Maker's Maintenance - Getting the most out of your knitwear and crochetwear
A while ago I ran a poll on Instagram, asking whether anyone wanted to see how I look after my knit & crochet wear. The overwhelming response was "yes", …
A while ago I ran a poll on Instagram, asking whether anyone wanted to see how I look after my knit & crochet wear. The overwhelming response was "yes", but then WOOSH SeptOctNovBERBERBER happened, there was no light to photograph anything by, the kiddos were off school, etc etc. Here we are in late November (well into the woolly season for us), and I haven't shown anyone a thing.
BUT Lo and Behold we got some good natural light last week. So. Would you like to see how I look after my yarny things?
To my mind, rather a lot goes into "looking after" your clothes, starting from before you even make a purchase (whether that be for a finished item or for the materials to make one). To simplify things, however, let's assume you have yarny things in the wardrobe, and you want them to last. Then, let's make categories:
General care
Fixing problems
Resources
1. GENERAL CARE
It may sound rather obvious, but caring for your yarny items can extend their lifetime significantly. Although everyone has accidentally shrunk a wool sweater in the washing machine at some point, it really is worth taking time to learn how to clean and store things properly.
CLEANING
Before you do anything, ask yourself whether your item really needs washing. Could you air it out instead, or spot-clean with a damp cloth? If only a proper wash will do, try to:
Handwash, or machine wash on the delicate/wool cycle, using just a little bit of wool/silk detergent. Pad out the load with a couple of bathroom towels to prevent excessive spinning.
Tackle stubborn stains with sunlight rather than harsh detergent.
STORAGE
In most parts of the world it's really hard to stop fibre-loving critters from getting into your home, so the best thing to do, at the very least, is to stop them from getting to your clothes. Storing your items properly will also help prevent them stretching or becoming misshapen.
When your items are in use:
Place any items bought second-hand in the freezer for at least three weeks, to kill off any moth eggs and such.
Store sweaters and cardigans flat, not on hangers.
Use lavender sachets or cedar wood (sand lightly every now and then to release the scent) to repel moths.
Riffle through cupboards and drawers regularly, to let in air and light, and to check for pests.
Out of season
Carefully check for signs of damage, fix anything that needs fixing, wash everything, and then store in vaccuum bags or plastic containers with lockable lids.
Use lavender sachets or cedar wood to repel moths.
2. FIXING PROBLEMS
As much as I think it's important to properly look after knit & crochet wear (and all clothes in general), that doesn't mean I'm precious about using them. The only way to honour the resources that go in to producing good yarny items (whether by me or a garment worker) is to wear them. That means, of course, that even with the best care they will eventually show signs of wear. Knowing how to deal with this, and keep items looking good*, is invaluable to extending their lifetime.
PILLING
Lots of fibres pill, from cheap acrylic to super-fancy, hand-dyed merino. I don't think there's much you can do to stop it (besides choosing a hard-wearing fibre, like Lettlopi wool, in the first place) but it is quite easy to solve: get a de-piller. With a little effort, yarny things look like new again (check out the difference on the socks below!). I have a wool comb as well as an electric de-piller. The latter is a bit of an investment, but worth it to me; all four of us wear wool for at least six months of the year, and it also helps me to keep my samples looking fresh for photos and shows. At the beginning of autumn I stick on a podcast and set to work on all the sweaters, hats, and socks. It's strangely therapeutic...
Remember: Gentle does it, even if it takes a little longer. Keep your fabric flat while you depill, and go very easy with fine fibres.
Handknitted stripey socks, halfway through a de-pilling session
HOLES
Again, you can minimise the risk of getting holes by choosing hard-wearing fibres to begin with, and working to a tight gauge will also help. Otherwise, however, holes are kind of inevitable. My kids knock through their knees, I seem to have spikey elbows, and socks especially wear thin quickly. I really don't think a hole should spell the end of a garment's life, so over the years I've collected lots of mending materials as well as techniques. I won't lie; It's rare for me to actually get to the bottom of the mending pile, but I do try to plug away at it regularly.
