Always a Little More

Am I a glutton for punishment or what. After all my recent writing about not liking fiddly time-consuming finishing and embellishments, look what I've been working on:

Why why why do I do this to myself? Well, look at the picture again...at the end, it's all worth it. Look how cute that is!

And what is it? It's the hemline of a little baby cardigan I finished up "just in time" (read, two weeks late) for a friend's new baby girl. It's sized around 9-months, so being two weeks late is fine in my book. (As long as your friends aren't too impatient.) Project Stats
Started: Sum 2007
Finished: 2 Jun 09
Pattern: Baby Jacket by Michele Rose Orne in Vogue Spr/Sum 07 (rav link)
Materials: Red Heart Super Saver; DMC embroidery floss; flower button
And considering how long it took to finish, I'm glad it's even close to the birth!

I knit the sweater up pretty quickly as I recall. That was in the summer of 2007, so forgive me if I don't remember exactly. I did the embroidery on the back and was still rather enjoying myself. To finish the ends, I was trying a modification of the square knot that was supposed to be more secure.

Sometimes it was, and other times it just came undone. I had made the sweater out of acrylic so it would be easy care; having the knots come undone did not fit with my plan! Maybe it was operator error, but that doesn't help me get it retied when I've already cut the ends. Oh, it was demoralizing. So I threw the whole thing into a duffel bag and hid it under a bed somewhere.

The sweater only resurfaced 2 years later when these friends announce that they're having a girl, and the mother (on a separate occasion) happens to mention that she loves handknits on kids. Well, there's nothing like an expressed appreciation for knits to get me motivated!

So I haul the poor neglected sweater out again and ask around for some advice. The most likely suggestion is to glue the knots. Now, normally I am not a glue person.

I eschew glue.

It's all I hear on craft shows, and especially slap and dash Martha Stewart: glue it! glue it! I don't trust the stuff. Normally. But I'm at my wit's end and decide to give it a go.

I used a fabric glue that claimed to remain flexible (so it wouldn't be a hard little uncomfortable knob) and washable (falling into that "easy care" category). I used it very generously on every single knot. When the back looked ok, I proceeded to finish the embroidery on the fronts and sleeves and, again, glued every single knot...a lot.

I had no more problems with knots coming undone.

But then there was the glue. It was mostly flexible, but kind of scratchy. The ladies at Red Purl insisted in their polite way that I had to do something. Will this project never end?

The only thing to do was face the back of the embroidery to cover up the glue, and in the process, neaten up the back of the work. I know it's in the inside, but it never hurts to make the inside pretty too. And it would protect the knots and hopefully keep them from being damaged by wear.

So with all this in mind, I motivated myself for yet another step.

When the embroidery was done, the inside of the back, fronts, and sleeves looked like this:
The knots and messy stuff were exposed.

I started by picking up and purling stitches off of the first rib of knitting below the embroidery:
I then knit just a few rows of stocking stitch. In the pic below, you have the main piece (with the embroidery, and all that glue: just look at it!) and the extra flap I have knit (being held above the main piece):
Now, I've folded the flap down and you can see how it covers the ugly backside:
But it still needs to be fastened down on the free edge. Although I considered a type of 3-needle bind off, that would have been far too bulky and messy. (And ugly. We're working to minimize the ug here.) So that left me with a Kitchener stitch done between the live stitches on the needle and the last row of bumps on the panel I did the embroidery on:
I think that left me with a very neat facing, and no more ugliness. With the added bonus of increased durability.

Voila!

Having finally declared the work finished, I quick as a bunny sewed up the seams before I could change my mind. (Or anyone at Red Purl could have another nose wrinkle at it.) Then knit the collar with one buttonhole and blocked it:
I wasn't sure how blocking was going to work on the acrylic, but it did wonders. The front bands had been curling all over the place (I hate curling) (not the sport) and the blocking took care of that like nobody's business. The facings for the embroidery make the sweater very thick there and it took several days for it to dry completely! The piece should be safe in the dryer, however, so I don't anticipate that being a problem for the new owners.

And now I give you some glamour shots of the [finally] completed baby cardigan:

May it be worn in love and good health.

Finishing Mariah: Part 2 of 2

It is time, at last, for the unveiling of my Mariah. (I know you've been sitting on the edge of your seat...)

I've worn it a couple times now and it is comfortable and warm. It really feels good. It came out a little larger than expected (the original pattern calls for it to fit snugly enough to fit under a jean jacket) but feels so good I'm glad it's not smaller and possibly too tight. And it does fit comfortably under my leather jacket, so I can still get the same look if I want.

Project details:

Started: Nov 2004

Finished: Apr 17, 2009

Pattern: Mariah by Jodi Green, free

Materials cost: black wool, free; green wool, $18.80; zipper, $5.66

A general summary of the construction:

. cable details in the ribbing

. knit from the bottom up with the yoke knit as one piece

. raglan style decreases

. constructed from wool rescued from a damaged Gap sweater

Modifications to the pattern:

. simplified cable pattern on sleeve because I knew I didn't have enough wool

. changed neckline shaping because it was coming out too wide

. completely reworked hood including adding the cable edge because I could not get the pattern instructions to work

. did not knit a 2 stitch garter border along front and hood edge. (My edges are neat enough that I do not need to fold over a facing, thank you very much. Yeah, you can come and check them out--they will stand up to your scrutiny!)

