Getting Ready to Head Out

Not much knitting progress to show, yet. Still plugging away at the Annual Birthday Socks for Hubby. I have a couple inches of cuff left to knit before casting off. I also finished another preemie hat for charity this morning but since it looks exactly like the other two pink preemie hats, it's hardly worth photographing.

(I'm trying to use up the rest of the pink yarn, left over from Dancing Diva's leg warmers. It's staggering how many preemie hats you can get out of one partial skein of Bernat's Softee yarn. Unfortunately, based on my experience, there is at least enough yarn for two more hats, if not three. Blast those bargain yarns that pack so much yarn into one skein!)

Anyway, here's my query . . . I will be out of town this weekend, starting tomorrow, for Bubba's swim meet in Red Wing. I'll have lots of extra knitting time and am trying to decide which UFO's I should take with me to finish. After all, I did make a resolution to finish three UFO's this year before casting on anything new.

(I'd really, really, really love to cast on a new project - socks, sweater vest, or maybe a big cardigan for which I already have this gorgeous yarn. Blast these New Years Resolutions!)

I have the Center Medallion Sweater, lacking a sleeve and bottom ribbing yet.

(I've forgotten how I modified the pattern for the first sleeve and it will take some figuring to reproduce it. Blast my bad note-taking ability!)

I have another Tweedy Vest in the works in this yarn.

(A fun, fast knit that makes me feel guilty when I work on it because it's the newest UFO of the bunch. Blast my over-active conscience!)

I have Dancing Diva's Blanket.

(Lots of easy garter stitch but a huge quantity of yarn to lug along. I mean LOTS - two knitting bags worth, since it is all in 1 pound skeins. Blast these large projects!)

Yarn for another hat that hasn't been started yet but would finish the Hat Trick for the Ravelry Group KAL.

(More guilt, since I've finished a total of 5 hats already, not counting the 4 preemie hats. Blast that ethnic heritage that developed this crazy guilt complex!)

Now, tell me, what would you choose to take on a 3 day weekend trip?

Wow!

Oh, and AMEN!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled hat knitting . . .

I've been fanatically knitting away on hats for the Hat Trick 2009 group on Ravelry. I don't know why this particular KAL captured my interest but I'm having a blast knocking off hats, left and right.

Tally so far is 4 completed child/adult hats and 3 preemie hats. Preemie hat #4 is nearly done, as is adult hat #5. However, a quick check of the calendar revealed a rather shocking fact . . .

Hubby's birthday is this week!

So hat knitting is moved to the back burner while I continue the annual tradition of making Hubby a new pair of hand-knit wool socks for his birthday. I had started a pair of socks for him back in November. It was a rather disappointing start because the self-striping yarn did not seem to have any repeats. I had carefully wound the skein into two equal weight balls, as is my usual custom. I pulled yards and yards out of each center-pull ball, trying to get the yarn patterns to align. No matter how much yarn I pulled, nothing lined up. So I gave up and just started knitting from the beginning of both balls.

Fast forward 5 inches of knitting and all of a sudden, the patterns did have a repeat. The problem was, the matching stripes were 3 inches apart. Knowing my Hubby's disposition (perfectionist, symmetry-loving, engineering-type person), I knew he'd never actually wear the socks unless I fixed them. So the socks were set aside while I pondered the manner of their redemption.

Fast forward again to this morning. Knowing I only have a few days to finish these, I decided to be bold and cut off the toe section of one of the socks, unravel the sock up to the point where the toe shaping started on the other sock and re-knit the toe down. Two hours of surgery and reconstructions and you see the results above. Also, since the surgery left the sock 3 inches shorter than the other, I've spent the rest of the morning knitting it to the same length as the original sock.

Granted, I might have unraveled the offending sock completely and restarted it but by choosing the above method, I was able to get the stripes to match perfectly. Whether I save a significant amount of time by doing it this way is open to debate. I did have at least 1.5 inches of knitting that was saved, that would have had to be re-knit had I started from scratch.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with the results of this morning's attempt. Not only did I salvage a pair of socks that might have languished in the bottom of Hubby's sock drawer but I figured out that it is not all that difficult to re-knit toes. Should socks pop a hole in the toes, I know I can save them by knitting new toes. Sweet!

Now if I could figure out how to re-knit holey heels. Hmmmm?

Storm clouds

No, I'm not talking about weather, although I've noticed the arctic blast this past week dominated all my favorite blogs.

No, we're talking about the mood here at Chez Chapeau. Two of my girls had friends spend the night last night. Granted, grumpiness due to lack of sleep is a normal result of slumber parties. However, we have had a bit less sleep than normal at this particular party, due to some rather unusual excitement late last night.

Earlier in the evening, Hubby took Hockeyman, Dancing Diva and DD's friend to a concert in Minneapolis. After watching a full day of hockey (with some "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" during intermissions of the Wild Game), I tucked the Bubba, Peeps and Bubba's friend down to bed for the night. While making the rounds of the house to turn off lights and check doors and windows and such, I heard a ruckus going on in the basement. With the intuition born of an insane and illogical paranoia about mice, I concluded that one of the cats was chasing a heat-seeking rodent around the music room.

Completely committed to keeping the knowledge of the vermin invasion from the slumbering elementary-age girls, sleeping on the floor on the main level, I surreptitiously grabbed the telephone and called Hubby to see how soon he would be home to rescue me from this life-threatening situation. While he was already homeward bound and a mere 10 minutes from the house, he advised me to take some towels and block all the cracks at the bottom of doors in the basement, to keep the mouse contained until he got there.

Well, being the ever obedient wife, I faced my worst nightmare and ventured into the basement to do his bidding. All was going well, with the mouse cowering behind a bag and trapped by Harley. I was able to get the doors blocked as instructed and was tiptoeing back toward the stairs and my haven of safety (under the covers of my bed on the top floor of the house) when Harley managed to flush the little varmint out. With a leap and a dash, the mouse scurried past my feet, causing me to scream wildly and jump onto the nearest high surface.

Well, so much for keeping the knowledge of the mouse from the girls.

As I perched atop the arm of a chair and watched Harley make a valiant effort to capture the horrid thing, I hollered words of reassurance and comfort to the now wide-awake and hysterical girls and prayed Hubby would arrive soon to rescue us. Which he did - eventually.

