Blueberry Hill Crafting

Drafting and sewing the Edenwild Tote pattern

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I spent the weekend recreating one of my favorite tote bags from Graf Lantz — a felted wool and leather tote bag that I use for my knitting projects (and just about everything else!)  I may have gotten carried away with all of possible color combinations . . .

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I sourced the 5mm felted wool from Filzfelt, and kept the cost reasonable by purchasing wool design felt remnants.  The leather pieces were also scraps, sourced from Springfield Leather.  I wrote out the pattern as I went, noting adjustments that needed to be made and sewing tips.  I found that I was able to cut both the felted wool and the leather with a rotary cutter (sometimes using an Xacto knife to cut out stubborn corners).

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I first tried using heavy-duty thread, but my sewing machine wasn’t having it, so I switched to Gutermann’s all-purpose thread and used a triple-thread zigzag stitch.  I was able to get the felted wool pieces sewn together, but once I moved on to sewing leather into felted wool, I had to use an industrial sewing machine.  Luckily, we have an amazing cooperative workhouse here in Portland called Klum House, where you can take some amazing classes, or learn to use (and then purchase time to use) an industrial sewing machine.  As is so often the case, the right tool made all the difference, and I was able to sew through the various materials and thicknesses with no problem whatsoever.

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The pattern is just for personal use, but if you sign up for the By Hand Serial newsletter, you can get it for free!

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Beach pants

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I love both the fabric and the pattern that I used for this project, and it gave me just the look I was going for!  The fabric is from Fiddlehead Artisan Supply – Robert Kaufman Railroad Denim in Indigo (2.5 yards).  The pattern is Blank Slate’s Oceanside Pants (size medium).

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The patterns were amazingly easy to sew, and required few modifications.  I really like the design of the pockets, and they’re very simple since they’re patch pockets.  The pants are elastic waistband, but with the clever addition of drawstrings sewn to the elastic, for a little more of a finished look.

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I did add about 1.5″ to the top of the waistband because I didn’t want the pants to ride so low on my hips, although once they were sewn up, I think they would have been fine even as called for in the pattern.  I ended up taking about 2″ out of each leg from the knee down to the ankle, just because they were so wide-legged — I mean, I know that’s the look, but I could have fit a second person in there with me!  And, I cuffed the pants and tacked down the cuffs.  Otherwise, I didn’t make any pattern mods.

 

 

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Silk Set for Alia

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One of my impulse fabric buys from Fiddlehead Artisan Supply during my trip to Maine this summer was a fat eighth roll of Dupioni silk, in gorgeous blues and greens collectively named “Water” (which is exactly what it makes me think of :)  Of course, I had no real plan for these silks, they were just too beautiful to leave in the store.  I ultimately decided that instead of making yet another pillow or tote bag, I would sew them lengthwise into a skirt for my youngest daughter.

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There are six silk pieces in all, each 9″ x 22″.  I didn’t waste or cut any of the fabric – just sewed them all together lengthwise, then a small hem and a small roll for an elastic waistband.

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Then, of course, she needed something to wear with the skirt . . . this tank is a modified child-size version of Athens, knit with two skeins (437 yds/ea) of Alpha B yarn’s Single Silk B (70% superwash merino / 30% silk) in color Hey Sailor.  I wanted a yarn with some silk, to produce a sheen that echoed the fabric of the skirt, and I thought the the deep navy color went best with all of the “water” colors of the skirt.  The tank is knit on US 4s.

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Tea Towel Summer Cottage Pillows

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I fell in love with these summery blue and white tea towels at Sugar Tools in Camden while visiting Maine this summer, but I couldn’t justify buying more tea towels – I’m already drowning in the kitchen tea towels I’ve bought from local artists, sewn myself, and received as gifts.  However, I thought these would make the perfect throw pillows (although who am I kidding, I’m drowning in handmade throw pillows, too!)

