GiRD 4 - ARGH

So i cut out my dress, being very careful to measure it because i thought it would be tight/small according to the measurements i made of myself.  I finally got around to sewing it up today and guess what i discovered? The dress is too big.  The sleeves are the right size but the back and front are too large. Because of that, the dress wants to lay with the neckline too loose and too low, becoming a boatneck of sorts when that's not at all what i'm going for.  I'm also not sure if it's as long as i'd like, which is horrible but there's nothing i can do about that without buying more fabric.  I'm going to see if i can fix it w/o doing that but certainly not tonight.  I am simply too frustrated.  This is why i never sew, nothing turns out the way its meant to. /cry

GitRD 3 - complicated cuts

So Simplicity patterns are finally on sale at work.  It took me a couple of hours, much measuring, and lots of careful adjustments, but i managed to make the Simplicity 1800 pattern's shoulders fit the McCall's 6612 dress body.  The cap of the shoulder is very strange, and i will probably have to figure out a facing/lining for the shoulders and back collar, but otherwise i have cut out the entire dress.  This was rather nerve-wracking, and i really wish i could have found a pattern that was closer to the original product, but i think that i am ready to sew and that it will be a passable replica.  But of course i have work tomorrow and now i need rest.

Oswin/GIRD update

So the shoulders on the McCall's pattern are definitely not the same as what's pictured.  I'm considering on using Simplicity 1800 for the sleeves portion of the neckline.  I'm not decided yet, i would like to wait for it to go on sale for 99c at work but am impatient to sew this dress as soon as possible.  I didn't find an alternative on the McCall's site unfortunately.  Apparently some have had trouble with this pattern. /:  I'm not sure i can get it to look the same (or as good) as the dress that Oswin wore.  I have a wide neck, broad shoulders, and wide bra straps to hide.  I might have to do something out of character and make a muslin mock-up before i cut the red knit (not that muslin will fit the same).  Maybe i have an old pair of knit sheets that would work better.  This is going to be an experiment, no doubt.

the girl in the red dress

I am going to make this dress.

Source: thesun.co.uk via Luinel on Pinterest

At least...a version of it. First of all, i loved Oswald, second of all, i loved her dress (and her apron, but i digress), third of all i think it's close enough to the reboot Star Trek Uhura's costume that it could work for a Doctor Who or Star Trek convention (i really need to go to a convention someday). Of course, i probably couldn't be going as Uhura (makeup, wig, too much work), i would totally be going as Janice Rand instead. xD Or any anonymous yeoman, i suppose.

Source: comicbooked.com via Luinel on Pinterest

Today, at work, I saw the perfect pattern going through my check lane...McCall's 6612. It's on sale for 99c this week and i grabbed the last one in my size as soon as i clocked out. Phew.  View A is cute but a little short for me.  I plan to go with view B...which, oddly enough, isn't pictured on the McCall's website.

Pickings are slim for knit fabrics at work...we have travel knit in black, heather gray, and brown (i keep meaning to make something in those last two colors), and then some prints for the rest of the (thinner) knit fabrics, but we just so happen to already have the Fall and Christmas fabrics out, so i was able to find a really nice darker red fabric. I can't decide if it's more of a maroon or a brick red, but i'm sure it will go great with my Burgundy Boots / Maroon Converse. I'm not even going to try to find her shoes.  Sometimes i love working at a craft store because with a coupon and my employee discount the fabric came to $14.25. I never could have bought a dress for that price, let alone on in my size! So this won't be identical...but i think it will be close enough for people to be able to tell once i've got a belt or communicator on.  As for her apron...

Source: dw-cosplay.livejournal.com via Luinel on Pinterest

I'm not planning to include that in the costume, though i'm sure i could modify a flour sack apron in a pinch.  The fabric is thick enough that i really don't want to be wearing any more bulk if i don't have to, and since i probably won't be baking in this dress, i just am not going to buy the apron. ...  Yet?