After a good laugh with Hockeyman at my expense (perhaps I should have reminded him of a certain arachnophobic tendency in his own make-up), the men managed to catch the mouse in a shoe box and release it back into the wild.

Needless to say, after the adreneline rush, it took quite awhile to get the girls settled back to bed. And now I have a very tired, grumpy Peeps on my hands.

The moral of the story - don't ask your normally camera-loving child to model your latest FO for a photo after a late night of panic and mayhem unless you're willing to settle for a grumpy, pouty-lipped shot for the blog.

Fly by posting

It's a big day in Minnesota. Anyone who is anyone in the State of Minnesota is reveling in the first above zero day since Monday by watching hockey. After all, it is Hockey Day Minnesota and we are the State of Hockey, doncha' know.

I'm off to watch the Gophers play hockey next (after a good afternoon of HS hockey viewing).

But I couldn't pass on showing the latest FO.

It's from the Swirly Girl Tam & Mitts pattern from an e-PatternsCentral.com. It looked like an interesting knit because of the short-rows and garter stitch stripes. And it was fun. The color isn't terribly true, but that was the best light of the day. Guess the warm front brought with it some pretty thick clouds and light flurries. Guess you can't have both heat and light in winter.

The pattern calls for a large pom pom on top. I haven't decided if I want to cover the cool center swirl with such a fluffy addition. I'll probably let Bubba decide if she wants one or not, since this is her hat.

Back to my recliner to enjoy a Gopher game now and a Wild game later. Go Minnesota!

She's a Super Star

There are just some kids that are loved, no matter how much trouble they cause their parents. And there are some projects that turn out stellar, no matter how much cursing, muttering and bitter recriminations they inspire.

This was, by far, one of the most frustrating knits I've created in recent years.

Mistake #1 - using the magic loop method instead of buying a 16" circular needle in the right size or using dpns. The fact that I was working hard to control the tension of the floats on the reverse side of the fabric made tightening up the "seams" on each side tough.

Mistake #2 - using the wrong size stitch markers instead of buying or making smaller ones. Compounding the problem was the fact that they were open rings, which meant the yarn was constantly getting caught in various markers and pulling them out of the fabric.

Mistake #3 - not reading the pattern instructions closely enough and getting myself off on the decrease rounds right from the beginning. I was supposed to work 2 rounds of the pattern before doing a decrease round but I decreased right off the bat. That made my chart off by one stitch right from the beginning. Trust me, the idea of tinking back with this rather grippy, snarly yarn, over-sized open ring stitch markers and the magic loop method was not something I wanted to attempt. So I just forged ahead with the pattern, adapting the pattern as I went and being complete surrendered to the idea that this was just a "teaching" piece and it didn't matter how it looked when I was done.

Mistake #4 - attempting to perfect the two-handed Fair Isle knitting technique with all the above handicaps in place . . . and a Stupid Finger, to boot.

Mistake #5 - not stopping and taking measures to correct any one of the above mistakes in mid-stream and forcing myself to continue to the bitter end with all the moronic handicaps that I'd created for myself. Sometimes I can be just a tad too stubborn for my own good.

I hadn't looked too closely at the tam when I cast off. I wove in the million or so ends, sought a proper sized plate for blocking and finished stretching it out for steam blocking before really looking at the finished product.

It was a "WOW" moment. In spite of all the difficulties and awkwardness in knitting it, it turned out very pretty. The "seams" are not all that visible (a loose looking stitch here and there is all) and the float tension issues seemed to block out beautifully with a good burst of steam.

When Peeps saw it, she immediately fell in love with it and claimed it as her own - which is a good thing because it turned out pretty small. (Being the theatrical little lady she is, she couldn't resist hamming it up for the camera a little.)

Harley was even impressed.

Then again, maybe he just wanted me to pay attention to him, instead of staring, entranced at the wonder I had wrought.

Snowy Weather and Little Blessings

While schools in our immediate vicinity have not been let out early, there was enough of the white stuff dumped on us this afternoon to get the girls a snow day from dance this evening. While most people would probably consider this a "so what" kinda thing, for me it is a little blessing (#1).

You see, I have this issue with books. When I read something that I like, I have a dickens of a time putting it down. Alas, I made the mistake of starting a book yesterday morning and I ended up spending most of the night finishing it. I managed to squeeze about 2.5 hours of sleep in this morning. To compound the stupidity of my error, Peeps had an early morning eye appointment and we just had to get up by 7 a. m. to get her out the door and to the doctor to make sure that her eye issues were still under control. (Note: They are - she is 20/20 in the good eye and 20/25 in the weak one and the crossing continues to lessen. Little blessing #2!)

I've never been so thankful in my life to have a teenage driver in the house. When I got him up and asked him to drive us to the doctor, he was eager to help. More than that, with the snow just beginning for the day, it was an opportunity for him to work on his driving-in-snow skills before he starts his behind-the-wheel training tomorrow. Even with his novice driving status, it was probably far safer with him behind the wheel, that his poor, sleep-deprived mom. Little blessing #3!

And yet, Hockeyman still has hockey (they NEVER cancel hockey in Minnesota - that would be sacreligious) and Bubba still has swimming (as of now). So I have a couple little trips to make today but not nearly as much as usual. Having taken a little nap earlier today (little blessing #4), I feel well able to deal with the two activities that remain.

As for another type of little blessing, here is a preemie hat for the KAL on Ravelry. I pray that eventually this tiny hat is a blessing to someone welcoming a wee one into the world.

Now if I could just get a good, solid night of sleep tonight, we'd move into the big blessing category.

You just can't keep a good woman down!

Well, the Stupid Finger is coming along nicely. Because I splinted and kept the blasted thing dry and clean for 2 days, I've got a good seal on the wound and have graduated from the full finger splint to a regular band-aid with some sports tape wrapped around it while knitting and doing other things that might irritate or open it back up.

I have to admit, I must have knicked the bone pretty good because it is ridiculously tender and sore. It actually hurts more than the avulsion fracture of the middle finger back in June.

