Woven Stitch Jacket

Hi! How’s your week been? I’ve got a newly completed knitting project to show you today – this pretty textured cardi-jacket.

The pattern was in an issue of Knitting magazine last autumn (sorry I can’t remember which issue – I tear the pages out to just keep the patterns!) and it’s been on my To Do list for months. The yarn I’ve used has also been in the stash for over a year waiting for me to get round to this project!

It turned out to be a fairly straightforward knit – the texture pattern is used all over so once you’ve got the hang of that you just keep going – although I had to concentrate on the counting when it came to increase and decrease rows!

The yarn is Sirdar Softspun Chunky and is incredibly light but warm to wear – I got this whole cardi out of seven and a half 50g balls. The colour is gorgeous, the purple base set off with a flash of silver metallic all the way through. I used the gold colourway of this yarn for another jumper a couple of years ago.

This one knitted up nice and quickly in the chunky weight yarn – and it uses three needle sizes (51/2mm, 6mm and 61/2mm) to create subtle shaping through the waist. Button holes are made within the right front, and the collar is knitted up from saved stitches on both front pieces then sewn down along the front edges.

I’m really happy with this one, the fit is great, and it will go with lots of the things I wear regularly, as well as keeping me lovely and snuggly warm!

To finish off I added big silver metal buttons - although they're quite heavy so I'll have to be careful they don't stretch that side of the cardi!

I’ve got my Knitting & Stitching Show purchases lined up ready in the order I’m going to work through them – I’m already part-way through knitting the little red cardi for my cousin for Christmas, then will be my super-chunky blanket. Sewing-wise, I’m working on a few little patchwork Christmas decorations, and am hoping to fit in some time this weekend to trace the pattern for the Sew Over It Joan dress and maybe start on a toile – definitely want to get the fit right with this one!

Have you started your Christmas crafting yet? Are you going completely handmade for presents and decorations? I’d love to but just don’t have the time to fit everything in around the day job – maybe one day! Have a great weekend everyone, happy crafting.

The Knitting & Stitching Show

This also appears as a guest post on the Craft Cotton Co. blog here. 

Last week was the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in London. It’s one of the biggest craft fairs in the country with over 400 exhibitors, and a whole host of demonstrations, lectures, workshops and fashion shows to keep you entertained. This year is the second time I’ve been to Ally Pally – there is also a Spring show at Olympia – and I went with my Mum for a day out to get some inspiration for projects to keep me going through the winter.

The stands are spread out in three main halls, and you definitely need a whole day to go round everything properly, we got there just after it opened at 10am and didn’t leave until about 4.30pm – if you wanted to do some workshops too you could easily spread it over two days. Also, there are plenty of places to refuel with coffee, cakes, or a cooked lunch.

It’s incredibly easy to spend an absolute fortune very quickly as there is so much inspiration and so many amazing crafters to talk you through how to do something. My top tips would be to go with a shopping list and a bag on wheels – you will end up carrying tonnes of stuff and it will help save your arms!

Mum and I didn’t do any workshops this time, but we did watch the Make it Coats/Rowan fashion show which showcased some of the yarns and patterns from Patons and Rowan, and some of Coats dressmaking fabrics by designers like Zandra Rhodes. The absolute highlight was the collaboration Rowan have recently released with Swarovski – a collection of beads and crystals to work into your knitting with a capsule collection of stunning patterns, the star of which is the dress which apparently uses over 2000 crystals! They’re not cheap but for a special item would be worth the cost and effort.

All the big companies were there including sewing machine brands Janome, Singer and Brother, as well as dozens of designer-makers showing off their crafts and selling kits so you can recreate their style at home.

With my own shopping list in mind, one of my top picks of the show was the Black Sheep Wools stand. They bring hundreds of packs of yarn and just pile them up on the floor for you to wade through and find what you want! I was looking for some Rowan Revive for a jumper on my ‘To Do’ list, and eventually I managed to unearth some. These are all packs of 10 balls of yarn, and most have at least 50% off the full retail price – definitely the best way to buy premium brands like Rowan, or get an absolute bargain with Sirdar or Patons – I also picked up a pack of Sirdar Summer Stripes that will go in my stash until I find something to make with it, I just love the colours!

