Week Twenty Eight

I cast on a new Brigid Cardigan using the same yarn but in 'Belladonna', a different colourway. I am making some design modifications to the 'Anenome' project of last week.

• Sleeves in 4x4 rib, full length.
• Back and fronts (either side of cable panel) also in 4x4 rib.
• The front button bands and neckline band at a much tighter gauge.
• Amending stitch counts.

I completed a sleeve this week. I love this yarn colour and in the rib. I am not sure if I will be partially ripping this sleeve down though. I slimmed the fit by reducing the stitch count, but I might have overdone it. I am going to do one of the fronts and the back and see how it fits to the armhole.

I continued to knit on Lightweight Pullover in the Sundara Worsted Silky Alpaca 'Rhythm of the Saints' colour. I still have a way to go on the body. I have decided to omit the ribbing.

And I also knit a little on my Larch Cardigan. Also Sundara yarn, but Sport Merino in the colour 'Arabian Nights'.

Then I did a little bit of sewing. I made some pyjama pants for my nine year old boy. This cotton knit fabric is very soft with a brushed finish to the reverse side. Its by Hilco and I bought it from Earth Girl Fabrics. I cut out a tshirt top too, but I still have to sew it.

I cut out the green polkadot Oliver + S knit fabric the previous week for two pairs of pyjama tops and bottoms for my daughter. I still have to sew them up but I bought some white ricrac edging from a local fabric store.

Finally, I dug deeply in the yarn stash. I pulled four colours of Rowan All Seasons Cotton for kids sweaters.
The first time I used this yarn, my boy was in preschool. He lost his jumper but we found it a week later buried in the sandpit, once washed it was as good as new. This is a very hardwearing yarn.

The soft pink is for my daughter. A simple sweater with some texture or cables and set in sleeves.

• The variegated pink is for a poncho like sweater, also for my daughter.
• The blue grey is for a plain raglan sweater for my boy.
• The red is also for my boy, but I might add a few stripes.

Finally, since I'm trying to make space in the stash, I pulled more aran gauged yarn. This time for myself. I plan an Annabelle cardigan in this Quince Osprey yarn. (Colour 'Petal') I will make a coordinating 'Serafina' cowl. (Ravelry links).

Knitting with 5mm needles will be refreshing for the next few weeks. Most of my recent knitting has been on 3.5 or 3.75mm.

Week Twenty Seven - Update

Only one project to show this week. I finished Brigid.
I am not very happy with it. A lot of that disappointment is in the yarn. I love the Fibre Company Terra (I made one of my favourite projects the "Adelaide Yoke Sweater" from it) but this colour Anenome isn't really as flattering as it could be, and it shows up a lot of the slubs.

I have two options (well three if I include the the "departure box")

(1) I could wear it like a sweater and sew up the button band on the inside. Still leaving the buttons, although they would be decorative only.

I'm not happy about the fit. On the one hand the button band gapes, and although its not particularly stretched, it actually feels too big. Maybe the shaping is off. The waist line is much lower and making everything look much more saggy than my real life deserves. (Even after two children)

The buttons are very pretty, but they are not inspirational on this fabric. Plus the button band placement isn't right. The top button should sit higher towards the neckline.


Also
(2) Leave it as a cardigan, but this dress also needs adjustment as its too full of fabric.

I haven't decided what to do about it. Any comments are gratefully received.

In the meantime I continue to knit on my Lightweight Sweater.
More sewing next week!

Week Twenty Seven

The good news is that I have finished my Brigid cardigan. But I am away from home all day Monday, so will post my finished project photos on Tuesday.

Week Twenty Six

This is the last full week of school holidays, unfortunately with a lot of family matters to attend to. I haven't as much craft accomplishment as I had hoped.

 

Brigid cardigan:
Brigid cardigan is assembled and now only requires sleeves. I have both sleeves started and need to weigh my remaining yarn, divide into two and see how long I can keep knitting.

 

 

 

 

I've decided I won't be going past 3/4 sleeves as I want this to be a cardigan I can wear with a Spring dress. This one in fact. made from a cotton and silk voile and lined with silk.