My favourite techniques for yarny items are:
Darning - Probably the most time-consuming and fiddly fix, but I love how it looks. I use thrifted darning wool and leftover sock yarn, and don't worry about matching colours at all. It becomes a little creative outlet in itself.
Patches - Much as I love darning, really big holes on elbows and knees are sometimes just easier to patch. I like these knitted patches by Purl Soho, although I often use leftover bits of woven fabric as well. Etsy is a great place to buy ready-made wool patches.
Swapping out parts - For very frayed cuffs, the easiest fix might well be to simply swap them out. You can buy ready-to-sew ribbed cuffs, or make your own. For the kids fleece below I plan on using the legs of a pair of holey wool socks that I just didn't feel like darning. I’ll let you know how that goes!
Embroidery - More of an embellishment than a fix, and definitely not a quick one at that, but very fun to do.
STRETCHED/MISSHAPEN
Sometimes the reason an item is shoved to the back of the cupboard is because it's got so stretched it just doesn't fit anymore. No amount of de-pilling is going to make it look good. I find it intensely frustrating when this happens, because the cause of the stretching is often precisely the item having been so well-loved.
If the item is only a little stretched or misshapen, the first thing to try is to re-block it. If the item was made with a fibre that has "memory", such as a non-superwash wool, that might be enough to save it. If not, it's time to get creative (and a little brave, probably).
Reknit/crochet the problematic portion - Depending on how the item is constructed, you might able to work straight into the edge. I covered dealing with stretched hat brims previously. Otherwise, you will have to unravel or cut off a part, pick up live stitches, and re-knit/crochet from there. There are some good tutorials to be found on Pinterest for this.
Get the sewing kit out - Sometimes the best option is to look at the item from a tailoring point of view, and take in hems/seams or add a thin elastic.
Alter the thing completely - If taking in seams is likely to add too much weird bulk where it shouldn't be, and reworking a portion is just too hard, go for the chop. Re-work it into something totally new. The photo below shows a top and skirt that started life as a (shop-bought) above-the-knee dress. A very well-loved dress, until the bottom part stretched too much for its length. I didn't think I'd be able to take in the sides, nor re-knit the cabled bottom in a way I'd be happy with. So I cut it in half at the waist. The bottom half became a below-knee skirt, for which the A-line shape was perfect. I then added a couple of sections to the top-half, to make that part wearable too. It did take a while and tested all my sewing/knitting skills, but I now wear both items regularly (again).
3. RESOURCES
HOW TO WASH WOOL - a more detailed blog post from MamaOwl, with great tips and a few FAQs
HOW TO GET RID OF CLOTHES MOTHS - another useful post from MamaOwl
VISIBLE MENDING - a beautiful, clearly-written book by maker Arounna Khounnoraj
MODERNE BRODERI - a GORGEOUS book on embroidering knitwear and clothing, by Warunee Bolstad (currently only available in Norwegian, but the Plystre site has kits and a short tutorial in English too)
BUYING SECONDHAND - though not related to caring for your knits, I had to include this series of Instagram stories by Africa from The Vitamin D Project. Her IG account is like an ode to all things woolly, she’s recently launched a website, and I love it all.
Do you have any tips for getting the most out of you knit & crochet items? Is there anything I’ve mentioned that you particularly love doing, or struggle with?? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
* I want to add a note about the cultural sensitivity associated with wearing clothes that look "good". I'm fully aware that, as a thin white woman of obvious economic means, there is no danger in walking around in clothes that have been visibly patched up. Quite the contrary - "visible mending" is incredibly trendy and I would be lying if it didn't do my career any good; More than once I've been paid to mend or alter items for friends, after they've seen what I'm wearing. I very much doubt that would be the case if I were Black, or plus size, or visibly disabled, given all the tropes around wealth and skill that surround these marginalised groups.
I'm also aware that doing all of the things I've listed takes resources. Time, money, skill, in some way or form. Not all of us have them, nor can we be expected to obtain them. Do what you can, if you can.