Next up is Fabrics Galore who stock a massive range of dressmaking, quilting, homeware and ‘fun’ fabrics at great prices. There’s always a queue round this stall but the staff move really quickly and everyone stays happy! I find this is a great place to get Liberty Tana Lawns at half price, mostly last season or ongoing designs. This is the one I picked out this time – I’d seen it in Liberty’s last year but couldn’t justify spending the full price at the time, so I pounced as soon as I saw it. I got a couple of metres and have a few possibilities for what I might make. Liberty cottons are just beautiful to work with and they wash and press well too. Also from Fabrics Galore I got this remnant of fantastic zebra print which will probably end up as a cushion cover, and this pretty floral fat quarter that jumped out at me.

Moving on, the girls at the Sew Over It stand helped me pick out this gorgeous purple crepe to make their new Joan dress (I bought the pattern from them too). This will be my most advanced dressmaking project yet as it’s fully lined, and I’m determined to iron out some fitting issues I’ve had previously. I also stopped at the Sew Me Something stall where I grabbed the new Imogen top pattern, and some wool blend fabric to make a second pair of their Portia wide leg trousers having had success with the pattern last year. Jules who owns the business was wearing the Imogen top in this fab yellow crepe which looked really sunny and cheerful, I might have to look out for something similar.

A few other purchases I made were some chunky yarn from Abakhan and some giant knitting needles from Rachael John Extreme Knitting to make a big snugly blanket, four balls of Patons baby wool from Lady Sew and SewKnits to knit a cardi for my baby cousin for Christmas, some beautiful floral ribbon trim from Aarti J (no idea what I’m going to do with this!), a big pink cutting mat from Sew 2 Go (yes, pink!) and a patchwork ruler to go with it. It was a bit interesting getting home on the tube and the train carrying everything!

Another great thing about the Knitting & Stitching Show is the textile artist galleries, of which this year’s star for me was Kate Jenkins’ The Stitchmongers – a whole shop full of knitted, crocheted and sequinned fish! It looks absolutely amazing, and incredibly life-like if you take a step back.

Mum and I both had a brilliant day out, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to all my new projects. The show also goes to Dublin and Harrogate and I’d definitely recommend going along if you can, I’m already booking out the days for the Spring show next year!

New Look K6107 Blouse

Hi! So I'm trying to hang on to summer just a little bit longer, even though it's nearly the middle of October - I made another sleeveless cotton blouse!

This one is from New Look pattern pack K6107 which came as a free gift with Sew magazine a few months ago.

The fabric I've used is some Liberty cotton lawn bought in the sale at the beginning of the summer - it was a pre-cut 'remnant' of 1 metre so just enough to get this blouse from. Actually it turned out I probably could have got the short sleeves out of it too but never mind. I just loved all the little specks of colours - I think I'm going to call it my 'hundreds and thousands' blouse!

I chose my size based on the finished garment measurements - there is a LOT of ease in this pattern and it would have swamped me if I'd gone with the body measurements. I went with the size 14 which is just about right in terms of ease of movement when I'm wearing it.

There are body darts in the front and back, and gentle gathers at the front yoke. Adding the rouleau button loops and underlap to the front was probably the fiddliest bit, but not too tricky.

I decided to use shop-bought bias binding for the neck and armhole facings rather than making it from the main fabric (pure laziness) but I don't think it matters, it's all on the inside anyway so no-one's going to see it.

I love the little buttons I got for this one in the shape of white flowers with coloured centres, they pick up the pink in the fabric nicely - although I did debate over purple or yellow ones in the shop!

Please please excuse the creases in the photos - I couldn't wait to wear it so after sewing the buttons on Thursday evening I wore it on Friday to the Knitting & Stitching Show - and had a couple of really lovely compliments too!

