I finished recording Episode 2 of the podcast. The show notes are below.
Find me at:
Instagram – cleocmc
Ravelry – cleocmc
Finished Objects
Simplicity 1803
Works-In-Progress
Archive Treasure
Acquired Treasure
Jane Seymour Kit from Virtual Yarns
Catching My Interest
Sarabi, my miniature dachshund
I’ve really been on a sewing kick lately. And I am not fighting it. Because sewing happens so infrequently in my life (I’m a knitter at heart), I don’t get much sewing done. So, I’m using this bout of inspiration to fill in some wardrobe gaps I noticed during Me Made May. At the conclusion of Me Made May, I really wanted more dresses and skirts in my wardrobe. So far, I have finished two dresses and a skirt. Today, we will talk about that skirt.
Years ago, I noticed this beautiful pattern when Tassadit created the most wonderful and elegant version of this skirt HERE. But, I wasn’t sewing at the time (didn’t even own a sewing machine), so I simply admired the beautiful work. This skirt pattern has been the pattern I’ve been searching for since I started sewing. It is Sewaholic’s Hollyburn skirt. I really like the high-waist fit and the flared bottom. This is the epitome of my style. And an extra bonus is the pockets! And the button tabs! I actually purchased this pattern over a year ago for the Outfit Along, but was unable to participate. So, this pattern just sat static for over a year.
The pattern worked up surprisingly quickly. I actually cut out the pieces, the fabric, and started sewing after church on Sunday. I finished at around 1am that morning. (Sewing always makes me pull late nighters. Lol). The fabric used is a salmon pink denim that I found at Joann’s Fabric store. I actually visited Joann’s fabric store the day before and bought a zipper. I noticed that fabric while there, but resisted purchasing it. Well, that night I couldn’t get it out of my mine. So, I woke up early the next day and went back to Joann’s to get the fabric (It helps that the Joann’s is literally down the street from my place.) Overall, I am very pleased with the flow of the fabric with the pattern. It is exactly how I envisioned it in my mind.
The button tabs are another favorite aspect to the skirt. I purchased the buttons at Joann’s also for only 50 cent! That was a deal for beautiful wooden buttons. In addition to that, the flowers on the buttons perfectly match the color of the skirt. They were made for each other.
I definitely see more Hollyburn skirts in my future.
I have been working diligently on my outfit for the Outfit Along. Last week I underlined my dress and begin sewing on Friday. The dress was completed on Saturday. And I actually wore it to church on Sunday. I actually received a few compliments on the dress.
I forgot how long the bodice takes to work up on Simplicity 1803 (especially compared to Simplicity 2444); however, I really like the shaping that the princess seams provides with this bodice.
Once the dress was finished, then I decided it was time to give my Anaheim cardigan more attention. That has been my sole knitting project this week. I did have a mishap at the underarm CO and waist shaping section. In this part, the instructions tells me to include the stitch pattern as it fits. Well, I didn’t include it where it fit on one side and there was more stockinette than lace. I thought that it wouldn’t bother me and kept working. However, the more I looked at it, the more I hated it. So, I had to rip back 6 rows in the body. That was a pain. Ripping back lacework is no fun. But, I did it and it all worked out beautifully. I am so happy that I decided to fix that mistake.
I look forward to wearing this cardigan with my finished dress and will be sure to share the final images with you all.
In the past, I had issues when I first created this dress. My problems and solutions to those problems can be found in this past post. Despite the problems, I still really liked the dress and it is one of my most worn dresses in my closet. Therefore, I thought it was about time to recreate another Simplicity 2444.
The fabric was bought and cut over a year ago, but it sat in my stash just waiting to be sewn. So this past Saturday, I made it my business to finish this dress. I am so happy that I did! 😀 I made the same adjustments that I made to the previous dress by letting out the side seam allowance to 1/4” and not bringing in the back pleats/darts in as much. The fit is exactly how I like it.
The fabric used is actually this corduroy that I found at Joann’s. I bought it with the intention of it being a staple autumn/winter dress. Of course, I plan on wearing it other times of the year. In fact, I just wore it this past Sunday. 😉 I really enjoyed working with corduroy and want to make another dress in corduroy and a pair of pedal pushers in red corduroy. The fabric has a nice volume/substance and it presses so well.
The pleats turned out alright and I know I could have done a better job. However, that is such a minor thing compare to the overall dress.
