Thanks everyone for the congrats on winning the Colette contest! ♥ I have been so busy this week writing up all the information for resizing our knit-along pattern I haven't had any time to even contemplate blogging or replying to comments. And when I say writing up the information, I mean writing it up... and re-writing it up... and re-writing it up. lol I can't tell you how many hours have gone into writing and how many ... Read more »
I won!!
This is just a pip—I won a big contest!I had a rather crappy day (nothing major, just didn't sleep well and you know how that affects everything you do all day long), so boy was this a delightful surprise. I actually started jumping up and down when I got the email and Mel had to tell me to stand still because I wasn't making any sense. Hee hee!So what did I win? The Colette Patterns blog name contest! They're going to ... Read more »
Briar Rose Vintage KAL: Gauge swatches
This week's knit-along post is about gauge and swatching. Gauge is one of the most crucial elements to successful garment knitting. For newer knitters, or knitters who haven’t spent a lot of time knitting things that eventually make it to a body part of a specific size (think a sweater, a hat, gloves, socks), you might not be as familiar with the concept of trying to ‘get gauge’. Gauge is just as crucial with vintage ... Read more »
Finished project: Olivette cardigan
Today I finished a cardigan that I knit entirely to match one blouse. Yes, one blouse. Last fall, I bought a lovely short-sleeved silk blouse at one of our favorite antique malls. There's one booth that is always filled with clothes that fit both Mel and I. They aren't always our style, but when they are, the odds are in our favor that they'll fit. It's really weird. I love that booth.So I bought this blouse. I don't ... Read more »
My handmade vintage wardrobe challenge 2011
It's really time I sat down and thought about my wardrobe.I'm not participating in the Colette Spring Palette Challenge, but it's really had me thinking a great deal about my clothing and accessories and the colors I pick. While I wasn't able to commit to the challenge in the time frame as set (plus I would want to include knitting, naturally), it's really inspired me to think about what I'd like out of my own self-made ... Read more »
Friday board games
Remember on Friday I said we were going out to play board games? Indeed we did. There's no photos from Taboo, which mainly involved lots of arms flailing about, but there are a few from Pictionary. (And I did kick some butt!)And my two favorite drawings of mine that won. Jen guessed correctly the below was "Fargo".And Emma guessed correctly that the below was Mt. Rushmore.I have smart friends. Those are crappy drawings. ... Read more »
Winter footwear
I know I'm not the only vintage lover struggling through Winter. It's a miserable season for vintage clothing and style. During the week I'm commuting in ugly but necessary winter boots. Half the time on the weekends I haven't been able to avoid them much, either. They aren't cute. They aren't stylish. They are winter boots. They keep me warm and dry, that's about all I can say for them.I've been determined lately to step ... Read more »
Briar Rose Vintage KAL: Initial thoughts on resizing, modifications
I hope you've all been thinking about yarn! I made my final decision. I'll be knitting my sweater in ivory, and ordered KnitPicks Comfy yarn. It's mostly pima cotton with a bit of acrylic, and should be perfect for Spring and early Summer wear. In this installment, I just want to touch briefly on a couple of topics we'll focus on as we go along. One that may apply to some of you: making modifications. One that will ... Read more »
Ivory sweaters
I've been trying to decide what color and brand of yarn I'd like to use for the Briar Rose Knit-Along. And I've come to a decision on color. Well, it's sort of a color. Potential stains be damned, I'm going with: ivory.Because I really need a versatile short-sleeved sweater. And apparently, ivory is a good go-to color for me. As I sat thinking about colors, I said to myself, "Yes, I have a vintage ivory cardigan, for the ... Read more »
Finished project: Birdie blouse
This weekend I finally finished up a languishing project! My birdie blouse, from vintage Simplicity #4256.I sewed view 3, which is a basic collared blouse with gathers at the shoulder and cuffed short sleeves (I omitted the pocket). I started this blouse about a month ago and it gave me fits in the beginning due to the collar. I'm still not completely convinced that the methods I've seen to attach a collar and facing are ... Read more »
Briar Rose Vintage KAL: Yarn and supplies
It's Monday and I'm going to talk a little bit about yarn and supplies for our knit-along!YarnWe know that our pattern, Briar Rose, is knit in fingering weight yarn. In the yarn world, this is pretty thin stuff. I like the below picture from KNITFreedom which really gives you a good idea just how much thinner fingering weight is than heavier yarns. What we're looking to use is towards the top of this chart.Image from ... Read more »
Thursday outing
Last night we decided to brave the labyrinth of snow walls that now make up our city to go out. Did you know some people here "save" parking spaces once they uncover their car from the snow? Really, it's a pretty hot issue! Fortunately we don't have to worry about it since we don't have a car parked outside. The guy in the car in the right of this photo saw me taking the picture and joked that we should go sit down in the ... Read more »
Briar Rose Vintage KAL: Fit, Estimating Yardage
Today is our first meaty knit-along post for the Briar Rose Vintage Knit-Along!I'm going to try to tackle a couple of issues we'll have to deal with early on: fit and estimating yardage for yarn.One of the reasons I’m glad we’ll be working Briar Rose is that it’s a stockinette (sometimes called stocking stitch) sweater. I know that might seem boring to some, but that works well for this knit-along as it will make ... Read more »
Blizzard
So, you may have heard we got a bit of snow over the last 24 hours here in Chicago?I worked from home and Mel stayed home, so we bundled up in our deepest winter gear and went on a walk during lunch.In the photo above, I was already standing on top of about 6 inches of snow. I think we got about 20" total in the city. The photos are beautiful today, but don't get me wrong, it was downright dangerous yesterday. On the walk ... Read more »
Vintage sweater knit-along: The winner is…
While we prepare here for what the National Weather Service is calling a "dangerous multifaceted and life threatening winter storm" that's in theory going to dump anywhere from 12-20" of snow on us (yikes!), I'm ready to announce the winning pattern for our vintage sweater knit-along. Drumroll please......With about twice as many people interested in it than any other pattern, the winning vintage pattern for our ... Read more »
Swing dress sewing misadventures
This weekend was one of those weekends that really made a somewhat novice sewist want to chuck her sewing machine out the window.[from Sensibility.com]In Casey's Swing Dress Sew-Along, we started the muslin. Because not only have I never sewed a dress before but I've never sewed anything with that kind of overlapped v-neck, I have been very diligent in going through all steps. I cut my pattern pieces out of Swedish ... Read more »