cardigan Archives - Handmade by Carolyn

little sludgy cardigan

31/07/2024 11:54 am \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

…once again slithering in under the wire on the last day of the month with my knit-of-the-month! For July’s effort I made a new little cardigan. This is yarn that I bought during our hiking trip to Italy 12 years ago! astounding really, I can’t believe it’s been that long! there was a tiny little craft store in Menagio, Lake Como, and that’s where I found it. I posted about that trip on my blog back here…

I’m so thrilled this yarn has finally been realised into a wearable thing, because it’s actually lovely. It is Lang Yarns Maxi Tosca, col. 5706 which is genuinely made in Italy, believe it or not! I was pretty thrilled to find homegrown produce, because souvenir shopping does not always result in such joys, sadly. I bought 6 x 50g balls, and managed to use almost the whole lot while adding one extra pattern repeat to the length. There is just a fairly small quantity leftover.

I chose an old favourite, the Miette pattern by Andy Satterlund; a pattern that since its debut was later rebranded as the Crumb and is now sadly unavailable. Actually the designer has retired all her patterns and you can’t get any of them any more, which is quite sad.

I’ve made the Miette pattern five times now, customising slightly by the time I got to the last one, and referred to my previous notes to make this one the same way. Namely this post. The main adjustment I make is to switch the bust shaping to under the arm. I did include the lacework but kinda regret it, if I’m being honest… in a variegated yarn such as this it doesn’t stand out as much as you’d like, and then when you do notice it it somehow detracts from the loveliness of the colours in the yarn. Definitely something for me to keep in mind for future lacework knitting…

Buttons! is it weird to say the buttons could be my favourite part of the whole thing? yes, pretty weird since I actually think my new cardigan is allover a very satisfying thing. The buttons feels super satisfying though since I made these too… !

so you know I’m trying to use what I have rather than buy anything new… well I hunted through my, still rather large, button stash for nine matching buttons, and even contemplated using non-matching buttons but couldn’t even make that work. I’d almost accepted that I was going to have to head out and buy new buttons but then remembered my modelling clay. Yay! I’ve used this to make buttons before, specifically for this coat here; and even to make the jewellery for my Queen Rutella cosplay, here. I thought I’d been painting them once finished… however was rather thrilled when I realised the final baked colour of them was actually perfect for my cardigan as is. Such luck! I just painted on a clear varnish finish to protect them and bob’s your uncle! SO happy with how they look on my new cardigan.

worn here with a ivory tee, sludgy skirt and tights, all made by me…

Posted in: knitting, Uncategorized \ Tagged: cardigan, Clara, daily outfit, hand knit, hand knitting, knitting, Miette

another little scrappy cardigan

23/03/2024 9:07 pm \ 6 Comments \ Carolyn

Hello! I’m back wth my March knitting project; this one is of course a cardigan for my oldest grandson Arthur…

It’s the same Sirdar pattern that I used for Theo’s cardigan, one size up. You might have noticed it’s the same colour pattern too… with seven double rows of each colour offset with each other. When you start out with a plan like this, using scrap yarns, then it’s always going to be a bit of a gamble that the quantities of wool colours are going to actually be enough to see it through. Fortunately I was very lucky again that it worked out!

Arthur has quite delicate colouring compared to his cousin; blond hair and blue eyes, pale skin, so I know these lighter, clear colours would be really nice on him. I’ll come back and post a picture of him wearing it, come winter time. 🙂

In Arthur’s words “it’s beautiful, like a rainbow” sigh! Higher praise is just not possible!

Now; when I posted Theo’s cardigan, remember I promised to post pictures improving how to join the sleeves to the body to continue in one piece without stretching out the underarm bit?

btw; I know this explanation is not going to make much sense unless you’re actually knitting a thing like this, but it’s mostly to remind myself if I ever need to do this again…

So, up until this point I’ve knitted the body ie. back and two fronts, in one piece and cast off the underarm stitches. Each sleeve has been knitted flat exactly to the pattern to the underarm. Then I take a needle and knit the right front and half a sleeve, then take a (long) fresh needle and knit the other half of the sleeve, the back, and half the other sleeve, then take another fresh shorter needle and knit the other half of the sleeve and the left front. So; the three sections join up on the middle outer edge of each sleeve; and I commence knitting the cardigan from the armholes up, decreasing the raglan seams across the whole piece. The only seams needing to be stitched at the end are the underarm and sleeve seams.

