We had inservice today and I was visiting with the other FACS teachers when a discussion on bobbin cases came up. The middle school teachers have awful problems with the bobbin cases getting yukky - very techincal term I know - let me try to describe. It feels sort of like rust but doesn't look like rust and you can almost identify finger prints on them. The high school teachers (myself included) get a little bit of this stuff but summer cleaning takes care of it.

So the local Bernina shop (where we purchased and get cleaning done) sort of "air blasts" (there term) the yuk off. They suggest storing the cases in oil and cleaning them each day when they get passed out - that's a lot of work and has the potential for oily mess. The alternative they suggest is to spray them with oil weekly.

So that was the back story - on to the question. Way back when I helped out at a Bernina shop the owner had a stick thingy (another one of those technical term) to clean the bobbin cases. It looked sort of like an eraser but was stiffer. It was green and kind of rectangular (actually shaped almost exactly as the old "wax sealing" sticks you could buy at Hallmark shops). I guessed it had some sort of "emery" type stuff in it to clean the metal. Does anyone know what that is call and/or where I could get one? I would think it might be more commonly used in machine parts making type place.

I can't ask the Bernina shop owner - bad blood and she no longer owns the store anyway.

Finally I have a little princess to sew for. I used to make my daughter's clothes when she was little but then came 2 grandsons. I know, I know - you can sew for boys - but it's just not the same - haha.

Anyways the most recent quick little outfit. I love it - her mom is eh. She claims she likes the pattern but not the fabric. I think the retro fabric and retro style work well together.



Butterick 3405 view E. Quick and easy to make. Quick and easy to put on and change diapers. Also very suitable for crawling/rolling.

After answering so many questions I bet some folks were wondering if I'd ever post something 

A student of mine found this pattern while looking for a prom dress. It was on a vintage pattern site but it said it was already sold. I checked Ebay and did a few searches but it doesn't look like we will be able to get the pattern. Well - unless one of you has it laying around  . She is thinking the white or black dress in the shorter length. I think they are all the same and just tied differently, well the blue one obviously has extra straps.

So I check the big four companies along with Burda and Kwik Sew - including their "out of print" selections. The closest I found was the Vogue pattern below.

I think this pattern will work for us if we make the strap/drawstring thinner and cut the back straight across. The line drawing on the right is from a different pattern - I added it to show her what I meant. I do think the back needs to be full like the front not close fitting like the line drawing.

Other than making a sample and picking the right fabric (slinky knit that drapes well) does anyone have any helpful tips or advice?

[Notes:]

All of the Pantas and headbands posted inspired me to create one of my own. I was looking for something to hold my hair back not necessarily cover it. Also I don't like it when the part under my hair is too thick. I think it makes my hair have a weird bump thing.
 
I didn't get a pix of the whole thing put you can see how it narrows on the left side in the close up. It actually goes down to only 4 stitches wide for the part from the bottom of one ear, under my hair, to the bottom of the other ear. The narrowing starts right at the top of my ear.

It was a random sale yarn (only ball left) and I lost the ball band. It is a really cool yarn though, a kind of flat cottony braided yarn with a shiny orange and white variegated thread wrapped around it. Done with US4. I used a lace pattern I wrote down from somewhere (I often jot down stitch patterns when I like the pattern but not the garment).

Notes:
I slip the first stitch knitwise on every row because I like the way the edge looks (I do that for all of my scarves also).

For this pattern I did my ssk as slip knitwise, slip knitwise, return the slip stitches to the left needle and knit through the back loops together.

I can’t remember the name of the yarn but I do know I used needles one size smaller than recommended to get a fairly tight fabric. I am making another similar headband out of an equally cool yarn, Bernat Cool Crochet, which I picked up a Walmart. It is a cotton/nylon blend that has a lovely shimmer and comes in a gorgeous chocolate brown and bubble gum pink.

Finish measurements: width of 4 stitch garter section = 5/8 inch, width of lace section = 2 inches  length = about 19 ½ inches. You adjust the length of the headband at the end by knitting more or less rows of garter stitch - it won't matter if the seam is not at the center because it will be under your hair anyway.

Needles: US4    Amount of yarn: barely a dent in a new ball    Time: less than a 2 hour movie
CO 4 stitches
Rows 1-14: slip 1 stitch knitwise, knit to end.
Begin increasing
Row 15: slip, kf&b – twice, knit
Row 16 and all wrong side rows: slip, k, purl till 2 stitches remain, k2
Row 17: slip, k to end
Row 19: slip, kf&b, k2, kf&b, k
Row 21: slip, k to end
Row 23: slip, kf&b, k4, kf&b, k
Row 25: slip, k to end
Row 27: slip, kf&b, k6, kf&b, k
Row 28: slip, k, purl till 2 stitches remain, k2
Start of Lace Pattern
Row 29: slip, k, k2tog, k3, yo, k, yo, ssk, k2
Row 30 and all wrong side rows: slip, k, purl till 2 stitches remain, k2
Row 31: slip, k, k2tog, k2, yo, k, yo, k, ssk, k2
Row 33: slip, k, k2tog, k, yo, k, yo, k2, ssk, k2
Row 35: slip, k, k2tog, yo, k, yo, k3, ssk, k2
Row 37: slip, k, k2tog, k, yo, k, yo, k2, ssk, k2
Row 39: slip, k, k2tog, k2, yo, k, yo, k, ssk, k2
Row 40: slip, k, purl till 2 stitches remain, k2
Complete the lace pattern 6 more times (total of 7 repeats)
Begin Decreasing
Row 113: slip, ssk, k6, k2tog, k
Row 114 and all wrong side rows: slip, k, purl till 2 stitches remain, k2
Row 115: slip, k to end
Row 117: slip, ssk, k4, k2tog, k
Row 119: slip, k to end
Row 121: slip, ssk, k2, k2tog, k
Row 123: slip, k to end
Row 125: slip, ssk, k2tog, k
Row 126: slip, k to end
Repeat Row 126 until headband fits around your head.
CO  Sew ends together.

Hope you enjoy! This is my first time writing up a knitting pattern and even though it is a very simple thing it is exciting. If something isn't clear don't hesitate to ask here or PM me. If you make one post it here so we can all see.

ETA: pattern

Below is my version of the Lacy V scarf by Pegg Thomas. You can find the free pattern here
http://www.twinwillowsfarm.com/lacy_v_scarf.html.
My details:
Cashsoft DK Classic Yarns 2 balls 142 yds each, US 7, 6” x 62” 16 repeats each half
I made two halves, 1 ball each, Kitchener stitch the two together taking care to match design, because I wanted the V’s to point up on both ends.

I did discover there is something worse than Kitchener - frogging Kitchener  . My first attempt I skipped a stitch or something and the points of the V's did not come even close to matching up. As you can see in the pix I still need to work on the technique - luckily it doesn't look near as bad when it is being worn. But wow does that close up pix show every single mistake - not sure I wanna take pictures of my knitting anymore.
http://www.craftster.org/pictures/data/500/37809Purple_Scarf_Kitchner_small.jpg

I've decided scarves are perfect knitting. You can try out all different pattern/stitches and not be committed to them for long periods of time.