Random August

Random August

 Maybe I've figured this blog out.  I kept thinking that I should have one page or section for each project, and then that seemed too complicated.

So what I'm going to try to do is just post what I'm currently working on, or thinking about, and then if I ever finish gather up the bits of information and put them together.

We'll see.

Stuff done.  Two super simple sewing projects.  I hang around the house in a tank top and jersey shorts - but I thought that at the end of the day, post shower, that I would just like to have a simple tunic (I refuse to think house dress) to slip on.  I had some blue  linen from a skirt that I had made and promptly got ink stains on, so I made a simple scrubs style pajama top (about mid thigh in length because that's how much linen I had.  Then I got a little silly, because while I could have finished the seams and hems in about a half hour on my machine and serger, I instead opted to flat fell all the seams and handstitch the hems.  It took hours (that's what TV is for).  But we live in a world where "faster is better" and I love the look of hand-felled seams.  I also remember my mother's comment when I was first excited about getting my serger: "Oh, that's so nice.  Now your handmade clothes can look like they came from KMart."

It fits like a sack, and it's nothing much to look at - but dang, that thing is so comfortable ( I adore linen) that I practically live and sleep in it.  So I found another chunk of leftover linen and made another one (not quite as outsized) and spent another ridiculous amount of time hand felling that one as well.

The gargoyle head seems to be on hold.  I want to learn something new, like putting in blinking eyes, but I'm not sure if I made the head large enough for my hand, mouth plate, and eye mechs.  It's been so bloody hot and humid that even though the Wicca House does have AC it's just hard to motivate myself.  If I decide that I need to make a bigger one I think I'll go with the much simpler pattern from SKS props.

I saw on Thingiverse (free 3D print patterns) that someone had the file to make molds for Viking style spindle whorls.  That looked like fun, and I found a guy in town who was willing to print them (of course, he lived on the opposite side of town from me, but that's how things go).  I tried Sculpy.  It failed.  The molds are hard plastic, so it was impossible to get the whorl out (most Sculpy molds are silicon).  I thought I would try air-dry clay next.  I had a block that I bought in 2019 and then sort of forgot about when things went south.  I got it down - and even still wrapped in plastic in the box it turned into a brick.  I set it aside to toss - but when I finish writing this I think I'll go put it in a bucket of water and see what happens.

I had treated myself to a braid of yak/silk (I love that stuff) in Greenwoods Fiberworks paper roses color way.  I dissected it and spun it as one long gradient.  Then what?  Is there a limit to how many lace shawls one needs?  Maybe - but I like making them, so who cares?  Except that I realized that I had already made one in the same color way.  But that one I had spun I the hospital with just random color mingling, so now my justification is that I can made two similar shawls of the same fiber/color way and show how different they can be.  I'm doing a half-pi shawl, dropping in patterns from Ghosts and Gravestones (I have a cowl in that, and I like the pattern, and it's easy).  Hmmm, easy.  That's how I knit lace.  There are wonderful complicated patterns out there, and maybe I should challenge myself.  But honestly, while they're impressive when you hold them out, once you're wearing them complex looks about the same as simple.  I knit to relax.

In the planning stages.  I mentioned last time that I wanted to make a dark academia version of the dragon fire shawl.  And I had that boatload of wool that I had gotten.  I've done samples - two problems.  One is that it's too dark; unlike my ruana where I dyed brown wool with colors and it looked amazing, colors don't show up at all on this.  I tried blending in 10% silk, but that wasn't enough to help.  The other is that this Columbia/Rambouillet mix is very robust.  It's odd - it's not scratchy at all, but it's also not soft.  It's also way too bouncy to make a drapey shawl.  I think it would be perfect for a sweater if I ever get the gumption to do that.  Or great socks.
So I dug out the brown Finn fleece and I'll spin a bit of that and do a dye sample.  I love Finn, but this has a couple of problems.  One is that instead of washing with my usual Dawn I followed a suggestion online and used Ecos laundry detergent.  I don't know if it was the soap's fault, but the fiber doesn't open easily.  The other is that the sheep had scurf (mite-caused dandruff) which sort of glues the base ends together.  So it will be a bit of a fight.  But, again, that's what TV is for.

OK - caught up.