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I didn’t do any cutting at all – by folding each towel in half, I got perfectly sized 18″ x 13″ pillowcases.  I sewed the long side closed and sewed one short side closed with an exposed seam and selvedge.  On the other short side, I sewed six buttonholes and used these perfectly sized buttons from Purl Soho.  I have to admit – I love how these came out, they’re exactly what I pictured when I saw the linens sitting on the shelf in Sugar Tools :)

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tea towel summer cottage pillows

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Silky Summer PJs

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I love the fabric I used for these PJs – found when I stumbled into the world’s greatest fabric store tucked away in the small coastal Maine town of Belfast.  The store is Fiddlehead Artisan Supply, and along with so many other things, it has an amazing selection of apparel fabric.  The teal PJ bottoms are sewn from 2 yards of Radiance (color Slate) and the top is sewn from .75 yards of Radiance (color Sage).  The orange-hued floral PJs are sewn from 2.5 yards of Voile (color Rose) and 1 yard of Woodland Clearing (color Ivory).  The fabrics are voile, lawn, and a wonderful silk/cotton blend that washes up beautifully.  They do wrinkle a lot, but I think of it as “beautiful wrinkles” (kind of like linen :)

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The pattern, however, I really didn’t like at all.  It’s called Night Garden Pajama Set, and I sewed sizes small (teal PJs) and large (floral PJs).  I skipped a lot of the design “extras” (like pockets) and kept them very simple, but the basic shape of the jammies didn’t fit well – particularly the pants.  First, the pant legs are wide – I mean, fit-two-people-in-a-single-leg wide.  They’re so wide that they make it difficult to walk.  Then strangely enough, the waistband rides very low, making your tummy stick out and the fit tight in the crotch – two things you don’t want in pajamas!  I had to alter the waistband substantially just to get it to fit, even on my on-the-skinny-side youngest daughter.

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I didn’t use the adjustable straps part of the pattern – it seemed overly complicated for my purposes, and instead I just sized the straps on each of the intended recipients of the PJs.  They’ll be comfortable enough, I suppose, nice and lightweight for summer sleeping, but I have to say that I wouldn’t use this pattern again.

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Romance pullover

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I love fingerweight yarn knit on larger needles – it makes such soft, floaty fabric that is so lovely to wear!  Julie Asselin’s yarns are particularly beautiful because of how the color is just varied enough to provide visual interest.  Even though this simple pattern required a lot of stockinette stitch, it was a meditative pleasure to knit, and didn’t take much longer than a week or so.

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Yarn:  Julie Asselin’s Leizu Fingering (90% merino / 10% silk) – 3 skeins (420 yds/ea) in color Romance

Pattern:  Holiday

Needles:  US 5s (as usual, I had to go down a size or two to get gauge)

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Size:  41 1/4″ (I don’t think this really gives me 3-3 1/2″ of positive ease – probably the finished sweater is closer to 40″.  The fit is relaxed and casual without feeling too slouchy or baggy.  This size was the second smallest, and I definitely didn’t think that the smallest size of any pattern would be a good fit for me!)

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Rainbow Sprinkles

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I’m in my “big shawls” phase now – no more tiny little shawlettes for me!  I love how these big oversize shawls wrap around me in such a generous cozy cloud.  That’s particularly true with this yarn, a single ply that epitomizes fluffy softness!

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Pattern:  Lakefront by Alicia Plummer

Yarn:  Camellia Fiber Co. Flou (100% merino single ply) – 2 skeins (24 yds/ea) in Rainbow Sprinkles and 2 skeins in Ivory

Needles:  US 7s

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This shawl has all of the beautiful things:  speckled color, ivory lace, and a marshmallow soft hand.  It was fun to knit, and only started to feel like a bit of a slog at the very end of all of those long rows of lace :)

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Indigo summer top

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The perfect summer-weight casual top!

Pattern:  Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond

Yarn:  Berroco Indigo (recycled denim/cotton) – 4 skeins (color Denim)

Needles:  US 5s or 6s (oops – forgot to write this down!)

