Shira's outfit - work in progress.

Almost there! Shira needs to wear this outfit to a wedding on Saturday, so I'll be finishing the details and popping it in the post tomorrow.

All that's left to do now is the rest of the contrast binding - you can see the start of it around the neckline.

I've added two photographs to try and show the fabric in different lights, although neither of these pictures are really doing it proper justice. The fabric shimmers under the light, and it's going to look absolutely beautiful once it's on a moving body.

I think this one is currently winning the prize for "most glamorous outfit I have ever made". Hopefully it'll be even more stunning when it's finished!

A Knitting Milestone.

This weekend contained a knitting milestone. For the first time ever, my Mum phoned me to ask for knitting advice!

This is a marked improvement from a conversation we had about two years ago, when I was knitting a small swatch so that my Mum could show me some different types of increases.

Mum: What are you doing?
Me: Knitting...
Mum: No you're not!

Turns out I'd been knitting through the back loop all along, which was why I couldn't get a kfb increase to work. Still, I'd managed to throw together two jumpers that way, and they looked alright... ;)



Issue 40 of Simply Knitting dropped through my letterbox on Saturday, and it has a pattern for the most gorgeous long mohair jumper. ("Spook" from Rowan Magazine 43 - although Simply Knitting has much nicer pictures!) It takes 5 balls of Kidsilk Haze in my size, although I am extremely tempted to go out and buy four more skeins of magenta Colinette Parisienne instead.

My only concern is that I've tried knitting with Parisienne before, and I absolutely loathed it. I'm used to knitting on large needles (6.5mm and up) with chunky wool, so knitting mohair on 3.5mm needles felt like wrestling spiderwebs and gave me cramp in my hands. The question is, do I want to wear this jumper enough to be able to put up with the horrors of knitting it...?

Pottering...

I've seen the doctor again, and have been diagnosed with "secondary viral labyrinthitis". Sounds more exciting than it is, I promise! I have been instructed not to stay in bed feeling sorry for myself, but instead to "potter about" doing a few gentle bits and pieces.

And so, I present to you another skirt:

This one's made from a recycled duvet cover. It's faded black, with squares in light and dark grey.

There will shortly be six of these available, in the following sizes:

Waist 24-34", hips 34"
Waist 28-38", hips 38"
Waist 32-42", hips 42" (pictured)
Waist 36-46", hips 46"
Waist 42-52", hips 52"
Waist 46-56", hips 56"

Finished length is approximately 27", including the elastic waistband.

Let me know if you'd like to claim one, before I add them to the shop. :)

Moss-stitch trim zip-up cardigan.

The Dreaded Lurgy keeps striking me down in sudden and annoying ways, so I have mostly spent the weekend quietly knitting.

The first part of the weekend was spent unravelling, when I realised that I couldn't bear to knit another stitch on the Cardigan with Cabled Points, and I was no longer certain that I actually wanted to wear it even if I did force myself to get it finished. So, I made the executive decision to unravel the whole thing.

I still wanted to knit a zip-fronted cardigan, but I decided to go for something a lot simpler. No pointy bits, no cabling on rows that didn't line up, just a simple fitted cardigan.

Having turned to Ann Budd for help, I managed to get this far:

I've typed the pattern out below, for a size 36" chest. Once the cardigan's finished, I'll write out the pattern in more sizes and make it available, probably as a PDF file. It should work with any chunky weight wool.

I haven't checked the pattern for any glaring errors yet, mostly because I haven't finished knitting it! I'll make edits as I go along, if I find anything that's difficult to follow.

If you decide to follow the pattern and find anything odd about it, please let me know!


Moss Stitch Trim Zip-Up Cardigan

Wool used - RowanSpun Chunky, approximately 525 metres.
Any chunky weight yarn should work out fine, as long as the gauge is correct.
7.5mm straight needles.
12 stitches and 18 rows to 4 inches.

The pattern below is for a finished chest measurement of 36".

Back
Cast on 54 sts
Moss stitch for 10 rows
St st until piece measures 6"
Dec 1 st at each end of next and foll alt row*
Work 5 rows even
Inc 1 st at each end of next and foll alt row
Work even until piece measures 13"
Armhole Shaping
Cast off 3 sts at beg of next 2 rows
Cast off 2 sts at beg of next 2 rows
Dec 1 st at each end of next and foll alt row
Work even on 40 sts until armhole measures 8½"
Shoulder Shaping
Cast off 5 sts at beg of next 4 rows
Cast off rem 20 sts for back neck

Left Front
Cast on 27 sts
Moss stitch for 10 rows
Change to st st, keeping 6 sts in moss stitch at end of all rows. (This creates self band.)
St st until piece measures 6"
Dec 1 st at beg of next and foll alt row*
Work 5 rows even
Inc 1 st at beg of next and foll alt row
Work even until piece measures 13", ending on ws row.
Armhole Shaping
Cast off 3 sts at beg of next row
Cast off 2 sts at beg of foll rs row
Dec 1 st at beg of each rs row, 2 times
Work even on 20 sts until armhole measures 7", ending with ws row
Neck Shaping
Slip 6 edge sts onto stitch holder
Join new yarn, and work to end of row
At beg of next ws row, cast off 5 sts
Cast off 1 st at beg of next rs row (neck edge), 2 times
Then dec 1 st at neck edge every rs row, 3 times
Cont even on 4 sts until piece measures same as back, ending with ws row.
Shoulder Shaping
Cast off 4 sts.

