An Edge for Knits

I've been looking for edge-finishing solutions for knits for two years. I came up with this technique for necklines & armholes. It's great because it involves no pressing or basting and little measuring. It looks great on the inside and outside. I have a coordinating hem that I'll post sometime.

Pleated Shoulders

This top is Vogue 2925 made from jersey. I like the pleats but the overall shape is too boxy.

All-Occassion Outfit

The vest is based on McCall's 5186, the skirt started with Simplicity 2645, and the cowl T was a combination of a shirt from Banana Republic and my custom T-shirt pattern.

New Tote Bag Style

The benefit to this bag is that it's lined, so you can use up weird fabric that you shouldn't have bought twice as fast, and then use the bag for fancier shopping. It's Simplicity 2806.

Napkins

Ripple Blanket

Here's my finished crocheted wool blanket. It is not made out of leftover yarn and the color is not in any way random. This is what it looks like when I carefully plot out a color scheme. It matches both of our couches and our basket of dog toys.

The Worst Color of All Time

I'm in the process of painting my whole condo blue-ish shades of gray. Most of the rooms were this sickly flesh color, which a friend referred to as band-aid. Some of the other rooms were a dirty yellow. The bathrooms are a tolerable green. The new color here is called silverpointe. I chose it because everyone's skin looks rosy & vibrant in front of it and it sets off any color of wood, or any warm colors in general, which are either skin or wood, really well.

In the Studio

I'm making new little paintings for my new little studio.

They're each 5x7 inches, acrylic on panel.

I hung all my recent life drawings above my computer. I put one up from last year and I noticed that I accidentally dated it May 27, 2009. It makes me wonder what will happen on that day.

Ear Warming Hat

I almost caved in and bought an ear flap hat this year because regular knit hats never keep my ears warm. I don't like ear flap hats, but since they're so popular, I thought I might find one that was ok. Luckily, that didn't happen, and instead I found a knit hat that had a brilliant solution. It had elastic sewn into the hem, so it hugs right below my ears and doesn't allow cold air to slip in. I made a copy of the pattern. The hat I bought is already looking worn, and I know I want to wear this style forever. So here it is, my own version of the ear-warming hat, elastic and all. This is self-striping yarn from Jo-Ann's.

I recently joined Ravelry. I love the way the "friends" system works. You can add anyone as a friend. It isn't based on reciprocity like on Facebook. It's so much more like real life. I'm sure I have many friends who might not know they're my friends. If you want to be my Ravelry friend, the name I use is Keiler.

Alpaca Sweater

I finished this sweater today. My mom bought the yarn (baby alpaca) and pattern and got up to the armpits on one side and gave up. I happily inherited the project. I was with her when she bought the yarn, and convinced her to get this color, insisting that it's one of the best choices against her skin tone. It happens to work well with mine and is my favorite non-gray color. Yesterday was probably the last day of the season cold enough to wear something like this. I did the exact same thing last year - ended a wool sweater just when temperatures cleared 30 for good.

Sweater Vest

This is the first knitted garment that I designed totally from scratch (I know, it shows). I intended for it to have a button band up the center but the vest turned out wider that I hoped, so I omitted it. I sewed in a zipper, but it looked bad so I removed it and seamed up the center front. The vest has no side seams, so it is especially odd to have one right up the middle. I should have made the torso about two inches longer above the waist. The sweater shaping doesn't line up with my body shaping. I like the back more than the front.

Color-block Cardigan

I've been working on this cotton sweater since last summer. I used a pattern for the basic shape, but altered the proportions. The color is my own design. I haven't worn it yet, so I don't know how the cotton will hold up. I didn't wash a swatch, so I don't know if the yarn is colorfast. I'm going to try really hard not to ever sweat in it so I'll never have to wash it. I might even sew some shoulderpads into the armpits to help with absorption.

Ripple Afghan Beginning

I don't generally show things in progress, but this is going to take forever. This is my first crochet project. The colors will transition from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Fiber Arts

I was lucky enough to be profiled in the current (Jan/Feb) issue of Fiberarts Magazine. Thank you Marci, Sharon, and everyone else at Fiberarts!

January Jeans

Happy New Year.

After over two years of keeping my weight in the two pound window I set at the beginning of my sewing endeavors, I gained seven pounds in the last six weeks. Luckily, I am now a skilled enough sewer to make new larger jeans that fit and I get to avoid buying a different size. My butt has taken on kind of a strange and unappealing shape. I got this denim for just $1/yard, so the pants cost less than $5 to make.

My new year's resolution is to stick to one project at a time and give it my full attention. And I'm going to go back to a low sugar diet with dark chocolate as my only dessert.

Wool Mittens

I knit my first pair of mittens. I used a free pattern on the Jo-ann's website. They're kind of big and floppy. My mom laughed at them.

Tall Shower Curtain

We just moved into a new condo a couple weeks ago. My first sewing project was to make a shower curtain. The rod is hung unusually high and a standard curtain ended about an inch below the edge of the tub which reminded me of high-waters. I hadn't sewn in months, so I made the idiotic mistake of sewing one of the side panels on backwards. I cut it off and fixed it. Being constantly mindful of the right and wrong sides of the fabric had become second nature, but I see it wasn't a permanent mental shift.

Why I'm Not on Project Runway

In October we were invited to our friends' square dance themed wedding in a loft in Chicago. Not surprisingly, I didn't have anything to wear so I decided to make a dress. I ended up designing and making this the day of the wedding. Never before have I sewn to deadline. I had worked out the basic idea in scrap fabric a few days before. Something came up the day before the wedding, so my sewing time was reduced to one day. I know this dress looks very simple, but it is lined and it fits well, and it hinted just enough at square dance to make me fit in, while being wearable in the future for any occasion. I wore it with a vest and boots to the wedding. We had a great time. The band was fantastic, and in the right circumstances square dancing is surprisingly fun.

That was the last day I've sewn anything. The pressure kind of wiped me out.

Gray Raglan T

I used my Built by Wendy sweatshirt pattern to make this t-shirt. The waistband is weird but I like the short sleeves with a wide arm band instead of a hem.

I haven't sewn much this fall, but I have been knitting a lot. The part of knitting that I love the most is watching the shows about it. I watch Knitty Gritty, Knit & Crochet Today, and Knitting Daily.

Skirt with Many Seams

The pattern is Vogue 8428. It calls for wool. This is just a cotton trial version, but I did wear it a few times to make sure it didn't feel awkward in motion. I like the pattern a lot, but wool skirts have no place in my wardrobe. When it's cold enough for wool I wear pants. Plus, you have to line wool skirts so they don't stick to your tights or your matted winter leg hair and this skirt pattern doesn't have a lining. Why would they do that? I know a lot of people will just make their own lining pattern, but if I pay for a pattern, I want that part of the job to be done for me.