Girl Who Knits

I am tall.  I love lounge pants.  And I can't find lounge pants in tall sizes.  This drives me crazy. Why should I have to suffer because I grew to need a 35 inch inseam?  Now stores have done a good job offering jeans and pants in tall sizes but it is impossible to find my favorite pant--the lounge pant--with similar sizing.  It is high-water city for me which I can't stand.  It really does make me mad--don't I deserve the same rights and privileges that my shorter friends enjoy?  It is maddening.

It occurred to me in the last six months or so that I may have to take some drastic measures.  I might just have to make them myself.  Problem is, knitted lounge pants don't sound all that loungy.  I didn't want to think it but I knew it was the only way...I was going to have to learn to (gulp) sew.  I have talked before about how bad I am at the sewing thing.  In reality, I don't know if I am really bad or just unpracticed.  I think it is high time I find out.

Last Saturday was the first of two Sewing 101 classes I am taking.  Today is the second class, we are making tote bags.  You want to see the fabric I bought for my bag?

 

Cute fabric=point 1 for sewing

Today's class is the true test of my interest and skill.  If it goes well I just might be buying a sewing machine.  Think of it, I could line my own knitted bags and add zippers without skilled friends taking pity on me.  Am I dreaming too big here?

As to my quest, if there was a "learn to make long lounge pants" class I would have totally taken it.  But I am hoping the tote bag project will give me confidence to brave my true dream.  Imagine a world where Erin can lounge in pants that break below her ankles.  It is almost too much.

Sometimes, I crack myself up.  "Bella Dyed"...get it?  Heh.

Dyeing cotton turned out to be a little more complicated then I expected.  I did some asking around and was lead in helpful directions but I realized pretty quickly that maybe the dyeing process is not for me.  I have TONs of patience for knitting but when you use words like chemicals and stabilizers and bonding my brain starts to cloud and I flash back to high school chemistry and my face starts to look like I've had a drink of bad milk.  I am not good with the science. And I learned something this weekend, dyeing is all science.  It is like a crazy lab experiment complete with stainless steel cauldrons and slow heating.  See:

I think it is funny how I look like I know what I am doing (and that I have triple chins when looking down).  Thankfully, I had help with the dyeing part.  A new work friend is experienced with dyeing and offered to help.  Thanks to her, I was able to turn this:

Into this:

It's magic!  We used a brown color at half strength for the overdye which reacted with the existing colors to give it kind of a peachy brown color.  I am super pleased. 

Project Stats:

Pattern: Bella Blouse

Source: Interweave Knits, Summer 07 free web project

Yarn: Louisa Harding Nautical Cotton, overdyed

Needles: Size 6 and 7 Knitpicks Options Circulars

Size: Somewhere between 38 1/2 and 34 1/2

Mods: I added about 3 inches to the total length of the sweater by adding 3 more decrease row sections.  I did this in order to 1. have a longer sweater, and 2. make the size fit better around my arms and shoulders while still being bg enough for my hips and bust.   

Notes:  Bella is a knit that has taken me an extraordinarily long time to finish.  I started it months ago, back when I lived in another state and had a different job.  It was put on pause for a while due to my insane schedule these past few months.  However, if you are in a more stable time of your life, this is a pretty fast knit.  The lace parts go fast and the rest is a pretty straightforward A-line shape.  I think it is one of those tops that would suit a lot of body types.  I was drawn to it because I thought it looked kind of classic/vintage-y. Just wearing it makes me feel like I should eat some crumpets.  Indeed.

I am sure you are all wondering...whatever happened to Cherry and Erin's participation in the Tour de France KAL.  Well, I'll tell you.  I am not proud of this, but I dropped out.  Don't worry, no doping scandal here, I decided to order the yarn online and it arrived mid-sister's wedding week.  I had no time to begin while on vacation and by the time I got home, I realized I forgot the yarn at my parent's house.  Grrr. 

Angel that she is, my Mom mailed me my yarn and I got it with just 2 days left in the KAL.  I knew at that point I was defeated and would not this year win the Tour de anything.  But all is not lost, last night, Cherry got swatched. 

I can't believe that the one color on sale happened to be something I actually like--that never happens.  All the yarn for this project cost me about 22 dollars.  The swatch knit up pretty fast so I suspect the sweater will too.  It is so weird how much faster sweaters go when you are not knitting on size 2 needles.  Go figure.

In other news, Bella Blouse is done, sort of.  I say sort of because, well, I hate it.  Not so much the sweater design, fit, and shape, but the colors.  Remember how my vision was of two subtley different neutral colors making the sweater look all vintage-y.  Well, not really how it turned out. 

It looks like I have a white tank top on with brown lacy inserts added for "flair".  Ick. 

On to plan 2: overdying.  I have never dyed yarn before and don't know at all what I am doing but I am going to try.  Thankfully I have gotten some good advice from much smarter friends and I am doing my research first.  I figure, if it looks bad, at least it is a great learning experience and a new skill gained. 

On a different note, how excited am I for fall?  Rowan just released their fall preview.  The minute my fall Interweave Knits arrives there are about 4 projects I want to immediately cast on for.  Then there is Autumn Rose...sigh.  It is too much.  We knitters are having a blessed season indeed.