California Round-up

Typical gorgeous California photo, but I took this one myself in Laguna Beach where Pearle and I used to spend the winters. We hadn't traveled for a long time now, and it was very interesting to return. It certainly brought back memories of many good times.

Of course there has been some shopping. Besides the fabric which was shipped to me, I bought some yarn in Laguna Beach for a scarf to wear this winter with my cashmere coat,



and I bought some shoes. I happened to really luck out on the shoe front, and you can see what I'm trying to cram into my suitcase.

Hunting Socks & A Trip

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Paton's Kroy Multi Sock Yarn and Premier Merit 100%Wool Worsted Yarn

I used the pattern for Heavy Socks from the Spin-Off Socks book to make two pairs of hunting socks for my brother. I had never thought of knitting socks for him, but I happened to ask him the other day if he thought his wife, my darling sister-in-law, might want some socks. She's always cold, and there's nothing nicer than wool socks if that's the case. He said he didn't know, but sadly said that he would like some. I felt terrible that I'd never even thought of it.

I've used the Socks book a lot, and all of the patterns in it have been good ones. This is a really fast knitting pattern. The hardest thing for me was that it calls for Bulky yarn, and I didn't really have anything suitable for a man's socks. The pair at the top is the second pair I made, and I like them best. I added a sock weight yarn to a worsted weight wool yarn for a prettier look. The pair below are a bulky yarn alone, and while they're okay, I find them a little thin for 'heavy' socks. He's planning to wear another pair under them with his boots for elk hunting in October.


Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick&Quick

The pattern calls for size 10 needles, but I'm using size 9, and you cast on 32 stitches, so you can see why they work up so quickly. Apparently a lot of people use leftover Lopi yarn for this pattern, but I've never knitted with Lopi, so no leftovers here.

I'm going to visit my sister for 2 weeks tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I'll be blogging. Maybe so, as she has lots of nice things planned. She's in Southern California, where Pearle and I used to spend the winters, so I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed in 10 years or so, and to seeing some favorite places again. I have The Huntington and The Getty high on my list, along with the L.A. Arboretum and Descanso Gardens. Naturally we'll be heading for a few fabric and yarn shops as well. Her LYS is Yarn Lady in Laguna Hills, and I'm looking forward to it. I should say that when I was last there, the Getty Museum was only in Malibu, so it will be interesting to see the new one. Big plans, and I'm hoping we'll be able to do at least some of the things on my list, personal energy permitting. Perhaps we'll just end up doing a lot of basking in the sun instead. Either way, I'm looking forward to it.

Interesting Things

Lots of disparate things happening on the textile front around here. Fabric and yarn have been arriving from various points,and there's been knitting and even some sewing done. And for a finale, I fixed my washing machine's water level knob. That was highly satisfactory.

I got some Canapone hemp yarn from elann.com the other day, and am doing a remake of a pattern I really like. It's Louet's Lily shell, and I made it in Louet's Euroflax. This is a much more economical choice, and the feel seems to be just about the same. It's on size 0 (2mm) needles, in the round, and I'm about an inch and a half in.

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I also got some Filatura di Crosa Esotico from them.

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I finished the body on Alex's cabled sweater and now need to begin the sleeves, but I think I will have no trouble finishing before Christmas.
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I've ordered fabric from several places lately, and although I'm not doing anything with them yet, I have plans (of course) for them. First was the Indigo Floral and Taupe Modern Gab from Fashion Sewing Group.
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I'm planning a tunic with the floral, and pants with the gabardine.

Elliott Berman's is having a sale, and I snagged a lovely piece of rayon blend Chiffon. I'm always an easy mark for plaids, and I like this very much. I will probably become a blouse or even a dress since I have plenty.
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And finally, here's my progress on the Marfy 1949 Skirt.

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I think the fabric color shown is fairly true, at least on my monitor. I like the piping on the edge of the pocket, carried on to the waist seam. The waistband is only basted on, and nothing is really pressed yet. You can see the silk organza underlining showing at the hem edge. The basting stitches show the hemline. I'm really pleased with how this is turning out, but I'm not going to rush. It's been a fun project so far.

