Fiber Friday

So happy to be blogging again!

I haven't done much with fiber lately but I have some yarn projects queued up for 2017.

The Lex Shawl from a Quince & Co

I purchased a booklet of shawls last year and it included this lovely pattern. I received some beautiful blue yarn for Christmas that I hope will become this shawl!

Blanche from YOTH yarns

I started this sweater in Brooklyn Tweed yarn, colorway fern. I think it will be a nice addition to my post pregnancy wardrobe and it is fairly straightforward. I haven't done much seaming so it will be a good challenge.

Lucy Hats from Quince & Co

I have the exact yarn shown in this photo so I think I will make this hat. I love having a slouchy hat to cover up bed head in the winter. Plus, it should go faster than the other projects, right?

Project Peace Cowl

So I didn't finish this in December, but I'm enjoying the project so I hope to finally nish it up this year. I am using some YOTH yarn from a previously frogged project and would love to actually wear this yarn, since I purchased it 4 years ago.

I have a few other WIPs:

1. Onward Shawl
2. Ribbed Blanket
3. Featherweight Cardigan (which I may have to frog)

Here's to hoping 2017 has a few more finished projects so I can enjoy the wearing of these beautiful yarns!

Fiber Friday

I finally made something for me! I was going through my clothing and noticed a few tank tops and tee shirts with those very tiny holes near the front hem. You know the ones that are almost unnoticeable but technically holes so the shirt is a bust? I was pretty bummed until I remembered seeing a cool tutorial online for sewing a dress from an existing shirt by just adding a skirt.

Here are a few of my inspirations:

Basic Tee into a Summer Dress

Black Striped Two-Tone Dress

Lace Two Toned Maternity Dress

I knew I had enough gray linen and plenty of shirts to choose from so i go started. I used french seams so it would be nicely finished. But when I got the waist section I was skeptical about getting it over my head. I wanted the waitlist to be high, almost empire waisted so that it would drape over "the bump". I had squeezed into a summery dress the day before and it was so comfy and forgiving I hoped this would give me lots of wear. But I had merely gathered the waistline and was going to attach it to a jersey knit top. So instead I went simple and found some elastic. I made it into a skirt instead and in the end, I have about 6 or more dressed in one!

Since the linen is a nice dark gray color, it goes with pretty much any top I owned pre pregnancy, including the ones that definitely are too short to wear. But with this skirt, I can put it over the top and it looks like a color blocked dress!

I know it's a bit wrinkled and simple, but imagine it with a black and white striped, coral, or mint green tee shirt or a tank top peaking out the top and a cardigan. I'm so in love. I also made the hem just below my knee so that it is long enough to go without leggings and long enough that as the baby grows, the skirt will still be long enough in the front.

Such a simple skirt and I hope that it will last me after baby comes. I could also alter it a bit after baby and make the intended dress, but right now, I'm loving the versatility. The only enhance would be pockets but since I was making the pattern up, I decided to to try anything too wild!
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Belated Fiber Friday

I have been doing a bit of fiber crafting lately but not a ton. It's been very practical and strategically planned around guests coming and going. I'm so glad I made time at the beginning of summer to sort, organize and purge my supplies because pulling things out for a day of stitching is much easier now. And of course, knowing things have a home makes it easier to clean up :)

Over the last two weeks I've been prepping two projects. One week i measured and bought materials for making cloth wipes and a baby snuggler. I've been making a few cloth wipes here and there all summer with spares bel I've uncovered (mostly left from other projects). I consulted a friend who cloth diapers and asked how many she felt was enough for a solid stash without going overboard. This helped a lot! So I bought 2 yards of flannel to make 20 more 8x8" squares (about 7.25x7.25 finished).

Last week I washed and dried everything then cut and pinned everything. I also marked darts on the snuggler and made a quick list of the steps since so much time passed between starting and ending this project. The out fabric is cotton and steel left over from a dress I made. It's so soft and felt "gender neutral". I took a scrap to the store and found a cute fuzzy flannel to serve as the lining - mint colored with sewing scissors.

Finally, yesterday I set up my machine and ironing board and got to work. It took about an hour and a half but it was so much fun because all the pieces were ready to go! I like this sort of assembly line style of sewing because I get into a rhythm and can listen to a podcast or an audio book while I work. It is also so satisfying to see everything stacked up neatly at the end of the project.

Here is "Baby Bear" modeling the snuggler. It's from Lotta Jansdotter and has Velcro closures.

