Editing Store-bought Knitwear

There it was, a charming gray jumper dress on sale in Dunnes on Patrick’s Street. The cables on the front were classic and I loved the button-up cowl neck, but the length was so very wrong for me. If I wore it with leggings [and focused some exercise on my lower half] it could work, but I don’t do leggings. Hmm, what could I do? I was with a friend and author of Hook’s Law blog, so we put our heads together and figured out that it was machine knitted in as front and back pieces then put together with side seams. With patience, it wouldn’t be hard to unravel the bottom and reknit the ribbing to make it shorter. Sure, why not.

I purchased the sweater dress and determined where I wanted to start my new ribbing from then thread a contrasting thread through to mark the row. Then I picked up all the stitches in that row with a small circular needle and proceeded to steek a few inches below that mark. I retained the steeked bottom to make a handbag or something. The pockets were just so darling! That left me with several inches to unravel and wind into a ball then work with.

Once I had unraveled back to the circular needle point, I reknit the ribbed edge. I did the ribbed knitting and though it did not look like the original ribbing, it was, after all, hand done. I then used Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off to retain the stretch of the ribbing.

Though I could have done with another one to two inches of ribbing at the bottom, it works nicely in its new length and is more flattering.

The entire experience left me with a completely new outlook on shopping. No longer do I simply accept what the store has to offer, I also look at the potential that piece has for a bit of creative editing. Something to keep in mind when you’re out shopping at second-hand shops and the sales!

My First ‘Wham Bam Thank You Lamb’ Neckwarmer

As I wrote last week, I decided to make the ‘Wham Bam Thank You Lamb‘ (WBTYL) neckwarmer and to learn the proper Long Tail Cast On. Well, the WBTYL neckwarmer was done lickety-split and sent off in a care package to a knitter friend in a cold climate. But this is how the experience of knitting it went…

The cast on itself was an experience and I enjoyed learning a new technique. The stitches were easy with garter stitch results. I chose to knit it with paired up Red Heart acrylic (Firehouse Red) and a random wool I had around (Aubergine). The color combination was exactly what I wanted because it was being made to join a cableknit hat and gloves set I bought from Lands’ End. The Lands’ End red Merino set was a slightly darker red than my Red Heart, but doubling it up with the Aubergine toned it down to the perfect shade visually. The set looked wonderful when I sent it off.

Handknit Acorn Hat

Since I diverted from my usual gift of baby blankets, I’ve been knitting and loving hats! First, I knitted myself a Fair Isle effect hat then I made a Fair Isle effect newborn baby hat. This is well after I knitted my very first ever hat, pattern-less. I don’t know if it is the fact that each hat takes three to six days or if it is just nice to know I’ve made something comfortingly warm and fairly useful. I thought it would be fun to knit up a hat for my nephew. He has a collection of Cork City baseball hats from us and I’ve seen pictures of him playing in the snow in a vibrant fleece hat with ear flaps, so obviously he’s taken care of for warm and cold weather – but what about chilly? A machine washable handknit hat without ear flaps but with some personality! That was my goal. I also wanted to knit it in shades of brown to accentuate the chocolate sweetness of his eyes. I chose a basic brown acrylic DK and paired it with doubled up self-striping brown sock yarn. The combination has all shades of brown from hazelnut to mahogany. Perfect! I created my own pattern for his based on what I liked about my very first hat. It has a kind of acorn shape to it. I decided to shorten the stem and do it all in one piece. The entire project took six days and the most time consuming part was the ribbing.

Here’s the recipe/pattern which has only been tested by me so if you don’t like it, please don’t get upset. Sharing this is just to give you a jumping off point in case you too want to knit a hat for a toddler with a big head.

How to Decide If It’s Time to Finish or to Frog a Stalled Project.

Not all knitting projects work out and some just stall or hibernate. Like a broken down car, I kick the tires and wonder if it’s worth sticking with it or perhaps it’s time to move on to something new, maybe a more energy efficient model this time? Long after I’ve moved on, unless the previous one has been frogged, it is still there – up on blocks in the backyard.