All that to say that I'm back to my regular knitting style and have knocked off a quick preemie hat for the Hat Trick 2009 and k3tog PHK group on Ravelry. My next goal is to finish the Fair Isle Tam this weekend, before returning to the preemie hats.

Once January ends, I'll have to get back to my usual New Years Resolution of finishing off 3 UFO's before casting on anything new. Definitely should NOT be a problem finding plenty of projects to finish, since I think the UFO's have been breeding and multiplying in the basket. They are overflowing and threatening to overrun the house.

I just hope they don't start plotting a coup. Yikes!

Stupid Finger Part Deux

I don't know whether to lay the blame on my husband for buying me a new set of razor sharp kitchen knives for Christmas, myself for jinxing myself while opening gifts by saying I'd probably end up cutting off a finger because these knives are for professional cooks or the fates because they seem to have it in for my left hand fingers. But the "Stupid Finger" made a dramatic return when I managed to slice my left index finger to the bone last night.

Unfortunately, I manged to cut across the first knuckle, exactly along the area where the yarn traverses as I knit. Though I was able to stop the bleeding within 20 minutes, and I knew my tetanus shots were up to date and avoided a trip to urgent care last night, it tends to crack open and bleed unless I splint it and keep it immobile. Alas, my knitting ability is now compromised. (Stupid Finger!)

Thus, my second "goal" for Hat Trick 2009 for the Ravelry Puck This Group is on hold. I had spent a few days reading Knitted Tams by Mary Rowe, had worked up the charts and color plots for the hat and had even managed to get 3" of the hat done before the cutting catastrophe occurred. While I can knit a little by modifying my picking technique, it is just too hard to practice the two-handed Fair Isle knitting technique with a Stupid Finger.

Fortunately, I can manage garter stitch. So I'm back to working on Dancing Diva's blanket once again. And I may cast on a simple rolled-brim baby hat to work toward Goal #2 for the Hat Trick 2009.

In the meantime, my silver lining radar has already come up with some positives about the return of the stupid finger . . . like pawning laundry & dishes off on the kids for a week.

Hooray for silver linings!

First FO of '09

My needles have been smokin' around here. Nothing like some New Year inspiration to get the mojo goin'. Here is Koolhaas from Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 magazine, modelled by the ever lovely Dancing Diva, who promptly fell in love with the hat and has claimed it as her own.

I joined a knit-along on Ravelry, kinda as a way to get motivated to get back into regular updates and posting over there. Being a hockey mom, I've been part of the Puck This group for quite awhile. So when they announced Hat Trick 2009, it sounded like a blast. Three hats in the month of January was the challenge. I cast on around 5:30 am on New Years Morning and finished at 2:30 pm on January 2. SCOOOOORE!

Ergo, I have my first "goal" of the month. I decided to try Koolhaas again, which had me kerfaffled the first time I attempted it. This time, however, the pattern made sense. It was one of those "doh" moments when I realized that k2tbl was not a decrease but, literally, knit 2 stitches through the back loopS. You can see how cleverly Brooklyn Tweed worked the crown decreases in the photo. Absolutely brilliant!

So brilliant that it took me a year to figure it out.

Final FO for '08

Merry Christmas to me. After the last minute spate of holiday gift making, I decided to do a little selfish knitting this past weekend. The results - a new pair of Maine Morning Mitts and a big, slouchy tam (of my own design) to match.

You may recognize the yarn. It happens to be the leftovers of Malabrigo from the Tweedy Vest I finished this summer. And I have just a little bit left and am experimenting with squeeking out a tiny neck warmer. It's looking pretty unlikely that I'll have quite enough yarn to finish it but the ol' grey matter is percolating some design options for making it stretch.

However, given the fact that Hockeyman's birthday is tomorrow (yup, he's a New Years Eve baby) and I have a to-do list of epic proportions to get through before his party guests start arriving tomorrow, I think I can officially dub these items as the Final FO's of '08.

Oh, and if you didn't notice it in the photo, it's snowing - again. After all, it is hockey season in Minnesota and my men are up in Hibbing this week for a hockey tournament. So of course there is going to be significant snow fall, just to make driving home an adventure.

Glad I stayed home to knit clean house.

Merry Christmas to all!

Wishing all of my friends & family the warmest of holiday greetings. God bless us, one and all.

(No animals were harmed in the production of this photograph - although the cats may disagree, citing extreme embarrassment and emotional distress over being forced into jingle bell collars and ridiculous reindeer antler hats. Our official response to their formal complaints of animal cruelty has been, "Suck it up, quit'cher whining and get in the spirit . . . or no Christmas presents for you!" I'll keep you posted on the results of the subsequent lawsuit being filed on their behalf by bleeding heart animal activists.)

Sheesh, like no one's ever been forced to wear ridiculous Christmas items by overly holiday-spirited parents.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blankie knitting . . .

On Friday, I had a panic attack (rather on the order of Sheepish Annie's Hysterical Mind).

Looking at the calendar, I realized this week is the last week of dance/swimming/hockey/girls' club/etc. before the holiday break.

So. Many. Teacher. Gifts. To. Finish.

GAH!

Life After Christmas Carol

I'm tired . . . exhausted . . . Christmas'ed out. I've actually threatened to start playing Easter music, just to get the Christmas Carol songs out of my head. Either that, or some of Hockeyman's head-banger style rock music. Not that Alan Menken's score isn't wonderful but I'm just tuckered out and want the music in my head to go away.

I've spent the last 4 days in sweats, sitting in my recliner, working on the one knitted Christmas gift I'm likely to have time for this year. (That's not counting a couple old projects that were nearing completion well before Christmas Carol kicked in, that I must keep quiet about, since loved one's may check in and spoil the surprise).

This gift, however, is for Dancing Diva and is not a stealth gift . . . at all. After all, she is a "teenager" and her tastes have grown beyond my ability to forecast or match. So when she asked me if I could reproduce this, I gave her the go ahead to pick the yarn herself. In all fairness to PB Teen, I won't be reproducing it exactly like their design.

For one thing, the Stupid Finger still won't tolerate that much knitting with 100% cotton yarn. I can work for a little while on washcloths, then I have to move to something softer, since the ol' digit is still stiff and achey (stupid finger!). So Dancing Diva chose some inexpensive acrylic instead (in massive quantities, I might add - did you see the size of that skein?!?)

