fo: Spotted Cardigan!

For some reason, despite having WAY less free time now that I run a shop than when I had a government desk job, I've been sewing a ton more.  Granted, not much knitting, but I've been bitten by the sewing bug hard.  Probably because I want to up my wardrobe now that I'm working a very public position in a creative field.  That and I've sworn to never wear blue jeans in the shop while open; that's sort of forcing me to rethink my wardrobe.

Anyways, all that blather is basically to say that I sewed a top.  :D

Actually, I sewed most of the top about 2 years ago, but only just finished it this weekend.  All that was needed was the neckband and hems.  Yeah, I'm not sure why it took me this long either.

ESPECIALLY SINCE IT'S SO CUTE.

Long-time readers who followed me over from my old blog might recognize this (though I am wearing it differently).  I sewed this cardigan up back in January 2012 in a heavier-weight light grey fabric.  I have no idea where that cardi went, but I'd received this exact yarn from Stacie in late 2011/early 2012 to duplicate her spotted version of this cardi.  Erm, I'm a little late, but glad that I finally got it done!  This is going to be a great light-weight addition to my wardrobe.  :)

Pattern: McCall's 6408
Fabric: Stretch jersey knit burnout (rayon/polyester)
Size: Small?  That's what my Pattern Review post claims.  This cardigan ran really big, and I believe I cut a small and graded out at the hips.  Despite the fact that my body measurements from 4.5 years ago placed me in the L to XL category.  Oh Big 4 patterns, why you so ease-y.
Mods: No idea.  I just cut out from the pattern I traced out way back when.  Oh, but I did hack off the sleeves at about 3/4 length and finished them with a strip of fabric sewn on.  And I didn't hem it because I'm not sure how to do it without ruining the drape, and it's curling in a cute way anyways.

The fabric is a little thin, and I find that it bunches over my butt when I tie it in the front.  I love it tied in the back though - It works really well with both my favourite little navy dress (which I so have to duplicate in a black fabric, like, NOW) as well as over my favourite teal pants and black tee.  It's a bit of a bolder print than I'd go for now-a-days, but it is a lot of fun!

Yep, pretty happy about it!  Don't mind the crummy photos though - I snapped them quickly before opening the shop this morning (hense the crummy light).

Have you ever finished a long-planned or half-sewn project that's been sitting around ready to be completed, and wondered why the heck you waited so long?

fo: Lacy Crocheted Tee

Okay, this post has been a long time coming.  I showed you a sneak peak of this top during the week 1 round up of MMMay, but honestly it's been finished since I got back from Cuba in February.  In fact, we took a bunch of (poorly lit) pictures of it on the beach one of our last days there!

Aha.  It was nice of him to take these, but I definitely should've given Darryl a bit more direction on them.  Oh well, he got some good ones!  You can see how short the top is though.  It's worse in the pictures above, just cuz these were taken right after I'd sewn it all together and it hadn't been blocked there.  Wasn't going to be blocked there, because everything took 12 days to dry there.

Despite how cute it is, I've only worn it once or twice between February and now - and not only because hello winter you're too cold for a lacy crocheted top!  (Although to be fair, one of the ways I wore it was over a white long-sleeved blouse...)

I just wasn't sure how to wear it.  I'm sort of liking the outfit I pulled together for MMMay though, and I'm going to experiment with more layering options for sure.  Cuz it's way too cute to leave languishing alone in my closet!

Here's the dets:
Pattern: BR-10223 Flowery see-through V-neck
Yarn: Nice & Knit Fingering in Lobster Pot (I was super lucky and won in the Very Shannon Summer Sweater KAL last year)
Mods: None?  Except changing yarn and hook size - needed to get a bit more width in this one-sized sucker to fit me.
Challenges:  A LOT.  This pattern is written entirely in Japanese.  It's charted really well though, so if you're able/willing to learn how to read crochet charts, it's well worth trying to get your hands on this pattern.  Honestly, I didn't fit it that hard once I got the hang of it, but I've been crocheting for...erm...twentymumble years.  Your mileage may vary.

Uh, what else.  Anything?  Nope, I think that's all I got right now.  Forgive me, I'm anxious to get this post done so I can get out the door.  I just recently started a new running training program, the Zombie Run! 5k Training app, and I've never in my life been more excited to run.  I forced myself to take a day off to give my body a break, but dammit I wanna know what happens next!