Size:  36″ (my gauge was a little larger than that called for in the pattern, so this is probably a final size of more like 37-38″, for about 1-2″ of positive ease)

Mods:  Shortened the sleeve length – otherwise, knit to the pattern

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Summer 2017 in Maine

I think that the coast of Maine is just about the most perfect place to spend the summer . . . I even love the fog that rolls in over the ocean most mornings :)

A sunny afternoon in Belfast, where the Passagassawakeag River (no, I did not make that up!) meets Belfast Bay:

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Kayaking on a small pond in the evening light:

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Dice Head Lighthouse in Castine:

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Foggy morning views at Fort Point State Park:

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Grindle Point Lighthouse on Islesboro:

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A foggy afternoon in Camden Harbor:

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After an epic evening thunder and lightening storm, the next morning all of the fog was washed away and the Camden hills looked beautiful in the sunrise:

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Curtis Island, in the mouth of Camden Harbor:

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Curtis Island lighthouse at sunrise:

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One of my favorite treats, available only in Maine!

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Footbridge in Belfast during a foggy early morning run:

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Foggy early morning kayak on the pond:

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Afternoon sail on the Sloop Anjaca out of Camden:

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Views during an early morning run in Camden:

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Cherry oat muffins

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We bought so many bing cherries this week that there were leftovers – instead of letting them go bad, I pitted and sliced about a half-flat of them and made Healthy Cherry Oatmeal Muffins.  I don’t know how healthy they are, but the only sugar is 3/4 cup brown sugar, and the liquid is provided by 1/4 cup canola oil, buttermilk, and an egg.  In any case, they’re delicious!  With only 1 cup of roughly chopped cherries, you get muffins chock-full of fruit, so I had lots leftover.  I put them into freezer bags so I can make these later this fall and into the winter.

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Traveling to Alaska

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My family just returned from a quick summer trip to southeast Alaska – just a few days up and back.  While I have to admit that I wasn’t thrilled with Wrangell, the town we stayed in, we did go on two great excursions:  to see the LeConte glacier, and to the Anan Bear Observatory.  It felt very big, and beautiful, and there were amazingly few people around, even during prime tourist season.  I’m sure it helped that we avoided Ketchikan and anywhere else where cruise ships come into port . . .

In some ways, it felt like we didn’t see much wildlife – I had been hoping for moose, sea otters, and humpback whales, but the passages we traveled in were too shallow (for the whales, that is), and this part of the country is so big, it’s hard to predict where wildlife might be found at any given moment in time.  We did see salmon headed upstream to spawn and the bears that were eating them at the Observatory, as well as so many bald eagles that I lost count, and there were multitudes of harbor seals out on the ice floes at the glacier.

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Sewing with Community Supported Cloth

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A few months ago, I learned about this amazing project by a collective of farmers, mills, and wool/textile producers to create “a regionally grown and woven textile that was tied directly to reversing the effects of climate change by building soil health.”  The organization, headquartered in California, is titled Fibershed, with the tagline “local fiber, local dye, local labor.”  Their Community Supported Cloth program is intended to create a “regional and regenerative textile economic model that supports the ranchers and artisans and provides the people of our community supply-chain transparency.”

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Fibershed focuses on the entire production chain, from healthy soil and carbon offsets at the sheep ranches, to the environmental impacts of scouring and spinning, to the details of textile design and weaving.  I think of it as a CSA for environmentally responsible woven cloth, and I jumped at the chance to pre-order some yardage.

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I purchased four yards, which was more than enough for my first sewing project – I have plenty left over for either another pair of pants or a skirt.  I wanted a very simple pants pattern, so I chose Colette Clover pants.  I can’t believe how well they turned out!  The fit was perfect the first time around – I didn’t even have to go back and adjust the seams.  I was a little nervous about the waistband and invisible zipper, but it was really quite easy.  I sewed Version 1 in Size 12 (which seemed really big to me, since I usually wear a size 8 pants, but the measurements for size 12 matched mine, so I went with it – and was glad I did!  I figure you can always take in your seams and make your apparel a little smaller, but it’s hard to go the other direction and make it bigger :)

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I left off the pockets – frankly, I didn’t really see the point of tiny little front pockets, and I felt like they kind of messed up the clean line of the pants.  I’m SO HAPPY with how they fit!  The only downside is that I had hoped to wear them as spring/summer pants, but they are definitely woven wool, and as such, are a little heavier than I had anticipated.  No matter – they’ll be perfect for cool summer nights and autumn!