I just purchased a new Simplicity 2444 and want to sew it up 2 sizes. Because I cut out a size 4, that ended my chance of sewing a larger size. With this new pattern, I hope to avoid having to make those adjustments. Also, it was on sale for only $5!
I just completed my first episode for the Yarning Over the Days podcast. In this episode, I provide a brief introduction and talk about my most recent finished objects and WIPs. If you would like to view Episode 1 of the podcast, you can do so by clicking HERE. I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me.
Find me at:
Finished Objects
Interchange Socks by Ariel Altaras
Eyelet Rib Socks by Knit Picks Design Team
Sycamore Vest by Hannah Fettig
Works-In-Progress
Outifit Along 2017 – Simplicity 1803 and Anaheim Cardigan by Andi Satterlund
Archive Treasures
Acquired Treasures
Butterick 6284
Butterick 5895
Butterick 6323
Butterick 6319
Butterick 6316
Catching My Interest
Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting
Alice Starmore’s Tudor Roses
Today marks the first day of the OAL2017. I’m pretty excited about this outfit along and look forward to having a completed dress and cardigan at the end of it all. The idea of the Outfit Along is to knit a garment and sew a garment. Patterns are suggested for the Outfit Along; however, you don’t have to adhere to those patterns. In fact, I will be knitting the suggested cardigan of Anaheim; however, I will not be knitting the suggested dress pattern of Kim by By Hand By London. Instead, I will be knitting Simplicity 1803 again.
I actually went to my stash for everything needed for the Outfit Along. I did not want to purchase new yarn, new fabric, or a new pattern. My stash may not be large, but I did bring a few things to Columbia with me. So, for the yarn I will be using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport in the color Avocado. (I was actually eating an avocado while knitting my gauge and it actually matched the avocado perfectly. 🙂 ) The pattern actually calls for a DK weight yarn, but I was able to get gauge with a sport weight yarn by blocking it heavily. I also went down to a size 5 needle because I did not want the fabric to be too open by using a larger needle. To avoid having to block the finished garment quite so heavily, I will knit up a size to size Small instead of my usual Extra Small. Hopefully, this will all work out.
As for the dress, I will be using this fabric that was a gift to me from a previous co-worker. She is from West Africa and this is fabric from her home. I really like the bright cheery colors and I think it will make a beautiful dress. Also, I want to add underlining to the dress to give it a bit more depth. I plan on making the version of the dress that has the simple neckline. I think that little dip will look lovely with the V-neck portion of the cardigan.
To prepare for the Outfit Along, I completed my gauge swatches two nights ago. I created one in the stockinette stitch pattern and the other in the lace pattern. Also, I pre-washed and ironed my fabric yesterday. Hopefully, I will start cutting either today or tomorrow. Cutting is the part of sewing that I dread the most…
Today marks the end of Me Made May 2017 and I am happy that I stuck it through. Last year, I didn’t make it to the end. If you would like details about the knit patterns they can be found at my Ravelry page HERE. I also blogged about some of the knitted garments. Also, all of my sewn garments were also blogged.
My goal–which is going to be very hard–is to sew more dresses. To take the steps to achieve this goal I am joining the OAL2017. I am going to try to sew 2 dresses this year. One dress will be more for Spring (though to be honest, I’m sure I’ll rock it in the fall/winter) and the other dress will be more Autumn. I’ll go into further details about my plans for the Outfit Along in a later post.
Well, that concludes my Me Made May 2017 and it really inspired me to pull out the sewing machine. 
Over a year ago, I saw an Instagrammer wearing the Sycamore Vest by Hannah Fettig and I immediately wanted to make myself a version. Therefore, I purchased the book and the yarn that was used for the pattern. I would’ve never thought that the yarn would sit in my stash for over a year before I cast on. So, this past March I decided it was now time for me to start my Sycamore Vest.
The shape of this vest is a departure from my typical knit clothing. I definitely prefer fitted and cropped clothing that has a vintage feel to it. However, I decided I wanted to try something new. I am pretty pleased with the effortless easy flow to the vest and I do think it will get regular rotation of wear. The color is one of my favorite aspects of the cardigan. I didn’t realize I flock to yellow tones so much until I added this vest to my knitwear stash. Yet, yellow works so well as a neutral which makes it match almost everything in my closet. Also, this is a great layering piece that can work year round.