Right Front
Cast on 27 sts
Moss stitch for 10 rows
Change to st st, keeping 6 sts in moss stitch at beginning of all rows. (This creates self band.)
St st until piece measures 6"
Dec 1 st at end of next and foll alt row*
Work 5 rows even
Inc 1 st at end of next and foll alt row
Work even until piece measures 13", ending on rs row.
Armhole Shaping
Cast off 3 sts at beg of next row
Cast off 2 sts at beg of foll ws row
Dec 1 st at beg of each ws row, 2 times
Work even on 20 sts until armhole measures 7", ending on rs row
Neck Shaping
Work to last 6 sts.
Slip 6 edge sts on to stitch holder.
At beg of next rs row, cast off 5 sts
Cast off 1 st at beg of next ws row (neck edge), 2 times
Then dec 1 st at neck edge every ws row, 3 times
Cont even on 4 sts until piece measures same as back, ending with ws row.
Shoulder Shaping
Cast off 4 sts.

Neck Band
Sew fronts to back at shoulder seams
Mark centre back
Work on 6 sts of each front band in moss stitch until they are long enough to meet at centre back
Cast off and sew bands together at centre back, or graft bands together
Sew bands to fronts and back neck.

Sleeves
Cast on 28 sts
Moss stitch for 10 rows
Change to st st
Inc 1 st at each end of every 6 rows, 9 times
Work even on 46 sts until piece measures 16" (or desired length to armhole)
Shape Cap
Cast off 3 sts at beg of next 2 rows
Cast off 2 sts at beg of next 2 rows
Dec 1 st at each end of every rs row, 2 times (32 sts)
Dec 1 st at each end every 4 rows
Dec 1 st at each end of every rs row, 6 times
Cast off 4 sts at beg of next 2 rows
Cast off rem 10 sts

Finishing
Block all pieces, if necessary
Sew fronts to back at side seams
Sew sleeve seams
Set sleeves into armholes
Insert zip at centre front.

Notes
*If you do not require waist shaping, simply leave these rows out, and work even until piece measures 13".

As you knit the fronts, you may find that the moss stitch pulls the work upwards. you can gently stretch the bands out as you go, or you can leave it, and even things out when you block.

When you knit the bands, you may find that you need to knit them longer than you think, in order to stretch them around the curves of the crew neck.

Clearing out the cobwebs.

I've been struck down with a Horrible Lurgy all week.

I needed to go out and get some supplies, so I thought I would take the advantage of the lack of rain and howling gales to take my camera for a little walk.

It's nearly spring!

You can see the rest of the photos here.


I like this pretty daffodil.
I might have a couple of these photos made up into greetings cards.

Surprise Spring Skirt

This morning I've made a skirt, as a surprise for my Mum. Who probably won't be very surprised by the time she receives it, given that she reads this blog!

We had just one small piece of this fabric at work, and it was exactly enough to make one of my elasticated waist skirts. I thought my Mum might like the print - it's a tiny floral on a black background. The flowers are yellow, with a pink centre.

I didn't even have to draft a new pattern, as my Mum and I are conveniently the same size, so this one came together very simply and quickly.

*saxophone solo*

Here it is at long last - Jennie's completed halter top!

This version has two straps which tie at the back of the neck, instead of one complete band. It's also faced instead of hemmed along the top edge - I didn't want the inside of the fabric to be visible on the straps.

As you can see, there's also a lacing detail at the front.
I didn't use eyelets, because they'll only pop out of stretchy fabric. The centre front is reinforced with a double line of stitching, and the laces were sewn directly through both layers of fabric using a large leather needle.

I'm really, really pleased with this one - although a little sad that I couldn't get hold of any more of this fabric!

Shira's Fishtail Skirt - ups and downs.

I've just finished the toile for Shira's skirt, and her whole outfit is now in the post. Once Shira's tried it on, she can give me some feedback, and I can start work on the Real Thing.

The skirt is Simplicity 4401, view F. It's a fishtail style - fitted at the top, and flared out from below the knees. The fabric we'll be using for the real thing is a shimmery viscose, which is wonderfully soft and drapey.

Thankfully, the viscose fabric also very clearly has a right and a wrong side. this should help to prevent me from making the same stupid mistake that I've just made on the mock-up!

I managed to sew one side front/side back panel together back to front, so for the mock-up, Shira will have to negotiate an inconvenient hip-shaped seam over her stomach. Oops.

