Cold Weather Knits in Pastels

The weather around these parts can't seem to make up its mind if Spring has sprung, or if the wet and cold weather isn't quite finished with us.

We had a few really lovely days a couple of weeks ago which felt like a tease now that the rain and wind has returned.  

I suppose that gives me some more opportunities to wear my wooly sweaters, but I am really ready for the warmer weather at this point. 

Then again, I am currently working on a wool coat, so make that make sense!  That may come to an end soon, however, as I don't have a suitable lining on hand, and I am starting to crave more Spring and Summer appropriate projects.

As for this skirt, I am very happy to have it in the wardrobe.  It's easy to wear, and who couldn't use another classic black wool skirt?!

I did underline this piece, and I was slightly concerned that the wool seam allowances might be itchy, however, I haven't noticed them, so I am going to call that a win.

I am still not completely sold on the high waistband (which you can't see here).  I think I just prefer to have my skirts hit at the waist, so that is not the fault of the design.

As for the sweater, it may not be all that exciting, but it is a great, easy to wear staple that got me through the Winter months.

I do need to remember to add more pastels to the cold weather appropriate side of the closet, because it really is nice to have a brighter option to pair with all of the dark moody pieces that lend themselves to Winter weather.

Or maybe it's just my love of anything in the turquoise color family that makes me such a fan of this simple sweater.

Sweater:  Made by me, "Cherie" by Kim Hargreaves
Skirt:  Made by me, Vogue 1961
Earrings:  Vintage
Shoes:  Nine West

Fluffy Fibers

My knitting projects as of late have been more of the easy to wear type.  I find that I gravitate towards a comfy sweater on rainy days when I wish I didn't have to get out of bed because of the soggy mess outside.  Those are the knits that I pick over and over again during the Winter months.

And I do have a few of those options in my wardrobe, and more hand knit versions have been added to the collection over the years.  But what most of them have in common is that they are darker in color, with a few bright pink exceptions.  So when I decided that a lighter pastel should join the group, this lovely robin's egg blue/turquoise colored yarn seemed like an excellent choice.

I had to check my notebook where I keep track of my sewing and knitting projects, but this sweater was started back in December 2021.  While the knitting did not take very long, it did take an eternity to get around to blocking and eventually wearing the finished knit.  But once I started wearing it this Winter, I couldn't get enough.

This is not my first project using KnitPicks "Wonderfluff" and it probably won't be my last.  While this particular color seems to shed a tiny bit more than the pink and forest green sweaters that I have made, it is rather miraculous how little it does transfer to other items of clothing, like dark colored wool jackets.  For something that looks rather angora-esque, it behaves nothing like that fuzzy, shed-happy fiber.

For the pattern, I decided to make another "Cherie" since I get so much wear out of the previous version that I made.

It's not the most exciting knitting project in the world, but it sure is relaxing to work with a fuzzy fiber in stockinette stitch. 

And I'm not sure that a massively textured pattern would be shown to its best advantage in a yarn with this much aura.

I do have a few skeins in a lavendar hue, so perhaps I will test that theory next Winter.

But for now, I'm quite content with this classic style sweater to keep me nice and snug on a cold day.

Smocked Knits

Tis the season for hand knits.

I have been spending a fair amount of time in the evenings sitting on the couch with Mr. Valentino, who seems to be most comfortable in that particular spot.  In the past, he would bolt from my lap as soon as the yarn touched him; these days, he refuses to be rousted for almost anything - which means that I have had plenty of time for knitting.

But I wanted something that would not require a massive amount of attention.  I found this Smock Top Sweater pattern on Ravelry.  I can't recall exactly what my search terms were, but I have been very into turtlenecks as of late, so I suspect that was what led me to this pattern.

I was also intrigued by the smocked pattern and how that might be accomplished.  But since the majority of the sweater was a simple 2X2 rib pattern, I figured I could space out and relax with an easy knitting project.

The only real change that I made was to keep that smocked detail going all the way to the shoulder.  As the pattern reads, that detail stops at the neck decreases, but I thought that the design would look better to continue the detail all the way through the top of the sweater front.