I have 11 unfinished projects that I started more than six months ago, five of which were started in 2009! So, it’s time to finish or frog. I’ll approach the 2009 projects in this post: two scarves, a jumper, and two blankets. Of those items, three were for me. This goes back to pre-2011 my priorities being to finish projects for loved ones first. Time for balance! How will I decide? Well, I think I will look at each project and evaluate the following criteria:

1) How much time and effort have I invested in this project so far? Would it break my heart to frog it (if so, can I make it into something else – handbag, baby blanket, toss pillow cover)?

2) Have my needs changed since this project stalled or is there still a suitable purpose, desire, or destination for it?

3) Is it in good condition and quality stitch work exists?

4) Do I already own enough yarn to complete the project? If not, is the yarn still available and how expensive would it be to purchase what I need?

5) Do I have time in my schedule to finish this project? If not, is there something else can I make with it in its current condition or minimal finishing work?

Now, let me consider my five 2009 projects:

Learning the Long Tail Cast On

This is one of those times when names can be deceiving. Here I’ve been thinking for a while now that the ‘long tail cast on’ just meant I left a long tail on the yarn when I cast on. It’s not that I am not an intelligent person, it’s just I never put two-and-two together and realized it is a different method altogether. Then I decided to make the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb for a knitter friend. Knitting for a knitter brings up a whole new level of standards in my psyche so I looked up the ‘long tail cast on’ to see if it really was just a normal cast on with a longer tail, but it is completely different. Once I saw the video I flashed back to nights in the pub with my knitting expert friends doing this dancing finger cast on that looked fast and intimidating. It seems I already knew the long tail cast on, but now we were becoming properly introduced.

YouTube saves the day with this video which was done slowly as to give me a fighting chance of learning and doing this cast on correctly.

Don’t worry, I’ll post again when the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb cowl is done and show you how it all worked out.

Shopping for a New Sewing Machine

This is a speedy post as I am getting ready to go out shopping for a new sewing machine. I’ve done my research, have my preferences in-mind, and can’t wait to upgrade.

For the past year, I’ve been loyally assisted in my sewing projects by my MiniStitch machine (£11.99 from Amazon.co.uk) which my husband gave me for my birthday (by request). It takes up minimal space and gets the job done. It has helped me sew curtains, a chair slipcover, custom knitting needle cases, drawstring bags, a baby quilt, a bib and onesie set, and much more (I know, I’ve been creating without writing posts about it, for shame – I’ll play catch up next month). Don’t worry, the upgrade won’t mean I put my MiniStitch out to pasture, it will just get a little help with all the sewing around here.

When upgrading, I was tempting to just go up a notch and stick with something portable and small. After all, MiniStitch fits in my big purse so I can bring it to the pub for knit night in case we want to steek something. Yeah, I know, you’re wishing you were a fly on that wall, aren’t you? The Michley LSS-505 Lil’ Sew & Sew Multi-Purpose Sewing Machine with Built-In Stitches for $37.99 from Amazon.com caught my eye, but I thought if I am going to upgrade I should go with a big strong machine that has multiple features and is built by a lasting brand. Having learned on my grandmother’s Singer, I was leaning in that direction.

With Singer brand on the brain, I searched for them on Amazon.co.uk and on Amazon.com. In the end, shipping seemed prohibitive and I remember how lucky I am to live in Cork where we have Singer’s Corner. Of course, wanting to spend less than €100 limits my options, but at least there is a place for supplies and repairs locally!

The adventure will continue with a peek at Argos, Singer’s Corner, and Aldi. After all, who can resist checking out the Singer Aldi has on promotion this week.

Books to Inspire You to… Renew! Recycle! Create!

