Back to Basics

Here are a couple of shots of the initial reno demolition (attic loft). It has been a finished room for some period of time (since the 20s, we imagine) but the space has heretofore been limited by dormers and low ceilings.

That's lathe stuck to the studs, which you cannot yet see. We think it's about 100 years old. The old carpet is still on the floor - a totally different colour than it used to be! I suspect that the floor is hardwood. We'll know soon enough. Scott and I are arguing about finishing. I am inclined to spend the time and money to restore the original wood (presuming it's salvageable). Scott wants to put in pre-finished hardwood on top of the existing floor (with padding in between to protect the original floor and provide sound insulation). This will cost less and will not damage any original flooring which can be restored at another time.

That's cellulose insulation - effectively, newspaper?! It was all the rage in the 1920s but we think they pumped it in (it's known as blown insulation) in the 1980s. (Speculation, of course.) See how the sill plate has been cut into? I wonder why.

Short Cut to Short Rows

Craftsy lured me back last week with a "We Haven't Seen You in a While" coupon. I got Kenneth King's jeans tutorial for $19.99. When first I looked at it, months ago, I'm sure it cost $80.00.

I just went to visit, for kicks, and found a new course on short rows taught by Carol Feller - for FREE! I don't know if it just managed to be free for me (that I think this is within the realm of possibility says a lot about me) or if it's simply a free course. Maybe it's just free today? At any rate, you can't go wrong with a free course on short rows. Even if you can't imagine ever needing to use them, trust me, you will.

I'm intrigued to see that Craftsy course fees seem to be coming down. Courses that went for 80 bucks (and I don't think I'm imagining that) are now half that. I wonder what that's about?

Update 2 seconds after posting: Apparently, everyone who's left comments on the short rows course is complaining about the video taking forever to load and then glitching. Hmmm... I guess Craftsy hasn't got its act together yet? Maybe you can go wrong with a free course? I'm going to see if it'll work for me...

Yet another update: I've been watching the video for an hour without incident. All I can say is that the instruction is excellent - Ms. Feller is the clearest and least chatty instructor I've watched on the site so far. (Note that I'm not looking for a conversationalist. I just want the instructor to explain the issue clearly without fluff and this teacher delivers.) I've worked a lot of short rows lately. Over a couple of projects, I've applied them to create shaping in sleeve caps, bust darts and the curl-over curve of a shawl collar. I'm really happy to have access to this video to learn about the Japanese method (and when it's most useful) and how to manipulate stitches to pick up wrap and turn loops tautly. No complaints here so far.

It Took A While...

So, I've finally finished my cropped shawl sweater, a month after beginning the project. That may not seem like a huge time investment for something created from scratch, but it was protracted from my vantage point. The last 6 weeks have been other-worldly on the busy front. I've got to get through this next week (a few events, readying the kid for 6 weeks away and getting myself organized, reno starts tomorrow - demo starts on Wed. etc.) and then I'm off to NC.

Let's start with the pics and then I'll tell you about my findings:

While it looks better on me, what with me being a real person, it's too wide in the shoulder... Remember, this dress form is wider than me, and you can still sort of see it. Mind you, on me, the front comes together in a nicer way.

Here's that join that traumatized me. In the end, it's not noticeable to others. I'm going to see if I can provisionally cast on these stitches in my next attempt. If it doesn't work, at least I will have tried.

Overexposed to show the detail...

This is the true colour. Look at those adorable buttons. I got them with Mardel in NYC last year...

 

I hand-sewed silk petersham ribbon to back the button holes and the buttons. What a production... (see below)

The Good:

• It's a lovely cut.
• Practical!
• The yarn worked really well, even though it was a light worsted rather than a DK.
• My many sizing alterations and, ahem, experiments, seemed to work pretty well.
• It's not hard to make once you know what you're doing.
• I had awesome help from everyone - thank you!

The Less Good:

• Those short rows were mind-bending until I figured them out.
• I learned (the hard way) that you need to end the upper back and upper front pieces on the same row (right at the underarm join), or you're pattern will be uneven. Oh well - it really is not noticeable unless I point it out.
• This thing is too big in the shoulders. Next time I'm going to take 12 stitches (about 2 inches) out of the upper front and back to get the cap to sit right on my narrow shoulders. I will add those stitches back at the underarm join when I start making the body of this top down sweater, so that I don't lose necessary width at the full bust. I don't think, given the construction method, that I can do this any other way. But if anyone can identify potential challenges with my proposed work around, pls. advise!
• I had enough yarn to lengthen the body slightly more, and to lengthen the sleeves. Next time (I'm going to use exactly the same yarn in a diff colour so that I don't have to rescope sizing), I will add about an inch to body and to sleeves.

