They're twelve years old. I would have killed to have seen a bag of hands at that age.

Be careful what you wish for because it may well come true.  Teaching in Year 2 is proving to be a lot of hard work, being a SENCo is hard work, moving into a new school and unpacking and setting up a classroom is hard work.  Lucy has now been in Year 2 for 2 and a half weeks, and we're already behind on handing in homework and listening to her read, and don't even mention piano practice.  Getting into any sort of routine is proving to be a bit too much for us, particularly with the gastrically interesting week I've had.  There's been a tummy bug going round Hat's class; she had it on Thursday, and I had it on Tuesday.  Hurrah!  Nothing wipes you out like a vomiting bug.  I was so exhausted that I went to bed at quarter past 9 on Tuesday, and slept for nearly 12 hours.

But never mind all that.  I'm finally making it through the fog to sew up some stash, and I've got two dresses made already.  It's not taken a lot out of the stash to be honest, mostly because there is just LOADS of it, and even though I'm not thin, 3 metres of jersey fabric is a LOT of jersey fabric.

I finally finished my Made Up Initiative pledge, and made the Lady Skater dress in stashed jersey that I got from the Knitting and Stitching Show in April.  I was going to use it to make a wraparound dress from the Sewing Bee book from last year, but I don't like the pattern in the book, so I turned it into a Lady Skater.  It's a brilliant pattern, just like the children's one, and very quick to make.  I actually got it finished on the 9th, just before the cut off date, but I failed to notify Karen, mostly because it was then Lucy's birthday and party and all that means.  For those not in the know, she is 7.  We went to a pizza restaurant and made pizzas and there were 12 little boys and girls, and I will say no more about any of that.

Anyway, here is the beautiful, gorgeous dress.  I've worn it three times and washed it twice, and it looks great and is very comfortable, and when I twirl, the skirt sticks out a bit and is SUPER COOL.

Bit of a crappy Instagram picture, but you get the general idea.  I love the pattern, and I've got a whole bunch more planned.

The other dress I made is a bit more sober and sensible.  I bought some greyish brown jersey at the same fair, and decided to make a Coco with it.  BUT, having made the Lady Skater, I decided that I wanted to try the neckline of the Lady Skater on the bodice of the Coco, with the neckband instead of turning it under.  The dress is also severely plain, so has some pink rick rack around the hem to cheer it up a bit.  I only finished it on Thursday, so I haven't worn it yet, although I've tried it on and it looks good.

Again, another crappy Instagram picture, and the light wasn't great.  I'm not patient enough at the moment to take self portraits with a clicky thing and my good camera, and my photographer makes me look like an idiot, so what can you do.

I also made pants for me.  They are amazing.

I will not be posting a modelled shot.

You remember my nephew Marcus, the thirty-one year old? He asked me to ask you if you are single. I told him I'm not a third grade girl with pigtails passing love letters.

Hi!  Remember me?  I'm the one who goes on and on about knitting and sewing, and makes lists and joins vintage pledges, and never really actually follows through on things.  I've got 4 months to make two vintage jumpers.  Chances of that happening?

This is what the list looks like now.  There are no photos, because they are on my phone, and that is in the front room and I can't be bothered to move.  LAZY.

Lucy's Elwood mittens are done, and she loves them very, very much.  She loves everything I make.  She is the best person to make things for, as she is so enthusiastic.

The back of the Petrie top is finished.  It looks good.  I'm going to block it before sewing it up, which might make it look less like it was knitting by Mad Margaret on a bad day.  It does not look at all like a minion.

There are now 17 squares to make for the Weather Blanket.  One seven.  That is all.  The plan is now to make one a day until it is finished.  So that will take me another three months.  I've actually run out of yellow wool, so I can't do much more until I go shopping.

I made a start on the Rainbow Raglan.  It is beautiful and smells of sheep.  Big hairy sheep.  I can only knit it for about 4 rows before the smell becomes overpowering, so it will proceed slowly.  I won't be taking it out of the house until it is finished.  Just in case.

We went in the car to Brighton to clean my father in law's house, and I made 4 hexipuffs.  Then I made another one to use up some of the scraps from Lucy's mittens.  So that is 5 out of 100 *(&*&*&^*^%&&^%ing Hexipuffs.

The rest is still the same.

Miette cardigan in Lemon

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper

Finish the Wisteria so that when it gets cold, I will be warm

Finish the Peacock Mittens, ditto

Reknit Simon's Cobblestone jumper

A pair of massive MAN SOCKS

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves also for Hattie
Minion blanket for Hattie

Owl Blanket for Robin's Christmas present

I've worked out a way to fix my Vianne cardigan, but I've got to get up the enthusiasm to unpick the ribbon from the buttonband, and then replace it.