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Many people who are purchasing Community Supported Cloth are dyeing it – which I think would turn out beautifully, given the texture of the cloth.  However, for at least this first project, I really loved the natural color of the woven wool; I think it’s a perfect neutral that will go with just about anything.  I love how these came out so much that I was planning on a skirt, but I’m now considering dyeing the rest of the fabric and sewing up another pair of pants – maybe to complement the color of one of my upcoming fall sweater designs :)

 

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Kokka Cats bags

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I love how these bags turned out!!  I’m really addicted to using leather and canvas as materials for all kinds of bags – it just makes them feel so much sturdier and more useful.  I’ve been saving these fabrics for a long time, waiting for the perfect project . . .

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Pattern:  Wool + Wax Tote by Noodlehead

Fabric:  Unknown Kokka cats print in canvas for outer bag, and stash fabric (I think Essex Yarn Dyed?) for lining.

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Leather:  Tennessee Whiskey Oil Tan Pre-Cut (24″x24″) for the bag bottoms, and Genuine Leather Oil Tan Purse Straps in Tennessee Whiskey (26″) for the straps, both purchased from Springfield Leather.

Other supplies:  Woven fusible interfacing, 1/2″ nickel plated magnetic snap, and rivets

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Go Tell The Bees

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Such a lovely shawl pattern!

Pattern:  Go Tell The Bees by Michele Lee Bernstein (pdxknitterati)

Yarn:  One skein (approx. 400 yds) Llady Llama Fiber Co. Lleap yarn in color “Sprout” – handprinted gradient sock yarn (80% merino / 20% nylon)

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Size:  Shawlette

Needles:  US 6s (for cast-on) and US 4s

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I ran out of yarn right before starting the final section, so I finished with Koivu KPM (color 0000) – virtually indistinguishable from the white end of the Llady Llama yarn :)

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Kitty Cats Quilt for 8th grade graduation

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When my oldest daughter graduated from 8th grade and left our little K-8 country school to attend high school downtown, I sewed her a quilt made from the t-shirts she’d acquired each year of school and at zoo camp.  I wanted to celebrate my middle daughter’s 8th grade graduation with her own quilt, but I didn’t  want to duplicate her older sister’s.  Instead, in a nod to my middle daughter’s obsession with cats, I used a sampling of all of the cat fabrics that she and I have collected over the years.

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You know when you buy a fabric because it’s just too awesome to pass up, but you have no idea what you’re going to do with it?  And over time, your collection of these fabrics grows and grows?  Well, that’s what Bella and I had going with cat fabrics.  This way, she can enjoy them all in one place!

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I grouped all of the black and white fabrics together on one side for a monochromatic effect, and all of the bright colors on the other side – I kind of like how the two sides contrast each other.  I wanted the quilt to feel especially cozy, so for the sashing, I used Michael Miller Organic Cotton Sherpa.

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In order to keep the focus on the fabric, I kept the piecing as simple as possible – just a single large square for each of the fabrics (I think they’re approx. 13″ square).  When it was completed, I didn’t like how the sherpa looked when I tried to machine quilt it, so instead, I hand tied embroidery threads at regular intervals throughout the quilt.

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I sewed the quilt as square lap quilt size, instead of a long, narrow bed covering because I liked how the size and shape of the overall quilt echoed the size and shape of the individual quilt blocks.  I love how a quilt can pull together such an eclectic group of fabrics and somehow unify them!

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Perfect Plucky Pinks hoodie

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I picked up this yarn when I was visiting Nashville for By Hand Serial Lookbook No. 3 – perfect Plucky pinks!  I used them for a second version of my Bantam Hoodie, this time with a few stripes thrown in.

 

Pattern:  Bantam Hoodie by me!

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Yarn:  The Plucky Knitter Lodge Worsted (60% merino / 20% cotton / 10% silk / 10% flax) – 4 skeins of MC Baby Boom (238 yds/ea) and 2 skeins CC Pink Pony (which actually turned out to be the exact same color as my skein of Petticoat in Lodge Fingering).

Needles:  US 6s (went down one size to get gauge) and US 5s (ribbing)

Size:  37″

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Bluebird tank top

Bluebird tank top

I can already tell I’m going to get a lot of wear out of this tank top this summer!  I absolutely love the color – the perfect shade of blue, in my opinion.  The pattern is Athens, by Shellie Anderson for Shibui Knits.  However, I used different yarns, which changed the gauge so much that I had to rewrite the entire pattern.

