An Update

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First, a clerical note. I've just made it a bit easier for you to follow my blog via Bloglovin'. There is now a button on the right you can click to follow me. Thanks to Shams of Communing With Fabric for suggesting this. (FYI, the code above has to stay in this post to keep me connected with Bloglovin'. That way I can see how many readers are following me with Bloglovin'.) I'm curious to know how many of my readers use Bloglovin' as opposed to their Blogger reading list?

Second, a big thank you to all who have visited my blog in the past several months, errr, make that the past year. I've been posting so seldom, I'm just *this* happy to see that people do visit the blog in spite of me. So why don't I show up here more often? It's the photos. I don't have a dress form, and my husband's schedule (he's my photographer) and mine never seem to coincide. Then there are the factors of daylight, sunlight, good hair, etc. It's just been too much for me to overcome. I've made the conclusion I need to get a tripod and remote so that I can do my photo shoots on my own. Then I can write about the garments I've been making in a far more timely manner (and I would be out of excuses about why I don't write!). I could also get a dress form, but that's a big investment and I'd rather show the clothes on my body, anyway. So my goal is to get set up with a camera/tripod/remote in the next month or so. Until then, I'm going to try to get DH to take some shots of new garments I made this summer for fall wear. I believe I have a dozen things to show you, if not more!

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I've been a busy gal in my studio all summer long and into the fall. The mojo has been strong, and I move fairly seamlessly from one garment to the next. Some makes are a bit creative, while others are simple basics. I've decided one can never have enough t-shirts, and Vogue 8793 has been getting a workout. It's my go-to pattern for a basic tee, and I also lengthened it for a tunic or two. I also sewed Katherine Tilton's Butterick 5891 three times, switching from a collared shirt to a vee neck jacket to a vee neck long vest. There have been several one-offs, and a copy of a copy of a RTW tunic. So, I don't lack for things to write about - and photograph!

Here's one garment I can write about, a top I made in July, modeled on a very hot day:

This is Vogue 7883, which is out of print. It's been in my stash for a few years, patiently waiting to be used. The lightweight linen had also lingered in my "resource center" for a couple of years, and the two made a good marriage.

I'm tall, so I lengthened the top above the horizontal seam line. In hindsight, I probably should have lengthened it both above and below that seam, to maintain the balance of the sections. I added at least 3", if not 4". I like how the lower sections are layered:

This make was very easy and the top is very easy to wear. Nice and cool in the hot weather. It's not for the autumn weather we're having now, but maybe you gals in the southern hemisphere will be encouraged to try this one.

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On the knitting front, I didn't make a stitch all summer long. There was just no interest. But the needles started calling to me in September, and I jumped head first into a huge project that will take me at least a year to complete. It's designed by Kaffe Fassett, whom you might know from the quilting world. Long before he quilted, he knit (like, in the 70's). We can credit him for making color knitting popular. His patterns were, and continue to be, very intricate and time-consuming explosions of color. His work is like painting with yarn. I've long wanted to make one of his designs, but never found just the right thing. Until now. Here is a photo of the Jubilee Throw:

I've completed three panels and have three more on needles. (There are 24 in all.) It's great to have a variety to choose from each time I sit down to knit. Sometimes I'm in the mood for stranded work, while other times I prefer intarsia. While this is an enormous project, it's broken up into small sections and there are a lot of different stitch designs included. I'm really enjoying it!

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So that's what I've been doing the past few months. Here's hoping I can get posting more regularly real soon. Thanks for visiting!