April, May, June...

Time is no longer real, and now the year is half over and I haven’t kept track of anything here in three months!

I’ve been working from home since the end of February, and I’m extremely privileged to be able to do so. It’s been a quiet few months because I haven’t been going anywhere, but it’s also been an intense few months because of everything that’s been going on. I didn’t get that boost of productivity that some of the internet seemed to get at the beginning of the quarantine, but I have been plugging away at a few projects.

A caveat: I am still linking to Ravelry projects and users, though I’m aware of the accessibility issues with Ravelry’s new interface. If you have trouble with the new site, please be careful when clicking these links. Until a suitable replacement is made, I will still be using Ravelry for some things, though I’m transitioning other bits away. Stay turned for a deeper dive into what I’m working on for that.

April

I’ve kept up knitting one pair of socks per month from my Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Sock Squad yarn. April’s was a delightful bright yellow that I’ve been wearing when I need cheering up, or when the mornings are chilly.

I finished my Lizzie Shawl by Susanne Sommer and love, love, love the way the colors work together. I used a kit from TréLiz in colors Sealskin and Careless Whisper.

I started working on the teeniest tiniest project I have ever made (and probably will ever make): a shawl using laceweight yarn on size 00 (1.75 mm) needles. I swatched many different things before finally settling on a heavily modified Peach Tree Shawl by Sylvia McFadden — heavily modified because Sylvia’s pattern uses DK yarn! It may take me an entire year to finish, but in the end I think it’s going to work out really well.

I didn’t sew much in April — I made a couple of masks, but everything else felt like too much.

May

I got a little bit of my sewing mojo back in May — I pieced together some Ace & Jig scraps that I had lying around the house. I’d like to make a quilt and once I pieced together what I had, I did some quick math and figured out that I needed a few more scraps to make something lap-sized, so now I have a lot of half-square triangles waiting for more A&J scraps to turn into a larger quilt.

It was #MeMadeMay and I had a very low-key celebration of occasionally wearing clothes I made, and mostly continuing to wear comfortable lounge clothes.

I finished another Junebug and Darlin cross stitch, and despite my best intentions it’s still sitting on the TV table waiting for me to soak it and stretch it out.

My May Sock Squad socks were this lovely tweedy purple, and I picked this pattern (Astrantia by Helen Stewart) because it had enough interest at the beginning but then turned into plain vanilla once you got past the heel.

I kept working on my teeny tiny Peach Trees shawl — so much so that when I switched back to sock needles (a very small US 1.5 / 2.5 mm) I was shocked by how big they felt in my hands.

And I also bought an Electric Eel Wheel Nano, a small portable spinning wheel. I noticed a few people post about it on Instagram, and it was at a size- and price-point that I was comfortable with, and friends — I love it. I spun up the rest of my practice roving, immediately ordered more from a local farm, and then quickly ordered even more fiber, this time from Neighborhood Fiber Co. Now I just have to balance my spinning with my yarn stash, which keeps growing even though I tell myself I have enough yarn.

June

I spun up this braid of Polwarth from Neighborhood Fiber Co. and then plied it, and I am in love with the colors it made. The Nano wheel has small bobbins, so I wound up with several small skeins (40g or less), which is fine for a beginner (that’s me), but I can also see myself wanting to be able to spin more on a bigger bobbin. But the whole point of buying the Nano was to try a small electric spinning wheel, and by that criteria, I’ve been extremely successful.

June’s Sock Squad socks were the Lyne socks by Dawn Henderson, who writes such gorgeous patterns. I love these shortie socks and may just make lots of shortie socks for the rest of the year, but we’ll see where the wind takes me on that front.

I kept knitting my teeny tiny Peach Trees, and I also started a test knit for Transmutation Knits using this soft and shiny purple Linen-Alpaca blend.

Phew! Are you tired? Because I’m tired. And I haven’t even talked about the important stuff like the momentum in the Black Lives Matter movement and how the pandemic has laid bare the hideousness of capitalism and the way I see crafting as inextricably linked to our liberation. I’m not as good at writing about that stuff anymore, but I’m working on it.

