FO: Norobi

Myra's not the only one knitting around here! I finally finished a project that I cast on before Duncan (who is now 10 months old) was born.

And it wasn't even a very complicated or large project either. This is Norobi, a knitted Obi style belt. I alternate between thinking that this is a really fun and funky idea and thinking that it is just odd. Since I wasn't sure how I felt about it, I used some leftover RHSS, so if I hate it, at least the yarn wasn't dear.

The main reason I decided to knit this was the way the edges and ties are constructed. The edges are finished with an applied I-cord and the ties are stand alone I-cord. I wanted to learn this technique, and this seemed like a good way. As you can see if you compare the top (uneven and loose) edge to the bottom (tighter and more polished looking), it was a learning process for sure. It didn't help that I put this project away for months while in the middle of the applied I-cord and when I picked it back up, I had totally forgotten how to do it!

Here it is from the back. It looks quite sleek and cute on Sandra Dee, but then everything looks good on her. I'm not even sure how I will wear this. What do you think? How would you go about styling a knitted obi? Or would you??

In the sewing world, Rapunzel is coming together. We had a final fitting this morning and measured the hem.

I still need to set in the sleeves (that one is pinned in place), hem the underskirt and overskirt and apply the trim to the overskirt hem. Myra loves it and I had to fight her to get it off. At least this one looks like a win! It better be! It wasn't difficult to construct, per se. It was just tedious. And I hate sewing polyester organza.

Butterick 4910 & Simplicity 2561

Well, back to the costumes.  But this is the last one - really!  Myra's Red Riding Hood dress is sweet, but without the hood (which she won't wear), really isn't very much like a costume, and really isn't very Renaissance-y, so I decided to make her a princess dress for the Ren Faire.

She chose pink, naturally.  I saw it as an excuse to use up this wretched poly taffeta that she made me buy.  It was also a nice way to finish off the trim that I used on my dress.  Yay for stash busting!

The dress is Butterick 4910, and the belt (?) is from Simplicity 2561.  The Simplicity pattern got a lot of use last Halloween when I dressed a pirate band.  It's a fun costume pattern with lots of different options.  I suspect that I will use it again.  Butterick 4910 has been in the stash for a while.  It is a simple peasant style top and dress as well as shorts and pants.  Butterick claims that it is not to be used for sleepwear, although the line drawing on the pattern shows a bunch of cute girls with their blankies all ready for bed...  Anyway, it has very simple lines and was a quick sew.

I borrowed the sleeve treatment from Joy's cute medieval dress.  It is just elastic shirring on the upper arms.

For the lace up belt/corset thingie I used some darker rose satin from the stash and the waistband pattern piece for one of the pirate skirts.  It's lined with the pink taffeta of the main dress, which I interfaced with heavy craft interfacing to give it structure.  Sort of a training corset, if you will.  I don't think a 2 year old needs boning...  I did attach it to the dress with a line of stitching at center back.  Myra doesn't have much waist definition at this point, and I didn't want it to slide around.

I think the sleeves might be a little long.  I can't decide if I want to hem them up a little, or just let them be long.  She'll drag them through everything she eats either way.
At least now we are all ready for the Ren Faire!  And just in time - we go next weekend!!!  More pictures then...