twylem.

It is overdue but it is finished! I started this test knit back in early February. It was moving along very quickly but we had some weekends of rough teething (we are officially up to 3 teeth!) and my knitting was laid to the side. Do you experience a lull in momentum on a project when you constantly have to put it aside? I know I do.

I have wanted a new black cardigan for a long time – unfortunately this is going to be way to warm for a summer-over-the-shoulders-cardigan but it will be perfect for the rest of this winter and then the fall. It is almost more like a jacket due to the collar.

Pattern: Twylem by Vanessa Smith

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Worsted in colour black

Needles: 5.5mm for the yoke, collar and body; 5.00mm for the sleeves; 4.00mm for the belt

I really wanted to test this because of the super cool collar. The construction was interesting – I loved working the top-down collar with the yoke, then picking up and working the ribbing. It makes the collar bulky. I think that was very smart that it isn’t double layered all the way to the bottom of the cardigan – it would have been a lot of heavy fabric and warmth.

The seaming on this is minimal – the collar join at the back of the neck is a 3-needle bind-off. But the one seam is the double collar edge to the lower single ribbing. It was challenging to figure out how to seam it to get a clear line all the way across. Vanessa’s tutorials are fantastic and the finished edge looks perfect.

While I was knitting this I lost 10lbs. So by the time I got to the sleeves, it was too big. I did decide to size down the sleeves, though, and knit the 34 1/4” size sleeves instead of the 36” sleeves. I’m glad I did as it actually helped with the rest of the sweater even though it is too big. I should have knit the 34 1/4” instead of the 36”. It’s only 2” but in this case, for me, it made a big difference. And here I was concerned about whether I should knit the 38”! It would have been huge!

That’s the difficult thing about knitting while you are pregnant or just postpartum – everything for me felt too tight and now that I am getting back to my pre-pregnancy size, everything is too big! It is a small problem to have but when knitting sweaters, it is a little frustrating :)

How have you been doing with fit ‘issues’ lately?

weekend work.

“What’s a weekend?”

-The Dowager Countess of Grantham, Downton Abbey, Season 1

The weekend seems to be the best time for me to work on my various crafting projects as I usually have some quiet time to myself. I thought that going forward, I would continue to share some of this ‘weekend work’ with you as I am able since I tend to mostly share finished projects rather than works in progress…

 

Last weekend, during a bout of teething, I was able to continue working on a test knit that I am very excited about. It is going really well and I can’t wait to share the finished item with you once the pattern is released. The construction is ingenious – I’ve been really enjoying working on this one.

 

 

A sneak peak for you! I hope you are working on something stimulating, interesting or just plain enjoyable as well :)

rain rain, go away.

Come again another day!

But if it is going to stay … which it tends to do here in rainy Vancouver … then I may as well have a super cute jacket, yes?

It came together beautifully – I couldn’t be happier. The Minoru Jacket was definitely challenging but I enjoyed every minute. Although there was re-sewing in a few instances, it was definitely not outside my skill set … which is pretty limited when it comes to sewing.

I think what I am happiest about is that not only does it fit me … it fits me perfectly … ZIPPED UP!

I cut out the size 12. Reveal time! I am a 42” hip and 36” bust so I was nervous that the jacket would be too big in the yoke and too small in the hips – my complaint about every single jacket I have ever owned.

BUT! (no pun intended) this was not the case with this pattern! It fits in both areas perfectly. Win!

The only two modifications I made to this (I was not about to start mucking around with this pattern) was:

• Lined the hood, and
• Lifted the elastic line about 2” to hit my waist. I have a long torso and after doing my muslin, I knew I would probably have to raise it. My waist is 28” so I did have to cut off 5” of the elastic after I thread it through the casing – there was not enough shaping in the waist otherwise.

I found a water and wind resistant outdoors 100% synthetic at a local fabric wholesaler. It is quite stiff so yes, working the gathers was a little difficult. I had second thoughts about my fabric choice at that point but I’m really glad I persevered. This feels and looks like a real rain jacket – it is definitely outdoor wear. And the gathers actually turned out quite nicely considering it is stiff fabric:

I didn’t interface anything. As you can see, there was no need! If I had interfaced the front plackets, I think it would have made the jacket so stiff that it would have been lifeless. Instead, there is some movement but keeps its structure.

The pockets. I wasn’t sure what to do about pockets. I wanted them … but I didn’t. If I didn’t put pockets on, the utility of this jacket would have decreased a huge amount – I need somewhere to put the truck keys when I’m managing Tiny Tuna! So … I made simple simple simple pockets with buttons from my stash:

They are 5” wide, 6” deep at the long side and 4” deep at the short. I’m really glad I added these and I think for what I was looking for in the jacket, they finish it nicely.