Polka-Dot Stripes on a Windy Day

Last night I decided to make up a quick knit top from some cute fabric I'd just gotten, and this is the result. As you can tell, it was windy while I was out taking photos. This is why I love hairspray, but it doesn't always do the trick.


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As usual when starting a project a little too late at night, there were some strange twists with this one. I used the top pattern from the FSG #1960 Twinset Pattern, and decided to try an unsewn dart this time. I'm not sure that was a success, but it's acceptable for casual wear I suppose. The really "interesting" thing I did was to add 1/4" SAs to the pattern, meanwhile forgetting that it includes 5/8" SAs already. I ended up redoing the seams, as it was very shapeless at 1/4".

I added a small yoke to the front and ran the fabric crosswise there to take advantage of the stripes. The neckband was cut on the bias, but in places it still lines up with the stripes on the front, so I'm not sure it was a complete success there. Generally I'm happy with this, although I will go back to darts in my next tee.

I ordered yarn from Elann.com the other day and it always comes so quickly. I got a full bag of Needful Yarns Geranium in a colorway very similar to the photo.
and also some Adriafil Fruttamix in Summer Shower.
I just couldn't resist the summery look of them.

I finished the knitting on the baby sweater and need to block, sew on buttons, hide yarn ends, etc., and I'll be done. It's kind of cute, and although it looks kind of big to me, it matches the measurements given, so I'm hoping it will be all right.

Since it's done, I've gone back to Alex's sweater and have finished the ribbing and am just establishing the pattern stitches. Now the fun should begin.

More Mail

Yes, nice things came in the mail again. Harper's Bazaar is always nice to see, but the Lana Grossa Filati is my first issue, and was great fun to get. There are a couple patterns that look interesting, and one that I'm seriously thinking about. It's for their Baby Kid mohair yarn, but I may try a swatch with some mohair I have already. It's a cone of seafoam mohair, and it's very pretty.

The coral-red yarn is Rowan R2 Fuzzi Felt, and is for a vest/sleeveless jacket. The pattern is on order, but hasn't come yet. The brown elann Esprit is for a skirt. The 2 skeins of alpaca in purple tones are for mitts.

So, lots of plans anyway.

I'm bonding with my new Pfaff, and enjoying trying lots of things with it. I'm also coming right along with the lace skirt. I'm really pleased with how it looks so far. I've been very timid about it, and I suddenly decided that it's just a skirt for heaven's sake, and began to get on with it. I've decided on one layer of organza under the lace, and have attached it at the waist and CB seam, and turned up the hem with the organza inside the lace. I will make a slip to wear under it. I tried various suitable knits that I have, and the dark gray-silver that I originally suspected might work is definitely the best. I think this skirt is going to be great fun to wear. I hope so anyway.

New Ideas

I don't think I've ever gotten 3 packages in the mail on the same day before, but today I did. First, I got the new Marfy catalog which I've skimmed quickly and am now going to go back and look a little more carefully. There are a few things that really caught me eye, so I'll see if they look as good the second time around. They're only putting out one catalog per year now instead of two, but apparently they made their decision kind of late, and so this one is only about 20 pages longer than the regular seasonal edition would be. They're gong to put the next one out in January of 2009, and it will be quite a bit bigger than this.

You can see my interfacing on the left side of the photo, and toward the bottom is the yarn that came from Elann.com. The striped fabric (which perfectly matches one of the yarns) was a find this morning at JoAnn's. I was just on a spec trip, and this jumped out at me. It's a polyester, but the colors are mine, and I like its crinkled effect. I'm thinking of a Marfy tunic pattern that I have but haven't tried yet. I washed the fabric this evening, so it's ready to go.

I am about halfway done with the buttonholes on my coat, and things are beginning to be fun. I have almost all of the underlining attached to the various pieces and am about ready to roll. I hope tomorrow will be a day I can work in. It seems like my days have been really broken up for a couple weeks, and it's hard to get much done.

