Thursday, April 26, 2007

The End Is Nigh

It took me all day yesterday but I finally finished my overtunic. I think it turned out quite well despite a few snags. (Remind me to stay away from all things with catchy edges, prickles, unfiled fingernails, and, most especially, my cats!)



The colour isn’t quite accurate and I couldn’t seem to adjust it properly. It’s a light madder orange — a wee bit redder and less yellow than this shows. (Even though I didn’t dye this fabric I’ve achieved this colour exactly with madder dyestuff.) The trim is orange and black and the undersleeves and neckline trim are the same dark forest green of T-Man’s tunic. I was trying to finish sewing the trim on the hem just before dinnertime yesterday evening and suddenly had trouble with my sewing machine. It was trying to race away from me even though I lifted my foot off the foot-pedal. I had to unplug it to stop it! I think the electronics got stuck due to overheating. After it cooled down it seems to be ok again. Hopefully it won’t go berserk on me again today. I still have a couple more things to finish including T’s hat. No time to get the poor overworked thing serviced right now.

Since I’m totally tired of all things medieval, let’s change the subject, shall we? Have you seen the current Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knitting? I don’t regularly buy this magazine but the lace stuff was interesting, though I’m not a big fan of wearing white. While leafing through I was shocked to see the most hideous piece of knitting in recent memory and by none other than Annie Modesitt whom I normally think is a pretty good designer. The ugly in question is a baby onesie in white with cables and (gasp!) embroidered with vertical flower garlands and knitted ruffled cuffs. It’s Elvis in his Las Vegas period gone infantile! I don’t usually have such negative gut reactions to garments but even T-Man noticed this one without prompting from me. All I can say is “what was Annie thinking”? And who in their right mind is going to make this for some poor innocent baby? Gag.

Well, I was missing the noises next door for a few days, but today they are back with the jackhammer. There’s one window in on my side that I can see and a finished roof overhead but there’s still a metre-wide section of the front room the full width of the house that is open to the sky. The way this is looking is the second floor is shifted back like poorly stacked bricks so that the back overhangs and the front section needs to be finished in some way, maybe with a deck? I’m waiting to see what happens. Always something new but now that there are walls up I can’t see very much. Only hear it. All day long.

I’ve stalled long enough. Back to sewing. There’s only 2 days left to finish everything.

2 comments:

Nadia said...

I love the sleeves!

Anonymous said...

Your tunic looks great! Now we hope that you will post pictures of everyone wearing their 'garb' in the near future!

Get well soon...

Susan... up the coast...