Dr Who scarf

Drawing 190

Drawing 191

Drawing 192

Above is the scarf I finished from the UFO pile, now an FO. It is satisfying to see the pile of mending and projects diminishing, at least slightly. It's still a frightening size but progress has
been made. Next on the list: mending a shirt cuff where the button placket (if that's the correct term) tore, and resewing the back seam on a dress with a centre-back split that's threatening to come adrift and show rather more of me than I'm comfortable with, even in summer.

Knitting

Progress on the UFO (unfinished object) pile, which has melded into Mending Mountain. The blue and red scarves I started last winter, and left languishing at the cast off stage. For some strange reason, casting off is my least favourite part of knitting (even weaving in ends is preferable). The third peachy scarf I made from scratch, just because I was enjoying the process. These are really fast to make, knitted on big needles from a single ball of yarn. Mostly I just like the process, knitting soothes me. All three came from stash yarn, acquired from the op shop or the trash and treasure market - I had a great find at the trash and treasure a couple of years ago: a gigantic plastic bag of all sorts of lovely yarn for $5! I'm still working through it.

I've put all three scarves into my Etsy shop - click on "My Etsy Shop" at the top right hand of the blog if you'd like a peek.

I've also finished a stripey scarf from odds and ends of yarn, mostly from little bits left over from other projects (photo next post). It reminds me of Dr Who's stripey scarf, just on a smaller scale. My shrug is nearing the half way point and I think I'm about knitted out for a few days :)

Darn, darn, darn!

Progress on Mending Mountain! Three pairs of handknitted socks darned. I put the darning off till there's several pairs, then have a blitz - there are still two pairs of bloke socks to tackle. And I reknitted the toes of a stripey pair a few weeks ago, as the holes were enormous and the yarn not the best; it was easier, in the long run, to re-do the toes with better quality yarn in the hope that they'll wear better.

The burgundy pair on the right of screen are the first socks I ever knitted, and my favourites. I was a really tight knitter to begin with (picture my face screwed up, tongue poking out the corner of my mouth, and shoulders hunched as I struggled with two unruly sticks and a snarl of yarn), and the fabric in these is very even and thick. And, even better, they're made from yarn I bought in the op shop (Salvos in Oakleigh) for $2 an enormous ball; some industrious worker had been busy unravelling jumpers. I've never been able to repeat the perfect fit and fabric, later socks I like but these I love. It makes me happy just to put them on :)
My toes are warm and snuggly again - don't need slippers when I'm wearing my Favourites!

Progress up the mountain...

Drawing 171

Drawing 172

Progress on Mending Mountain: the third shirt now has its facing sewn down and is back in wearing circulation (or will be, when the weather warms up). Next in line is taking in a pair
of jeans (so big in the waist that if I fail to wear a belt with them, they have an alarming
tendency to fall down. To my ankles.), a kind of priority because my favourite pair have developed a largish hole in the inner thigh and will require patching as soon as the other jeans are no longer a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. The item after that is a purple top a friend passed on to me - it has a high neck which I don't like (I'm not good with neck constricting garments), so I think I'll slash it down one side and turn the turtle-ish neck into an asymetrical collar. It's a pretty item, though.

I mentioned to a friend that I was busy mending, even though it's one of my least favourite tasks, and was surprised (again!) that she was suprised: "But you like sewing!"
Yep, I do, but mending is NOT the same thing :)

Mending

Drawing 169

Drawing 170

Today I began tackling Mending Mountain. Strictly speaking, it's mending, alteration, and unfinished project Mountain, but that isn't alliterative :)

I hate mending.

There were three shirts, all made from the same pattern, where the facing down the front
has always annoyed me by flapping around and refusing to lay flat. The last time I used the pattern I solved the issue by sewing the facing down as I was making it, but the earlier incarnations needing revising. It's a simple fix, but somehow I never got 'round tuit. The garments would make it to Mending Mountain, hang around a while, then get put back into wearing circulation minus their revision. Couldn't machine sew the facing as the breast
pocket got in the way (and there was no way I was taking that pocket off and reattaching it: we all know that the pocket would NEVER get reattached), so I ironed the facing into submission, pinned it to within an inch of its life, and hand sewed it in place. The cats were happy as this meant I spent quite some time in the recliner and hence a warm lap was available (even though said lap was obscured by a flapping shirt much of the time). I am on the home stretch of the third shirt.

My strategy with Mending Mountain is to take whatever comes next to hand, no picking and choosing or it'll never diminish. Given there are several strata, this could be interesting! I may
make a new pile of the things that need serious altering or embellishing, but the simple mending may actually get done...

It probably says something significant about my psyche that I love sewing something new but loathe fixing existing items. I am, however, too cheap and broke to throw out anything that still has useful life left in it.