Knitting, sewing, gardening, and the occasional gluten-free recipe.
The Tekura Tee is my go to top in warm weather. So I decided to make a few more! I can get one from a yard of fabric, so I grabbed the two prints on the left in organic cotton knit when Spoonflower was having a sale. The white interlock on the right is from my stash.
If you look closely at the blue print, you will see an elusive character. đź‘€
Yesterday I sewed my second pair of Ottobre’s Casual Cotton Pants pattern in some stretch navy twill fabric from deep stash. These fit better than the last pair, but if I decide to sew them again, I will cut a smaller size. This is size 48, but probably sized 46 or even 44 after sewing, as I did not include a seam allowance and sewed with a 1/2” seam allowance.
They are super comfy. I love the high waist. I’ll think about sewing a pair in denim, but not anytime soon. I think this could be my favorite pants pattern, if I can nail the sizing. Pattern is from Ottobre Woman Autumn Winter 5/2021. This issue also has a great trench coat pattern I want to sew.
I finished sewing my cotton pants, and I have to say, I like them. These turned out more like old school chinos instead of jeans, which I’m really happy about. I skipped the belt loops, as I never wear a belt or tuck in my shirt (except here so you can see the trouser top).
I cut a size 48, and I should have gone with a 46. I had to take in an extra centimeter on every seam, but made it work. They are still a little loose, but it’s a good thing since this fabric is 100% cotton and has no elasticity. Next time, though, I’ll cut the same pattern without a seam allowance, and sew a 1/2” seam allowance.
The rise came out well, as did the fly. My only complaint is the instructions said to cut a bias binding for the inside waistband edge. This was unnecessary and, in fact, made it too long. I ended up having to hand stitch it down. Next time I’ll omit this step and top stitch the serged edge of the waistband through the seam on the outside.
Pattern is Casual Cotton Pants from Ottobre Autumn/Winter 5/2021. Fabric is gray cotton twill from stash. I’ll make my next pair in some navy stretch cotton twill, also from stash.
It’s nice to have woven pants that fit. I was getting tired of wearing joggers, or dresses, or overalls. Okay, who am I kidding. I never get tired of overalls.
Merry Krampus socks done! Yarn is PNW Purls Merry Krampus in Chelan 80 BFL 20 Nylon base. These are for Bob, and I hope those heels last until next Christmas!
I finished weaving my scarf! Yarn is Gist Array in US sourced Corriedale and Columbia wool. Colors are Lotus 1, Ocean 1, Tangerine 2, Violet 3, and Daffodil 3.
I’m pleased with it. It is nice and long. That’s one of my pet peeves with scarves. I like them long enough to triple around my neck. It looks great with my blue coat!
I enjoyed weaving on the guild’s Schacht Wolf Pup 4-harness floor loom. As a thank you, I enclosed the accessories I made and purchased in a bag I sewed with black walnut leaf dyed cotton canvas. Another guild member made a raddle, so it will be nice to keep these things together for the next person who borrows the loom.
I am really enjoying being part of the guild. So many lovely people and some in person social time is doing me good.
I’m not sure I’ll make weaving one of my regular crafts. I prefer knitting, and I have so many things I want to knit. But I may consider a rigid hedge loom in another year or two. I’d love to weave dish towels for the house, and for gifts.
I finished my Peaceful Lodge Sweater. I absolutely love it. I can wear it without a shirt underneath, too. I was worried about that because of the kid mohair content.
Pattern is Lodge Sweater by Ozetta. Yarn is Peaceful colorway in Superwash Merino DK by Cornbread and Honey held with Aloft by KnitPicks in color Sydney.
I grabbed the Cornbread and Honey yarn last spring at the Wild and Wooly Fiber Expo in Cleveland. There were five skeins of this colorway, and I scooped them all up with the intention of knitting a sweater. This is one of those dream projects that came together without much planning. Just a lot of knitting, so nothing to complain about. Mostly stockinette, too! I knit it on US 9 needles to get the most yardage out of the yarn, plus I hit gauge and liked the drape of the fabric.