Differences...Oswin's dress has a different neck (can't decide if it's asymmetrical or just pulled that way? but it definitely has modified raglan sleeves) and slightly less draped than the McCall's pattern is.  I'm sure i'll fill out the front more than she does and i think that it's close enough to get by with.

finally starting to cool down

It's in the low 80s today rather than the 90s!!!  It also rained last night and this morning (which made for a humid day).  I'm so ready for Fall and was super excited when Pumpkin Spice came back to Starbucks.  I have even started knitting again over the past few days, not as much as i would like to, but easing into the first cool nights of Fall.  I've been frantically trying to find some patterns for a couple of Christmas presents and have finally settled on a pattern.  I think i'll cast on to that right now.  But i've also been planning some menstrual cup pouches and have one on the hook and another planned for the needles very soon.

So i guess i just outed myself.  I started using a menstrual cup last November and recently ordered two more in a co-op.  I wish i could buy some for my sisters but of course i don't know their sizes and they probably wouldn't appreciate it!  I guess i am officially "out there" now.  No, i'm not gay, but i do have some alternative lifestyle choices. xD

making my own hammock - first hang

So on the first night we did not make it to a camp (which is what i expected, honestly), rather we stopped on the side of the road to catch a couple of hours of sleep.  I slept on a cot with a perfect frame but rotted fabric that tore pretty bad.  It was very surreal...uncomfortable, the moon nearly full and very bright, the Utah landscape remote and flat.  I felt like i was sleeping on the surface of Mars or something.

The second night i couldn't find two good trees to hang from.  I tied between the back of our trailer and an Aspen.  I couldn't remember the knot i wanted to use, i was just too tired and improvised.  I wasn't sure if i had hung the tree hugger high enough and as for the trailer end i was just out of luck if it was too low.  I got into it for a while, realized that my butt was on the ground, so i got out and raised the tree hugger a few inches.  When i got in again i was hanging freely and actually swaying.  There's not enough room in my bedroom for much of that, at least not until recently there hasn't been.  I have almost always bumped against either this wooden chest or my captain's chair.  Not so this time.  I didn't feel like i was about to fall out but the hammock is much narrower and shorter than i'm used to and it was tricky getting in with my sleeping bag under me.  I didn't bring a pad, and this was actually the only night i wanted it.

The next morning i was on the ground if i laid a certain way in the hammock.  The way i had laid for most of the night i was still off the ground.  But the hang was really too low for comfort.  ETA:  I'm wondering if my hang was a little "too tight" but this was the only available setup without hanging in a bush.

So on this same day we entered Yosemite proper and ended up staying in one of the more remote campgrounds (four miles of bumpy dirt road, slow going).  I saw a couple of hammocks in the campground but no one laying in them (in the middle of the afternoon).  At this campsite i found two trees to hang from, went for higher spot to wrap the tree huggers this time...in fact, the hammock itself was suspended at about chest height and seemed tight to me (rather than hanging freely it was stretched about as tight as i could make it).  But then when i would try to get in i would immediately be sitting on the ground.  I tried adjust the height, the tightness, double checked the knots...it wasn't happening.  I am pretty certain that the rope i bought is the culprit and stretches way too much because the tree huggers and knots looked secure.  It was very disappointing.

So instead i hung my tarp for the first time.  The night before i wish i would have put it up, not because it rained or anything, but because my head was cold and i think it would have provided some warmth.  The tarp was really quick to hang from the tree huggers but the ground was so sandy/dusty that the stakes couldn't hold as well as i would have liked.  This felt successful, at least and did provide a nice level of protection.  I was on a cot again, a different one that is brand new, from Cabela's, and much more comfortable...but still not perfect.  Nothing can beat a hammock.  These cots are my parents' and i would never buy such a thing!  Give me a hammock, please!!!

See, once we got to our final destination (my sister's small house) one of my other sister's and i opted to sleep on the cots in a tent.  The house was hot, outside was a very pleasing temperature, though very humid.  The metal bars of the cot...well it seemed as if my legs were pained by them and i was never able to sleep very peacefully.  I've been having issues with my legs lately (i think it's restless leg syndrome, but i haven't see a doctor about it yet) and they seemed to be worse on the trip.  My legs did not like the cot at all.  But sleeping outside was very comfortable temperature-wise.

What i've learned:
My camping hammock is short and narrow.  So is a cot.  I would rather be hanging.  It's much more comfortable (no pain, only temperature issues, as the Mono Lake area is apparently much cooler than inside Yosemite itself).
My suspension does not work and needs to be replaced in the near future.  It was definitely longer than necessary.
My tree huggers are awesome...but they aren't long enough to wrap around sequoia trees (i should probably sew a backup/extender).
I hate tying knots in the dark.  I think i will invest in carbiners.

