On the go #14
Recently, in my post about the granny summer top, I mentioned how I was craving a meditative crochet project. Something I could do mindlessly. That brought the elf coat back to the forefront of my thoughts — a project I started a while ago but abandoned once I reached the sewing stage.
I’m the kind of person who likes doing things in order. The pattern for this coat is structured so that you first crochet each panel of the skirt —9 in total — then sew them together. Only after that can you crochet the hem in one continuous piece across all panels, followed by the waistband. Even though the back, front panels, sleeves, and hood are crocheted separately, my brain insisted I couldn’t continue until those skirt panels were sewn together.
Long story short: the elf coat had been gathering dust for far too long due to a mental block. But thanks to the renewed crochet enthusiasm sparked by the granny top, I finally tackled it again. I sewed all the pieces together over a few sessions—most of them spent relaxing outside in the garden. And then I was off again!
I crocheted the skirt hem and moved on to the waistband. At that point, I started worrying whether I had enough yarn left, since I still had quite a few pieces to go. In the end, I only crocheted half the waistband before moving on to the bodice. Those pieces went quite smoothly too — often crocheted outdoors in the garden. I’m leaving the waistband as-is for now and will decide how wide to make it once everything else is done (if I have any yarn left at all 😅).
Right now, I’m working on the first sleeve—so it’s coming along nicely!
Another project that ran into the sewing roadblock is my oriental dragon. I actually finished crocheting all the pieces quite some time ago. They’ve been waiting for assembly ever since. It’s a time-consuming stage, and it’s when all your work either pays off… or doesn’t. One mistake in the construction can make or break the whole thing.
Thankfully, there are pins.
Of course, pinning takes time and a lot of hesitating too — placing, pinning, checking from all angles, adjusting, or — like with the legs—starting over multiple times.
The first pieces I joined were the head and the body. It was a bit awkward, but I managed. I’m not 100% happy with the result; I feel like the head droops a bit, but I hope I can fix that once all other pieces are attached.
Next came the belly. That took a good few hours. Pinning went okay, but the sewing part gave me hand cramps. That body is not the easiest thing to hold!
The legs were the trickiest — lots of trial and error to make sure the dragon could actually sit upright. But I’m really happy with how it’s turning out!
Oh, and if you’re wondering about all the loose yarn ends: I’ve learned not to cut them until everything is fully assembled. They often come in handy for sewing or adjusting parts later on.
With the legs in place, this is finally looking like a dragon and not some kind of odd snake creature. But it’s the eyelids that really bring the lizardy-character to life. Amazing how such a small detail can completely change the expression!
Right now, I’m working on placing the back crest. Dozens of pins are already in place, and I thought I was happy with the positioning — until I saw the photo on my computer. I think the top part still needs some adjusting. Then I can start sewing it down, and after that, I’ll attach the hair and brush it into a fluffy crest!
Oh—and in case you’re wondering why the dragon is lying on a placemat: it makes it easier to turn and rotate the piece so I can look at it from every angle!
And lastly, a quick update on my elephant mittens:
Yes, yet another project I’ve been procrastinating on. Second-mitten syndrome is real. But the left mitten is nearly finished — I just need to knit the thumb. And even though that’ll probably take less than an hour, I keep putting it off, because it’s very fiddly.
To be fair, with the current summer weather, I’m not exactly in need of warm mittens.
One thing’s for sure: these will need a good blocking. Wetting them will likely help the design pop, but I already notice that I knit the left one a lot tighter than the right. Luckily, being right-handed, my right hand is just a bit bigger, so it will hopefully work out.
We’ll see how it looks after a wash!
And there you have it — that’s what I’ve (very slowly, but steadily) been working on over the past few months.
Cheers,
Charlotte