 

 

 

Its my basic Vogue shift dress pattern. V8683. But as it was the first, its not a great fit. It could afford to be a little slimmer fitting. Partly because I sewed it that way not knowing how it would wear and allowing enough ease to adjust later. (Then I didn't adjust as much as I could have)  but also the voile lined with silk creates more voluminous fabric.

It was a dilemma, it would look better without a lining, but it would be too transparent to wear. I left it in the wardrobe wondering what to do, but I see it is such a nice match for this yarn it might be fine worn with the cardigan.

 

 

Pyjamas:
In week thirteen, I finished a pyjama top with some Oliver + S cotton interlock. I finally got around to making some matching pyjama shorts. I made two identical pairs using up all my pink fabric.
Its traced from an exiting pair of shorts. I shortened them to calf length and flared them out for a little girly style.

 

 

I still have some green polkadot cotton interlock to make up also from Oliver + S. The green will look lovely when matched with pink in the top or shorts.

(I bought my Oliver + S fabric from Zigo Zago)

 

The week ahead: (Back to school)

• Finish Brigid.
• Continue the lightweight sweater to get the body cast off and the sleeves started.
• I have traced a pinafore pattern from my latest issue of Ottobre Kids magazine, Autumn 2012.
• If I can find some lightweight denim I will cut that out and choose a cotton print for the facings.
• I have bought some Hilco cotton knit fabric to make some pyjamas for my son so I will be tracing a pattern for those too. I shopped with Earth Girl Fabrics (sidebar link) and was delighted to see that they stock some high quality cotton knit fabrics from Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden (plus more).

Week Twenty Five

Lots of knitting this week but only one project photograph to show.

Akoya Cardigan
I have started the first sleeve and cast on the second. The yarn is Sundara yarn's Sport Silky Cashmere in the colour Gingered Peach.

Lightweight Sweater
I have knitted down quite a lot of the body on this sweater, despite that its still looking much like it did last week. I'm hoping to be ready to knit the sleeves by thwe time school term starts in a little over a week.

Brigid Cardigan
I am almost finished the right front. Then a left front and button bands and  I'm ready to finish the sleeves. I will be weighing my remaining yarn, dividing it in order to get the sleeves as long as possible. My goal is to have the body assembled ready for sleeve knitting by next post.

New Yarn
This Sundara Sport Silky Cashmere arrived this week. Its a special 'club' colour in the July issue of Summer Sunflower. I am looking for scarf projects for it. Something with an easily repeatable lace.

Week Twenty Four

The first week of school holidays is done and it's been a productive time so far.
I have two sewing projects and some knitting progress to show.

Tattoo Silk Dress
I bought this 100% silk in the recent Tessuti Fabric sale. It's called "Skin Art". I thought it would make a fun summer shift dress.
I cut and assembled Vogue Pattern V8683 with no modifications.

Here's a full length view. I made this dress to knee length.

...and a close up of the fabric

I was lucky to receive the first parcel of several Sundara Yarn purchases. This is Sport Silky Cashmere in "Gingered Peach". I have enough for a cardigan and think it will be a perfect compliment to this dress.

Blue Silk Cowl Dress
Another DKNY Vogue Pattern, V1179. I've made several versions of this now, both without sleeves (as per the pattern) and with self-drafted sleeves like this one.

This crepe de chine silk is another fabric from my Beijing trip.

I added soft draping cuffs to the wide sleeves.

Heres's a full length view.

Lightweight Sweater
I knitted past the yoke increases on my Lightweight Sweater. (In Sundara Worsted Silky Alpaca in colour "Rhythm of the Saints"). The sleeves are held on waste yarn waiting for me to finish knitting down the body, after which I will knit them down to length.
I haven't decided if I'm going to finish with a rib (as per the pattern) or just let the edge be in a natural stockinette fabric.

This coming week will see me knitting on the Lightweight sweater, on the cabled fronts of Brigid. (Hopefully to be finished by the end of school holidays) and thinking about a new project with the Gingered Peach.