I am alive ...

I'm sorry for not posting in such a long time. Thanks to everyone who asked after me. I seem to have gotten lost a little in the past month or so. Not sure if it was winter weariness or something else, but I seemed unable to get out of my own way. I have been sewing and knitting (a little) so I do have something to show for myself. In addition, I have started studying again and it's taken a while to sort out my routine of work/study/sewing. For those who are interested, I'm doing to a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science. As well as choosing a double degree, I have rather foolishly chosen double majors in both Arts and Science. It may take me until I am 90 to finish, but that's OK. I've also been training every day, so I've been up at 5am 6 days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I run the lighthouse at Byron Bay and if you've ever walked it, you know how hard it is. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday is weights. You'd think I'd be in good shape, but no, I seem to keep getting pudgier. The joys of middle age ...

Here's the small amount of sewing I have to show.

This is a beret from a Jo Sharp pattern (forgot which book) and the yarn is a Jo Sharp alpaca (also forgotten which one). I bought one ball of this yarn to test for a vest pattern that I didn't work out, so I was delighted to find a pattern that needed one ball of the exact yarn. It's rare that I actually knit something with the recommended yarn. This was a gift for my friend Jo who lives in a colder climate than me.

This is the same as the yellow cardigan I made a few posts back. This time I did not make a shawl collar. It looks better than this photo suggests. I've used a very old Bendigo Woollen Mills 5ply crepe wool that has been marinating in my stash for about 15 years.

Also on Vera under the cardigan is a green faux suede BWOF skirt that I've since binned. I loved the colour and I was sure the panels with topstitching would work, but no, it looked dreadful on me so I chucked it. I need to get to grips with what works for my shape and what doesn't.

I made this dress today. It's McCalls 5975 which is my new favourite knit dress pattern. There are so many variations I can see I will use this again and again. The fabric is something I purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics probably two years ago now. I never wear blue, so it was a surprise for me. Although I loved the print, I could never quite figure out how to use it. It's in blocks with the big black flower thing in the middle. In between are black stripes and I very nearly used those on the sleeves, but chickened out. I have enough left to make a top, so I'll experiment with that for a different look.

I've made a whole load of basic skirts and tshirts in solid colours, but as they aren't very exciting I haven't bothered to photograph them.

I have four more dresses planned for this week and if I'm lucky I might get flooded in!