busy fingers

My faithful Bernina has been sat quietly taking a little holiday, I dont know about you but I just cannot concentrate on my sewing jobs in hand when it is half term and there are people around the house.  Of course it doesnt help that I am working downstairs and I dont have my little corner of the house to work from. 

My fingers have been busy though and I am so pleased with myself that I have finally managed to get to grips with knitting 2 socks at once on a circular needle.  I found how to with this video  from good old youtube.

I didnt use this ladies casting on technique but just followed the same proceedure.    To begin with it is very fiddly and it didnt help that the wool was the same colour as my needle, especially when keeping 2 balls of wool in order, as the rows increase it gets easier to work with.  I did have to work on one sock at a time when I got to turning the heel but later jiggled with them and put them back together.  Knitting 2 socks together is fantastic, because I kinda loose interest when I have seen the finished sock then have to start all over again. So working both together is ideal:->

Im on the home straight now. The wool I am using is Drops fabel, colour 330.  They have 30% off till the end of the month on this wool, so pop over and grab a bargain.  These are for my daughter, I shall put them away for that special time of the year when we give presents,C*******s.  Yes this girls starting early, because I love to give handmade presents, and I cant be raced.

  
Ive also taken delivery of 3 bridesmaid dresses that need altering, (when people know you sew, this always happens) for a wedding we are attending in August. Bought over the internet, Two ladies strapless dresses which at present have just 2 small pieces of boning to give support!! I have now put 6 boning channels all around one of them (the bridesmaid has tried it on and it feels and looks so much better) it just need taking up.  The second dress also needs shortening, boning and it fits on her back but big on the front bodice, so I am hoping I can just take the front bodice in on the sides. The material is not easy to work with so I am trying to do minimal altering, fingers crossed it works.   The child's white ballerina dress needs the sash anchoring and pleating, and it was easier to unpick the bodice and start again to make it smaller, the smaller size dress was too short.  These have taken priority over my own dressmaking. As you can imagine I want to get these finished and delivered, I am quite clumsy and accident prone,  so the sooner I return them the happier I will be.