OK, That's Better.

Three Olympic events and a good night's sleep later, the damage is undone. Fresh start in the morning today and now the V 8575 dress is finished.



And on the model.



I wore it riding my bicycle to new student orientation last night over cycling pants which I pretended were leggings (different shoes, of course). It was well over 90∘F. The Dry Flex knit seems to have done its job keeping me cool and dry while not looking too rumpled after the ride. It goes right into the rotation. All is forgiven.

When I Mess It Up I Don't Mess Around!

Vogue 8575. I've made 3 versions already; this would be dammit, will be the 4th.



Here's what I'm supposed to have:



Here's what I've got, on its way to being a cycling dress of Dry Flex knit from FabricMart:



Even the non-sewing-inclined will immediately notice that one wing seems to be (is) inside out. But look more closely and see that one tie is attached to the inside of the dress (whichever that turns out to be) and one to the outside.



But wait--there's more!

Both wings of the dress are put together sideways! the seams between the kimono sleeves and the front and back bodice are supposed to be the shoulder seams between the front and the back of the sleeves!

Now, this is unfortunate. Especially because I did an unusually good job of matching up those pesky princess and shoulder seams. For me, anyway. And, of course, everything is serged.



*sigh*

I have also been sewing.

By January 3 I had already resurrected one garment and sewn another from scratch! If only I could continue at that pace I could give Carolyn a run for the money! Well, perhaps not.

First, I made this dress last year but never wore it because the delicious slinkiness of the silk jersey clings to every bump, bulge and baloney sandwich underneath it. So shortened it to a top and cut sleeves (from Vogue 8575, my go-to pattern because I never get round to putting it away) from the excess, turning it into this.



Then, when it came time to pack for a weekend in DC to visit DD and attend a law professors' conference I discovered I had nothing warm (or clean) to wear so I made another, better iteration of Vogue 8525. This one looks exactly like the photo on the pattern envelope, since I made it out of a nice charcoal grey double knit. I wore it every day in Washington because I like it and I could wear as many layers underneath as the temperature required. I pressed DD (who was surprised to learn I had made the top! Oh, joy supreme!) into service to take a picture, but I see she doesn't really grasp the outfit photo concept, which is probably just as well.



Meanwhile the overly ambitious two-at-a-time-toe-up-magic-loop socks are proceeding apace. I'm somewhere around the instep preparing to learn how to do a heel. I didn't bother with a gauge because, well, I just didn't, and I figure the socks, if they ever materialize, will fit someone. Even if they have to be worn over shoes--they are looking pretty large.

And, finally (for now), I sat down for some serious "what happens if I do this?" time with my Brother 1034D serger, generating sample stitches, on muslin and stretch knit, carefully labeled with Differential Feed Setting, Stitch Length, Stitch Width and Needle and Looper Tension Settings, which I then tossed in a heap.



A good day.

Ceci N'est Pas Une Snood.

OK, to be fair, it was never meant to be a snood. It's my DD's little scarfy thing, now complete with leather buttons. The original pattern looked like this:



--oh, my goodness, now that I look at the pattern again I didn't put the buttons where they were supposed to be! I forgot how the original looked and thought it should button as shown here (but without the buttons.) Anyway, I realized it could also be buttoned end to end to make what I would call a cowl, like this one, or this one, or this one, but which the entire sewing and knitting blogosphere, inspired by Karen of Did You Make That, calls a snood as it churns them out by the dozens.

I always thought a snood looked like this thing on the back of Honeysuckle Weeks's head as she plays Sam Stewart in Foyle's War:


But what do I know? A thousand blogging knitters can't be wrong, can they?

Here, by the way, is my purple scarf, completed.



I wore it today (maybe I'll block it later) with my latest Vogue 8575 as I cycled to work, stopping on the way to pick up more yarn to make this for a friend:



By the time I got to work I had cast on and knit the first two rows! (No, not while pedaling--I bike to the subway then me and my bicycle ride the rest of the way.)