I'm still plugging away on a few knitting projects and hoping this weekend will bring me close to finishing the onward shawl. As school approaches I am unsure of how much sewing I'll be able to do so I'm hoping to squeeze in one or two more sessions before then.

Fiber Friday

This week I finished my Terra Shawl and I love it so much!

I had bought this yarn for a different shawl and got about 1/3 of the way through when I realized that that yarn was too dark to showcase the texture. So I ripped it out and found the Terra Shawl. I only worked on it during movie night for the most part, but once I hit the lace section, I couldn't put it down.

I'm currently working on fixing up my Featherweight Cardigan. I started this around Christmas and plowed through but when I got to the sleeves, I must've grabbed a different brand of needle and there is a noticeable line where I switched needles. The sleeves were really bugging me so I decided to rip back. I was able to just rip back the sleeve section and get the stitches back onto the correct needles. Phew! I was fully prepared to tear the whole thing out and start new, but I'm very grateful it didn't come to that!

I also decided to take stock of my WIPs and drew up a chart in my bullet journal. It was so satisfying to finished the Terra shawl and mark it off as complete! I also cast on the Onward shawl which was the original plan for the Tosh yarn above. This time i used some Berocco Ultra Alpac I received from someone. The color is REALLY hard to capture on the camera, but it is a dusty green color and since it is a light color and fairly solid, the pattern seems to be showing up wonderfully! I've been whizzing through this pattern since it's a new cast on and the repeats are easy enough to memorize.

The color here is fairly similar to actual color.

Do you keep track of WIPs? One year I did a stellar job of logging via ravelry.com but find that it's easier to grab my journal than log onto my computer. Happy Fiber Friday!

fiber friday - baby edition

After last week's fiber purge and inventory I become inspired to start some new projects. And, what better inspiration for handmade gifts than a baby!

The first project is a continuation of a project from almost 4 years ago. This blueish/lavender yarn is from Scotland, a gift from my sister. I knit up the booties in an afternoon but didn't have the heart to give them away, so I put them in a box with some other baby gifts I was storing away for future nieces and nephews. I held the yarn together with some cream colored wool, loosely following this pattern.

I pulled out the booties last week and realized there was still quite a bit of yarn left over. So i got to work on a little hat to match. I didn't follow a specific pattern, just used specifications for a baby hat and went with stripes (in case the blue yarn ran a little short). The cream colored yarn is leftover from a shawl I made. It's Quince and Co - Tern in colorway egret. I decided on a square hat because I saw a cute hat with little ears. I'm waiting to let it finish blocking before I commit to tying the corners into ears.

The other project I worked on this week was a hooded baby towel. I wasn't really a fan of the versions in stores so when I saw this tutorial from Purl Soho, I jumped at the chance to do some sewing! I went with some fun vibrant colors, since we are waiting to find out if baby is a he or a she, and I happily using all the coupons I could find with a gift card from my class. This project ended up costing about $15 for a hooded towel and 6 matching washcloths ($0 for me!).

 

Looking forward to more sewing this summer and some finishes coming up soon! The Terra shawl is just a few rows from complete! Hope you found time to do some stitching or knitting this week!

fiber friday

It's been much too long, but to be fair, there hasn't been much fiber fun happening in the last few months. Things have changed though because it is summer break and I have new found energy and motivation to create!

I started by doing a major sort of fabric. I was able to eliminate a large tub and in doing so, discovered lovely fabrics and unfinished projects! I quickly got to work sewing up some washcloths out of flannel so I could use up my stash a bit and prep for our November baby's arrival. I hear babies like messes :)

Today I sorted through my yarn which was much easier because I did a purge not too long ago. I still discovered some lovely yarn and projects I'd abandoned and was happy to find a spark of inspiration! I'm currently playing with some Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Smoky Blue. I inherited a LARGE amount of this yarn so I'm testing out some stitch patterns and needle sizes before committing. The hubby is toying with knitting something for the little one so we're considering this blanket or perhaps this project. Updates to come!

I am also making steady progress on my Terra shawl from some lovely Tosh Merino. I have worked on this weekly for a few months, during movie nights. It is a really fun knit, though the garter ribbed section felt quite long. Glad to be in the carted lace section now! Note: the color is hard to capture so I included a photo of the yarn from madelinetosh.com. 

And lastly, I started working on a blanket in April using some Inca Tweed Yarn I've had for awhile. This is a great airplane project. Something easy to remember without having to carry the pattern around. Because it's repetitive, I tend to work on it in spurts then I get a little bored. I am really liking the weight of the blanket now that I'm about halfway through!