The Ugly:

• I really do not like that join at the shawl collar. I don't know if provisional cast on will solve the problem. It will remove the horizontal seam, but it may not fix the half-stitch off challenge.
• I did not start the first few rows of the through-the-back-loop rib very elegantly. It does show on the finished product (not that I'm going to highlight it for you). Alas, that's a learning curve element that will not be repeated. I more than got comfortable with the rib stitch in the course of making this sweater.
• The instructions were not particularly helpful - and I identified an error that cost me a few hours in ripping back the left-collar. Directions instruct one to short row on the inside of the collar instead of the outside. Note: I find knitting instructions to be suboptimal at the best of times. I think it's more about the convention and my lack of experience than about the instructions themselves.

And Let's Talk About The Machine Buttonholes:

•  Lord, this was a production - and not one that I can guarantee will really add much to the finished sweater. I mean, it's not like there's so much weight on the (short) button band that everything's going to stretch all to hell...
• ...Except, in trying to get the sweater under the needle on my Singer, I had to stretch that band all to hell. Here's hoping that some steam and reblocking will tighten the whole thing up again.
• To its credit, the machine did not mess up the buttonholes - and this sweater plus ribbon is about as much bulk as one could insert under the needle under any circumstances. (The buttonholer imposes some restrictions because you can't lift it up very high.) The pile of the knit rib made things particularly challenging.
• The reason that the buttons are not perfectly aligned on the band is because I had very little option to maneuver things once I eventually positioned the band under the needle. I actually used a piece of plastic to help slide things around. You can even stitch through it, but I didn't find it necessary with the Singer. It didn't struggle with the buttonholes at all (this machine is STRONG).
• There is nothing quite so stressful as applying a make or break technique to your garment at the last second. This was a very good learning experience, but I wonder if I'll use it again on this particular sweater.

But enough of the chatter. What do you think of the finished product? Do you think the machine buttonholes add or detract from the final result?

Grade 6 Was So Last Year

We had her hair styled (alas, all the curls fell out due to humidity) and she chose the necklace (from her collection) - which works great with the outfit, IMO.

The graduation event was surprisingly emotional - and has inspired intense discussion (some of it very sad, very deep) between me and Scott.

I wish for my child that she will take the sustenance of her longstanding community into a new one, to find what thrills her creatively, what intrigues her intellectually. I see her on the precipice, between childhood and independence, and I hope this next phase will be kind. I hope she finds her place. I hope she makes wonderful friends she will know when she is 42. I hope that I can nurture her through the next phase, that my compulsion to fulfill my own creative goals doesn't impinge on my ability to parent her well. I love my girl, even though it's hard for me to be somebody's mother. I hope she understands.

This Crazy Thing I Did

You know how I went shopping for the grad dress. Well, other than prosecco, what I really needed was an easy shopping moment. I decided it would be educational to show M how it works: You find something you want/need. You look for the right size. You take a couple of sizes into the change room (just in case). You try on. Optional: You ask the SA for another size. You debate the merits of the garment in all of the sizes. You decide whether the purchase is viable (this takes 5 minutes). You buy. OR You walk.

The item in question, for me, was jeans. You know I wear them tout le temps. I've tried to make them. (Disaster.) Note: I will make another pair of jeans. I just need some more time to get over the last experience - and to feel more comfortable with making buttonholes.

Anyway, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I have been intrigued by Not Your Daughter's Jeans for quite a while. They're supposed to disguise one's post-natal / middle-aged abdominal challenges. In full disclosure, I've had those challenges since before I had a kid or approached middle age.

I found myself at The Bay - looking for M's grad dress shoes - on a sale day - and the jeans were right next to the shoes.