I cast on Powdermill this week and have completed one round of corrugated rib. Not much to see so here is a photo of my pins. Marilee and I are having a little Powdermill knitalong. She wanted to start the new year off with a bang.
I continue to make progress on my scarf. I weave at least one color repeat each day, meaning all five colors. The stripes are random, so it’s not a pattern repeat. The purple is my favorite, and I’m halfway wishing I had woven the entire weft in purple. This will be fun to wear, though.
Yesterday, for Saturdate, Bob and I played a new game: Horrified: American Monsters. It was a little complicated at first, but once we got the hang of it, it was really fun. We also watched After Midnight. We enjoyed this romantic horror comedy. I haven’t laughed that hard during a movie in a while.
This has been a Year of Projects update. You can read my updated project list at this link. You can find out more about the group on Ravelry.
I finished knitting my Holiday Doodle Cowl! I was worried I made it too snug, but I love that I can cover my nose with it and it stays up. (And ears!)
Pattern is Holiday Doodle Cowl by Pacific Knit Co. She has different versions of the pattern, so you have to make sure you get the charts you want. Yarn is Rauma Strikkegarn in 123 mid green, 100 white, 155 light blue, 144 red, and 198 light green. I ended up finding the red at Wool & Company, but I purchased the rest of my yarn from The Woolly Thistle.
I like this yarn a lot. It’s woolly, so not for someone who wants their wool super soft. But to me it’s warm and cozy. I have enough left to make some mittens, so I think I’ll do that. I’ve been wanting to make some trigger mittens from Saltwater Classics since our trip to Nova Scotia. They would be fun in these colors.
I also really enjoyed knitting the pattern. It’s fun, straightforward colorwork. I think this may be my favorite type of knitting, after stockinette. I’m also proud of my grafting, which you can see here. Or can you?
I’ve wanted to knit this since 2020, when I purchased the pattern on Ravelry. I’m glad I will have it to wear this holiday season!
I finally finished it! Pattern is Ghost Knitter’s Shawl by Ambah O’Brien. Yarn is Pacific Northwest Purls Bump in the Night and Fluorescent Green, Seattle base. It’s sparkly!
And yes, the green glows under black light.
I had some trouble with the lace section, which surprised me as I’m usually pretty good with repetitive lace patterns. I made a few mistakes, some I fixed and some I fudged. You can’t tell unless you look closely. But overall, I’m pleased, and I look forward to wearing it next October. I think I may knit another in a gradient one day. I hope I learned enough from my mistakes not to repeat them!
I finished sewing another pair of Free Range Slacks, this time in the cropped, wide-leg version. I made these with the intention to wear them on the beach. They are sewn from Cestari’s Virginia-grown cotton canvas. I love this fabric. It has a soft hand. I dyed it myself in Cerulean procion dye. I didn’t have a large enough tub to get a consistent color, but I knew this going in and felt it would be okay for this project.
I left the hem raw so it would fray, though I sewed one line of stitching at 1/4” from the edge to control it.
I’m happy with how they turned out! I am glad wide-legs are back in style. These will be good spring through fall, though they won’t be warm enough for our winters. I don’t think any cotton pants, including jeans, are warm enough for our winters. That’s why I’m on a mission to make myself some wool trousers or overalls this fall.
I finished knitting my 2 Spooky Halloween Hat! Pattern by Nancy Bates. I bought the kit with yarn from Aly Bee Workshop: Superwash Merino Worsted in Pumpkin Spice, Spooky, Poison Apple, Trick or Treat, and Natural.
It’s a good fit. I opted to steam block it since it’s superwash, and I didn’t want it to grow.
I decorated the pumpkin faces with duplicate stitch.
I’m all pumpkined out for Halloween, just in time for October!
Snakes & Cranes 