Second quilt in progress

I took advantage of having a weekend at home to work a bit more on my second quilt. This one will be for myself, and should be queen-sized, if all goes as planned. I previously discussed my inspiration, and this weekend I decided that I'd like to try some free-motion quilting on this--most likely a large pebble pattern, or something to that effect.

Sewing book recommendations?

Hi there,

I've been working on resizing some vintage patterns for a better fit, but I feel that my instincts for doing so are fairly limited. Do any of you have a good book to recommend that would teach me how to properly adjust patterns for fit?

Thanks!
Meghan

A bit of crafting

Although I don't have much to show for it on the blog lately, I actually have been spending a fair amount of time on creative projects. Perhaps not as much as I would like--between my return to the working world, and my frequent weekend trips out of town--but I'm still plugging away.

I've been knitting a placket neck pullover from a 1950s pattern, that just so happens to match my couch. Never mind putting away my knitting, I've now trained it to camouflage into its surroundings.


I've also been sewing. Having unpacked my fabric stash, I'm a bit unhappy with how large it has become--the same goes with my pattern stash. So I'm weeding things out, and have come up with a plan to sew through several things in the upcoming months. I tried out the following two patterns this week, but both ended up as failures-- for the time being.

I started to make this Cynthia Rowley top out of some gingham I bought for super cheap in Thailand. When I bought it, I was pretty sure it was 100% cotton, but now that I looked at it again, it was clearly a synthetic blend--probably like the poly/cotton gingham they sell at Joann. I'm terrible at working with synthetics at this point (and knits, too, for that matter). I just don't have the skill or patience to deal with things that unravel or change shape. So, this top didn't work out this time, but I still plan on making it again in a natural fiber.

I then finally broke out the famous 'walkaway' Butterick dress. I had 5+ yards of uninspiring quilting fabric that I bought for about a $1 at an estate sale. I remembered that I don't like Butterick since they don't print any of the finished garment measurements on the package. And, because of the unique construction of this dress, I found it difficult to determine exactly how I could cut/alter it to get the best fit. After making up most of the dress (which was super easy), I determined that I wasn't going to get a great fit without a lot of tinkering, and quickly decided that I wasn't excited enough about the dress or the fabric to continue.

While it might sound disappointing, this is all progress! I was able to say goodbye to two stash fabrics, and one pattern. On to the next!

Knitting obsessively

I finished my second shawl of the summer--just in time for the thermometer to reach 100 degrees. This is the fantastic textured shawl by Dark Trico, which is available for free through Ravelry. I knit it using a soft green hue of Ultra Alpaca, which I had originally used for my first garment project several years ago. I'm really happy with the way this turned out, and I can see myself loving this during winter visits back to Chicago. [Ravelry link]

I've also cast on for 2.5 other sweaters (the .5 is still a swatch, but will be my traveling project this summer). Above is Anais by Nora Gaughan, which I'm knitting from a large cone of sport weight alpaca I bought for $10 at a yarn sale. It's a really deep eggplant color. I'm thinking of trying to make long sleeves ('cause what good is an alpaca tank top?), and am also thinking of modifying the neck line a la Carrieoke. Although I realize that the lace inserts are the whole idea behind this pattern, I do think it makes quite a nice shape without them. We'll see.

The final project is that second vintage sweater from one of my previous posts--the one with the placket neck. I was nearly finished with the back of that a couple nights ago. I started winding a second skein of yarn when I realized that a colony of mites (insects) had decided to hatch their babies in the box of yarn. If this sounds gross, let me tell you, it was. The yarn got put in zip lock bags and was banished to the freezer for 3 days. It's currently defrosting (to give the remaining eggs a chance to hatch, if they haven't died yet) and will then go back into the freezer for several more days. After that, I'll vacuum the dead insects off, and try to forget about what happened as I knit up the rest. This freezing procedure is similar to what we do in museums when there are infestations (a fairly common occurrence). I've never heard of wool-eating mites, so I'm thinking they just liked the dark cozy yarn-in-shipping-box environment. Blech.

