I've Started so I'll Finish

What am I to do? My head is always a buzzing with things I want to make, colours I want to try mixing up, yarn I want to play with, shapes I fancy fiddling with and fabric that needs to become a thing. As a result I end up with all sorts of just started, halfway there and almost finished doings. Just occassionally these doings become an actual thing. Then we can oohh and aaah over it before it becomes something we use everyday and love having in our world.

Now this weekends diversion was this cardigan which I saw on the front of The Knitter. Countdown to pay day a week and a half, pennies dwindling, so no magazine buying I reasoned. All the way round the supermarket I kept thinking about the gorgeousness of the pattern and the fact that there was at least one other pattern in there that I fancied knitting for Miss Rosey (thereby making it a bit more of a worthwhile buy). In the end I gave in, rushed back and chucked it in my trolley before dashing off to Little Bun's last ever primary school drama play. Miss Rosey was being collected by Grandma as I can do many things, but be in two places at 4 o'clock isn't one of them.

I had a good old think about this pattern and realised I had to wait over a week to buy any cotton yarn, or I could see if there was anything in the stash. I have a few bags of yarn, bought for projects that never happened or I just got bored to tears with, hidden in our big old school cupboard. After a rifle through this is what I came up with. Now as the pattern needs at least 8 x 50g balls and I only had at the most five in one shade I decided I could mix up a couple of colours of similarish weight. I also knit pretty tightly which takes my knitting down a size. I reckoned the fact that the pattern says 3.75 needles and Rowan Calmer and All Seasons Cotton needs to be knitted in a 4.5 or 5mm needle meant we could kind of meet in the middle somewhere.

So this is where I'm at so far. I absolutely love the leaf shape motif of the lace pattern and how it drapes in the actual proper DK Cotton, but hey ho impatience and finance demands I give it a go in what's to hand. To be honest I really rather like the combination of these sea colours. Somewhere nice and hot on holiday type of sea of course, not the murky North Sea. I'll carry on and see where this yarn takes me and if it all works out swimmingly, then I might even be investing in another one in a full blown cotton version.

Now with my head always fizzing with ideas alongside normal family life, it can be a juggle finding time to ever finish anything too. Weeks and weeks ago Little Bun had asked me to make one of her favourite dresses into a skirt after I'd announced there was life in the old girl yet. I removed the zip at the time and then it ended up in a bag with all the other mending (some of which has been in there years). Today we were going to the beach, but it was a yucky old day in Norfolk so we all fancied a home day instead. I decided that alongside starting something new I'd better get on with finishing a few things off aswell, so number one was the beach skirt.

Now this was originally a Joules dress that had a crossover bodice. It was a bit tight when we bought it in the sale, but you know how it is when you simply love something so the squeeze is worth it. All I did was take the side zip out and chop slightly above the waistband through the lining and main skirt so it was still all pouffed up. Luckily the dress had a pink sash so I recycled this into a quick waistband by folding it in half over over the top and stitched all the way round.

After all that delay it was surprisingly quick to do in the end. Little Bun was thrilled with and whipped and whirled around while I took a few snaps of her in it.

Now I was most definately on a roll so I tackled the next thing asking to be finished. A dress this time, for Little Bun again, so it was her lucky day. I'd just about finished making it before last week got all sociable. All I had to do today was put in the zip and hem it before it was ready to be tried on too.

One very happy girly who wore her new dress for the rest of the day. Now I have two dress requests from Miss Rosey to get on with, thank goodness my man doesn't wear dresses too or I'd be sewing non-stop.

Before I allow myself another row on my new cardigan I've blocked and pinned my bubblegum cardi for sewing up. I'm halfway through the second sleeve and then there's just the buttonband to knit and buttons to choose before the excitement or disappointment of seeing if it fits or not. I also need help to sort out the shaping on the yellow dress I made a while back and there's a half cut out dress for Miss Rosey to get on with here.

 

Then there's this basket full of a Bubblegum blankie that I really must finish so we can use it this winter. Not to mention the poncho wrap, hanger covers and the small matter of playing with knitting bunting the other night. It's all seriously good fun and keeps me sane.