Adventures in knitting

So it's been just about a year since I started to knit again, and I'm still obsessed. It doesn't help that Tuesday Morning often has yarn for a bargain as well as knitting tools.
My recent finds were a steel interchangeable circular set and a huge Tunisian crochet hook.
I'm sold on knitting on circular needles, even if I'm flat knitting. My favorites are bamboo 8mm that I bought at Liberty in London in April.

I finished my second sweater (I frogged the first one, and I'm now knitting into a blanket)
I used a KnitPicks pattern and Stroll Tonal yarn in Deep Waters. I need to re-sew the sleeves, but otherwise I'm happy with it:













I found Stitch Nation "Full O' Sheep" yarn in black, 3 skeins for $5.99, and bought enough for a sweater before I realized it was 1 ply, so now I'm playing with felting.
This swatch is garter stitch on 8mm needles. I washed in warm water with the kitchen towels and shopping bags:

My other find this past week was a huge (22mm) Tunisian crochet hook. I thought it might look cool in shop, but then I looked up what the stitch looks like and how to make it. Sooooo, I found a smaller hook and some cotton yarn to play with. Here's my first swatch in Tunisian simple stitch:

This video by the Crochet Side was perfect for learning the stitch.

With a larger hook and bulkier yarn, this stitch would make a great rug.

Next time I'll share progress on my Chanel jacket, photos on the jean jacket I made for hubby, and the custom shopping bags I'm making for our friends' wedding.

Juliette

Progress!

I've made good progress on my latest jacket.

I've sewn all the bodice seams by machine and hand-stitched the lining.

I'm really proud of the matching I did on the front of the jacket. The back looks the same--the side seams, well, I'll just have to keep my arms down...

That pile to the left of the jacket is the lining and fabric that I trimmed away.

Next up is the sleeves--I got the upper sleeves thread traced and cut out and hope to get the under sleeves done tomorrow night. Next step will be basting to the lining, then machine basting.

A close up of the lining showing the machine quilting
and hand-sewn seams.

Some Recent Projects

I've had comments from a few people, and I admit, I've been really bad about keeping anyone not on Facebook up-to-date on my projects since I got back from trip in April.

I haunt Tuesday Morning for various things, but mostly for yarn. They often have very nice yarns for low prices, though never in big quantities. I found a nice wine color in a bamboo/wool blend, and there were enough skeins to make a lacy scarf with fringe:













Last week I made a slip for a friend at work. I cut it extra long, and ended up with enough to make a camisole for her as well. I've been sewing for few people at work, and they have been great clients. I especially like anyone who pays me to sew beautiful fabric. Silk charmeuse is such a pleasure to work with.












I am making my second sweater ever (my first was funky, so I won't post photos) This one is out of a fingering wool/nylon blend from KnitPicks. I like the yarn a lot, which is good, because the body is going pretty slowly on Size 2 needles.
Here's my progress as of Sunday evening:











The other big project I'm working on is my latest Chanel-style jacket. My mom bought the fabric for me when we were at the American Sewing Expo in Novi, MI last fall. The fabric caught my eye at Helen Haughey's booth, and since it was my birthday, Mom offered to buy it for me. The photos don't really do the colors justice--I'm hoping to get better photos at some point.
















At this stage I've thread traced the stitch lines and markings on the bodice pieces and machine quilted to the silk charmeuse lining. Next step is to baste and sew the pieces, then hand sew the lining.

That's it for now! I promise I will be better about posting my progress.

Juliette

After the amazing weekend with Thomas in the Southwest of France, I arrive back in Paris Monday afternoon, and kicked around with Mario through Wednesday morning.
I took so many photos over the weekend, I had to leave the battery to charge Monday, so I only have photos from Tuesday.
We both had museum passes, so we ran in and out of a few.
Monday afternoon we visited the home of Gustav Moreau, the Louvre and Musee du Moyen Age (middle ages).

Tuesday we visited the D'Orsay first. The line must have been 2 hours, but we walked right in thanks to the museum passes.