I seriously need to work on the fitting issues for my next dressmaking project - as always on me the neck line comes quite low (which is why I've got a camisole on underneath) because I'm obviously short from shoulder to bust - if anyone's got any useful tips for adjusting this one on patterns please let me know! I also had to take a little dart into the underarm to stop some gaping so probably need to have a go at a full bust adjustment too.

Otherwise I'm really happy with this blouse, it makes me happy, even though if I want to wear it now I'll have to layer it up for the colder weather. It's definitely one I'd have another go at - the body darts give a bit more shaping which suits me rather than being too loose and baggy, and if I can sort out the low neckline it'll be a useful one for wearing to work.

I'm just in the last stages of finishing the cardi I've been knitting so I'll show you that soon, and tell you more about my day at the Knitting & Stitching Show - my poor bank account took a bit of a battering!

Colouring for Adults

Hi! Wow, I’m really looking forward to having a few days off at the end of next week, work has been very busy recently and I definitely need a chance to recharge my batteries!

Have you caught onto the craze for adult colouring books yet? I seem to have amassed a small collection but don’t get much opportunity to actually do any colouring!

 I loved colouring in as a child, and to this day I remain a ‘stay inside the lines’ kind of girl. I actually got this book of Christmas designs several years ago (from Hobbycraft I think) way before it became ‘cool’, but then I obviously got distracted by life and other stuff and it’s been sitting on my shelf ever since.

Some of the designs in the books I’ve got are just stunning – I have to say although they look incredible I’m not hugely keen on the really intricate mandala types as they’re just too fiddly and I don’t have the patience!

I took a couple of books on holiday with me over the summer with the intention of using some relaxing time to colour in a few pictures – and they remained in my bag untouched for the entire two weeks!

Since I got back I have done a couple of designs, and am trying to find time more regularly to sit and spend even just 20 minutes or so when I get home from work to do a little bit of a picture.

I’ve also got a reasonable collection of colouring pens and pencils in a good range of colours, so at least I can be more bold or subtle depending on my mood.

My other little stress buster is this smaller book which I keep in my work bag so I can dig it out for a few minutes when I need to give my brain a rest – there are some good repetitive patterns that are handy for when I don’t want to concentrate too hard.

Have you done any colouring? What are your favourite books and tools? Pens or pencils?

Ooh, I must share a little piece of good news with you – I’m going to be working with the Craft Cotton Company as a guest blogger! They put a message out on Twitter a few weeks ago and I thought I’d bite the bullet and get in touch. There’s a whole team of bloggers getting involved so you’ll be able to read about lots of different ideas, my first post for them will be about my trip to the Knitting& Stitching Show next week, so please look out for that!

Lake Garda Shawl

Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a good week, mine’s been pretty packed and a little stressful so I’m glad to have made it to the weekend again!

I said in my last post that I’d show you the shawl I started knitting on holiday and finished a couple of weeks ago when we got back – so here it is.

The pattern is the UK Alpaca Pearly Queen shawl that I used for my cream version earlier in the year, but I chose a different yarn this time. It’s Artesano’s Lace Handpainted Alpaca Silk and the colourway is called Mermaid.

I actually started knitting this the weekend before we went away, but as I spent some very relaxing afternoons sitting by the huge picture window in our apartment overlooking Lake Garda working on it I’m going to name the shawl in honour of the lake – and the colours of the yarn remind me of the shades of the water and surrounding mountains.

There really isn’t much to say about the pattern, I still love the stepped edge, and the lovely simple stitch pattern used throughout. The only thing different about this one from the first shawl is that the yarn is much finer, so although it’s worked up and blocked out to roughly the same size because of the stretchiness created by the open mesh stitch, it’s not as bulky and so not quite as warm, but it’ll be fine for the next few weeks while it’s chilly in the mornings but not cold enough for a proper scarf.