Pinwheel Pattern

I made one more dishcloth from this pattern, the one on the right in PeachesNCreme Gumdrop. The first one is Pink Lemonade. The potholder on the lower left is made with one strand of each held together. I was a little unsure that the colors would work together, but I really like it. It's very multicolored without any predominant color. The potholder is also smaller.

Thank you to everyone who liked this pattern, and I will put it up here. I'm calling it Pinwheel, but there's another, extremely similar, version called Round Dishcloth by Amy Carpenter. Her version has wrapped short rows, which of course is the best method to make them invisible, and it's a good project to learn about short rows. The pattern I'm using does not wrap the short rows, but in my opinion, for a dishcloth, there's really no need. So, if you want to learn the correct short-row method that you can use in other, more 'important' patterns, her pattern is fine. Otherwise, mine is okay. Mine also is a bit smaller, which I like.

Pinwheel Dishcloth
#9 Needle
1 ball cotton yarn such as PeachesNCreme or Sugar&Cream

Cast on 15 stitches.
Row:

1. Knit across, turn.
2. K3, YO, K11, turn. (This leaves 1 stitch on the needle. There will be an increasing number of stitches on the needle on most right side rows.)
3. K back to the beginning, turn.
4. K3, YO, K11, turn.
5. K
6. K3, YO, K11, turn.
7. K
8. BO 3, K2, YO, K8.
9. K
10. K3, YO, K8.
11. K
12. K3, YO, K8.
13. K
14. BO3, K2, YO, K5.
15. K
16. K3, YO, K5.
17. K
18. K3, YO, K5.
19. K
20. BO3, K all stitches, turn and you are ready to begin R1 again.

This makes one section. You will probably do the 20 row section 6 times or so, whatever makes a complete circle for you. You can graft the stitches at the end, BO and seam, crochet together with the CO row, or whatever joining method you may care to use.

Pinwheel Potholder

#9 Needle
2 strands cotton yarn, held together
This is worked the same as the dishcloth, but with the differing stitch counts.

Cast On 12
Row:

1. K
2. K3, YO, K8
3. K
4. K3, YO, K8
5. K
6. K3, YO, K8
7. K
8. BO3, K2, YO, K5
9. K
10. K3, YO, K5
11. K
12. K3, YO, K5
13. K
14. BO3, K2, YO, K3
15. K
16. K3, YO, K3
17. K
18. K3, YO, K3
19. K
20. BO3, K to end. You are ready to begin Row 1 again.

For some unknown reason, the potholder pattern must have red row numbers. Well, I have to go eat dinner, so they'll have to stay that way.

Fun, Fun, Fun

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Here's the very nicely packed box I received in the mail today from Fuzzy Mabel's. What fun! I've been trying to find a nice, not-horribly-expensive yarn to use for a sweater I've been drooling over from Jaeger JB40, which is a discontinued pattern book for a discontinued yarn, Roma. I found the book at The Yarn Barn, but the yarn is not available in colors I wanted. I finally decided to try a cotton yarn, Kraemer's Little Lehigh, in green and off-white. While looking at Fuzzy Mabel's, I noticed they had a very well-stocked clearance section, including some nice colors of Katia Bolero, a yarn that I used to make a shell a couple years ago, and liked very much. I bought enough Pewter with Gold to make a nice something-or-other.

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You can see the Jaeger pattern with the proposed yarn below.

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I like the interesting almost houndstooth stitch pattern, and the cute details, like the pocket and the neckline V, and sleeve hems. This will be a spring sweater I think, especially in a cotton yarn.


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I finished the second side of the Waterlily purse yesterday, which you can see above, just in time for the new yarn to arrive today. Now to finish it. I have ideas, but nothing concrete. I'm thinking webbing handles if I can find the right color. I'm calling it the Waterlily purse because it reminds me strongly of some of Monet's Waterlily paintings. This is a torn fabric strip "yarn" and I just love the effect of it. It makes me want to rip up some fabric myself, and see what happens.

We're back to normal around here, and I spent today and yesterday doing all the household stuff that I've been letting slide, like multi-loads of laundry. Luckily, I kind of like to do laundry. The Peeper's thrilled, as he hangs out by the washing machine, so he gets lots of company. There's nothing like a purring cat napping next to you while you fold towels, or sew, or knit.

