indeedy there will!

Join me for my journey?!

This past week I had the distinct pleasure to meet up with about 150 other spinners at the January Spin In in Destin, Florida. What an incredible time! Groups of 8 to 12 people sat in spinning circles for four days spinning on drop spindles, spinning wheels, and electric spinners. They spun cobweb thin silk, thick and thin wool, strong cotton thread, and novelty art yarn. People from all walks of life shopped at the various vendors, played show and tell, drank wine, and talked and talked and talked. All of them spinners. Each of them finding some kind of magic between the fluff and the cop of yarn being formed. Happy sounds of whirring flywheels and technique sharing surrounded me. Even on the drive home my friends and I chattered away about the ideas of local spinning retreats and working on our Certificates of Excellence in Spinning. It was so, so lovely. I can’t wait to do it all over again!

Way back in August or so of 2008, I decided to begin planning my Epic Sweater. It was a big birthday year, and I figured a big sweater should accompany it. This is the sweater that I will complete before I feel able to begin my Magnum Opus sweater. After that, it, and the birthdays, will all be downhill.

I decided to knit the colorwork of a fairly complex fair isle sweater called Venezia, but in the shape of another fair isle sweater by the same designer called Autumn Rose. I’ll nip the neckline up quite a bit and probably make the sleeves just a tad longer, but even without the changes it turned out to be quite a bit of work to get this party started. A two year party, at least, as you’ll see.

So I did some color conversion and chose some Knitpicks yarns to work with. Over my great birthday getaway of 2008 I swatched and swatched. I found a color combination that I liked (The bottom one in this photo), and determined my gauge.

Next I broke out the spreadsheet program. I duplicated the Venezia colorwork pattern in black and white, each square representing one stitch, and printed a few copies. I’ll basically draw my torso onto these charts and stitch every square four times.

So I was all set to go! Had my yarn, had my swatches, and even bought a really cool bag to carry my monster project in. Then for some unknown reason, I never cast on. Never until this most recent Christmas vacation. I’m so glad that I took good notes along the way, and typed a little bit into my Ravelry project. I sure did use that info two years later when I picked up the project again. More details later,though, as I really want to knit some more on this tonight!

I never planned to learn to spin. Though I surrounded myself with spinners, and learned the technicalities of the spinning world, I was sworn against the craft. My yarn stash is big enough, I didn’t need to add fiber to my collection as well. But my friends were patient, and politely waited for me to come to them to tell them it was time. That day came just before Christmas, 2008.

Over the next couple of months I played around with fibers that I could scrape together, on both drop spindles and wheels. Friends, of course, were generous, and I also bought some inexpensive roving at the shop to play with. I didn’t really have a goal for any of the resulting yarns; it was just practice. Then one day Celena walked into Hanks with a big bag of merino/nylon pencil roving. I knew immediately which colorway would be mine, and I didn’t even put it on the shelf for the customers to see. I knew I had to have this big poof of lovely shiny, and I knew that I would knit socks with the yarn that I made from it.

I spun the singles and chain-plyed the yarn on the shop’s Louet Julia, the finest wheel on which I’ve had the pleasure to spin! There was definitely unevenness to be had, but plying the yarn helped even it out.

I don’t know how I came to the conclusion, but as I spun the yarn, I just knew that these hand-spun, hand-knit socks would be for my cousin Bill. Bill is a gem of a man. He has made it a point to collect hand-made items from each of his aunts. He has a quilt of my mom’s, an afghan of Aunt Shirley’s, and a recipe book from Aunt Betty. He treasures the small, meaningful things in life, and is the kind of person who will appreciate the time, energy, and love that was put into these socks.

These socks for Bill are just a simple rib pattern, but that helps to ensure a good fit on a pair of feet that I don’t happen to have on the end of my legs. They are the first real product of my handspun yarn and I am quite pleased with the result. I hope these simple socks help keep both his feet and his heart warm and cozy.

For Exhibit C I present to you my first finished knitted object of 2010: Lala’s Wedding Shawl. Not made for Lala, but for me to wear to her wedding (Ravelry link). I began this project in October, teaching a class on it at the shop. It’s a lace entrelac shawl called Dianna. After scoping the other Dianna shawls on Ravelry I decided that adding a simple border gives this shawl the finishing touch it needs.

I have a tendency to leave projects behind once I’ve finished teaching the class for them, so I made it my goal to wear this to Lala’s wedding on January 16th. I calculated how many entrelac squares I’d need to complete each week in order to meet my goal, and I added these to my craft calendar. That craft calendar that works really well until I get behind (Gulp.). I did end up rushing through this on the last three available days before the wedding.

The fabulous thing about knitting lace is the magic of blocking. Before this shawl was blocked it looked a lot like a pile of dog barf.

Strings every which way. A heap of a mess. But let that dog barf take a nice long hot bath, and spread it out to dry, and before you appears a thing of lacey beauty, dropped stitches not withstanding.

This is the first shawl I’ve made, and I’m not quite sure if I’ll do another one any time soon. I did enjoy it, but I certainly have a lot of unfinished objects to get out of the way as I contemplate my next shawl adventure.