Meandering

I spent much of the past week meandering through spring house cleaning. This place is due for a good deep clean.  I was working on the book cases and dusted all the knitting books and shelves that I can reach.  Then I thought that what I really need to do is to move the bookcases and vacuum benind them as well as dust off the backs of them if I am really wanting to deep clean.  Keith will assist with moving the high stuff (I already asked)  and then I will deal with thee rest and when he gets home in the evening, everything will go back into place and the next shelves things will come down.  One step at a time.  

I did get to have a visit with some books I don't look at often.  These oldies but goodies are such a rare treat.  

A selection of sock heels from the above book.  It is very encyclopedia like.  It has sections on knitting, crochet, sewing, and even a wee bit on the basics of weaving.

And then this treat, which Olga brought back from Kyiv a good long while ago for me.  How it got there we will never know, but it is definitely of British origin and full of good stuff, like baby undershirts and

this great sweater.  It is a lovely lacy practical pattern for a cardigan that would be at home anywhere, in any time.

It's one of the things I would love to make from it.

Besides meandering while cleaning, I have also been putting patterns together.  I had the Hexham dress design from Muna and Broad for a while.  I have several fabrics that I will make into soft knit dresses for summery and wintery wear.

I had a problem with woven fabrics though.  I sometimes wished I had a pattern for woven fabrics for a simple casual dress.  I love my gathered skirt Torrens Box Top dresses but sometimes, on the hottest summer days, I wanted something just a bit simpler.  The differences between a pattern for a knit dress and a woven dress, are just a sight more pattern adapting than I wanted to challenge myself with at the moment. I think I could do it, but it when there is a better way to get there... 

I knew just the sort of starting place that would work and be multi use and eminently hackable.   

It even has and expansion pack with various sleeves.  With the soft A line shape of this, it shouldn't be a big challenge to manage a dress from it.  These are from Helen's Closet, , another maker of great designs sized  from regular sizes to large sizes for we ample ladies and gents.  

On to some serious sewing this week.  And play.  I am looking forward to it.  I am missing knitting like crazy, but everytime I do anything a even a bit, it is back to pain.  And that is why the xrays last week.  I hope that will lead to a solution.