Yarn:  Shibui Knits Lunar (60% extra fine merino / 40% mulberry silk) – 2 skeins (401 yds/ea) in color Blueprint
Shibui Knits Reed (100% linen) – 3 skeins (246 yds/ea) in color Blueprint

Needles:  US 9s and US 7s (for the seed stitch border)

Size:  M (to fit 36.5″ bust – finished dimension 39″ bust)

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Mods:
C/O 100 sts.
Work Rows 1 & 2 to 4.5” (instead of 5.5”)
Dec. a total of 5 times, every 12 rows
Work body to 15.5” (instead of 17.5”)

Armhole shaping:  BO 6 sts on the first 2 rows (instead of 8); BO 2 sts at beg of next 2 rows; BO 1 st at beg of every row until you have 66 sts.
Work to length as specified in pattern.

Left back:
Row 0 (RS):  BO center 22 sts, leaving 22 sts rem on each shoulder
Row 1 (WS):  Purl
Row 2:  BO 5 sts, work to end
Row 3:  Purl
Row 4:  (first row of shoulder shaping) BO 3 sts, work to last 2 sts, turn
Row 5:  Sl-GSR, purl to end
Row 6:  BO 2 sts, work to 3 sts before previous turning point, turn
Row 7:  Sl-GSR, purl to end
Row 8:  BO 1 st, work to 3 sts before previous turning point, turn
Row 9:  Sl-GSR, purl to end
Row 10:  Knit to end.  11 sts rem.

Change as needed to comply with Right Back and Right/Left Front directions.

Also, after the top was seamed together, I used US 9s and picked up 2 out of every 3 sts around neck opening, then bound off on the next row.  I did the same for the armholes, as well.  I thought this gave it a nicer, more finished edging.

At this gauge, and with no sleeves to knit, the tank top flew off my needles – which might even convince me to knit a second one in a different color :)

 

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Petticoat lace cardigan

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This one took a while, but I’m happy with the results and I like how it’s different than most of my other cardigans.  It should be perfect to wear in spring/summer – my next task is to sew a pencil skirt to wear with it.  I like the color better than in the pictures – it’s a really difficult color to photograph!

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Pattern:  Lake Effect

Yarn:  Plucky Lodge Fingering (60% merino / 20% cotton / 10% silk / 10% flax) – 3 skeins (430 yds/ea) in color Petticoat

Needles:  US 4s and US 2s (for ribbing)

Size:  38 1/2″

Mods:  I stopped the sleeve decreases at 60 sts – I think if I’d gone down to the 48 sts called for in the pattern, I would have barely been able to get my arms through!

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I liked the lace pattern used for the sweater, and it kept the knitting interesting, although I would add that you have to really be able to read your stitches and understand how the lace pattern works, because as you do the decreases throughout the pattern, it messes up your count and you have to adapt to keep the lace pattern consistent.  I found this particularly hard when doing the short rows for the sleeve caps.

I love how the color takes on this yarn base, and how it feels – light and not too soft or wooly, it’s the perfect spring/summer yarn.

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Getty pullover

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The perfect lightweight spring pullover – such a cool stitch texture, and I love these two yarns double-stranded together :)

Pattern:  Getty (ShibuiKnits SS17) by Shellie Anderson

Yarn:  Shibui Knits Twig (46% linen / 42% recycled silk / 12% wool) – 4 skeins (190 yds/ea) in Ivory, and Shibui Knits Cima (70% superbaby alpaca / 30% fine merino) – 3 skeins (328 yds/ea) in Ivory

Needles:  US 8s and US 7s

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Size:  Small (to fit bust 34.5″, finished dimensions 38.5″) – I couldn’t quite get gauge, even after going down a needle size, so I went down one sweater size.  The result = perfect fit!

Notes:  Yarn is knit double-stranded throughout.

Mods:  There was no finishing for the neckline, and I thought it looked a little odd, especially where the cast-off stitches showed, so I picked up stitches around and then immediately bound off, which gave it just a little more of a finished edge.

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