I am glad to be home and hope next trip goes better!

making my own hammock - tree huggers

I was too tired last night to stay awake to sew so this morning I an stitching the last part of this vacation's hammock setup.



These tree huggers are modeled after DIY Gear Supply's TreeStraps.  My first strap was 6'4" long and the strap was folded back 6" at each end (they must have given me a couple of extra inches, because i asked for 7' for each strap).  There is about 2 1/2" open at the ends opposed to their 2".

making my own hammock - hammock construction

Pattern

I have been reading Just Jeff's Hiking Page on and off for over a year now.  It was his site that got me interested in sewing my own hammock, actually.  To be extra sure that it will support my weight and in case i ever want to camp somewhere that gets cold at night (not completely unheard of) i have opted to sew the Two Layer Hammock.  Jeff copied Risk's ZHammock.  I did not use a zig-zag stitch, but i did leave the sides open near the ends so i can insert a mat/pad/underquilt if need be.  Risk has some nifty mods to his gear that are food for thought as well, but on this, my first foray into sewing camping gear, i'm going to keep it simple.  I'm not going to start counting ounces but since i am considering trying backpacking someday i do want a lightweight setup, so his mods probably won't be that applicable to me anyway.  But they are shiny.

Construction

The most difficult part of this project was the first seam somehow.  I was delayed even sitting down to start several times and it took me a long time to pin everything into place.  I was hesitant while sewing at first because this fabric is slippery and i had never sewn anything similar before.  Fortunately the dining room table was cleared off and i was able to spread out the fabric to pin it (mostly flat, hanging off the sides and end) otherwise it would have been hopeless.  I did things in a different order than Risk did...i started with the rolled hem at one end (he's got a nifty diagram...i sewed green red red green and omitted blue seams).  I turned it under 1 1/4" twice for a combined 2 1/2" lost at each end.

Then i had to figure out if my machine worked.  It's an old Singer that only sews in a straight line that was once my Grandma's (i'm pretty sure it's one of the machines i learned how to sew on).  Fortunately the manual was still with the case to remind me how to thread it, wind the bobbin, etc., and i was soon able to start with surprisingly good tension.  I sewed once with the folded seam on top once and then again with it turned towards the bottom, trying to sew closer to the edge of the hem the second time.

first rolled hem

It isn't pretty, but it's serviceable.  It turns out that the little machine does still work after all these years!  The rubber belt gets a little warm/stinky when sewing/winding at full speed but i had very few issues compared to my other machine that i received as a present when i graduated from junior high.

ready to tackle the side seam

Next i pinned one of the long sides from end to end and measured out the first side seam.  I gave it the same double-run treatment.  Then i pinned the opposite side and sewed it in the same way.  And lastly i pinned the second rolled hem, which required me to trim some of the red/purple fabric away because it was cut slightly longer than the brown.  It was a lot easier for me to pin this second rolled hem than it had been for me to pin the first.

second rolled hem

stay/top stitched to imperfection

 The last thing i did was turn the entire hammock right side out.  This required me to pull the hammock through itself.  I stay-stitched all of the seams to reinforce them.  Once again, this came out a lot uglier than i would have liked, but considering that this is the first time i have used Rip Stop Nylon it could have been a lot worse.  The entire project took me less than four hours from start to finish.

Unlike Risk, i did not hem the free edges on the sides of the hammock.  This fabric has salvages with a frayed look but i'm pretty sure that it's not actually fraying, that's just how they were left after the fabric was woven.

Suspension Prep

whip it good

This afternoon i whipped the ends of the hammock as outlined by Just Jeff.  I'm happy with my knot but am surprised by how much of the hem is sticking out above the whipping.  It feels like a lot, and definitely looks thicker than the hammock in Jeff's examples (which is because it's double-thick, of course).  Tree huggers are on the menu tonight, and hopefully my first hang will be Tuesday night.

