After hours of back-breaking pinning, sutting, and marking dots and crap for Amanda's nightdress I set to finishing the overlocking. Kyle (to his credit) did offer to do some. Most of the some was done poorly, but not so poorly as to need re-doing. So, bottom line, he helped. I was going along great, then my poor Singer Athena 2000, which was aged when I bought it used over 15 years ago, started sounding wrong.
Like a man who is one with his machine (whatever his machine of choice is), I can hear when my bread maker, dishwasher, washing machine or sewing machine is telling me something. I do have this ability with my Toyota Sienna, but even though Kerwyn only drives it occasionally he is much more in tune with the subtleties of it.
I digress ... my Athena was sounding wrong. So I slowed down a little (and don't think that that didn't pain me - I mean this is boring shit. Sewing a zig zag around the edge of fabric - come on!!! At least with st st I get do move my fingers!!!). Then it came to the point where the top thread wasn't picking up & locking with the bobbin thread. *%@+ I took it apart a bit, cleaned out the fluff, switched over to a straight-stitch plate & foot to see if it was a stitch problem and the goddess refused to move the needle. A deep, guttural whine was the auditory accompaniment to the lack of movement.
I don't sew a lot. While I can do the basics and maybe muddle through some more intermidate bits, I wouldn't call myself especially adept or remotely skilled at sewing. I have the machine because I like to be able to fix seams that rip, hem a bit or sew some knitting should the need arise. There are also delusional moments (brought on by a knitted FO euphoric high, hunger-induced delirium and an angelic face asking for pyjamas "can't you just make some?") when I forget the last time I sewed something. And I wonder why my kids are students of the School of Hard Knocks? It's obviously genetic!! I don't ask a lot of quantity time from my Athena, but when I need her I expect quality time. I do take her in for maintenance & (now that I'm thinking about it!) she was just fixed last winter for a zigzag issue. Anyway, that's where the nightdress sits. And just sits. I am going to take it in to a shop on Friday and see if I need to let her retire after many years of faithful service for her family. sigh Definitely a sign to stick to knitting. I can't imagine knitting a nightdress though. sigh
Happier news --- The first Jaywalker sock is almost done! I'm into the toe decs but I just couldn't finish it last night. I've been staying up later & later and laying in later to match. This is going to hurt on Monday!
Here is the altered FLAK swatch. It is 
upside down so this is how it will look (the Baroque Cable on the right is the Center). The revised version is at the bottom of the picture. Saun helped me nail down what I may have been feeling. The Seed Wishbone just didn't fit in right next to the very bold Baroque. I shifted everything over and put the Seed Wishbone on the left (which will be at the underarm). I like it there. If I don't need to add any more fillers stitches to get the measurement that I need it will give a bit of continuity to the seed stitch that I put into the Baroque. Saun - I did consider using the Alt Cable again at the end (and even swatched it a bit) but decided that I thought it would look too symetrical for the side panel. I think that that combination would be great as a center panel with something a bit smaller to flank it. No, I have no time to knit 2 FLAK sweaters (and I say this very sternly to myself!!). I really think that I prefer the Loose Braid, even though it is a trickier cable and I also did a Bobble in the Lorgnette Cable instead of the Knot. I think that this is it folks. It just needs a blocking and some math and it will start to be a sweater!! 
I have done a bit on the Daisy Meadow Shawl - it is starting to be a bit intuitive. Not always easy with lace - at least for me. I patted it out a bit so that you can get a sense of the delicate beauty trapped in those scrinchy-looking stitches.
I also spent a great deal of time yesterday making these: {Blogger is tired of uploading my pics - I'll try later}
I read about these Dream/Wish/Luck Stars on somebody's blog, found the little strips of paper that came with instructions and then I totally couldn't follow the pictures!! I felt like the village idiot - there were like 20 little pictures baby-steeping me through it. sigh Then I Googled and found a website that spoke Village Idiot and voila!! Kyle has about the same amount in a small jar & Amanda has a pile too that I told her that she could string and hang from her doorway (with the beadstrings and plastic circles). Some of them have my own dreams, wishes and affirmations written on them and some are just blank. Amanda immediately asked if she could open them & read them. I laughed and told her no, they were like my secret hopes and wishes for her and that she was just to know that each star means that I was thinking a special thought for her. I've mentioned it before - I'm a sentimental sap.
Here is what I did last night:
It is ups
ide down because the FLAK sweater is knit top-down. I have not totally deciced whether this will be pullover or cardigan. If I go with a cardigan (my druther), I have already chosen an Enclosed Cable that is about half the size of the Baroque and with a similar center-knot detail that I can use for each of the fronts. I may have to tweak the number of filler stitches (more swatching) to make sure that the altered fronts knit up to the same measurements as the back. No problem!
(The detail pictures are shown as knit.)
The Baroque cable on the right is my center motif. It is a very tightly cabled pattern, but I am loving it!! Even though I have not quite finished one repeat of the
pattern you can get a good sense of what it's like.
Then we have a Seed Wishbone framed with a 1/1 Serpentine cable followed by an Alternating cable. I'm unsure if I like the Serpentine - I don't really like it in any width and don't know if I'm feeling it here. I even did a small swith part way up the right Serpentine to make these mirror each other. I don't know ... but if I take them out I don't know what I would put in.
