Inspiration For My Handmade Wardrobe

I usually stick to knitting accessories, socks, and smaller projects, but lately I’ve been so inspired to start building my handmade wardrobe. Inspired by many of the makers I follow on Instagram, the sewing store I work at, and a trip I made to a local dying store.

The dying store carried all different types of natural dyes, as well as different weights of un-dyed yarn and fabric, and the samples they had around the store were so beautiful. Karen Templer of www.fringeassociation.com posted a picture of a simple top she made from a modification of the Lakeside Pajamas Top by Grainline Studios. I love that the hand dyed fabric was a gift that Karen sewed into a shirt with the help of a pattern from another friend. There is such a story in this garment.

@karentempler

I also really want to add more linen to my wardrobe. The sewing store carries shelves of beautiful linen and I can see so many garments in my wardrobe being made from it. Here are some pictures from Adrienne Shanti @jai_jai_ma on Instagram, some amazing linen shorts and details of a low-back dress she made from linen.

@jai_jai_ma

@jai_jai_ma

The shorts are made from the Merchant and Mills 101 Trouser pattern, using the shorts variation. And the dress is a modification she made to a Wiksten pattern. I still have a lot to learn before I can start modifying patterns, but I love what people can do to make something completely their own.

Another maker who’s wardrobe has been inspiring me is Jess Schreibstein of www.witchininthekitchen.com. Her beach tank knitting pattern is such a wonderful basic. I love the neutral colour she chose and I plan on doing something similar when I get to knitting this one.

@thekitchenwitch

Jess also sewed a Camber Dress by Merchant and Mills in the prettiest charcoal fabric, and it looks like such a staple dress. I want to fill my wardrobe with pieces like this, things that are easy to throw on, neutral colours, and simple shapes. I think I’m going to try a dress similar to this using some of the beautiful linen I’ve been eyeing up. What handmade garments have been on your mind lately?

@thekitchenwitch

Fringe Association: www.fringeassociation.com

Grainline Studios: www.grainlinestudios.com

Merchant and Mills: www.merchantandmills.com

Wiksten: www.shopwiksten.com

Witchin' in the Kitchen: www.witchininthekitchen.com

5 Shawls, 5 Days Experience

Francoise Denoy of Aroha Knits put on a challenge last week called 5 Shawls, 5 Days. I think this is her second time running the challenge, but it was the first time I’ve heard of it and I was so excited to participate. It taught me so much about shawl construction techniques, but these techniques help to build the general construction techniques that every designer needs. The more you practice with different types of stitches like yarn overs, k2tog, and variations of these the more you learn how to transform yarn as you knit.

Over the next couple months I’ll be starting, designing, and knitting a lace project, so this extra practice with yarn overs was definitely helpful. If you’re interested in the challenge, here is the link to the web page for it:

http://www.arohaknits.com/5-shawls-5-days/

Take Me to the Mountains

These small mountain-inspired ornaments can be used to make pins, brooches, and necklaces. The set includes instructions for a mountain, a pine tree, and a big horned sheep. My favourite way to use these is to attach a safety pin onto the back of each one and decorate my project bags with them.

You can find this pattern on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/take-me-to-the-mountains

Laiya Peak

I published my very first pattern in January 2014, named Chevron Cowl. I originally knit the cowl in bright colours and lately I find myself wearing neutrals and less saturated colours so I wanted to re-knit the cowl in yarn that I would wear more. 

I chose Knitpick’s Chroma worsted weight yarn in the colour Sandpiper for one of my chevron colours and then I went with white and black yarn for the other two colours to keep it neutral.

I’ve also decided to rename the pattern. After reading a very good article on the Love Knitting blog by Kate Atherly (linked below) about naming patterns I decided that I want to switch to more unique pattern names. Laila Peak is a beautiful mountain in Pakistan that the peaks of the chevron design remind me of.

Laila Peak on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/laila-peak

Choosing a name for your pattern by Kate Atherly: http://blog.loveknitting.com/choosing-a-name-for-your-pattern-by-kate-atherley/?blog_page=/

Preserving Eucalyptus (2 ways) - Part 1

Some links in this blog post may be affiliate links. This means if you click through and purchase the product, I earn a small commision at no additional cost to you. Thank-you.

I bought Eucalyptus once before on a whim. I ended up loving the way it looked in my kitchen, and it photographed so beautifully as well. Eucalyptus is a pretty hardy plant, and it actually lasted a couple weeks in a vase full of water in my kitchen, but after a couple weeks I was sad to see it go. 

It’s been a couple months since the first time I bought Eucalyptus, and a couple days ago was the first time I found it again at a flower market. I want to try preserving it this time, so I always have it in my apartment. I don’t have much experience preserving plants, just a couple failed attempts at pressing flowers in my journal, but because this plant is so hardy I think it will do well. 

Reading online it looks like there are two common ways to preserve it. The first is just hanging to dry, and the second is using a vegetable glycerin mixture. The second method is supposed to give the leaves a waxier feel, whereas following the first method will produce a dryer and more brittle result. I decided to split my bunch in half and test out both methods.

For the first method of drying all I needed was some Eucalyptus, an elastic band, and some twine. I first secured the Eucalyptus stems with an elastic band. You could omit this and just use the twine, but the elastic band will keep the bunch tight, because the branches will shrink a little as they dry. After securing the elastic band, wrap over the elastic with some twine, tie a knot, and leave a long end for hanging your bunch. Hang the Eucalyptus in a cool dry area for 2-6 weeks, until dry.

For the second method I used vegetable glycerin (affiliate link). I first cut the ends of the Eucalyptus to the length I wanted, and then I gently smashed the ends with a hammer (this helps the stem absorb the mixture better). I mixed 1 part vegetable glycerin with 2 parts boiling water in a mason jar and then placed the Eucalyptus bunch in the mixture. The Eucalyptus should stay in this mixture for a couple weeks.

I’ll post a follow up to this blog post in a month or so, showing the differences between the two methods that I tried, so make sure you subscribe!

Follow up post: Preserving Eucalyptus (2 ways) - Part 2

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