Twinkle Tunic

As fall wears on, we have finally started to get cool weather in the Chicago area (rejoice long-distance runners!) ushering in the start of my favorite time of year: Sweater Season!  My love of sweaters has only increased with knitting experience, and it usually takes all my willpower to avoid spending my entire paycheck on the first ones of the season that I see!  (Reminding myself of the entire dresser I have that’s devoted to sweaters usually helps).  Cables and bobbles and Fair Isle all beckon me dangerously.  Must resist urge to knit!

Bobbled Tunic

While flipping through my many back issues of Vogue Knitting, I came across one of my favorite (visually) sweaters in the Holiday 2006 issue.  It is a beautiful chunky tunic by Twinkle featuring the characteristic use of reverse-Stockinette stitch and big yarn (the pattern calls for Cascade’s “Magnum”) for a quick knit.  The pattern features a cabled bobble pattern down the front of the tunic, a bobble vine down both sleeves, a front sweatshirt-like pocket, ribbed detailing and a yoked collar.  

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a thing for Twinkle sweaters; this pattern especially appealed to me because of its stylish ease (it is proportioned to fit like your favorite sweatshirt, but is infinitely more stylish) and the bobbled texture).  However, I had avoided making it because of the expense.  Magnum is a beautiful yarn, but at $20.00/skein (that’s an $80.00 sweater even if you are super skinny) it’s out of my price range.  Then I wondered if I could achieve the same expensive look and texture of the sweater, but with something a lot cheaper.

Enter the purple Vanna’s Choice by Lion Brand Yarn at the bottom of my stash basket.  I’d had this yarn for a couple years as a birthday present from my grandmother, but hadn’t found the right sweater to make from it.  I started playing with it, and discovered that when two strands were held together, the knitted texture was almost as big and fluffy as the texture in most bulky Twinkle knits.  I used 7 skeins to complete my sweater (with plenty of leftovers) at $2.50/skein (Michael’s seems to have the best sale prices on commercially prepared acrylic yarns) which adds up to a $17.50 sweater.  Hello bargain knitting!* 

For the bobbled tunic, I used a size 15 needle; the original pattern calls for a size 17, but I found this texture with the double Vanna’s to be a little loose.  Because I used a smaller needle size, I followed the stitch directions for the large size, and the measurement directions for the small size (my size!) for the body.  However, when I tried knitting the sleeves in this way, they were much too loose, so I followed the stitch directions for the medium size on them. 

The pattern also had some weird measurements for the collar portion of the directions; the pattern suggests that for all sizes, the collar should be worked in Stockinette stitch for 4 inches after the initial decrease round, before completing the rest of the yoke shaping.  However, when I did this, the point where the stitching texture switches from reverse-Stockinette to Stockinette fell directly on my bust line instead of above it.  So, I ripped back and worked 5 more rounds of rev.-St. stitch (logically extending the cabled pattern at the front) including the first round of decrease shaping for the collar.  I then switched to Stockinette for 2 rounds before following the yoke decreases.  The pattern suggests that the final collar measurements for all sizes should be 11 inches, which seems pretty silly to me as the distance from above the bust line to the collarbone will differ for taller or shorter women (and different sizes).  My completed collar measures 10 ½ inches, with all shaping worked over 4 inches.

Overall, I’m very happy with the way the tunic turned out.  It knit up really quickly (I finished it over a couple days) and is warm and cozy, perfect for the Chicago fall!

*Note: Generally, when knitting, I prefer wools over acrylics because of the lasting quality 100% wools have over acrylic and acrylic blend yarns.  The sweaters that I’ve knitted in acrylics and blends (especially Lion Brand wool-ease) may be easy to clean and cheap, but they fuzz, loose shape and wear noticeably over time.  I’m hoping that Vanna’s will wear much better because it is 100% acrylic.

Pillowcase Pattern

It’s October, and signs of the fall season are now totally unavoidable; everywhere there are trees bursting into colors, there’s a nippy chill in the air, and my annual favorite, the pumpkin spice latte, is back at coffee shops everywhere!  So as you dig out your sweaters, woolly socks and heavy quilts, consider getting out your flannel too, for some cozy pillow cases!

