I finished this last week, but have had a heckuva time getting pictures taken. I am so pleased with how this turned it, and will be wearing it to Jive Junction tonight.

OK, I swear I don’t normally have a double chin. And normally the pantsuit would be worn with not only vintage shoes but also a more appropriate shirt. Not a logo Tshirt. But the suit is awesome, eh?

The pattern says it is intended to adhere to WPB regulations. The jacket is unlined, the whole thing is very un-wasteful.

This is the pattern.

And this is why I love vintage patterns:

That’s the directions. Most notably, the parts about “make bound buttonholes as marked” or “attach collar and facings.” Seriously. No further direction. Just the assumption that you know how to do these things. My favorite part? “Step by Step, Simply Explained” at the top. Do you know that a similar pattern printed today would include at least four sheets of instructions?

The bag is loosely based on this pattern. I made it with Brown Sheep Company chunky yarn (despite the fact that every felted project I’ve ever read about calls for worsted weight, it worked very nicely). Knitted on size 10.5 circular needles. I would have used bigger needles, but, well, I own 10.5 and I don’t have any money, so that’s what I used.

Once I got the felted bag all knitted, I must admit, had a moment of panic at the sheer size of the thing. But it felted up beautifully. As soon as I took it out of the washer, I realized that I had not knitted the handles, but those were pretty quick.

I spent some quality time with the sweater shaver after the bag and handles dried, as well. I think that took about as long as the knitting took!

I do think it’s a little out of perspective. It’s a little too long for its width. But I am still happy with it!

Homemade Playdough, originally uploaded by sarahtar.

Wally and I made some playdough last week. He’s been loving it, and it was super easy to make. Flour, water, oil, cream of tartar, salt. That’s about it, I think…

So I’m wanting to branch out in my skirt making. I tend to use the same basic patterns - either store-bought or home-made - over and over and over. And I make very plain skirts. I don’t embellish, I don’t decorate. I sew the skirt together, and I’m done. But here are some skirts I like:

1. I like the border at the bottom of the green skirt. 2) I like the two pieces of the floral skirt. 3 and 4) are just cute. 5) looks comfortale - picture a jersey knit waistband with silk or cotton skirt. All pictures from Anthropologie.