Monday, February 13, 2006

Sewing for a Change


I said I was feeling like I needed to do a little sewing, and I decided to finally whip up two Jalie Tees that have been on the list for a while, and that I want for spring. I bought some neat knit prints from Textile Studios, and just hadn't gotten to them. As you can see, one is a french exterior print, and the other is a coral floral. At the same time, I bought a floral lace knit in a dull coral, which is a two-layer knit, so it's not really sheer, although I will wear a slip with it, which I think will make a nice spring combination with the floral tee.

After I said I felt the urge to do a little sewing, I immediately felt like knitting, but after an hour or so, Mr. Peep, the assistant cat, laid firmly on my chart. I took this as a sign that I had better get to the sewing. I'm glad I did, but I did get some knitting done afterward too. I'm about halfway up the armscye on the back of the Silky Wool Cable/Bobble Sweater.


This sweater was the third thing, and second sweater I ever knitted. I still really like it, but it's much too big now. It's a Vogue Knitting pattern, #10 from the Spring/Summer 1993 issue. I knitted it in 1994 with Paton's Cotton DK. The color was Light Khaki, and it has since been dyed mauve. If you go to a clearer sweater photo, you can see short-row darting on the front at the beginning of the armscye. This was my first try on darts, too, and I think it was quite intrepid of me to do this on a patterned sweater for the first time. Perhaps I didn't know enough to realize it should be hard. As I look at the pattern again, I see that it also is rated "Experienced" which I most certainly was not. The yarn I used was Paton's Cotton DK, and after all this time, much wear, quite a few washings, and being packed away for a couple years, I think the cotton yarn has held up remarkably well. It was recommended by a LYS owner, and I'm very pleased that she guided me toward it. The more I look at the pattern, and remember how much fun it was to knit, the more I am thinking that I should make one again. I'll have to see if the feeling persists.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your tees look great on you! What a perfect shape.

Kathy said...

Great sweater, especially for someone who wasn't very experienced at the time! I love the tees as well, especially the second one.