In addition, stockinette stitch in acrylic won't lay flat, no matter how much you try to make it. So garter stitch it is. And my version is being made on 10-1/2 needles, so as to give some speed and, incidentally, drapey softness to the whole project.

The thing she liked best about the PB Teen version is the random stripes, so I'll try my best to make my version as random as possible.

Given my level of exhaustion, random would probably be achieved, whether I tried or not.

Random good, counting bad. Now if I could get enough energy to do some laundry, before I run out of sweats.

Photos, Finally

Sorry for the poor photo quality. The lighting was very low on the set and I had to do a little monkeying with the brightness and such to get a little detail.


Photo 1: Middle Class Victorian Woman

Photo 2: Fezziwig Ball Gown

Photo 3: Weathy Victorian Woman

The green shawl and bonnet are used with the Fezziwig Ball Gown in another scene as well. Nothing like multiple-use accessories.

Only comment I have to make - in spite of the corset taking 4" off my waist measurement, the crinoline still makes me look huge! Gah!

No time to post more. The house is a shambles, we have another rehearsal tonight and I have to leave shortly to get Hockeyman to the rink to catch the team bus to tonight's game.

No photos but . . .

The first dress rehearsal came off . . . well, with a few hitches.

First hitch, I forgot the camera, so someone could snap some photos of my costumes in all their glory. I'm hoping tomorrow will go a bit smoother and I'll remember the camera. So stay tuned for photos.

Second hitch, I managed to pull a drawstring out of my Fezziwig dress, leaving me with a repair to be made before tomorrow's dress rehearsal. I was supposed to wear that dress to a promotional performance this evening but had to switch to my Wealthy Victorian Woman costume instead. Not a big deal at all but driving to and from the event in a full crinoline and corset was a bit awkward.

Third hitch, Dancing Diva managed to slip and fall on the stairs in our garage and has a massive bruise forming on her hip. She's finding it difficult to walk and I'm very worried about her ability to perform for the next few days. Time will tell . . .

Obviously, I did manage to finish all the pieces I had on my to do list, although I still want to make some minor alterations to a few things (adding lace to petticoats, making a few alterations to make things fit better, sewing hooks on skirts - that kind of stuff). I also would like to make a jacket for the Middle Class Victorian Woman costume, but won't push it too much this week. If it doesn't get done, I'll cope.

Well, off to fix dinner and do a few chores. The DH is making a valiant effort not to let things fall too far behind but, since he's out in the cold putting up Christmas lights, I should step up and get a few things done, too.

Or I could take a nap. Oh so tempting!

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing, Keep that Gal a Sewing . .

No time to chat much but wanted to give a quick update. Five Elf Doublets were delivered on Tuesday and I was free to finish my own costumes.

In 48 hours, we'll be getting ready for our first dress rehearsal and I'm frantically sewing away on the remaining pieces of my costumes.

Here is the corset, minus the seam binding and lace trim on the top and bottom. I figured I can rehearse in the corset without the trimmings but I can't go on stage without some outer garments. So the finishing of this is on hold, temporarily.

I'm currently finishing a blouse. I've yet to finish the crinoline but it only needs a couple more layers of netting and the outer petticoat. I also have a jacket cut out and ready to start.

Last, I'll whip up two skirts. If I have time, I need to make a pinafore for one of the little girls but that will be a big maybe, depending on time.

Forgive my brevity, but must get back to the sewing machine. Ta-ta.

Let the race begin!

Ten days until Christmas Carol opens . . .
Six scheduled rehearsals left . . .
Three of them dress rehearsals . . .
Nineteen costume pieces done . . .
Eleven costume pieces yet to complete . . .

Yup, stress levels are high here at Christmas Carol Costume Central.

Latest FO . . .

Let the Dancing in the Streets Commence!

I'm deep in the last minute world of A Christmas Carol technical work. Hours of costuming, set work and everything else that goes into a large production is keeping me from posting about all the exciting things that are going on around here.

However, I did have to let my friends know that Hockeyman has completed his try-outs for the High School hockey team and received word today.



He has earned a spot on the J.V. squad!


He has worked so hard all these years on improving his skills with making the H.S. team as his long term goal. I am thrilled that he has had this dream come true and will keep you posted as to how the season progresses.

Woot! I'm now returning to my regularly scheduled happy dancing.

Victorian Unmentionables

While I would never show a picture of modern undergarments in a post, doesn't it seem like an ironic twist that I should be posting photographs and details about Victorian undergarments? Especially considering the almost absurd level of modesty and decorum exercised during the Victorian Era.

One of my favorite scenes in "Meet Me in St. Louis" is when Majorie Main's character, Katie the Maid, was shaking a pair of freeze-dried bloomers in Rose Smith's (Lucille Bremer) face - outside in the yard, no less. Rose's shame and embarrassment is funny to me. Totally cracks me up every time. Yet if someone started shaking a push-up bra in my face in public - oi!

Yet, here we are with a progress shot of Victorian Unmentionables going out into the public domain. Weird, huh?!

This is the corded petticoat that took FOREVER to sew. There are 24 corded pin tucks in it. Forgive the rather rumpled appearance but I had just dipped it in liquid starch yesterday and am just getting ready to finish the rather complicated pressing process today.

Next, I will need to dampen the petticoat, roll and wrap it in plastic wrap and put it outside for a few hours. Then it will be ready to steam press into crisp, voluminous fullness. While very time consuming, I'm hoping the stiffness of the starched cords will keep the rest of the costume from tangling around my knees and ankles. And allow me to slip through the rather tight spots behind the scenes, where hoops would be extremely difficult to maneuver.

You'll notice the deep yoke on the corded petticoat. I am actually constructing a full crinoline on this base piece, so I have basted guidelines into the yoke, to which additional layers of gathered netting ruffles and muslin petticoats will be attached. It will take a few more hours to complete but the end is in sight on this complicated piece of VU.

This morning, I worked on a pair of pantalets. A little hand sewing and some added closures, and that VU will be off the list as well.

That just leaves the corset. I'm hoping to get that finished by the end of the weekend, so I can start the actual outer costume pieces next week. In the meantime, I will start practicing some of the scenes in the Fezziwig dress, just to get used to moving around in a full-length dress.

