garter baby coat. simple.

Stash busting again! But for Tiny this time. I had two hanks of Berroco Ultra Alpaca (colourway 6236 Chianti) in my stash that, if I were to have a girl, was to become the Tiered Coat from Lisa Chemery. But, as you know, we had a little boy in the form of Tiny Tuna:

So plans changed!

I loved Jenny’s (of jennystitches) Duffle Coat that she knit for her little one. Keeping the idea in the back of my mind, when I was rooting through my stash and saw this yarn, I thought, “Perfect!”

I just sort of improvised the pattern based on his measurements at about 2 months and added 4” to make it a 6 month size chest. Because he gets really hot, I made 3/4 length sleeves that I can put a long-sleeved onsie underneath if he needs it as the fall progresses.

The hood was picked up along the cast on edge and I just knit straight for 16”, then cast off. Folding the hood in half, I just seamed it up. Simple.

I was totally and completely stuck about the closure. I didn’t do any buttonholes while I was knitting, so I ended up using punch snaps. I LOVE how they turned out – I will definitely be doing this again.

I have never been a big fan of baby knits so in all my time knitting, favouriting and generally perusing Ravelry, I have very few baby sweaters picked out that I like/love/want to knit. So, a question for you, lovely readers: What is your favourite baby sweater? It doesn’t matter if you’ve actually knit it or not, I’m just curious about what’s out there! and I love hearing from you about what inspires you :)

sew renfrew.

You know when you finish something and your husband says, “Wow, you made that?” that you have a winner. For the first time in a long time, I have impressed him! haha

I decided a while ago that I wanted to start sewing again but I had a couple of concerns about this:

1. That the patterns wouldn’t fit (a memory I have of patterns I used to make when I was in high school),
2. That the fabric would be really expensive (I want good quality but not stuff that’s going to break the bank!), and
3. I wouldn’t enjoy it (I remembered finding sewing very fiddly when I was a teen but having nothing wearable at the end).

I have been following sewing blogs for a long time and buying Sew News but I have only been dabbling in projects (like the cloth diapers and diaper bag). In an attempt to figure all of this out, I decided to buy the Renfrew Top from Sewaholic and give something simple a go.

I’m hooked. Not only did it satisfy my need to craft and work on something, it was quick. This is particularly important right now as I only have snippets of time here and there to be selfish and craft. I love the marathon of a large sweater project but it’s hard to keep the rhythm of knitting a long a row with interruptions :) I’m not complaining at all – I have been looking to expand my crafting for a while. And sewing seems to fit the bill.

Pattern: Renfrew Top by Sewaholic

Fabric: medium weight knit (65% poly, 35% cotton, 3% spandex)

Version A with version B’s neck … or Version B with version A’s sleeves :)

After some deliberation, I decided to cut out the size 12 which when I am finished breastfeeding, will be 3” of positive ease. The hip measurement gives me about 1” of positive ease, which is perfect while I’m losing the baby weight. I’m not sure I would cut out the 10 in the future as I am really liking my clothes a bit looser these days but time will tell.

Because working with knits can be a little frustrating I decided not to stress about matching up the stripes since this is dark anyhow. You’d have to really inspect to see that they don’t always match up along the side seams. Also, I used a walking foot to keep the top and bottom tension even – this worked like a charm! I didn’t do any seam finishing yet as my serger is not working. It hasn’t been used for SEVEN years … so I guess that’s comeuppance for its neglect. Both my sewing machine and serger are booked in for a tune-up next week. For anyone planning on working with PUL fabric (used in the cloth diapers) – it does a number on your machine so plan to service it after or spend some time giving it a good clean out. Also, use Microtex needles – they are super sharp and work like a charm to pierce the fabric.

I’m really happy with how the neckline turned out. The stripes didn’t match up perfectly but I’m just happy it looks as clean as it does – and I only had to redo the center front once!

Based on the photo on Tasia’s blog, I did a very small zig-zag around the neckline. I love this detail. It finished it very nicely. I think next time I’ll just do plain topstitching to see what that looks like.

Lastly, the cuffs at the sleeves and waistband finished this perfectly. I love everything to be long so the sleeves and length of the shirt itself are ideal.

I will definitely be making many more of these beautiful shirts! I’d love one in mustard yellow … and grey … and navy blue … and ….

weaving baskets.

I had the pleasure of testing this sweet little baby coat, which I was able to work up last week. It was a pleasure to work up.

