handmade – NOT A PRIMARY COLOR

November 16, 2024November 17, 2024

A LOT of Knit WIPs

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After finishing my Seasons Cardigan, I immediately started this Clay Sweater. It’s a pattern I knew I wanted to knit the minute the pattern was released. I even bought the same colorway of yarn as the photo sample because it’s so perfect.

It almost flew off my needles, but then the weather started to warm up and an upcoming international trip convinced me I needed to start a more portable summer project.

So I set aside my sleeveless Clay, picked up some cotton yarn, and stared knitting a tank top. This design is simple, but the instructions were hard to interpret sometimes and I made mistakes that required ripping back a lot. After knitting the front, I started to suspect the fit would also be weird. But I persisted because I didn’t have a way to try it one while traveling and I couldn’t not knit on the plane.

When I got home and tried it on… it offered up so much side boob. I was frustrated and for some reason, my solution was… to make a second one? I actually bought enough of the same yarn in a different color to make it again! I felt I needed to have the original to reference, I guess? On this version I started the armhole shaping immediately after completing the neckline shaping and I’m much happier with it. However, it is currently waiting to be bound off, summer being very much over.

And even though I clearly have THREE other knit wips, I started a new one. While I was recovering from major surgery, I wanted to start a fresh, new project that had no baggage!

The theme this year is definitely texture, and these subtle cables on the Seaway fit right in. This yarn is so nice. It’s the Purl Soho Linen Quill Worsted in the “Baked Earth” color. It’s unfortunately discontinued.

I’m trying to loosen my death grip on this project and am getting some striping in the parts that were knit flat. I’m trying to be okay with it.

Anyway, I’m hoping to at least finish the Seaway and the gray Ingrid before the year ends. Or maybe I’ll start another project 🙂

New book by Anna Husemann (gifted). Excited to learn intarsia!

March 2, 2022March 5, 2022

Color Blocked Bands

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I had a little bit of this heathered gray french terry leftover from making my husband a hoodie last fall. There was enough to make myself either a pair of shorts or a sweatshirt, but I rarely feel super inspired to sew loungewear.

Then Daisy Chain Patterns released the Dale sweatshirt. I really like its high neckline with a beefy neckband and the short sleeve option. I took inspiration from the photo samples to have some fun with the bands.

Although I had enough light gray ribbing for all of the bands, I opted to use every color of rib knit in my stash. I think this look is fun an a little weird.

To color block the bands, I divided the lengths by 5, added seam allowance, stitched them together with a lightning stitch, and pressed the seams open. This rib knit is very stretchy, so I wasn’t too worried that the extra seams would impact the stretch.

My measurements put me at a size 10/M. I think I could have shortened the length by an inch or two for a more cropped look. The hem band is kinda hidden by the length folding over it.

I might make another color blocked one with leftover black sweatshirt fleece. It’s a good way to use up those tiny rib knit scraps.

February 26, 2022March 5, 2022

Kelowna sweater | Good Night, Day

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I feel like this sweater really flew off my needles; it took a little over a week to complete. I’m more confidently fixing mistakes and I’ve got the magic loop technique down now too.

This yarn is so pretty, but holy hell does it shed. It’s on everything I own and it’s made its way into my mouth on more than one occasion. But it’s significantly thinner than the other bulky yarns I’ve been using and I really appreciate the drape of the final fabric.

The yarn is Loopy Mango’s Mohair So Soft in tiramisu, purchased from Close Knit. I made the size XS/S and used a little over 6 skeins. My current bust measurement is 38″ and the finished measurement for this size is 42″.

I followed the directions for the purling rows, but I’m a little unsure about the first row being so much closer than the others. If I make another, I’d probably space them out the same number of rows, or omit the fist one all together. The instructions say to hold two strands together for the neckline, but I totally didn’t read that part. Hoping it doesn’t stretch out too much with wear. Whoops.

This is the first project I actually knit a gauge swatch for, but I was too impatient to block said swatch. Whatever! It measured what it was supposed to and my knitting has loosened up! Have I blocked this garment yet? Nope. It went straight on my body. How am I supposed to wait?!

In the middle of making this sweater, I learned how to knit continental, which I thought I would hate, but I love it! The instructor in this Domestika class demoed continental in a way that my brain understood, so I thought I’d just try it. I can see how continental could speed up my knitting. Even though I think I prefer continental, I decided to finished knitting my Kelowna sweater English style to keep everything consistent and I need to finish the Trefann this way too (above).

I’m really proud of this make. It’s made me feel like I understand knitting. And because of that, I made a test swatch for the Louise Pullover!

November 24, 2021July 8, 2022

Klum House | Naito Bucket Bag

Canvas Persephone Pants

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I’m late to the Persephone Pants party, but I’m glad I arrived. Anna drew inspiration from 1940’s sailor pants by including a super high waist, waistband inseam pockets, a button fly, and the design element that explodes most people’s heads: no side seams.

For me, one of the most appealing things about the pattern is how similar they are to highly coveted RTW sailor pants. Instead of paying $400, I could make a pair for under $40. Don’t get me wrong – I love supporting small women-run businesses and that $400 price point makes sense, but if the option to make it myself is there, I’ll take it! Also, the instructions are so stellar I’m certain a novice sewist could make them!

Shortly after the pattern was released, I did give it a go, but they just didn’t work out. My waist measurement ranges from 26.5″ to 27.5″ and my hip measurement ranges from 37″ to 38″. Even though that put me somewhere between a size 2-ish to a 6, I settled on cutting out a size 4 (waist 27″, hip 37″). They came together really quickly, but once I put them on, I had a bad case of dumpy butt. They were just too big.

I wasn’t entirely sure what the issue was; Was it fit? Fabric choice? Both? Was it an actual dumpy butt? I suspected the cheap bull denim I bought at Joann Fabrics may have grown, but in an effort to salvage them I tried taking in the back seam and crotch. Those efforts proved unsuccessful and I ended up setting the mutilated pants and pattern aside for a while.

After reading a couple folks had some luck with sizing down, I chopped my pattern pieces down to a size 2 and cut into some 10oz Duck Canvas hoping for the best. And it worked! I didn’t need to make any adjustments after sizing down.

Although I have a lot of love for this pattern, the lack of side seams and rear pockets leave your booty and thighs on display. What the hell type of underwear do you wear with these? Or do you just not give a damn?

I have fabric set aside for two more pairs – more 10oz cotton duck, but in black and some Kaufman speckled denim that I’m really excited about. I thought I’d hate the button fly, but I’m warming up to it and will probably keep it on future pairs. It appears I adjusted the position of the left pocket in the wrong direction (step 30), so I’ll be careful not to do that again ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Hot tip: sew a line of stitching in between each buttonhole to connect the button fly and facing together (check out this Tessuti blog post for a visual). It definitely helps keep the fly from peeking open!