Flannel Pillowcases

On my first year out of school I decided to make a quilt for my man’s birthday, and to ensure that he would like it, I had him choose the fabrics (sewers and quilters of the world rejoice, a non-sewer entered a fabric store without much complaining and eye-rolling!).  After dragging him away from the polar fleece several times (I tried explaining that polar fleece is not suitable for a quilt) he settled on some manly flannels.   The subsequent quilt was a huge success, so much that he has only allowed it to leave his bed to be cleaned once!

This year, with fall coming on, I started looking at the leftover fabrics from his quilt and realized there was enough for two cozy, flannel pillowcases.  I took my measurements from a standard pillowcase and sewed up both pillowcases in a matter of hours; instant gratification is delicious!  This would be a great project for a beginner sewer, or a quick housewarming gift since it would be very easy to personalize the pillowcases with almost any kind of fabric.  Please note that the fabric amounts are for two standard pillowcases. 

Important Notes:

·         All seam allowances are for ½ inch.

·         All measurements are in inches.

Fabric:

Main Fabric: 1 ½ yard (I’d recommend buying at least 2 yd for one way, stripe or plaid designs; as you can see on my pillows, I did not have enough fabric to match up the plaid pattern.)

Contrast Fabric A: ¼ yd

Contrast Fabric B: ¼  yd

Cutting Instructions:

Main Fabric:

                 Cut 2 rectangles measuring 22.5” x 39”

                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 9” x 39”

Contrast Fabric A:           

                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 4” x 39”

Contrast Fabric B:           

                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 3” x 39”

Pillow Assembly:

1.       Wash and dry all fabrics thoroughly; this will prevent odd shrinkage and/or dye bleeding later on.

2.       Iron all fabrics.

3.       Cut out all fabrics according to the listed dimensions.

4.       With right sides together, pin the large main fabric rectangle to the contrast fabric A along one of the 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

5.       With right sides together, pin the small main fabric rectangle to the contrast fabric B along one of the 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

6.       With right sides together, pin the contrast fabric A to the contrast fabric B along their remaining 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

7.       Iron all previous seams flat, so that the seam allowances are towards the small main fabric rectangle.

8.       Finish all seams (I would recommend using a surger to finish the seams, or using the zig zag stitch on your regular sewing machine).

9.       Fold the pillow in half, matching up the seams, and corners of the pillow and pin the edges together.  Sew these seams (along the closed end, which is 39” and side of the pillow, which is now 30.5”).

10.   Finish these seams.

11.   Pin the remaining raw edge (the pillowcase’s opening) at ½ inch, and iron.

12.   Pin the folded edge of the pillow to the nearest seam allowance (from the seam between the small main fabric rectangle and contrast fabric B)so that the folded edge is lined up just below the seam, so the seam’s stitches are visible.

13.   Hand sew (using an invisible stitch) the pillowcase’s folded edge to this seam allowance.

14.   Turn the pillowcase right-side out, and iron.

15.   Repeat directions 4-14 for your second pillowcase.

16.   Congratulations, you’re done!  Put your pillowcases on your pillows and take a celebratory nap!

Apron Sets

My old college roommate is an awesome girl.  You know, the kind who dragged you to frat parties, who plotted revenge on your ex-boyfriend when you broke up, who took you to the doctor’s when you had scarlet fever, and was generally your best friend.  My roommate is exactly that kind of girl.  It’s been a few years since college, and we’re not as close as we used to be (a big part of this is that she lives in another state now) but still good friends.  She’s been married for over a year now, and recently closed on a beautiful house with her husband, which has provided me with the impetus for my next project.

My roommate has always been into creative activities like knitting (she’s part of the reason I am so obsessed with knitting; we had so many late-night knitting parties on campus) sewing, cooking and gardening.  And, while her husband may not knit, he does cook and do other fun things with her.  So, I’ve made up a matching “his and hers” apron set for them as a housewarming gift (let’s face it, who does not need a cute flippy apron for their new house?).  I bought the fabric for both aprons at Hancock Fabrics and found both patterns online, for free!

