rainbow slouchy beanie

January 14, 2014January 14, 201415 Comments

while i was taking my class at close knit, i had fun wandering around touching the different yarns, admiring the colors and varying degrees of softness, learning about weights, the usual “getting to know this new medium” type stuff. and then i found a yarn that was so perfect for my little gal and decided to make her a hat even though she didn’t need one.

slouchy pink rainbow hat

it’s pink, but it’s also rainbow-y! it’s soft, it’s worsted weight – lighter weight yarn than i’d ever knit with before, but not so tiny it was scary…it was perfect. it’s the first “real” yarn i bought and yes, good yarn makes a big difference (just like good fabric does while sewing!). it’s by cascade yarns – superwash paints in rainbow sherbet and i loved knitting with it.

i thought it’d be cute to make her a slouchy beanie, and asked Tara what pattern she liked – she suggested the Graham (free on Ravelry). my teacher said by age 5 or 6 a kid can wear adult hat patterns, so i cast on the adult medium size from the pattern started work on the ribbing.

at a certain point, i decided i didn’t need the broken rib texture to add interest to the main body of the hat – the yarn had so much going on color-wise, i stuck with my sewing philosophy of “loud fabric? use a simple pattern” and hoped it’d apply to knitting too.

so after i was done with about 2.5” of k1p1 ribbing, i just knit in the round until it measured about 7.5” from the edge, then started my decrease (i had to look up how to do that evenly). i first knitted a row adding a marker every 12 stitches, so with the next round i could just get to the last two stitches before each marker and knit them together rather than having to count. i love how the decreased part looks with the little ridges! once it got too tight for my needles (i don’t know how to use double pointed needles so i just did it all on circulars) i just cinched up the last bit and added a pom pom. as you do. 🙂

i blocked the hat and let it dry overnight with the crown stretched over a dinner bowl (my first time blocking!). it definitely helped add to the slouchiness, though it stretched out the brim a little more than i wanted.

it still fits her fine, just a teensy bit loose.

oh! i should talk quickly about her skirt too – i made it for her first day of school and felt like it was too simple to blog on its own…but it goes so nicely with her hat, i figured i could throw it in here, okay?

the fabric is the popular (with good reason!) briar rose by heather ross – hex bee in lilac. i basically sewed a lazy days skirt with no ribbon, and slapped a shot cotton hexi pocket on there for fun. she’s worn it quite a bit in the last few months.

in this outfit, all layered and cozy and pink and purple, i think she looks like a little rasta grandma. 🙂

i keep thinking that, as a beginner, i should knit something bulkier, something with immediate gratification just to practice the whole process and get more projects under my belt, but i really like the look of the thinner yarns and the shapes those creations take, ya know? can’t help it. and i’m pretty much in love with this hat on top of her head.

peace out.

more hat details here on Ravelry.

canvas portside duffle

January 10, 2014January 10, 201427 Comments

next in the gifting line up, the thing i was most excited to make – a portside duffle!

when Jen of Grainline Studio released her Portside Travel Set pattern a few months ago, i really wanted to get it for a “someday in the future” project (the pattern includes a duffle, dopp kit, and small zippered pouch – awesome value, really, and would make a great wedding/father’s day/graduation gift!). i exercised restraint and held off on buying the pattern, though – until i drew my brother-in-law’s name for our family gift exchange and i knew it would make a great gift for him.

he’s a tall guy (it’s a huge bag!), he’s a musician (needs to haul stuff around!), and he’s a creative person (appreciates handmade!). plus i feel like i have a good sense of his taste. it just seemed like the perfect thing. when he opened it he seemed to really like it, and didn’t even realize i made it until he saw his initials inside (see below), so it paid off for sure!

i’ve been interested in sewing with heavier materials lately. i bought a beckel tote for my mother in law for Christmas and the thick canvas and the heavy duty topstitching was fascinating – i bought it at this awesome bazaar in town where i could talk to the woman that sewed it (on an industrial Juki, she said), so this was sort of my chance to put my Bernina 380 to the test and see if i could make something similar in style.

i bought heavy thread, cotton webbing, and a bunch of metal zippers at JoAnn, plus natural and camel colored canvas duck in the outdoor section there. some of the hardware was harder to find and i had to get it at Mill End. the bag is lined with yarn dyed essex in leather, which i got as a remnant at Bolt.

my husband said the machine sounded different as i sewed this bag – i honestly don’t think my old machine could have handled the super heavy material! walking foot, size 16 needle, i pulled out all the tricks to keep it running smoothly.

i quilted the bottom with a layer of batting to help it sit upright if he set it down.

and skipped the dopp kit, but made the little pouch…easy and quick:

i ran into just a couple snags – i think there was a missing pattern mark on the end pieces as to where i should place the straps, and i found the lining a bit too large for the bag, which may have been due to the fact that it’s linen and stretchy versus the decidedly non-stretchy nature of the outer. not sure, i’d have to make it again to find out. and my husband has requested one, so it’s on the horizon once he figures out the colors he wants!

pretty fun making such a heavy duty, masculine bag though! it just feels so LEGIT, you know? when you finish a project and have that sense of “wow, i actually made that!”, it’s always fun.

lickety split field study bag

January 6, 2014January 5, 201414 Comments

for all the sewing i’ve done from Rae’s patterns over the years, i’d never made one of her purses! she was kind enough to send me the lickety split and the bonsai bag patterns in advance of the holidays, and i sewed up a lickety split for our awesome day care gal as a Christmas present.

Rae actually released this pattern in 2009 (forever ago in sewingbloglandyears)! i’ve always thought it was a neat design and it looked like it could be sewn quickly but also had nice style to it, so it seemed like the perfect project for my gift sewing spree this year.

you can see in the older patterns how Rae’s pattern writing and digitizing skills have progressed over the last four years, but even though it’s an “elderly pattern” it’s still digital, a smart design, clearly written…and a lot of fun to sew!

i used a really pretty Anna Maria Horner Field Study linen (Flower Circuit in Sunny) for the bag, which was given to me by Jess (that gal seems to have become my main fabric provider lately, hehe) and lined it with a pink kona cotton from my stash. i skipped the outer pockets but added one to the inside. the bag can be reversible if you want!

it took a bit more fabric than i expected due to the looooong handles and being cut on the fold, so i ended up piecing two outers together on one side which looked completely fine. after taking these photos, i decided to add a snap (just a normal size 16 metal snap, nothing fancy) at the top center to keep it from gaping open. it just took it from “tote” to “purse” a little more, too.

my big ol’ belly makes it look a little small and out of proportion maybe, but to me it’s the perfect size bag to use everyday for lots of different applications (diaper bag, errand-running bag, gym bag, lunch bag, grocery bag, car bag for road trips) and i love that the straps can be tied to be longer or even separately (say onto a stroller handle or cart) if desired. the boxed bottom is great, too, gives it a nice shape.