Lunch near the D'Orsay

After lunch we visited a museum in Les Invalides--a series of scale models of fortified cities. The models had all been made around 1700. Photos of the current state of each city was displayed next to photos of the model, as well as maps and aerial photos with outlines of the original main structures.









 We headed to the Marais for a sweet snack: Tiramisu for Mario and Tarte Tatin with creme fraiche for me.
























We had planned to also visit the Pantheon, but I talked Mario into visiting the Haute Couture exhibit at city hall. We had dinner in Montmartre again--this time a little further down the hill.

Shrimp cocktail for starters

Escalloped chicken for me

Mussels for Mario.

The bartender was standing right next to us in the doorway while she had her cigarette break. After watching Mario struggle to pull the mussels out with a fork she showed him how to use a shell like tongs.

A couple more days in Paris

I am back home now, but am trying to catch up on my posts.

Friday April 19th was my last day working in the Paris office. I felt that I really bonded with my Parisian co-workers and was sad to leave. I hope to see some of them soon in Austin, and some day back in Paris.

Paris Metro during rush hour

Carine

 

 

I had a nice lunch with 2 of the ladies from HR at a classic french restaurant right down the street from the office.

Gilda and Crystal

At the end of the day, I kissed everyone goodbye, then headed back to the apartment to meet Mario who flew in from Switzerland.

Emilie and Franc

Hussein

Me in the Paris office!

Thomas Jung

After Mario dropped off his suitcase and I gave him a tour of the apartment, we walked around Montmartre a bit (and saw HAIL!) before finding somewhere to have dinner. We settled on a place just a few doors down the street from the apartment.

Chez Marie

Mario!

Beautiful, tasty macarons

French Onion Soup

Faux Filet

Panna cotta and Chocolate Mousse for dessert

Un Bon Weekend

We are going to Biarritz!

I have not fallen off the face of the earth--I have been in the southwest of France with our good friend, Thomas Ung. We left insanely early on Saturday to catch an EasyJet flight to Biarritz.

I see wonderful things...

The beach at Biarritz

We walked around a bit, enjoyed the sea air, then drove to St. Jean de Luz.

St Jean de Luz arch

Inside the church where
Louis XIV was married.

For lunch we headed to the home of the parents of Thomas' friend, Mathias. He and his girlfriend, Eva, treated us to a true basque lunch. We sat in the sun, took our time, enjoyed a great Rioja reserva and talked--in French, Spanish and English.

The cathedral in Bordeaux.

After lunch, Thomas drove us to Bordeaux(stopping a couple of times for him to nap). We walked around a bit, then had dinner--by this time we were both tired and grumpy.

Balconies

A ferocious guard.

We had a good night sleep, woke late, then headed to St. Emillion.

part of the city wall

Bordeaux is beautiful, but St. Emillion is something completely different. It was a medieval walled city on a hillside. Stone everywhere, and buildings that have stood for 100s of years.











We had lunch here, then walked around. I took so many photos this weekend that I killed the battery in the camera. Thank goodness I can take pics with my camera, too.

My Croque Monsieur

Thomas' tuna and shrimp salad

Some pistachio, hazelnut and chocolate
ice cream for dessert.

Cloisters in the cathedral

someone's house

The last medieval building that survives.

One of the many beautiful streets

Inside the Bordeaux cathedral.

We headed back to Bordeaux and walked around some more. We were headed to the river Dordogne and stumbled on a huge flea market. I found a old piece of lace and eyelet, probably cut from a petticoat. The price was 20€, but I hesitated, so it dropped to 15€.

We stopped for coffee near the center of town and enjoyed the sun, visited the church which was started in the 1090s, and had dinner at a place close by. We got ice cream for our walk back to hotel. I have always liked flower flavored food, but the violet gelato was the best ever.
Now we are headed back to Paris on the train--Thomas to work and me to spend time with Mario before I head to my last destination--Cologne, Germany (Köln).

I am trying to catch up, but there so much to see!

juliette