That's the fiber news for now and I'm very excited to be back in this space and to have some projects to share. Happy knitting, sewing, and weekending!

fiber friday - 2015 recap

Another great year for fiber projects! I tried counting it all up and here is what I recorded and remember (it's quite possible I've left something out!).

Yarn project were bountiful once again! Not quite as many projects as last year, but I nearly doubled my production just in the last three months alone!

When making this list, I was pleasantly surprised at how much sewing I did. Again, December really amped up my numbers as I made gifts for my favorite people.

What an awesome year 2015 was for fiber. I'm looking forward to more fiber friday posts in 2016! Hopefully some of those unfinished projects will move to my "completed" list :) Off to go work on my featherweight cardigan. I'm loving my Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn and am eager to wear this sweater! Happy knitting and sewing!

To see details about knitting projects, visit my ravelry.com project page.

Fiber Friday

So many fiber takes to tell!

This is a washcloth I made on a road trip last week. I'm on a mission to use up my stash and leftovers so I packed all my cotton yarn in a bag and have been picking away making simple garter stitch washcloths. This is organic cotton from various other patterns.

Yesterday I made progress on my quilt, thanks to a little sewing date with Juliann.

I also cut the leaves to start the appliqué border just outside this center square. I'm hoping to go to the fabric store this weekend to pick up some neutral greys for backgrounds.

So fun to dive back into the fiber world! Hoping to get to clue 4 on my summertide mystery knit along this weekend. Happy stitching!

 

fiber friday (delayed for revisions)

This will be part one because I am 6 rows from finishing my guernsey shawl! This has been a fun knit and I'm curious to see how blocking goes. The center increases were new for me and I'm a little unsure if the tension, but only time will tell. Edit: I delayed posting this because I was determined to finished! It's done!

I have already dreamed of wearing this with at least 4 different outfits! A major increase in progress happened after I found this beautiful ceramic bowl from my mother in law. I decided it would be a great place for my knitting to live so that it would be both decorative and practical for storage. This quickly became "at home" knitting since it felt complicated but by now I can read the repeats just from the previous row! Edit: I finished at midnight! I got it all set and blocking so when I woke up, it was ready to wear! LOVE IT! Much less bulky than I imagines, which is nice since it is textured.

I'm also about to start clue 2 of My mystery shawl! I'm so glad to be back in the fiber world. It is my sole source of relaxation these days. Edit: I woke up early and finished clue 1 so I could start clue 2! Loving the lace pattern so far. Hoping to stay up to speed on this project so with each new clue I can keep plugging away!

In the sewing world I purchased a new pattern! I've read through it and am totally pumped! Now I just need to get  fabric and interfacing. I will probably take my Quince&Co yarn with me so that I can be sure to have some coordinating handmade items. Handmade wardrobe seemed so far fetched when I started but now I'm finding it fun motivation to keep up with my creative dreams :)

fiber friday

I'm making tons of progress on my Guernsey Triangle Shawl. I love this project, even though I had to tear out a few rows. I feel good about my choice to go back and fix a few tiny things because it looks so nice now. I'm close to finishing and hope the rain will pause for long enough to get some good photos outside.

Also, I joined Helen Stewart's Mystery Knit Along! Many factors in my choice:

1. I love her percentage patterns, easy to follow and I always feel accomplished!
2. I am ready for a new pattern and shawl not that the Guernsey is close to done.
3. My dear friend is going to knit it as well so we will have another reason to check in on each other and chat knitting! I love the idea of accountability to be working on it steadily.
4. It means I get to go yarn shopping with my mom (love this!)
5. I feel confident in my skills to try this type of project. When I told someone about it they asked if i was nervous there would be a stitch that I didn't know. I love that I feel like I have the ability to work through new stitches and try something new!
6. I love Helen's patterns, they are beautiful

I'm off to the yarn shop this weekend but to prepare I assessed my current stash of shawls to look for colors I don't have much of. I'm leaning toward coral, pinkish, orange since I have a lot of blues, greens and grey in my collection.

I'm also using this cool tool from Quince & Co Yarns so compare colors online. I'd love to use their yarn for this and while I'm not sure if that will work out, it's fun to play with their colors.

I also want to dive back into some sewing. I love my new mustard yellow dress and think that a long weekend is the perfect time to get out the sewing machine! Happy weekend!

fiber friday

This is where I learned to sew. I was shorter and younger. The furniture has been arranged and rearranged at one point moving rooms altogether on,y to return. The machine has changed and the projects ebb and flow but the thrill of taking a flat piece of fabric and creating something new remains.