Posted in: knitting \ Tagged: arthur, cardigan, hand knitting, knitting, sirdar denim cardigan

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

the Pinjarra twinset

31/07/2023 8:00 pm \ 4 Comments \ Carolyn

At last! Cassie and I are thrilled to release our latest pattern in the Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co oeuvre… please welcome the Pinjarra twinset!

A twinset? What on earth…?! you may be thinking/asking! Well, the Pinjarra twinset is specifically, a cardigan with a long necktie/collarline, and a long sleeved T-shirt/tee/skivvy with two collar options, one a higher loose turtleneck and the other a more scooped neckline with a skinny band to finish. A little wardrobe concept that once upon a time was called a twinset! This particular set of designs is a pattern I’ve used for myself over and over and over again and wear it very frequently; so I can confidently attest to its usefulness and versatility as a really good basic.

And as a special introductory offer we are offering the new pdf pattern with a 20% discount for the first week of its debut; that is until Monday 7th August! It is currently available in our Carolyn and Cassie Pattern Co Etsy store, here.

Although I have quite a few already I made a new Pinjarra cardigan to celebrate the pattern being finished and ready to release… I bought this very beautiful pink double merino jersey from the Fabric Store in Melbourne when we went there for Harry Potter. It’s so beautiful! Incidentally I’m wearing a new skirt with it too; this is once of my favourite patterns the Paprika Patterns Jade mini skirt. I’ve made this stacks of times too. This is a cotton jersey from Le Stash, of course… 🙂 The ivory tee underneath is another early Pinjarra, made a couple of years ago.

This turtleneck neckline is one I have been making the longest and I absolutely love it for winter.

I made a set for Mum too! using a black cotton jersey and some of the blue/grey cotton jersey for the neck tie… I think the contrasting necktie is very chic! A variation that gives it a slightly different look, even a little more formal looking, perhaps?

Cassie made a striped Pinjarra cardigan, with shorter sleeves, thanks to not quite enough fabric! This looks so cool, in my opinion! She is wearing it with the grey maternity skirt I made for her recently, using Burda 7023…

And here she is wearing my yellow Pinjarra cardigan, the pink Pinjarra tee I made for her last year, and the navy blue Burda 7023 maternity skirt that I made recently too. How lovely is this combination for work? I think she looks elegant and professional 🙂

The following is a little history of the Pinjarra evolution, which may or may not be interesting at all. But this is my blog which I think has all this documented over the years anyway, so why not summarise?

As I’ve long documented here; my original go-to T-shirt pattern was a Burda pattern that didn’t fit so I fine-tuned it to better fit me (blogged about here). Then I switched to the Closet Core Nettie pattern, that was pretty good but I eventually started improving the fit of that one too, until it ended up completely different from the pattern, with absolutely zero of the original seamlines left. At some point I rediscovered my modified Burda pattern and overlaid it with my modified Nettie and it was pretty interesting to me that my modifications were nearly identical! Anyway, long and short was that I now started to think of and use this as my personal custom fit T-shirt block and it became my basis for all stretch fit bodices.

the earliest iteration of the cardigan design, 2015

My first cardigan prototype appeared back here in 2015, although that one is of course quite different from this final, far more polished design. Every time I’ve made it I’ve twiddled with the design and I now feel like it’s a really nice robust cardigan with a good construction procedure.

I got the idea to make the two of them a twinset pattern back when I made the above marigold yellow, matching two piece set, blogged here. The tee’s final neckline is a little lower that this one as I thought this one a little high. Yes; I have thought long and hard about these little things! At this point I started working on the two necklines, grading the pattern, and writing instructions. And Cassie of course did her essential digital part. Et voila! the Pinjarra twinset is now here!

The name? Well, “twinset” has always sort of suggested to me, rightly or wrongly, the kind of thing a grandmother would have worn regularly once upon a time; since actually both of my own grandmothers did. And Cassie’s grandmother lives in Pinjarra. So it felt like a good fit. And having a pattern named Pinjarra seems fair since my mother, Cassie’s other grandmother, lives in Bridgetown and we’ve already used the name Bridgetown in our Fridgetown handwarmers pattern.