. added a second colour because I did not have enough black

I was not crazy about the way the hood fit at first but am coming to terms with it. I just have to learn to put it on right! I think the neckline was decreased a little too much and, as stated in the previous Mariah post, the hood was made a little too large. However, I am very pleased with how it looks hanging down the back:

and that's most likely how it will be the majority of the time. (And if I'm cold enough to pull the hood on, I am not going to be caring particularly about how I look!)

All in all, I am so happy I made this sweater, and am even happier I finally finished it. If you see me around this spring, chances are you will see me in my Mariah.

[ETA: Mariah won a blue ribbon at the 2009 County Fair (knitted cardigan or coat).]

Finishing Mariah: Part 1 of 2

Get comfortable...this is a long one. So long, in fact, that I split it in two. But I guess a sweater that was 4+ years in the making deserves a long post to finish it up!

This first post will describe the finishing details and the second will give pictures of the final project and sum things up.

In an earlier post I promised some more details about the hood.

I ended up knitting it up to about 4" short of what I thought should be the final length. (That's all in green.) I took the middle 4" from the back (starting on the right side of the above pic) and knit those stitches from back to front. At the end of each row I would knit the last stitch together with one of the stitches from the side. That way I avoided having to sew a seam and it makes for a nice ratio of rows to stitches as you go.

Then, since I wanted the cable to continue around the front edge, I stopped knitting when I got up to the cable and changed directions again. I took the stitches from the cable on the right side and continued to knit it until I met the cable on the left side, now knitting the last stitch with the live stitches from the top panel.

Finally I had to finish the seam where the cable met itself and used the Kitchener stitch. The close up pic shows the seam and I think it came out pretty well. (Of course the black will hide any flaws anyway.)

In general the hood came out a little long and a little boxy. But boxy is better than pointy in my book. And I guess I'd say long is better than too short and tight. So if I had to err I think I leaned the right direction in both cases.

And now for the zipper. You may recall that I was worried about how the zipper would go in. It's very easy for the sweater to get all stretched out during the insertion process. Then the zipper doesn't lie flat but instead travels in valleys and mounds. Not very flattering. It's also easy for the two halves not to be level, or for the zipper not to be centered. In other words, there are lots of ways for a zipper to go wrong, and only one way for it to be right.

Shortly before needing to do the zipper I fortunately read this post from the Yarn Harlot where she succinctly summarizes the steps to putting in a zipper:

1. Baste the fronts together, making sure the top and bottom edges match. This may sound obvious but sometimes these things get overlooked. Especially when you are almost done and just have one measly zipper holding you back.
I went ahead and basted right where the sweater was laid out from blocking.

And use a contrasting yarn that you can easily see to pull out later.

2. Lay one half of the zipper on the sweater matching the edge of the zipper teeth with the center seam you just sewed. Baste with thread, once again in a highly contrasting colour.
(Some people just pin but I am a firm believer in sewing zippers. Zippers shift as you pull out the pins. They can't shift if you've got them sewn down within an inch of their lives.)

3. Zip the other half onto the part that's sewn down and baste it too. See, now the two halves have to match perfectly on your sweater. No shifting or lumps or anything. Perfect!

4. Now you'll have to remove the first basting. Hopefully you've not only used a contrasting yarn, but also a smooth slippery one that will pull out easily without leaving a lot of fuzz etc. (Oh, should I have mentioned that earlier?) Then unzip the two parts of the zipper.

5. Next up is the actual sewing. Some may do it by hand, but unless it's really fine or fancy, I'm going to use my machine.

Here's a little tip that helps whenever you have to sew along an edge: do not place your foot so that it hangs over the edge of your fabric and only half the foot is guiding the fabric. Rather, place it so it can run entirely on top of the fabric and just move your needle position to the side (to the right in the above pic) so that the stitches are close to the edge, but the foot can still move evenly over the fabric. I also used my walking foot which helps a lot.

You can sew from the top or from the bottom, but whatever you do, sew both sides from the same direction. So if the zipper or fabric shift at all, they will shift in the same direction and still match. This will mean, however, that one side is easy to sew with all the fabric to the left of the machine and the other side is not.

Below is the left half being sewn, and you can see most of the fabric is in the way.

However, since my machine has a wide throat (and I know I've bragged about it before, but it really is wonderful) it was not a problem in the slightest.

Once the zipper is sewn in, you can then take out the basting threads. Et voila, a zipper is installed and I could call my Mariah finished!!

The Sahara Dessert

Dessert because it is just so yummy.

I am exceedingly proud of my finished "Sahara" which I think you can tell by the angle of my crossed arms. I finished it Tuesday night, but waited all the way to today (Thursday) to wear it. No one at work noticed. When I finally mentioned it, they said, "You. Did. Not. Make. That." (In a good way.)