Pattern: Woven Basket Baby Coat by Lisa Chemery (due to be released at the end of the month)

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Natural Mix (1.2 balls)

Needles: 6.00mm and 6.5mm

Lisa asked me to make the 0-3mos size which worked out perfectly as Tiny Tuna is 12 weeks tomorrow. He’s at the top end of the sizing but I think this will fit him through October then I will put it away for *hopefully* a future child :)

The woven basket pattern was easy to learn – it really makes the coat. I love how she worked the buttons into the band. Very genius.

The construction of this coat is a classic raglan but because you start with the hood, when you cast off at the bottom, you feel that the bulk of the project is finished. There are some little details – like a slight tapering of the hood – that really make this project special.

Isn`t that the perfect fit!

The sleeves are tapered slightly which is really nice – no bulky, baggy cuffs! I also added an extra row of buttons because I had 6 and I thought why not use them all instead of just 4.

I left off the pockets – I can always add them later or to larger versions (I will definitely be making this again).

Thank you for the opportunity to test for you, Lisa – it was a pleasure!

woodstove season.

After October 1st’s heavy post (which thus far, I am doing well but it’s only been 2 days – M printed off a copy and made me sign it, then he taped it to the bathroom mirror to keep me accountable … I guess he liked the idea?!?!), I wanted to share something that was a pure joy to work on.

Alicia approached me to test knit this gorgeous chevron sweater back in the summer and while I hesitated at first due to James still being so young, I decided to jump in and try test knitting anyhow. In an effort to knit up a wearable, timeless cardigan, I bought some Patons Classic Wool. It kept this project super affordable and 100% wool all at the same time!

Pattern: Woodstove Season by Alicia Plummer (due to be released in late October)

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Dark Grey Mix

Needles: 5.00mm for the ribbing, 5.5mm for the rest

The chevron pattern is gorgeous but subtle all at the same time. It’s something interesting to look at without taking away from the neutral quality of this cardigan. The pockets add enough interest to the front of the sweater while keeping it quiet and cosy.

I have written about my issues with choosing buttons for cardigans before – this sweater was no different! I had the perfect buttons in my stash … but I only had 12 and I needed 14 (this is a looong sweater – part of what I love about it!). I headed out on a quest but an hour later, I still hadn’t found anything. After looking at what I had narrowed it down to, I realized I was looking for the buttons that I had at home that weren’t enough (no, I can’t get more) so I started again (from scratch, putting the ones that I had at home out of my mind) and found these immediately.

You can’t see in the photos, but they have tiny flowers on them that make them really special. And again, very subtle. There seems to be a theme to this sweater …

The length is perfect. The sleeves are perfect – I actually knit the 36” size sleeves for once, rather than knitting one size larger in the sleeves. I love how it drapes – it’s not heavy although it is substantial … warm is an understatement!

Buttoned up … it’s too warm for our weather right now but I can see that this will be wonderful in the winter, curled up by the fire. It never really gets that cold here but it does get very damp and that’s where a sweater like this is great!

Thank you to Alicia for asking me to test this for you – I loved working on it! Alicia asked me to post a photo with James but he had his immunizations this morning and has been uncomfortable and fussing ever since – he’s finally fallen asleep so wake him I did not :) but here is a photo from the other day of our happy, healthy boy:

Happy Wednesday!

a pledge.

This is a very odd time of the year to be making New Years’ Resolutions but something has been weighing on my mind for quite some time. It is time for action.

Here it is: I have a lot of clothing. Over the past couple of years I have become more acutely aware of this fact. While it is bothering me that I have so many items, what is particularly annoying me is my tendency to continue to buy more. I have managed to accumulate a walk-in closet and two dressers full of clothing, accessories and shoes.

To keep myself accountable, I thought I would share with you some of the damage. Here are some of my cardigans, shirts, dresses and jackets:

Skirts, jeans and kakis:

Only a few of my many pairs of jeans:

My excessive collection of scarves fills two bins (which are overflowing):

My stack of sweaters (mostly handknit so these don’t really count although there are some I have never and will never wear … something I need to tackle in the course of this coming year ahead):

I think the part of this that is not only the hardest but also the worst is my shoes … my lovely but completely unnecessary collection of shoes (and this is only half):

As you can see, when I open the closet door, I am greeted with a lot of stuff. I didn’t bother looking at my drawers of t-shirts, bras, underwear and socks. It was just too much!

