I have a ridiculous amount of fabric for someone that has been scared to death of sewing for the last 40 years. I have store-bought fabric, sheets, curtains, and upcycled fabric from outgrown or damaged clothing. I can’t seem to get rid of any fabric if I think I could use it for something. After I posted my dream sewing, last month, I did a quick inventory of my available fabric. I also reorganized my patterns and got an idea for some pairings. I have decided to complete the pairings, and not just muse about them. My intention is to pull out a few selections of fabric and coordinating patterns and sew them. I am NOT trying to match every fabric I have. I want to start small and work my way up. I want my dream sewing to become wearable garments. A reason that I selected these is because I already have everything that I need to complete these. No, scratch that, I need a zipper for the overalls. I want to have them all cut out and ready to go by the end of the month. I also want to complete 2 of them in that time. Wish me luck!
Cotton flannel jammie pants for Feebs
Pink jersey t-shirt for Feebs- using twin sized fitted jersey sheet
Summer skirt for me- using stripped seersucker fabric
Light weight overalls for me- using cotton/ linen blend curtains (this will need to be dyed, probably khaki green)
Loves,
M
P.S., in case you are wondering, no, I did NOT sew the white denim skirt. I am ashamed to report this, but the mojo just wasn’t there. I will figure out my life at some point, and the skirt will eventually be made.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting in the office, in the wee hours before anyone else in my house was awake. I was smart enough to remember my headphones, charger and knitting, but not my robe. Our heater doesn’t start pulling its weight until around 0600, and I had hours to go before that happened. I was mildly (read: incredibly) cold. Luckily the Husband had left his Dude sweater draped over the big ugly armchair, so I put that on. I got quite comfy and snuggled in. I started to have visions of having my very own heavy and comfy sweater to wrap up in. I was dreaming/dreading of future camping trips and sitting as close to a campfire as I could safely get in a bulky and warm sweater of my own. In that moment, I decided that I am going to take on a full-blown colorwork sweater. By full blown I mean a FOR REAL colorwork sweater, with steeking and everything. The Switchback sweater, by Rachel Brockman. It is a men’s sweater, with the smallest size being a 42-inch chest. It has an all over colorwork design and a contrasting band. It has a button band and a shawl collar. I may try to get fancy and cut in some pockets too, just to be decadent.
Materials:
Knitpicks Wool of the Andes- Moss, Cloud, Midnight Heather
Modifications:
Pattern calls for size 7 and 8 needles. I intend to go down one needles size to 6 and 7.
Make the shawl collar smaller. I am not a fan of an aggressive shawl collar. I find them too fiddly to wear and they never lay right on me.
Possibly cutting pockets into the contrast band, if I can get them to fit correctly and not obscure the pattern.
Challenges:
I have only knit one other all over colorwork sweater, Cobwebs by Megan-Anne Llama. I have also only steeked one project, the Dude Sweater by Andrea Rangel.
Several years ago, I bought a large quantity of Wool of the Andes in Moss, with intentions of knitting an old man style cabled cardigan. I changed my mind on the pattern and knit a very basic raglan sweater (only using half of the yarn!). To be completely blunt, the color sucked on me. It made me look weak and wimpy. I ended up frogging the entire sweater, and only using bits of the yarn for random things like the Setesdal Legwarmers by Skeindeer Knits. I still have a very healthy quantity of the yarn left. I don’t want to waste that yarn. I want to give it life and enjoy it. Once I realized that I wanted to knit a bulky, snuggly, luscious cardigan, I realized that it would be the perfect opportunity to use most of that yarn up. Problem: The body contrast color, Cloud, is cream/ natural. I am concerned that a weak and wimpy green won’t show enough to contrast against cream/ natural. If it doesn’t, I may have to try my hand at overdying. At the very least I will have to…. swatch… Oh, horror of horrors. Mind you, I am not going to do the correct thing and knit an actual 4×4 square swatch in the round, like a good knitter. I am going to cast on the sleeves and let them tell the story. I will know about 3 inches up if I like the contrast enough. If not, I can just rip them out and not too much time and effort are lost. The thought of overdying 100% wool yarn gives me palpitations. I have dyed exactly 1 yarn-y thing ever. It was the Puck top that I knit in Knitpicks Cottlin. Unfortunately, the yarn was meant to be skirt with a contrasting underskirt, so was a natural tan color. This color matched my skin tone so well that I looked naked when I put it on. I figured that I would never wear it, as it was, so I had nothing to lose. I bought some RIT dye in burgundy and went to town. It came out great, and I have no regrets. I followed the directions to the very letter. But… That was a top knit out of cotton and linen. They don’t felt. I have no idea how on earth I should handle dying wool. I have already started my extensive YouTube research, watching all videos that I can find, just in case.