But I honestly think the Pinjarra is a pretty cool design and not particularly grandmother-ly one way or the other either. More like a really a good basic that absolutely anyone could wear!

another early iteration of the cardigan….

The pattern is currently available in our etsy shop, here. Remember that 20% discount for the next week! We hope you enjoy making and wearing either or all parts of the Pinjarra twinset as much as we have!

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: cardigan, Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co, Cassie, Jade, Mum, own design, Paprika Patterns, pinjarra twinset, skirt, top

dressing like a tomato

25/05/2023 2:23 pm \ 6 Comments \ Carolyn

Hello!

So, I’ve alluded to this ongoing project previously; the mission to “use up a rather large length of tomato-red jersey” I am pleased and just a ~~little~~ lot relieved to report a successful completion of the mission, ahem…

I originally bought this “remnant” from a Morrison seconds sale… it was very cheap… when I had the chance to check it out properly I realised it was at least 6m in length, possibly more if I’m honest. Phew! Just a few weeks ago I dedicated myself to remove this from Le Stash.

Item 1; a dress for Cassie… this is the Ebony pattern by Closet Core patterns. I don’t have any pictures of her wearing it, but it skims her knees and the sleeves are elbow length. This will be a great little dress for winter for her; worn with tights and boots, over a turtleneck, and with her denim jacket, it looks super cute!

Item 2; a little T-shirt for Theo (previously posted)

yes, he looks cute

Items 3,4 and 5; a little T-shirt for Arthur, plus the sleeves for two more (previously posted)

here he is on Mothers Day. Cassie is wearing this dress I made last year, and Tim is wearing a hoodie I made for him yeeeeears ago. I’m thrilled he still loves it so much! Also, yes, the dress is still mine but I’ve lent it to Cassie for a little while because she wanted some more work-appropriate dresses and I don’t have the time to make new ones for her just yet!

Item 6;

a cardigan for myself… I’m in the midst of planning to make a pattern for this design this year. I’ve made multiples for myself and it’s such a useful little thing to have!

wearing it during me-made May

Item 7:

a little top for myself. This is our most recent pattern the Booragoon top, available in our etsy store here #shamelessplug

Item 8;

a little winter skirt for myself. This is the Paprika patterns Jade pattern; one I make up usually once a year. Well, I really like it! Again, pictured during me-made May…

there’s even a failed Item 9! I cut out a skirt for Cassie too, but as I was pinning it together for its first seam I noticed a fault, a few holes right across a line of the grain. By this time I was well and truly over the tomato fabric so it was with some joy that it got tossed into the bin. No regrets!

So wow, yes that’s still a lot of tomato!!

I may or may not wear all three of my own tomato items together like this; on the one hand I really love this colour. On the other hand…. well actually there is no other hand really. I love the colour, so I most like will! btw, not pictured; but the three items I made for myself each has a “circa 2023” label on it.

Now; to be honest, there is a problem with all of these new makes, well more accurately there is a problem with the fabric… I realised that it was cheap and plentiful for a reason. The fabric is super stretchy, as in it’s stretching out quite fast and it’s clearly not going to last very long. Like, probably not longer than this year. Beware a bargain! You can see in my miniskirt how the folds do not look super stable and a little stretched out already. Oh well, just gong to enjoy it while I can 🙂

Posted in: sewing, Uncategorized \ Tagged: arthur, Booragoon top, cardigan, Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co, Closet Core patterns, dress, Ebony, Jade, own design, Paprika Patterns, skirt, Theo, top

some snuggly spring-y merino

31/08/2022 10:46 am \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

Last day of the month and I’m squeezing in a blog post about some other stuff that’s strolled out of the stash and onto my body during August… wait, that sounded weird. Leaving it though. I’m in that sort of mood!

