Oh Hetty cardigan pattern by Andi Satterlund. What a tumultuous relationship we have. I have successfully made this cardi twice. I have cast on many more and had to rip them due to unsolvable mistakes. The lace pattern was tricky. Well, not the lace, but more just the way the pattern is written. "Continue stitch pattern A while doing complex shaping and row counting...". That's why I prefer vintage patterns. They support and nurture you through the whole knit. The first version can be found here. I needed so much help from my wonderful mum. She did a lot of unpicking and pattern interpretation for me. This cardi owes its existence to her. I hope it is suitably appreciative. A few instagram friends had warned that the lace was tough on the sleeves due to the ever changing stitch count. I decided to knit them in stockinette and place one lace repeat at the ribbing. I super like it. Means I can actually wear a lace cardi in winter/autumn and not feel too cold! Made with Cascade 220 Yarn in Red Wine Heather. My second Hetty was done without the help of mum. I had waited a while, knitted some other lace projects, learned how to tink lace properly and was feeling more confident. I made a couple of mistakes (you might notice the row of twisted stitches), but I think it's fine. On this version, I managed the proper lace sleeves! WIN! But it was a real headache. I had serious issues with it, dropped stitches and it was a mess. I gave up and threw it aside. It sat unloved and in trouble on the couch for weeks. It sat there, mocking me. Turns out, I needed the needles for a different project, so I had to make it work. Le sigh. I pushed through, got to the end and BAM! All done. The buttons are a dark brown/maroon wood with an outside rings that match the golden colour perfectly. In the end was the headache worth it? Yes. Yes it was. This one was made with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Worsted Weight in Golden Heather. I do love this pattern, but not sure I have the patience to make another one.... Might look for a vintage cardi that is similar in the future.
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Yes, I was listening Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water today. Baby Driver is a great song. I finished this baby romper last night, finally seamed together and all buttons attached. It's pretty adorable. First time knitting an i-cord and it was successful! I really like it as a technique. I was always scared of i-cords. No idea why. They are very simple. And looks so neat and professional as a waist tie. I smashed out the back piece of this in one evening. It was a slow Saturday afternoon and evening, I binged watch The Bletchley Circle on Stan. Before I knew it, I had the back of a baby romper. Yarn is Patons Dreamtime Merino, 4 ply in Dark Blue. The buttons were standard Beutron shank pearlised white buttons from my stash. This pattern needs a whopping 8 buttons.
The main problem with this little gorgeous number was the yarn requirement. The pattern says 2 balls. I did a swatch and knitted to perfect tension. I also made sure my yarn tails were not too long and used Russian Joins to make sure I got the most out of the yarn. AND I RAN OUT! Crisis. I had only the front left shoulder band, front neckband, and all seams to go. Needless to say, I was cranky. Luckily my local Spotlight still had the same colourway in stock. Crisis averted. But it means I only used a few meters from the new ball. What shall I do with the remaining yarn? Has a pattern ever lied to you before about yarn required? On Wednesday, my lovely asked if I could knit a gift for a baby. This baby is the offspring of one of his mates and will be turning 1. The party is on Saturday. I started a beanie pattern that I bought on Ravelry and it was a disaster. The lace pattern was all over the shop, the sizing was super weird. I didn't like it at all. It was also very dense knitting (4ply on 3mm needles). Was taking forever and the pattern was sub-par. I ripped it back on Thursday and planned to make a hat that I had previously made for my "niece". Checked the pattern. Only for newborn, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months old. This kid was turning 1. Darn! So I have been zen navigating my way though the CO numbers, increases above the band, and the length of the hat. As least it will hopefully be a bit too big. Or I hope this kid has lots of hair! The yarn is 4 Seasons, Merino, 4ply in a delicious off-white-vanilla-creme-latte colour. A lovely neutral. Not to mention, it came from my stash. Win! I am passed the halfway point but must finish it tonight for the party tomorrow. The colour in this picture is too washed out and grey. It's closer to the first picture. I just really like the simple texture of this hat with the decreasing spaces of knit and purl stitches as it grows. It is a knitted rectangle that gets sewn down the sides to create sort of ears. It's super cute. I love it.