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A Form Workshop & Yarn

Today was the day set for the local Sewing Guild's Dress Form Workshop. I was the "leader" which turned out to be much easier than I'd dared to hope, and mainly consisted of just spearheading the effort and booking the room. Originally, 9 members wanted forms; 8 duct tape and 1 paper tape. 2 cancelled out because of late-arising conflicts, 1 decided she'd rather just watch and help, and as it turned out, 3 others didn't show up at all, so we did 3 forms and went home early. I can't blame anyone for deciding not to come, as the weather was supposed to be freezing rain and snow on top of the snow we already have. It didn't start with all that until we were about done, which was lucky. The high was only 14 degrees today, so it was not nice any way you look at it.

I did most of one duct tape form, and it turned out well I think. We had decided not to try to stuff them today as we assumed we wouldn't have time, so it will be interesting to hear how they turned out, and if everyone likes their form and uses it. It was nice to have enough helpers to cut tape and keep an eye on how it was going.

Since we got done earlier than we might have, I had time to stop at the LYS and snatch up this gorgeous ribbon yarn.

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It's Segué by Trendsetter and I think it's the most beautiful colors, so I hope it shows up correctly for you. Suggested needle size is a 15, but I think I can probably get by with a 13 or so. I want to make a simple shell from it, and will probably have to rewrite the pattern for the gauge of 2spi.

Llamas & Alpacas & Yarn, Oh My!

We are so lucky to have had the Grand National Llama & Alpaca Show here every year for the last 5 or so at least. It's not only great fun to see all the charming animals, most of whom like to be petted and are wonderfully soft (if you haven't felt Alpaca fiber "on the hoof" you don't know what you're missing!) but there are myriad fiber acquiring opportunities!

I usually purchase yarn, and perhaps some roving or other ingredients that may catch my fancy, but this year I also purchased a knitted item. I fell in love with a pair of fingerless gloves which are just what I've been wanting to make, but hadn't found a pattern yet.

Photo Link The very talented lady who made these had come up with her own pattern, and while I could mainly figure it out by counting rows, etc., there was one spot where I wasn't sure what she'd done. She gladly told me, and I have now made about 3/4 of a pair of my own from the brown alpaca yarn I also purchased. Fun knitting, and a very fast project. Here's my progress so far.

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These were so popular on the runway at the Fall shows, and were mainly shown being worn over gloves, so that no matter what the glove shaft length, they worked under the shorter-sleeved jackets and coats that have been all over this year.

Here's my entire haul from the show. Coral llama yarn, with a green bonus Cria pin, the brown alpaca yarn, and the fingerless gloves. I also bought a single hand needle-felting needle to use for "basting" when working with my Embellisher.


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Louet Celebrity Progress

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Here's the back of the Instant Jacket I've been knitting in Louet's Celebrity yarn. It goes really quickly, as it's 2spi on Size 15 needles. I just love the colors and the little bumps that show.

I'm also finally binding off for the sleeve cap on the Xmas cabled sweater I'm making. So, after it's done, one more sleeve and then assembly. It's been fun to knit, but it will be nice to be done too.

Nightie, Night!

I bought some beautiful embroidered-border batiste from FabricMart some time ago, and finally got around to making a nightgown from it. It's such a fine, thin fabric that it feels quite luxurious, although it's cotton. Perfect for a nightgown. I used my copied-from-a-favorite-RTW-gown pattern, and although it's quite simple, I'm very pleased with it, as it's exactly what I wanted.


Photo Link Here

I was planning to use some trim for straps and the top edge, but as I worked with the fabric I enjoyed the feel of it so much, and it was so light that I was afraid trim would weigh it down, so I decided to do narrow turned tube straps, and also to just turn the top edge over twice and do a hand stitched finish. I used Edge Stitch, as described in my favorite sewing book, Sew the French Way. It's said to be de rigeur for fine lingerie seams, and it's very pretty. It's also used to attach lace and appliques to lingerie, as it has tiny decorative holes when you're done. It looks very much to me like the heirloom stitch on my machine called Point de Paris, although this is much finer and more flexible by far. It only took a couple hours to do the stitching, and I enjoyed it. I may even do more. You can see it in the next photo, and if you want a real close-up, use the link below the photo.


