
At least.
This was not the blog post I was meaning to write today, but the hubs kidnapped the camera on Saturday and has, of yet, failed to return to its righteous owner. That would be me. So I can’t take the pictures I needed for this VIP (Very Important Post). *grumbles grumbles*
But never mind, thanks to the Internets, I can have a blog post with (one) picture. Thanks Internets.
So, the plans are as follows (please note that we are very Down Under here, and as such, entering winter, plans have been made accordingly).

It’s getting cold here (she says, as she wraps herself up in another layer), so I am in dire need of cold weather attire. I have in my possession just ONE wearable (and even that is debatable) long sleeve t-shirt and that simply isn’t enough. I’ve been eyeing up the Renfrew Top pattern for weeks now and I should really just give in and buy it. But the price + shipping is holding me up. NZ$30 (pattern + shipping) is *quite* expensive for a pattern (no matter how wonderful it may be). I will probably make a bazillion of it, but still. I could also just try to draft my own t-shirt pattern. I’ve got (very) limited drafting skills, but I should be able to manage a t-shirt (I can just start with a rub-off anyway). But yeah, I need long sleeves t-shirt like now.
Next, I need to add a couple of long sleeves (do I sense a theme here?) pullover. It’s all nice and dandy to have one kicka$$ short sleeves pullover but it ain’t keeping me warm much.
The Leaflet I knitted during my last european winter (2001-2012), which has long sleeves, had been worn a lot and is looking pretty sad. Plus the deep V on the front means I need to layer about 5 scarves and shawls to feel warm. (And before you ask about my Murcott, it’s got short sleeves too, a deep V neck and I’ve lost 7 kgs since I made it. The damn thing is WAY too big – insert cries here -)
The Classic Raglan by Jane Richmond is just what the doctor ordered, but I might just go ahead and write my own personal pattern. It is after all, just a very simple top-down pullover, I should be able to figure that out. Now, finding affordable yarn for that is going to be difficult. I WANT a machine washable yarn. YEs I can handwash (and I will probably handwash this pullover too), but for the one occasion that I am not going to take care of the washing, I do not want to get supersad and very annoyed at what would be a lovely gesture otherwise. Now, New Zealand is a country full of YARN sheep. You’d think yarn would be plentiful and cheap. YEAH, RIGHT. Wool / yarn is about 30%-50% more expensive than in the UK. If there’s one thing I regret is that I didn’t bring several pullovers quantities of affordable workshorse yarn. Wendy Merino DK and Rowan Pure Wool (on Deramores’s site) are about the same price as made in China Lincraft (cheap AUS-NZ craft stores) yarns.
I have found some affordable superwash DK on Skeinz, and that will probably be the one I’ll buy, even if the colours are not quite right. But $5 for 50g, that’s a deal.
And finally, on my plans list, there is a black cord skirt. I’m not sure why, but I’ve been wanting one for a couple of months now. I’ve got the fabric – the pitfalls of working in a fabric shop (oh yeah, I didn’t tell you about that! I’m working a couple of shifts a week at the Make Cafe, alongside running workshops there). Now, I just need to find a pattern. Now you’d think that an A-line skirt pattern would be easy enough to find. But no, not the one I want (of course). I’m really keen on getting a real fly front and button opening on the front. I’ve got a denim skirt like that (refashioned from too big / loved jeans) and it makes the process of going to the toilet much more pratical (TMI?). But fly front openings are a thing that most amateur seamstresses seem to fear (I heard they were a nightmare for the contestants on the Great British Sewing Bee). Now, my experience is somewhat (extremely) limited, but I’ve done fly fronts on a pair of pants before and it was fine? I mean, the pants were rubbish (wront fabric, size, pattern combo), but the fly front itself was quite neat. I followed this video on Threads, and it just kind of worked out in the end (I basted the thing a lot too, it helped me).
I’m also planning on lining this skirt, probably in a bright loud and crazy colour, because that’s the whole point of lining, right? (besides making the insides silky smooth and not catching on your tights)