I obviously made a fairly drastic over-calculation when I bought the yarn though as I’ve got a skein and a half leftover – so I may well end up making another one for someone as a gift, or finding another pattern for something a bit different, I spotted a beautiful lace cowl in last month’s issue of The Knitter.

I’ve made a good start on my next cardigan, and gone from extreme to the other - lace-weight shawl to chunky knit cardi! I’ll keep you posted with progress, and let you know if I manage to fit in any more sewing, but I’m a bit pressed for time over the next couple of weekends with extra choir rehearsals and a big performance coming up.

Only three weeks to go until The Knitting & Stitching Show which I’m really looking forward to. I know it’s the Handmade Fair at Hampton Court Palace this weekend so if you’re going I hope you have a great time, and I really must try and get tickets next year! Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Sleeveless Mimi Blouse

Hi! How are you all? Hope you had a great summer, I thought autumn was fully upon us but the last couple of days have been really warm and sunny where I am – chilly in the mornings though so autumn still knocking on the door.

Anyway, I’ve been back from holiday for a couple of weeks so wanted to give you an update on crafty progress.

I took my knitting away with me and managed to do a little bit most days working on my shawl – I’ve finished this since we’ve been back so I’ll show it to you in my next post, I need to wash and block it out first.

Last weekend I didn’t have anything else special on so I made another Mimi blouse. As I already had the pattern traced out it was much quicker to cut out my fabric, and having the experience of the first one meant I got the sewing done quicker too.

This floral fabric has been in my stash since the beginning of the year and I’m really pleased I’ve finally used it because it’s so beautiful, I love the colours and the big florals, and it’s a lovely light cotton lawn.

I decided to go sleeveless for this version for a bit of a different look, and it means it’ll layer better over a long-sleeved t-shirt and under a cardi so I can carry on wearing it over the winter. My first version is a little awkward under a cardi because of the bit of puffiness in the sleeves.

Nice and quick to sew up, I zig-zagged and pinked all my seams, got the collar and facings on straight and sitting nicely, and then bound the armholes with cream bias binding folded through to the inside.

I got purple buttons to pick out the colour from the fabric and love how they look against the other colours.

The size is great, and I didn’t make any alterations to the armholes but they’re absolutely fine and don’t gape at all.

I’m wearing it today as I type and really happy with how it’s turned out, it’ll be great for work or casual, trousers or a skirt. I’d quite like to try another version in a drapey viscose or something and see if that makes any difference to the overall look and feel.

I’ve got loads of patterns lined up for more sewing, and more fabric still in my stash, but I bought several metres of calico yesterday that I’m intending to make some toiles in, especially of dress bodices and really concentrate on ironing out the fit issues I’ve had before – I’ll let you know how I get on. There are a couple of dresses I really want to make, but I don’t want to waste good fabric on something that doesn’t fit properly and I then don’t wear often.

I had an amazing holiday and bought lots of souvenirs, but the one I want to show you is some GORGEOUS silk I bought in Venice. We spent three days there and I hunted out a couple of fabric shops, but got this from G. Benevento near the Ca’ D’Oro – they stock lots of dressmaking fabrics, many of them designer.

This is 100% Italian silk and from the new season collection for Etro – the man in the shop showed me a catalogue of some of the dresses and they are absolutely incredible!

It was extremely expensive, I bought a metre and a half (140cm wide) and it cost the equivalent of about £100!!! I’d never ever spend that much money on fabric over here, but the holiday spontaneity monster obviously took hold that day!

I absolutely love it though, the colours and the print, plus it feels amazing, but I’m going to have to do some serious thinking and planning of what I’m going to make with it, and probably a toile or two before I even dare thinking about cutting into it. I’ll keep you posted!

I’m going to start a new knitting project this weekend, and will also be visiting the Weald of Kent Craft Fair at Penshurst Place on Sunday, and then it’s not many more weeks until the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, which very conveniently falls on pay day for me!

Have a great weekend, I’d love to see what you’ve been making.