Photo Link Here

The yarn I ordered Thursday night from elann.com came yesterday (Monday) which I thought was excellent service. I'm planning an Instant Jacket type cardigan out of each of the two yarns. The left is Louet's Celebrity, and on the right is Austermann's Soft Wool. I also got a couple sets of double-pointed needles that I needed.


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I've also begun to seriously plan my Fall sewing, and have begun tracing and altering the patterns I'm planning to use. This is not something I generally do more than one pattern at a time, and I'm finding that this is really focusing my mind on details of what I want to do, and has been quite the nice experience. I dislike cutting out a number of garments at the same time, as it's so easy to change your mind about some detail when it's too late, but I think this mass alteration plan may be a good one for me. That way, when I'm ready to sew, I'll be ready to sew!

Bendigo Yarn

Since I keep talking about Bendigo yarn and how much I like it, but they have no website, I thought I'd just post scans of their color card to give you an idea of it. Do order one for yourself so you can see it in person, as you know how unreliable monitor colors can be.

Click on the 2 pictures and you'll get nice large ones that you can really see. The colors look pretty accurate to me here, but the darker ones are hard to see anyway.

I ordered 2 shades of Rustic (lower left group in top photo). Midnight Tweed, 5th from the bottom, which doesn't show well at all, for a Christmas gift sweater. I ordered Agate, 15th from the bottom, for a Norah Gaughan Ram's Horn Jacket for me. It's in her Knitting Nature book. I also ordered some of the Cotton yarn (right side of top photo) in Latte, 7th from the bottom, for a Norah Gaughan shell from the same book.

I've begun swatching for the Christmas sweater with some of the Rustic I have left from my cardigan, as it's the same yarn in a different color, and for once in my life, I'm using the suggested needle sizes (US 1 & 4) and getting the specified gauge. Here's a link to the pattern I'm planning on using, which is pictured below. There are directions for both adult and children's sizes.

Bendigo Cardigan is Finished

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This is the finished Bendigo cardigan. It's from a pattern they sell, and the yarn is their "Rustic" wool in the color Peppercorn. I am quite pleased with the way it turned out. The fit is great, the sleeves are the perfect length, and it's a color I like very much. It's a gray-green, but has a blend of colors in it, including green, tan, rust, teal, pink, and a few others, but it all reads gray-green.

I added the central strip of pattern stitches to the back. It was written just like the front pattern, but with a strip of reverse stockinette down the center where the buttons are in the front, and I thought that was kind of boring. Here's the back.


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I added the central diamond cable pattern, and the 2 twisted cables, one on each side of it.

I see that I started swatching for this sweater on the 31st of December, 2006. All in all, not bad for a fairly complex knit. Actually, the pattern was quite simple to memorize, and except for the shaping, it was mindless knitting. The real killer was the buttonband. It called for you to knit the button band, sew it on, (slightly stretched, I hate that instruction. It's so hard to get it just right) and then begin the buttonhole band, matching the buttonhole spacing to the sewn-on buttons, sew it on and sew a seam at CB. I couldn't see why I couldn't just continue around the neckline and do it all in one piece, eliminating the CB seam. It worked quite well, except it was very, very tricky to get the band sewn on just right, so that it wasn't too tight or too loose. I think I stitched it on several times, and ripped more than anything I've ever knitted, even though I was buttoning it on as I went along, and finally kept stopping every few rows to stitch it on, and holding it up to make sure it wasn't going to pull or sag. It was quite the challenge, but definitely worth getting it right.

Knitting Enablement aka Happy Birthday

From Yarn

My sister-in-law has expressed interest in knitting, and tomorrow is her birthday. What could be more perfect? My family has all gone in on a gift, and I was delegated to find something. Of course I decided that this was the perfect time to get her hooked.

