A Finished Knit

In keeping with my tradition of knitting one item a year, I finished a cowl for myself.  I'm super excited to be able to wear it before spring arrives.

The pattern I used is called the Gap-tastic cowl, which is available as a free download on Ravelry.  It is a perfect pattern for beginners, or those who are only capable of mindless knitting like myself (I don't know how knitters keep stitch patterns in their minds, let alone read or talk while they create intricate designs).  This is a simple seed stitch done on big, circular needles with bulky weight yarn.  Trust me: if I can knit it, you can too.

The yarn is an acrylic, alpaca blend by Bernat in Soft Grey.  It ended up a little fuzzier than I wanted.  I will definitely be making this pattern again, so I will look for a yarn with better stitch definition next time.  I'm open to suggestions from you more experienced knitters.

Voile Infinity Scarves

 

I've started some Christmas sewing, and  scarves are a great, one-size-fits-all gift.  These infinity scarves are made from super soft voile and shot cotton.

I used Little Folks voile by Anna Maria Horner.  I just love these prints

The fun thing about infinity scarves is you can wear them so many ways.  I like mine looped three times.   They look elegant and dramatic draped twice around the neck. I used Lauren's tutorial to make these; the only change I made was to shorten the length a few inches.

The lipstick shot cotton on this one is so pretty!
I made a few as gifts, and I put these three in my shop, just in time for Christmas shopping.

Fun with Jersey Knit

There are so many tutorials online for fun projects with jersey knit, so when I found a pretty teal knit on sale, I decided to try out a couple.  The first is a scarf I bookmarked ages ago by Make It and Love It.  It is super simple and quick to make.  This scarf is so soft and comfortable, let me tell you!

 

And check out this no-sew bracelet.  Cute, right?  The video tutorial by Vanessa is good for visual learners.

I bought 2 1/2 yards of knit fabric, which is enough to make 3 scarfs and several bracelets, making them very economical gifts.  Of course, I'll need to get more jersey knit now, since I want to keep these two for myself.  And I want to make more in some other pretty colors too.

Infinity Scarf

I was finally able to use some of my lovely fabric from India, which feels similar to voile, and a piece of gorgeous shot cotton to make this infinity scarf. It is one large circle, and you can wear it looped twice or in other various other configurations.


I learned the hard way why I think it is called the infinity scarf. If you are overly confident and think you can figure out the construction of such a simple shape on your own, you'll likely end up, as I did, with a long tube you try to turn right side out, only to have it turn in on itself continually. Or infinitely in fact. Just read the tutorial on Anna Maria Horner's blog first and save yourself the frustration. She calls it the figure eight scarf, and she has some kits for it using her yummy new velveteen.

Some for You, Some for Me

I finished up a couple more voile scarves, and decided I needed to make something for myself with this lovely fabric. Determined to use only the scraps I already had, I sketched out this sewing machine cover.

I used Amanda Jean's no triangle method for the zigzags. No problem. Then I chose to pair the voile with linen and set the zigzags on the bias. If you're more experienced with these materials than I am, you know those were likely two big mistakes. With some hair pulling and frustration over wavy edges and stretching materials, it came together fine in the end. Let's just say it's a good thing this drapes over a machine and doesn't need to lay flat! Lessons learned.

Summer Weight Scarves

Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks voile is sooooo soft and lovely. I knew it would be perfect for summer weight scarves. Since many in my family live in hotter climes, I thought these would make nice gifts for them. I first tried a pattern from Urban Arts and Crafts. Very boho chic.
The wrinkles look neat, but they do somewhat obscure the elegant softness that drew me to the fabric, so I next tried a pattern by twin fibers. I added a second strip of contrasting fabric at both ends, which I think adds interest but also some needed length. Super fast and easy to make, and it feels so nice the wear. I see more of these in my future!