Monthly Archives: February 2024

You are browsing the site archives by month.

little scrappy cardigan

29/02/2024 8:49 pm \ 5 Comments \ Carolyn

Phew! My February knitting project was finished in the nick of time! Honestly now, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep up with my resolution of one knitting project per month this year, my hands might not be able to cope… but I’m still going to give it my best shot!

This is a little cardigan destined for Theo; I bought this pattern online; the Sirda Denim Cardigan. I made the second size and all yarns are scraps and leftovers from my still very large bag of scrap yarns. The buttons are coconut shell buttons, also from stash. I know, I know; sorry! the “stash” is becoming a tiresome mantra by now, but honestly I could keep working form my scraps and stash all year and may not still get through it!

I made this exactly to the pattern … except! (there’s always an exception, hehe) I knitted the body in one piece, as opposed to back, right front and left front; and then added in the sleeves and continued with the raglan seams in one piece; so essential it becomes a bottom-up, all-in-one knit. The only seams are the sleeve seams and under the arms. I felt rather clever about this. #undeservedSelfBackPat but have to admit that it made the underarms maybe a little looser than I would have liked, due to the natural stretching that occurs at this point when you join the body and two sleeves together to continue knitting above the underarms. If I was going to do this again, which I most probably will, I will re-work the needle arrangement so as to alleviate the pressure on the underarm, and post some pictures. 🙂

I’m so pleased with how the colours and stripes worked out!!

Here are some fun links though; the yellow mustard is leftovers from my mustard cowl, here...

the navy blue is leftovers from my ghost horses jumper, here. It’s slightly frustrating that the navy blue looks so black in this photo, but I promise it does look more blue in real life!

all other yarns are inherited from my mother. A few were also featured in my January project for Gilbert, namely the mustard, and the deeper brown used in the borders of this cardigan. Hehe, I know this all sounds rather pedantic to be documenting to this extent but it gives me joy to do so, so you know… 🙂

Oh! speaking of that, I finally have a picture of Gilbert wearing the baby jumper and beanie I made for his baby shower last year… how adorably cute is he?!!

Posted in: knitting \ Tagged: baby clothes, babywear, cardigan, childrens, knitting, sirdar denim cardigan, Theo

trench coat inspired cape jacket

25/02/2024 5:08 pm \ 5 Comments \ Carolyn

I made this cool new little jacket/cape/abbreviated trench coat thing! I don’t know how else to describe it really!

This is the new Delma pattern by Fibremood; it’s a very wide, yet very cropped little jacket, with trench inspired details like a gun flap at the front and storm cape at the back. The sides are buttoned closed with arrowhead tabs, which themselves have a trench-inspired air about them too.

I added bellows pockets to the front of mine, for visual interest, and also because pockets too, of course! These have plain, unbuttoned flaps over them.

The fabric is a bone coloured cotton drill from old old stash. I can’t even remember buying this, that’s how long it’s been a-languishing. I know I’ve said this before, but I have to say it again; I’m so happy to be finally liberating all these fabrics into my wardrobe!

The buttons are Billabong, harvested from off a pair of old worn cargo shorts of one of my boys. Luckily I had enough and they were absolutely perfect in colour and style for this jacket!

I bought some new dating labels too! These “made in 2024” are from Intensely Distracted. I was all set to buy the same ones I’ve bought in previous years, the Kylie and the Machine “circa 20xx” ones, which I really like. Unfortunately though, they were not releasing the colour way I wanted; the black writing on white background. Last year I bought the white writing on black “circa 2023” and although I used them all, I have to be honest that I didn’t really like this colour way. Anyway, I do really like these ones!

I’m wearing the jacket here with my old black corduroy jeans, made using the old Burda 7863, that I used to use a LOT back in the day! and also my yellow clogs, made using a kit from leather needle thread. I’ve linked to those things made previously… Fun fact; it was about 40C when I was taking these pictures, and I was practically dying of the heat here, if you can’t tell. Phew! In a few months though I’m sure the weather will have cooled down enough to wear this outfit for real. I hope so because I really love it!

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: Delma jacket, fibremood

tie dyed lingerie, and bikkies

10/02/2024 1:26 pm \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

Hello! I’m back with a few new things…

I had a length of raspberry cotton jersey that’s lovely quality and I wanted to make a new set of lingerie with it, but I somehow felt it boring just as it was… what do do of course but make it less boring. I decided to try my hand at some tie-dyeing…

I cut the right amount of fabric to cut a Watson set of bra plus two pairs of knickers. btw, ages ago I made the undies pattern pieces full size, and added the crotch piece to the front piece to include it, as shown above. This had made the pattern far better suited to me, and far easier to cut out and construct. I hog-tied it securely before boiling it up in a pot of navy blue dye. Definitely not boring now… in fact I’m so pleased with the pretty shapes that resulted. I forgot to lay down the back band in the above picture but remembered to check I had enough for this too before cutting!

I’m happy to report nothing new at all was bought for this set… I still have enough elastic left in my stash for maybe one or two new sets of lingerie before I’ll need to buy more, and I have lately been recycling even the hook and eye closures; although I’m aware that happy state of affairs cannot last forever! However for now it’s very satisfying to be able to make something new and pretty and functional using just what I have.

We’ve had a few birthdays in the family recently, and one little activity I did recently was to make chocolate biscuits with 3yr old Theo for his party. This was of course a delightful way to spend time! Cassie had pre-made the chocolate biscuit dough, and I helped him to roll it out and cut shapes. A few days later I whipped up a batch of icing with him, and supervised the icing and decoration. He pretty much did all this by himself.

He happened to be wearing the T-shirt I made for him late last year, so I took a quick picture of him assiduously cleaning the icing bowl… so cute and funny. I’ve never seen a bowl/plate cleaned out so thoroughly as that icing bowl!

Also, I made this green Meelup skirt and pink Booragoon top last year for my niece Tiffany, but she was a little unwell at the time when we were taking pictures for our Meelup skirt listing. We finally managed to get together for our photoshoot just recently, and here she is. Doesn’t she look lovely?! It gives both Cassie and I such joy to have family members and friends modelling our creations!