So that’s where we start. I have 1 ½ sleeves to knit on another sweater (Calliope) before I will allow myself to start this. I should be done this week. I am very excited to get started on this new knitting adventure. Wish me luck, Universe!
For my 2022 New Year’s cast-on I chose the Calliope sweater, by Espace Tricot. It seemed like a very straightforward and simple sweater that I would get a lot of wear out of. For Christmas, I purchased yarn from Keri’s de-stash and thought it would be a good pairing with this pattern.
Material:
Juniper Moon Stargazer in Malachite
Size 7 needles- per pattern
Modifications:
Only 3.5 inches of yolk ribbing
Decreased 6 additional stitches on the sleeves and only 6 inches of ribbed cuffs, instead of 8
Made the sleeves bracelet length
Overall, I enjoyed the pattern. It was very easy to follow. I figured I would breeze through it, but I became disenchanted and put it to the side for a couple of months. I am NOT happy with the bind off of the body. Even after blocking, it is messy and doesn’t lay flat. I still feel that this will get a lot of wear. My review of the yarn is not great. The dye is not set, and my hands were teal any time I knit for more than 20 minutes. When I soaked it, the water was completely blue. I recently purchased Rit Color-Fix, a color fixative. I will use that and see if I can avoid having a Smurf chest every time I wear the sweater. We’ll do better next time!
Looking back over this month, I don’t feel that I was terribly productive. I have been knitting, of course, but while gathering and documenting all my makes I feel like I haven’t completed much. I finally finished the summer jammie set (I have a separate write up for that project). I learned a lot from completing those garments and look forward to taking that knowledge into future sewing.
Worsted weight socks for me- 48-stitch socks, toe up. Araucania Huasco Worsted.
4 charity hats- 80 stitch hats, yarn doubled to make bulky weight. Used 3 ½ balls of stash yarn
Everglade hat- by Woolly Wormhead, size 20”. Sea Change Fibers by the Dye Project Neskowin DK. This is the second time making this hat. I made one for the mom-in-law back in December and LOVED the pattern. This is going into the gift box.
Summer jammie set
New cast-ons:
Bean & Olive sweater for Ahleena.
Works in Progress:
Calliope sweater
Jameson sweater
Knitting my memories blanket
White denim skirt
Goals for next month:
Sew the damn denim skirt!
Make wearable toiles for 100 Acts of Sewing top and Simplicity 6446
Finish either the Calliope or Jameson sweater, probably Calliope since it only needs sleeves
Knit swatch for the Switchback sweater- see if there is enough contrast between the green and cream. If not… research how to overdye 100% wool yarn without felting it (or royally screwing it up).
