Bloom

I changed my background color to match the blush roses climbing on my fence. I'm sure I showed them last year. Yes, here they are. This year I have even more, despite my lack of knowledge in the rose training area. Despite my lack of tender loving care, these heirloom roses that I started from cuttings are growing prolifically. A few buds were burned in the last frost, but most are near perfect?

Weeding the fence behind the roses is no walk in the park. Let me tell you. But having a wall of roses will be something to behold.

Do you think climbing roses are ugly in the off season? I've thought about this more than once, because I was thinking of growing them on all the fences, but they do look a bit unruly.


I'm knitting a sweater for my self with a silk, cotton yarn of this color (If you're a Ravelry person, you can see the details there. I'm tbwisteria). The yarn is expensive, not the most expensive by any means, but every 3 inches of sweater costs around $13 (I'm knitting in the round). Y'all needn't remind me that when I'm through knitting I will have spent a pile of money. You also don't need to remind me that I could have gone to a nice store and bought a similar sweater for less. I know. I know. The same goes for all the clothes I make for myself and princess, and for most home decorating projects.

What I do want to know . .

How is it that our raw materials prices have gotten so high, while our finished goods prices are lower? Much of the fabric and yarn are made with the same cheap labor used to make the finished goods. When I was young, many people sewed so they could have nice clothes cheaply. Wearing handmade clothes to school was not necessarily a positive. Now the only clothes that are more expensive than handmade are couture, which of course are handmade by the popular crowd.

Distressing.

Which leads us to the question of the day? Why do I do it? Why does anyone do it?

Does watching fabric grow beneath your needles from wonderful yarn have a price? Does creating a perfectly fitting garment have a price? Do I knit and sew for process? If I did, couldn't I just use some cheap stuff?

I noticed in the magazine, Interweave Knits (Winter 2007, because, yes, I am that far behind) which contains the pattern for my sweater, that Jove was quoted in the web watch section:

Since I have started knitting lace, I have found a use for the product. I now wear shawls. And have given shawls to people as gifts. . . . So while I knit lace primarily for the process, there is still some part of me that needs to see a use for the product.

Yep, at $13 plus dollars every three inches, finding a use for the product would be all important.

Finishing

I finished some handmade projects last week just in time for the Easter fashion show. The first item is a dress (obviously not mine) that looks as fabulous on the inside as the outside. To me, finishing touches or details are what separate home sewn and a work of art that you happen to wear. Fabulous fabrics, perfect fitting, finished seams, flawless button holes, and quality buttons all commingle to produce something very special.

All this takes time, though. Frequently, though not this time, I underestimate the time needed to create these special garments and have to stay up all night attending to the details. This Easter I had a week to spare.

The sweater was inspired by the quilt. I wanted something so special that we would want to save it for my niece or even a grandchild (not that I want my 8 year old to start thinking about producing grandchildren). I hope I succeeded. I began knitting the sweater about a month ago, and honestly I didn't know if a month would be enough time. My knit shop, The Knit Studio, is in Jackson so anytime I changed my mind, needed yarn, or advice I had to wait until Thursday.

The first problem arose when I couldn't get gauge on my size 5 needles and I didn't have 6's. Instead of waiting, I decided to knit more stitches thereby creating a tighter weave. I liked the look, but ran out of yarn as I was two rows from the end of the last sleeve. The second problem was that when I started the duplicate stitch with only one color (the pattern suggested two, but I wanted the leaves to look more like the leaves on the dress) the leaves looked like a stain, so I had to wait to choose another color. The last problem arose when I wanted to change the direction of the crocheted, lacy trim. I didn't know how. I waited awhile, but then decided to finish the project without that design change.

I enjoy sewing for Princess because she honestly appreciates the effort and results. She gets involved in the fabric and design choices, but lets me create when I get the notion.

For those of you taking notes:

The sweater is the free pattern Elizabeth by Berroco. I used Tahki Stacy Charles' Cotton Classic in color 3715 (spring green) for the sweater, 3724 (Leaf Green) and 3532 (Pale Lemon Yellow) for the leaves, and 3443 (Cotton Candy), knitted on size 5 needles. Instead of using five or six buttons I used only three and wished I had used only two. With a full dress and a little girl who likes to button the buttons if they are there you can have too many buttons. The buttons are antique pearl with a little five petal flower design. Thanks, mom!

The dress base is New Look 6309 view D, but I doubled the size of the sash and bow. I also lengthened the dress by about 4 inches, increased the size of the hem, and I think that's it. The fabric is 100% cotton faille, so is the lining.