This stuff is addicting!

Picking Up The Pace!

Yesterday I finished two! projects! TWO! Well, except for one needs buttons. Here is the finished (but for the buttons) and amateurishly blocked scarfette for DD who is facing her first winter outside California:



Now, she's only facing what passes for winter in Washington, DC, so this little scarfy thing should cover it.

Also finished is another rendition of Vogue Options 8575, this one with long set-in sleeves in some mystery jersey from Michael Levine's $1.99 table. I still haven't decided if the print is pretty or really ugly--it is certainly synthetic.



Its mission in life is to be another cycling dress. I'm getting better at this pattern--the princess seams almost meet properly at the shoulders now.



And I have the neckline almost where I want it now. However, as a result, the bodice is almost too short.

To restore balance in the universe, atilt due to my excess of FOs, I started unraveling my first knitted FO of this milennium to utilize my somewhat improved knitting skillz on this nice silk yarn.



On my monitor, the color of the ball on the seat is closer to the actual yarn than the disappearing scarf on the back of the chair.

So, go me! Of course, all this productivity is the result of procrastinating on what I'm supposed to be doing, but whatever.

How To Dress For The Revolution

Vogue Options 8575, of course. Here I am attempting an action shot and nearly running down DS in the process.



I actually never ride without a helmet, but here I'm wearing my National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer hat because my plan for the day included checking out the Los Angeles version of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Los Angeles. I didn't get to City Hall until around 7 p.m., having put 25 miles on my bicycle and a delicious roast beef sandwich from the Coffee Table Bistro in Eagle Rock into my stomach, but the revolution was still going strong when I finally arrived. (Obviously, when the revolution succeeds I am toast!)

As far as I could tell I was the only Legal Observer there but that was not a problem: our role is to insure that any police interference with free speech is documented by careful neutral witnesses. There was nothing to Observe because the LAPD had agreed not to bother the protesters unless there was trouble, and there is seldom trouble at a demonstration until the police show up. This group is particularly orderly (anarchists notwithstanding), making a really serious effort to entertain all views and operate by consensus. They have about a dozen committees (I listened to them report at a general assembly) including one working on a list of demands. I love them all!

I spent a couple of hours wandering around talking to people. I spoke to several old Baby Boomers quietly taking it all in who told me they had been waiting their whole lives for something like this. As have I.

A Dress That Works (For Me)!

So my plan all along has been to make dresses that look presentable but that I can wear while I commute to work on my bicycle. I do wear the lycra shorts (below-the-knee-length) but I no longer have the superhero physique to make them look good (if I ever did) or even decent. A pullover knit dress is just the ticket and now I've made one.



I'm gorgeous, am I right? I'm in the subway station because I cycle from home to the subway, then take the bicycle on the train to park it at work. Where I substitute proper undergarments and shoes but wear the dress through the day if possible. Fortunately I teach "sage on the stage" style and no one has to get too close to me.



The dress is Vogue Options 8575 Here's a review:

Pattern Description: Pullover dresses in two lengths with partial self-faced, gathered bodice, lapped bodice front, princess seams front self band, tie ends, side bodice variations and gathered skirt. I made view A with mid-arm kimono sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: Size FF: 16-22. I graded from the 16 at the top to 22 at the bottom. I could have gone smaller.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Pretty much.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the shape and the princess seams. I actually like the fact that the tie ends are so long (as mentioned by another reviewer) because I can wrap them all the way around and tie them in front, which avoids the droopy tie look in back.

Fabric Used: I used a poly-cotton (or maybe just poly) jersey from Michael Levine's in Los Angeles.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I tried to adjust the lapped bodice to be more modest, but it's still too low and I have to wear a cami under it. Someday I'll get that right. I also had to take in the sides because sizing it according to my measurements resulted in it being way too big.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and yes. Next time in a smaller size.