On stripey birthdays
In the run-up to my smallest boy turning one a couple of weeks ago, I had all the feelings. There was nothing for it but to tip the box of yarn oddments out onto the floor, …
I was watching an episode of Chef's Table the other day, in which someone talked about the correlation between big feelings and baking. Birthday? Bake a cake, obviously. But also, failed an exam? Bake a cake. Got an interview - bake a cake. Somebody died - bake a cake. Or something along those lines
I think I'm the same with knitting. It feels right, somehow, to try to weave a little extra "but I love you so" into the stitches. Or to let your own complex feelings unravel as the rows slowly grow.
In the run-up to my smallest boy turning one a couple of weeks ago, I had all the feelings. There was nothing for it but to tip the box of oddments out onto the floor, watch the delight on his face as he tangled his little fingers into the soft fluff, and try to rescue a few balls for his first birthday jumper.
This is what came out of the box, in the end. A mix of cottons and cotton-wool blends, perfect for chilly mornings in spring.
For the pattern I decided on a randomly striped, simple raglan jumper, based on Tin Can Knits' Flax. It's a very easy, well-written pattern that's perfect for quick kids' knits - I used it for The Bean's birthday jumper last year.
Since I had DK weight yarn rather than aran, as the pattern called for, I cast on the size 2-4 yrs with 4.5mm needles and carried on working raglan increases until I had the dimensions instead of the row numbers stated. I left out the garter panel too, so as not to distract from the stripes.
I tucked in the last end a week after The Bug's birthday. Which was perfectly on time, given he was a hot, itchy chickenpox mess on the big day itself. So I suppose he had a spotty, not a stripey birthday, really. But two weeks on he is back to his chirpy self, a little taller and with new walking skills to boot. Spring has burst into perfect bloom and we are so very ready to enjoy the garden in our new home for the first time. The jumper turned into just the sweet stripey number I was hoping for, with a little extra room to grow.
Because grow, grow, grow they do. The little one starts nursery today. I think I'll go and cast him on some socks.
Nikkim Milo
My boys were spoiled this summer by the lovely Petra at Fru Valborg: she sent us some soft, handdyed Vinnis Colours Nikkim to try. I just needed to whizz it up into a couple of tops, oh the hardship.
This summer the lovely Petra from Fru Valborg asked if I wanted to try some new cotton she'd be stocking in her webshop. Would I?! To justify yet more yarn parcels arriving when I'm not exactly small of stash, I asked whether she might be happy to provide enough for a couple of tops for the boys {altruism on my part, and all that}. She was, and this arrived:
Vinnis Colours Nikkim, a handdyed, hand-balled cotton produced by a fair trade, women's cooperative in South Africa. I've worked with this yarn before for a commission, and it's truly lovely. The colours are vibrant and enticing, while the cotton itself is much softer than you'd expect. Petra stocks lots of colours, and ships worldwide if you fancy giving it a try.
I decided to make another Sea Breeze Hoodie for the Bean in the "brick red" (because everything must be red at the moment) and "camel". Initially I had planned to make a mini Sea Breeze for the smallest boy in the "pacific blue" and "sand" shades for a bit of sibling non-matching matching, but my severe allergy to Making the Same Thing Twice put paid to that.
I reached for a knitting pattern I had in my Ravelry Library but bollicksed up the first time: Milo by Georgie Hallam. I think it was the second thing I ever knit and as I don't fail gracefully, a second attempt seemed like a good idea. Luckily it went much better this time. It's a delight of a pattern, one I'd recommend to anyone with little people to knit for. The raglan increases are clever, the garter stitch is appropriately smooshy, the cables add interest. Best of all, there being no sleeves means it works up really fast.
I had the whole thing done in about a week. The small boy looks so snazzy in it, in my completely biased opinion, that I might even be tempted to make him another in wool now the weather is beginning to turn. With a different cable, mind (the pattern provides no less than six).
Disclosure: I was sent Nikkim yarn to try, free of charge. All images, words and opinions are my own.
The Fling-It Project
Do you know what a FIP is? This innocent-looking little cardigan turned out to be mine...
