Me Made May 2018 - plans

Well, it's that time of year again!

I started writing this post a couple of weeks ago, with some initial thoughts.  I now have some firmed up plans.

I will wear something me-made every day.  (I hope it will be a cotton dress, but if the weather this year is anything like it was last year it may be a wool cardigan or jumper instead - quite likely, today has been freezing!)

However, in order to challenge myself, I am also going to get the sewing machine out.

Firstly, I'm going to finish a dress which I started last year - this is a mash-up of Emery bodice and Cambie A-line skirt.

Finishing this is also part of my 2018 Make Nine pledge so this will kill two birds with one stone and give me sufficient impetus to actually get. it. finished.

I'd also like to alter / mend two things from my 'these need attention' box.  I'm not sure what because I haven't actually opened the box yet this year, so it will be a good opportunity to review what's in there and take a reality check on what I might realistically never get round to fixing up and therefore pass on.  However, I'm pretty sure everything in this photo is in there...

Finally, on the sewing front, I will also make two dresses, from start to finish, in May.  I haven't quite decided on pattern and fabric combos yet, but one of them will definitely be from one of the Paris-themed fabrics in my stash.  (I've bought another Eiffel Tower dress length since I took this photo...)

The other will depend on the weather - if it warms up it may be something summery, if not then something that doesn't scream summer.

I've also got two (knitted) cardigans on the go which I would like to get finished - I have some train travel coming up later in May, so I should be able to get a good chunk of it done while on the move.

I discovered that I'd made a mistake in the one on the left and had to unravel and reknit 48 rows of the smocked pattern section because, having spotted the mistake I couldn't just leave it there - not sure whether anyone else would have noticed it, but I knew it was there...!  Happily this is all reknitted now and I've split for the back and fronts and done the back, so I've got the fronts to finish, sleeves to knit and then button / buttonhole band to add.  I haven't made as much progress with the one on the right, but fingers crossed I might get that one finished too.

I hope these seven things will be achievable.  I already have quite a few time commitments for next month so I don't want to set myself unrealistic targets, but equally there has to be an element of challenge.  And I also plan to take daily outfit photos and post them on instagram, with a weekly round up post here.  Here's hoping...

Spring is (not) in the air

Or at least it wasn't when I wrote this post.  Now that I've uploaded the photos though the sun has come out at last and it's actually quite warm!

I first saw this pattern knitted up by Lucy and decided I'd like to knit it.  However, it is one of the few vintage patterns that I have which is too big for me as written - size 38" - 40" bust, most vintage patterns being in the 32" - 36" size range.  (Although perhaps more accurately most patterns that seem to be readily available on the internet, rather than most patterns ever written.)  So some adjusting of numbers was required.

You will see that my version doesn't look much like Lucy's, or the picture on the pattern itself.

This is because I found the fancy ribbing quite time consuming to knit, and I knitted the body on 2.5mm needles, so the stocking stitch wasn't exactly quick either!  I decided to forego the fancy ribbing at the top of the yoke - ultimately what I wanted was a green cardigan to wear sooner rather than later, not a faithful vintage reproduction garment.

Fancy ribbing

I used Wollmeise lace in the Petersilie colourway which I've had in my stash for a while.  I absolutely love the colour and it was lovely wool to knit with.  It's the perfect yarn for a lightweight cardigan and I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.

Other changes from the pattern - I didn't knit the pockets - I might well knit pockets on a longer line, relaxed fit cardigan, but I didn't think I would ever use them in a waist-length fitted cardigan. I also did top down sleeves, knitted the body in one piece up to the armholes and did short-row shoulders.  I also did a picked up and knitted on button band rather than a narrow strip to be sewn on - I don't really have the patience to knit these types of button bands...  I made twelve 3-stitch one-row buttonholes (another change from the pattern) simply because I had twelve buttons.  I don't think I'm ever going to do them all up though.  The buttons are glass and I bought them at a Hammersmith Vintage Fair last year, or maybe the year before.  I bought them on spec hoping they'd go with this wool... Aaand I've just noticed that they're in the header photo at the top of this blog, still on their card!

Vintage glass buttons

I've already worn this a few times and am so pleased that I finally got around to knitting it.  I think it's going to get quite a lot of wear.

Ultramarine cardigan

This cardigan is knitted with the last of the Fyberspates Scrumptious 4-ply in my stash and it's a lovely deep, rich, purple (the shade colour is Ultramarine).  I started it in January and finished it in February.

The ribbing is 1 x 1, I used the stitch pattern from Baile, a pattern I've already used for this cardigan (and which I have subsequently found in my Second Barbara G Walker Treasury - the twin leaf panel and fancy shell rib look very similar, if not actually the same), and there is some shaping at the sides.  I decided to do a v-neck, it was knitted in one piece up to the armholes, with fake side seams and seamed, short-row shoulders.  The sleeves are knitted top-down and I worked eight two-stitch, one-row buttonholes.  So pretty much standard shaping and construction for me really.

The buttons were from Textile Garden, my supplier of choice for modern buttons.  I think I bought them when they were exhibiting at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival last year and with a different project in mind, although I don't now remember what... (initially I was going to put red buttons on this cardi), and they're a great match colourwise.

I'm very pleased with how it's turned out and I can see it getting quite a lot of wear all year round as it goes with both winter and summer clothes.