I had bought some gorgeous “turmeric” merino from The Fabric Store in Melbourne during our trip over there earlier this year… when we saw Harry Potter… btw did I ever relate that story? Putting it here now for posterity:

So back in 2019 we’d bought tickets to the Melbourne production of the Harry Potter play for May 2020. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which at the time was only showing in three venues in the entire world; London, New York and Melbourne. During my trip to New York with Yoshimi I’d seen it happening there and was so excited for when Craig and I were going to see it too! We’d booked very good seats and a very nice hotel in Melbourne and it was going to be awesome… Well, we all know what happened in early 2020! (note to future me, who might have forgotten; covid) Our tickets were first rescheduled from May 2020 to November 2020. Then rescheduled again for May 2021. Then November 2021. In case future me has forgotten, Melbourne endured multiple, extremely stringent lockdowns during the pandemic; some of the strictest in the world, and also our own WA border was closed for a couple of years too.

Our tickets were finally forwarded to March 2022 and we eventually hopped on a plane and went on what turned out to be the last weekend of the production. The play was absolutely amazing!! and we loved every minute. The play was so long that it was divided into a two parter; a matinee from 2 until 5-ish, after which you went out and got some dinner, and then an evening performance that went until quite late. SOOOO good! easily one of the most enjoyable plays we’ve ever seen, although I admit you do have to be a Harry Potter aficionado to have “got” it. Fortunately we are most definitely in that category! since Tim was the same age as Harry and back in the day we’d got the books and eagerly devoured them all.

Anyway, apologies for the digression; sewing wise I bought a little fabric during that trip! Well, I can’t go to Melbourne and NOT buy souvenir fabric! It would just feel wrong!

Item 1; I made a self-drafted cardigan… this is a design I’ve made a few times before, at the start I was using my favourite Closet Core Nettie pattern. Over the years I’ve custom fit my Nettie pattern until it is now completely unrecognisable from the original. For me, it is now an only slightly form-fitting and streamlined T-shirt and I’ve adapted it further to be a slightly looser-fitting (so you can comfortably wear it over a tee) cardigan.

I really love this style and enjoy wearing it a lot.

Item 2; a matching turmeric T-shirt… from memory, I’d requested 1.5m, and when it was rolled out there was already a cut piece a bit longer than 1.5m. I’m sorry I can’t remember exactly how much more it was now, but I said I’d buy it! And it was just enough that I managed to get a T-shirt for myself too. I love how I now have a twinset! since I am a granny now and it’s about time I started dressing the part somewhat. I love how a twinset is kinda linked with “dressing like a granny” in my head, but my particular twinset feels not too granny as to fall into “undesirably granny” territory to me. It’s OK, I know that sounds nonsensical but it makes sense to me!

In fact, I love it so much I’m thinking of making my twinset idea into a pattern… I would love to do this if I can eke out the time!

Items 3 and 4; last year I had purchased 1.5m of lovely “red clay” merino from the Fabric Store during one of their online sales. It took a bit of super careful placement but I was pretty pleased to squeeze two T-shirts from this! I kept one for myself and gave one to Cassie, because I think this colour suits her really well too.

I’m so happy with all these items and they’ve all got worn quite a lot this past month already. If you check out my ootd day blog you can see just how much. For example; this is what I am wearing today!

Other me-made items I am wearing in these pictures:

Posted in: sewing, Uncategorized \ Tagged: cardigan, daily outfit, own design, tee

a punnet of raspberries

29/05/2022 3:16 pm \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

I recently made a whole bunch of raspberry things … three, to be precise. One of the large pieces of fabric that Mum tossed my way when she cleared out her stash was a length of raspberry stretchy stuff. three and a half metres!! I have vague memories of the particular pattern she had planned to make with this and I’m almost certain that she bought way too much, but anyway that’s a moot point. I was even with her when she bought it in Fabulous Fabrics, and remember it quite well. Mum has always been in the habit of buying too much “just in case”. Not something I’ve ever been guilty myself, of course, ahem!!

Anyway, I set to and used it all up; and usefully, I think!

Item one, a pair of leggings. I was planning to make tights, but realised the fabric didn’t really have enough stretch to be successful as tights. Even leggings is pushing it a bit, to be honest! but I love the colour and was determined to make it work. Pretty simple, and just using my self-drafted pattern, just with the feet lopped off. This picture is pretty bad, sorry, the light was not good at the time. If I get enthusiastic, I’ll take another photo in better lighting conditions. We’ll see!