There is a huge difference between need & want. Somehow, I need to come to terms with the fact that there will always be things to buy but I don’t have to be so influenced by it all. I would love to go and buy a Patagonia Jacket for this year or a very cool Lululemon Scarf but I don’t need these things – and what’s more … I can make the scarf … and if I’m being really honest, I can make a jacket that would serve more purposes than just camping and casual wear (enter Sewaholic’s Minoru Jacket).

It’s all fine & well to declare that I am not going to buy any new clothes for the next year, but honestly, within a few weeks I’ll have forgotten all about my new-found attempt to clean out my closet and will buy something that I’ve decided I need. What I really need? I need a plan.

First, I am making a pledge to myself regarding my approach to my growing closet.

For the next 12 months, I pledge:

• to abstain from purchasing articles of clothing, accessories and shoes,
• to avoid shopping malls & clothing stores to avoid temptation,
• to hand make any articles of clothing or accessories that I would like to add to my wardrobe (in exchange for something being donated),
• to systematically (throughout the year) whittle down my wardrobe to the essentials (i.e.. most worn &/or loved pieces, and classics), and lastly,
• to journal here about my experience here – both good & bad.

Secondly, I have spent some time thinking about what articles of clothing I would like to have in my wardrobe and work towards ensuring they are there.

1. T-shirts – I wear these all the time in various colours. I have a number of them but I’m not sure how many I need. I’m thinking about 8-10 would be (2 of which being white) more than adequate.
2. Jeans – My favourite. Three everyday pairs that fit well, are comfortable and I can wear with a variety of shoes. Two dressy pairs to wear out in the evening. The rest need to go as they only collect dust. I have one pair of ‘dirty’ jeans to muck around in. My maternity jeans I will put away for next time.
3. Tank tops – Mostly for layering. I’m thinking the same as t-shirts.
4. LBD – Little Black Dress. I have two. I won’t be buying anymore. I wear dresses quite a bit but that said, I wear my favourites over and over. The others remain unworn. This goes for skirts too. I don’t need anymore as I always go back to my favourites.
5. Collared shirt – I have a white one that is my good old standby. When it is worn out, I will replace it. The others I never wear and can go.
6. Slacks – I have a few pairs of these that I wear throughout the winter to go to work-related events and out in the evening. This is more than enough.
7. Jackets – Due to our weather, I actually do need more than one coat. One for rain, one for dressing up and going out. I have one of each. I also have my snowboarding jacket and a windbreaker. I don’t need any more but I would like a new black jacket like the Minoru Jacket so that will hopefully be added this winter with a fleece lining.
8. Ballerina Shoes – Black, brown and fancy gold flats. I wear ‘em all … a lot. Three to five pairs is more that adequate. The rest should be donated.
9. Heels – I have quite a few heels. I actually really do wear them. A lot. I’m going to put them all in the row on the closet floor. Any that are unworn by September 30, 2013, will be donated. I know there are a few that weren’t worn last year … I suspect they will not be worn again this year since I have my favourites.
10. Walkers – I have my favourites. I’ll do the same with these as with my heels. Those unworn will be donated.
11. Sweaters – Cardigans specifically. What is worn will stay, what is not will go regardless of whether it is a handknit.
12. Bras, underwear & socks – When it is worn out, I will replace it if need be. Going forward, I plan to invest in high quality, good fitting and well-made articles that last. Enough said!

Lastly, my goals for this commitment.

• My clothing will fit comfortably (not overflowing!) into the closet space (all hanging, not piled up) and a few drawers of my dresser.
• I will learn which articles of clothing are important to me to own and discard the rest.
• I will again value quality in clothing and shoes rather than quantity.
• I will look for Canadian-made, handmade or ethical clothing when shopping in the future because I will appreciate the labour to make clothing when it is necessary versus just crafting.

This all seems very lofty to me currently but I hope through a weekly journal post about my experience that I will be able to change my thinking and attitude towards my closet! Wish me luck :)

As a final thought, I want to put it out there that if anyone who would like to join me on this venture, I would love the company! We would all be able to keep each other accountable as there will undoubtedly be some hiccups along the way :) If there is interest, I’ll add a widget in the sidebar with a link to your blog so that we can all keep up with how we’re doing. Just reply at the bottom or send me a quick email.

I’m off to sew on the buttons to my test knit of Woodstove Season .. more on that soon.