What was June for Again?

Making garments is the answer and I'll be making several little things for Miss Bu this month. I've just finished washing and drying the fabric for a couple little jumpers and some shirts. Baby girl is growing and needs new clothes.

That's a lot of potential sewing right there (not counting the other two pieces of fabric not pictured because my undies are hanging up just to the right as well) and these are some darn ambitious goals, but I thrive on ambitious goals. Even if I fall a bit short of my intentions, I can still manage something awesome. DaVinci Disorder*, FTW. And, in addition to this, I'm planning on doing a shirt for the Outfit-a-long and, at some point later in the year, I want to do up a Suffragette costume.

This is the pattern I'm using for the Outfit-a-Long and I'm strongly considering the V-neck short sleeve for its versatility, though I really like the slash-front 3/4 sleeved one, too. Nothing saying I can't make both, but for the purposes of the OAL, the V-neck is the way to go. I'm considering a couple different yarns to use for the knitted portion of these adventures, namely Alisha Goes Around: Walk of Snipes in a gorgeous blue that would be awesome as a lightweight cardigan of some kind. I've also got some Quince & Co.: Finch that I really want to try and that would look really great as a cowl. I'm leaning cardigan in the blue, but I think I might have to go pet my yarn and find a pattern I like. I'm going to do Vitamin D eventually, but I think that's going to be an intentional project during the Hyperborean (basically winter) months.

Anyhow, between the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, I've been busy and have been neglecting the ol' blog, but lots of knitting and other crafting is still going on in the background. In addition to the usual stuff, I'm working on an alternate teaching certification program and doing my best to help both kids be as awesome as they can be (which is pretty darned awesome). The former involves regular, concentrated work, the latter, well, gifted kids are a particular challenge. We just got the little one's IQ score back and the psychologist who showed us the number was nearly speechless. It was a really big number.

See? I'm knitting!

All that aside, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things and to start posting regularly again. I miss blogging and I miss how it was helping me focus on my crafting life. I'm pretty regular on Instagram as DelphinianJess, so if you miss me here, I'll be over there with a fair amount of regularity.

*Not a real disorder

FO: Two quick repairs

What better way to wrap up the Month of Mending and to begin February is for Finishing than with a couple of things that had been sitting on my mending pile for too long.

The first is a t-shirt that, by a mistake of manufacture, had a hole in the shoulder.

 Here's the inside, repaired with a blanket stitch and double running stitch to mimic the stitches of a serger.

And here's the outside. There's a slight puckering at either end of the repair, but it will be hardly noticeable when worn.

 The second repair is a pair of dress pants that Husband wears to work. There's a blown out seam at the corner of the pocket...

...and another blown-out seam in a rather more delicate place.

 The pocket was sewn up on the inside using a back stitch.

And the seam of great delicacy was sewn up using invisible stitching (blind stitch), first on the up-and-down seam and then the side-to-side seam.

Dignity now restored, these pants can return to work.

This week in pictures

It's been a busy week 

As you can see

But I did start some socks

And I got some mending done

I even got to see the show after helping out backstage.

They were pretty great

We lit some candles (and had some chocolate)

We spent a little time together at the holiday party

And we got to see Santa 

It's been a good week.

SAFF Sweater and an Unexpected Dog

 So, in the car on the way to SAFF, I finished my sweater just as we got to Asheville. I immediately put it on and wore it about the delightfully Southern/hippie/artist town. I felt very much at home. We stopped at the awesome Tupelo Honey Cafe when we got there and afterward I got to toodle around town in my new, though unblocked digs. Here it is in it's washed and blocked glory.

I love the saddle shoulders and though it's a bit shortish, I think I will keep it that way. This is the Seamless Saddle Shoulder Pullover by the legendary EZ. I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash in the Garnet Heather color, about 754yds.

The first batch of Delphi & Delos is done and I love how it turned out. The picture doesn't really do it justice. There's a richness to how the two colorways blend together that I can't quite capture. 

In other news, we have a new family member. This is Rufus, a sweet, chill, little pug. His former owner, Randy, was the person who introduced me to John. Randy passed away this week and this little snerfledog needed to go to a family who would love him and be his forever home.
It's a big adjustment for me, but the kids fell instantly in love and he seems to be settling in pretty well.

We also had a Nutcracker Tea this week. Bu dressed up for the occasion.

And so did Iris. (The lady to the right of Iris with the fascinator on is Bu's dance teacher.)

A good time was had by all. There were nutcracker-appropriate snacks and an abbreviated version of the ballet for the little dancers to watch. Iris did such a great job and Bu was totally into it once the dancing started.

Dear Halloween,

Dear Halloween,

You and I have had some fun times through the years. I've always loved you and I always will.

Remember that time I stayed up much too late finishing Iris' Dorothy costume? That was great. It didn't matter that she only ever wore it once, that one time was just perfect. I think that this was probably her first real cosplay and it'll fit Bu next year.

And carving pumpkins with Anna was pretty great. I always think of her in October. We didn't carve pumpkins this year, but that's okay. We still have pumpkins adorning our front yard and stoop.

Bu as the Hulk in purple pants and a green onesie felt like a stroke of genius. It was great for a tired mom and a small person who just wanted to be comfortable. Many a year, Iris has recycled old dance costumes and there were several years in a row where she slapped on a pair of wings and called herself a fairy. Now she's an avid cosplayer and I credit you, Halloween.

Bu loved being Captain America and even though we bought her Spider-Man costume this year, that's okay. The comic store guy invited her to a Halloween thing they're having. There's supposed to be a Spider-Man there. Sadly, we'll be out of town. I'm getting the impression that this one is going to become a cosplayer, too.

And me? I was a cosplayer before I even knew the word. My favorite costume was the Star Trek: TNG uniform that my mom made for me (in Science Blue, of course). One year we were the Three Weird Sisters from the Scottish Play. One year it was poodle skirts and the year we were the Addams Family, I accidentally let my baby sister, who was being Cousin Itt, walk into a stop sign... and then into the side of the house. I still feel bad about that.

I'm wearing my doublet this year because I love that piece and it's been a while, John is working on joining the 501st, Iris is gathering her own cosplay pieces, Bu is set with her Spider-Man outfit, and I'm already planning for next year. It's an election year, so I want to be a suffragette.

There are those who seem to think that Halloween makes it okay to be racist and there's the whole "sexy ____" genre of costumes and, if you're underage, "sassy ____." There are a whole lot of problems with the kinds of costumes you can buy, especially for girls. I'm not going to go into that except to say that it makes me angry, it makes me sad, but most of all it makes me happy that I can sew. You're the reason I love costuming and making my own Wednesday Addams dress is why I even learned to use the sewing machine (though that might have been inevitable). I still have that dress.


Thank you for spreading the love of costume to my kids and to John, thank you for giving me an opportunity to express myself through my craft, and thank you for helping me expand my skill as a sewist. Thank you for being such a big part of my life. Thank you, Halloween. Thank you for being you. I'm glad I know you.

Stay Spooky and see you in NC,
-Jess

Dear Readers,

I've nearly finished Louise. We'll talk about her come November.

Love,
-Jess