Working On The Swedish Dress

 Yesterday was a mix of sunshine, clouds, and showers. The high got to 19C. This morning it is cloudy and 9C. Today is suppose to be mainly sunny with a high of 19C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I started to do more prep in the spare bedroom. I removed the curtains and curtain rod and then set about washing 2 of the walls. They were dusty. I then filled the small holes in those walls. 

The last job was to scrub the floor with a scrub daddy and wiped the baseboards and wipe everything dry. It was dirty from the cat, dust from outside, and from moving dirt around when washing the floor. 

It was a hard job as the room is small and still has the furniture in it. The broom has been put away but the central vacuum hose is still out as I need it and can't get into the closet at the moment. 

When done, I sat and folded laundry. My hip said tired and I agreed. Once the laundry was put away, I then did some clean up in the kitchen before sitting on the heating pad until noon. I was pretty happy as I got more done than I had thought. 

Sewing

I worked on the Swedish dress yesterday. I actually fought with it. The front godets were being a pain. I set them aside, looked at the instructions again and did the back. It dawned on me not to sew up the princess seams as I have to insert the ruffle. So, I sat and unpicked the front and gave those pieces a good pressing. . 

I am ready to sew the front again. One thing I can say about the pattern is to mark the 1/4" line at the top of the godets. Read the pattern very carefully as what the pictures look like is different than the instructions when you sew the godets in. You think the seams are sewn up to the shoulder and they aren't. Lesson learned. It is going to be cute when done. 

Knitting

I worked on the socks last night and got the heel flap finished, the heel turned, and the gusset done. These socks knit up very fast. 

I am learning a lot about knitting heavier socks. I am not a huge fan of the pattern as it isn't as stretchy as the socks I make in lighter weight yarn but I am sure they will stay up really good. 

I adapted the heel flap some as the instructions don't tell you to slip the first stitch on each row or to knit into the back of the last stitch on the K1, Sl1 row. This is a personal preference for me. 

Thoughts

    I was in shock to hear that Dame Maggie Smith passed away the other day. I loved her acting and have watched two movies plus all of Downton Abbey. She will be missed by all. 

    My hip hurt less than anticipated. The muscles are sore as I gave them a work out. The only big pain came when I got myself into a corner in a bad position. I got out of it quite quickly. It is going to take a few days to get the muscles back into shape after the flare up. They are still being a bit rebellious at times. I know I need to alternate resting and working to allow them to recuperate. 

    I am slowly getting into Christmas mode. I have a few items to make and a bunch to buy. I am going to give more gift cards this year as I don't know what to give some family members. I am stumped!! Heck, I don't even know what I want for Christmas. I am quite happy with everything I have. 

Today

I have to sand the walls and wipe them down again. Then I can start painting those walls. Once done, I will stop for the day. I want to work on the doll's dress and knit tonight. I may even get a fabric basket cut out as a prototype. 

Until the next time.......................................................