Sewing Jeans

This photo is from Dressy Style... they almost always feature their outfits with super high shoes (totally unpractical for all the walking I do in the city), but hello - look at those jeans!  Do you see what I see?  Boot cut jeans are coming back into style.  Ahhhh, yes!
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Because while those super skinny jeans look cute on the kids - ummmm, they are NOT for me!  Shoot, one of my nieces has jeans so tight at the bottom that I had take the seam ripper to the side seams, open them up a bit so she could squeeze her foot through there and hem it all back down.  Kids and their fashions, right? Europe maybe even more so as the guys have been wearing tight jeans too the past several years but you don't see that too often over in North America!  
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Anyway - I have a pair of jeans all cut out and mostly sewn together - sadly I didn't have time to finish them before I came over here, but as soon as I get back over there - I need to finish them up.  Vogue 8774.  Dark stretch denim with a nice weight (jeans material comes in different weights).  I got the pattern when Joanne's was having one of the $2 Vogue pattern sales and used coupons to get the zipper, thread and sewing needle.  

I just won't buy new jeans.  Nope.  First off - they all shrink and then are too short for me.  My husband and I have to play tug-a-war with my jeans every time they come out of the washer and then hang them up to dry.  If I order long length jeans - the length is just too long.  Shopping for jeans is just an exercise in frustration and if I do find a pair that I even like the LOOK of - the price tag is always over $100 so I don't even bother to try them on!  I will say though - I did get a great pair of jeans at a thrift store last spring for a mere $2.  So, it pays to look around.
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My sister also has a pair of jeans cut and partially sewed together.  She is making Jalie 2908.  We are making them together so both pairs are on hold until we are together again.  

Not sure if making your own jeans is for you?  You can make a quick mock-up using muslin or some other cheap fabric to check the fit.  The Jalie pattern has 1000s of sizes all on the same sheet - honestly!  Jalie patterns aren't for everyone, but there are lots of sizes and my sister traces what she wants - she orders a big roll of tracing paper from I think Nancy's Notions.  Sewing pants really is not that hard.  As a matter of fact, Pattern Review has an on-going video class for jeans sewing (I haven't taken it, so can't tell you much about it other than the fact that it is currently being offered at a sale price for $29 by clicking on this link.  If you have always wanted to try making jeans, it might be worth looking into.
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I can not wait to get back to sewing with my sister because my wardrobe is in a serious crises!  So - this is what we do - we thread up the serger for knit tops and the sewing machine for jeans and take turns.  When we are done we have a complete outfit.  
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My favorite, favorite winter top pattern (I love wool blend knits - they are so much warmer than anything else and still wear/feel like a knit) is Simplicity 4076.  I lengthen it a bit, make the sleeves slightly narrower and use a twin needle for hemming since I don't have a cover stitch machine!  Usually costs me about $6 per shirt.  The V neck is low cut, but I usually wear a tank top underneath anyway.

New Year's Charm

It is a tradition in Austria to exchange New Year's Eve charms.  We have a growing collection of all sorts of "good luck" items... pigs, lady bugs, 4 leaf clovers, horse shoes, bags of money and chimney sweeps.  Right before New Year's, little tents selling charms and fireworks appear everywhere. 

There are pig hats...

 Pig breads from the bakery...

But this year we noticed a new guy on the street... making custom horse-shoes.  Got to admire an artist (this isn't made in China!) so this is what my son got this year with his name pounded into the metal.  He LOVES it!

We also got a cactus(es), but that is for another blog post!
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We have been keeping busy avoiding most of the crowds in the city during the holiday crush.  This isn't a "normal" tram, but a little antique one that they run around during the holidays decorated.  Isn't it cute!

The weather has been overcast and drizzly, but we still go out (umbrellas in hand).  Unfortunately, although it was slightly cloudy for the fireworks - the cloud was RIGHT over the clock which is where they set the fireworks off from.  We saw many, many "personal" fireworks - really enough fireworks for a small town anyway, but it was too bad that the big city fireworks went into the cloud.

If we climb ALL these stairs - it isn't so crowded up there and there are actually birds and nature.  Yes!  Ohhh but my aching calf muscles!  You can take an elevator or a tram up, but we have been doing the stairs - every other day, the time we did it 2 days in a row I was wiped out.