Normally I would have undone the seam and started again. Unfortunately I didn't realise what I'd done until after I'd overlocked all the seams, and I didn't have enough plain black fabric left to make the skirt again. We're also running on quite a tight deadline, so I made the executive decision that it was better to send a mock-up with a mistake in it, than to risk rushing the final skirt and end up doing something even more daft.


I'm extremely cross with myself for making such a ridiculous mistake - such is the peril of using a fabric without an obvious right and wrong side! Still, at least it wasn't on the real thing, and I don't think it's a mistake I'll be making again any time soon.

Shira's kimono top - the toile.

The pattern for this top is Simplicity 3893. We're making a number of modifications to it along the way, including the length of the sleeves and the shape of the hem.

The most important alteration is to allow extra room for a fuller bust, otherwise the empire seam will be too high, and Shira will be showing a little more cleavage than she bargained for!

You can see where I've added more fullness in the bust area. Hopefully this will fit Shira better than it fits my dress form!

The wide belt continues from the front band, and ties in a satisfyingly large bow at the back.

The hem has been changed so that it comes to a point at the front and back. All raw edges are trimmed with bias tape. On the finished garment, these will be in a contrast colour.

This is just the toile. The finished garment will be made in a lovely soft shimmery fabric.




And now to finish the matching skirt, so I can send both items out in the post for Shira to try on!

The Great Kool Aid experiment.

Recently I bought a sewing pattern from an American Ebay seller. As a little free gift, she included a mini packet of Kool Aid! Having looked at the ingredients and decided that I didn't want to risk actually drinking it, I thought it might be fun to do a little experiment.

I must admit, I didn't have very high hopes for this experiment's success. The instructions on Knitty and in Simply Knitting Magazine (Issue 26, April 2007) both state that you should use only unsweeetened Kool Aid, and that you should allow 1-2 3.9g packets per 50g of wool. I had only one individual serving (smaller - sorry, I didn't note down the weight) packet of sweetened Kool Aid, so I wasn't at all sure whether it would have any effect on the wool at all.

I bought a single 50g ball of Sirdar Eco Wool. It's completely undyed, so I figured that would be perfect. I followed the instructions in Simply Knitting magazine.

First I pre-soaked the ball of wool in warm water. Apparently wool floats! Not to worry - it soon sinks when it gets nice and wet. It helps to press the air out a bit.


I left the ball of wool soaking for about an hour, to let it get nice and wet all the way through. I didn't bother unwinding the ball into a skein, as I figured that the dye bath would penetrate all the way through, and I didn't mind if the outside was brighter then the inside. I just wanted to see whether it would work at all! The water is warm, but not too warm.


Here's the wool, now soaking in the Kool Aid.
I took the ball of wool out of the water, and drained it in a colander. I pressed out most of the water, taking care not to scrunch the wool about too much, in case of felting. In the casserole dish, I poured in the Kool Aid, and then diluted it with warm water, roughly the same temperature as the wet ball of wool. When all of the Kool Aid crystals were dissolved, I popped the ball of wool into the solution, and added more water - enough to cover the whole ball. I then scrunched the wool around carefully, to make sure the dye was going all the way through.


Then it was on with the lid, and onto the hob for a good cooking! Simply Knitting magazine said, "When cooking on the hob, cover and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes". I left mine cooking for about an hour, because I was watching Funny Girl on tv, and lost track of the time. I don't think it ever quite reached a simmer either, as I left it on the very lowest setting. During the ad breaks, I carefully turned the ball of wool, to make sure the dye really was going all the way through. I'd recommend using gloves for this part - firstly because it's hot, and secondly because I ended up with pink fingers for most of the day.


Tipping out the Kool Aid solution, I left the ball of wool until it was cool enough to pick up.


I then transferred it to the shower. I made sure that the water was roughly the same temperature as the ball of wool, and rinsed out the excess dye. I then squeezed out as much water as possible, taking care not to risk accidental felting.


Winding the wool around my clothes airer to dry, I'm really pleased to find that the dye is much more even than I'd hoped for. I think I'd call this experiment a success!


And here's the final result! Left overnight to dry, and wound into a neat little cake, I have a lovely ball of pale pink wool!


The dyeing made no mess whatsoever (except for my pink fingers, but that was my own silly fault!), took very little supervision, and was extremely easy to do.

You can buy Kool Aid in the UK from D T Crafts or Kool Aid UK for as little as 40-50p per packet. Kool Aid UK also sometimes sell expired packets specifically for dyeing, as they can't be used for drinking once they're out of date.

The ball of Sirdar Eco Wool cost £3.99, so the addition of 50p for the dye definitely wouldn't break the bank. I'm not sure I'd want to try and dye the yarn for a whole jumper, as you'd have to get a bit scientific about the dilution of the Kool Aid to make sure that all of the wool came out pretty much the same colour. But for single-ball projects, I'm definitely going to be doing this again!