In other news, I'm going to a pop up yarn market on Saturday at Chelsea Old Town Hall.  I'm going to try to take some good quality photos; I might even put them on the blog, who can say.

Jake, he is a sea witch in disguise, do not sing into his shell.

You know and I know how much I love any opportunity to take really poor quality photos, so this Instagram photo game set up by the impossibly glamorous Rachel from House of Pinheiro was too good to pass by.

Here's a round up of the ten days.  Can you tell I've recently discovered the layout app and am having all sorts of fun with it?

Day 1 - Hello

Day 2 - Can't (Won't) Live Without

Day 3 - Colourful

Day 4 - Work/Play

Day 5 - Silhouette

Day 6 - Pattern that Changed My Life

Day 7 - Sew Up Close

Day 8 - Sewing Playlist

Day 9 - Stash

Day 10 - Would Swap Closets With

I've fallen a bit behind since we came back from holiday, but I'm catching up, and who doesn't want to see 21 more pictures of my stuff?

No Boyle, last time we did that you ended up telling everyone that you had a crush on the teapot from Beauty and the Beast

I've been busy sewing today, working on my Made Up pledge for Karen and the National Literacy Trust.  To be completely honest, the first bit wasn't a challenge at all - I've made this pattern three times and hacked it to make tee shirts for the girls, so I knew that it wouldn't really take very long at all.  

In fact, the two dresses took me from half ten this morning to about ten past one.  Super fast sewing, even with cutting them out last night.  I also made Hattie some pyjamas too, because I am one overachieving mother today.  Tomorrow, I'll need to make something similar for Lucy as I can hear her starting to feel a bit miffed that her sister has something she doesn't.

Stars for Hattie.  It's a bit big at the moment, but the size below fits perfectly, and I'd quite like it to last until next year.

Spots for Lucy.  Again, a bit big, particularly in length, but it should last her well.

`

The pyjamas were made out of the leftovers.  Funny what a difference the light makes to the colour in the photograph.  The two things are in the same fabric!  The pants are a bit of an odd fit because I had to cut them against the stretch, but they are fine for sleeping in.  I called them sleep shorts, so I suspect Hattie will try to wear them outside before too long.  

It's funny how different two similar fabrics can be.  The stars are a very structured jersey without much drape, quite thick and much better at holding a shape. The spots is a lot more drapey and thinner, and has made a lovely floppy, floaty cool dress for Lucy.  I bought the spotty fabric from a shop on the Goldhawk Road last year, when I met up with a load of sewing people, and gorgeous (then) blue haired Llauren Lladybird.  The shop is owned by one of my parents, as in someone from school, and I'm sure he had other colours.  I'll have to go back and check.  Oh the hardship.

 I'm sure I wrote a blog post about my last trip, but maybe not.  It was fun anyway, and I bought a small (large) amount of fabric, some of which I've used, most of which I haven't.  It feels good to take 4 metres out of stash.  I photographed a portion of it today.  It is getting a bit out of hand.

My sewing resolution is to turn at least half into garments before August 2016.  Should be doable. 

The key to a healthy urethra? Radishes.

It's Sunday night, I'm full of beans and salad and kofte and tsatziki, and now I'm feeling slightly queasy; what better time than to update the Year of Projects list.

I've finished something - the Vianne.  I wore it out that night, didn't manage to take any pictures mostly because I forgot, but also because I'm not entirely sure about it.

Here's a picture, and I blogged about it here.

I restarted the Petrie top in the yellow wool cotton from Liberty, it did look a bit too like a minion, so I remade the hem facing in orange instead, so now it looks like a Starburst instead, which I think is better and I can call it a St Clements top now.

I'm halfway through the Elwood mittens for Lucy, as in I've made one and have done half of the ribbing for the second one.  It's a bit dull making the second one.

The Weather Blanket is still the same as it was last week; but it's so close to being done it no longer worries me.  As the weather gets worse, I'll want three stone of wool on my lap, so it'll be finished before my birthday.  Famous last words.

The rest is still the same.

Miette cardigan in Lemon

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Rainbow Raglan to replace the one I lost

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper

Finish the Wisteria so that when it gets cold, I will be warm

Finish the Peacock Mittens, ditto

Reknit Simon's Cobblestone jumper

A pair of massive MAN SOCKS

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves also for Hattie
Minion blanket for Hattie

Owl Blanket for Robin's Christmas present

100 *(&*&*&^*^%&&^%ing Hexipuffs

Sewing as a force for good

I do love it when the things I like doing can be used for good things.  I've run races for Cancer Research and I was going to do the Royal Parks Half Marathon, but I'm not going to be able to do that this year - a combination of having hurt my back slightly and not being in the right frame of mind.  Who knew that disliking running would make it so much harder to keep going?

