Knitters-Knitters

Chenille Protrusions

Last night I cast on a sweater for Daisy: an Elizabeth Zimmermann yoke sweater (pattern can be found in Knitting Around and at Schoolhouse Press) using Dale of Norway, Heilo.  The cream color may seem an unusual choice for a 12 year old, but Daisy is one of those unusual children who never gets dirty or even sloppy, never trips or falls down, and has an air of composure about her at all times.

Case in point, Daisy's workspace:

Daisy has wanted her own bedroom since she was old enough to understand that she could indeed carry on brain-stem functions when not in the same room as older sister Sabina: Sabina, who happens to feature clutter, and the long-limbed tendency to knock things over with broad, sweeping gestures.  Now that Daisy has her own room, she happily sits on the edge of her bed for long, silent stretches of hand sewing.

Here's a little dress she made for dolly--early work, as you can tell by the stitching.

Note the hand stitching around the perimeter of her current project, which she informs me will be a cake.

As I was prowling around her bedroom taking pictures, Daisy quietly materialized behind me.  You'd think someone as private as she would mind finding me in there snapping away, but she was, as always, bemused.  No, she did not mind me taking pictures, and happily brought out one of her recent works for me to photograph.  She made it with knitting needles using a stitch of her own unvention.  She has given it no name, but  it's a satchel of some sort, distinguished by chenille protrusions. 

Here's a digital painting of Daisy, created by Carys using the photo I posted last week.  Click here to see it in its fully expanded glory:

Kiddie Pool

Lisa Made Me Do It

All this talk about the banished place coupled with the fact that Olive's camp schedule allows me an extra hour of sleep in the morning means that I have more energy to sew, and less of an excuse not to. 

First things first: Monday is "wear green" day at Olive's camp.  I think this is meant more figuratively than literally and perhaps the idea was for the children to wear recycled hand-me-downs, but I had a beautiful green and red cotton knit that's been sitting on my cutting table for months now.  Plenty of green here, and sort of green in spirit (since it was made locally, after all).

I don't usually topstitch knits, but in this case I decided to decided to forgo stretch in favor of structure.

The entire top is lined and interfaced, and the buttons at the top don't actually button--the whole thing slips over her head.

Matching shorts are a must.

Today was Picture Day at camp, so all the campers had to wear (gasp) matching screen-printed Hanes tee shirts. But I'm pretty sure no other child was wearing these shorts. I had been saving this very small amount of bright blue and purple for just such an occasion.

I was going to put Olive in her pink high-top sneakers, but her sisters pointed out that the suns on her shoes matched the suns on her shirt better.

Finally, seersucker shorts in pink and green stripes. These are to be worn on "wear pink" day, and will be accompanied by a coordinating tee shirt with pink ribbing.

Sullivan Girls Near and Far

In which Agatha...

...matches her cussies Lily (left) and Rosa!

Some of you may be having fond memories of when Sporties were available to the public.  I'll be listing at least one custom Sporty--hopefully two--at the end of January.  I'll post about it here, and via email to those of you still on the Olivespearls mailing list.

Runs in the Family

I've spent a goodly portion of the last 2.5 days making luxury clothing items for two of the Sullivan girls.  What began as Olive's fur coat project (she needs a new one desperately--the ladies of Autism Academy have run out of superlatives for the last one) took on a special fascination for Clover. 

Apparently, faux mink and napped Polarfleece is what all the happening spaniels are wearing this season. 

Olive's coat project promptly went on hiatus and the mid-season replacement of Clover's new blankie (white faux mink, lined with poly/cotton velour in cream with pink roses) took over. 

Clover feels just like Elizabeth Taylor in it.  Not (chortle) this Elizabeth Taylor, but the one from Sex and the City.

Serious headway was made on Smockulus Majoris, that is, the Elizabeth Zimmermann-inspired smock sweater for Daisy.  Some of you may recognize the wool as the raspberry Malabrigo that set out to become a seed-stitch cardigan, but instead changed its major to full-skirted pullover.

