2017: Blog Reboot

Happy New Year! 2017! 

It's a new year, so why not reboot the blog. Rather than dwell on what went wrong last year I'm just going to look ahead and set my goals for the year ahead.

Slowing down and simplifying life is one thing that is pressing on my thoughts right now. I want to be able to enjoy the moments and the process rather than try to rush through to the finished object or the destination. I'm aiming to take the pressure of myself stop trying to achieve unrealistic goals or to make everything that catches my eye. So the goals will be less extensive and detailed this year and kinder to myself.

I've come to accept that "Stash Less" is just not for me. I know I really should but I can't especially since I started working at my LYS, Sunspun and I'm surrounded by such attractive yarns on a regular basis. I am a stash enhancer but maybe I should turn that into a strength and write more often about the spectacular skeins of yarn that cross my path and find their way into my stash. So you can look forward to some more yarny thoughts this year on the blog.

I want to spend more time on my sewing machine. The growing fabric stash will be a new area of attention for me. I have been collecting and dreaming of building my handmade wardrobe and I really need to just apply myself to making it a reality. I also want to make more items for my children so that they can wear at least one piece of handmade everyday.

Some knits that I definitely want to make this year:

Little Wave cardigan by Gudrun Johnston. I want to knit this for my husband for our 10 year anniversary this year. 

Isadora Lopapeysa by Kate Gagnon Osborn. This will be for my boy because I want to knit a stranded colourwork sweater and a kids sized one is the best place to start.

Pictured above is what I'm working through right now. It's Annie Rowden's Polka Dot Tunic for my girl but I'm considering changing the bottom of it because I predict that a white "skirt" bottom will definitely return from kinder very dirty. I'm knitting this with my last 200g skein of Tarndie 8ply and some lovely squishy Wool Days Scout and I think of it as my "All Australia" project because both these exquisitely woolly wools are traceable to two single farms in Australia. Both yarns have fabulous stories behind them; take a look through their websites if you want to know more or wait till I post up a yarn review.

For myself, there are too many jumpers, cardigans, shawls, cowls and etc. in my making dreams. I will probably just let the fibre speak to me and choose projects based on which yarns I want to play with next. Like that Blacker yarns Cornish Tin II that is pictured at the top of this post. I keep wanting to squish (and sniff) it and I'm thinking it will be a lovely yarn to use for a Rocquaine from Pom Pom 18.

Please share your making goals in the comments. Happy making in 2017. 

Finished object file: Miss L's wardrobe

Miss L in her new handmade wardrobe items: Quaintly top and Gathered Skirt.

This week I've been relishing in the joy that comes with accomplishing my first sewn garment. I am such a sewing newbie so even though the project was the simplest of patterns I am over the moon with joy at the completed object.

I made the Gathered skirt for all ages from the Purl Bee blog. I was instantly drawn to this skirt because of the large pockets featured on the sides and I also love the simple style of the skirt that makes it an everyday kind of item. Another bonus is that the blog provides instructions for sizes 2 year old to an adult 46" hip size. I remember when I originally came across the pattern months ago I shared it with the comment, "I can see myself making this skirt in every size for Miss L." and now after making my first one for her it is very possible that she really will always have one in her wardrobe throughout her life.

As with my knitting, if I am going to make something with love I am going to make it with materials that I love. For this skirt I went on a lovely fabric adventure to The Fabric Store in Fitzroy and selected some chambray for the main fabric and a very cute printed cotton as a contrast for the pockets.

I just love the simple beauty of chambray for everyday wear.

As a newbie I made some mistakes, like not sewing the waistband straight so there is a point where the band is too narrow for the elastic to sit flat so it is folded over. I also had to do the basting stitches twice because I didn't pay attention to the instructions and did them incorrectly the first time. And I wouldn't look too closely at the hem because I'm pretty sure that's not straight either, but despite all these imperfections I am so happy with it. The fabrics are just so beautiful and the pockets are fab.

When I showed Miss L she exclaimed, "So cute!". She very happily put it on and she twirled so excitedly throughout the day.

These little lacy cap sleeves are so beautiful and easy to knit too.

It has been a good week for Miss L's wardrobe because I also finished knitting a Quaintly top in fingering weight (4ply) hand dyed Miss Click Clack yarn. This yarn is such a beautiful colour and it was her own choice. We went to The Handmade Show market in Glen Huntly a few months ago and Miss L picked up this skein of yarn from Kelly's bargain bucket that was sitting on the ground. She did the cutest thing when she grabbed the yarn, she hugged it to herself because it was clear that she loved the squishy softness and the colour. I bought it always intending to make something for her with it and the Quaintly was perfect. It is such a lovely spring top with little lacy cap sleeves and a stockinette stitch body which I knit with extra length to make it a bit tunic like. My project notes can be found here.