After all this complicated VU stuff, construction the rest of the actual outer garments will be a piece of cake.

I hope!

Fezziwig Ball Dress Done

"The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day."

Well, that accounts for the lousy photos in today's post. I was so looking forward to donning the finished Fezziwig Ball Costume to do some in situ shots but the weather just wouldn't cooperate.

Being the immediate gratification kind of gal I am, I decided to post some bad photos of the dress on a hanger, rather than no photos at all. That way, when I finally do get a beautiful day when I can model the dress in all it's glory, you'll all gasp and wonder if it is the same dress at all.

Initially, I felt the dress by itself would be very bland, so I found some silky gold fabric to make the sash. That had triggered the idea to use some ecru lace around the neck. Not being content to just buy lace, I hunted through all the magazines until I discovered this little pattern. Though I would have preferred to have the lace flat all the way around, there is a drawstring around the neck to take up the fullness of the neckline. (All in all, a good design choice when I'll be gallivanting all over the stage in this thing.) But it made the lace gather as well.

From a distance, no one will see the lace detail anyway. It just makes me feel pretty and talented to have it on the dress. And there is something to be said for boosting one's confidence in this manner, when you have to perform on stage.

As you can see at the bottom of the dress, the lining shows. This is because the original pattern has a slight train. I left this on for now but plan on trying this costume in the dance number long before opening night. If the train interferes with the dancing, it will be removed. I will have no mercy (although it really is much prettier with the little train).

This morning, I started constructing the crinoline I'll be wearing under my WVW costume. At the moment, I'm cording a petticoat. Very time consuming but will be more authentic than going without any skirt support. The hoop skirts in the production are going on the younger girls (and frankly, I would look like a house in a hoop skirt). I'll be adding multiple layers to the crinoline, as recommended by Demode. I have yards of netting cut out, as I do sections of ruffles and petticoats. Also waiting in line is the corset (I'm a little intimidated by this one, because it requires some careful fitting) and some pantalets.

Once the crinoline is finished, I'll use the finished circumference to design the skirt to go over it. The corset will also need to be finished before I start the pattern drafting for the blouse and jacket. No sense in fitting it to my natural form when I'll be squeezed and tucked a bit by the corset. (Not much, mind you, just enough to smooth the ol' silhouette a bit. Still gotta be able to breathe to sing, you know.)

On the knitting front, I'm still working on the shawl. I started at the point and have been increasing my way up the thing and have gotten to the point where the rows take FOREVER. I want this to be a very generous, large shawl, though, and will persevere until it suits me.

Or I just can't stand it anymore.

Crochet Lace Obsession

I've rediscovered my passion for crochet in my hunt for Victorian accessories and trims. Pictured are the cuff length lace for the "Wealthy Victorian Woman" or WVW costume. Not shown is the long section that will be used on the bodice.

After starting the blocking for A Christmas Carol, I've found that I'll need a minimum of 2 costumes. Three would be ideal, though. First, I need a WVW costume for the opening scene in the Royal Exchange.

Also needed is either a "Middle Class Victorian Woman" (or MCVW) costume for the street scenes, or at least accessories that will tone down the WVW costume. What I do about this costume depends on how much sewing time I have after finishing the WVW and LRERW costumes and when I figure out if I have enough time between scenes to do a full costume change or not. There is only one very short scene between my first and second stage appearances, so I suspect it would be a very quick change - oi.

Lastly, I need a "Late Regency or Early Romantic Woman" (LRERW) costume for the Christmas Past Fezziwig Ball scene.

I have started the LRERW costume. It is going to be a very simple Regency-style dress, in a dark olive green color, with a gold colored sash and ecru lace trim. The goal of this dress is to quietly fade into a muted background, against which Emily (Scrooge's love interest) will shine in her brighter, more brilliant costume.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention terms like Regency or Victorian, here are some links that show the transition from Regency (1797-1825ish), to Romantic (1825-1845), to Early Victorian (1837-1860). Since Dickens published A Christmas Carol in 1843, most productions are costumed in the late 1840's/1850's time period. Our production is more in the 1860 time period. Depending on how far back you put the "past", you can end up in either the Regency or Romantic period. Frankly, these are some of my favorite costuming time periods. There is a lot of political and social reasons for the changes in fashion during this time and it makes for a fascinating historical study . . .

Okay, the History Geek in me is showing. Better stop before I put you all to sleep.

I'm running out of clever titles

With all the updates here at Costume Central, it's hard to come up with new headings. Bear with me if I get boring and repetitive.

However, here is the latest installment in the ongoing sewing saga. Two little bonnets for two sweet little girls.

I have to admit, these took more time than the dresses. All the trim needed be be hand sewn, including a wire around the brims to stiffen them, which were then covered with braid. Very futzy, putzy work but the result turned out to be worth it. My fingers are a bit raw, though. Gotta find my favorite leather thimble before I make my own bonnet. Ouch!

I also finished the petticoats and bloomers for the girls. Everything the girls need are finished now, so I'm on to my own costumes.

On that front, I did manage to finish my chemise and have cut out one of the three dresses I need for my characters. I also whipped up a little more crocheted lace to trim one of my dresses (I haven't decided which one yet) and have finished the drawstring bag. Next post, I'll show the finished bag in all it's glory and maybe even a little bit of lace.

Gotta charge the camera, first, though. Seems Hockeyman has found a new passion and he keeps using up the memory card and battery of our digital camera. Hmmm, guess what he wants for Christmas . . .

Costume frenzy continues . . .

Progress is occurring, in little bits of time, here and there. Most importantly, today's sewing had to be scheduled around voting. Fortunately, it only took only 45 minutes to get in and out of my local polling place. Even waiting until 10:00 am, which was supposed to be the least busy time, there was still quite a line. You know I thought ahead and brought a knitting project along and managed to knock off a few rows while waiting in line.

When I got home, I was able to finish the cape for Bubba's dress. She absolutely loves the color of the dress and cape together and is enamored with the rosettes I added to the ribbons. Add the Mary Jane shoes, white tights, and (eventually) some crinolines underneath, then give everything a good pressing and and I think we have a winner.

