Month: February 2009

Valentines Skirt

Spotty circle skirt

I made a new skirt to wear for Valentine’s Day. 

It’s a full circle with an elasticated waistband.

I didn’t have enough fabric to make the skirt as long as I wanted, so I added a ruffle at the hem instead.

The ruffle isn’t as, well, ruffly as I would have liked, but considering it took just over an hour and a half to finish hand sewing the pink binding around the bottom, I don’t think I would have liked it to be very much rufflier.

My new bias tape maker arrived the other day, and it’s a big one – it makes 50mm tape! I think the next incarnation of this skirt will be minus the ruffle, but with a nice wide trim at the hem.

More Knitting Inspiration

The latest issue of Vogue Knitting (now apparently renamed Designer Knitting) landed on my doormat this morning. On my first glance through, I’ve already spotted two things that I’m dying to knit.

The giant yellow jumper is the Cropped Turtleneck, by Leena Sullivan.
I particularly like the sideways construction with the cables, which is what I’d originally intended to do with the Rowan Colourscape. I’m a huge fan of giant polo necks, and I think I’d be tempted to knit this one even taller. I’m currently knitting a giant moss stitch coat with my mountain of Big Wool, but I think I might have enough left over to make this as well.

The green hooded top is the Green Iiris Cropped Hoodie by Mari Muinonen.
I like hoods, I like cables, I like cropped jumpers… I love it!

I don’t know whether I have enough yarn in my stash to knit this one. I do have some lovely Rowan Cashsoft in Kingfisher, but I’d have to do the cabled sections in a contrasting colour, I think. If I was going to splurge on yet more wool, I think I’d go for Colinette Cadenza in one of their more subtle Dali shades. The one in the picture is Salty Dog.

One thing I particularly like about Vogue Knitting’s website is the new Fashion Preview section. When you click on the picture of each design you’re taken through to a video, where you can see a model actually wearing and moving about in the knitwear. It makes a real difference to know that the bottom of the jumper isn’t going to roll up as soon as the model moves her arms, for instance! You also get a chance to see the piece from all angles, which you don’t see in the magazine itself.

My subscription to Vogue Knitting has just expired, and I’ve been so happy with the launch of The Knitter that I wasn’t going to renew it. Having seen these patterns, and the website support, I think there might be room for both…

Angora Leaf Scarf

Angora Leaf Scarf

I picked up issue 2 of The Knitter yesterday, and cast on for this scarf almost immediately. 

So much for all the jumpers I was going to knit before I started anything else… but I’ve had this single ball of Colinette Parisienne in my stash for ages, and this seemed like the perfect use for it.

The whole scarf is knitted in garter stitch, with shaping on alternate rows. Because it’s impossible to tell the difference between the front and the back of the work, I’m using two different lengths of needle to help me find my way. When I switch to the longer needle, I’m on an increase row. Simple!

Pink Felt Fedora.

Is this a fedora? I’m not sure.

Whatever it is, it’s my new hat!
I promise it isn’t as luminous in Real Life as it appears in the photo. 

I’ve been after a smart winter hat for ages (mostly since the one I knitted had a shrinking accident with the washing machine!), and I spotted this in the John Lewis sale this afternoon. Perfect!

It’s made by The Whiteley Hat Company.

I can now pretty much guarantee that the weather will turn, and from now on it will be too sunny for me to wear it, and I’ll have to look for a summer hat instead. (She says blithely, as it rains outside.)

My perfect summer hat? A folding panama.

Rose Tattoo Retro Dress

Alexander Henry dress

Yesterday I finished off a dress that’s been almost done for far too long.

It was mostly already finished. I just had to add the waistband, sew the top and bottom halves together, and add elastic and binding. Ta daa.

I have a sneaky suspicion it’s going to be too long in the bodice for me, and therefore might need to be re-homed with somebody taller. I hope not, because I’ve just bought a buckle on Etsy, for making a matching belt!

It started life as one of my many versions of Butterick 6582. I don’t think I’ve ever made this dress exactly as per the pattern, and this incarnation is no exception.

This time I’ve left out all of the waist darts on the bodice, and gathered it into the skirt with an elastic waistband. The arms and hem are trimmed with bias binding, and there’s also a layer of tubular crinoline in the hem, to help it stand out without an extra petticoat.

The fabric is Alexander Henry’s “Rose Tattoo”.

Because they didn’t have one that said “wool money”…

shoe money

My local Post Office & Newsagent has recently revamped itself into a sort of a gift shop. Every time I was standing in the queue to post a parcel I found myself staring at these little ceramic money boxes, trying to convince myself that the best way to save a bit of money was not to buy one.

Oops.

I gave up my job last October for health reasons, and it’s going to be a while before those are sorted out. The income from my sewing and knitting is rather irregular at the moment, and once again entirely dependent on my health. As a result, it seemed like a good idea to squirrel away all those little bits of loose change that can all too easily be spent on nothing much, and save them up for something I’d really like.

In this case, a little money box, with shoes on it.

Finished jumper, and a free pattern!

 Colourscape jumper - finished!

I finished the Colourscape jumper yesterday, deciding that a big polo neck was just the thing to use up every last inch of this lovely wool.

I’ve written up the pattern, which is now available for free in the shop!

I’ve only written the pattern out in the one size for now – it fits up to 40″ chest, which you can make from 5 x 100g balls of Colourscape.

It’s a very simple pattern – no shaping, and perfect for getting the hang of cables and rib.

It should also work in any chunky weight yarn that calls for 6.5mm needles. Give it a try!

It’s alive!

It's alive!

Cleaning out the kitchen.

This onion had been hiding at the bottom of the vegetable basket for a little too long!