Vintage Apron

The Vintage Apron is double-sided with hand-made bias tape (I’ve become hand-made bias tape obsessed lately; it’s really easy to make from fun stripy fabrics, and looks funky) and detachable ties. 

The pattern, which I found here, was easy to understand with very thorough directions and pattern pieces (very home printer-friendly).  I would only alter it by sewing the button holes before applying the bias tape; I had some trouble maneuvering my machine with the added thickness.  You could also eliminate the button holes and use grommets instead.

Garden Apron

The Garden Apron is also double-sided (the pattern does not call for this, but as I was using a lighter weight fabric than it recommends, and I thought the resulting garment would be cleaner and more durable) with the same bias tape that I made for the Vintage Apron.  I love that it has a bunch of different sized pockets suitable for gardening, kitchen, craft or sewing tools (it seems pretty versitile). 

The pattern, found here, has sewn-in ties (if you made the ties longer you could make them detachable like the Vintage Apron as well) and sectioned pockets as well (I sewed the dividers with two lines of stitching for durability).  This pattern was not as clearly explained as the Vintage Apron pattern, for example, you need to measure and cut each piece as not pattern pieces are provided.  However, the author has provided lot of photos illustrating each step.

I was very happy with the finished result from each pattern; I might even make another Vintage Apron because it’s so cute! 

Vampires and Other Rants

This summer has been a great reading summer for me; I went through the Harry Potter series again (in honor of the last film’s debut) and attacked several books on my “To Read” list including Dune, The Hunger Games series and Twilight.  I’ve always enjoyed a good Sci-Fi/ Fantasy read, and as a chronic middle school teacher, I thought it would be good to read some teen literature.  While I found The Hunger Games to have some vivid, assertive characters and an engaging story (albeit written for a teen reading level) Twilight was pretty bad.  Really bad.  Let me rephrase that, it was like word-vomit.  I’m left totally astonished that Stephanie Meyer could take a potentially interesting idea for a story (vampires) turn it into utter garbage, get it published and develop an international following!  I’ll leave the excessive story bashing to other reviewers (there are some hilarious ones on Amazon, which you can find here) but my main issue with the book is that it is an example of poor writing, with a limited vocabulary, transparent attempts at foreshadowing, under-developed characters and a boring, predictable plot.  (I also disliked the book’s insipid “heroine”, Bella, and found her relationship with the vampire, Edward, eerily similar to the Police song “Every Breath You Take”; complete with bad boyfriend flashbacks from my own horrible dating history!)

Moving on…

Vampire Knits

At the same time that I picked up Twilight at the library, I also checked out Vampire Knits by Genevieve Miller, a collection of vampire-inspired knitting projects.  Some of the patterns are Twilight-specific; mittens modeled after Kristen Stewart’s mittens in the first film, knitted totes with expressions from the book (“Be Safe”, “Team Edward”, “Team Jacob”) etc.  Others are more loosely inspired and range from the ridiculous (blood type beer cozies and a “Got Blood? pillow) to the sublime (scarves, hooded capes and socks).  My favorite knit was the Lore Hoodie (featured on the cover) by Cirilia Rose. 

The sweater is knit flat, from the bottom up with the sleeves worked separately in the round (cuff to underarm) and then attached with decreases evenly spaced across the garment as in the yoked variation of raglan shaping.  The ribbed border is knit separately (which felt like it took forever, since you're knitting 90 some inches of ribbed border) and then seamed on all around the front edges.  The leaf lace pattern was really simple to knit, and was outlined in a chart (yay!).  All in all, the sweater-coat would be a good first sweater for the beginning knitter.

