Preparing for Autumn ~ part VI

It's always a strangely bittersweet mix of emotions coming to the end of a project.  As I go ticking off the things on my Preparing for Autumn list I compiled back in July, I find myself feeling satisfied and efficient (and warm!) but also slightly sad to have to put it behind me, having enjoyed the process so much.

But really it's ok - I get to enjoy the fruits of my labour and you can be sure I have an ample supply of to-do lists in the waiting.  And that is why I can't stop crafting: my life is creative and productive, never boring, always learning and improving, a world of infinite possibilities...

My Big Herringbone Cowl, finished just in time as the temperature dropped.  I am completely in love with this stitch - so elegant and subtly interesting, unlike most knits I've seen, without an obvious knit or purl in sight.  To see the journey I've taken in the making of this snood - which began life as an old Maxmara cardi - see here.

SSS'11: Day 3 (and a new pair of trousers...)

The main thing lacking from my homemade wardrobe is trousers.  In fact, I've never made a pair of trousers for myself.  And the ones I've made for other people have been basic PJ style pants.  When it comes to trousers, I usually just have a favourite pair of jeans that get worn until threadbare and then get replaced with something pretty much identical.  Booooring.  So, having stumbled upon over 4 metres of deep purple corduroy on ebay which I won for little more than £3, I figured now would be the perfect time to have a little experimentation...

I started off very cautiously, terrified of screwing them up and wasting so much great fabric.  This was one of those projects that, as I looked at all the pieces cut and skim read the instructions, really filled me with fear and self-doubt.  I wasn't sure if my sewing skills were up to the challenge.  I even got that slightly deflated feeling as I began to think that maybe I'd been a bit too ambitious.

the original waistband before it got unpicked

But au contraire, my friend!  I am now feeling very smug and suitably grooooovy in my new, purple, corduroy, high-waisted, wide-legged, smokin' hot trousers.  

sept 3rd

And the best part?  The common problem associated with high-waisted pants such as these...?  No camel toe...!

amended waistband

Self-Stitched: Swing Top, High-Waisted Pants 

I'd just like to add that I felt very Self-Stitched this morning too, as I made a start on my Herringbone Cowl, wearing my Sorbetto nightie and a cardi hand knit by my Great-Grandmother...

sept 3rd am

Preparing for Autumn ~ part IV

Coming back to my list of Autumnal projects, I am finally ready to get a shimmy on with my long-awaited Herringbone Cowl from the one and only Purlbee.  I'd made a start on unravelling the unwanted Maxmara cardi back in July, but like a lot of things, it had to be temporarily put on hold as I went on holiday/made various birthday presents/did some sewing for Self-Stitched-September '11 (still haven't made any trousers and only two days to go...).

the original unwanted Maxmara cardi

beginning to unravel before summer

It's been feeling already very Autumnal these days, and I haven't had the pleasure of feeling some delicious yarn slinking through my fingers in an uncharacteristic length of time, so I spent a recent rainy afternoon unravelling the rest - while watching Ice Age 3 for the millionth time - and gently soaking the skeins in my bathroom sink (warm water and Ecover Delicates handwash liquid) to get out the kinks.

washed, dried and ready to be balled up

This has been a really wonderful process.  As with most things, I like there to be several different parts to a project; different skills applied, different rhythms, a diverse and prolonged experience to keep things interesting.  This idea of unravelling an existing garment to re-knit into something new certainly adds a few more stages to the handknitting process, but also feels very cyclical, and lends a greater sense of purpose to the craft (rather like a more accessible version of shearing your sheep-dyeing the fleece-spinning the yarn-knitting warm jumpers for your family).  I think that knitting can definitely be seen as a dated craft; relevant to a Make-do-and-Mend philosophy.  Quite the opposite in fact, knitting is a very expensive hobby.  Unless you go down the squeaky acrylic yarn route, good quality, natural fibres don't come cheap.  Charity shop jumpers, on the other hand, will probably cost less than a measly 100g skein of good yarn.  This method of unravelling thrifted knitwear to re-knit could well be my answer.  Inexpensive, interesting and re-creative.  Just bear in mind these prerequisites when sourcing knitwear to unravel: the bulkier the yarn the better, the bigger the garment the better, and always go for quality.

And now, to cast on.

Preparing for Autumn ~ part I

Amidst all the Summer sewing I've been doing recently, my evenings are starting to be spent preparing for the colder months to come... 

the beginnings of my Go Vest from Pickles

These days I like to get a bit of a head-start on a season.  That way I can really take my time with a project and enjoy the process, especially the big or ambitious ones, spending long evenings taking care over my stitching, and actually getting to enjoy my finished piece for longer.  I learned this the hard way - casting on for a jumper or blanket in the depth of Winter, only to run out of steam halfway through as the days began to warm up.  In fact, I can think of two such jumpers and one such blanket still incomplete hibernating somewhere at the bottom of one stash or another.  So this year I have put my list-making mania to good use and settled on a handful of wintry projects that have been on my mind for a while, which I now seem to have suddenly gathered the perfect materials for.

1.  Go Vest - pattern from Pickles, one of my all-time favourite knitting blogs.  These guys make me want to move to Norway.  For this cardi I'm using the cherry red baby Alpaca yarn I bought from Loop at Jane Brocket's book launch.  

2.  Herringbone Stitch Cowl - pattern from Purlbee, my other all-time favourite crafting blog.  This is something I've wanted to make for ages, but it calls for a lot of yarn...  Then the other day my lovely neighbour friend (Prom Dress Jess) gave me a Maxmara cardi she was throwing out - horrible shape but delicious yarn - so now I'm in the process of unravelling it...

the unwanted Maxmara cardi...

unravelling...

3.  Three pairs of Elfin Slippers - tutorial from Maya*Made.  So far I have picked out the colours for the uppers and linings from some old cut up cashmere jumpers to make a minty-green pair for the little boy, a navy pair for the Papa, and a red pair for me, la Mama.  These have been washed and shrunk to create a denser and sturdier fabric which will be easy to cut and sew, and will be a lot more durable than an un-shrunk cashmere jumper.  Now I need to have a rummage through my leathers to find some soft suede for the soles.

4.  A Swing Jacket - Butterick 5222 vintage pattern.  I've been wanting to make this jacket for years, and being an unprinted pattern, the only thing stopping me before was my lack of sewing confidence.  I am now raring to go with this, and I am also very happy to be slicing up and giving a new lease of life to my very old, very loved, and now very decrepit bordeaux wool cape.  For added yum, I plan to line this with the same nude silk crepe I used for my Silk Sorbetto... oh, YES.

my cape, soon to be swing

5.  As the days start getting colder - two pairs of Snowy Mittens - pattern still to develop.  Using some Debbie Bliss Como I bought last winter, in duck egg blue and stone, I'm planning to make some adult sized mittens with a simple fairisle cuff.  If I'm happy with the pattern, I will of course publish it here!

There.  So I reckon I have plenty to keep busy with, and no doubt some other things will manage to sneak themselves into my lists... They always do.