For all the moms, have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Featured Knits
Caribbean Wrap Top
Featured Garment
Guipure Lace Top
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Sewing Diversion: Love My Lace Trench
As I wrote about earlier, I’ve been working on a couple of lace sewing projects, and I finally finished my trench jacket!
It was a labor of love — a lot of hand-sewing and figuring out the best ways to work with this finicky lace fabric. I love it, though, and hope to wear it for many, many years!
For sewing/pattern details and additional photos, please take a look at my sewing blog!
A New Knit: Caribbean Wrap Top
Why “Caribbean”? Because of the beautiful bright blue color that reminds me of the stunning waters surrounding many of the Caribbean islands. I feel the need for a warm, beachy vacation!
Here’s my latest knit — a simple wrap top with sweet short/cap sleeves and a ruched neckline.
I used Classic Elite’s Provence yarn, which is one of my fave cottons. The stitch pattern is an interesting yet easy one — alternating sections of openwork and a simple cable stitch. The ruched neckline is worked in stockinette and the closure is a simple button/loop.
Here’s a close-up of the sleeve and stitch pattern. It’s lightweight and perfect for a warm weather vacation. Looking forward to the Summer!
Design Friday: Spring is Here
My camellias are blooming! Spring is here! Time to put the wools away and bring out the cottons, silks and linens. On my needles now is a lacy cotton wrap sweater in a bright turquoise color — the body is on the blocking board while I knit up some sweet little cap sleeves. Looking forward to warmer weather!
Sewing Diversion: Lace
My knitting output has been low these days because I’ve been focused on a couple of sewing projects. I recently participated in a week-long couture sewing workshop, at which I chose to learn about working with lace fabrics. What an experience! I finished one project, which is a Guipure Lace Pencil Skirt. This particular lace is wool and is reminiscent of a crochet or knit pattern. In fact, I think this can be replicated as a knit/crochet garment!
And my Soutache Lace Trench Coat is still in progress. It has been a slow progress, as the couture method requires a lot of hand stitching and precise sewing. That said, it is coming along nicely. Here’s a work in progress photo so you can see the lace and the scallops, which I matched to run along the center front edges as well as the hem. It is an interesting fabric — the base is a navy blue lace with white cording stitched to outline certain motifs.
I have more details on my sewing blog, if you are interested. I’ll get rolling on my knitting projects again soon — warmer weather is coming and I need to be ready with some cute cotton knits!
Lacy Knit for Spring 2013
I need to dub spring 2013 the “season of lace” because it seems that the projects on my sewing table and on my knitting needles all have to do with lace! I guess it is on-trend with all of the lacy styles in the stores, so perhaps my mini obsession is ok.
Here’s my swatch of a new stitch I’m trying out. It is an interesting mix of simple cables and yarn-overs and, when blocked, becomes a very pretty lace fabric. The stitch pattern comes from one of my Japanese stitch books.
I used one of my fave yarns — Classic Elite’s Provence, which is a great mercerized cotton. A quick note about the yarn — the manufacturers have changed the weight of the skeins so now they are 50g rather than 100g each.
I’ve been thinking about wrap styles recently, so I might make up a simple wrap top using this yarn/stitch — slightly fitted with side seam shaping and perhaps flared sleeves. Or maybe just a simple boatneck top with no sleeves? This is the best part of the knitting process — planning what to make. Should be fun!
Fall 2013 Fashion: Celine’s Cozy Collection
All of the major fashion weeks are over and the NYT did a great wrap-up article and slideshow of some of the highlights. For me, Celine’s collection really caught my eye. It was a mix of soft and structured, which created a very comfy-looking, yet thoroughly chic, collection. The NYT dubbed it “slob appeal” — in a good way — but I just think it is a great counterpoint to all of the highly fitted styles that we’ve been seeing in recent collections. All images below are from here.
I love the look of the fulled fabrics (they are knits) and how they can drape but still maintain a structured shape.
Of course, the beautifully chunky sweater is a highlight. Love the cuffs.
This look is so fun. It reminds me of when I used to tie my sweaters and around my waist when the weather got too warm!
Love the mix of plaids and the simple shapes.
A new take on a sweater and skirt set.
Design Friday Delayed: Alpaca and Donuts!
I am always in awe of all of the creativity out there in the wide, wide world. Who would have thought of translating Alpaca faces as donuts? For those of us who love to knit with alpaca fibers, these donuts are the ultimate. Too cute!
Image from here.
Design Friday: Silly Star Trek
This iPad cover is so cute/funny/crazy/inspired that I have to post about it!
Image from here.
There are some creative folks out there!