Stash organization

I recently had some big news that changed all my plans in the upcoming months. I'll be leaving the country again this summer (and will tell you more about it when it gets closer) and there's a chance I might have to move out of my house several months earlier than anticipated. As a result, I'm already starting that familiar process of paring down my possessions. My yarn stash got ignored during the last move, and I ended up bringing a bunch of yarn across the country that I probably will never use. Last night, I brought out all the odds and ends to see what I realistically could use, and what will be passed along to a friend or via a giveaway.

I thought I would share a tip on what I did, cause I thought it was pretty clever! First, I organized my odds and ends into piles. I then took note of the approximate yardage and weight of the yarn. After writing all that down, I hopped onto Ravelry and used the advanced search to see what patterns might be possible with the amount of yarn I had. You can input the yardage and yarn weight, and even limit it to only free patterns. Let me tell you, there were a ton of great patterns to choose from that I never would have thought of on my own. I decided that three groups of yarn could stay and be knit up, and I feel much better now that they all have a purpose.

Leftovers from Sweetgum should be enough to make the Child's Placket Neck Pullover, which is from the book Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, and is also available as a free PDF from the Purl Bee.

Two skeins of Ultra Alpaca (one of which is currently knitted up into a never-worn Anthropologie shrug) will be used to make a February Baby Sweater. Now, I've never made baby clothes--mostly because very few of my friends have children. I'm hoping that by the time I knit these two baby sweaters I figure out who the recipient might be! I'll be able to get the Knitter's Almanac from the library for this project.

Two skeins of Knit Picks Shimmer lace weight yarn will be plenty to make one or two lace shawls. I've really enjoyed the bright red one I made, and this midnight blue color should also be lovely. I really like the look of the North Roe Shawl, which is available for free in French and English here.

Book search

Does anyone have this book? I'm interested in finding some patterns for scalloped knitting as pictured on the cover. I'd like to have a number of options for a design I've been thinking about, and before I drop $50 for a used version of this hard-to-find book, I'd love to know more about its contents. Or, if anyone has any other ideas about sources for scalloped knitting patterns, I'd love to hear! I've already found a few good ones on ravelry, but I'd like to cast my net as wide as possible. I haven't checked the treasury books yet, does anyone know if one volume has these type of patterns?

Seeking lining help

I've taken the last two days off of work to recover from a bee sting to the face--lemme tell you, it was not a pretty sight. After a good long while of wondering if I'd be left permanently disfigured, the swelling finally went down today, and I'm feeling like myself again! I took a little time to start working on my yellow bridesmaid dress. I could probably finish most of it today, but I've run into a sizable issue, and I'm seeking your expert advice. The fabric I chose is a lightweight pale yellow cotton, and is very see-through. The lining I chose is also pale yellow and very see-through. I had hoped that the two would act as one solid when sandwiched together, but alas, this is not the case. As you can see in the image above, the pair of fabrics is still fairly see-through. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might remedy this situation? Should I buy a different type of lining material? Please keep in mind that this dress will be worn in a tropical, summer environment, and the skirt is gathered at the waist (so perhaps I need to avoid too much bulk?)

Project bridesmaid: unconcsious inspiration

I came across this Vince dress on net-a-porter and noticed that it has nearly the same fabric I purchased at joann! Mine has all these tonal yellow dots applied to the fabric--though in a zig-zag pattern. Cute stuff!

Note to self

Make every future project in a delicious shade of Kaffe Fassett's Shot Cotton (seen above in Grass). The warp and weft are two different colors, which gives the fabric this gorgeous richness and variation. I love love love it. The color above was purchased for an upcoming top secret project. If this is any indication, it will likely be stunning.

Listening to what my yarn has been telling me all along

Recap: I bought some beautiful red Centolavaggi cobweb weight yarn a couple weeks ago. At first I wanted to make a pair of opera length gloves. That lasted about a day. Then I tried out the lace ribbon scarf, but ripped that out a few days ago. Both are lovely patterns, but this yarn was just fighting me the whole way. I found myself dreading these knits rather than enjoying them.

R.I.P. Lace Ribbon Scarf.

I feel as though this yarn has quite a personality of its own. I imagine it saying something like "I will be a lace shawl...you cannot fight me forever!" Only it's saying this with an Italian accent. I'm normally not that excited about the whole lace shawl business. I find that they tend to look a bit old-fashioned. However, I have seen a few really lovely ones lately that have a more contemporary feeling to them. I think the color has a lot to do with it--and the styling. So, last night I gave in and started Matilda.


