by Kat | Aug 20, 2018 | General, Making
In the ongoing reorganization of all things crafty in my house, I found several languishing projects that needed to be prioritized for finishing. Sometimes the best way to hold myself accountable is to post it here, out in the open for all to see.
This gives me the perfect opportunity to update my “Make Nine in 2018” goals. I have replaced some items from my original plan.
- Alabama Chanin-style t-shirt – neck and arm binding and some seam stitching are all that stand between me and a new top! A question for all you experienced Alabama Chanin girls…
should I cut out the insides of the stars or do I leave them as they are?
- Laura Aylor’s End of Summer MKAL from last year…seems appropriate to finish it, right?
- Strokkur… sleeves and yoke to go…This would be a lovely addition to my cooler weather wardrobe, so it is moving back into the rotation!
- Autumn Forest – I am not to the half way point yet, but this is a nice semi-mindless and portable knit!
- Two more Esme Tunics… one flannel and one with bell-sleeves!
- Another Uniform Top
- Tegna is underway and I am almost done with the lace portion!
Sadly, this is not the entire list of things I have languishing but, these are the things that I have prioritized for finishing! The others I am pondering…do they stay, or do they go!
I also realize this looks like I have made nothing from my first “make nine” collage… I have made oodles of Esme Tunics and Tops… and I love them so much, they are like my uniform! So, an updated with some knits switched out for the following reasons… I foolishly put 2 items on my list that required me to spin the yarn in order to then knit. I am so out of practice with spinning and I don’t think a sweater spin is the place to work out those kinks. Consistency and all that being important in sweater knitting… so they have moved off the list to be replaced by things that I want to finish.
Last week, Karen shared some great inspiration for completing things. I am taking a page from her and setting aside time each day to work on this list until it is complete.
What are you making today? Do you have a “must finish” list before the season changes?
by Kat | Aug 17, 2018 | General, Making
On Wednesday, I headed off to JoAnn’s to find a separating zipper and a “Knit Picker”, the zipper I found but the knit picker? No luck there, but I did find these needles with a latching eye. I thought they would work better, especially since I could not get this zipper.
Yesterday, I began the Zipper Undertaking on my Rock the Lobster…
Step One: Determine how many loops to “pick up” on my zipper and mark my “dots” on the zipper tape. How did I determine this? I used my row gauge, which was 8 rows to the inch. **Key tip if you cannot get the above zipper – use a wing needle on your sewing machine and contrasting thread to easier see where to pick up stitches! A wing needle makes a larger hole in the zipper tape making the insertion of the darning needle much easier. I stitched on paper first to count stitches per inch and adjust stitch length so my gauge would match.
Step Two: Pick up the loops and place them on a spare knitting needle.
Step Three: Pick up the same amount of stitches plus two on the sweater (why two extra stitches? The bottom of the zipper tape when lined up with the bottom edge of my sweater was had a space of 2 stitches between the bottom and the zipper teeth, I just did the I-cord edge to continue to the bottom of the sweater edge) and place on another knitting needle in preparation for this applied I-cord method (on step 3, I inserted the needle through a stitch on the zipper and a stitch on the cardigan.)
Step Four: Repeat the above steps on second half of the zipper. Oh, and how did I make sure the zipper was even on both sides? When I started the second half, I began with the zipper closed with both halves together. Once I had a few stitches complete, I unzipped and continued with the I-cord join.
Step Five: Cover zipper tape and steeked edges with ribbon (which I have yet to do. But, the row of picked up stitches on the zipper will make the perfect edge for stitching one side of the ribbon on.
If you click on the images, you can scroll through the gallery:
Things I learned: I thought I could mark my stitches with a dressmaker pencil, but the point of the darning needle was not sharp enough to penetrate the zipper tape. The wing needle made a nice hole, but it was impossible to see on the black zipper tape, so contrasting stitching solved that problem.
The first half went slower than the second half, but I completed both sides yesterday. Now I just need to find the perfect ribbon for the inside! I highly recommend this method of zipper installation as it gives an absolutely gorgeous finish! And, again – thank you Vicki for making this recommendation!
Now, how about a couple of links?
This is a gorgeous transitional knit!