Some projects roll off the hook or needle. The swatch is true, the wool buttery, the colours just so. This kind of project is rare, and to date I think I've only had two: the Floss scarf and the Flax sweater.
Most projects seem to have to involve at least a few hiccups. Perhaps the colours don't quite sing in the way you expected, or maybe you dropped a stitch somewhere and have to go back a bit. You might have to spend a few evenings pouring over blogs and YouTube tutorials, having been a little too optimistic about your own abilities. This is okay. I don't mind hiccups - you always learn something new.
Sometimes, though, often when you least expect it, you get an absolute b****** of a project. Not so much a WIP (work in progress) as a FIP (fling-it project). Fling it across the bloody room.
See this lovely, innocent-looking little cardie? It's my FIP. Oh my, am I glad Pinterest doesn't do audio, because the Bleeps and @*!Xs that are woven into those tiny fairisle stitches...
The pattern is from an Editions Marie Claire pattern book I've had for years. It has a bottom-up, seamed raglan construction, and is meant to be knit in 3mm needles. I knit quite tightly, so I went up to 3.5mm to get the right gauge. I picked the smallest size: 0-3 months. Although now that it's finished and finally on the Squidgy One I do think it's rather lovely, but unusually for me, I didn't enjoy making it one bit. Sheer stubbornness to avoid wasting the beautiful yarn (more details below), as well as a looming "oh look mum, I'm about to bust out of this before you've even finished it" situation are the only reasons I didn't abandon it halfway through.
The thing about baby knits is that they are meant to be quick, satisfying makes but despite its diminutive size this was anything but. I started it before we even knew whether the wriggly baby in my belly would be a girl or a boy, and didn't finish until our Bug had already been with us for good month. This was mostly my own fault, owing to a series of spectacular misjudgments.
No matter how small the cardie, fine 2-ply is never going to knit up fast.
No matter how small the cardie, trying your hand at fairisle for the second time in your life is never going to be fast.
No matter how small the cardie, itty bitty pieces with itty bitty stitches are never going to be fast to seam.
D'oh.
The yarn probably didn't make things easier either. It is utterly lovely, don't get me wrong - a blend of 50% cotton and 50% merino, both organic, by Hjerte Garn. It's soft and strong, and will probably pill very little. But it's also very fine and kinda sticky, so with all the colour changes it tangled like nobody's business. The stickiness does make the little fairisle Vs stand out and hold their shape very nicely, but an inexperienced knitter like me was always bound to want to Fling It. Lesson learned.
Part of my frustration was down to the pattern itself, too. As I knitted, blocked and laid out each piece, frowned over them, held them up, put them next to the Bug, frowned again, it became clear that the dimensions were turning out very odd. The body is very wide, but the sleeves and hem line both come up short on my average-sized boy. There are no pictures in the book of the finished cardigan worn by a baby, just of pretty flatlays. It goes to show how important it is to understand body measurements as well as construction methods - my Bug happens to be long in the body, and (since I wasn't able to measure him when I started this knit) I could have adjusted the pattern as I went had it been a top-down one. So an oddly three-quarter length thingy it is.
About halfway through I did start cheating a bit to speed things up. To do the raglan shaping I decreased stitches rather than binding them off. The button band and the neckline are meant to be knitted separately and sewn on but, just no. I picked up the stitches along the selvedge edge instead and called it done.
So there it is. A wee FIP cardie finished off with little clear buttons from my stash. And doesn't he look cute as a button in it? Phew. Just don't ask me to make another one.
When a Bean asks for Bobbles...
"Mummyyyy?... I want a bobbly jumper too. Can you make me one?"
There's this (bought) knitted cardigan I've had for years. It's nothing fancy, but it's warm, soft, and has the right greyish blue colour that goes perfectly with the army of stripey t-shirts my wardrobe seems to consist of these days. I wear it so often it lives on the back of my desk chair for a good six months of the year. Nothing fancy, just a really good work horse cardie.
Except this year, somebody noticed it. Somebody with, I am increasingly inclined to think, as much of a love for all things textured and woolly and patterned and coloured as me.
