Multitasking

I have said I am highly susceptible to the power of suggestion, which is probably why I have so many books and a very large yarn and fabric stash. It’s also why over the years I’ve dappled in papercrafts, beading, polymer clay and weighted weaving, in addition to sewing and knitting. I have also crocheted—but only to finish knitting.

A little weaving
April’s birthday is at the end of the month and my first thought for April revolved around some Cherry Tree Hill Baby Sachet ribbon yarn and trying to come up with something I could do quickly, so I set up my handy-dandy frame that Tom made for me and set to weave a scarf. I spent a day on the project and I like how it looks, but it’s so loose a weave, I just don’t think it’s really practical as a scarf for a busy mom of two boys, so…

Something new
Here’s where the power of suggestion comes in: a year or so ago I was pointed to the Stitch Diva Studios site, where I saw a very cool skirt. It was made with hairpin lace and I toyed with the idea for a day or so, but wrested myself from the temptation…until last week, when Knitty Gritty aired a segment with Jennifer Hansen. After seeing how straightforward the technique was (having a really good presenter makes a big difference), I headed to the site, ordered a loom and the skirt pattern. As an aside, it is noteworthy to point out that the looms are made by Jensen Woodworking which is located in—you guessed it!—Oregon.

I thought I’d start with something simpler as a gift, so here is April’s convertible wrap (a free project from Stitch Diva) in progress. It’s Madil Apache, a wool blend ribbon from my stash. Once I got the rhythm of the process (Jennifer has a great tutorial on the Stitch Diva site) I breezed through the first two strips. There aren’t a lot of patterns available yet, but the ones I’ve found are different and interesting, including those on Stitch Diva and Oat Couture.
 

Progress
And I’m still working on the Sasha skirt.

What to do with ugly (but “free”) fabric
Well nothing is really free, but I didn’t pay anything extra for it. I like Fabric Mart and was lured to their site by a “last chance” email. There were two fabrics that I really wanted, so I put them in my shopping cart, and thought “Just a few more dollars and I can take advantage of their free yardage offer.” When I got the order the first thing I saw was this fabric. Did I order that? Digging into the box and looking at the packing slip, I realized that it was one of the “free” fabrics that I received even though I didn’t actually receive all I’d ordered. Of course the two I really wanted someone else wanted before me.

I’m in the process of matching fabric with patterns and this unattractive fabric will make a great “muslin” for some knit pants. Who knows? Maybe it will look better as a garment, than as a flatfold of fabric.

…And there are shirts to sew for Tom…I’d better get off this computer…