While in the cape-making mood, I whipped up Peeps little cape. I have to admit that the pattern I adapted for them was one of the quickest little projects. The serger was ideal for getting the two layers stitched together and then a quick turn and press job and I had a cape. Throw on a little bias tape around the neckline, some braided trim around the edges and some ribbon ties with extra florish and, voila, we have Victorian Capes.

I also managed to get the zipper in Peeps dress as well. I still need to put a row of buttons down the front of Peeps dress, but all in all, I think we can call this project done as well.

Next on the list is petticoats (with a bit of crinoline to add width) and little bloomers for each of the girls. Those should be really quick projects, given my recent speed training in the ol' bloomer making department. Then I'll be working on my own costumes at full speed. We just started blocking movements this week and I should have a fuller understanding of my character by the weekend.


If you all see some signs of fire from the Twin Cities SW metro area, don't worry. It'll just me be smokin' through the ol' costume to-do list.

Christmas Carol Costumes Part 2

Sewing has taken over my life. I spent more than 20 hours sewing this past weekend. Unfortunately, most of it was spent on shortening dance costumes for an entire performance company. These were, bar none, the hardest alterations I've ever done. The fabric was a thin, slippery satin, which would not crease, no matter how much you pressed it. After much experimentation, I figured out how to use the rolled hem foot on my machine to make a narrow turned hem. I am so glad to have those off my "to do" list.

In my "spare" time, I managed to finish Bubba's dress for A Christmas Carol. I still have a zipper to install on Peeps dress, then petticoats, bloomers, capes and bonnets to make for each of them. All in all, I'm very pleased with the progress I've made, even though I still have a lot to sew.

Well, the grindstone is still spinning and my nose needs to get back on it. Ta-ta from costume central.

Progress Report

Another Victorian accessory to check off the list. Here is a crocheted bit of lace I am using to embellish Bubba's costume with.

Again, I found this simple lace pattern in an old McCall's Needlework and Crafts magazine. However, I have done some Internet searches and found some interesting websites online.

One of the more fascinating is The Antique Pattern Library. What a wonderful resource for old patterns. Of course, deciphering the old patterns take a bit of know how . . . or just guts to guess and make it up as you go. I've only scratched the surface of the patterns available here but, believe me, I'm going to be spending much more time browsing through this resource, after Christmas Carol.

As for this weekend's agenda, I'm assembly line sewing the two little girl dresses at the moment. Both bodices are done and I'm busy assembling the skirts. I'm hoping to polish off these two dresses today. I have a little work to do for the dance studio as well (17 costumes to shorten and hem - ugggh), then I will be off and running on my own costume pieces.

As for my Not-So-Mini-Me, I still haven't figured out how to get it onto a stand but I haven't given up on her. More to follow . . .

The Great Costuming Experiement

Trust me, this really isn't a Halloween post. Especially since we don't actually celebrate Halloween in our home. However, the kids had a hey day yesterday, suggesting that I stay in this crazy get-up and hand out candy in my new "mummy" get-up.

That would be somewhat problematic, since I couldn't sit down or use the bathroom in this get up.

No, this was actually a grand experiment to see if I could make my own "Not-So-Mini-Me" duct tape dressmakers dummy.

One of the handicaps I've labored under for years is the lack of a dressmakers dummy to use in my costume construction endeavors. Being a short, full-figured gal, traditional patterns never fit properly without extensive redrafting. And with the publication of the cast list and knowledge that I'd soon be making Early Victorian costumes for myself, I decided that this obstacles had to be addressed and remedied, if I was to have any success designing and constructing a Lorraine Original Victorian Masterpiece.

Hence, in the early morning hours yesterday, I began to wrap myself in white duct tape. It was not long before I realized that this was not a solo job and I enlisted the help of Hockeyman and Bubba to help mummify me. After a couple hours, we were finally able to remove the full body wrapping and I now have a partially completed dummy in my basement. Once I pick up a little more batting (I completely underestimated how much stuffing NSMM actually hold - guess a diet isn't such a bad idea) and find a way to mount NSMM on a stand, I will actually be able to do some draping and fitting.

That is, I hope . . .

Life will never be the same . . .

Well, it is official . . . there is now a teen driver in the house. Hockeyman just took and passed his test and now has a learner's permit.

Gah! I'm just not old enough to have a teenager with a permit.

And to add to the maternal distress around here, my "baby" turned 8 this week. Somehow, the idea that my little Snicklefritz (also known as Peeps) is now in second grade and growing up WAAAAYYY too fast hit me a bit hard this week. It would not be an understatement to say that I've spent a significant amount of time this week feeling a bit farklempt.

In brighter news, the beaded wristlets are done and blocking as I type. I knit these from black sock yarn I had in my stash, on size 0 needles. The pattern was from the February 1988 McCall's Needlework & Crafts magazine.

I've also designed and am knitting a coordinating drawstring bag. I'm leaving the beads off but plan to line it with a bright satin fabric, so that the color will be revealed through the lace pattern. I'm very excited about the bag but you'll have to wait until it's finished and blocking before I'll photograph it.

I can never get the details to show up when I photograph black yarn. I hope you can get an idea how cute these really are without a stunning photo.

Otherwise, you'll just have to come to the show and look at them in person during the meet & greet after the performance.

Yes, that was a blatant plug for the show. Go to cvft dotorg for ticket info.

Christmas Carol Costumes Part 1

Because of bad timing, I was not able to use my four day weekend last week for sewing costumes. CVFT's intrepid costumer had not had her meeting with the production staff and, thus, could not provide me with details for period, color or social standing for any of my family's characters.

Not one to be put off, though, I did take some time to research and search for Victorian accessories. Fortunately, I have an extensive library of old McCall's Needlework and Crafts magazines for the 80's and early 90's. It was my favorite craft magazine of all time and I literally wept when they ceased publication. I treasure my collection and enjoyed my weekend skimming through them to find the perfect accessories for my costume.

As a result, I found a pattern for and was able to make the pictured snood over the weekend. Here it is, blocked in all its lacy glory. I am in the process of threading the elastic through the double crocheted border. Once I get my hair piece put together, I'll hopefully be able to provide a in situ snapshot.

