Craft projects: update

These last days...

I've rediscovered by love for knitting, and my love for the knitting community!!! I'm combining all sorts of social media (but primarily Pinterest, Instagram and Ravelry, of course) in order to get in contact with all the wonderful people who provide a ray of sunshine into an other totally grey world: craftsy people!  From their podcasts, I learn all the news, from Instagram I drool over the many, many variations of hand-dyed yarn, which I then see in FO in either Pinterest or Ravelry.  Perfect!!!

I'm participating in the #23HarryPotterKAL, and already I can proudly present my first FO for this KAL:  the HermioneheartsRon hat.  An easy knit, it proved to be the right project to ease me into the world of Harry Potter (of which I know nothing...)

I used two different stash yarns (this is actually my theme for this KAL, get all the stash out!) the Regia Aquarius Color 6 ply and the Schachenmayr nomotta Cotton Eco in blue-green hues and knit the pattern interchanging them.  No one can actually see that there are two different yarns.  The experiment worked beautifully, and I intend to try it again in another project...

I'm taking a break from this KAL for the time being, as I have a planned surgery, so I needed a project that would be super-super easy and would take my mind off things.  This is what Calla is:  a nice-little poncho with a twist. I'm already at 20 cm, and I just enjoy knitting away...  I'm using SMC Select Belisia in black and I'm thinking of adding little pearly thingies towards the edge between the knits and the purls.  We'll see...

Not much going on, I know, but plenty for my needs and desires.  Which is what counts, right?

Knitting: Inside #23HarryPotterKAL

Yes, it is that time of the year - time for a KAL!

Lovely Katie from MissLavellia is organising a mega-KAL on the Harry Potter theme.  And the response is massive!

... Which means I could not NOT be a part of.  Without further ado, here are my intentions:

(caveats first:  I plan to use stash yarn wherever possible.  Which may mean combining more than one skein...)

1.  Hermione hearts Ron:  this is easy enough, so it should ease me into the spirit of the KAL.  I plan to use a combination of blue and blue-green yarns, probably in alternating rows.  We'll see how it turns out...

2.  Severus Mitts:  I just love those... Have plenty of black yarn lying around, my more pressing question will be - which colour to contrast?  white? grey? red?  decisions, decisions...

 

3.  And now to the unchartered waters:  Snape's Stockings.  I've never knit socks, and that's why this will be at the very end.  I will be counting on Crafty's Knit-along 2016: Socks to get the knowledge that may help me succeed in this mission.  Wish me luck!  (oh, and it will be in red yarn, more than one skein - again)

Interested?  Go over to the Inside Number 23 Raverly Group for more info (spoiler alert:  there will be prizes!!!)

Knitting: mens' scarf

My nephew has a knack for choosing the most intricate designs.  I know that, and, on purpose, when I give him options about a project I (almost) always make certain that there is nothing elaborate.  How I end up with yet another pattern that will test my abilities, I really have no clue... Case in point:

I wanted to knit him a scarf, as I did for my niece.  No problem so far.  I gave him two alternatives, he chose one of them. Again, no problem.  Once I started reading the pattern in detail, it dawned on me -- I had no idea what was going on...

Enter the search for a similar pattern that could provide a way out of this problem: the Array scarf seemed straight-forward and looked fairly similar to the original design.

I cast on 75 stitches, knitting it flat so that I would get the scarf I wanted.  On I went knitting and ... after 18 rows I discovered I was doing it all wrong.  Scratch everything and start anew.  The second time was a charm and I was content.

What I was not content about was the time it took - because each row is basically knit twice (once in black and once in white), it eventually took double the time to finish.  Note to self:  think very carefully before committing to such projects...

The end result is wonderful however:  a great little scarf, perfect for the young man!

Knitting: winter cowl

When preparing for Christmas, I always ask friends and relatives to name any requests for (small) projects I can make:  I almost always have delighted candidates who wish to have something handmade - from me!

This is a cowl for my lovely niece, in the colour she chose.  I knit it flat and weave in the ends.  I reckon the total length of the finished project will be around 2.5 metres, which should be sufficient for a double cowl.

The yarn is really chunky:  Lima+ from Scheepjes (which I believe has been discontinued...).  With it, I use no. 9 needles - and let me tell you, these are huge needles...

One skein gone - 7 to go...

I ordered from from Dolce Lana in Belgium, and I'm really glad they offer such good service: in ordering, I can choose the parameters with which I want to find the yarn I want, and the delivery took all but 2 days!  I think I've found my new best friend...

