Day Eight of Me-Made-May started off with a hat and a coat. I knitted the turban in 2013, sewing together right before we left the house for a 1940s day. It’s from a Bestway pattern in the V&A’s knitting collection. I was originally concerned that it might look a bit weird to wear this hat outside of a 1940s context. But I like the colour, I like the style, and it’s really comfortable and soft and warm. So if it does look weird, please don’t tell me. I don’t care.
Day Nine was a complete and utter cheat. I’d just finished knitting this shawl, which is shortly going to become a blanket for a friend’s baby. I tried it on for a grand total of five minutes – partly to take some photos for Ravelry, and partly to see whether I wanted to knit another one for myself. I do. It’s gorgeous.
Day Ten was also a little bit of a cheat, in that I made these shorts during the day, and didn’t put them on until I went to bed. Still, they’re pyjamas, and I wore them on the 10th, so it counts. The pattern is one for vintage (well, 1960s) underwear, but without any clue given as to either body size or finished garment measurements, I just had to guess what which size I needed to make. I took a gamble on XL, and they’ve come out a bit too big. I think this size will work nicely in a woven fabric, but for a stretch knit I’ll need to re-trace the pattern down to a size L. (And shorten the waist by about two inches, as they currently come up to my armpits. Cosy!)
Day Eleven: This Loopy Cowl has a matching pair of mittens, that I did dig out for the day, but I seem to have shrunk them as they were a bit tight. I made the mittens and cowl back in 2012, and have barely worn them because they’re SO ITCHY! Another scarf that I can only wear with a polo neck tucked underneath it. Has anybody else had this problem with Rowan Felted Tweed? I’m not allergic to wool, but this stuff’s just so prickly that it drives me mad. I should probably give this away, but the wool and pattern were a gift, and I don’t really want to inflict this level of itchiness onto somebody else! Plus, I like the way it looks, and it is actually quite warm. So perhaps I’ll keep it. (This, right here, is why I have way too much stuff.)
Day Twelve: Another cold one at work, so another big cardigan was required. This was the first pattern I designed and published myself, way back in 2008, though I have since withdrawn it from sale. I need to make some amendments to the collar; it doesn’t sit as nicely around the neck as I’d like it to. It also seems to have shrunk in the wash, as the sleeves are really short now!
(I wasn’t really feeling the selfie-love this week, so a lot of these photos are old ones.)
Day Thirteen: Unlucky for this scarf. It’s my second Clapotis, knitted in 2010, from more gifted yarn. (Rowan Tapestry, this time.) Unfortunately, I put it through the washing machine last year (an act which it had survived quite happily before!) and it’s ended up felted at the ends. This has also made it itchy. Argh! Why do I own so many itchy knitted things?! What should I do with them? But again, I don’t really want to get rid of this one. The yarn was a gift, it took me the best part of six months to knit it, and the colours go with lots of different clothes. Maybe I can live with the felting. And the itching.
Day Fourteen: It’s That Coat Again. Get used to it, as I don’t think it’s going away any time soon! I keep hoping that the weather won’t be warm enough to need it soon, but it’s such a good light weight for popping on over a hoody if it’s cold, or wearing on its own if it’s warm-but-raining – which is was on this day. (I got soaked on the way home from the dentist. Charming.)
Stay tuned for weeks Three and Four!