So uh, I'm going to go do that.  Wish me luck outrunning the zombies!

Sneak Peak: Surf to Summit Top

I'm going to try to get some modeled pictures before we leave on Friday, but I thought I'd give you guys a peak at my finished Surf to Summit top, just because I teased you about it last night/very early this morning.

It turned out really good - I can't believe I sewed it.  I mean, there's some issues with the neckline entirely related to my less than stellar finishing technique, and I think I need to take in the waist a bit on the back, but it's pretty fantastic as is.  I definitely want to make up more of these for running and possibly casual wear.

I'm not done sewing today - I'm hoping to get a Moneta dress sewn up this evening.  It's all cut out and ready to go, and I can't imagine that it'll take more than a few hours.

Although after my shouting match with the collar of my top, I think I should take a little break first.

Vacation Wardrobe: Crocheted Top

So, Darryl and I have been planning a vacation for a while now.  We're pretty excited about it, and I've been saving up for ages for this.  Where are we going?

CUBA!  For two weeks, too.  :)

And since I'm me, I'm making things hard for myself by trying to make up a vacation wardrobe for this trip.

I have a plan, and it's a pretty good one too.  I should write up a post about it, actually.  A couple of dresses (one that's basically a strip of fabric sewn to the bottom of a cropped tank top), a skirt, a t-shirt reconstructed into a tank top, maybe a pair of shorts I started well over a year ago now and basically just needs a waistband, and a crocheted top.

I'm stoked about this crocheted top - I've been wanting to make it for a while now.  It's a lovely v-neck top built around a lacy doily.  The pattern is from an out of print Japanese magazine, and it's a pain to get a hold of.  I was pretty sure this pattern would always stay on the wish-list, but a friend of mine showed me her copy of it she's had since her trip to Japan a few years back, and I all but jumped her for it!

I started it last Wednesday, and finished the back doily today.  Despite working from crochet charts alone, it's going pretty good.  Especially since this is only my second time using crochet charts!  It's challenging and I have to pay attention, but I'm still able to do it while watching tv, so it's been a great relaxing-on-the-couch project.

The medallion is about 18" across, which is what the pattern calls for (after blocking, I believe).  Considering that this pattern is one-sized and a Japanese pattern, I know I need to make this bigger.  I'm pretty sure I'll get that once this is blocked.  Look at the pattern picture above - you can see how much open the lace is - and using a wool, this should open up nicely.

I'm using Nice & Knit Fingering in the Lobster Pot colourway.  The pictures above don't show the colour well, mostly because I was too eager to show you guys so took them in my sewing room with the blinding fluorescent light on.  It's gorgeous though, a lovely tonal reddish-orange - you can sort of see the tonal varigation in the first pic.

Considering that I started this 4 days ago, I should be able to get this done before the 22nd, right?  Right??!

As for the other projects, well, I got a skirt done already and I have a basic t-shirt dress cut out already. More on those later.  I should've had my tank-top dress finished, but I decided that I want to match the stripes and I need more fabric for that.  Or I need to re-think the skirt.  Either way, I left it be for the weekend.

It's been a good crafty weekend!  I think I needed this, I've been in the dumps lately and it was good to get some creative time in.  How was your weekend?  Did you get any craft-time in?

Today was a Creative Day! (and apparently a cleaning day...ick)

I've had a very busy day today.  Besides thoroughly cleaning the snot out of the living room (not literally) and helping the Boyfriend with the rest of the house, I pulled out some yarn sitting in a natural dye pot for the last few days...

...tidied the sewing room and then messed it up again with a sewing project...

...added a pompom to a nearly finished hat (no photo)...

...and made some decent progress on a sock.

Pretty good day in my books!  Now lets see if I can get this heel turned before I hit the sack, eh?

January Garment: Purple Linden

Uh, wow messy hair much?

My first MaGaM make is yet another of Grainline Studio's Linden Sweatshirt.  Like my last version, I'm totally in love with it; my grey version is relieved because now it's not the only constant in my wardrobe.  (Poor thing is looking a little pilly.)  It's made from a purple ponte knit I bought ages ago, and now I understand why everyone raves about this fabric because it's a delight to sew!  Even ripping seams is easy, or at least easier than most other knits I've messed up on and cursed while tearing out seams.