I know I posted a photo of this on a previous post, but I think this little house is so unique - it was used to store ammo - back in the day.  Many of the buildings up on this hill are from the mid 1500's so there is lots of history - worth climbing up the stairs for!

And we often go out in the early evening because the lights are so pretty.  I always have a flashlight in my coat pocket, but we still try to get back down the stairs before it gets really dark.  We had to hurry down the night I took these photos!

That big building with the Christmas tree in front of it is City Hall.  Under the tree is the Christkindle market (before Christmas) - it is a series of little huts, all decorated, that sell things like cookies, ornaments, gluwine, rum punch, hot chocolate, etc.  One booth is just a display of light candles that is really pretty.  I put some photos on a previous post and someone asked me about it, so I thought I would write a bit more here.  

I love these guys - they are in the city every December and I always give them some change and say thanks!  The trumpet player also sings.   It hasn't been too cold this year, but some years it is really cold and they are still out there - entertaining away.  Makes things extra festive.

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So - from me to you... Happy New Year!

Thinking About Knitting Socks

Progress on my brown socks.  I cast on 64 using size 2 1/4mm needles (US1) for the rib and then switched to 2 mm (US0) for the pattern.  The pattern is 2 rows of K2, P2 and then 2 rows of K.  The "pattern" is named Gravel Grid on the internet, but I am not using the entire sock pattern because I have my own "sock recipe" that I use.  I was constantly forgetting where I was on the pattern so made myself a little check list grid and I check off as I go.  One thing about solid yarn - usually you get more on a ball, so you can see that I will have a fair bit left over which I can use as stripes, heels and toes in another pair of socks.  
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Today, I am wondering when I switched to such small needles to make socks - I am slightly annoyed that this pair of socks is taking me so long!  I am using the smallest size, ugh!  If you knit socks - what size needle do you usually use?  I used to knit socks on 2 sizes up ( 2/34mm) and I am going back to that size.

I learned how to knit socks in Canada.  I had some help and also a good book and You Tube to guide me along.  It seemed like my early sock making attempts went much faster - even though they are longer, because I used a slightly bigger needle!  I took a good look at a pair of those early socks today... 

It is the longer blue/gray sock.  I put the way I knit socks now down next to it  First, you can see - my friends in Canada knit their socks a bit longer than I do now!  Now I knit to the length of my knitting needle and then start the heel.  But I love these blue/gray socks and wear them all the time - they are longer and warm!  And despite the slightly larger needle - I still have not worn through the heel.  Some of the older ladies in Canada tsk tsk at me and have shown me how they re-inforce the heels and toes - I need to start doing that!  And my friend's in Canada - when they wear out the bottom of the sock, they just CUT it off and reknit a new foot - reusing that long cuff, which is still perfectly fine!
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Pattern?  That blue/gray sock has NO pattern.  My friend showed me how to make it - it is the same sock that her mother has been making for years and years and years.  Her mother also has another pattern that uses 3 colors - frugally using up any left-over yarn and when I go back to Canada this year my friend is going to show me how to make that pattern.  When I first started making socks I did not believe that you don't need a pattern, but now I realize that there really isn't a pattern, just a "recipe" of what works for you.  I like to compare regional patterns.  My friends in Finland don't do a top rib and start decreasing down by the ankle to make a snugger fit - their socks are different than my socks and again - no pattern - just generations of doing what is handed down.
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I am going to finish these brown socks and then I am going to start experimenting with my "old" way of making socks.  Come up with the perfect fit, a longer leg for cold weather, slightly snugger at the ankle, use a slightly larger needle so they get done and on my feet (after all, that IS the point, isn't it - nothing better than wearing nice, handknit socks).  Then, I am going to try to stick with that pattern - maybe some day MY socks will be recognized as MY socks, just like there is no mistaking a pair of socks that my friend's mother has knit!
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Learning to make socks or want to try?  I recommend Ann Budd's book.  And don't start with a sock with the smallest needle!


 It is raining today so we have stayed in - enjoying the last few days of our Christmas tree, son playing with Lego's, DH listening to music and cooking up a fabulous beef stew and me stewing over my knitting.  We are in relaxation mode.  I knew the bad weather was coming so for the past few days we have been outside a lot - here are a few snapshots to entertain you!