While I was sewing, I decided to do a little math once I finished to explore the ‘cost’ of making pieces of clothing like this in comparison to buying them. If I had bought this jacket, it would have saved me time but would it have saved me money? value? What was the true sewing value of this item?

As soon as I finished, I decided to calculate my estimated cost, price and value of my Minoru. This is how it all broke down in the end:

Cost: $79.39 (after tax, CAD)

Price: $145 (after tax, CAD) (this is the cost of the same jacket that I originally wanted from Mountain Equipment Co-op)

Value: $261.91 (after tax, CAD)

So, ideally cost will be lower than price will be lower than value. That is certainly the case here. My jacket, to me, is worth a lot more than it would have cost me to buy it outright … that’s pretty cool in my humble opinion :)

All-in-all, regardless of the numbers, math and money, this was an awesome project. Thank you Tasia, for a wonderful pattern for the pear-shaped ladies out there!

What have you made that fits you perfectly? or a winning pattern you’d make again? I’d love to hear about it!

ps. Yes, we took these photos in the rain for authenticity! M kept reminding me that the camera is not waterproof. Who knew? hehe

gathers & cuffs.

Part of learning to sew again means there are hiccups, re-dos and frustrations. It helps that the whole time there was a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel because every time I put the jacket on my dress form there was nothing but good things. I’m so glad I did a muslin first!

The first hiccup was the zipper in the collar. I don’t know what happened, but my zipper window came out about 1.5” longer than needed.

 

I had more than enough fabric to redo the collar and lining. The second time I measured twice and cut once:

Although my zipper window when finished was far from perfect, it looks ok and is not so bad that anyone would notice … unless they are closely inspecting the zipper in which case, they are probably standing too close :)

Hiccup #2 … Can you tell that my hood lining is darker than the collar lining? Yup. They are different polyester linings. One is slightly more purple, the other is bluer. I didn’t have enough of the main lining to line the hood as well. In my effort to use up my stash of fabric, yarn and various other things, I decided to use what I had rather than buy more. Now that the jacket is finished (yup, you’ll have to check back for the finished product), you wouldn’t be able to tell they are different unless again you are standing too close :) hehe

Not to give away too much for the finished project but I will mention the fabric I used. As you can probably see, it is quite stiff. It’s a water resistant polyester that was a bolt end at a local wholesale shop. I paid $9 per meter. After looking into it, I decided not to waterproof the seams since the fabric is only water resistant. The cost would not have been worth it! An idea for a future jacket I think …

While basting for the gathers I was having second thoughts about my fabric choice. I worried for no reason – it was perfectly fine. The fabric is a medium weight so the gathers were stiff and hard to even out but in the end, it was worth the added effort for the water resistance. There’s not point spending the time working on a jacket like this if it is not water resistant since it rains here a lot. Oh Vancouver … I both love and hate your weather patterns.

I chose not to interface the collar due to the stiffness of the fabric – I’m really glad I chose this route. The collar is soft but stands on its own perfectly. And I loooove the size. Very cool.

Lastly, the cuffs proved to be a little challenging in this stiffer fabric. I ended up re-doing them with 1.5” elastic instead of 2” – this made it easier to deal with when sewing them to the sleeves. It also proved to be helpful when I sewed on the lining using Sewaholic’s method rather than slipstitching by hand.

Check out that perfect match-up :) That you can stand too close to admire!

I shortened the sleeves by about 2” based on my muslin – I’m really glad I did. I have long arms but even these were a little too long for me.

Once we get some photos of the finished jacket, I’ll share. I hope your crafting is taking you on new adventures (and that no one is standing too close to see your ‘learning’ hiccups either)!

scholarly.

He is not particularly scholarly at this point as most of the time he is more interested in his hands and toes … and trying to eat them … but this is one gorgeous cardigan never-the-less!

Lisa has done it again :) I had the pleasure of testing this sweet little cardigan over the past couple of weeks and enjoyed every minute of it.

Pattern: Storytime Scholar Cardigan by Lisa Chemery *pattern to be released soon!

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in colour 2452

Needles: 6.5mm for the body and sleeves, 6.00mm for the collar and button band

This is a very sweet little cardigan. I love the colour on him, too. The length is perfect for the cooler weather as well since everything rids up on him at this point.

Can you see Charlie’s nose there in the corner? I am not sure if he was busy sniffing Tiny or the newly-washed-in-lanolin-and-must-be-tasty sweater … hmmm

There are a few things about this little sweater that I just love – the garter stitch elbow ‘pads’ are just darling and the 1x1 ribbed pockets are a wonderful finishing touch.

My favourite aspect of this little sweater, though, is the collar/button band – it is the reason I wanted to test knit this for Lisa. I completely fell in love with it at first sight. I just looove the combination of 1x1 rib and garter. What a wonderful idea!