On to the knitting then: it took me a while to get used to.  As the majority of the projects I knit tend to be more of a delicate nature (see no.2 needles), I initially struggled to get round to using these huge needles.  No need to have worried though: this yarn knits itself really easily, and the first skein was up before long! I really like the fact that the yarn is varied in thickness, and that even though the pattern is straight forward, the change in density adds additional depth in the pattern... Looking forward to knitting the rest of it....

Knitting: summer cardigan

Yes, it is winter already... I know.  And yes, in the meantime I've knitted many wintery things... But sometime during the summer I also knitted a little cardigan for my darling sister and I believe it's high time I wrote a post about it:

This is how I go about with my family: I send them 2-3 alternative patterns, and they get to choose which one they prefer, indicating the colour combination they want at the same time.  This is how it went with this one as well:  My sister chose the pattern and, while on vacation, we discovered a craft shop together and chose the yarn on the spot...

The yarn is Camilla from Madame Tricote and I just loved the  way it makes little designs of its own.  With a simple knitting technique, the results are just amazing!

The pattern is the DROPS 120-20  jacket.  It served as a good basis, upon which I made several changes (I never said my sister was an easy customer ;-))

I knit it longer in the back so as to match the length of the front, which I also did without the triangles - in a few words, I knit it as a proper cardigan.

I knit the sleeves at 3/4 length, so that she could wear it over a longer period of time, and not just the summer (I agree...)

When doing such substantial changes, I found that having my sister around helped a lot, because I could immediately try the part on her and either confirm or make changes on the spot so that there was no waste of time.  Don't know how the whole thing would turn out if we were apart...

As to the buttons, the shop we got the yarn did not have anything that my sister liked, so at the end we decided to leave the cardigan open.  And it looks just fine!

I'm really pleased with how the cardigan turned out and I'm even more pleased that my sister has worn it over and over again and she just loves telling people that I've made it for her <3

Knitting / Sewing: Vintage pledge

I would define my style as classic, bordering pretty much on the conservative side.  Not that I don't like some of the modern trends, but... there's something about a line, a style that has survived decades that just speaks to my sartorial endeavours.  If I'm to invest in good fabrics, in time to take measurements, to pin down, to baste, and then finally to sew, I don't want the end product to last for a limited time only. Same goes for knitting, selecting wonderful (and expensive!) yarns and spending many an evening learning new and complicated stitches...

And then there's the issue of elegance... Yes, elegant pieces I want to wear - all the time... Even in the most mundane day of all, this is something that is bound to brighten up my world and make me smile.

All this introduction to say that I'm participating in the Vintage Sewing pattern pledge for 2015, hosted by A Stitching Odyssey and Kestrel makes.  After getting over the shock that "vintage" can be as recently as the 1970s (yes, people, I'm that old...), I'm all the more looking forward to it -- having inherited my mother's "Golden needles" encyclopaedia from the 1970s, this is a very good reason to finally get to use some of the patterns therein.

Another very good source is one of the blogs I follow : The Midvale Cottage Post, with plenty of material and patterns from the good old days of the 1920s and 1930s.

Not that I will totally disregard knitting:  since this pledge is also open to vintage knitting, I will indulge myself with one of the best - in  my humble opinion - sources of vintage knitting: A Stitch in Time, by Susan Crawford and Jane Waller, has sat long enough on my nightstand table.  I will now be able to have a go at one of the wonderful designs...

My #vintagepledge:

I, Patty from CraftsEverywhere!, pledge to sew at least 2 vintage patterns and knit at least 1 vintage pattern 

For more information on how you can join, follow this link.

Knitting: baby booties

While I'm still trying to finish the epic afghan, I took time to quickly whip up this little treasure:

how cute are these??? they take no time at all, and the end result is soooo lovely!!

Using Regia Aquarius Color 6 ply yarn and 4.5mm needles, I followed the Eco baby booties pattern to the letter.  It knits flat and is then assembled.  In half an hour I got one bootie ready and was able to see how it looks like finished (nothing worse if the end result is not what one expects...)

Anyhoo, this will be my friend Patricia's first grandchild and I just wanted to offer a little something to celebrate this addition to her family. I believe these little booties fit the bill perfectly!

Now, do I knit them in another colour as well?

Update 17.01.2015: welcome to the world little Mattis!

Knitting: Knit-a-long progress

Once upon a time (in May), there was a knit-a-long organised by Rowan that offered 8 different patterns for 20x20cm squares.  These  were meant to be knitted one pattern per week, and so have a finished blanket within 2 months' time.

Fast forward ... six months:  after a (small) hiatus, in order to knit/sew/cross-stitch other projects, I'm in the final laps of this - my first - knitalong!