This cardigan has bobbles going down each of the front panels.
"Mummyyyy?... I want a bobbly jumper too. Can you make me one?"
I'm getting this more and more frequently now. He looks at something - socks, jumpers, hats, bags - thinks for a second, then turns to me and asks, "can you make me one?". He used to ask me to crochet rockets or trucks and things, but now he knows. Mama has a gigantic stash of soft wool that can be turned into soft wearable things.
And I, of course, cannot say no. For the pleasure of the making, the giving, the delighted look on his face, I absolutely cannot say no even if I still have ten other unfinished things.
So I scoured Pinterest and Ravelry for bobbly knitting patterns that would work with a DK wool, thinking anything heavier wouldn't get worn anymore this year and anything lighter would just take too long to make. The Popcorn Vest by Studio Misha & Puff jumped out at me and stuck. I showed it to the Bean and he approved, then we picked a lovely emerald green DK in a wool/nettle blend by Onion at my local yarn store, and it seemed we were good to go.
Unfortunately the pattern only covers ages 0-24 months. However, you don't number crunch for your own patterns on a regular basis for nothing, and so after a bit of swatching, head scratching, tape measuring and guess work I decided to give it a try.
I've put the details on altered stitch counts, dimensions and so on my Ravelry project page, in case you're interested, but basically it turned out to be quite doable to size up. It's a bottom-up vest that is split for the arm holes and then seamed only at the shoulders, so the only things to really watch out for are chest circumference and armhole depth. I cast on, thoroughly loved all the popcorns, and gleefully cast off some two weeks later. It's a joy of a little pattern, it really is.
I think I could have done with slightly more generous sizing, but I swear he's had a huge growth spurt in the time it's taken me to knit this. Because I started with the intention of leaving a wee bit of growing room, I really did, but now it fits perfectly. Which, when you're four, means it's already too small. Bother.
Still, he is very happy. We swapped the i-cord tie for a toggle, and he is thrilled he can do it up (and undo it and do it up and undo it and...) by himself. I love the colour on him. He loves the bobbles. It's perfect for this time of year, when it's too warm for a full-on wool jumper but too chilly to wear cotton hoodies.
As it's a really fun, fast pattern to knit, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to think about working out the next size up. Or the next five, just to be sure.
Tiny Things
I can now count the number of weeks until Bug arrives on one hand. My desk is a happy mess of beads and things. I'll knit a little, dream of tiny outfits for those even foggier first weeks.
I can now count the number of weeks until the Bug arrives on one hand. It's gone so very fast, this time around. There are still a bajillion Emmy + LIEN-related things I want to get finished, and then there is the baby bed linen to get ready, the nappies to wash, the meals to freeze, the Bean to give my undivided attention to, the friends to catch up with while I'm still capable of holding a conversation, the ripped jeans to mend.
I know, I know. I will be lucky to even achieve a tenth of those things, and the undone things won't ultimately matter anyway (mostly - I do worry about the thing with the Bean. Mothers shall worry).
What I really need to be doing is to sit. And just be. This time around it's gone faster, but it's also been much more difficult. I feel like there is an earthquake going on in my belly, while in my head there is nothing but fog. My sleep is erratic, my moods even more so. I wake up in the morning feeling sore but alright, happy, positive about what is to come. By 2PM I'm so thoroughly p+ssed off with the muddled thoughts, the screaming hips, the lack of breath and the angry fireball lemons charging up my oesophagus, the general exhaustion and sheer hurtiness that I want nothing more than to press fast forward and get. this baby. out.
But fast forwarding children will never do and, in any case, as a wise friend of mine pointed out: they cause less trouble while they're in.
While it's still in, then. I'll try to sit and be. My desk is a happy mess of beads and things. I'll knit a little, dream of tiny outfits for those even foggier first weeks. Maybe, IF I get the time, I'll plan ahead for summer and make a dent in the stack of fabrics that's been singing to me for months. The Bug will need rompers and popper vests and teensy leggings, while the Bean could do with some tank tops as well as a new sunhat. He's been asking for a bobble vest for weeks, so I've made a start on that. And I would love a lightweight cardigan for myself, so I'm itching to get the winder out.
