Category: show and tell

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A Tale of Two Cardigans

I have two sweaters to show you! One of them I put the finishing touches on just this week, and the other one has been waiting for me to take pictures of it for roughly a YEAR.

The first cardigan is a pattern by Tin Can Knits and features a lovely cabled yoke. It was a bottom-up knit, which is not my favorite, but I enjoyed knitting the cables. And there’s something to be said for saving the interesting part for last.

The other cardigan is the Striped Yoke Cardigan, which is one of my own patterns. I made some significant changes to the yoke for a more customized fit, and I’ve worn it many times over the past year. This one was a top-down knit, which means you get to do the fun part right away, but then you’re stuck with the stockinette slog for the next few weeks until it’s done.

Both methods have their pros and cons.

Keep reading for more details, photos, and links to the patterns, yarns, and button-making instructions!

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Three shirts, a dress, and a shawl

It’s hard to believe after thinking about a potential trip to Glasgow for five years, here we are on the other side, having been there and back already. We’ve been home for more than a month! I want to share some of my favorite photos from that trip, but I’m actually not finished telling you about the sewing and knitting I finished before we left. So how about we wrap that bit up today?

So, last I told you I had gone down a shirt-making rabbit hole. I thought I was finished with that, but it turns out, I had a few more in me. And I wanted to try my hand at making a dress to wear to the Hugo Awards, too.

I sewed one more top based on my Barefoot Summer Sheath pattern, and one more Simplicity 3835. Then I got all experimental and added sleeves to the Sheath pattern, resulting in a dress that was super comfortable and nice enough to wear to an awards ceremony.

I finished the squishy garter-stitch shawl I was working on a few months ago, and it was actually just right for the Scottish weather and my short-sleeved dress.

Read on for all of the details!

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Vacation Sewing

Neil and I are going to Scotland in August, and I was thinking about what to wear on the trip. Jeans? Check. Funky colorful shoes? Check. A week’s worth of colorful handmade tops in colors that coordinate well with the funky shoes? Eh, not really.

So, I went shopping. Picked out three plaids and three florals, and sewed myself six new tops, using two tried-and-true patterns.

And then I had a photo shoot outside on a 90-degree day, and did six costume changes, including glasses and earrings, so that I could share these new lovelies on my blog. Come and see!

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Not a Rhinebeck Sweater

Traveller's End Cardigan

This weekend is Rhinebeck weekend, and I am not there. For the fourth year in a row. That’s ok, though, because I still have a sweater to share, and I wore it for a week in Ocean City, NJ, which is a very different kind of getaway than a weekend in Upstate NY would be, but it was nice in its own way, and perfect for new-sweater wearing.

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Sun-Kissed Cardigan

I haven’t completed a knit or crochet item in seven months! It took summer to spur me into action. It took the desire for a lacey cotton cardigan to take with me on our casual nights out. And it took wanting something handmade and lovely to throw over my shoulders if the ocean breeze got to be too much.

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Liathite Sweater and New Shoes

I enjoyed knitting Carol Feller’s Liathite Sweater pattern. it is mostly easy stockinette, plus a nice cable to keep me from getting bored. I love the finished product, too. Here are some photos, and all of the details, in case you want to knit one for yourself. Also: check out my fun new shoes.

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A Shawl With No Name

This is not my first rodeo with the squishy garter stripe idea, but each time I’ve improvised one, I’ve changed it up in some way. I like playing with this kind of design, where you take three or more colors, and alternate them in some way as to make a sort of stripey fade. This time, the shape is more crescent than triangle, due to the strategic introduction of decreases.

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New Year, New Project?

Introducing the Campfire Blanket: a new crochet pattern! This hexagon blanket features a fiery color scheme, has straight sides, and a ripple top and bottom. It features several shades of each color in order to get a random, scrappy look. The pattern is fully illustrated and available for download now.

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