2020 Plans

I know right now that I’m not going to get everything done in 2020 that I want to make, but I want to collect it all here so that I can keep track of it somewhere. In 2020, I want to sew/knit down my stash, because I acquired a lot of stuff in 2019. There are definitely things I’m going to buy — I want to make a Clare Coat and my parents bought me some lovely wool melton for Christmas, but I still need to buy the lining — but I want the majority of my projects to use materials I already have.

Sewing

• Clare Coat

  • Like I said, I have some wool melton from my parents (although they only had 2 yards in stock when they ordered), and I just need to pick a lining, order more wool (and cross my fingers), and get started.

• Wiksten Shift tops:

  • I have fabric that Arounna from Bookhou designed

  • My parents got me this lovely linen/wool doublegauze that I want to try piecing a top out of, to get the most of the double-sided-ness

  • I have some octopus print fabric that will likely turn into this top too

• Wiksten Shift Dress

  • I have fabric with metallic gold skulls on it that will, eventually, become a dress. I also have leftover mustard twill that may also turn into a Wiksten dress

• Kelly Anorak

  • Yes, this has been in my queue for at least a year, maybe two. I think I’ve finally decided that I want to line this, so I’m going to get the lining expansion and some lining, and then I’ll actually make it.

• Wool Estuary Skirt

  • I have some mystery wool from my grandmother that I think should be enough to make this. This should be higher on my list because I’d like to make it while I can still wear it this winter, so that means soon.

• Rainbow Estuary Skirt

  • I bought some delightful rainbow linen over the summer but haven’t made anything yet, and how fortuitous for me that I got distracted, because it will make the most amazing Estuary skirt.

• Several varieties of Sew Liberated’s new Lichen Duster

  • Obviously I need this in a super-luxurious silk or velvet to lounge around the house in, and I’d love to make this out of a twill or similar to wear out and about.

Knitting

• Dusk Light (in progress) using Valkyrie Fibers yarn in the most luminous purple

• I’d like to finish my Seven Wonders sweater

• Kia Socks using Farmer’s Daughter Fibers January Sock Squad yarn

  • On the socks note, I signed up for FDF’s Sock Squad, and I have a (very tentative) goal of making one pair of socks per month? On the one hand, it may be easy because I can knit on the bus. On the other hand, I may get nothing else made and might re-prioritize in a couple months.

• Ursa Sweater using Earl Grey Fiber Co’s English Breakfast Bulky in Moth Wings

• Sizzle Pop using two of my own indigo-dyed skeins of yarn

• Brontë Sister Shawl using three of Junkyarn’s Little Women colors

• Indira using (hopefully) some Ocean by the Sea yarn that I ordered

• A scarf I’m going to design that marls neon and greyscale speckled yarn from Black Cat Fibers

• Cozy Classic Raglan using yarn I haven’t decided on yet

• Lizzie or Brioche Tiles (I still can’t decide!) using a TréLiz kit that I couldn’t resist

• Shifty using House of A La Mode in neon colors

• Ember using a variety of yarn I keep changing my mind about

Weaving

Oh, I weave? Have I had the same project on my rigid heddle loom for approximately 1.5 years? Yes, and yes. I’d like to finish that project, because I have at least two plans for more woven scarves, perhaps even using something other than plain weave — but we’ll see about that part. I have two skeins of silk/merino from Sweet Georgia that I got at Knit City, and two skeins of yak/bamboo from Bijou Basin Ranch that I got at last year’s Taos Wool and Fiber Festival.

What Else Could I Possibly Have Ideas About?

I’m so glad you asked. I have a few damaged Ace & Jig pieces that I’d like to piece into a variety of things — pants into a top, a dress into a half-square-triangle block, lots of scraps that I can make scrappy things out of. I also have some indigo scraps that I’d like to piece together to make something. I still have my hand-dyed quilt top that I dyed a backing for but have not yet quilted together, because I want to hand quilt it and that still feels intimidating. I want to keep cross-stitching. I want to keep dyeing yarn and fabric. And we all know I’ll probably find another new hobby in 2020 that I won’t be able to resist.