Again, I know. Realism will be required. But a girl can sit and day dream.
Dribble bib (self-drafted) in Birch Organic | Lil Shepherd vest in Pickles Summer Wool | Teether toy in Birch Organic
Barley Hat in Pickles Summer wool
A little, as yet unnamed experiment in de rerum nature Ulysse. Nope, I couldn't help myself...
Popcorn Vest in Onion no.4 Organic Wool + Nettle
Mine, all mine: Malabrigo Sock
when Ruby met Maeve
About a year ago I decided to try being a little less random with my personal makes. It hasn't come easy to me; I've still ended up with some very last-minute makes and many more unfinished ones. Still, by the middle of last summer I did have one outfit that ticked all the boxes.
About a year ago I decided to try being a little less random with my personal makes. Less impulse buying of yarn, more looking at what would go with what is already in my wardrobe, planning a season ahead, that sort of thing. It hasn't come easy to me; I've still ended up with some very last-minute makes (I'm looking at you, 10-day birthday jumper) and many more unfinished ones. My wild optimism about the correlation between the outfits in my head and the ones my hands can actually produce has not been cured or even dampened, I would say.
Still, by the middle of last summer I did have one outfit that ticked all the boxes, that followed all the rules. Well, almost. I had impulse bought the fabric without the faintest notion of what I was going to do with it. But, once I'd spotted both Ruby and Maeve and thought, yes: I planned. I bought the patterns and the yarn.
I made both as per the instructions as opposed to winging it. I properly finished every last seam and tucked in every end, and then I WORE THEM. Now we've seen the last of the snow (I hope) and Spring seems to finally be around the corner (oh, I hope!), I plan on wearing them LOTS MORE.
Ruby
Ruby is a combined top and dress pattern by Made by Rae. I like her modern aesthetic, and the instructions are extremely well-written with lots of tips. I'd never sewn an adult garment to a pattern before so I was nervous initially, but I didn't have any issues at all. The little gathers at the bust were just enough of a challenge to be interesting, without having me tear my hair out.
You'll have to take my word for it that it does fit me, even though I can't show you now - 7 months pregnant! Stupidly I didn't ask anyone to take pictures when it did, actually, still fit. Next summer!
The fabrics are both organic cottons - the mustard one being woven and the flowery one voile - by Art Gallery Fabrics, and I love them. I want piles and piles more (but, time and money).
Maeve
The Maeve shrug is a design by Carie Bostick Hoge at Madder. As a knitwear designer she seem ubiquitous, and with good reason; her work has a classic, timeless feel to it without being stuffy. It is all just so, so wearable.
This shrug is a good one if you're new to garment knitting. Super-simple shaping on the arms, and then loads of mindless knit stitch for the back and garter stitch for the collar. That collar, that collar... The whole thingis drapey, comforting, and very easy to throw on over pretty much anything.
The yarn is Summer Wool by Pickles Oslo: a blend of 70% organic cotton and 30% merino wool. It's unbelievably soft and smooshy, without either the stiffness of cotton or the overly-processed feel merino can have. Despite the name "Summer Wool" it saw me through most of autumn as well. It's pilling a little bit now, but nothing outrageous.
So there you have it. When Ruby met Maeve I threw on my favourite old jeans and, of course, of course some mustard yellow shoes. I think they got on rather well, don't you?
On woolly birthdays
Ten days before his fourth birthday I decided to make the Bean a celebratory jumper. Because ten days for a new jumper isn't at all unreasonable, is it?
Ten days before his fourth birthday I decided to make the Bean a celebratory jumper. Because seeing all of Carie's beautiful knits for her three children gave me itchy fingers, and because ten days for a new jumper didn't sound at all unreasonable. Minus three, once I'd factored in the time it took to pick a yarn, order it and have it delivered.