Sewing garments is something I have love hate relationship with. I remember the pattern choosing being difficult because the fabric shown on the model wasn't my choice and it's hard to imagine how the sketch on that page will transform into something wearable.

Last night I returned to this room to sew and mom my- who introduced me to all things fiber related- gifted me with cutting and prepping all the piece. I am grateful that she didn't have to rip seams for me, like the olden days and instead could pass on this gift her mom gave to her. Seam by seam I stitched, then ironed then tried it on. I am still not great at remembering easy to try on clothing when garment sewing, something that comes on and off quickly so the fit is most accurate.

Interfacingm French seams and pockets are done, just need to hem the bottom and sleeves (great fridaynifbt project!). I'm in the last stretch of the garment process, the one where I imagine all the different ways to wear the dress: the shoes, leggings vs no leggings, necklaces, shawls, etc. Then I imagine which occasions it will be best for and wonder if I can really hold off until Tuesday (first day of school) to wear the dress or if I will cave and wear it Sunday...

 

fiber friday

Wow, I've been knitting a lot this week! I worked furiously on the Glebe Shawl for my mother-in-law. I LOVE this shawl and hope she loves it just as much. Check out the slideshow below or my Ravelry project page.

Before putting it in the mail I took these shots in our yard, which seemed like a lovely, autumnal backdrop for this back-to-school gift.

I also worked one morning on one point of the center star of my Midnight at the Oasis for the QAL. I sewed all 16 triangles together one morning before work. I have most of the triangles cut for the other 3 points, just working on how to organize my supplies. I want them to be handy and easy to grab so that when I'm inspired I can dive in! I saw a brief post on twitter about this idea of daily crafting and how to make it part of the routine. After reading the comments here are my ideas that I will try and implement for achieving my crafting goal this fall!


Craft Night! Choose one night a week where crafting is the goal. I'm leaning toward Thursday but without our fall schedule completely blocked out, it might change.


Break it DownBreaking projects into small tasks helps me feel accomplished. I aim to complete one task each setting. I recently did this with the baby quilt I made.

1. cut all the triangles 
2. arrange the triangles into rows then pin pairs to prep for sewing
3. sew all rows 
4. sew the rows into a top and add border 
5. make small fox for the back and baste the quilt together (quilting prep)
6. machine quilt the top and sew the binding to the front
7. Hand stitch the binding

That was the plan and I actually ended up finishing the whole thing in 5 days. When I completed something quilting I could assess the next step on the list and determine if I had enough time to complete another step.

Find a System
I like to create an assembly line and system to make things go smoothly. When I am sewing half-square triangles or something repetitive I set up the ironing board and sewing table as an L shape at the same height, I can plow through a bunch by chain stitching and eliminating the need to go across the room to iron.

Making a pattern you know is another way to help the process. Of course, I've not been sewing enough lately to want to remake items. Instead I keep trying new patterns. Perhaps this is a good one for me to try out this fall.

fiber friday

So many projects to share! We're going bullet points today:

Knitting

• Blocking my Whispering Pines shawl, yippee!!

• Using Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Almanac and Soot I started the Glebe Wrap as a gift for my Mother in-law:

• I am making progress on my Guernsey Triangle Shawl in Brooklyn Tweed Loft - Fossil

• Updating my Ravelry Project Page - it's a fun way to see how much I've been working on!

Sewing

• I've cut the pieces and am prepping to start sewing this top from Purlbee. I'm using a charcoal linen which should go with all my new shawls!

• I've been ironing freezer paper and cutting little triangles to join the Jen Kingwell Quilt Along. I'm making Midnight at the Oasis  - at least hoping to :)

Fiber Friday

I finished the winter sea shawl! It's funny because I knit this in the summer in the woods, but I still love it :) it was a fun quick knit and great for working on during our road trip, movies and while listening to podcasts. I am so excited to officially block this when I get home. I did a makeshift blocking since I'm away from home because I wanted it to lay a little more flat for the photos.

 

I'm so close to being done with my whispering pines. After the shawl recovered from surgery I have just 58 more stitches to bind off. That picot binding is tricky for me so I'm taking it slow. Maybe next week I'll have photos! For now here is a photo of me working on the bind off while at Holland Lake. The island just behind me we dubbed "Whispering Pines" :)

In the fabric realm I'm considering joining this Quilt along and making this quilt. I have tons of fun vibrant colors and just need to figure out a good goal and rhythm for regularly working on it.

I cast on my guernsey triangle shawl and will have to give more details later. So far I'm taking it little by little so I do it well. I also need to get yarn for a gift shawl so lots of fun projects on the horizon!