I've managed to finish the first two patterns and I'm happy to report that they are all nice and pinned, slightly sprayed with water to highlight the pattern, waiting to be assembled:

Does this mean I may actually have the blanket ready by Christmas???

Knitting: baby blanket

There is nothing better than to handcraft a present for a new life.  I was moved when my friend Jessi asked me to make a blanket for her first baby and I wanted to make this a special one.

After several patterns, she and her husband chose the Daisy pattern, which in the beginning slightly disappointed me:  I thought it was way too easy, and wouldn't show off my craftsmanship!

Was I wrong... This pattern is fairly difficult to learn - but at least once learned, it's easy to memorise and I did not even need to keep track of my knitting.  I just stopped at 70 cm and started the edging.

But starting from the beginning:  as the sex of the baby was not known (it's a boy!), I went with trusted colour green.  But not just any green:  groovy green if you please!  The yarn is Baby Bamboo from Sirdar and I really loved the fact it's 80% bamboo -- so soft, and so right for a newborn!

I slightly changed the pattern (as I always do) and cast on 204 stitches, working with 4.0mm bamboo needles.  The blanket was my true companion many evenings in front of the TV, in the early hours of the day when I couldn't sleep, and even traveled with me abroad and kept me sane after long days of meetings...

But even in my wildest dreams I couldn't imagine it would turn out this beautiful.  I'm really pleased with the result and it made me embrace all those little presents that make a new addition in life so much more comfortable - welcome to the world baby John!

Sewing: Glamour Exhibition in Brussels

Brussels may be tiny, but it never ceases to amaze me what wealth of attractions it has. True, they may not all be at the palm of your hand - but with a little bit of search one can find all the pleasures of a cosmopolitan capital (ok, almost).

Detail from a Vionnet dress 
on display

I'm interested in all crafts, but I'm more drawn to sewing, and more particularly the art of stitching. I just love the craftsmanship that goes into each and every well-sewn garment - and I'm more and more interested in the history of sewing. I really enjoy the old-fashioned way of doing things and the attention to detail, and I would like to see more everyday garments receiving that special care - not just haute couture.

I'm also interested and fascinated by the 1930s - I love how fluid the dresses were, how the colours complemented the patterns, how Chanel, Vionnet and so many others made their mark in sewing history by pioneering styles still embraced today... I was thus thrilled to find that both these interests found their way into my hometown.

Evolution of style

The Museum of Costume and Lace in Brussels is known for the well-cared exhibitions it houses. Currently, "Glamour" displays garments of the 1930s and lets us take a peek into the fabulous world of (well-to-do) women of that time. (I am conscious of the fact that the majority of people living then would not be wearing such clothes, but I'm also aware of the wonders great sewing can do to humble fabrics).

We are greeted by a pair that makes the difference between this and the previous decade evident: from straight, sack-like to fluid, body-hugging dresses. The accompanying guide informs us that one would change attires throughout the day, going from plain to more elegant and formal as the day progressed (and here I go straight from work to dinner in the same set of clothes...). The exhibition displays the costumes for the respective time of day / social activity but always makes the point to include several types of examples. And that's what makes this exhibition so interesting: not only to witness the variety of the styles but also to mark the evolution through the years.

Dress code for the casino

The majority of garments displayed are gifts from private families in Belgium, which in my mind also shows how lively little Belgium was (and still is). One would have to even have to seriously consider what to wear when going to the casino - dress codes reminding me of the likes of The Great Gatsby... 

Tiny, really tiny but

beautiful dress

The exhibition continues, and I lose myself to a myriad of delicate fabrics, all hand-sewn, with little flowers decorating the hems of otherwise simple dresses and I'm thinking of an era when bespoke was the norm, not the exception...

Also interesting to note is how tiny women were in those days: all the dresses shown are really minuscule and it makes me wonder how such styles would look today. Don't look further: also on display are creations by contemporary Belgian fashion designers, inspired by the 1930s and made for today's body types.

how to stay flexible and THIN!!!

This exhibition is a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning, when the rest of the city is trying to make the most of the last rays of sun and when there is a noisy beer festival going around town - inside the Museum, the soft 1930s music takes me to a calm place, full of nice perfumes, soft fabrics, exquisite accessories, girdles... Wait, what?

Well yes, my dears. While on the surface everything is smooth and fluid, underneath there is a lot of construction work going on. A self-explanatory display informs us what to wear on what occasion...

If you happen to be in Brussels, this is one of the exhibitions I fully recommend. It is on display until February 1, 2015.

Knitting: My first knit-a-long!