In the meantime, I'm deep in the process of making beaded, knitted mitts. Stay tuned for more from Costume Central.

Hey, Teach revealed

As promised, here is a photo of Hey, Teach! in all it's wearable glory. I found some simple teal buttons to finish it off and wore it all day Monday.

I have to say this is my new favorite sweater. Having short sleeves, it is a little less warm than Samus, my other favorite sweater. It is going to be ideal for this in between fall weather.

(Edited to add: Guinifer, I used the Rowan Yorkshire Tweed I bought at Knit Wits when they were closing)

For those who are keeping track of my dramatic pursuits, the cast list for A Christmas Carol - The Broadway Musical is out and all the ladies here at Chez Dramatique were cast. I am a chorus member and will appear in numerous scenes. The two little girls are both in the Angel Chorus and the "Christmas Show" audience. And Dancing Diva was cast as a tap-dancing soldier. Needless to say, we're all thrilled and excited to get started on yet another wonderful CVFT show.

Stay tuned for costuming updates.

FO Friday

It just goes to show that occasionally I can make a deadline, even a self-imposed one.

I just finished the ribbing on Hey, Teach this morning and just need to go shopping for some special buttons to make this cute little number even more delightful. I have to say that I managed to get this sweater to fit like a dream. But not without some thought.

I knew I needed to add additional length to the upper bodice of the sweater, considering my rather ample bustline would require a few extra inches to make the empire waist shaping actually sit where it should sit. This made it necessary to lengthen the lower half as well, to keep the proportion between the two halves correct. I added an extra inch to the sleeve length as well, just to make sure it hit my arm in the right spot.

All in all, it turned out so lovely, I can't wait to add the buttons and wear it. Alas, I have to work all weekend long at the ice cream shop, so the trip for new buttons will have to wait a few days. Thus, you all will have to wait for a shot of it on moi for a few more days as well.

I hope you can stand the strain of waiting . . .

An FO (sort of)

Well, Quilters closed on Sunday after a very successful run. I brought home all the costumes and managed to get everything cleaned on Monday and will return the costumes to the storage facilities on Wednesday.

Not that we're going to have a moment to breathe around here, though. Auditions started last night for the CVFT production of A Christmas Carol - The Broadway Musical. Once the cast is set, I'll be back on costume duty as I go back to just being a helper to the regular costumer.


Due to an unforeseen complication, I never did get out front to photograph the costumes. Because of my natural tendency to step in where ever help might be needed, I ended up working back stage. While I didn't think much of it at the time, I actually ended up being listed in the program as "Assistant Stage Manager" and was given a (gasp) head set.

I guess in theater circles, being given a head set is a high honor, reserved only for those intrepid souls who are willing to work behind the scenes for years, without fanfare or kudos, before being rewarded with the ultimate sign of trustworthiness - the illustrious head set.

Trust me, I am not mocking the vaunted traditions of theater but I was completely kerflummoxed when people started explaining what an honor I'd been accorded. Frankly, I was just available in a crunch and came by the head set by default. However, once I realized the enormity of the position, I rose to the challenge and did my utmost to live up to the noble auspices of the head set.

That being said, I was only able to photograph costumes from the wings. Most of the shots were too poorly lit or at bad angles, so these two will have to suffice to show the blogging world I was indeed busy costuming (and assistant stage managing) over the past weeks, instead of maintaining any sort of regular blogging schedule.

In knitting news, the sweater I started recently is progressing nicely. I chose Hey Teach from knitty.com as the pattern and am using the green tweed yarn I picked up on clearance this summer. I've finished the back and both fronts and have started both sleeves. Since the pattern has very short sleeves, I'm still hoping to finish knitting it this week - before the cast list for A Christmas Carol comes out and the whole costume whirlwind starts again.

While I remain optimistic, I don't suggest anyone hold their breath because you know my history of wishful thinking.

Finish line in sight

Well, I delivered the rest of the costumes last night. I only have one more pinafore to make and elastic to put in the last pair of bloomers and I'm done with the costumes for the latest Chaska Valley Family Theater show, Quilters - The Musical.

Hopefully, with the dress rehearsal tomorrow, I'll have some photos to show. Not that all the work I've done over the past few weeks will show, since I had to make about 10 pairs of bloomers and 9 petticoats. Why all the effort for undergarments? Well, these ladies tend to be dancing, jumping rope, flopping down on the stage and generally flashing glimpses of dainties from time to time. Not intentionally but you know how stuff happens sometimes. Fortunately, our director was savvy enough to recognize the potential for disaster and all the ladies are well protected from embarrassment during the show, not to mention adding to the the historical accuracy of the costumes with the said garments. Guess I should take pride in a job well-done, although the audience may not realize how much it took to keep the "Family" part of the CVFT name intact.

On the knitting front, well, I have a new sweater on the needles and it's going quickly but you'll just have to wait a little longer for a glimpse. After all, life is still racketing along at a breath-taking pace around here.

Oh, and I caught a cold. Figures . . .

Life Interrupted

Can life interrupt itself? Because I feel like I have no life of my own but the reason is LIFE.

Too confusing? Well, let me explain. The past two weeks have been a nightmare of scheduling "issues" that have had me breathless and exhausted beyond normal.

During the day, I homeschool 4 kids. Not horrifically difficult but I do have a 7 year old with some attention issues. Ergo, I have to sit in the room where she watches her videos and does her work text pages to frequently remind her to stay focused. She is a very bright student but she lacks focus for mundane things like grammar, phonics, math, spelling and Heritage studies.

Fortunately, I get lots of knitting or reading time in during those times when she needs me to sit with her.

The other three kids are pretty independent, requiring only minimal supervision during the day. A few questions, correcting a few papers, etc. are the most interaction they require to fulfill their daily school work.

Unfortunately, with two teenagers in the house, there is a bit of drama that tends to unfold on a daily basis. This includes battles over who gets the shower first, which shower whom gets and figuring out why on earth we're out of shampoo AGAIN when I just bought some a few days ago. (Shampoo hoarding is an undiagnosed syndrome that seems to be reaching epidemic proportions in my home). Then my expertise in the negotiations/peace-making realm are put to the test as two teen-agers battle over who gets which t.v./DVD player today. Although they have each been assigned their own, permanent a.v. system for use, there seems to be the feeling that this should be re-negotiated on a daily basis.