I love the Alternating cable!! Just the last few rows I have taken out the single twisted knit stitch to the right of the Alt cable. I just felt like it was giving too much of a compartmentalized look to the pattern.On to the Lorgnette cable & the Braid cable. The Lorgnette cable on the right is a bit messed up - deliberately! I decided about 15 rows in that I wanted to mirror these 2 and even as anal as I am there was no way I was ripping out 1800+ cabled stitches!! This is a swatch, a learning tool, and I need to be able to 
reference what I don't like/doesn't work as well as what I do/does. This is what I am telling myself so that I don't go insane looking at a messed up bit. I am not sure that I am entirely pleased with the Braid cable (sorry Janet - I switched all of your other suggested cables, I thought that this one might be a keeper!). It just seems smallish - though perhaps that's because the L cables flanking it are too big - and tight. I know that this is a tight cable pattern, but again, it may be where I've place it but it just doesn't seem right. I may tweak it a bit from a Tight 5-rib to a Loose 5-rib. It has a purl stitch between the ribs to loosen it up and is cabled every 4th row rather than every other row. I also might change the knot in the L cable to more of a proper bobble. I'll see.
PLEASE let me know what you think!!! I may not agree with you or change anything but I would appreciate the feedback. Sometimes I get a sense that something isn't quite right but I don't know exactly how to change it. It may also be that the cable width proportions are out - although we (the FLAKers - that sounds like a bitchin' gang!!) are going to be calculating the cable swatch against our DFM (Desired Finished Measurements) and adding in the filler stich(es) to get what we need. So there may be additional rev st st or seed stitch in some places.
Before I continue with the swatch there is sewing to be done. I feed my children way too well as evidenced by their continued growth. Amanda needs pyjamas and I said "we (the Royal "we" meaning me) can make some cute ones". She picked right up on that and I have this: that i
s going to be turned into these:
The overall floral is going to be a night dress and the other two will be the pyjama sets. I was going to make 2 plain pink bottoms but when I was opening up all of the fabrics 
for a pre-wash I noticed this!!
How old is this bolt of fabric? GDI. Now I have to go back and buy more. I was really hoping to make this some kind of assembly-line thing and be done with it in an afternoon. It's an easy pattern, not too many pieces & if I can convince Kyle to do the edge sewing I can even get some knitting done in between. We never had a serger and my mom always made us taught us to do an overlock stitch around all of the cut pieces so that they wouldn't unravel with washing & wearing. It stuck and I still always do it ... not that I sew a lot. I'll let you know how this goes - if you don't hear about it again then it's best you not ask.
I must say that "stitch'n save" is a bit misleading. I spent almost $80 on the pattern, fabric and notions. After factoring in my time, for 1 nightdress and 2 pairs of pyjamas this does not seem like "saving". LOL I guess it's like knitting - quality materials and workmanship, a one-of-a-kind FO and the joy of a gift well-received is why we do it. Wish me luck - there is no frogging in sewing!!!
So off we went today to buy me some Patons Classic Wool for the FLAK. Pia from Knitters' Bazaar had called me last week to let me know that Moda Dea will be investigating the dyelot problem that I had with Amanda's Sassy Stripes sweater. She convinced them that it was a glaring enough error that I should be issued a credit! So, with 20% off (say it with me with feeling people - SALE!!!) of the 9 balls of Classic Wool (that should be more than enough to cover my crippling Yarn Shortage Anxiety) and the aforementioned credit, this is almost a free sweater. Not that I wasn't going to enjoy knitting it already, but this is like the cherry on top of the whipped cream.
Of course, not being one to take the easy road, I am going to be substituting the suggested cables and after much research and narrowing of choices I have made all sorts of notes that should stand me in good stead for this project. I will be doing the cable swatch tonight - I hope that what is a good plan on paper translates as well to wool.
We took the kids to Pizza Hut for lunch. Amanda's school is participating in a reading incentive program that gives children who do their nightly reading all month long a coupon for a free personal pan pizza. She is very diligent about her reading as it is homework so this is a nice reward (for the whole family - hee hee). When she's good, she's very good!!
Julie is sending me more work and a surprise. Not that I don't love surprises but it's killing me to not know what it is!!! Julie knows what I like so I'm not concerned that it won't be wonderful, but it's that I like so much that I can't even narrow it down!! And saying that it is yarn/knitting related does not count as "narrowing it down". A sweet torture - good thing that I have about 20 things to take my mind off of it ... until i think about it. sigh
If you've read this far you deserve my apologies for no pictures. I hate that too ... I'm sorry. Tomorrow, pictures for you and you and especially you!!!
Yes Regis, it is. It is washed & blocked and I am very pleased. I did do some decreases across the cables before I did the seed stitch but I obviously know where I have to do more!! To answer Matthew, I love cables and the more involved the better. The Alternating, Seed Wishbone & Loose Braid cable are all quite straight forward & intuitive. The Lorgnette (S) cable is going to take a little longer to memorize and I will be checking the Baroque Cable every RS row!! I don't like all of my projects to be as mentally challenging but once in a while the rewards are worth it!!
I told Teresa (the owner) that she should walk around the mall and introduce herself to all of the other stores. Almost no one knew that there was a yarn/knitting store there - and she has been there for quite awhile!!! I ordered 2 magazines and they should arrive in about a month. Gorgeous magazines - worth the wait! I also picked up more dream/wish/lucky star strips - like I needed a new addiction.
picture of this!! I know that parking spaces were hard to come by, but this is a textbook example of desperate!!!