Kelly Brooker of Peka Peka Design Studio designed the Quaintly pattern. The pattern is available individually but if you get the ebook you get a set of patterns for the fingering (4ply), DK (8ply) and worsted (10ply) weight and sizes all the way from newborn through to 10 years old. If you're like me and you like to keep you options open in terms of yarn choice then having the pattern written up in the three different yarn weights is great. I have already knit this pattern before in the DK weight in the 18-24 month size and it was a super quick knit. The fingering weight knit went pretty quickly too and I made the 2 year old size with the one skein of Miss Click Clack Merri Creek sock yarn.

The pattern instructions are simple enough to follow and even the fiddly bit of changing between two different needle sizes to finish the sleeves is explained very clearly and not difficult at all. I ended up just slipping the sleeve stitches onto a DPN in the smaller size (2.75mm) and kept everything else on the circular needle. When I came to the sleeve stitches I just held the circular needle aside and knit the sleeves with another DPN of the same size. 

To top of this gorgeous knit Miss L picked out some adorable little sheep buttons from Sunspun during their Spring sale last week. These very cute buttons come from a company called Incomparable Buttons. They are not plastic, so I'm guessing they are ceramic and they are handmade in South Africa through a programme that gives employment to women. These little buttons are so precious and make the perfect finishing touch to a lovely top.

The cutest little ceramic sheep buttons ever.

Miss L is a lucky little girl with her growing handmade wardrobe and her enjoyment of the clothes bring extra joy to both of us. Now, it's time to for us to twirl together.

Finished object file: MAE doll

All ready to go to be cuddled by my niece.

Recently I wrote about making this little doll to send to my niece in America for her 2nd birthday. It took me longer to finish it than I anticipated but I got there in the end and she's ready to be sent off tomorrow.

In my earlier post I explained that a MAE doll is a 'make and embellish' doll. The pattern of the doll is printed onto cotton and all that needs to be done is cut it out, sew it together and stuff it. This cute doll is designed by Jhoanna Aranez and she made it so easy with super clear sewing instructions and even an awesome YouTube video tutorial.

Sir S as my little helper.

After I cut and stitched the doll, Sir S helped with the stuffing and I only took over when he found the legs and arms too tricky. I finished the stitching by hand and though it is a bit rough around the edges I am pretty chuffed with the result.

I hope my little niece is going to enjoy this gift. If she really cherishes this doll I can accessorise her in the years to come. I can imagine a little knitted shawl or scarf to start with and who knows what else.

What to make Wednesday: Softies

Basil the Brontosaurus was the first softie I ever made.

I have a little niece who is about to turn 2 and I love making her things as much as I love making things for my own kids. However, she lives in Texas and it's summer over there so I won't be making any worsted weight sweaters for her, ever because even the winter doesn't get cold enough for those kind of garments.

I know that she is really keen on soft toys so I thought this year I would send her a softie for her birthday. A few weeks ago I have a look around Ravelry for some softie patterns and here are a few of my favourites.

1. Totoro designed by Mimouna Anderson.

I know that since my little niece has a part Japanese heritage, Totoro will be a hit. For those who don't know, Totoro is an iconic character from Studio Ghibli's animated film, 'My Neighbour Totoro'. The first time I saw this film I was just a little girl and I was watching a Cantonese dub of it so I didn't understand much but this character stuck in my memory. It was not until my teen years that I discovered the original Japanese film and worked out that the character that I was fixated with was Totoro.

This little softie pattern is offered for free on the designer's blog but it is in Norwegian. However, a kind Ravelry user has translated the pattern and if you send her a pm via Ravelry she will email you a copy of the pattern. Another great thing about this pattern is that it uses very little amounts of yarn so I have already stash dived and found some remnants that could be enough to knit it up.

I can foresee myself knitting up a little family of Totoros for my kids too especially since Miss L has a bit of a Totoro theme in her bedroom already.

2. Basil the Boogie-Woogie Brontosaurus designed by Rebecca Danger.

I made this super cute little dinosaur for a friend's baby last year and it was the first softie I ever made. The process was made super easy by the designer Rebecca Danger's extremely clear pattern instructions and the series of tutorials on her blog.

Basil can be made with any weight yarn and as for needle size, Rebecca recommends just going two sizes down from the needle size that is recommended on the yarn label. The reason for going down needle sizes is so that a very tight weave fabric w ill be made when you knit and that will prevent any bits of stuffing poking through.

3. Melvin the Musical Monster designed by Rebecca Danger.

Actually, I find all of Rebecca Danger's softie patterns very appealing and I would make any of them. Her series of knitted monsters are just so cute and this one particularly appeals because it share a name with my BIL.

Rebecca keeps the shaping simple so that there aren't many extremely fiddly bits with decreasing and increasing for necks and heads and other bits like that. She essentially designs the main body as a large ball with either a striping design or colour block patches for the belly making it a very easy knit that looks very huggable.

The one difficulty with this pattern is that it is featured in a print book and not available for purchase as a digital download through Ravelry or Rebecca's Etsy store. It's not a terrible difficulty since there are a number of adorable patterns to choose from that are similarly shaped.