Make every recipe that comes in the February Yummy Crate
Oh February, you fleeting month. A lot happens in February, every year. Even though it is the shortest month, it is always jam packed with stuff. We have 7 birthdays, including mine, just in my immediate family. My dad and I are one week apart, so we always get together to celebrate. This year we took him to the greatest Eritrean restaurant in Oakland and rocked his meat and potatoes world. That weekend we took off for a kid-free weekend with the O’s in Nevada City. We got a vacation rental house, and I may have done a quick google to search to find out how to successfully steal a house. The house was so amazing, and the surroundings were beautiful. On the last morning there, it snowed. We sat drinking coffee and watching the snow fall through the wall of windows. New life goal: find a way to become incredibly rich so that I can retire early, buy a vacation house, and sit for many days watching the snow fall while drinking coffee and knitting. While in Grass Valley, I found a darling yarn shop called Heathered Yarns. The shop was joined with another crafty type of shop and was delightful. I bought two skeins of sock yarn, one for me and one for Feebs, and a pair of leather earrings for the Mother as a thank you for keeping Feebs for the weekend. Aside from that, I did end up making a birthday yarn purchase and then a non-birthday yarn purchase. I was able to get in on the Stranded Dyeworks Anti-Valentine shop update. I have wanted that yarn since Jude first shared it and it is only available during February. So, I snagged 3 skeins of Anti-Valentine in DK and 3 skeins of Red Velvet in DK. The Anti-Valentine will be used to knit a Paris Toujours shawl. The Red Velvet will just be stashed and coveted with creepy “my precious” vibes. The shipping from Scotland was cringeworthy, but I have no regrets. I later went down a rabbit hole looking for a warm and snuggly color-work sweater (after a morning spent wrapped up in the Husband’s Dude Sweater). I have settled on the Switchback sweater. I am nervous as there is only 1 completed project and this is a FOR REAL color work pattern. I am also using this as an excuse to use up as much of the Wool of the Andes Moss green yarn that I have had for a long time. I had to purchase two contrast color yarns, so went with Cloud as the body contrast and Midnight Heather as the colorwork band contrast. I will have to knit a swatch to be sure that there is enough contrast between the Cloud and the Moss. If not, I may need to try my hand at overdying. Feebs and I made every recipe in her January Yummy Crate. We made the bibimbap first, and it turned out very good. Then we did the layered smoothies and realized that recipe yields a LOT of smoothy. Then we did the salmon skewers. When we make them again, we will cut the salmon pieces bigger and put them farther away from the broiler. Each recipe was very easy to follow and required minimal “help” from me. With her kid-safe knives, she was able to chop up most of the vegetables (or at least start them, till she decided to move onto something more exciting). The back yard clean-up saga continues. We discovered at least another 1 ton of buried concrete. I have never wished a person to hell as much as I have the former owner of our house. We have started to dig it all up, which completely hijacked our plans to have the yard cleared and done in 2 weekends. This weekend (weekend #4) will be all about backfilling where the concrete was, and where we removed the bamboo. Then it is back to pulling weeds. About half of the yard is done, so it shouldn’t take me too long. The husband started his certification class, and can I just say, we didn’t read the fine print on this course. We were both under the impression that he would have a night or two of instruction and a night needed for homework. It seemed that it would be at his own pace and could be logged into at any time. This was our mindset in October, when he signed up. Fast-forward to February 14th, when the course actually started. He must log on at 4:00 PM, sharp, and be on the zoom call until 7:00 PM. Mind you, he doesn’t get off work until 5:00 PM. He must do this 4 nights per week. Then he has roughly 6-8 hours of homework to complete on the weekend. For 8 months. Yeah, we didn’t read the fine print AT ALL. This is shifting all of the house needs, Feebs needs, and all other must-dos to me. It is going to be a struggle, but it will all be worth it in the end. And the last car on my train of thought is Stitches West 2022. I love Stitches West. I have been going for the last 7 years and I love every minute of it. I only go to the marketplace, as I don’t really enjoy taking large classes. I either go with Ms. H, or by myself. This year is the first year that they will be at their new location in Sacramento. It is being billed as very big deal, since the arena is roughly double the size of the Santa Clara Convention Center. I was doubly excited to go since it was cancelled last year. However, I have decided not to go this year. With Covid still being a real issue, and the mask mandates being lifted, I just can’t justify being a room with hundreds of people all crowding around tables and getting into each other’s spaces. On the flip side, if they change it to be more Covid safe, that will change the entire vibe of the festival. I have decided to for-go this year and make up for it next year. On that note, I am SO OVER COVID. I want it gone, I want it dead, I want it to be over and done. That is all, rant over.
On my sewing table, at the moment, is a white denim cut out that needs to be sewn into a Butterick B5466 skirt. I have had this cut out for at least a year. It has been moved around my sewing space no less than 7 times. Last weekend I pulled everything out, bought the appropriate thread, and it is just lying there waiting for me to sew it. This skirt must be completed before anything else is pulled out and cut. I will NOT be defeated by this denim skirt. I will wear the hell out it (if it comes out half-way decent) once it is completed. I just need to get off the schtick and do it.
However,…. Just because I can’t cut out something new and fancy, doesn’t mean that I can’t start dreaming and planning for new sewing projects. In fact, I have several pairings already in my head. Two of the dream projects will require a toile, which I will hopefully make into wearable toiles. Because the toiles will be made from an Ikea baby pink bedsheet set, there will also be some fabric dying involved. For the most part, I have the necessary supplies for these projects.