2019: The Final Quarter

I’m in about the same #2019MakeNine place as I was when I last posted, except I finished my Courage Shawl. The Kelly Anorak is still waiting for me, I still haven’t brought myself to make an FBA for the Farrow Dress, I haven’t even thought about the Lou Box Dress, and I still have no further ideas for which blazer/jacket I want to make, although I have decided that I want it to be with two-sided fabric. But all that non-progress on my official Make Nine doesn’t mean I didn’t make anything in the last few months!

So, what else did I make from September — December?

• Piton Socks with yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Co

• Wiksten Haori #3 with Quilted Jacquard Cotton from Merchant & Mills

• Gypsum Skirt with spruce-colored silk noil

• Holiday Dress with deadstock art-deco style fabric from La Mercerie

• Poinsettia Cross Stitch kit from Junebug and Darlin

• A Scarf for my Father out of Poppy Yarn and Fibre that I picked up at Knit City

Other things that happened this quarter: I got a new job, I started teaching an online class, and I took my final online class for the post-Master’s Knowledge Management certificate I’ve been working on — so it’s safe to say this was a really busy semester for me, and my making-plans went a little sideways.

I also started having trouble with my wrist, so even though I started a Seven Wonders sweater in the most amazing Farmer’s Daughter Fibers tweed that I’m super pumped about, I had to put it aside for a while because it was too much stress on my wrist. I’m still not entirely sure I can pick it back up again regularly, but I think if I take it slow I’ll be okay. So, instead of knitting the last three or so months, I’ve been sewing more and starting another new hobby — cross stitch.

Junebug and Darlin makes amazing cross stitch kits, and I picked up three of them when she was up at Urban Craft Uprising in December. This poinsettia wreath was a perfect starter and an equally perfect gift for my mom, who loves poinsettias. I’m already working on my second — Be Bold.

This fabric is absolutely amazing, and even though it frayed like anything it was really fun to work with and I love how cozy my third Wiksten Haori is. This time I made the mid-length, and I lined it with a nice toffee colored tencel. I even have a bit left over that I think I can make a top out of!

This is the only picture of my Gypsum Skirt — I’ve been trying to find ‘good’ places to take outfit photos at work, and this spot usually has a reasonable amount of natural light, though you can see I still have some work to do on angles. I pushed this up my to-make list when I found this amazing spruce-colored silk noil. I’ve been layering it with leggings and sweaters (especially my hand-knit sweaters), and it’s been perfect for our Seattle winter so far. Plus, it has extra large pockets for yarn and snacks.

I’ve been thinking about my plans for 2020, and I’ll post about those soon.

My #2019MakeNine: Round 1

The List

It’s September, which means that the year is more than half over, and I’m almost (but not quite) halfway through this list. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been making things — I have 10 knitting projects finished so far out of my challenge of 15, I made another Dress #2 (always), I went through a tank-top-making phase in the early summer, and I made Sew Liberated’s newly released Estuary Skirt out of this amazing clay-colored linen. My main goal with this project (as with many new things lately) was to be more intentional about the things I’m making - am I contributing to a cohesive and multipurpose wardrobe, or am I continuing to add a mishmash of things to my closet? (I think the answer so far this year is both, really.) So, you’ll notice that I made some updates to the list, but I think I’ve held true to the underlying goal for each make.

✓ Rose Cardigan
☐ Farrow Dress
✓ Palisade Pants
☐ Kelly Anorak
✓ Wiksten Haori
✓ Some Other Pants Estuary Skirt
☐ Teroldego Shawl Courage Shawl
☐ Lou Box Dress
☐ Some Sort of Blazer/Jacket

The Makes

I’ve blogged about the Rose Cardigan and my second Wiksten Haori before, so I’m going to skip those. The maker of the Palisade Pants is unfortunately problematic, so this is probably the last time I’ll talk about this pattern by name.

My new Estuary Skirt, on the other hand, is one of my new favorite makes, and I already have a second and third planned. I still have plans to make more pants, but as my #memademay adventure showed, I don’t have a lot of bottoms, so I think swapping this out on my official list doesn’t change the intent that much.

