Challenges

I did a lot yesterday.  I told myself that I was going to go straight to the sewing room to finish up the skirt and to do the changes to my self drafted circle skirt pattern that were needed .  And you know what?  I did it.  I made it past the Tolstas.  For now.

When I drafted the half circle skirt pattern, I made it long enough that I knew it would need alteration once I had the right length on my first attempt at a skirt using this method.  I cut the skirt and hemmed it properly.  I added some back waist elastic to it too.  My pattern was a wee bit looser than optimal.  And then, I put the skirt on and wore it all day to confirm that it was right.  It was.  All the changes needed to be made to the pattern so I did that too.  I have left one set of the pattern pieces as was in case I want to add a circle skirt to a dress.  

I also took the sleeves off a dress I made in my last big sewing extravaganza.  It wasn't for fit, just for wear.  

It is one of the few things I have made that is in a polyester fabric and I found I didn't wear it because it felt cloyingly warmish, sticky sort of, without being sticky, if you will.  I thought by taking off the sleeves, I would wear it more often.  I love the dress itself and have plans to make a little top to wear with it on cooler days.  

The whole day in the sewing room was fun.  I dug out fabric for another skirt, the first planned one, and thought a lot about skirts of dresses and how I could adapt the pattern to that.  I spent a bit of time thinking about using the pattern to make a cullotte or split skirt type of thing too.  That might be an interesting challenge.  

And then suddenly I had done enough.  My eyes were about to give out and my brain was tired so I went to do a bit of knitting.

I thought about the sock but it didn't feel right.  I thought about that beguiling blue cotton and a Tolsta but I resisted.  I pulled out the yarns I had prepared for the Anyday Sweatshrt, made a quick decision about the two and began.  I went with the deep stash Tosh DK.  I have more of it and there will be les worry about running out.

Intriguing beginning.  Really fascinating.  This is such an unusual and interesting way to start a sweater.  It is a completely different shoulder shaping so I am going to follow the pattern very closely till I have to diverge for hip shaping.  I am going to do that most difficult of things.  I am going to have to trust the designer that this is going to work.  It is scary to let someone else get in the drivers seat of my knitting but I am doing it.       

Challenges are out there, in every corner of everything there is to do.  The important thing is to enjoy the journey.