You may recall that, recently, I tried on every pair of jeans in a "denim boutique", only to find that there wasn't a-one with a rise that hit my navel - except for a tall-brand (name eludes me right now). Amazingly, the tall jeans fit my proportions pretty well - because I'm all legs in as much as I have height. But over time they've stretched out everywhere. I knew from the get-go that the fabric memory was mediocre, but I bought them out of impulse - and I've vaguely disliked them ever since. (Note: It's rare that I buy something I come to dislike, but it does happen...) I'm still looking for a pair to approximate my Second Denim (Yoga) jeans - a brand I loved, the quality of which has floundered in recent times. I really cannot recommend the new crop.

This is where NYDJ (I cannot bear to call it by name) comes in. While waiting for M to choose shoes, I was pleased to try them but amazed to find that the petite style was WAY too short (I'm only 5'3" people). The regular size, however, was the perfect length, and they are very well-constructed jeans indeed. The fabric memory is awesome. The rise is HIGH (but not visibly so). The pockets are well-positioned to give the impression of a high-derriere. The width of the bootleg is not extreme, but balancing. There are no stitching embellishments (at least on the style I tried). The denim is dark and rich. Happily, there are no signs of branding to call one's attention to the horror of the name.

Seriously, ladies, this denim is an excellent product and it looks awesome. When I tried these jeans on, M said: Wow, they're amazing! You have to get them! When I told her the brand name she snort-laughed and said: Do NOT tell anyone! That's the worst thing I've ever heard. If they're not daughter's jeans, what are they? Mom-jeans???

Now, the thing is, name aside, they're not cheap. Note: I think you're high to go cheap on jeans unless you are a) very young and slim or b) truly unable to afford anything else. Good denim shows its chops. It's cut well, it wears well. It trims and lengthens. It looks luxe, no matter you pair it with. I managed to get a discount, though the jeans were not actually on sale. But I would have paid the $170.00 price tag (which comes to $192.00 after tax). As it is, I paid $160.00.

I also believe that they are optimally constructed for a shorter woman with an apple shape that's proportionate but not extreme.  (What I mean is, though they come in plus size, I don't know that they're ideal for that shape. If you fall into that bracket and you've tried them, I'd love to know your thoughts!) I don't think they're long enough in the leg for a really tall woman (though I didn't see the "tall" sizes). I don't think they'd work fantastically for a pear-shape - as the derriere fits well on the basis of the fit constructed around a proportionately larger stomach. The legs are pretty slim, if stretchy, so I don't think those with width in the upper thigh or low hip will necessarily find them flattering. Essentially, I'm suggesting that they fit a slimmish apple frame with a proportionately large stomach - the kind of shape you see in certain middle-aged women who've had kids or who are embarking on the journey to menopause. Wow, I sure do make them sound sexy.

Hilariously, they are so vanity-sized, it's absurd. I bought a size 4 (a stretchy 29 inch waist and 39 inch hips). I think this size might actually be a bit loose as the denim wears. You can see they're appealing to the woman who used to be an RTW size 4. But I'm not knocking it.

So, have you tried this brand? What do you think of my perspective on the demographic? Does the name totally put you off? Do you agree that California-designed denim is the best around? (I do.) Let's talk...

Graduation

This post is brought to you by a weird woman who's worn sunglasses more or less non-stop for the last 3 days - I'm wearing them even now as I type this in my living room (and I've diminished the brightness on my computer screen) because the migraine I got late last week seems to have left me quite photosensitive.

M and I, on our crazy adventure today (migraine-inducing for anyone) ate lunch at Holt's and I just know our waiter (a really discreet guy I've known for years) thought I'd had work done. I mean, when ladies wear their sunglasses at the Holt Renfrew upstairs restaurant, it's code. Even M said: Mummy, they're being really nice to you today.

But enough about me, this post is about shopping for a grade 6 graduation dress (plus shoes!) with and for my daughter. I put it off for as long as possible, what with my strong contention that graduating from grade 6 is ridiculous and that spending wads of money on a forced occasion adds insult to injury. Did I mention I have a reno starting in a week? And I'm going to NC (2 grand for tickets people)? And I've got Scott's birthday dinner next weekend? You can see where I'm coming from...

Alas, I'm not going to be the mother who makes her kid wear one of my dresses on principle (largely because she can't fit into any of them). We went out, but first we made a pact. Our pact was that she would back off if I refused to buy something because I couldn't approve of it and that I would back off if she refused to try something because she couldn't approve of it. And, that if we started to fight for any reason, we would hug instead.

We spent a lot of time hugging.