I included a beginning knitting book that's used by the LYS, just in case she wants to take their class, Brown Sheep worsted weight yarn in 3 colors, 2 circular needles, sizes 6 & 8, and various yarns from my collection so she can try out different things, just for fun. I also put in a copy of Classic Elite's Knitting the New Classics that I happened to have. I think it has some very tempting patterns. I put the whole collection in a bag suitable for knitting, and there it is! I'm feeling rather successful. I just hope she likes it!

From Yarn

Yarnish Delight

From 12-5-06

I finished this quick little scarf Monday night. I think it's pretty cute, and for anyone with a cold neck, it's very nice. I like it worn both straight, as shown, and also with the "knot" at the side. The pattern is from Katherine Burgess, and is a free download. It's a rather old-fashioned item, but I think it's very nice, and after all, Vintage is In!

From 12-5-06

I ordered a new color card and price list from Bendigo Wools (of Bendigo, Australia) just a couple days ago, and here it came yesterday! They don't have a website, you just have to email them, and call a toll-free number to order. They hold the record for fastest service ever for a yarn order, from anywhere, to me. (I once got a yarn order which came from Australia, in 3 days!) I was pleased to get the color card, as I always liked their yarn, and they're very reasonably priced. I really like one of their colors in the Rustic line (which is on the back of the card shown) and will probably order some for a cardigan I have in mind. I wish the color was available in the Colonial line, as I like the cabled construction of the yarn. It gives such wonderful stitch definition and durability, but I'm afraid the color will trump everything. I have my heart set on a cabled cardigan, although I'm not quite settled on the pattern yet.

Fabric & Findings Source Links

I thought you might enjoy a list of sources I use or have considered when looking for fabrics, findings, patterns, etc. I haven't purchased from all of these vendors, but the ones I have purchased from are marked with a star.

Apple Annie's Fabrics

B&J Fabrics*
Bendigo Woolen Mills* Yarn
Bra-makers Supply Lingerie Findings

Center for Pattern Design (see L'Etoffe Fabrics)

Closet Core Patterns
Decades of Style Patterns* Patterns
Denver Fabrics
Dharma Trading* Dyes, dyeable fabrics
elann.com* Yarn
Elliot Berman Textiles*
EmmaOneSock*
Emma Seabrooke (SewKeysE)*
eQuilter*
Fabric Depot* Lingerie Findings

Fabric Guru mostly home dec
Fabric Mart*
Farmhouse Fabrics
Fashion Fabrics Club*
Fiber on a Whim* mostly hand-dyed fabrics
Fine Fabrics
Gorgeous Things Fabrics*
Hemp Traders
Hyena Silks
Italy Fabrics
Jalie Patterns*
Joggles*
Kantjeboord Lingerie Findings
Lacis* Embroidery, Needlework

L'Etoffe Fabrics
Londa's*
MacPhee Workshop
Malden Mills now Mill Yardage
Marfy Patterns*
Maria Denmark Patterns (incorporating Onion Patterns)*
Mekong River Textiles
Mendel Goldberg*
Merckwaerdigh* Lingerie patterns & Findings
Michael's Fabrics* (A Fabric Place)
MJTrends Unique Fabrics*
MJ Trim*

Mood Fabrics*

New Star Fabric

Pacific Trimming*
Sawyer Brook Fabrics

Sew Sassy Fabrics* Lingerie Findings
Sew Thankful patterns of all kinds
The Sewing Place*
The Sewing Workshop*

Silk Baron
Sewy (Bärbel's site) Lingerie Findings
Southstar Supply Co.
Spitzen-Paradies Lingerie Findings

Spoonflower  custom-printed fabric yardage
styleARC Patterns
Textile Fabrics*
Thai Silks*
Tinsel Trading
Trim Fabric*

Wawak Sewing Supply
Wazoodle* mostly PUL and specialty fabrics, especially for diaper-making
Wien2002 Lingerie Findings
Yarn Country*
ZipperSource
ZipperStop
ZoeLee's

Lingerie Fabric & Findings Blog Post


last updated 03-24-2025.