Thinking about fall? Aine
And, finally (and free!) Verity
That is all I have for the week! Happy Friday and I will see you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Aug 13, 2018 | General, Making
Are for making.
My list today includes more Cherry Tomato Jam, some Peach Jam, and a Plum tart.
Also, that Basil infused cocktail from Friday got very high marks! I based it on this recipe. It was bright and refreshing. Changes I made: I used regular vodka (not citrus flavored) and no tonic water. Served with a twist, it was the perfect start to the weekend!
Oh, and this will be done today! Well, at least the knitting will be done! Up next, steeks and a zipper!
How was your weekend?
by Kat | Aug 10, 2018 | General, Making
There is a part of me that is entirely ready for the neighborhood kids to all be back in school… really.badly. However, that will mean that summer is ending. Yeah, the inner debate is most interesting, let me tell you! Ha!
BUT!!! I am so excited to do a little test run of the Endless Summer Tunic! I have a MUCH too large Dress No. 3 that will work perfectly, and this brings me to the bottom of my re-purpose stack! I traced the pattern out yesterday and plan to do some cutting this morning! All this sewing has really made clear that I need to do some re-ordering of my “craft office” … I need a space for the sewing machine to live where it is easy to access, but not in the way. I have been mulling this over in my mind all week so if there is any rain at all this weekend, operation craft room reorganization will be underway!
I also have this insane urge to cast on all the things… really, every day there is something new on Ravelry that catches my eye. AND, Kym taunted me yesterday with her start of Tegna…But, I am determined to ignore this urge and knit faster on Rock the Lobster! I now have about 3 inches to go before the ribbing and then the STEEK!! And, I want to thank you all for the GREAT zipper tutorials!
So, how about you? Are you craving a new knit? Here are some links to tempt you!
Stop the presses – have you all seen the Autumn Issue of Pom Pom Quarterly? I especially love Sky Map – the stitching possibilities!
Have you seen this gorgeous cowl by Erica Mercer knit with my friend Carla’s CJKoho Designs yarn!
Eddy Hat and Cowl the “lite” version of The Eddy Sweater/Wrap
Sweater season is fast approaching: St Catherines and Lambert both caught my eye!
And, finally… a new take on a knitted beverage accessory: Dreieck (and it is free!)
And, that’s a wrap for this week…my list today also includes the utilization of some of the Basil from the Basil Jungle in a libation for Happy Hour tonight. I will let you know how it turns out on Monday! Have an awesome weekend!
by Kat | Aug 6, 2018 | General, In This Moment
Except, I am not at all wishing it was Sunday again! Yes, it’s that time of the year when it seems the weekend is almost all work! Take this weekend for example:
After picking 5 lbs. of cherry tomatoes over 2 days, I knew Tomato Jam time had arrived. And, yes, that meant a good chunk of Sunday was spent in the kitchen cooking… but I do have some jam to show for it!
I also made another plum crostata – this time with more tart plums. It was delicious, but we thought the earlier plums were better. But, alas… they are done for the year.
Sunday afternoon we had these crazy pop-up storms complete with several large cracks of thunder that sounded ominously close! And, close it was! Our neighbor’s tree was struck by lightning and we had a bit of a fire show until the fire department arrived to take control of the situation. Nothing says neighborhood bonding like something on fire, amirite? Yes, we all stood in the rain watching the firemen do what they do best – spray water on things. I wonder if they do gardens?
There was lots of laundry because why not right?
We watched Ready Player One, which caused me to change my review of the book. All in all, even though the effects were incredible, I was very disappointed in the movie. Special effects do not trump reading…ever. Pro-tip: read the book and skip the movie!
I also finished the mystery shawl! OH.MY.GOSH!! It still needs a good soak and the tiniest bit of blocking but stay tuned for the big reveal later this week!
I have a bad case of “I want to cast on all the things” but I am trying hard to ignore it. I pulled out this and knit sleeve two while watching Ready Player One and I made good progress (read, I have said sleeve done!) It is going to stay out until I have it finished. This should tell you that I am losing steam with my Vodka Lemonade, but I only have about 14 rows to the sleeve divide when I know things go faster. My focus word for the week is persevere! Ha!
And, with that… let’s get this Monday started! How was your weekend?