I’ve been waiting for this pattern ever since I saw one of Meg’s Instagram posts with her wearing one — and I knew exactly what I was going to use to make it. I bought this linen with the original goal of making a tank top and shorts fake-jumpsuit combo, but that all changed as soon as this skirt came around. I sewed this while visiting a friend in Santa Fe (where I also helped her make some pants!), and the color-material-pattern combo was perfect for a late-July sewing project.

The Plans

My Courage Shawl is in progress, and I changed this one because the underlying goal here was to make something large that I could wrap around myself — which is definitely true of the Courage Shawl.

Farrow Dress: I’m still saving the perfect grey fabric for this, and during my insert-a-bust-dart adventure I figured out what was holding me back - it’s that this pattern doesn’t have bust darts, and in order for this to work as a sleeveless dress, I’d need to go an FBA. Now that I’m more comfortable with doing an FBA, I just have to actually alter the pattern to make this work.

Kelly Anorak: Still have the material, still don’t have the finishing kit, still planning on making it — eventually.

Lou Box Dress: This one has just been on the back burner for a while, but I know I’ll get around to it.

Blazer/Jacket: I think I’m leaning toward a Berlin Jacket with some as-yet-unpurchased boiled wool, but I’m also letting the hint of fall that I’m starting to feel lead me on this one.

My #2019MakeNine

I’ve never participated in one of these before, though I’ve definitely made nine things in a year (last year I knit 15 projects, and that doesn’t count all the sewing!). But I like the idea of planning out a year and really considering what kinds of clothes and accessories I want to make. Turns out most of these have been on my list for a while anyway, and it feels nice to write down some actual plans, instead of playing by ear!

(If you’re not sure what the “Make Nine” challenge is you can check out the original post from a few years ago and the official instagram.)

Rose Cardigan

I’ve already made a start on this one — in a previous post I talked about being unable to resist a black heart fade kit from House of A La Mode. Not only am I in love with Heather’s colors and the way they fade together, the Rose Cardigan is also the most interestingly constructed garment I’ve ever knitted, so it’s been really fun to knit.

Farrow Dress

I’ve had this one in my plans for a while and still haven’t gotten around to making it, so I’m hoping that writing it on this list will actually get it done! I’ve already made one Farrow Dress and I love it. My plan for this one is to make a sleeveless version with this lovely grey wool-silk blend that I found in a bargain bin at the fabric store. It’s technically not wide enough for the pattern, so I’m hoping that I can play pattern-tetris successfully.

Palisade Pants

I bought some lovely yarn-dyed linen for this pattern, which is my baby-step in to sewing pants (gulp!)

Kelly Anorak

I’ve wanted to make one of these for a while, and bought some amazing twill from La Mercerie. My goal is actually to make two - this one is going to be charcoal and will have naturally dyed & pieced accent pockets, and the other will be something toffee colored with a lining. But before I tackle a lined coat, I’m going to make the unlined version out of the fabric I already have!

(Another) Wiksten Haori

The same day I bought that yarn-dyed linen, I also found a lovely chambray that I just couldn’t leave at the store. I don’t have the exact plans or a lining fabric yet, but I’m thinking a short version of the Wiksten Haori.

Some Other Pants

Assuming that my Palisade Pants are successful, I’d like to try and sew another pair of pants, as yet undetermined. Ginger Jeans? Not-yet-released Philippa Pants? Lander Pants? We’ll find out!

Teroldego Shawl

I actually started this shawl with some yarn that I dyed up, but stopped after a couple inches because I didn’t like the way the colors all went together. So, while this is still on my list it’s awaiting some more thought and color work before it turns into a real thing.

Lou Box Dress

I spied someone wearing this at my LYS and fell in love with it — I have no fabric ideas for it, but definitely want to make one.

Some Sort of Blazer/Jacket

There are so many good blazer/jacket ideas out there! I’m in love with the Berlin Jacket, the Sapporo Coat, the Tory Wrap Coat, and the Fulton Sweater Blazer. And I’m willing to bet that I find even more as the year goes on.