March Sewing Projects, Part I

I have done quite a bit of sewing this past month, but I can only show you some of it right now.


I made this crewel embroidered fish for my cousin's 5th birthday. He loves fishing and he is really looking forward to getting back out to the lake this spring.



Someone in my embroidery group brought this pattern in, along with other patterns, when we were working on crewel stitches. There was no stitch guide so I just looked at my copy of The New Crewel and did what I felt like. I used random wool from my stash of crewel wool, some of which came from my great grandmother.


My cousin also loves to cook, and I sewed him an apron to go with the cookbook we got him. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the apron (probably because I was finishing it 20 minutes before we left for his birthday party). I used this pattern, which you should really read even if you don't sew because it's hilarious. It is also really helpful and informative, even though I didn't follow all of the directions exactly. It seem that lately I have just been crafting by the seat of my pants, and if it doesn't work, I just rip it out and go at it again. That's one advantage that sewing has over knitting--ripping out is much faster, although sometimes the fabric doesn't hold up as well as the yarn does.

Next up, more sewing and lots of baby things!

Brattleboro Hat

In between two snowstorms, I finished my Brattleboro hat.


The construction is interesting--first you knit the lower band, then you block it to relax the ribbing. Then you pick up and knit around the top of the band (which I dreaded, but it turned out fine), knit fewer rows than you think you need, decrease at four points around the crown, and then pick up and knit the short button band. I was worried the decreases would look funny, but I think they look fine:



Brattleboro Hat from New England Knits
One skein of hand-dyed, handspun yarn from Woolly Beers Yarn, purchased on last fall's Wool Arts Tour
Size 8 US needles
No modifications




I mostly enjoy winter (yes, even at this point in February), but I'm looking forward to spring, too. Especially getting my garden started again. I miss the smell of dirt.

February's Sewing Project

Since I procrastinated last month I wanted to get started on February's sewing project a little earlier, in keeping with my New Year's Resolution to complete one sewing project a month. I was lucky enough to have a snow day a couple of weeks ago, so I went up to my sewing room, dug through the stash, and whipped up this magazine holder. Not because I'm such an awesome seamstress but because the pattern was so easy.



The pattern is from Lotta Jansdotter's book Simple Sewing, which I highly recommend. She explains everything clearly and has excellent diagrams, which I need. It's also nice to make something useful for my home and use up some stash fabric. My next sewing project will probably be from this book also.

For the Lovebirds

One of my best and oldest friends got married this past December. She is also a crafty person, and I love her dearly, so of course she was getting something handmade. I love to stitch projects for special dates like these--whenever I see examples of historical needlework, it's often a sampler or a piece that commemorates a special date. I like to think that the pieces I make will survive that long. Even if it doesn't, it's a nice memento for people to have in their homes. I ordered a kit from Herrschner's that doesn't seem to be available anymore. (I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I love kits.)

This piece was an adventure because I also learned to frame needlework. A great friend has been framing her own work for years and agreed to show me how. It wasn't as difficult as I had feared. The wedding was in Florida, and I packed it up very carefully in my carry-on luggage. If the security guard thought it was strange he didn't say anything!



I'm very glad I was able to share in this special day, and I wish Jenn and Joey many, many happy years together! Now back to planning my own big day...

A Bit of Mending

I love my thrummed mittens (first shown in this post from nearly four years ago). I live in New Hampshire, and our winters are cold and snowy. I occasionally get annoyed, but for the most part I love it. Or I love the part where I curl up on the couch in front of the pellet stove with a pile of wool on my lap and knit.


These mittens are great, because when I do have to brave the elements they keep my hands toasty. After several years of use they are perfectly fitted to my hands. The only issue was that the wool in the tips of the mitts and thumbs was thin, partly because of how the pattern was written (no more thrums are added after the decreases begin) and partly because the wool felted to other areas.


What's a thrifty New Englander to do? Add more wool, of course.



I turned the mittens inside out, and using both a darning needle and a crochet hook, I added extra thrums. I used some scraps of wool from my spinning stash.



I just wove the pieces in and out of the bare spots of fabric, being careful to keep everything on the inside so the odd colored scraps wouldn't show through on the right side.



I'm very happy I took 20 minutes to sit down and do this--my mittens are much warmer, and I found a great use for my scrap wool.

Wee and Wonderful

One of my New Year's resolutions is to complete one sewing project a month. I have lots of fabric, and I would like to sew better. It's not always something I can do in front of the television or with other people around, since my sewing machine and materials are upstairs. If I don't make an effort to try new projects, though, I won't get any better (and I won't use up that fabric stash, either). I'd like to do more than one project a month, but I'll start with one for now.



January's project was Evelyn Inchworm. My future brother- and sister-in-law gave me Hillary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls book for Christmas, and Evelyn is the first project in the book. I have been reading Hillary's wonderful blog for years, and I've always wanted to make her projects, but my lack of sewing skills and not making the time for it held me back. I was excited to see her book and also pleasantly surprised. This is not just a book of stuffed animals (although with Hillary's clear instructions and fantastic designs, it would still be worth every penny)--there is an adorable dog necklace, an upside-down doll, and a paper-doll pillow, among many others.



I'm proud of myself for using materials I had on hand. I found the light blue and dark blue felt in a bag at a giant church yard sale with a great vintage pattern for felt flower pins, and the kerchief is made from one piece of fabric from a Moda Charm Squares pack. I love the pack and the kerchief was the perfect use for the square. I'm also proud of myself for using the square and not just hoarding the whole pack. Evelyn is now living on my desk at work and I smile every time I see her.

This is a hand sewing project, so it was a good, easy way for me to start. I have some experience with sewing machines, but I need to try new projects to keep learning more. I'm already ahead for February, since I had a snow day today and made another project, which I'll share soon.

Happy with my Hap Blanket

I have been slowly knitting my way through Ysolda Teague's wonderful Whimsical Little Knits (and Whimsical Little Knits 2). I bought the yarn for the Hap Blanket at this year's New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, the grey from a local farm and the red from one of my favorite yarn companies.



With its garter stitch center and easily memorized edging pattern, this was a great project to leave in my knitting basket for months on end.



Hap Blanket by Ysolda Teague (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Riverslea Farm rustic spun yarn (grey), 2 skeins, and Green Mountain Spinnery New Mexico Organic in Red, 1 skein
Needles: US Size 10 circular needle



If you look at the original Hap Blanket and then mine, you may notice that there aren't as many purl rows in my edging. Ysolda had posted errata to the pattern (found here) but I didn't think to check it beforehand. Also, I used a size 10 needle instead of the recommended 11. I started with the 11 but it was looking too loose. I wanted to use 10.5 needles but I couldn't find one long enough in my stash, so I just went with the 10s. This made it slightly smaller than the pattern specified.


At first these little changes bothered me. I put off blocking the blanket for awhile, not sure if I should frog it and redo the whole thing or just let it be. I think it's important to know what kind of knitter you are, and whether you can put up with mistakes (or "design elements," as some people prefer to call them) or whether it will drive you nuts. I often fall into the latter category.



This time I decided that this is what knitting, and making things in general, is about. Even when I fall in love with a picture, I have to make things in my own way, with the materials available to me or the ones I would like to use. So when I do make something, and it doesn't look exactly like the picture, that's just because I've made it my own.

I'm very happy to now have a warm woollen lap Hap blanket for these cold winter evenings. I hope you are also staying warm and busy with knitting these cold days and nights!