Back to the nice things.  Karen from Did You Make That? has set up a new fund-raising thing, called the Made Up Initiative where you give money to the National Literacy Trust via Just Giving, and then pledge to sew something by the 10th of September.  I'm not going to go on about how important reading is to me; I've been a keen reader since I was 5, I'm a primary school teacher and a SENCO, I've got two daughters who regularly fall asleep in their books and who have been members of the library since they were 3 weeks old, and I work hard to ensure that all the children I come into contact with have frequent access to high quality literature, so it's a cause close to my heart.

I may have bitten off more than I can chew though; I've pledge to make two Skater Dresses, one of each of the girls, and a Lady Skater Dress for me.  I've got to print out the grown up pattern, which might be a bit of a problem as our printer is a bit iffy at the best of times.  I'm sure it will all be fine, I've made three of the children's dresses before and they took about an afternoon, and I've got three mornings free next week while the girls are at tennis, so I'll keep you posted.  Bet you can't wait.

As far as the running goes, I'm going to restart the Couch to 5K programme in a few weeks, and start doing pilates again to strengthen my back and core muscles a bit.  I used to enjoy running, and I do quite like exercise, but I've really not been into into it since Easter, and I've been a very reluctant runner since then.  Hurting my ankle put me in a terrible frame of mind about it, and it's a real relief to have the pressure taken off by deciding not to do the Half.  Next year.
  

Julia vs Vianne

A blogger I like, Amanda from Bimble and Pimble, always starts her posts Amanda vs whichever pattern she's been wrestling with this week.  While my relationship with sewing isn't quite on that combative level, my knitting has been properly rubbish recently.  I think it's annoyed that I'm spending more time sewing and writing, and is in a sulk.

Vianne and I have a complicated relationship.  I started it back in June, and made great progress, until I really looked at the lace and realised that my decreases sloped in different ways and it was just a big hot mess.  Even I can't live with that level of ridiculousness, so I ripped it back, including the bit that was OK, which was a mistake, but I was pretty cross.  I'd already altered the pattern to make it with a plain back, because the lace back didn't look right to me.  It looks nice on other models, but it wouldn't work.  Also, I like to hide the backs of my dresses, because invisible zip nightmare.

So then it waited in my knitting bag while I did other things - mostly the Weather blanket and sewing, and then I took it to Greece.  I don't know if you've ever knitted in 40+ degree heat? It's not a good idea.  Anyway, I got the body finished, and I got one of the sleeves finished, and I got the other sleeve started, and I ran out of wool in the middle of nowhere.  So it went back into the knitting bag until we got home, and then yesterday I finished the cast off on the button band, and today after finishing my essay, I sewed ribbon round the button band and made buttonholes and sewed on buttons, and now it is done.

It looks a bit weird on the hanger, but it fits OK.  Bit big around the shoulders and back, and the sleeves need to get narrower much, much quicker.  I'll try to take modelled picture later. 

Button band looks OK, as does the lace.  I won't tell you how long it took me to make those buttonholes.  Ages.  

Grey and white spotty ribbon to give it a bit of extra oomph.  I like using a contrasting colour. 

I also made Hattie some stripy pants.  

And put a freaking bird on Lucy's.  

So there you go.  It was a tight match, but I won in the end.  Ain't no knitting going to stop me.  Or something.  And only a month late, the outfit along outfit is finished.  I'm going to wear them both tonight and see if Simon can take a photograph that doesn't make me look like an idiot. 

I'll distract the file clerk. Apparently he's really into bird-watching, so talking to a woman should blow his mind. And talking to this woman? It could kill him.

Long time, no blog.  Something to do with the summer holidays, going on holiday (Greece, and lovely, thanks for asking) (no, there was tonnes of money, and the cashpoints worked) (no, no riots in Stoupa, and Athens was a hot shithole, but I suspect it always was), the NASENCO course essay being due in September (nearly 2500 words, thanks for asking) and general STUFF and THINGS happening.  The children are away, and I am missing them a great deal, but also really appreciative of the time without them, particularly on Sunday morning after drinking my body weight in gin the night before.  I passed out in my clothes.  It was not good.

I'm supposed to be going for a run now, but my phone is nearly out of battery and I need to charge it before I go out otherwise I will get in a real snit about not having music, so what better thing to do than update you on all the fascinating KNITTING and SEWING TOGETHER CROCHETED SQUARES that I've been doing.

The list for this Year of Projects is substantially the same as it was when created.  Quelle surprise, so I'm only going to talk about what I have done, rather than what I will be doing.  If you are massively into lists, you can see the whole thing in all its glory here.

Anyway.

Petrie top in Yellow Wool Cotton from Liberty - I've started this.  I used some of the blue wool from my Vianne as a hem facing, and with the yellow of the main body of the top, it looks like a minion.

I might rip it back.  I have to have a long think about it.