Now i know that i said in my last post that i'm saving ~$60, but this isn't strictly true.  That is $60 is i went with a barebones, less-than-ideal setup.  To buy a similar hammock at REI that apparently doesn't work right with the pad inserted it would cost me $95.  I paid $42 for my hammock materials, an additional savings of $43 were i to buy the hammock that's most similar to what i'm sewing.  So of course if you consider what i would have bought if money were no option...i might have chosen just to buy a Hennessy.  In that case the bug net, tarp, and snakeskins would have been included, but i would be saving even more money by customizing my setup.  This also means that if something wears out i can fix or replace what is broken rather than the entire hammock tent.

making my own hammock - materials

So i have been happily sleeping in a hammock for a year now (yay!).  The only drawback to sleeping in a hammock is that the frame in my room if huge and takes up so much space.  Also, the material that my hammock was constructed with (string) is fragile.  I have had to repair breaks several times after snagging on a button on my pants/shorts or one of the bolts on the frame.  One must be careful with these things!  The miracle is that this frame (that i made with my own two hands!) and this hammock hold me up every night and mostly seems like new.

Well much as i'd like to i can't lug my hammock and its frame out camping with me.  I knew this would be the case, and started planning to buy or sew a camping hammock even while i was buying and hanging my first hammock.  I bought some straps to make my own tree huggers at the same time that i was buying the materials to build the frame.  So today i'm taking the plunge and am going to start sewing my camping hammock!

To start out with...i debated whether it would just be easier to go to REI and buy one pre-made.  I read reviews, i agonized over it, but i finally decided just to make it myself.  Money and color were both factors in this (i do not want a camo hammock, and i'm not sure i want one that's lime green or royal blue or red, either).  As a result i was able to pick out the colors i wanted to use (subdued but still slightly feminine) and i got a great deal because the local fabric store was having a sale...they were closing up shop and moving to a smaller location that is only for sewing machines and quilt fabric (rather than the mega-fabric, mega-home decor fabric location they had been).

Hammock Material
6 yds ripstop nylon = $27.50 (3 yds each of two different colors, 54" wide)
25 yds nylon cord = $1.70 (for whipping hammock...no way i'll need this much)
1 spool Gutermann thread = $2.70 (100% polyester, recommended for sewing tents)

Mosquito Net/Snakeskin Materials
8 yds netting = $23.75 (in an off-white...taking a chance here)
1 110" Boat Zipper = $10.75

Tree Hugger
straps - two 7'x1.5" = $5
40 yds climbing rope = $8.25 (couldn't find Spectra rope in town or online for a reasonable price)

Tent
Kelty Noah's Tarp - 9'x9'= $49
Paracord = $13 for 100yds (won't need that much!)
Figure 9 rope tightener w/6' guy line x 2 - $7.50 (for tarp ties)
Tent Stakes x 4 = $10

Grand Total = just under $160



As you may have deduced, i decided to take the plunge and get an REI membership.  I'm not sure it's going to pay for itself this year, but the guarantee made it tempting to buy the Kelty Tarp through REI rather than Amazon even though it costs ~$10 more.  Half of that difference would have been made back at the end of the year with the member's refund.  Unfortunately the tarp was backordered through REI so i'm going with Amazon instead and hoping it arrives before it's time to go on the trip in ~3 weeks.

In case you're wondering if this setup saves money...refer to REI's selection of hammocks and realize that i have to have a setup that can hold more weight than some of the cheaper hammocks are rated for...and you still have to buy things individually (hammock + bug net + tent + tree huggers).  My tree huggers cost $5 compared to $20-25.  I am saving at least $60 by my estimates.

I will continue to edit this post while i am still working on this project.

What it's like sleeping in a hammock - 100th post

I went from my back always being in pain to almost no pain at all.  I went from it being too hot to even sleep to so cool that i sometimes actually needed a blanket to keep warm.  See, we're not used to sleeping without something that reflects/conserves heat beneath us.  I went from sleeping with three pillows (and feeling like i needed more) to sleeping with only one pillow, and sometimes no pillow at all.

What Kinds of Hammocks are There?
Contrary to what most Americans probably believe, a hammock isn't really supposed to have a piece of wood at either end holding it open.  In fact, there are some who would even deny that such a contraption is, in fact, a hammock.  I will call that an American Hammock.  The hammock that most of the world uses is called a Mayan (or Mexican) Hammock.  These hammocks are longer and come in a variety of widths.  The next kind of hammock is the Brazilian.  These are Mayan hammocks with lace or fringe hanging from the side edges so they're pretty.  Lastly, there is the camping hammock.  This is a shorter Mayan Hammock probably made out of ripstop nylon.  Some have a tent or mosquito netting sewn to the hammock.