100 Acts of Sewing Dress No 1: This will need a toile and fabric dye (may want to make it into a top instead of a dress)
Toile fabric- Ikea twin size bedsheet
RIT burgundy dye & color fixative
Fashion fabric- cotton fabric with Asian print from Mill End Fabrics, in Reno
*Things to buy- thread, single fold bias tape
Simplicity 6446 short jumpsuit: This will need a toile and fabric dye
Toile fabric- Ikea twin size bedsheet
RIT black dye & color fixative
Fashion fabric- cotton fabric navy with white polka dots from Mill End Fabrics in Reno
*Things to purchase: pattern, thread, 2- 16” invisible zippers
Tilly and the Buttons Stella Joggers:
Brushed cotton fabric
Ribbed cuffs
*Things to purchase: thread, 2” elastic, 1 ¾ yards of cord or cotton tape, small piece of iron-on knit interfacing
Simplicity 1355 long jumpsuit:
Pink garage sale fabric
*Things to purchase: pattern, thread, 3/8” wide elastic, one package of ½” wide single fold bias tape
Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt:
Black twill fabric
Thread
*Things to purchase: 1-yard fusible interfacing, 9” regular zipper
I sewed myself a set of summer jammies, consisting of shorts and a camisole. The fabric is from www.fabric.com, and is a super cute sweater print. It is a thicker 100% quilting cotton. I sewed as size 8 top, and size 40” hip bottoms.
The top:
Pattern- True Bias, Ogden Cami. This is a hack from www.sewnorthco.com, in which you skip the lining and add bias tape to the neck and armholes instead.
This is the 4th Ogden cami that I have made (5th if you count my Ogden Cami dress hack), and by far my favorite. I will make all future camis unlined. This fits so much better and has a much better flowy feeling, even in stiff cotton. I may even re-do one of the camis in my collection and remove the lining. For some reason the lining never allows the top to fit me properly, it is always too tight around the bust (and I am NOT busty) and it messes up the shape. It also causes the front hem to flare out. I have not had this issue with the unlined version. I may even go down a size when making the unlined ones. The fit is loose, but not “too big”. I forgot to attach the back of the straps before I added the bias tape, and that was incredibly messy. Thank goodness these are pajamas, so no one should really notice the poor stitching. I want to work on making the straps neater in the future.
New techniques: single fold bias tape. This is the coolest invention ever! The edges are smooth and look so neat. I need to work on my technique, especially at the overlapping areas (in this instance, the overlap by the straps.) I remembered to clip my curved edges before sewing on the tape. I was very proud of myself. I also want to find a way to finesse the V in the top. There was a tiny bit of puckering that I couldn’t figure out how to smooth out.
The bottoms:
Pattern- began as the Darcy Boxers from www.peppermintmag.com, but I ended up not wanting functioning boxers with the fly and changed it to plain shorts with an elastic band.
These were pretty standard shorts. I cut off the flap for the fly and seamed up the opening. I then made an elastic channel and threaded it through. My tension was a nightmare on these shorts. For some reason I could not get the tension on my sewing machine right, so my stitching is very loose. Again, good thing these are pajamas. The shorts are at least 1 size too big, and I didn’t compensate with tighter elastic. They are rather loose on my hips but still wearable. I hemmed the legs with basic fold over ¼ inch, twice, then iron and sew.
All in all, I am happy with these jammies. They are NOT perfect. They are not even close. But they are done, and I can now wear them (when it gets warmer). I want to make ALL the unlined Ogden camis. I even want to make another Ogden Cami dress hack that is unlined. I feel much more prepared to do it right and have them fit better. I want to try to sew one with a lighter fabric. So far, I have only used quilting cotton because it is easier to sew. I am not going to go crazy and make a silk one, but maybe a medium weight linen… I don’t think I will be making the Darcy Boxers again. I want to find another shorts pattern that has options for elastic and drawstring waist. I also want to find an athletic shorts pattern that can be made with jersey fabric. I need to figure out sizing, in general. I tend to always make a size too big. This is better than making a size too small, I realize, but I want my garments to fit. I am a 36”x 29”x 40” and am 5’4”. I always make the finished garment to be 40” in the hip, but it always ends up being a size too big. Not sure what I am doing wrong there, but I need to figure it out.