I must admit that I did not enjoy working this vest up very much. I did like that it was an easy knit. So, I loved working on it while watching Netflix and reading. But, since it was worked from the bottom up, I couldn’t get a feel for how it was going to look. I just felt like I was knitting this block of fabric. It was very unexciting. Then, I made up in my mind that I was going to get this project off my needles. Especially, before the Outfit Along 2017. So, I did just that over the weekend. I’m pretty pleased with the finished object and I just love the feel and drape of Quince and Company’s yarn. I can’t wait to knit more things with this yarn. Will I make it again? As of now, I don’t think so simply because I did not enjoy knitting the garment that much. Also, while I like the fit and shape of the vest, it is still not my favorite shape of clothing items. Life’s too short to knit items that don’t fit into the favorite category.
I did shorten the collar portion by 5 rows because I was running out of yarn. I got gauge and the pattern stated that I would need 4 skeins, but I still was short. I had just enough yarn for the armholes, so shortening the collar was a good call. Playing yarn chicken stresses me out. Lol.
Details:
Yarn – Quince and Company Chickadee in Carrie’s Yellow
Needle – 3.75mm (US 5)
Level – Easy
I can’t believe it’s been over a year since my last post. I participated in Me Made May last year and I am participating again this year. Instead of doing weekly Me Made May posts, I’ll do a recap at the end of the month. I’m happy to say that I have worn something Me-Made everyday this month. Some days I did not feel like posting, but I stuck it through.
While my blogging activity has been low, I have steadily been crafting away. However, I think the year 2016 was my least productive year. I did not sew a thing, I did not finish a crochet item, and I only finished a hat and a cardigan. Very disappointing. I can say that I was focused on finishing out my last year of my Master of Library Science program, while also applying to a Ph.D. program in Library and Information Science. It was quite the task. I am happy to say that I was accepted to the University of South Carolina in Columbia’s doctoral program and I just finished out my second semester quite successfully. Summer 2016 consisted of relocating to Columbia. In the process of moving from North Carolina to Alabama to South Carolina, I did misplace my handmade scarves, cowls, and hats. Therefore, there is a need for me to make more scarves, cowls, and hats.
Now, on to the knitting and crocheting. For this post, I will focus on my smaller projects. I will detail my cardigans and sweaters in another post.
One of my church members, had a baby girl this past winter. I knew that I wanted to make her something because she was very excited about having her first girl (she has five boys). I always admired the Cloud Layette set in the Big Book of Crochet and I was excited about the project. I think baby’s look so adorable in white. It’s something about it that is so fresh. I made the cardigan, booties, and bonnet and chose not to create the blanket. Initially, I planned to use white ribbon, but decided pink ribbon would be a nice accent. Below I’ve listed a few project details and an image of the set. (OAN: My sister is expecting and the baby is due in November, so it looks like more baby knits are in my future.)
Yarn – Bernat Softee Baby Solids & Marls
Hook – 5.5 mm (I)
Level – Easy
Size – 3 months
I really wanted to get back to knitting everyday, so I decided to start carrying small projects with me in my backpack. Therefore, I could knit in between classes. So, I made a few cardigans for my American Girl dolls, which are 18 inch dolls. (BTW, I have been a big AG fan since 1994 when my mom surprised me with my Addy doll for Christmas 1994.) So, I knitted the Rylie Nautical cardigan for my dolls. Project details are below:
Yarn – Knit Picks Palette in Limeade Heather
Needle – 2.25 mm (US 1)
Level – Easy
Modifications – I made it in a solid color and did not include the stripes. I shortened the length by omitting 9 rows.
With the leftover yarn, I decided to make a crochet cardigan/shrug for the American Girl Wellie Wisher doll, which is a 14 inch doll. Details below:
Hook – 3.25 mm (D)
Pattern – Heavy modification of a dress pattern
Level – Easy
Then, I decided to make another 18 inch doll cardigan using the same Rylie Nautical pattern. Details are below:
Yarn – Knit Picks Palette in Candied Yam
Needle – 2.25 mm (US 1)
Level – Easy
Modifications – No stripes. I shortened the body by 9 rows. Switched the button band to the correct/female side. Added buttonholes every 10th row and not every 8th row as stated in the pattern.
On Instagram, I posted about being busy and wanting to focus on smaller projects. Well, one of my followers suggested I take up sock knitting. I figured “Why not?” Man, did I go down the rabbit hole. I love creating socks! I’ve made 4 pairs already and look forward to making many more.