Finish the Vianne in time for the end of the Outfit Along - well, I've got the buttonband to do on this one.  I need to use slightly smaller needles for the band, so it's got that sewn on look I like.  I have made mistake after mistake with this one, honestly.  I buggered up the lace, lost my DPNs, ran out of wool half way down the first sleeve; you never stop making mistakes, you just make them faster and more irreparably.

Elwood mittens for Lucy - I've made one.  Look!

Cute, isn't it?  Lucy loves it, which is the main thing.  I've trimmed the ends now, and started the ribbing on the second one.  That's the problem with knitting mittens and socks, the idea of making the same thing twice when there's already a perfectly wearable garment in existence.

Finish the &%^%^&^%&^ing Weather Blanket - there are 19 squares left to go on the Weather Blanket people.  19.  Less than a row.  And there are 21 to sew together, as I had a big push and did a lot of hungover sewing the other day.  Hurrah.

More soon.  And some sewing.  I will finish this essay in time to sew something before the girls come back.  Right.  Running time.  Yay.

Another time I went to a really boring movie with a guy and while I was asleep he tried to pull out one of my teeth. I literally woke up with his hand in my mouth. We went out a couple times after that but then he got weird.

I love sunflowers.  They're one of my favourite flowers, after those big blowsy roses that look like drunk peonies; I had them in my bouquet when we got married.  They undercut the formality of our wedding with their scruffy sexiness.  As did the bride, but that's another story.

Anyway, so it was only a matter of time before I bought some sunflower fabric to make a dress.  Inspired, as ALWAYS, by this dress made by the indomitable Roisin, I got some fabric from ebay some time last year.  Seriously, stalk her handmade wardrobe, it is one of the greatest things ever.  The woman is a machine.

It sat in the stash for a while, intending to become an Anna dress.  

However, I decided to be a bit of a glutton for punishment, and had yet another go at the the sodding Cambie dress, which was the second dress pattern I made, and a massive, massive pain in the bum.  I'm the wrong shape for it.  My boobs are too big, my waist isn't narrow enough and neither are my hips.  I don't have saddlebags, so the damn thing sticks out in the wrong place and I never wear the two dresses I made from that pattern.  The zip being broken on one doesn't help, and the other is just NOT GOOD.

But, this is dressmaking not astrophysics, and I won't let a bit of cloth and some paper beat me.  I made a toile with my cotton lining fabric, made a couple of bodice changes, mostly taking it in here and there so I didn't have to do a full bust adjustment, and went for it.  Well, it was an effing disaster again, so after some mild (bad) swearing and stamping and throwing the dress on the ground and stamping on it, I ripped out the sodding lining and tried again.  This time, it worked.  

I don't like pockets, so I made the skirt out of the lining pattern, and it sort of bulges out halfway down my thighs.  But that's just visible to me, not to anyone else.

A close up of the bodice.  I put a couple of darts in by the zip, and spent a while sorting out the shoulder strap things.  I really like it now, and I might just have another go at the Cambie another time.  Maybe.  It's a lot better without the lining; when we get back from holiday, I'll rip the lining out of the Dolly dress and replace the zip.  I should wear it, I did love it in the beginning.

It also has a bang on trend high/low hem, which was INTENDED ACTUALLY. 

My clothes photos are getting a bit better too. 

I'm wearing a new, um, bra and it closes in the front and it popped-open and it threw me off.

Did you know that hippos can run at a top speed of 30 km/h, and can swim at about 15 km/h, so you really need to make up the time on the bikes if you want to beat them at the triathlon.

I'm running again, if you hadn't realised.  I ran on Sunday, yesterday and today, building up my distance to a mighty 5 km.  I've been avoiding running, then berating myself for not doing it, then getting depressed, then going out and getting furious within 30 seconds, and repeating a pretty negative cycle.  I've decided to go out everyday for a fortnight, alternating my "half marathon training plan" with running circuits of the track while the kids play in the park.  Apparently 3 circuits is a kilometre; I did it yesterday but with just my UP band to track it and it wasn't very good at it.  I might need to read the instructions, because you can get it to time an activity pretty accurately according to the blurb. 

It's all very positive at the moment though, with 4.9 kilometres on Sunday, 1 and a bit yesterday, and 4.85 kilometres today.  I don't run the whole way, because my ankle starts to really hurt after about 2k, and walking helps ease that.  But I am doing it.  Even though I only sporadically enjoy it, particularly going down hills.  

I don't intend to write too much about my "fitness journey" because it bores ME to tears, let alone both my remaining readers, but I will mention it now and again.  After all, it will have an impact on my sewing - less fabric used, more likely to take pictures of myself as I become happier with my body and the way I look, generally happier with everything.   I'm certainly not going to write a daily fitness journal, although I might show you a few post exercise selfies.

Cheers.