I recently changed the lightbulb in my sewing room - yay for seeing my stitching, boo for photos.

Uh, sorry for the weird lighting in these pictures.  I keep trying to get better pictures, but either the lighting at this time of the year is being a dick or my camera is.  Probably both.  Just pretend that the sweatshirt is this colour in all of the photos:

Obviously I mean the purple, not the rainbow.

I actually posted about this top earlier in the month, when I accidentially sewed up most of the shirt before leaving for camp.  I basically did the same changes that I did in my grey version (although this time I actually changed the paper pattern), but I made a few other mods.

Can you see up my nose?  I think you can see up my nose.  But at least you can't see my bra strap.

First off, to solve the exposed bra strap issue, I decided to try tightening up the neckband to see what would happen.  I measured the neckline length (28") and then cut a piece 3" shorter.  I basted it on first, because it seemed like it was going to be too tight, but it turned out pretty good.  I'm pleased with the result, it's still wide, but in a nice way and not a 'hey look at my bra strap colour' kind of way.  If I want to tighten it any further though, I'll have to extend the raglan seams up, since I think the top would ripple if I made the neckband any tighter.

Oh, I also made the neckband a bit thicker.

Oh uh, that's a lot of fluff on the front.  I have no explanation for that.

What else?  Oh, I tightened up the cuffs, which I like a lot better.  My grey linden's cuffs were a little too loose, but who's going to rip out a seam, the zig-zag finishing, and topstitching to narrow them up?  NOT ME!

There's a few issues yet - there's some wicked armpit wrinkles on both the front and the back.  I don't really care, but it's something I'll probably poke at to see if I can solve it.  Suzy managed to solve her raglan sleeve wrinkles on her swim suit, so I have hope.

The back is pretty...big.  I'm slowly removing all of the excess ease that's supposed to be in this pattern, but oh well.  Actually, now that I think about it, I took about an inch out of the back width, but I think next time I might try cutting a smaller size for the back.  Or nipping out a bit more.  Oh well, don't care, love this sweatshirt!

Here's a flat picture, so you can see that I still haven't put any kind of shaping to it.  I never thought I'd be a fan of boxy tops, but here we are.  Hilariously, I'm also knitting a sweater with this exact same shape, and...this exact same colour.  Hmmm.  More on that another time.

My 2015 tag.  Was going to do a dangly one, but forgot to sew it in before finishing that seam. Oops.

How do you like my tag?  REALLY needed in a top like this, since it's really hard to figure out which side is the front and which side is the back.

So, with this Make a Garment a Month thing, there's different themes each month.  This month was supposed to be "something new"!  Uh, there really isn't anything new about this top, except perhaps the new tags?  I was planning on adding a zippered breast pocket, but I liked the clean look of the front so veto'd it.  And then I was going to add thumbholes to the cuffs, but after 3 different cuffs and a lot of shouting, I gave up on that too.  That crap is not an easy technique (still want to figure it out, but another time).

But I'm alright with not following the themes.  I mean, I've joined to encourage me to sew more often, not to follow themes that may not work for my garment needs.  If those two line up, then I'll go for it, but if not, I'm not going to worry about it.

What's with the curls, hair?  Maybe it also approves of this top.

So yeah, successful garment.  Again!  And despite having other garments I really should work on (like the Watson bra I'm half-way through sewing), is it bad that I'm plotting my next Linden?  Serious love for this garment guys, can you tell?

Auto Sewing, Practical Plans, and New Labels

For once, my time out of camp didn't fly by.  I'm not sure why, usually it feels like I blink and it's time to go back to work.  It's not like it was boring or tedious - I had a fantastic time filled with friends and parties and skiing and chilling with The Boyfriend.  It was just...perfect.

I even had time to dig out my disaster of a sewing room (again) and do a bit of sewing.  I'd really just planned to cut out another version of my Linden in a solid purple ponte knit, and save the sewing for when I get back from camp.  But then The Boyfriend went to hockey, and all I remember was wondering into the sewing room to find a marker and suddenly there was this sitting on my sewing table:

Not the true colour.