Check out my Ravelry page . A second post about Simplicity 3688. This time, skirts! I made the size 10 in the skirt (12 in the pants). They fit pretty well. I do have issues with the waistband though. It's like the pattern was printed incorrectly because none of the markings for buttonhole and buttons are in the right spot. If I cut the pattern face-side-down it all works out. And yes, I have check the cutting guidelines. On to the skirts. The first one I made was an awesome burgundy corduroy from my local Spotlight. It's toasty in winter and I like the rich colour. It is such a great basic skirt. The colour goes well with other handmade and store bought items in my wardrobe. It does get a good wearing workout. The burgundy skirt was such a hit that I had to make it again! This time in a basic black (it actually matches my black pants from a previous post). Still made it in the size 10 but boy, it is tight around my waist. I don't know if I did something weird. Perhaps the fabric is much more stable and doesn't give at all. Deploy the foundation garments! I tried making a gorgeous grey wool version with the recommended top stitching down the front and back panels. In a size 12 because this black one is a bit tight over my tum. Size 12 was HUGE. Easily a few inches too big. What on earth happened?!? This is why Simplicity and I don't get along. Not-So-Simplicity-Patterns. I've left it languishing in a corner, thinking about what is has done. Shame really, because the wool fabric is rich and gorgeous. Machine stitches disappeared into it beautifully. Of course! What a pain to unpick.
On my sewing machine currently is a red version (that matches my red cuffed Simplicity 3688 pants). Hopefully I'll get around to finishing it soon, ready for spring. If only I had a light pink vintage style cardigan that would be perfectly tonal.... Ah, Simplicity patterns. What a love/hate relationship we share. The dress/top patterns are totally wrong for me. I have man-shoulders and Simplicity patterns require way too much work for me to do. I flat out couldn't be bothered tweaking all the little bits that don't fit me. They are too small in the armsyce, the shoulders are too narrow, the necklines are in the wrong spot, waists are too short. In the end, I'm totally the wrong shape for Simplicity torso patterns. And believe me, I've tried a few. Simplicity 3688: pants and skirt pattern, 1940's reproduction. (I'm ignoring the blouse for aforementioned reasons.) The pants are wonderful. I have three pairs already. Size 12. I am very long of leg so I add 5" to the length of the 14 size leg length even though I cut the rest out as a 12. I also dig the skirt pattern. I'll do a separate blog post about the skirts later. First pair were in a blue poly suiting that frayed like mad. It was such a wrestle against the clock to get the bound seams done before I lost too much of my fabric. For that pair, I doubled the height of the waistband. I dig it, but I haven't made another pair like that. Second pair was another black poly suiting something fabric. A little thicker than the blue pair. I use these as basic office pants . I also made the matching skirt in the same fabric. They are a great basic black pant and I made them long enough so I can wear heels with them. It's rare for me to find pants long enough I can rock heels. It's great to be able to control that. Sewing win! The raw edges are covered with the overlocker stitch on my Husqvarna Emerald 116. Nothing fancy there. I also used a black zip and thread from my stash. My most recent pair are made from killer red poly suiting. I added fold under cuffs. LOVE THEM. Great colour, cuffs are awesome. Will certainly be doing it again. If I want to add cuffs but wear the pants with heels, I'd have to add about 7-9" to the bottom of the pattern. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of the cuffs! I will have to remedy that shortly. I have worn them for office work, for lecture teaching, and for dancing ceroc! I can see myself making more and more of these pants. My stash contains the most delicious wool and wool blends in gorgeous tonal greys. Must get them pre-treated and start making before the weather changes.
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April 2023
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