With six days to go I cast on Flax, a top-down, seamless raglan sweater with a garter stitch panel on the sleeves. It's a free pattern from the "learn to knit" Simple Collection by Tin Can Knits, and makes the perfect piece for those who lack experience or time, or both. Who suffer from boundless optimism and endless casting-on fever... It did take me longer than those six days, but it does fly off the needles, causes minimal headaches, and is ever so cosy on.
So twelve days later and approximately three seconds after I'd sewn in the last ends, the Bean got to put on his birthday jumper. That was Thursday, five days ago, and he's worn it every day since apart from the one I hid it to get a chance to actually block the thing while he was at school. I think he likes it.
The yarn I chose is Big Merino Hug by Rosie Green Wool, which made it as much a treat for mum as for the kiddo, really. 100% organic, ethically produced merino in "Ruby". It's buttery soft to knit with, doesn't split and blocks well. Yes, it costs a fair amount, but I've written about this before: in the spirit of leaving a lovely planet for the ones I love, there are some things worth paying for.
My Love: a freshly minted four-year-old who refuses to get a haircut, in some rare January sunshine, wrapped in a squishy merino knit. With crocheted dog ears for extra bonus cuddle factor.
Oh and then for an extra bonus bonus: Daddy got involved in the posing. Because if you're going to sport a 70s bowl hairdo in 70s decor, well then you need the moves too, don't you?
On my to-do list || November
Crunchy merino, death by ends and trying not to get overwhelmed by adulting - my plans for a creative November.
I'm okay with it being November already. Totally cool and not at all panicking about having only 6 weeks left before the Christmas holidays. Really.
Harharhar. If it'd help me get more shit done, I might even try to crochet with my toes too.
Commissions
I've got a huge deadline at the end of this month. I can't show you yet what it's for (although did you see my last two magazine features? I wrote about them here and here - it is so cool to finally see them appearing), but I can probably let you have a little sneaky peak at the yarn.
Ulysse by de rerum natura. 100% European merino, but unlike any merino I've ever used before. It's ethically produced, using as few harmful chemicals as possible. It feels crunchy and sheepy and absolutely wonderful. The Thing I'm Making with it will be released in February, and you can be sure I'll be shouting about it everywhere.
Emmy + LIEN designs
- Playing Catch-up - While we still have some natural daylight left, I'm snapping away with my camera like a woman possessed. Re-shooting old tutorials, prepping for new ones. The next one I have lined up is a re-release of the Anemone Square. It's gone a bit bonkers over on Pinterest lately so I really need to move it over from my old blog.
- Death by ends - I've had a few enquiries about the Window into Winter shawl recently, and it's nearly finished. I just have a few ends to weave in (it will be worth it, it will!)... I've bought a lovely mustard yellow for the border, which I can't wait to get started on. The yarn is a 100% alpaca by iloyarn, another company that uses ethical production practices. They're right on my doorstep too, which I didn't even realise until this week! If you want to be in the know when it goes live, have a look at my facebook, twitter or instagram pages, or join the E+L Ravelry group.
Just me (and baby)
I remember how my first pregnancy seemed to take forever, but this time around I feel like we're on fast forward. Soon I'll be at 20 weeks. I guess I should be resting, but sleep is not working out all that well (heartburn/insomnia/freaked-out 3yo) and from next Monday I'll be going to Swedish class for 2.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. Somehow, somewhere, if I'm not to get completely overwhelmed by general adulting duties, I will need to allow myself to just be me. Which does mean drooling over tiny baby patterns, I'll admit. And eating lots of cake without feeling guilty about it, going out for walks whenever I don't feel like death warmed up, and curling up under a blanket when I do.
Keep warm, lovely people - it was -3 on the school run this morning! - and have a cracking November.
All the Knitted Things | a year of learning, mistakes and epiphanies
Choose the right yarn. Practice. Don't give up even after 24 failed attempts. Accept you will become addicted to knitting socks.
About a year ago, on a dark and wet autumn afternoon not dissimilar to today's, I decided to start knitting. I had "learned" at school as a child, but all I remember of the experience are the sweaty hands and the angry tears. Even then, crochet and sewing were much more my thing.
