You may notice that this is not the dress I was supposed to be making for little Annabelle (who, by the way, is nearly four and really not so little anymore). Anyhow, I took a slight detour from the other dress. This little number has been peeking out at me from a box under my workspace where I keep various WIPs. I started it last summer and have gone back to it once or twice since then, but kept getting hung up on the shirring. I read through half a dozen tutorials with folks declaring how easy it was to make a shirred dress, but still found the elastic thread to be a tricky sort of thing to work with. So, the other night I decided to give it another look…and eureka! After a bit of fussing with the bobbin thread tension, I too was in pure shirring bliss!

While some tutorials stated the opposite, I found that I had much better results with the elastic thread wound nice and snug around the bobbin. Not incredibly tight, but no looseness either. You can see the difference in that picture up there. The elastic thread should look like a nice straight line pulling the fabric together. 

It’s just the tiniest bit too big for her still, but I’m hoping she’ll be able to wear it by the end of the summer. And if not, there’s always next year. :) I’ll take too big over too small any day!

And I started a new knitting project. Nothing big. In fact, I’m still not sure what it is. I was following a dishcloth pattern, but soon realized that it was wayyyy to big to be a useful dishcloth. So, I’ll just keep knitting along until I decide what to make of it. I’m thinking it might make a good mat to put our pets’ food and water dishes on. Seems to be just the right size for that, but we’ll see. In the meantime, it’s just the right thing to help me feel productive while I watch old movies.

  Have a great weekend!

Over the Christmas break, my young niece made the comment that she liked a particular ball of yarn that I had on my nightstand. Of course, I immediately promised her a pair of socks. I made several pairs of slippers as Christmas gifts, so I’ve been slowly building up my confidence in making knitted footwear. And, as luck would have it, she’s very particular about her socks and will not wear anything that goes above her ankle! (Let’s hear it for short socks!)

These little ankle socks were a perfect choice. They’re nice and small, so they knit up relatively quickly, but they also gave me the chance to learn some new techniques. You can see the pattern here, which includes a separate how-to on completing the short rows. However, even with the mini-tute, I still found myself trying to read between the lines a bit on the instructions and I’m still not sure if they look quite as they should. Still, I’m happy with the results and I’m hopeful that my niece will be, too.

I also finished up the scarf for Craft Hope. I really can’t gush enough about this organization. If you haven’t visited their Etsy shop for Haiti, just go ahead and click on over now!

These projects mark the end of my knitting spell for a bit. I’ve been knitting almost exclusively for the past two months and can not wait to do some sewing again!

Be back soon!

]]> http://www.hicketypicketyhandmade.com/2010/02/02/stripey-socklets/feed/ 0 http://www.hicketypicketyhandmade.com/2010/01/17/progress/ http://www.hicketypicketyhandmade.com/2010/01/17/progress/#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:20:02 +0000 Chrissy http://www.hicketypicketyhandmade.com/?p=4

Slowly making progress on the scarf. It’s been a nice change of pace to use a pattern that allows me to knit while getting caught up on a little tele time. We don’t have cable, so Hulu has been my best friend this past week. :) I’m actually a slow knitter, but I’m clicking away just as fast as my little fingers will go as I am anxious to get started on some other projects. This book in particular has been incredibly inspiring:

I’ve always loved the idea of making my own prints, and I’m ready to move beyond potato stamping. I can’t wait to get started!

Craft Hope is partnering with the Red Scarf Project for their latest craftivism effort and I couldn't wait to get started on something. I am absolutely loving this pattern that I chose to use. It's a very simple pattern, but so far the results are quite nice. Can't wait to see it when it's done! If you're interested in joining in go check out the details at Craft Hope. If you don't knit or crochet, be sure to bookmark the site and keep an eye out for the next project!