SEWmuchKNITting

I am participating in the Great Module Sewalong with Whitney from TomKat Stitchery and Carla from Stay Stitching , both on YouTube. The Module is to consist of 6 coordinating pieces: 2 bottoms, 3 tops, a topper (could be a cardigan, blazer, jacket) and I will add one extra, a dress.  This is my topper, the  Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet , which I have made twice before! This is the perfect pattern for an open cardigan, so why mess with a good thing!  I found this leopard print sweater knit at Hobby Lobby, which was a fun surprise since I rarely shop there for garment fabrics.  I make absolutely no alterations to this pattern, sewing it right up out of the pattern envelope, and have been happy every time. But I have to say that this one is my favorite! Next up is a Sew House Seven/Simplicity pattern toaster Sweater, that I hope to squeeze out of an ivory knit.  I am enjoying the motivation from sewing along with t...

I used to do a lot of Christmas knitting.....but then our family started growing by leaps and bounds!  It made more sense to me to transition to Birthday knitting, which is much more fun as it is spread out across the calendar year. This includes the adults as well as the kiddos! I use this blog as a journal where I keep track of my makes, and when doing a 2019 review, I found that I hadn't documented many of those Birthday projects from last year. So, to catch up: Jolene has a July birthday, so I knit the Melissa Tank for her out of Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima , which is a 100% cotton yarn. As you can see she looks so cute wearing it as a vest, or can be worn like a tank in warmer weather. Emersyn turned One (!) in September, and knitting up the Bellarose shrug for her was lots of fun! That shade of purple in another Cascade yarn: the  220 Superwash Aran  is so pretty on her. Desmond and Rose are siblings, with November...

I've had this pattern, the HotPatterns 1233: DL Classix Nouveau Swingy Knit Top  for  quite some time now, and decided to give it a go using a red  ponte from my stash. It was the simple lines of the front of the design that first got my attention, but then would you take a look at that back! Love the soft pleats that fall from from the lowered back neckline! This is a pretty quick and easy project, and one I can see making again. I sewed up a size 14 straight from the envelope without any alterations. I have sewn several HotPatterns tops before, so I  felt confident with the fit after doing some flat pattern  measurements. This vibrant red is perfect for a cold and gloomy Midwestern February, and appropriate for Valentine's Day.

Trying something new in 2020, I've decided to participate in  The Great Module Sew Along Challenge , which runs from Jan 28 - March 24,   hosted by Whitney at  TomKat Stitchery . I am calling this my Winter Module, as it is very much WINTER here in the Midwest, and will  continue to be well into March/April. I've been intrigued by the capsule/module wardrobe idea for awhile now, but have never dipped  my toes in. I'm a one-garment-at-a-time sewist, so this is a bit outside of my comfort zone.  Garment sewing is the one area of my creative life where I don't have WIPs (works in progress) stashed away. When I want to sew a garment,  I pick a pattern & fabric, and sew it up. With module sewing, there is more advanced planning, and I'm giving it a try! This Module Sew Along Challenge includes 6 garments that  will be able to coordinate together for many options to combine into different ou...

My Throwback sweater is arguably the fastest sweater I have ever knit...and I love it! I did a dive into my stash and found enough Patons Classic Wool and I was on my way. In less than a month I have this cozy, warm sweater that is perfect for our Michigan winters. Designer Andrea Mowry  continues to impress me with her designs and has become one of my  favorite pattern designers.  (I currently have one of her brioche shawls on my needles, and plan to  focus on that over the next few weeks.) Below is my sweater after a full wet block before picking up stitches to knit the front bands: Another couple of quick photos before heading out to work this morning: This sweater pattern has been very popular with the knitting community since it  was released in August, 2018 and I can see why.  What's NOT to love about this pattern? The colorwork makes quite a statement, and is so fun and addicting...

2019 will go down as the year I fell in love with knitting sweaters, and the Love Note sweater by the design team at Tin Can Knits is my new favorite. Aptly named, wouldn't you say? The yarn was purchased in September this year at the Mid Mitten Fiber Frolic here in Michigan, from Deirdre of Fangirl Yarn : Superwash Sock & Silk Mohair held double. The pretty-in-pink yarn was exactly what I had been hoping to find, and Deirdre was a delight to meet. What a fun and quick project! I cast on pretty quickly, with the idea that I  might finish my sweater in time to wear to the Fall Fiber Expo to be held in October. I knew Fangirl Yarn would be vending at the Expo, and I  wanted to show Deirdre my sweater. I didn't meet that goal,   as I had other gift projects that had to be completed first.  My second goal, then, was to finish by the Christmas holidays, and I'm happy  to say that I met my goal! Sigh.... ...

I Just look at those girls! Little sweethearts, for sure (I should know, I'm their Grandma!). My daughter Kristen has always loved dressing up for Halloween, and now she has a blast dressing  her 2 daughters ages 3 and 8 months for the holiday. At the beginning of Sept she sent me a text with a photo of some Madeline  costumes she had  seen on Etsy, with the comment: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking...?" YES! I jumped right on board and offered to sew the costumes for my granddaughters, as I knew I would have as much fun sewing them as they would have wearing them. I knew I had Simplicity 4243 in my pattern stash.  I had made it before and so I  knew it would fit baby Estie: Lucky for me, I have a sewing buddy who loves vintage patterns and often gifts me with  them when she finds them when scouring estate sales.  This one is a Vintage Simplicity 5948 from 1965: which was a perfect fit for Jolene, age...