Recap 2013

2013 was a big year!

I spent January-April creating a 13-piece collection of vintage-inspired women's clothing.

 

I cut my hair!



We moved in with Sparklepants.  <3

We got married!

We lost our dear Mr. Mackie.

We (so far successfully) fought a carpet beetle infestation.



We adopted two little boy rats from Seattle Animal Shelter!

   

  

  

On the knitting front, I finished 12 items - a lot less than usual! - and started quite a few more, which I'm hoping to finish in 2014.

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Overall, 2013 was a long, difficult year, and I'm glad it's over.  It has been full of both highs and lows - the highs are among the best of my life, and the lows have been similarly extreme.  We've been dealing with some private family stuff lately as well, and trying to figure out how our new little 2-person family is going to live on a day-to-day basis, celebrate holidays, and keep growing together.

Here's to another year over and done with - Happy New Year, friends!

WIP: Waving Lace Redux

 

Almost six years ago, I knit a pair of Waving Lace socks.  They are probably my favorite pair of hand-knit socks; they're a pretty color and pattern, and they go with almost everything.  They are also starting to look sad these days, which is beyond impressive, considering that they are one of my oldest pairs of surviving hand-knit socks.

The originals were knit in Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock, which has worn like iron and survived through perhaps hundreds of machine washings and dryings.  It is kind of weird, though, because none of my other Lorna's Laces pairs held up so well - one of them actually ripped after only a few wearings!

So in honor of my poor Waving Lace socks - which shall soon be donated to the ratties - I started a replacement pair in yarn I got at Knit Fit from Intrepid Otter, a talented local dyer who makes the most gorgeous tonal and self-striping sock yarns.  The yarn is called Twist! and is a 80/20 merino/nylon blend, so I expect it to hold up almost as well as its predecessor.  So far, I love working with it.  The colorway is called Mother of Dragons, which is great, because Daenerys is a gorgeous badass and so are these socks.

Hope everyone had a happy holiday season - I'm off to knit more sock!

Quick Post: Karaoke Party Dress

 

This last Saturday, we had a karaoke party at my school, where we all ate chips and busted out our favorite songs in front of friends and total strangers alike.  I used to sing a lot in high school, so it's always really fun to do karaoke!  I haven't dressed up for a bit, I thought it would be fun to wear this dress, a little number I bought a while back that I think is either from the '30s or '40s.  It's an old-school rayon crepe, and it's wonderfully swingy and fun to wear.  I just love the softness of the dolman sleeve and slightly blousey bodice, combined with the nipped-in waist detail.  Of course, I couldn't resist adding footless tights for warmth and maximum dancing coverage, a pair of Fluevogs, and a pendant necklace - although, by the end of the night, I was running around in red sneakers!

Ambition, Thy Name is Brocade

 

Because I clearly don't have enough things to do already (...hahaharr), I stopped by the super cute and wonderful District Fabric in Fremont today and fell in love with this gorgeous 70/30 silk/rayon Indian brocade.  Many years ago, I found a turquoise and gold sheath dress from early '60s that fit perfectly, but had some damage.  Because I didn't sew at the time, I let it slip away, and I've deeply regretted it ever since.

Fast forward to now, and a friend mentioned that she'd love to do a New Year's dress sewalong, and I realized that I didn't have anything fancy and quick to make up in my fabric stash.  So the minute I saw this fabric, I thought - hey, I could draft a pattern for my One True Sheath Dress off my sloper and sew it up in time for New Year's!  Yeah!

Unreasonable?  Most definitely.  But what better time to make a tight, sparkly-ass dress than the holiday season?