Craft Enabled, Domestically Disabled

T-shirt surgery has begun!

And I am just SO EXCITED about this! Just a few pics from today's cutting extravaganza (no sewing done yet):

Here's my version of the Road Trip skirt with a CC theme. The logos (which I stupidly didn't think to take pictures of before slicing 'em up) say "Will Work For Craft" (that'll go on the butt end), two stamps that say "Craft Center", and the third were a front-and-back design that said "The UCD Craft Center" and "What Willis Was Talking About." I figured the Willis shirt's front and back would make a good frame on the front. Alas, the butt will have a sign on it, but...eh, I just kind of had to. Anyway, it's pinned together into panels here.

This is the racing cow shirt I was talking about, that I plan to make into this halter on the cover. It makes a pretty good fit with that pattern, getting rid of the letter and paring it down to a nice cow.

I'm going to make a skirt out of the Purple Hat Club shirt I made for myself, mainly because I realized I printed the logo off-center. *sigh* And if I make it into this one tubeish skirt, the off-centered-ness won't be noticeable. Plus, I can probably wear it with the purple cow halter.

Whiplash.

I am debating entering this. (Mainly because the prizes are books and look good.) Course, this may be insanity to even consider doing it considering that (a) it's Easter weekend, and (b) next weekend is Picnic Day and either way, I'm freaking swamped on weekend activites, not to mention limited on access to ye olde craft haven location.

And what does one do for "everyday creativity," anyway?

However, I am taking this workshop on Saturday afternoon. Anyone remember how I used to have a online zine? I printed that stuff out to bring in. If I come out of there with any kind of thing to show, maybe I can enter a zine. (Er, as best one can without a scanner, anyway.)

Generation T dreams.

I finally gave in and bought that book. And I have pulled out all of my too-large T-shirts and am now trying to figure out what to do with them.

I've got a lot of shirts from the CC, some of which don't have THE most funny or interesting logos (I guess every quarter can't be a winner). I tie-dyed the lot of them last year, but they're still pretty huge and I never actually wear the boringer ones. There's one skirt in the book that I am thinking of making- they call it "Road Trip" and you're supposed to make it out of travel shirts. But I'm thinking it would be awesome to have a CC-themed skirt to wear while working Whole Earth.

I also got handed a free shirt from the massive work picnic last year, which I'm thinking would make a cool halter top. I could have the racing cow logo on as one of the boob-holders, plus it's purple, so that would be striking.

I've got a couple of very faded tie-dye shirts (think pastel) that I did kind of wrong ages ago, that could make fun skirts too or something.

And then there's the shirts where I love the logos, but they're freaking huge. I'll just adjust those for size or something.

This is really exciting. I can't find my sewing supplies, though, so I need to either buy more or find the old ones.

Choking with shock.

So, I reread this article on ease, given the FEFI debacle. Let's quote, shall we?

"You know your chest size; now go and measure three or four of your favorite sweaters or shirts across the chest/bust. I guarantee that unless you are a ballet dancer who spends her entire life in leotards, or a Victoria's Secret model wearing lingerie two sizes too small, you are bound to find that most of these garments have circumferences that are at least a little larger than your body's chest or bust size. Go on; I'll wait."

So, I did that this morning.

Guess what.

Most of my favorite sweaters came out at the exact boob size, with NO extra ease, at 36. (Did I ever mention I did/do dance and DO spend tons of time in leotard-type wear?) Gee, I wonder why I figured making the "sized to 38" size sweater would work.

(Though oddly enough, the Tubeys come out at 39.)

But here's the problem with the FEFI:

"And the weight of the fabric also plays a role. The thinner and lighter the fabric, the less ease you can get away with; conversely, thick and bulky yarns will require more extra room because the inside of the garment is noticeably smaller than the outside due to the thickness of the yarn. You have to build in extra space for the thicker yarns."

Guess what the FEFI came out in measurement.

33 FUCKING INCHES.  For something that was supposed to come out as a 38!!!! That's not even close to right. WTF?

If/when I ever get another damned bank card sent to me (they have sent me two that got lost in the mail, I have no hopes that #3 will show up by the 21st like they claim), I may have to order a damned VAT of yarn in order to cover the damned boobs. What, do I have to make extra-large just to fit a size 8-10 here?!

I have decided to use the Prepster yarn to make the orange sweater, but I'm (a) doing it in green, (b) with no hangy-off crap, and (c) I'm making it less midriff-y because something that short won't even fully fit over the Tits O' Doom. I think that amounts to adding on 49-50 inches per each side (it's made in one piece and T-shaped) rather than 24, but eh, I think I have enough yarn for it.

Course, the question is, what size should I make? The 38 inches, or the 40+? I nearly cast on enough for 40+ last night, then figured I'm not using all THAT thick of yarn, so 38 should be sufficient.

Hopefully.

I suck.

Had to scrap the Prepster. It just doesn't look like I'm doing it right, and I had some people check the back of it on me to confirm it today. Also, someone posted a pic of their pieces on Craftster and it is just NOT supposed to be one giant triangle.

*sigh* I suspect crocheting big things is Just Not For Me, because I am not getting the sizing of it. I have a hard enough time reading the instructions, and clearly I'm doing it wrong. I really do think I'm going to end up scrapping it, though I'll probably at least try it one more time for today.

The irritating thing is that I carried around Vogue Knitting all last week, but do I have it today, on a day when I'll have an hour to kill before class and could do the other pattern I like instead? No, I do not. And is it a bad sign that the sweater I like um, ended up on You Knit What? Is it okay to make if (a) it's not orange, and (b) doesn't have the stupid hangy doodads on it? Even I hate those. It ruins the simplicity and beauty of that sweater's lines.

Updated: Someone at the CC suggested that maybe I was crocheting it too tight. So I did two swatches last night, one with the given hook (F) and one with a G.

They BOTH CAME OUT WRONG. 12 rows went way beyond the 4 1/2 inches the gauge said it should be, even on the smaller hook.

What the hell am I supposed to do? How the hell did the Craftster people figure out how to make this?!

I give up.

And the scarf for Jess is done.

This thing is EIGHT FEET LONG.

I made an Easter basket today!

I'm not sure what to do with it, though.

Prepster progress.

It still seems TOO big. I really do suspect something's wrong with this and I just can't tell.

Then again, this comes from the girl who made her last sweater too tight.

Previously fused and unphotographed.

I'm pretty proud of fixing the first piece, which didn't fuse across the top on the first go-round.

In the "To be fused" pile...

Yeah, this is a ton of stuff. Nineteen freaking pieces put in this week. I had a "OMG WHOLE EARTH COMING UP AIEEE" panic attack.