I think both myself and my yarn breathed a sigh of relief. This has been sooo much nicer to knit (probably thanks to the larger needles). It's growing very quickly, and should be the perfect thing to accompany me on my trip to the Northern Territory this week. I'm headed to the Garma Festival of Aboriginal Culture. It should be fantastic! Among other things, I will learn some Aboriginal weaving techniques using pandanus leaves. Have a great week!

False Start Opera Gloves

I'm nearly finished with my yellow sweater...just..need...to..seam...it! So, it's about time I started a new knitting project! I fell in love with the idea of making Opera-length knitted gloves after buying a 3/4 sleeve coat and seeing a bright orangey-red pair made by the Australian company Country Road. I chose the Opera Glove pattern on Sweaterscapes. However, I decided to use a finer yarn--Centolavaggi, held doubled with US size 1 needles. I started yesterday and got this far by today:


The thing is, that I'm just not feeling it. The idea of working on teeny tiny double point needles forever isn't appealing, and I'm not wholeheartedly convinced that I'm going to love these gloves when I finish. SO, I've quickly decided to find a better use for this yarn. At the moment I'm leaning heavily toward Veronik Avery's Lace Ribbon Scarf. I think this will be a great project to keep me occupied for the rest of my time in Sydney, and then I can start on some sweaters when I return to the land of cheap and plentiful yarn. I've got some good ideas in the works--hopefully I can work out the geometry and write up some nice patterns!

Works in progress

My craft life is moving at a snail's pace while I pack up my apartment, and prepare for my big trip this summer. But, I have been making some progress despite all of the other stresses. Joy only has one sleeve left (plus finishing, collar, etc):


And here is the first peak at the Hayfield Jumper. I'm loving the stitch pattern, but I'm a bit suspicious of the *bright* yellow yarn I chose. It always seems like there are very few choices between pastel yellow and super-bright yellow. I think this will work out, but it might look a bit 80s--we'll see!

Current Progress

I'm making great progress on the design and knitting for the Paul & Joe inspired cardigan I have previously mentioned. I'm making up this pattern as I go, but the overall idea was inspired by some designer sweaters, including (but not limited to) a lovely Paul & Joe number. It seems there were several sweaters with similar yokes on the market last season. It makes me feel like slightly less of a copycat, or maybe I should feel like more of one.

I'm using yarn that I recycled from a thrift store sweater. The original sweater was a couple sizes bigger, and had long sleeves and pockets. I decided to take a gamble and use the yarn double stranded for this knit--and I won't know if I have enough yarn until the end! I'm still somewhat hopeful, but whatever happens, I think it's going to be very close.

If this all works out I'll post a pseudo-pattern. I'm not going to bother with a proper pattern, with sizes and all since I didn't bother with proper yarn (and as a result had to buy US Size 10.75 needles! Didn't know they made those). Hopefully I can provide enough details that it would be easy for someone to follow and adjust for their yarn and size. Stay tuned--this is knitting up very quickly.

Demi--finally finished!

Demiis finished! Seamed, ends woven in, buttons attached and everything. Overall, I'm very happy with how this sweater turned out, and I think it looks adorable with the vintage plaid wool skirt I thrifted last year at the Salvation Army. My only disappointment is that the fit is off--it came out rather child-sized, which is probably due to my yarn choice, and lack of careful swatching. It's snugger than I had wanted (I was going for negative ease, but not quite so much) and it's also too short in both the body and sleeves. That being said, I'll wear it anyway. It's such a nice, classic style.


I used some natural-looking green buttons I had purchased for a recent failed sewing project. They actually were quite right in size and color for this sweater. I also learned a couple new knitting techniques that were very useful. As mentioned in a previous post, I bought blocking wires for this sweater. I had never been much of a blocker before, but I finally understand why this step is so vitally important. It noticeably evened out the stitches--especially on the cables, and helped the ribbed sections keep from bunching up. I also used a tubular binding on the neck edge--it's really nice, and not very difficult! It gives you a nice, smooth edge like you would find on many store-bought sweaters. I used the instructions from The Knitter's Handbook,but there are also several tutorials online.