One of the many amazing things in the online community is the team spirit in almost every activity!  From books to cooking to fashion to crafts, it's all for one, one for all! The exchange of ideas, advice and support (as well as a gentle competitive spirit) make an -a-long experience really worth the effort and time - plus it's fun when are you're among friends!

That's why I subscribed to Rowan's Mystery afghan KAL (that's knit-a-long)

Knitting: family presents

For the first time in my crafting career, I offered hand-made gifts to members of my family, and (to my surprise!) they all adored their presents.  So much so, that I now receive orders from other (neglected) family members and repeat orders as well!

Without further ado, here's what I made:

For my lovely sister, a cowl:  I like how it "hugs" the shoulders and keeps a sensitive and beautiful neck warm and protected.  I used the ombre pattern and I'm pleased with the end result (so was my sister...)

(from the scrap yarn, I made her this cute little neck scarf by Martha Stewart)

For my niece, I knitted a cowl of her own in the very exciting colour of ... mouse grey (her choice, not mine...).  I used the canaletto pattern and I  was surprised by how beautiful the lace pattern - discreet but making a difference!

For my nephew, a classic men's scarf (he's actually the one who started the trend:  he made a specific request for this!).  He already knew the colour and, when I sent him several patterns to choose from, of course he chose the difficult one - but also the better-looking one: Kyoko Nakayoshi's men's scarf introduced me to the world of finger-twisting knitting.  I didn't expect to manage it, but manage it I did and now I feel much more confident about new techniques in the patterns.  Bring it on, I say!

Now, as to my mother:  she's old school, so her request was a simple, two knit, two purl kind of scarf... You can imagine my disappointment that I would not get to showcase my "talent"... So I got to choose the yarn:  a beautiful purple-grey chunky yarn and I got to choose the ends - ruffled!  At least something to get me interested in the knitting!

Before I start the next rounds of gifts, I'm now knitting for me... a cardigan in the making!

Crafts: The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show

Well hello there - glad to find you again!

Having spend this past year and a half on a personal matter, I'm really glad to be back on track and back to my beloved activities:  crafts galore...

I'm just back from visiting one of the more famous shows and my first outside Belgium:  The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show in London, UK. 

Rowan - so much to choose from...

When:  Of course, the very first day - I naively thought to take the day off work, so that I would be one of the first visitors, avoid all those not being able to come because of work and thus be comfortable.  Right?  Wrong!  This must be one of the more visited venues I've ever been to!!! Good thing I dont' suffer from agorophobia, because it's places like this that can trigger major emotions.  To explain, I'm of a certain age, don't like being tread on constantly, rather enjoy lingering over "stuff" and appreciate contact with the sellers that takes longer that 3.2 seconds...

Soak and needles

Where:  Olympia, London.  London Underground is great for such things, and the people at the reception great - helpful and calm and very, very accomodating!

Time:  given that I was there for anything knitting, stitching, sewing only, I managed to skim on the remaining parts of the show, so overall it took me about 3 hours to get a very good glimpse of the show!

sewing patterns with a difference

What I left with:  I'm happy to say that there were a good many offers to be had.  And a lot of new businesses worth getting to know:  my bundle of joy included:

-  Rowan yarn, at a staggering 70% reduction

-  Knitting needles, at the difficult sizes of 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5

-  Knitting soak (from Canada!)

-  By Hand London sewing pattern (btw, the girls were amazing and their stand really cute!)

what presents are made of

-  Sew la di da vintage sewing pattern (intrigued to try this one out)

-  Stitching little projects (for various presents I have in mind)

I didn't buy anything from but I'll seriously consider once I've mastered my sewing skills:  a rather new company, Til the sun goes down, with a selection of vintage-inspired fabric --delightful!  Really, people, keep an eye for this site, because the fabrics are the most elegant and a treat to see and touch!  The shipping costs to Belgium are more than reasonable, so I'm already thinking of all my DVF-inspired wrap-dresses I'll be making...

What I really enjoyed:  the whole buzz and the way all workshops were full -- so full! The whole experience showed what a great community the crafts community is - and what a great escape from all that can be negative in our lives!

Now, on to stashing everything away...

Don't forget your feeder!

Hi everyone,

It's done!  My exams are OVER, I'm slowly getting back into the usual way of living, and with it slowly back to my sewjo!  

Thank you all for your patience - many, many posts with summer crafting are coming your way shortly!!!

p.s. As you know, as of 1st July Google will "retire" Reader - remember to switch to one of the feeders available on the internet to continue following your subscriptions:

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MMM13: Appreciation time

I'm very excited to have participated in MMMay'13 (Me-Made-May-2013).  This has been a great initiative to challenge myself into making and wearing my own creations.  Being a newbie I was wise enough to pledge to participate only in the weekends (this time only, I promise!).

