lace is done

I finished up the lace band last night at about 10:30pm. I thought about blocking it then, but changed my mind because I was sort of brain-dead for the last few inches of lace. There are a few mistakes where the pattern doesn't line up properly and while I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist, I decided to call it good. It won't be noticeable with my dress and I'll just wear dark colors underneath it when I wear it after. Overall, I am very impressed with my first foray into non-scarf knitting.

My next project is Green Gable. I loved Adrienne's version and wanted something suitable for both the Reno summer and an air conditioned office. I think this should work well. I am going to cast on while I'm blocking the lace.

On the sewing front, I have my sewing room almost put back together with my new tables and will get started both on the dress for my mom's wedding and a couple of UFOs that have been sitting around waiting for me to finish them. I have a couple of tops and some skirts that just need things like hems!

progress

I've made a lot of progress on my purple tofu jacket. I'm almost done (I have about 6" left) of the lace portion. The lace portion gets blocked and then I can start on the rest of the body. I'm hoping I'll be done with the lace portion today so that I can block and then start the rest of the body next week. In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures:

And a closeup of the lace:

purple tofu

I've been doing some reading about this Soy Silk yarn and the process that is used to make it. Basically, it's made from the byproducts of making tofu. Interesting really...you can read more about it here.

So in the spirit of the process used to make the yarn, I've dubbed my jacket the "Purple Tofu Jacket".

I had some pictures of my progress so far, and the yarn with the fabric, but I'm having issues figuring out how to make the flash work properly on my new point-and-shoot. I think I figured out what I was doing wrong, so I'm going to try it again tonight. If it still doesn't work, I'll take the pics with my Nikon.

my next project - Mom's wedding outfit

Actually, there will be multiple posts about this as I get through the process. The title is a little misleading - I'm not making my mother's outfit, I'm making my own to wear to her wedding. My mother is finally getting re-married after being divorced for the past 15 years. The wedding is in mid-June and will be outdoors at my aunt and uncle's (Mom's sister and BIL) house. It's up in the mountains of Northern California, so the weather won't be as hot as it is down in the valleys, but will still be warm. The top of the mountain where they live tends to be breezy and cool at times. Mom wants her two sisters and me to wear purple. Obviously, I will be making the dress - if I have time I'll also make shirts for hubby and Drew.

I have the fabric picked out - it's a really pretty purple and lavender floral chiffon burnout I picked up at Joanns. It will be underlined with a lavender matte satin. I haven't quite picked out the dress yet, but I want something that's pretty and a little festive and although there are some BWOF dresses that I could absolutely see this fabric in, I'm thinking something a little more simple will be better - don't want to outdress the bride after all! I'm thinking this New Look:

I'll make the view in orange in the lower right corner of the envelope. The fabric speaks for itself, so I don't need too many additional details. I'll try and take a photo of the fabric with the pattern and my immediate next project this weekend so you can see how it all goes together.

That brings me to my upcoming project. Because the weather tends to be breezy at my aunt's house and I get chilly easily, I wanted to make a shrug to go with it. I couldn't find any fabric that I liked, so I decided I would take advantage of all of the time I've put into practicing my knitting skills - I'm going to knit it! I found the pattern and a perfectly-matching dark purple yarn at my local shop and after working out the gauge, I cast on last night.

The pattern is the Little Lacy Jacket from Blue Sky Alpacas:


The yarn is Pure from Southwest Trading Company - 100% soy silk. The color is #073 - Vivid Viola.

It's the only appropriate purple I could find, but it's really soft and light and with the gauge I finally decided on should make for a great light summer sweater.

I should have more this weekend!