thetimetravelingseamstress - Tumblr blog

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Godets there is a front, back, and two side panels and quarters circle godets in between

Cropped so you can’t see my face but look at this dress I made I’m so fucking proud

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Agree to disagree here but I get my style of revel in the chaos of a really complex project you don’t fully understand isn’t for everyone

Just knit what you want to knit.

There is a tendency in the knitting community to recommend very, very basic projects to newbies. Garter stitch dish clothes and scarves, maybe a plain beanie, all in chunky yarn. And, just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with any of these things. Even though I consider myself to be at an advanced skill level, I still make the basics when I’m bored. This isn’t a post about the basics being bad or whatever, this is a post about not underestimating your own abilities as a beginner.

I was a beginner, everyone was at some point. I started off with the old classics, but they bored me, and didn’t make me want to knit more. So, after making one square, I joined a KAL for a beanie with stitches I’d never seen in my life, when I barely even knew how to purl at the time. I got a bit confused at times, but, I was fine, until I dropped a bunch of stitches. I freaked out a bit, but then I learned how to use an afterthought lifeline. Making that beanie taught me 3 or 4 different skills all at once that I was able to apply to other projects. I got through it all, despite the trouble, because it was what I wanted to knit. I moved on to other things that people thought were way beyond my skill level, and I managed it just fine, because it’s what I wanted to do.

If you want to make dish clothes and scarves, that’s fine! There is a place in the world for those things, and they are loved just as much as the most complicated shawls. But, don’t be afraid to try something that seems complicated once you’ve learned the basics. Look through Ravelry, find something that appeals to you, and just do it. Just be prepared to look things up frequently.

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Look sometimes you need to start with baby steps. Fiber Arts just throw yourself in head first.

Just knit what you want to knit.

There is a tendency in the knitting community to recommend very, very basic projects to newbies. Garter stitch dish clothes and scarves, maybe a plain beanie, all in chunky yarn. And, just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with any of these things. Even though I consider myself to be at an advanced skill level, I still make the basics when I’m bored. This isn’t a post about the basics being bad or whatever, this is a post about not underestimating your own abilities as a beginner.

I was a beginner, everyone was at some point. I started off with the old classics, but they bored me, and didn’t make me want to knit more. So, after making one square, I joined a KAL for a beanie with stitches I’d never seen in my life, when I barely even knew how to purl at the time. I got a bit confused at times, but, I was fine, until I dropped a bunch of stitches. I freaked out a bit, but then I learned how to use an afterthought lifeline. Making that beanie taught me 3 or 4 different skills all at once that I was able to apply to other projects. I got through it all, despite the trouble, because it was what I wanted to knit. I moved on to other things that people thought were way beyond my skill level, and I managed it just fine, because it’s what I wanted to do.

If you want to make dish clothes and scarves, that’s fine! There is a place in the world for those things, and they are loved just as much as the most complicated shawls. But, don’t be afraid to try something that seems complicated once you’ve learned the basics. Look through Ravelry, find something that appeals to you, and just do it. Just be prepared to look things up frequently.

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Fiber arts is just Math in sheep's clothing

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

This sounds like the lady I know locally who started knitting- started spinning - and now runs an alpaca ranch because they have amazing fiber

can you explain what you mean when you say "lace rot" ???

It's a term one of my friends came up with - the lace rot, or lace rot disease, usually affects fibre artists (or budding fibre artists) when they're seeing other people make lace, and then suddenly they're consumed with the desire to make lace as well!

It works like this: you're innocently scrolling tumblr, and suddenly come across pictures of an incredibly beautiful, gossamer thin knit shawl, with elegant pattering and beaded in sparkly gems. It looks so intricate and complicated! Then somebody links the pattern, and you look at it, and figure out that it's actually just increases and decreases and some yarn overs. Oh, you think. You could make one too!!

At this point, it's already too late, and the lace rot has set its roots in your soul. There's no point trying to fight it. You will acquire new sharp needles, and more beads than is wise (they are so sparkly!), and oh look, you already had lace weight yarn in your stash, who would have known, and then you will knit a lace shawl. And then another lace shawl. You're browsing ravelry. Your mutuals are helpfully bringing you new patterns. Then somebody mentions crochet, or needle lace, and suddenly you're catching yourself rifling through antique pattern libraries for tatting inspiration. You're suddenly learning four new additional crafts. You make another lace shawl while yearning for more complicated lace shawls, a beautiful, gossamer thin knit shawl, with elegant pattering and beaded in sparkly gems. It looks so intricate and complicated! Yet it was surprisingly easy to create. You post it to tumblr.

Somebody else scrolls through your dash and sees your pictures. Oh, they think...

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Fiber Arts Blackhole

purpose

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Cropped so you can’t see my face but look at this dress I made I’m so fucking proud

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Sometimes when I’m playing yarn chicken, I’ll start to knit faster as though the speed is going to have any impact whatsoever on how much yarn is used up.

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

I spin my own yarn if I run out I’m just screwed

I arrive at the yarn store and grab a skein off the shelf, the exact same brand, type, weight and color of the one I bought a week ago. Everyone in the store immediately knows that I miscalculated the amount of yarn I'd need for a project. They start booing at me. They are throwing crocheted tomatoes at me. The old lady giving knitting lessons in the corner is shaking her head. She had such high hopes for me. The cashier spits at me when I pay for it.

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

I love it

current spinning project (...ok, one of them) is the first big set of batts off the drum carder. i loathe those wool/silk 'blends' that have a giant chunk of silk basically just sitting on top of the wool, so i wanted to see if i could make something i'd like better.

i grabbed some merino i dyed a million years ago and some purple mulberry silk and set off. the goal was to get a fairly even blend of wool and silk, and i mostly succeeded. there are a few places where there were still little clumps of silk, but that seems like a skill issue, which means i can fix it eventually.

all up, not bad for a first go. next time i'll probably weigh out the fibres--i didn't bother with this one, and the first half of the fibre i processed clearly has more silk than the second.

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Yes it’s a double drive wheel here is a better picture

Working on some spinning

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Working on some spinning

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Benefits of sewing in the bed:

Comfortable, cozy, you can keep your pj's on

Drawbacks of sewing in bed:

Where the fuck is my needle

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

This is my cutting assistant

My littlest weaving assistant.

Not pictured: her nipping at my toes when I try to treadle, like the worlds pointiest game of whack a mole lolllll

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Man I do more that 20 knots and I’m done I could never

SO. MANY. FRENCH. KNOTS. by StephaniLowman

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

I would love more than anything to have the space and equipment to be able to buy and process a full fleece like that.

Please excuse my messy flat, but look at the size of this fleece????