This month I did a lot of knitting. Everything that I knit this month has been knit in the past, so there were no new techniques. I am pretty stoked that I emptied my scrap basket. That has been a long time coming. I set a goal this year to knit at least 3 hats per month for charity. I intend to donate them, and any other useful knitted things, to the Homeless Action Coalition. I have a lot of yarn that can be knit into hats and a metric ton of classic cotton yarn for washcloths.
Finished makes:
2 pairs of vanilla socks for Feebs- 52 stitch socks (7 years old). I used Duren Dyeworks for the body, and Marigold Jen Rainbow Connections for heals and toes.
9 vanilla hats for charity- 60, 70, or 80 stitch hats. I used scrap yarn held double or triple to create a bulky weight yarn.
1 scrappy cocoon- pattern is Cozy Cocoon, by Kate Jackson. I used my entire basket of scrap yarn held double or triple to create a bulky weight yarn for this and my charity hats. I love this pattern. This is the 3rd one that I have knit. It is a very easy knit and is warm and comforting to wear.
New cast-ons:
Calliope sweater, by Espace Tricot. This was my NYE cast on.
Vanilla man socks for the Husband
Worsted weight socks for me
Works in Progress:
Knitting my memories blanket- no pattern, simple chevron blanket made from left-over sock yarn. You will see this on every WIP section till the end of time.
Jameson Sweater- pattern by Baby Cocktails
Goals for next month:
Start a gift pile
Use up more stash yarn for gifts/ charity.
Organize sewing cut outs and SEW THEM!!!
Make every recipe that comes in the January Yummy Crate
January was a very weird month. It definitely felt like a new beginning, but not necessarily a comfortable one. I think I am going to find myself pushing through a lot this year. You know what I mean, right? Like, “I have to do this, but I don’t want to. So, I am just going to square my shoulders, put my head down, and push through till it’s done.” I am also trying to adapt to the motto of “done is better than perfect” with sewing. I have gone through my yarn and reorganized and updated my Ravelry stash page. That took a hot minute, let me tell you. I have a… significant sized yarn stash. I don’t think I am up to more yarn that I can knit in a lifetime size stash, but definitely a I could knit solely from stash for a decade or two before I needed to buy more yarn size one. I have also acquired more fabric than I really should, considering how scared I have been of sewing. I am making a plan to use up a lot of the fabric that I have. Even it isn’t perfect and beautiful, I am going to make it, and wear it, and be happy with it, dammit. I also FINALLY pulled out the serger and tried it out. It is a really cool tool, and I look forward to getting over myself and using it.
Life stuff has been pretty much more of the same. We survived the holidays, which is good. School and work have resumed. Feebs is having some struggles with getting back into the routine and has been very disorganized and sassy. I’m working with her teachers and school counselor to help her get back on track. Sadly, the husband’s dad has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is stage one, which is good (?). There isn’t much more info at current. Feebs and I got to see Sister #3 and her family, which was fantastic. They are going to come to our house in February, for the first time. It’s really ridiculous that they haven’t been here before, considering we have lived here for 3 years, and they are only an hour away…. We are planning to attack our incredibly overgrown back yard in the last week of January, before we end up with Audrey 2 taking up residence and eating the neighborhood cats (kudos to you, if you got the Little Shop of Horrors reference). I am going to weed and renew last year’s veggie box so that the husband and Feebs can plant their new crops in March. My birthday is in February, so I guess that means I get to splurge and buy myself some yarn (that I completely, totally, 100% don’t need). We also signed Feebs up for the Yummy Crate (www.kiwico.com). I absolutely DO NOT cook. Like, at all. “Do you cook?” is the first question on the application to date me. Those that don’t, need not apply. Luckily the husband is a phenomenal cook, so we eat well. However, … it has occurred to me that Feebs should learn how, and it won’t hurt me to learn as well. So, when her Atlas Crate expired, she asked to get the Yummy Crate instead. She and I will do this crate together, as we have with all the crates that she has had in the past. Goal #1: don’t set your kitchen or yourself on fire. If I can do that, the world/ kitchen is my oyster.