Item two; a little cardigan with a built-in scarf that is an extension of the collar. I’ve made a few of these in my time; three actually and none the same. Al utilised slightly different construction techniques, and this latest, version four was yet another. I made a slight boo-boo when I attached the bottom band to the inside of the cardigan, and then slip-stitched it closed on the outside, but it’s only something you’d notice if you looked really closely. I think my hand-stitching is pretty neat nowadays, if I say so myself!

still love these labels… I’m going to need to buy more!

I really love this cardigan and already know I’m going to wear it a tonne.

Item three; a little mini skirt for winter. This is an old favourite pattern; the Paprika pattern Jade skirt. I think I make one of these every year?! This one has no zip at the back, and this time I fitted it quite carefully to myself first, removing a good two inches of width at the waistband from each side. This means I have to squeeze into it head first, but that’s ok!

I have decided a pocket is absolutely necessary for my life nowadays too… really it doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to be there! and only big enough for my phone and a credit card. Because I had the Claremont pattern out already to make my yellow shopping tote, I just used the phone pocket piece from that, and attached it to the waistband inside. I know this sounds like a weird way to put a pocket in but actually it is surprisingly unobtrusive and I wore it with my phone it in all day, quite comfortably.

Very very happy with how this turned out! and I am sure this too will get worn to death this winter!

I’m also very happy with how much this has taken off my #use30 challenge! three and a half metres brings up my total to 27.5m! I only have 2.5m to go, and I already have enough things halfway done already that is going to be knocked off in no time!

HURRAYYYYYYYY!!!!!

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: cardigan, daily outfit, Jade, own design, Paprika Patterns, skirt, tights/leggings, use30

scraps cardigan

24/06/2018 3:54 pm \ 50 Comments \ Carolyn

A couple of years ago, I went down to help Mum clean out her “doing room”, the obvious outcome of such an exercise being that I then took home an embarrassingly huge amount of fabric and yarn supplies to add to my own stash…. we did manage to throw some stuff out! Not much though!!

This is just the wool. All scraps and leftovers …. scary, huh?

There’s no rhyme nor reason to the colours or thicknesses of wool there, it’s just a completely random hodge-lodge of odds and sods and bits and bobs. Hmmm, well you know me…. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!

See, I reasoned there had to be at least ONE cardi in there.. somewhere…! it just had too be found! So I selected a bobbly, chocolate yarn and just cast on…

And I found it! a cardigan, I mean 🙂

I picked out a mostly autumnal colour-palette of warm golden mustards, greens and browns though there is a pretty solid presence of randomly thrown in purples, greys, orange, chartreuse, raspberry and pink too. Some of the yarns are tapestry wool, some are real knitting wool. Around all edges is a border of the same, bobbly chocolate yarn; which I’m pretty sure that Granny used to knit a set of three matching jumpers for my brothers and me when were all quite little…

Apart from the crazy mix of wool, it’s a pretty basic stocking stitch cardigan with a rib border along all the edges. I made-up my own pattern, loosely inspired by the free Miette pattern in that it is cast on at the neckline then I increased stitches at four places to create raglan sleeves; all knit in one piece, and with a single wooden button closure at the neckline. With a bit of careful measuring and halving and rationing out of yarn I made sure the two sleeves are reasonably identical to each other, a small modicum of order and method! but otherwise the colours in the body are pretty random.

knitting under the strict eye of my supervisor…

So, yay! for what is basically a freebie!! It’s kinda crazy but I’m very happy with how it turned out.

I did sort of write down a pattern, but it’s in such extreme shorthand that even I can barely work out what I did now! Sometime, when I’m feeling super enthusiastic, I might even have a good look at my notes and transcribe them into something resembling a pattern. Until then…!

Details:

Cardigan; my own design
Trousers; the Closet Case patterns Sasha trousers, grey stretchy stuff, details here
Tee; Closet Case patterns Nettie, details here
Scarf (on the rocks); knitted by me, details here
Socks; knitted by me, details here
Boots; Francesco Morichetti, from Zomp shoes

I’m wearing it today too! with the same Sasha trousers, my grey Vogue 1152 dress and my new kicks from Trenery 🙂

So, nothing to do with knitting or what I’m wearing, but I was cleaning out my phone, and found this picture of some apples I bought a couple of weeks ago… how cute are these?? they called them Mothers Day apples at the grocer. I bought some for myself since my own mother is away at present 😉