Image source: © Lebenslustiger

4. Square bunny knit pattern 2 by Annette of Lebenslustiger.com.

This is one of the simplest softies I have seen. It is essentially a small garter stitch square sewn in a particular manner to create bunny ears and a body. There a few of these bunny patterns around but I like this little one because there is a very good tutorial on the blog where it is posted.

It's not really a significant enough project to make for a birthday present but I think it would be a perfect little beginner project to make with the kids when they are learning to knit. Once they have mastered garter stitch making this little bunny will be a quick project to whip up and the young crafter will be able to enjoy their handiwork fairly quickly.

Can't wait to turn this gorgeous pattern into a doll for my niece.

5. MAE doll designed by Jhoanna Aranez.

After looking at all these knitted softie patterns I had every intention of making the Totoro for my niece but I'm a bit swamped with WIPs at the moment; through no fault by my own because I keep starting new things. So, I decided to order this MAE doll kit from Jhoanna's Etsy store because I remember my friend making one recently and recommending Jhoanna's dolls.

A MAE doll is a 'make and embellish' kit where the doll pattern has been printed on a piece of cotton poplin fabric and all I need to do is cut it out, sew it together and stuff it. Then I can make my own little embellishments to personalise the doll.

I think Jhoanna's doll designs are so cute. They have a very retro mod style to them and I think the doll can be enjoyed by girls across a broad age range. They aren't babyish in design nor are they all sexualised like many of the commercial doll ranges that are available these days. And, what I love most is that it's still handmade with love.

I'm going to make up this little doll in the next day or two and then I'm thinking of making a little matchbox suitcase for her because she is going on a journey all the way to Texas. I'll post my finished handiwork when I'm done.

Off to get making now.

Small victories

At the start of the year I wrote a post that set out my making list for 2015 and how quickly the first month of the year has passed.

January has been a productive month mainly due to the fact that my husband has been able to take slightly more flexible work/ office hours and be at home quite a bit. With an extra pair of adult hands around the home things have run a lot more efficiently and it has enabled me to sneak in quite a few knitting moments such as knitting in the car while M drove us to the supermarket. I'm so grateful for the month that we have had together.

Yin Yang Rye Socks for my dad*

Looking back at my making list items for January I have actually finished each of the projects that I aimed to make, plus a couple of extras. I knit the High Water jumper for S, finished the second Rye sock that was meant to be a Christmas present for my dad, sent off a bonnet for my Sydney friends and knit a Garter Ear Flap hat from the Purl Bee blog. I also finished a last minute gift knit for a friend's farewell + birthday party later this week. I knit her Mari Chiba's Chibi Maruko cowl to keep her neck warm during New Zealand's winters. On top of all that knitting I began learning to sew and finished my first project, a super cute bonnet for Miss L. 

Purl Soho's Garter Ear Flap Hat

I'm pleased with this past month of making and it may be a small victory but it still worth taking a moment to reflect and relish over. My list for February - March is probably a bit more ambitious and I've jumped straight in and not wasting any time by starting a Kelly Brooker's Newborn Vertebrae.

Tell me, how do you manage to fit your crafting moments into the day? Any tips for becoming a more efficient knitter?

*I'll explain why the socks for my dad ended up being "yin yang" socks in my next blog post.

"Uh oh, now she's sewing too..."

Yep, that's right I've picked up sewing and finished my first project.

While recently researching on The Purl Bee blog for a cute baby knitting pattern I came across this super cute bonnet, but I had one problem, I'm a knitter not a sew-er. However, I just couldn't resist because I just love bonnets - I think it's the Jane Austen-ness about bonnets that draws me to them. 

To solve my problem of being only a novice on the sewing machine I did a call out on FB for some help and very kindly one of my friends stepped up. I would not have succeeded in making this bonnet without her invaluable help. Being part of my church community has blessed me with the opportunity to learn from the many experienced crafters in our midst. I have plans to join the craft group this year with hopes that I can learn more as well as get to know some of the lovely ladies at church better.

I felt so lucky when I found this piece of Liberty of London fabric in the remnants box at Tessuti. I've got enough of the remnant left over for a couple more bonnets, so that's definitely a great score.

This first time project is a little rough around the edges. I struggled to sew the seams straight particularly on the bias strips and the finishing hand sewn seam is very rudimentary but I still love how it has come together. 

When I finally convinced Miss L to put it on for me to take some photos I squealed with delight at the cuteness overload. The bonnet fits perfectly and she looks so cute with it on - though of course I may be biased.

Now that I've conquered my first sewing project I look forward to making more clothing for my kids in the future. Although I think the husband will truly soon be saying, "Uh Oh, now she's sewing too.", as he sees our home slowly being taken over by my crafting.

If you have suggestions for other easy to make sewing projects feel free to link to their patterns in a comment.