Category Archives: projects

Scrap Sunday: Nothing left or why it actually does make sense to always buy more… just in case

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Today I want to show you a project that I am about to finish. Except that I can’t. Because I ran out of yarn. Because I tried to shop sensibly. To avoid huge amounts of scrap yarn.

So, I am knitting a cardigan for my auntie. In lovely Lana Grossa Alta Moda Super Baby Fine, a light, soft and warm yarn indeed.

I found the pattern in the latest issue of Filati Classici. No 8.

Patten no 20 for Solo Cashmere 110. Probably also a magnificent yarn but not only did the local yarn shop not have it in stock when I was on holiday in Austria but it also doesn’t seem the right choice for a cardigan, when I am not entirely sure about pattern, size, fit or colour.

Anyway I thought as both had roughly the same yardage and Alta Moda was meant to be knitted with slightly bigger needles, I could replace 11 balls with 11 balls and did not buy the usual “just in case”

But I should have:IMG_3636

 

Can you see? Just about 3 cm of the shoulder and the neckline are missing.

IMG_3638

Such a shame. But before you panic, my mother in law has already been to the shop and gotten me another ball. Just a matter of time and I will be able to finish. But I have definitely learned my lesson. I will now always buy one too many… just in case ☺

Made from scratch

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It has once again been quite on here because we have been on holiday and I didn’t even bother have the time to announce it before leaving. Anyway, we had a lovely time climbing mountains, swimming in cold water, having encounters with big cows and celebrating the baptism of my niece who happens to have, by the way, a lovely and very well dressed god mother.

I will really try to catch up on all the things I have been working on (believe it or not but I have been knitting a lot) but for now I’ll have to start with a dress that I made a few months ago as I have at least a few pictures on the computer already. And no, it is not a scrap project.

It was a proper independent project from start to finish. I took my client to the fabric shop and she chose, very unsurprisingly a rather odd fabric considering that she is not a 50s wall in need of a fresh wallpaper. And wanted to combine it with a not at all in any sense matching fabric. (The second customer joining on this trip chose a light grey cotton with big white dots for a knight costume still to be made)

I asked my client to bring some sketches to our second appointment where I tried to find out what she was really looking for and what would suit her type.

IMG_3596

Once we had agreed on the final design, I took her measurements and made the pattern and a calico version (sadly no picture of that step) to see if it would fit her.

IMG_3597

The next appointment was about necessary alterations and to see if it needed a zip or not. Together we agreed on a zip just to leave a bit of room for growing.

In the next step I started to work on the actual dress but before I could finally hand it over we needed another urgent meeting to discuss the trimming around the neck and armholes. My choice would have been a plain white bias binding but hey, I don’t have to wear it.

So, we have a straight and long upper part in a nice medium weight cotton and a rather bouncy skirt with three layers of frills (each being a full and separately cut circle –  I have used up more than a meter of that lightweight cotton, just for that short skirt)

The bias binding for the edges have a mini crochet edge which make it a bit stiff and therefore not ideal to go around narrow curves and I particularly struggled with the finish of he invisible zip. Hopefully I will do better next time 🙂

In any case it was a perfect dress for the baptism and both, my client and I, are very happy with the result. I wouldn’t want to be the person who has to iron this nightmare though. Knowing the client she probably has some kind of housekeeper who has to do it for her.

Paulas Designerkleid 01

Early midlife crisis

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I think I might have a problem. I struggle a bit with age appropriate behaviour. Or rather taste. A couple of weeks ago I made a birthday cake for a family member.

IMG_1940(Sadly, I am cheating, the picture is from last year, this year I messed it up and wouldn’t want to show this year’s interpretation of a football online).

“Lovely” you might think. “A football cake for her son”. No, it is a football cake for her husband.

And then I made this skirt, after carefully (translates: spending 20min) choosing fabric combinations:

IMG_3541IMG_3540IMG_3539“Lovely” you might think. “A colourful skirt for her daughter”. No, it is a colourful skirt for herself.

And you know what? I do not regret it. I even want to make another one. They are perfect as I can wear them now and after pregnancy. I do slightly worry about my taste though as I clearly have the taste of a 5 year old.  Except that the real 5 year old is much better at this. This is what she chose for her skirt:

IMG_3568It took her about half an hour back and forth and comparing and I found the combination really bonkers but she was right. It is perfect. Maybe a step too far for me to wear but no need to worry, I am not making a bigger version of it.

IMG_3571This is very similar to my orange bit and it is the one that i used as a lining for my niece’s bag.

IMG_3570This fabric is actually a rather thick cotton, not really suitable for a skirt but it worked. You might see this one again, probably in bag form 🙂

IMG_3569My daughter insisted on this one when I ordered fabrics a while ago. I was secretly making fun of this choice… until I realised that it reminded me a bit of this one (sorry no picture yet) which I had ordered for myself (in the same order). I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree 🙂

Oh, and a little update on the taste of the other apple:

Remember, he usually comments all my finished products with a polite “No, thank you.” Well, I realised that I never make things he has asked me for or where he had actually chosen the fabric. This time it was a little bit different. He could chose the fabric and I suggested then a top (as it was a jersey) and he decided on one with a hood.

IMG_3554Lovely, isn’t it. I would have preferred orange sleeves but I didn’t quite have enough orange fabric left. Not even for the hood lining.

Anyway, I proudly (and nervously) presented the finished top and got a…..

“Thank you, can you please put it in my drawer. I will wear it tomorrow”

Which he didn’t.

He did wear it once though. When it had about 35 degrees, with the hood up.

IMG_3556And I was desperate enough to let him. Oh, well, the saga will continue, I haven’t given up just yet 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Sunday: Personalised mismatch

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It might not quite be Sunday anymore where this post gets written but that is the beauty of the www. It is still Sunday somewhere. And it really isn’t my fault. I couldn’t publish this earlier as I hadn’t handed it over yet.

Anyway, I finally made a bag for a very good friend. She didn’t get anything for her birthday this year as no one over the age of 10 did because I had been so busy with other things. So I thought, now that I have more time again, I will make her a little present for her doula “graduation”.

IMG_3561I have tried to chose fabrics in colours that she would like. Not easy as I only seem to own very bright colours (in case you haven’t noticed yet) and she loves subtle green-turquoisey colours. Seriously, this is the best I could do.

For the inside I took a different approach. I wanted to create a more personal feeling and was looking for a calendula theme in my stash. Initially I was thinking of the fabric of the dress I made last year.

IMG_2098sI think those flowers would have been perfect calendulas (not from a scientific point of view) but also far too big for the inside of a rather small bag.

So this is what I chose.IMG_3562

It really really doesn’t go at all with the outside fabrics but as I said, it was for personal reasons. Not sure, if she understood that these are meant to be calendulas but she will now 🙂

And then, as matching the fabrics didn’t matter anymore I looked for another souvenir type of fabric and decided on the strawberry fabric that will remind her of my children.

IMG_3563Mega mismatch mission completed 🙂