The real challenge - I was to find out - was that I did NOT have any me-made clothes, that I would actually have to MAKE my me-made clothes (but not to worry, I was reassured by my learning to refashion clothes - easy, quick, effective!).  I'm happy to report that most weekend days were covered and the revelant posts will be published in the coming days.

How did I find the experience?  It's an amazing challenge!  I cannot believe I would dive into this world of refashioning so easily, but that alone has opened up my outlook on what I can and cannot do.  I thoroughly enjoy following patterns, don't get me wrong.  But to be able to give a second life to garments I already own - it's just unbelievable. To be able to grade patterns, even better!  Now I really understand the glory of one's  craft achievements and the luxury to wear clothes that perfectly fit ME!  I followed plenty of the other bloggers through their MMMay'13 journeys (who, of course, DID have me-made clothes...) and I saw how fun this can be - thank you Zoe for organising this challenge and here's my pledge:  by this time next year, I will have a whole wardrobe of me-made clothes!

Sewing: refashioning a dress

I'm really excited about my first participation in the MMMay'13 - and this is because I'm actually making the clothes for this challenge.  As I've just rediscovered my passion for crafts, I do not have a stash of me-made clothes, so this is a great opportunity to start a collection!  Of course, I cannot only rely on making clothes from scratch and here is where refashioning comes in.  Such an ingenious way to give clothes a second life, I was hooked on all the instruction posts from the other wonderful bloggers...

Without further ado, here is my first refashioning project:

This was the dress in the back of my wardrobe - which I did wear a couple of times, but then found the pattern was a little too large for me at a dress scale.

I followed the instructions laid out by dear Miss P and the whole transformation took less than half an hour.

Now it's a skirt - it immediately reduces the impact of the pattern while retaining the exotic look I like.    The most difficult part?  Actually taking the scissors and cutting the dress! Now that I'm over it though, be afraid my dear clothes set aside and long forgotten, be very afraid...

Sewing: London calling...

Most of the craft blogs I follow are from the UK - it's only natural then, that whenever I go to London (Eurostar is such a great invention - 2 hours from Brussels!), I will seek out any of the addresses I've found mentioned.

This time around, it was Tilly and Karen who mentioned Walthamstow and Berwick Street, and I was happy to oblige.  Walthamstow is in East London, an area heavily under development.  Which is great from an economic/social point, but not so great from the point of trying to walk around in search of a craft heaven!

my mini-loot from the W. Morris Gallery:
a bookmark and a folding bag 

my maxi-loot: all the trimmings and more!

With a little detour (in Walthamstow there is also a great little museum on William Morris, one of the masters of the Arts & Crafts movement), it was time.  I found High street, and gathered all my courage to zig-zag across the various construction sites there.  I soon found very interesting shops with fabrics and I got excited.  Alas, it was not to be - the prices were normal prices (i.e. like the ones I can find in Belgium), which was not what I was there for - I wanted the 1 and 2 pound-a-metre fabrics!  (I have a slight suspicion that I really looked like a tourist, and that people were not willing to offer me the same prices as to Londoners, but that's ok ...)

What I did find, however, was a tiny little shop with all the trimmings!  Now, that was a great discovery and I'm not ashamed to say I bought half the store (ok, I'm exaggerating a little).  Seriously, all the bindings, the threads, the needles, the zippers -- anything that has to do with sewing was there, and it was at 1/4 of the price here in Brussels.  How could I resist?

my medium-loot from the Cloth House:  rollends

The next day it was Soho day, with a visit to Berwick Street and then on to Liberty.  The Cloth House is a very nice establishment, that carries mid- to high-range fabrics (again, vs. the prices here) but I really liked the ambience that I found there - they even have vintage French buttons (how cute is that!).  I did not leave empty-handed:  I found these two rollends at a bargain!

All in all, a great way to discover yet another facet of London.  Next time, I'll continue with my Goldhawk road adventures...

Sewing: fabric on sale

Like the majority of people, I'm always on the lookout for a bargain in everything, but more so when it comes to fabric.  I understand that "you get what you pay for" and I'm usually fine with that.  I'm still in an early phase of sewing, so I prefer to ruin cheap fabric rather than cry over a torn expensive one.

My Laura Ashley finds

But every now and then, I do want to feel the quality of expensive fabric - it feels better, it sews better, it looks better...  How to accomodate this need?  by looking for sales or rollends.  The price may still be a little higher than the "cheap" fabrics but they do just fine for small projects.

These are Laura Ashley fabrics that I managed to pick up -- all that is left now is to transform them into cushion covers. Stay tuned!