Seriously though, this pattern goes together in no time.  There's six seams there: two for each raglan shoulder and one on each side.  After that, there's the sleeve cuffs, hem and neckband (which I didn't get to).  That's it.  Granted, I haven't attached any bands to this.  I was going to, but then The Boyfriend arrived home and distraction!

Not quite the true colour either, but closer.

My auto-sewing brain apparently choose to add some clear elastic to the raglan seams, probably because the cross-grain stretch along that seam seemed (heh) excessive, and thought this would stabilize it a bit.  I hope so, anyways.

This is going to be my January piece for Make a Garment a Month (MaGaM).  Their theme this month is 'something new' (or...something like that - I can't get on FB at work to confirm), and this definitely isn't a new pattern to me.  But the one thing I want on my other version of this top is a breast pocket to tuck my ipod or hair pin into, so I'm going to try my hand at adding a small zippered pocket. I've never done that before, and I think this stable knit should be able to handle it.

I'm tentatively planning on doing a lot of basic and very wearable garments this year that have little details (pockets, embroidery, maybe trims) to add more interest.  I want to challenge myself, but I also need wearable cake instead of pretty frosting!

The true colour, at last!  Silly camera.

Oh, and I found my 2015 labels!  I'll be adding a bit of this rainbow ribbon on garments and maybe some accessories to indicate the year it was made in.  Fun idea, eh?  I keep thinking about having proper labels made, but "Things I Make.  Plus Rocks" doesn't fit very well, and I like this idea better.  Plus it's much cheaper!

Do you add labels to your garments?  I found that my Linden really needed one, because there is very little difference between the front and back.  And it looks cute!

fo: Linden Sweatshirt of LOVE

I have to say this before anything else: I LOVE THIS SWEATSHIRT, above and beyond anything I have ever made (and that says a lot, because I've been sewing/knitting/crafting for a very very long time)!

Pattern: Linden Sweatshirt, by Grainline Studios

Fabric: Two medium-weight mystery knits I've had for ages - the grey patterned one I bought years ago at Value Village (thrift shop) for a few bucks and suspect is pure polyester; the black is a cotton-poly fine-rib knit (I think) that I got in a large fabric package from a friend a couple of years ago. Despite the difference in stretch (the first has about 20%, the second closer to 50%), they paired well in this garment.

Size: I cut a size 14 through the sleeves and upper body, gradually grading to size 16 at the hips.  And then I chopped a bunch off.

Modifications: There were a couple - mostly due to me wanting something less loose with this stiffer body fabric, but also because I suspect I have very short arms.

Of course, I took exactly 0 pictures of this entire process, but I found the body was just too wide once sewn up.  Cozy and comfy, and I might've kept it as is, but it pushed just past the sloppy line and I knew it'd bother me.  So I took my trusty chalk and marked, on both sides, 1/2" from the hem and wrist stitch line, and 1" from the underarm stitch line, connected them all with a smooth line, and restitched.  This means I took 4" total off the width at the bust and upper arm, and 2" total off the wrist and hemline.  And now it's a perfect fit!  Still loose and comfy, but I'm not drowning in oversized sweatshirt.  (Although if I used a thinner or more fluid knit, I might not make these same mods.)

 

 

 

The only other mod I did was to hack 2 1/4" off the sleeves, because raw they were longer than I wanted them finished, and I still had a 2" cuff to add!  Easy peasy alteration though.  I nearly added thumbholes to the cuffs, but then changed my mind.  Mostly because sleeves long enough for thumbholes to be used drive me batty.

ETA: OH!  I also cut off 1/2 inche from the bottom hem, because I don't know it made sense at the time.  Forgot about that, until I looked over my notes from last night.  Oops.  This is why I learned to take notes, becaue my brain is rubbish at remembering things sometimes.  Slacker brain.

The only critique I have for this sweater and pattern, and this is purely personal preference, is that the neckline is a little too wide.  My bra-straps, sadly, get shown off nicely in this sweatshirt.  I'm not choked up by this though, because this sweatshirt is cozy and perfect for layering, which I do like sediment deposits in the warmest months, nevermind in winter.  BRING ON THE BRIGHT TANKTOPS!