And so it might have stayed, if I hadn't turned crocheting things into a job. Though I still adore crochet, I can't relax with it anymore. I feel guilty if I take time to make something that I won't release as a pattern. I also do get fed up with it when I've done nothing but pore over the maths behind it for an entire day. I needed something else to unwind with (I get too angry with the sewing machine for it be sewing).
So I got a few supplies, took to YouTube (I like Very Pink's videos because they're short and clear), and started knitting. Four hours later I was surprised to find myself with a cracking headache and a sore neck - who knew you could grip a couple of sticks that hard? I didn't have much of a Knitted Thing to show for those four hours either, until a kind soul on my facebook page suggested I try circular needles. What a revelation! It turns out that my hands, used to short crochet hooks as they are, were much happier with those than with ordinary straight needles. I was off.
I haven't really stopped since. I love it for so many reasons. It (eventually) became relaxing, I can make a wider range of wearables for my family. I have another excuse to buy yarn. It's done wonders for my otherwise insatiable drive for perfection - when there are no deadlines looming, no reputation at stake, I can just let little mistakes go.
And boy, have I made mistakes. I've really struggled with tension, I've unsuccessfully tried to combine yarns of different weights, I've failed to grasp the importance of a stretchy cast-on or a nice, tight rib, I've I've I've... and that's before we even talk about the dropped stitches or the wobbly edges "fixed" with a sneaky crochet slip stitch. There is nothing quite like learning an entirely new skill as adult to cure you of perfectionism, really.
Also, I have learned so much about pattern writing and garment construction, which has in turn benefited my crochet design skills hugely. The simple truth is that the crochet garment pattern industry is really behind knitting, both in terms of quality and diversity. There are clear signs that things are changing though, and I like being able to contribute to that trend confidently.
Above all though, knitting has just been fun. I thought it would be nice to show you some of the things I've made (three have flown the nest, so I couldn't photograph them. Note to self: photograph before gifting), and share the patterns and yarns for each. So here it is, my year in Knitted Things.
The Statement Scarf
Pattern: Mollie Makes issue 61
Yarn: Alpaca Tweed and Big Merino by Lanar Emporio
Skills Learned: increases and decreases, how to make really pommy pompoms (the answer: buy a pompom maker)
Thoughts: Great beginner pattern, don't try to mix yarn weights, oh how this is soft and warm!
Rye Socks
Pattern: Tin Can Knits, The Simple Collection
Yarn: Vinnis Colours Bimbi (discontinued)
Skills Learned: how to sock! This patterns comes with a great step-by-step blog post.
Thoughts: Really good collection of beginner patterns, DPNs are not that scary, whoever invented the Kitchener stitch must have been on crack at the time.
Another Plain Vest
Pattern: Pickles
Yarn: Vinnis Colours Bimbi (discontinued)
Skills Learned: armhole shaping, stockinette stitch practice
Thoughts: Need to work on getting an even tension!
Milo
Pattern: Georgie Nicholson at tiKKI
Yarn: Vinnis Colours Bimbi (discontinued)
Skills learned: top-down seamless construction
Thoughts: Interesting construction and fun to make. Comes up a little boxy for my skinny child so next time I need to go down a size but make it longer.
Clayoquot Toque
Pattern: Tin Can Knits, Road Trip
Yarn: Vinnis Colours Bimbi (discontinued)
Skills learned: fairisle
Thoughts: Oh my god I can do fairisle! Just. Need to work on getting a tighter rib, too.
London Skies
Pattern: Clare Devine, The Travel Trio
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Skills learned: twisted rib
Thoughts: Actually, I love knitting socks (but the next pair will be in a kid's size because these took aaaaages)
Next up are many, many more socks to see us through the winter, and then hopefully I'll find time to make a stack of soft baby knits before the arrival of our Bug in the spring. If you want to have a look at what I've got my eye on, check out my knitwear pinterest board. I think I'd need a few lifetime to do all the cardigans, but still - Such fun!