Taking something that already exists and creating something new with it has such poetry – or at least that’s how I see it. It can also be described as resourcefulness, flexibility, thrift, or upcycling. You’ve read about my adventures making old things into something new (felted jacket, wine cork trivet, Christmas tree), now read about how you can do it yourself. Here are some books encouraging ways to make something new from something not-so-new:

1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse : Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew (1000 Series) by Garth Johnson
$16.50 from Amazon.com or   £11.45 from Amazon.co.uk

Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials by Jeannine Stein
$16.49 from Amazon.com or   £8.85 from Amazon.co.uk

Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin by Terry Taylor
$15.61 from Amazon.com or   £9.65 from Amazon.co.uk

Eco Craft: Recycle Recraft Restyle by Susan Wasinger
$16.47 from Amazon.com or   £10.88 from Amazon.co.uk

Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts (#4802) by Leisure Arts
$14.96 from Amazon.com or £11.35 from Amazon.co.uk

Craftcycle: 100+ Earth-Friendly Projects and Ideas for Everyday Living by Heidi Boyd
$15.63 from Amazon.com5.63 from Amazon.com5.5. or £9.07 from Amazon.co.uk

Rubbish!: Reuse Your Refuse by Kate Shoup
$13.59 from Amazon.com or £9.09 on Amazon.co.uk

Playing with Books: The Art of Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book by Jason Thompson
$16.49 from Amazon.com or £11.43 from Amazon.co.uk

Re-Creative: 50 Projects for Turning Found Items Into Contemporary Design by Steve Dodds
from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

Upcycling by Gunter Pauli
Amazon.com or from Amazon.co.uk

EveryDay Upcycle: 101 Scrap Crafts and Repurpose Projects by GreenCraftBlog
$14.99 as Kindle Edition from Amazon.com

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough
$18.15 from Amazon.com or £5.63 from Amazon.co.uk

Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay
$10.09 from Amazon.com0.09 from Amazon.com0.09 from Am or £6.56 from Amazon.co.uk

Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay
$9.72 from Amazon.com or £7.43 from Amazon.co.uk

Taffy Twist Cowl

It’s cowl weather! Determined to knit a cowl that was both cosy and versatile with a bit of design flair, I first looked at my yarn stash and thought about what yarn would add a splash of sunshine to a winter’s day. Sure enough, it was the Di.Ve‘ Fiamma yarn because of the sweet candy hues. Then, the pattern. Sadly, I am not much for following patterns exactly and since it’s a cowl, I jumped in to just wing it. Two skeins of Di.Ve‘ Fiamma (more about the yarn later) and a few days later, it’s done!

I nicknamed my creation the Taffy Twist Cowl because once it was knitted up, it reminded me of a caramel apple coated in sprinkles and crushed rainbow lollypop shards with maybe a rainbow of marshmallows too. The imagery alone makes this a cheerful yarn to work with and a fun cowl to wear.

Want to knit your own? I wrote the recipe down in a nice pretty blog post, but it’s over at my new blog, EvinOK.net. Don’t worry, it’s a short trip and I’d love to see a familiar face.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PATTERN ON MY NEW BLOG, EVINOK.NET

Oversized Hat for a ‘Just Right’ Big Head

In two years of knitting, my husband has watched on as I’ve made baby blankets for other people’s children, scarves for other family members, and even things for myself, but finally last week it was his turn. Even the biggest of brains need to stay warm in cold weather, so I measured and surmised until I thought I had a plan to knit a winter hat for my husband’s 24-inch (61-cm) circumference head. It took three tries to get the right size and I knitted it from the bottom up to make sure. There are a few nice big hat patterns out there, but it was a challenge to find one that was also baggy. Basically, I wanted to make a hat that would be great for someone with dreadlocks, even though my husband doesn’t have them. Of course, leaving enough comfort room around the forehead and crown so he isn’t left with an imprint of ribbing when he takes the hat off. We have somewhat mild winters here in Cork, so if you need to up the warmth just line it in jersey or knit it with two strands for the entire hat. So, here is the pattern for the fabulous hat that he now wears daily.

I’m Posting At Least Once A Week for 2011

I’ve decided I want to blog more. Rather than just thinking about doing it, I’m starting right now.  I will be posting on this blog at least once a week for all of 2011. Ideally, you can come here and find a new quality post every two to four days.

I know it won’t be easy, but it might be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. Therefore I’m promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similiar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.

If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.

Signed,

Evin O’Keeffe