I think, to solve this next time, I may either project the raglan seams, shoulders, and back neckline up a bit to get more coverage.  I could probably try a smaller size considering how much I chopped off the sides as well, but I think I have the fit I want worked out there, and this might be a fun drafting exercise.  Alternatively, I could try pinching out some of the width on the front and back piece to reduce overall width.  Hmm.  Any other suggestions?  Have any of you tried something like this?

None of that above distracts from the pure love I have for this garment, and I don't even want to make anything else until I've made at least 3 more.  Already I'm plotting how to incorporate all of my knits into this pattern, and different ways I could alter the pattern (lace? zippers? pockets? embroidery?)!  And it's so quick and easy; I think it took me about 2 hours total (ignoring interruptions like dinner and a gym visit) to make up last night, and that includes putting it on constantly and running out to show off to Darryl (the boyfriend - I guess I should finally give him a name on this blog).

That expression screams 'damn proud'.

And because I don't have anything else to say but OMG LOVE THIS PATTERN SO MUCH SQUEEEE, here's a few more detailed pics.

So glad I "saved" this patterned knit for just this project - nothing else would've worked nearly as well!  This is why extensive stashes are a must for any crafter.  *nods*

Neckline ribbing and topstitching.  Plus the purple ribbon I'm using to designate 2014 makes (and which side is the back).

Don't know why, but those sleeve cuffs ans topstitching brings me joy.

Don't be fooled by the even-ness of the bottom topstitching - the damn seam meanders like a slow-moving river.  WHATEVER DON'T CARE.

Have you sewn this super easy pattern up yet?  If not, do you think might in the future?

fo: Grey Amber of Summery Goodness (and Winter too!)

Look, I crocheted a sweater!

I mentioned this sweater last month when I was suddenly obsessed with crocheting.  We're heading off to a warmer climate this summer, and I wanted to make something for it (well, a few somethings, but we'll get to that later).  This seemed like a great garment to toss over a tank top and shorts or bathing suit, so I bought yarn and started hooking as soon as it arrived.

Pattern: 152-17 Amber, by Drops
Size: Small
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Whisker
Hook: 5 mm

The thing is, I didn't exactly read the yarn requirements properly before I made my Knit Picks order.  Which is totally understandable since it was a 2 am order...  ANYWAYS, I ordered worsted weight, not DK as the patterns calls.  (For those who aren't yarn affici, worsted is a bit thicker and heavier than DK, which can effect your finished garment size since the stitches tend to be bigger and thicker as well).  I really wanted to use this yarn though, so I just did some maths (urk) and made up the size small...

...with a bit of finangling around the neckline.  There's technically supposed to be a solid stripe right up to the neckline, but that didn't work out with my gauge.  And honestly, I really like the lattice lace at the neckline better anyways, so WIN!  I did do away with the loopy finish on the neckline though, and opted to just do single crochets around the whole neckline, partially to finish it but mostly to give it some support. 


I sewed up the shoulders and side seams (from body hem to sleeve hem) using just a whip stitch.  Nothing fancy.  (I'm mostly showing these pics because I wished someone else had when I was trying to figure out how to sew this up.)

There's no shaping to this sweater.  The lace and solid striped panels just tend to conform to your body shape without clinging, similar to bias-cut fabric.

I'm pretty tickled by the final result, even if the sweater does emphasize why I probably shouldn't do drop shoulders - emphasizes my narrow shoulders and wider hips.  Whatever, it's cute and comfortable and I adore it!

And don't think this is only a summer top!  I'm totally rocking this sweater here in camp, despite the suddenly frosted campsite, by layering it overtop one of my many long-sleeve tees.

(Please forgive the office photo.)

Because I picked a heavier yarn, I didn't quite have enough to get the 3/4 length sleeves.  I realized this pretty early and panicked when I realized that Knit Picks wouldn't be restocking this colour until the end of November.  :O  So I found a woman on Ravelry who would sell me a couple balls.  A couple balls turned into 6.  But then, I realized I liked a shorter length anyways, because at my gauge, the sleeve would wind up full length - not what I wanted.  So I managed to use up nearly every little bit of my original 7 balls!

And completely forgot about the extras until this arrived in my mail box.  Oops.  :) Oh well, I'm sure I'll find something to do with it!

Do any of you crochet?  Ever thought of hooking a sweater?  I certainly hadn't until I came across this!