I could go on and on about the epic battles that take place between two strong-willed teenagers but I won't. Needless to say, these power struggles are never ending but a quick phone call to DH usually results in a clear winner - DAD.

The rest of my school day is spent checking up on everyone's work, household chores, bills, projects and other necessary activities that keep a roof over our head (albeit not always that clean), food on the table (okay, so I use a lot of pre-packaged stuff) and the creditors at bay.

Now, that's the normal stuff.

For the not so normal stuff: I'm currently costume mistress for a local production of "Quilters - The Musical." Guess all that work for Beauty and the Beast last winter set me up for more calls on my talents as a costumer. Not that I mind but I guess I didn't take into account WHEN the bulk of the work would happen and have been a bit unprepared for the added stress of the beginning of the school year and costuming a show at the same time.

Add to that a serious case of tendonitis in my right elbow from scooping ice cream all summer. Makes normal activities just a bit more painful than usual.

To top it all off, our first homeschool academy classes are tomorrow and I'm not quite as prepared for "Embellishing Ready-to-Wear" as I hoped to be. While I have the first lesson sort of planned out in my head, that's as far as I've gotten in my preparations for the class. Oh well, since these kids are supposed to be designing their own one-of-a-kind fashions, we can all just wing it together.

And of course, we have dance, hockey, swimming, Awana, Quilter's rehearsals, and occasional homeschool meetings in the evenings. Just to round off the insane schedule I managed to create this year.

So, if the posts continue to be a bit scarce, hang in there. I haven't forgotten. I've probably just been flattened by the steamroller of LIFE - again.

Another drive-by FO post

Home just in time for bed (after a very busy day, of course) but I couldn't resist popping in to show off today's FO.

The Tweedy vest was a web only pattern from the fall/winter 2005 issue of Knitscene Magazine. Alas, the pattern is no longer available online. Mine was made with Malabrigo Seleccion Privada K, which I picked up on sale at Coldwater this summer. The colors just happen to be the local school colors and I plan on wearing this vest to hockey games. Woot!

I love how the pattern worked up. The neckline was a mental challenge because it used short-rows to make the front of the ribbing deeper than the back of the ribbing. Unusual but I think I like it. I'm considering making another one out of the green tweed yarn I recently added to the stash.

BTW, this isn't the only FO of the week. Dancing Diva's ballet shrug is also finished but I haven't managed to snag a photo of her wearing it yet. Stay tuned for an update. Soon, I hope.

Drive-by Posting

Just a quick update, since I'm still doing the crazy, headless chicken dance around here.

Tropical Punch socks are done, done, done! LOVE them, mostly because I mastered the whole spiral knitting thing. Although there are a couple errors, so I cannot say the socks are completely jogless, I'm very pleased with the whole technique.

Well, off to the pool with the little girls. Time for P.E., doncha' know.

Homeschool Co-op class prep

With autumn rapidly approaching, I've been doing some planning for the fall classes at our homeschool co-op. This term, I've been tapped to teach a class on embellishing ready-to-wear.

Just to test some of the patterns in this book, I put Dancing Diva to work transforming some men's t-shirts I picked up on the clearance racks at the local Target. On the seat, you can see the t-shirt as it originally looked. Across the back of the chair is the new look created by Dancing Diva. She used 2 t-shirts to make this camisole with braided straps.

Pretty cute, if you ask me.

In kitty news, we've noticed a new Harley behavior that has us rolling on the floor, laughing.

I'm not quite sure what the appeal is under there, but the kids sure get a kick out of watching him crawl around under the rug.

In knitting news, I've cast on a new pair of socks.

Just for a portable project . . . really. I am going to finish more UFO's, honest. I just had to have something I could do while waiting for kids. Truly, that's the real reason.

I am using the leftovers of the 3 yarns I hand-dyed a few years ago to make a striped pair of socks. What is really exciting about this is I figured out how to spiral knit in the round, so that there are no jogs between stripes.

It is utterly fascinating to me how someone figured this one out. For a very detailed description of how this works, check out Grumperina's great tutorial.
It did take me 3 tries to get it going and I do have one mistake in them but they are so colorful and vibrant, I doubt anyone but me will ever notice the goof.
I am doing a simple 1x1 ribbing for the sock, with plain stockinette on the sole.

Between the extra knitting time at various appointments and kids' activities, not to mention the heavier yarn, this project is going fast.

Oh, and I'll get right on those UFO's, too. Maybe . . .

Olympic challenge

Being a bit of a non-conformist, instead of joining the Ravelry challenge or any of the other Olympic challenges that happen to be going, I made the decision to challenge myself to finish as many UFO's and WIP's during the games as possible.

Perhaps it was a little less rebellion and a bit more guilt about the state of my UFO pile but, nevertheless, I just couldn't cast on something new without feeling like a flibbertygibbet or a gad-about.

In that quest, I've managed to finish two pairs of socks since the Olympics have started. Both were part of the Year In Socks challenge and now I am only 2 months behind in socks. While I'm on a UFO finishing quest for the duration of the Olympics, I have already selected yarn and am going through patterns so that I can cast on the July challenge as soon as the Olympics are over. I'm also mulling over the August and September rules and making some plans. The idea of finishing 7 pairs of socks in 5 months is certainly intimidating but doable.

Kinda like the women's gymnastics all around competition last night. While Nastia and Shawn seemed to be getting the short end of the scoring stick in the first two rounds (what the h*** was up with that???), they still managed to stay focused and win the gold and silver. WTG, girls!

Anyway, I'm well on my way to finishing Dancing Diva's ballet shrug and my new hockey vest, so stay tuned for updates on more UFO elimination rounds in the week to come.

Go, USA!!!

Sick computers and other complications

It's been a long week - a very long week. I've had a very sick computer with multiple viruses, no ability to upload photos due to increased security measures I can't alter at the moment, and an sudden increase in activities children require transportation to and from, which has kept me out of the house and away from my poor, languishing PC.

Needless to say, I have lots to blog about but no TIME or PHOTOS.

Bear with me, friends, while we work out our technical difficulties.