Hallowe'en Fun!

 Happy Hallowe'en! 

This is a quick & relatively easy project.  I wish I had time to do one for everyone at work!  

I found the pattern on knitpicks.com...

A Hallowe'en Knitting Guess What!

Look at this photo & see if you can guess what I'm knitting. It's for the roommate to wear to work. It's just part of the project...

I just finished the test version, which took about 1 hour of knitting, & when he tried it on he laughed out loud! I suspect his students will, too. I'll update this post in the next week or so & then you'll find out if you are correct or not.

Keep Calm & Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell

Speaking of fashion in movies (were we? of course we were!), here are a few outfits I love...two suits (and some amazing hats) from His Girl Friday, one of our favorites.  

This hat gets a few comments in the film...

Like Charade & Some Like It Hot, we've seen it over & over & it does not get old.  The dialogue is so snappy & fast that it's hard to catch it all; might as well watch it again and pick up what you missed the first time!    

I love this hat!

According to Clothesonfilm.com, Rosalind Russell's clothing for the film was designed by Robert Kalloch.  

I actually think these clothes don't look dated at all.  However, all these stripes--you'd have to be quite slim to get away with it.  

Thimbles!

I got home today after a much-longer-than-usual commute (final baseball game of the season in the stadium near where I work; shuttle stuck in traffic).  Yesterday, it was a "suspicious package."  I just need to give up on getting home & concentrate on the journey (or think of it as extra reading time).

Anyway, I got home & a new issue of Saudi Aramco World was waiting.  I do love this magazine, which comes out every other month and is free.  Sure, it's propaganda, trying to show the positive side of the Arab/Muslim world, focusing on history, the arts, and society.  I know that, but it doesn't mean the articles aren't beautifully illustrated, well-researched and always educational.  And do you really need to read about another mortar-bomb attack or protests over cartoons?  I spend the day at work researching topics like Hamas & its tactics since the Arab Spring, so no, when I get home, I'm happy to read about art or culture or history, especially as it's a part of the world the Roommate & I spent a lot of time in.

Photographs by William Isbister

Which is a very meandering way to say that an article in the latest issue is about a thimble collection!  Cool, huh?   Check out Little Thimble Big Journey for some great history & wonderful photos.  Written & photographed by William Isbister, who lived in Saudi Arabia for 11 years and obviously had the sense to collect an almost perfect souvenir.  Why perfect?  Small, used by individuals, not mass-produced, and a variety of styles & decorations means they look great on display.  And of course as textile collectors, I love the sewing connection.

Some things I learned: Crusaders brought thimbles from the Levant when they returned to Europe. The first thimbles were more like rings that fit over the first joint on the finger.  Thimbles used to have a little loop that could be attached to a chain.  Those are the first few facts that stuck!  Read the article to find out more...

Photograph by William Isbister

Now, this photo is quite interesting.  First of all, it's a man sewing in the Middle East.  Second, he's using a ring-like thimble.  And he's using a tension hook attached to his toe to sew.  I've seen these toe loops used in Oman, but for weaving (working the heddles).  I can't quite figure out how it would help you sew?  

Any ideas/comments?  Let me know...

From the Collection: Weaving - Bolivia & Ghana

I'm working on a few projects I hope to share soon, but in the meantime, thought you'd enjoy seeing more from our textile collection...

This first one is a saddle blanket from Bolivia.  It's extremely fine wool (in terms of gauge), but isn't that soft--it seems as though it'd be fairly durable.  Probably goat?  Definitely not one of the higher quality wools from the region like guanaco or llama or alpaca.  It has some amazing detail (see below). 

I also believe it was repaired at some point, not surprising for a blanket used on a pack animal.  However, the repair work is also pretty amazing--though it doesn't reconstruct the original pattern, it is as tightly woven, and looks quite sturdy.    

I really love the idea that this blanket had a utilitarian purpose, but was designed and crafted beautifully, even if it was going on the back of a pack animal!  So it protected the animal, and possibly made the owner happy every time s/he looked at it.  It certainly makes me happy when I look at it.

Another item decorating the living room right now is this kente cloth, from Ghana.  It's woven from silk & rayon (I think).  I feel like it's silk because of the luster, but that it must have rayon in it because it's fairly sturdy (we have another 100% silk kente that is fairly worn--silk is amazing, but fragile).  

If you've read my comments on weaving before you'll know right away that this is strip-weaving at its finest.  The strips are about 3" wide and are stitched together to make an eye-catching design.  Weaving on such a narrow loom means the loom is extremely portable and can be moved mid-project, then hung from a tree or fence post and used immediately.

Here are a few detail photos of this kente.  

Questions?  Comments?  Please leave them below.

Music:  The XX, "Angels," definitely Sunday morning music!  

Another Corduroy Dress for Winter!

So, here is dress #2! (I'm modeling it in the new kitchen.)

I finished this a few nights ago & I love it.  It's more on the 7501/7051 theme.  I readjusted the neckline ...and added the collar from 6081:   

I used old silk from a kimono scrap to make the neckline facing.  In the photo below, #1 is the silk for the facing, #2 is the underside of the collar, so it wouldn't be too thick.  

And used up lots of scraps someone from freecycle.org gave me to make the bias tape to finish the sleeves and to face the collar. 

The only thing I'm not sure about is the length.  I'll try it once with boots (once winter is here) and see about it then.  I did a halfway decent hand-hemming job, so it should be easy to re-do, if necessary.

More 1960s Patterns from My Mom's Pattern Magazine

All Simplicity, BTW!

8286 & 8388; I don't know, that mustard color, not sure about it, but I love the pleated skirt in back!  

8394 & 8386

Nothing says the Sixties like jumpers & contrast plackets & collars, huh?!

8400

I can imagine wearing either of these, but with tights, not white socks.  

Though I have seen women with great legs who can pull that off. It's the right hairdo that kills me!

8439

Look at all the great stuff you get in that one pattern! 

8445 & 8391

I actually really like 8391; pretty princess-seamed dress--so flattering.  

Not so sure about the collars.  8445 is cute, too.  

8234 & 8254 - Jammies!

I love the I Dream of Jeannie look!  And the feather trim on the blue outfit.