Hammocks can be made out or rope, fabric, or string.  My hammock is string, and if you snag it the string will probably break.  I think that my hammock has suffered three breaks in the past six months.  These can be repaired with a Fisherman's Knot...which appears to be the same thing that was used whenever it was woven to change colors/skeins, etc.

How to Lay in a Hammock
Well there's two ways to get in.  You can sit down in the middle, then turn lifting your feet.  Or, you can straddle the hammock, then sit down, then pull your legs in.  I prefer the second method.  While you're in the hammock you don't want to be laying perfectly centered with your head and feet pointing towards the upright portion of the frame.  You can lay perpendicular to this line, but that also isn't the way one is meant to lay in a Mayan hammock.

The right way to lay in a hammock is at a diagonal.  Your head and feet do not have to be higher than your body.  I find that i usually a sort of Peter Pan position to hold the hammock open a certain way since i really have a hammock meant for two or more people to use at the same time.  But if i get arranged the right way i will be laying flat in whatever position i find to be most comfortable.  There are no pressure points, only support.

How to get out?  They say to sit up and do the reverse of whatever way you got in.  I have managed this a couple of times...but my hammock is huge and i am short.  Because i have to hang it high enough to clear the bottom of my frame, it's really too high off the ground for me to comfortably get out of using those methods.  It's easier for me to roll out usually, particularly because i'm not particularly coherent when i first wake up.  I have no idea what kind of untoward wear and tear this is causing my setup, however.

Bedding
In the summer, my system became putting a bottom sheet (corner curled around my feet and head) below me by wrapping myself up in it.  Once you're in the hammock, you don't have to keep it wrapped around you, you can just lay with the air above you or put a top sheet/light blanket on top.  In the winter...at first i needed to have a comforter below me or i'd be freezing.  I meant to try a sleeping mat (like for camping) but never got around to it.  Then for a while i was using a sleeping bag liner, sometimes with a light blanket below, a comforter on top.  Most of the time i forego the liner now and only have the comforter on top, sometimes that light blanket again.  I anticipate that in the summer i might not even need a sheet below me, maybe just above.

But I Can't Sleep on My Back!
You don't have to sleep on your back when you're in a hammock.  I usually sleep partially on my side, partially on my back, at least, that's how it feels once i get settled.  You can sleep on your stomach, but it's harder to get comfortable.  Ditto to sleeping on your side, though somehow this usually manages to make my lower shoulder hurt.  So the cradled 3/4 position is usually where i end up, even if i start in another position.  It's just so comfy.

the hammock project...part 3

Sorry for the delay in posting this!

Warning...image and clutter intense.

Happy New Year!

Is anyone else having trouble with Ravelry?  I notice that there are some new features, but things such as searches, adding favorites, project progress, adding needles/store info to a project, organizing sets/tags, and my inbox are not working properly.  It's a little frustrating.  I have come to rely on Ravelry a great deal.
 ETA: It seems that i needed to clear my cache.  That is what their help/faq advised and it worked.

I didn't knit as much in 2011 as the two previous years.  I tried knitting my last semester in college for stress relief but it didn't work out past the first couple of weeks of classes.  There were many projects that i was dreaming of but didn't have the money to buy the yarn for.  Now those dreams have changed a little.

What has been an improvement of sorts is that i am now teaching knitting.  The first semester was craziness with the younger kids (who were mostly too young, so i am going to teach an Intro to Needlearts class now with more crafty objectives) and all of my classes shrank before the end of the semester.  I have high hopes for the semester starting in a couple of weeks however!

State of Knitting 2011
new projects
Sky Slippers (still incomplete)
Cloudy Giselle (for my sister using Giselle pattern again...about halfway finished)
Autumn Leaves (frogged)
Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret (frogged)
Braidy (probably soon to be frogged)

older UFOs (that i hope to return to soon)
Starfish Snood
Funky Grunge Cap
Slip-Stitch Baby Cardigan
Mom's Sampler Afghan
and the Liberty Cap

Oh, btw, i do still intend to write an update about my hammock.  I lost my camera's battery and only recently found it again (which was such a relief, let me tell you!).  I also have plans to blog more often this year.  My goal is to finish old projects and learn how to spin this year.  Here's hoping...