One can't help but notice the eerie resemblance between these two Sullivan girls: the large, liquid eyes,  short and dainty snout and floppy ears demure expression.

Green?

Today was a work day for me, and involved lots of sewing and knitting.  First on the agenda is jammies for the children.  As we all know, Santa Mouse brings jammies to little boys and girls on Christmas Eve, while they are in the tub.  These jammies are then worn that night and Christmas morning.  When my two eldest girls were younger, they usually opened their Santa Mouse jammies naked.  But given the ages and double gender representation in this household, clothing will be the order of the day.

I am also making matching jammies for their cussies in California (they aren't blog readers, so s'okay that I'm showing you these).  I love the splashy floral pattern, and have been obsessively hoarding cherishing this cotton knit for two years. 

I made Agatha a nightgown from this same fabric so that she'll match with her cousins, albeit from a great distance.

Another project I began this weekend: a seed stitch scarf made from Jo Sharp alpaca silk georgette on 2.5mm needles.  For the ruffle, I cast on three times the amount of stitches needed for the main width and knit 5 rows of knit 3 purl 3 ribbing.  Then I did one row of knit 3 tog, purl 3 tog, bringing me down to 45 stitches. 

To finish this, I'll knit seed stitch for the rest of my adult life a very long time.  I'll end by doing one row of (m1, k1, m1), 5 rows of k3 p3 rib, and cast off. 

This particular endeavor is such an eensie weensie finger poking stitch dropping pain in the rumpus that it makes my Malabrigo seed stitch project feel like a nap on the couch with a warm spaniel in comparison. 

It's also by far the most elegant and understated thing I've ever made.  In fact, I think I've gained  5 coolness points just by photographing it.

Despite the number of handmade gifts I'm giving this Christmas, I don't consider myself a Green person.  The very idiom makes me cringe and I'm including in my last requests instructions for me to be buried in the fur of an endangered species while clutching a chunk of plutonium, just to make sure I'm not remembered as Green.  That said, it's appalling how many print catalogs I've received in the mail this month.  Specifically, Hanna Andersson, which prides itself on selling many items made from organic cotton, has mailed me three print catalogs--all identical but with different holiday covers.  I do almost all of my buying online, and don't need ANY hardcopies for shopping.  I'm aware of my recycling and reusing options, but I do wish there was a box I could check on the online order forms that says, "Send me all the spam email you want--just don't mail me any more paper!"

Special Needs Sporties

This was a big sewing weekend for me.  I made Olive 5 zippered jammies, using the pattern I created by dissecting a Hanna Andersson zippersuit and enlarging it.  Apparently, the Swedes in Oregon assume all those over 90 centimeters tall are potty trained, or simply too cool for zippered jammies.  Scoff!

Olive loves hers, and finds them perfect for exercise attire.

I asked Dana if he'd wear jammies like these. He hesitated, then diplomatically suggested I make his 2-piece, and out of boy fabric.  I should have known the day would come when he wouldn't look to his sisters for fashion guidance.  This was the first year when in choosing boots for the winter, he didn't ask for pink.

New Jammies for Olive

Sewing Card Tutorial

It's a bit of a conundrum, this business of in on one side being the same as out on the other, though it's not without its rewards.

Apparently, it's called sewing.  I know this because my parents repeatedly clap their hands and say, "Yay, Olive is sewing!"

Sometimes in a long and involved project such as this one, interest flags.

Fortunately, Sister has a longer attention span than Daddy.

In...

Out...

My artistic rendering of Procyon Lotor is cause for celebration.

Difficult, yet satisfying work.

Portrait of the Autist and Her Young Aunt

Miss Olive was dressed for Fall this morning, in her blue jeans, handknit fair isle jumper, and new brown shoes.  Careful viewers will note that she is looking directly at the person holding the camera, which is no small accomplishment for her.  It's starting to be a regular occurrence.

Not to be outdone, Olive's Aunt Lo is modeling her Olive's Pearls creation, which you'll recognize as being a match for the gnome coat I listed on this blog several weeks ago, but with more sedate buttons.  Making coats for grown-ups is harder work than I thought, but my sister has been very, very good to me.