Because this sweater is made of a ribbed knit, the pieces were looking rather narrow as they were completed.  I made a gauge swatch before casting on, but to check how stretchy this yarn/ribbing combination actually was, I pinned it to my dress form.

Which made it look more appropriately sized.

The pattern calls for a gentle blocking prior to stitching all of the pieces together, but that seemed like way too much trouble to me!

I waited until everything was seamed together before giving the sweater a gentle soak in soapy water.

And the simple process of being dunked in water stretched the ribbing slightly.

The smocked bit, however, wanted to pull inward, so I placed a couple of pins to keep that part stretched to the width of my shoulders.

That worked great.  The shoulders now sit wide enough on my body and don't pull inward.

This was a fun project.  I know some people dread more than a few inches of ribbing at the hem and cuff, but I find it rather relaxing.  I wouldn't be against making another one of these in a different color if the right yard came along.  Honestly, the most annoying part of the process was waiting for the wool to dry on the blocking board.

And I do believe that this sweater will make an excellent addition to my collection of hand knits!

Cozy Shades of Green

Why do I retain items from the late 1990s that I haven't worn in close to twenty years?  Because of this, right here.  Who knew I would need a green silk skirt decades later?  I surely didn't . . . but it suddenly seemed the perfect choice for my oversized and very fluffy sweater.

After discovering a fabulous yarn from Knit Picks that is fluffy and cozy and doesn't shed (how do they manage that?!) I had a hankering to make a bunch of comfortable sweaters out of the miraculous fiber, this time in the shade "Kale."

My bright pink turtleneck gets quite a bit of wear in the colder months, and a somewhat similar silhouette in a evergreen shade seemed like a wise choice.

And honestly, on rainy Winter days when I can hardly be bothered to get dressed, a turtleneck paired with a long skirt and boots is my go-to outfit.  So why not give myself a few my options?

I am not clear on why I am suddenly all about a turtleneck . . . even my most recent sweater includes one, and I just cast on another.  What is happening?!

But I have always enjoyed a dramatic collar, so I am just going to go with it.

This particular design calls for a plain stockinette stitch for the entire body of the sweater, but I decided to swap in a moss stitch just for fun.

Which is something that I should remember next time I want to add a bit more texture to a plain knit.

Something I else I should remember is to dig around in the depths of the closet to see what other late Nineties garments are hiding out back there.

Because while I am slightly aggravated that people are calling these items "vintage," I am not unwilling to give them another try!

Sweater:  "Magnolia" by Kim Hargreaves from Vintage Knits
Skirt:  Express
Earrings:  Nicky Butler
Shoes:  Chinese Laundry

2023, A Year in Review

McCalls 4769 / Vogue 1965
McCalls 8401 / Ostara Top

It's that time of year . . . time to look back at all of the projects I posted to this blog in 2023.  Some of the items made early in the year feel like they were made at least two or three years ago, not less than 12 months ago!  I have lost all sense of time over the last few years.  And to be fair, a couple of these items were technically finished prior to 2023, just never posted here (and if it's not posted to the blog, does it really exist?!).  Last year has both felt like an eternity and feels like it was gone in the blink of an eye; either way, I am ready to move on!

Quiet Reflection / Sodapop Sweater

I was slightly more productive than I thought; and my attempt to add more separates to the wardrobe was a success, so that's nice.

Vogue 1735 / McCalls 8108, Stanwyck Skirt
Collar Confection, Stanwyck Skirt / Picnic Blouse, Simplicity 8458

I still feel like my clothes are a huge mismatch of all sort of styles with no real theme - which makes for some fun when it comes to getting dressed in the morning, but there are days when I do wish that I had a more cohesive sense of style.

Vogue 1908 / Simplicity 9449
McCalls 8358 / McCalls 8280

But I do love being able to make my own wardrobe.  If I don't have my hands in a sewing or knitting project for a few days, something feels off.  So there are no plans to stop making whatever tickles my fancy in the moment any time soon.

Simplicity 8736, Vogue 9249 / Picnic Top
Lily Dress / Simplicity 3034

Thank you for following along with my shenanigans for another year!