I knitted the small size and started with 7 skeins of Di.ve Autunno yarn (100% merino, in color 25761) but realized when I got to the hood that I needed a few more balls to finish the project.  So, I did a few searches on the yarn with the horrible realization that this particular color was not only not being manufactured, but also was impossible to find (admittedly, I brought this on myself, starting a project with a smaller amount of yardage than the pattern called for, and using yarn that I bought 5 years ago).  Fortunately, I found that WEBS Yarn was still carrying Autunno yarn in a similar color (25762) which I used to complete the sweater.  I split the hood with every other row in the new yarn, and used it by itself for the ribbed band.  You can see the slight difference in shading because of the different yarns (which my camera didn't pick up) but I don’t think it looks unpleasant. 

Apart from the “do I have enough yarn panic?!” Di.ve Autunno was wonderful to knit with (why, oh why is Cascade discontinuing it?!).  The wool is so soft on your hands that it almost feels like knitting with clouds, although you may split the yarn if you aren’t careful.  (I didn’t have too many problems with this, but a beginner knitter might.)  The finished sweater is relatively lightweight, but warm, and soft enough that you can wear it against the skin without itching or scratching.

The button loops were crocheted and then sewn on to the garment (the pattern calls for them to be 5 inches long, but I found that to be too long, so I knotted them) and the buttons were from Color in Stitches, Inc.; I saw them at Stitches Midwest over the weekend (they have some fantastic designs and materials). 

Halloween Quilt

Searching through my stash one day last fall, I came across a Halloween print featuring children dressed in a variety of costumes: vampires, cowgirls, pirates and princesses!  It was so cute, that I thought it should be put it a whimsical, child-like quilt!  At the same time, I was working through Coffee-Time Quilts (by Cathy Wierzbicki), a quilting book featuring coffee-inspired quilts and quilted projects as well as coffee related recipes.  I happened across the Cappuccino Crossroads pattern (pg. 28) which features blocks of print, Nine Patch blocks and Rail Fence blocks.  The original pattern features four fabrics; a print, a light, medium and dark.  It seemed that this could be the perfect pattern to use for the Halloween print, except that my fabric stash didn’t include enough of one particular color way for all the blocks.  For this reason, I chose to break the quilt up into sections of green, orange and purple.

To keep the quilt from becoming too much of a color-splotion, I bordered the blocks with a sparkly black over which I hand appliquéd the “Trick or Treat” and the Halloween objects.  I printed up some patterns using Microsoft Word’s Cooper Black font at 400 pt. for the text, and then surfed the internet for fun Halloween images.  These patterns seemed to work really well, and (best of all) were free!  To finish them, I did a blanket stitch around the edges in different colors using DMC embroidery thread.  (In hindsight, I would have done the appliqué on the black strips and squares before sewing the border on to the quilt; the border seemed to be distorted perhaps because of the tensions I put on it when doing the hand sewing). 

The quilting was done using a free-motion foot, and features pumpkins and leaves on the body of the quilt, and stars on the borders.  I had the idea for both designs from The Free Motion Quilting Project (a fantastic blog by Laura Day) which has a wide variety of free-motion designs and tutorials in varying difficulties.  I’ve really come to enjoy free-motion quilting, except that when I’m at it for too long, my back really hurts (not sure if this is because my sewing table is at the wrong height or if I have a bad chair). 

The binding bias tape is from a striped green and black fabric (courtesy of my mom’s fabric stash; guess how big it is!  Hint: the sign over her stash reads “She who dies with the most fabric wins”).  I’ve lately found myself making all the bias tape bindings for my projects; I think they give a more original touch than using Wright’s and sometimes it’s cheaper (if you find a good sale fabric).  Once you’ve got the knack for cutting the strips for the tape, it becomes a simple matter of sewing them together, and then slapping it on the quilt! 

I suppose that before I call the quilt finished, I should stick a label on it (although I kind of want to wait to title it until I know what I’m going to do with it).  This has been drummed into my head for years by my mother and her quilter/appraiser friend; knowing who, where and when a quilt was created adds to its value.  However, once the binding is done, I’m not very motivated to add anything more to it.

The backing fabric features a purple Halloween crow print (the crows have little hats and carry pumpkin buckets!) and the same star print as is used for the cat applique.  Both fabrics are thanks to my mom's stash again (she has so much fabric!).  It all makes for a finished quilt of 59 ½ inches squared Haloween fun!