The first pair I made was the Picot Socks from Pom Pom Quarterly website. In the description, it stated that this would be a good project for first-time sock knitters. So, I cast on. I was new to Judy’s Magic Cast On and reffered to the video HERE for a tutorial. I also refered to this the video HERE for help in sewing down the picot hem. I was quite pleased with my first pair of socks. Also, these were worked toe-up. Further details below:
Yarn – Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Weight in Soft White
Needle – 2.75 mm (US 2)
Level – Easy to Intermediate
Following that sock project, I wanted something a bit more complex. I had admired the Interchange Socks from Stranded Magazine’s first issue for the longest. I figured now would be the time to cast on the socks. I bought this yarn during my Study Abroad trip to Denmark. There was this beautiful yarn shop in Copenhagen called Somerflugen. It was so charming. I also bought a sweaters quantity of this citrus green yarn that I have plans for making a vintage pullover in the future… So, these socks are quite special to me. And I will always remember Copenhagen when wearing them. Also, these were worked cuff down–my favorite method. Details below:
Yarn – Mayflower 1 class in 2029 (blue)
Needle – 2.25 mm (US 1)
Level – Intermediate
Following that pair of complex socks, I wanted to try a basic vanilla sock. I used Yarngasms basic vanilla sock pattern of Favorite Socks with modifications. I was watching Order of the Phoenix when knitting these, so that’s the name of them. I like the flashes of orange. It definitely reminds me of Dumbledore’s phoenix. Details below:
Yarn – Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in Koi Pond
Needle – 2.5 mm (US 1.5)
Level – Beginner to Easy
Modifications – did a 1 inch cuff; did a 5 inch leg (wasn’t paying attention on sock 2 and it has 5.5” leg); on heel flap stitch section I ended on WS row (row 1); in gusset section, I first knit across then proceeded to step 1. I did not make the last stitch picked up the last stitch in the round. I made my last stitch the center of the heel, which I prefer.; for instep decrease, my row 2 was adjusted because I changed my last stitch to the center of the heel, which was: k to 3 sts before instep. k2tog k1, k28, k1 ssk, k to end; for the knit the foot section, my last round was: remove marker A, knit to marker B. This is now the beginning of the round.
So, after that simple pattern I wanted something a bit more complex. Notice a pattern here (simple to complex to simple to complex). LOL. This is the Eyelet Rib Socks from the Knit Picks book Socktacular. Details below:
Yarn – Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer in Runway
Needle – 2.5 mm (US 1.5)
Level – Easy
Notes – 2×2 cuff, eye of partridge heel, grafted toes
Whew! That post turned out to be much longer that I anticipated. That’s what a I get for taking such a long hiatus. Future posts will be about my new Andi Satterlund cardigans and a test knit I did for the new knitwear designer Amy Appel. It’s good to be back.
Long time, no hear from. I know, I know. But, I just finished out my last semester for my Master’s program and I wanted to end on top. Not much has been happening on the craft scene. However, I did decide to participate in Me Made May. While I have added some new knits to my wardrobe, I have not sewn a thing in the past year. Not a skirt, dress, shirt…Nada. Yet, I still need to challenge myself to wear my handmade items more. So, this is my third year participating. I did not wear anything Me-Made on the first day because I spent most of that Sunday indoors putting the final touches on my papers. So, I’ll begin with Day 2…
Day 2 (Monday) – I’m wearing my Hetty cardigan, which is still in frequent rotation.
Day 3 (Tuesday) – I’m wearing my second Penelope cardigan (which I never blogged about). I really like wearing this because it is in my school colors.
Day 4 (Wednesday) – I’m wearing my self-drafted yellow skirt with my red Hetty cardigan.
Day 5 (Thursday) – It was freezing cold and raining like crazy on this day! I should’ve worn tights. But, I felt really cozy up top in my Elsa jacket, which I wore zipped up most of the day. 
Day 6 (Friday) – This skirt was the first thing I ever sewed. It is just an elastic skirt. I’m wearing it with my Henriette cardigan, which gets frequent rotation.
Day 7 (Saturday) – I wore this to work yesterday and received quite a few compliments on my outfit. To date, this is the knit that I am most pleased with. It took me 2 years to finish and I am so happy that I finished it. It is my Vivien sweater.