And thank goodness I reneged on my part of the bargain or she never would have been forced to try on this (the last hope for humanity, in case you're interested):

It's Max Azria - a cherry red silk ruffled number with boning (and silicone seams). It's actually sleevless. Those straps keep it on the hanger.

It is beautifully made. Honestly, it's top-notch RTW construction. Originally, it was $400.00 and it was reasonably priced, IMO. We got it for $150.00 which, given that the kid is not going to any cotillions in the next year, is a total insanity.

But wait, you might think, she'll wear it sometime in the future - to a wedding! Um, she has gazelle legs. Her legs are longer than mine at this point and my legs are very long. This thing is on the cusp of too-short already. And it's a petite size 0, so good luck finding someone else who'll fit into it.

In truth, I had to renege on my part of the pact because she flat out REFUSED to try anything on. Store after store yielded nothing she would even consider. She didn't like ruffles, colour, black, white, short, long, sleeves, sleeveless, tight, loose. Lord.

People, today I learned that my child is a terrible shopper. As bad as my mother?! She's like a deer caught in the headlights wherein dresses are the headlights. OMG, I thought I was going to lose my mind.

Of course, this shouldn't come as any surprise to me. I've been buying her everything she wears since she was born, on my lunch hour, and it always fits (it's a gift I have) and she always loves it (well, 90% of the time) so that's that. Horrifyingly, I have facilitated the kind of shopping anxiety in my kid that, formerly, I have only seen on television shows.

Here's what you need to know about me. I am an awesome shopper. Oh, many things I do mediocrely, but shopping is not one of them. I'm decisive. I know what will fit me (or you, or anyone on the street). I know what won't fit anyone under any circumstances. I know how to talk to the SAs so they find things in the back that are perfect that otherwise never would have made it to the floor. I have terrific taste (dare I say it myself - and I am totally bragging right now so I'll keep on)... And I do ALL THE FREAKIN' work. All you need to do is be willing to try the fucking things on and you are going to love yourself at the end of it.

Long story short, after I threatened to make her go to grad naked, my daughter agreed to try on the red dress. Is it an inappropriate cut for a 12 year old? I prefer to ask whether it's any less appropriate than grade 6 graduation. In jeans and a t shirt, she already looks much older than she is. It's not as if I'm trying to pull of a Toddlers in Tiaras thing. The dress fits perfectly and she will be wearing it with flat sandals. OK, flat, gladiator sandals. In gold. (What, they are actually an eclectic match for a kid who knows how to work hard and soft. And have you ever tried to match a fancy red dress with anything other than a leopard pump?)

Natural shopping my kid may not have, but style she has in spades.

A Short (Row) Discussion

Let's talk briefly about short rows (again). I can't say I really understand them in most contexts - they still hurt my brain (which has been going through some migrainous challenges this week...) - but I do get where they're coming from with the shawl collar.

In fact, as happens so frequently, a mistake (costing me hours and ripped-back yarn), recently explicated how they work to shape a collar.

OK, they're not actually adding depth to the collar, as I see it, though I suppose you could view it that way. They're acting like notches in a sewn curve (i.e. the notches you clip into a bust curve of a princess seam to get it to lie properly). They're giving shape to the collar by adding little pie-shaped wedges around the outer curve.

When you knit you can't clip your yarn to achieve the proper turn of fabric and drape, so you have to introduce appropriate "shaped-space" into the construction of your fabric.

Here's the very general, unadorned anatomy of the shawl collar short row:

• Row 1: You knit over to a specified stitch, wrap around the next stitch, turn your work around.
• Row 2: Now you knit back to where you started at the beginning of row 1. You have a weird little row that doesn't actually affix to anything, except by a wrapped loop. This is the short row.
• Row 3: You knit back to that wrapped stitch, pick it up and keep going till you get to the end of the "real" row. At this point you've introduced an extra wedge of a row that doesn't actually add to your row count, though it does shape your garment.

All things being equal (and I can think of how this could be proved wrong, but I'm being general here) a wrap and turn that happens farther into the collar ribbing (closer to the side of the rib where the stitches will be sewn to the collar) will yield a broader pie-shaped wedge.

If you want a long rectangle of (ribbed) fabric to mold into a shawl-curve, you'll need to introduce wedges of different widths (i.e. "notches") at various intervals in its construction.

Does this make any sense to y'all, or is this the kind of thing that needs to be seen to be believed?