It looks even more wonderful on him! I just love the subtle transition and the perfect shawl collar that it creates:

I know that I will get some questions about the yarn I chose to use. I was stash busting (again) and did not have enough of any Aran weight in my stash. Cascade 220 is a light worsted so the fabric that was produced on 6.5mm needles, while gauge to the pattern, is quite light weight and a little frustrating to seam (there is a small amount of seaming to finish the pockets) – but I expected this as I had knit with Cascade at a loose gauge before. I would have gone down another needle size if I knit this again for the button band as the garter is quite stretchy but other than that I am happy with the finished sweater. The nice thing about Cascade is that while light, it fluffs up nicely when given the chance so it worked nicely for this but if you like more substantial knitted fabric, this might not be the best choice of yarn for your project. It does not get very cold here in Vancouver so this will be perfect for Tiny through his first winter. Right, Tiny?

Right, Mommy!

Finally, here is a photo of the finished sweater minus Tiny:

Next, onto holiday knitting. I`m almost finished! Are you doing any holiday knitting? Have you finished? How is it going?

muslin-ing.

There have been exciting things happening here at Casa del Welford. As I have mentioned, I have been delving into sewing again. Thoroughly, I am enjoying it.

Like swatching in knitting, I decided to make a muslin for the Minoru Jacket (by Tasia of Sewaholic). I was torn between a size 10 and size 12 based on the pattern measurements. I cut a size 12 figuring I could always cut a size 10 if it was markedly too big even after adjustments. Since this is a jacket and I want to be able to wear a sweatshirt or this underneath, it needs a lot of positive ease so I decided to stick with the size 12.

Based on the pattern, as well as my own body, measurements the fit is perfect. I didn’t bother with the collar when I cut the muslin. Neither did I cut the front plackets. What I was most concerned about was the depth of the raglan sleeved yoke and the placement of the elastic waistband. In making the muslin, I did learn the sleeves are way too long for even my long arms so I eliminated 2 inches (and cut a size 10) when I cut the ‘real’ version.

The raglan is perfect with a sweatshirt beneath (I didn’t photograph this as my favourite one is the same colour as the muslin). The elastic waistband, however, will be too low. I marked the new placement for the ‘real’ jacket. As well, I’ll have to raise the inside pocket on the lining.

Without raising the waistband, the back neck to waist is too long for me. I’ll reassess when I get to this step in the pattern – wish me luck! We’ll see if my measurements work out …

Now onto the fun part :)

What are you working on? Is it challenging and enjoyable? Mindless and relaxing? Exciting and new? Happy stormy November!

military.

I’m taking a quick moment while tiny tuna sleeps next to me to share a re-finished knit :) After much debate with myself, I decided to re-think the closure of the Truffle Cardigan/Jacket that I finished earlier this year. I didn’t like the closure that I created but figuring out a closure that would work was quite difficult.

Although I have knit many sweaters, I still find closures difficult. In some ways, I know what I don’t like. That said, I often don’t know if I’ll like the closure until I see it finished. Maybe this is why I often buy more than one set of buttons per sweater and waffle back and forth between which to choose? This sweater was no exception and has probably been the worst of any sweater I’ve knit.

Originally, the closure was completed like this with 4 snaps backing the buttons. The shawl collar, while my favourite thing about the sweater, created a challenge: How to close the sweater while keeping the integrity of the collar intact? As well, adding buttons that augment the sweater and would not detract from its features (i.e. cables, shawl collar, yoke, etc.).

Although the look of the finished front is okay, it was actually quite awkward to fasten while wearing. The heavy snaps weren’t as functional as I had hoped. As well, I was only lukewarm on the appearance. It just didn’t feel finished.

What to do? I decided to buy some new buttons – I found these leather ones at a local shop – and go from there.

The i-cord lengths create a military look that I think finishes the front of the sweater much better than the previous closures.

The heavy Donegal tweed lends itself to a closure like this as when it’s knit tightly in the i-cord (I used small needles to obtain a rigid cord), the fastening is sturdy and uncomplicated to close while wearing. I included a button on the wrong side of the right breast (opposite the top visible left button) to assist with the closure as well.

When the cardigan is left open, the i-cord just hangs. I didn’t sew it in place along the front ribbing. I’m still deciding if I’m going to do this – I like the look of the i-cord just hanging when it’s open. There’s something quite organic about it.

I wonder if I’m the only one who struggles with sweater closures? Is this something you find challenging or is there something else about sweater construction that is your Achilles heel?

Happy August knitting! Can you believe the summer is passing so quickly? M and I celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary this coming weekend – we both can’t believe how quickly this summer has gone … as well as 5 years of marriage! :)