In other news, I'm also having fit issues with Joy,but at least I realized this before I seamed her up. Below is what I knit on the back panel--it's a whopping 13 inches wide. Um, it's supposed to be about 18"...so I think I'm going to have to rip this out. I did swatch this yarn, but for some reason chose to believe it would be fine anyway. I'm knitting at about 30 stitches per inch, whereas the pattern calls for 26 stitches per inch. This is not ok. I will be moving up to the large or extra large size in order to accommodate this difference.


A note on knitting needles: I bought a huge set of bamboo double point needles a couple years ago, and use them for everything. I just tie a rubber band around the ends so the stitches don't slip off. The set I bought was really cheap (<$15, including shipping) and included 5 needles in each size from 0 to 15. Quite a deal. There are a few people online who sell these needles (also in circular and conventional styles). They aren't as nice as Clover Needles,but they're cheap, and it sure beats running out to buy a new set of needles for every project!

Continuing on the vintage theme

I finished the second sleeve on Demi, and started to block the pieces. I bought a blocking wire kit from knitpicks for this project--but I'm only sort of using the wires. It look a little too much patience to thread them through the stitches, so I just used them here and there. I took some advice from a couple other blogs and blocked the pieces on top of plastic bags over my carpeted floor. This has the advantage of not absorbing moisture (quicker drying time) and you can pin quite easily into carpet, apparently. I like it! The wires, pins, and ruler help to make the dimensions even--though I'm much more instant gratification than perfectionist when it comes to crafts, so I mostly just eyeballed it.


In other news, I started a new project! Joy, from the same book as demi--Vintage Knits. I'm using Palette yarn from knitpicks in a lovely dark blue-purple shade. I won't use beads on this one, as the pattern suggests, but will purl instead to form the chevron pattern. I'm a bit concerned that this yarn is too thin for this pattern, but it's so close that it might work.

I'm still thinking of making that Paul & Joe sweater from recycled yarn, but needed something with a pattern at the moment, so I can work on it while traveling. I just spied a sweater similar to the one I was thinking of designing on Flickr--same color and all!

Knit progress

For those of you who who only want to hear about sewing--my apologies, sewing is on hiatus for a while! I just can't put those knitting needles down. I'm getting close to finished with Demi from Vintage Knits. Just part of a sleeve, the collar, then blocking and seaming!


Seeing it all together like this makes me feel very proud of my accomplishments so far. This is my first cabling project, and it wasn't terribly hard at all. Here's a detail of some of the cables and bobbles:


It's really a lovely pattern. If you're a knitter who hasn't yet tackled sweaters or cables, let me assure you that you can do it! Despite the fact that Demi looks like a very challenging sweater to knit, the only two stitches you need to know are knit and purl. The hard part is keeping track of where you are, and learning to read the pattern. But that can all be done with a little help from an experienced friend, or with a good knitting resource. My favorite knitting reference book was given to me by a friend:


I turn to The Knitter's Handbookwhenever I'm learning a new stitch, or when I forget which way to wind the yarn for a yarn over, or when I'm trying to decipher a vintage pattern that has old-fashioned instructions. It would make a great gift for any new or intermediate knitter. It's small, but it packs in all kinds of information along with detailed step-by-step pictures and written instructions.

Demi in progress

I started to knit "Demi" from the book Vintage Knits. I've been slightly obsessed with bobbles ever since I saw a friend knitting them a few years ago. I just love that texture! This is my first time knitting cables, bobbles, and from a chart. It's a nice challenge--but not something I could easily knit while talking. So far it's coming out very well:

I'm using the cream-colored Lamb's Pride yarn that I recycled from a previous sweater. It's not really ideal for such detailed work. The yarn varies a fair amount in its diameter, so some sections look imperfect--but I think overall it will have a nice effect.

Work in Progress

The back of my 1960s sweater is complete, and I'm well into the front panel. I'm knitting on size 10.5 needles, and the pattern is pretty simple. I'm happy with it so far. The pattern features four little eyelets arranged in a square that alternate positions every two rows. I'm also happy that I chose the somewhat variegated Shamrock yarn from knitpicks. The flecks of different greens add a bit more interest to the design. If all goes well, this should be a nice, warm sweater in a few weeks.

Back panel--finished


Detail of eyelet pattern.