It is continually interesting to me that people can see me working on something week after week, but then when I have it assembled and finished, they can not at all see that it is that same thing. I guess that comes from not really knowing how these things go together. I can only assume. Because otherwise when they constantly harass1 me with questions about what I'm making, they really aren't listening to the response at all. And then, I ask, why bother asking? Ok, now I will turn off Rant Christina. (I really don't mind you asking about what I'm making, but please make sure if you do, you're actually interested.)

Enough with that.

Here is the back of Sahara:
The fit turned out great. I could have knit it maybe an inch longer, and I think the "shirt tail" hem could have been a little longer. (Yes, that is sort of the same thing.)
And were I ever to do this again, I would eliminate the hip increases across the front because although my hips are large enough, they are not in front of my belly. My front is rather flat (ok, from the waist down anyway) and those increases do not help the shape at all. Otherwise the shaping looks very natural and works for me. Now I'll know for other shirts I may knit with similar shaping.
Project Stats
Started: 7 Jan 09
Finished: 3 Mar 09
Pattern cost: $3 (1/2 price!)
Materials cost:
Mano Silk 4@11.50=$46
Tilli Tomas Diva: 1@39=$39
The fabric wears very well. The main body is knit with a silk wool blend and is warm and soft without being stifling. The trim is 100% silk with sequins. I had someone warn me that she could not stand the sequins in the neckline and ended up having to line it (I believe), but they did not bother me at all. (Yay!)

I was hoping to avoid blocking, but will have to face the fact that blocking would improve the shirt. The "collar" bunches up and the area to the right and left of the neckline pulls in when it should lie flat. It would probably also help keep the trim at the bottom of the sleeves from flipping up like it wants to do. And if I really wanted, I could probably block the extra inch in length too.

Wish me luck!

[ETA: The Sahara won a blue ribbon in the 2009 County Fair (knitted blouse).]

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1 I only use the word harass in this context because at work I only knit on my lunch break. And then I tend to need a little "alone time."

Full of Wool

I was going to wait to share this news until I had actually done something with these items, but I couldn't wait.

Let me back up.

Saturday I was doing some things after working in the morning, and was going to do my long-overdue groceries just before heading home. But pulling into the parking lot, I couldn't help but notice that it was extremely busy. Extremely. Oh! it's the day before the Superbowl. I decided no lack of food could make me go into the store that day. I then saw that right next door was an equally busy Goodwill store...but it had 50% off going for it. For that, I can brave the crowds.

I made quite a haul. I found wool sweater after wool sweater that was begging to go home with me. Some days there's nothing but ramie or acrylic blends, but not today. I bought most of them for fulling (the correct term for "felting" an already knit item).

Let's start with this shocking pink number: It's 70% lambswool, 20% angora, and 10% nylon (for strength), from "Lady Sansabelt" (which means nothing to me).

The colour attracted me right away. It is even more shocking in person, but it's quite a true pink. After fulling, I will probably cut it up and use it with other pieces so I got it for the punch it could give to other fabrics.

It was also a prime candidate for fulling because it has several noticeable holes (tsk tsk to the person who didn't care for it properly) and some colour damage on the back (probably from bleach?) which will not be noticeable after the fulling. Perfect!

This next number was desirable for its beautiful fair isle pattern and its sheer size.
The colours are not anything I'd wear, but I'm thinking maybe a throw pillow, or possibly a tote. (Could I possibly use another tote?! Maybe...) This one is from Eddie Bauer and is 100% wool. Should full like a dream.

The next item is what I would call a hideous sweater. From Sag Harbour. (Need I say more?) Also 100% wool. What it has in its favour is a consistent colour and being an XL, it offers a lot of fabric!
It would be the perfect counterpoint to the following huge item:
This almost-knee length sweater coat is actually quite nice. I tried it on when I got home to see if I wanted to wear it a while before fulling it. But it's not very comfortable. So into the washer it will go. The light flecks you see are the very shade of pink of the above sweater. Could things get any better than that? I'm thinking of cutting them into squares and sewing the squares together with edges abutting (but not overlapping). It should work. And then I could line it with flannel in case the lucky recipient baby's parents are worried about the babe's reaction to wool. This item was from Stitchworks and is 66% wool, 20% mohair and 14% polyester.

The next item could be felted (American Eagle, 100% Shetland Wool) but I think I will try to unravel it instead. That is a whole other adventure in reinventing Goodwill finds. The wool is very fine and a little course so I think it would be perfect for my second pair of socks. (The first were more than two decades ago--do I still have to count them?)

And of course, the original reuse of Goodwill items still applies: I have added this same vest in red to my wardrobe. The red one was in a little better shape (not as stretched out) and of course fits into my wardrobe a little better. (I love the red.) I'll let you know how the unravelling goes.

I bought one more sweater, but it has already been unravelled. I will post some process pics soon. With the sale, all the sweaters were $2.50--even the big sweater coat. At that price, I think they are worth buying just for the possibility that I might do something with them. Or just the practice to get better at fulling. It sounds so easy when someone who's done a lot rattles off the steps. But I've learned there's always a lot more to learn than you might think!

Happy with the bargains and the possibilities they bring,

christina