Here is some information about me. My name is Michelle. I live in the East Bay Area of California, USA. I live here with my delightful husband- AKA The Husband and our delightful daughter- AKA Feebs. I come from a large family, who is both loving and dysfunctional and I love everything about them. Sarcasm is my primary language, English is secondary. I work in the county government sector. I love my job, even when I hate my job.
Now a little about my making. I have been a knitter since the tender age of 8. My grandparents had me at their house for a week, during Christmas, in 1988. My grandmother was a knitter, quilter, sewer, etc., and could make all the things. She used to call me her magpie because I talked non-stop. She got the idea to teach me to knit after she noticed how mesmerized and quiet I became when she would pull out her knitting. She decided that it was the best way to keep her sanity during the week I would be staying there. I loved everything about it and have continued to knit throughout my life. I became a KNITTER around 2001. That is when I learned how to knit garments, new techniques, and new challenges. I now knit ALL the things. I do all garments and accessories, colorwork, cables, lace (though it’s not my favorite), in the round, seamed. I knit ALL the things.
My Sister #1 and I taught ourselves how to crochet one summer when she was pregnant with my oldest nephew, so I was about 14. I can crochet a mean square or rectangle, but that is pretty much where it ends. One of my goals is to expand my crochet knowledge, with an idea to crochet a Dotted Doubles blanket and maybe a beautiful mandala top.
Sewing has been a to-do for me for many years. Only recently have I had the nerve to just sew the thing and not expect perfection. I realize that the only way I get better will be to actually do it. I have a fair amount of knowledge and understanding of techniques. Even if I didn’t, we are lucky to live in the era of YouTube. Anything you need to understand can be found there; I am sure of it. While I can’t see sewing becoming a Zen process for me, like knitting is, I want to get more comfortable with it. I want to make garments that look handmade vs. homemade. I want to proudly sport my me makes, not for the praise, but so that I can be comfortable in my clothes. I am a very standard size. I can buy anything off the rack, and it will fit. I do realize how lucky I am for that. I simply don’t follow trends or like to buy disposable, cheaply made items. I want the kind of clothes that I want, and I am not always able to find them on the shelf. It takes a lot for me to go shopping and I tend to keep my clothes for a looooong time. I have a Brothers CS6000i sewing machine, and a Brothers 1034D serger. Why on God’s green earth I got a serger, when it took me a solid year to get the courage to take it out of the box and try it, I will never know. I fully stand by the statement that buying craft supplies, and making things are two completely different hobbies.
Other crafts that I dabble in are cross-stitch, fabric dyeing (though this is more necessity than hobby), and candle making (which is a very new to me). Cross-stitch is something that I do very infrequently and is all about the product. I really have to want a finished object in order to do it. I have a dream of learning how to quilt and making a quilt or two in the future.
The Yarn Harlot calls her blog her virtual living room. I consider mine to be my virtual brain. It is cluttered and chaotic and sometimes the words won’t make sense. It also has to be treated with kindness and respect. This blog is for me to (hopefully) stay organized and keep a history of my making, new skills/ mistakes, and progress. I have no idea if anyone else will ever read it, and that is okay. If someone does, I ask that they be respectful and kind. I am snarky and sarcastic and end a lot of sentences with …. (that’s generally how you know I am being sarcastic), but I don’t ever intend to be mean or disrespectful. I guess I just ask for the same in return.
The format for this blog will be:
A post for each finished object, with an honest description of how I feel I did on the project. I want to review the pattern and fabric used. I need to call myself out when I was being lazy or sloppy on something, so that hopefully I will do better the next time. I also want to make notes on new techniques that I tried and how I feel I can improve on them. Also, any project modifications that I want to document for future makes.
A post at the end of each month with all finished objects completed for the whole month, cast-ons, and works in progress.
Dream posts- projects that I am preparing to undertake or new crafts that I am researching/ stocking up for.
Event posts- I attend 2-3 making events per year (Stitches West and Lambtown festival are the most common). I want to start going to more events as life progresses, especially sewing and quilting events.
Miscellaneous posts- things that I simply must document. You never know with my brain….
So this is how it will all start, let’s see where it goes. I guess I will start with my January monthly makes post, even though we are half-way through February. Better late than never…
Loves,
M
p.s., when I refer to my family (especially my sisters) and friends with a number, I am referring to their chronologic order in the flowchart of my life, not their level of coolness.
