Happy October! I think this is the best time of the year. From August and beyond to December, it feels like a dance to the finish line. I’ve been busy, working to get my sewjo and knitjo back this year. One way I did that this spring and summer was to use new materials and techniques. This top I dubbed the Lizzie Halter Top, for my love of Lizzie McGuire, was an exploration of past muses.
The 2000s nostalgia is calling to me, as I have mentioned before, but there has been a pull for authenticity in these throwbacks. It’s becoming more than a trend for me, instead a way to explore style muses of the past, that felt like they passed me by as a kid, that with fiber arts. Making takes us out of that loop, if you like the thing, you can make it and then wear it. No fomo. No trends to chase. You’re free. This top is one of those throwback pieces for me.
I knit the front panel using 3.5 mm (US 4) needles using two new materials for me. And the best part? They were both purchased at local to me yarn stores. I had never used Knitting for Olive before, although the brand is quite popular. I hope they stay this way moving forward because I loved working with their Pure Silk. This Pure Silk is in the color Blood Orange. I used one skein for this top, which equals 273 yards of fingering weight yarn for 12 USD, which I think is fantastic value for silk yarn. To pad out this top, I used leftover Uneek Sock Yarn from Urth Yarn, another fingering weight yarn that is a mix of super wash merino and nylon.
Although, I was excited to work with such a bright color, I don’t wear a lot of orange though, so as I sat with this yarn, I began to worry that I made too bold of a choice. But there is something about the self-striping Uneek in the contrasting cool tones that balanced all my concerns. When I pair this piece with a cool tone tank underneath, this effect grows stronger.
My second concern, although wool is recommended for its breath-ablity, was the wool in this project. Was it insane to include wool in a summer top? To counteract any breath-ability issues in the finished fabric, I chose to crochet the back panel and chain the halter straps. I was very comfortable this summer, even on hot days, wearing this piece. With wool! It’s wild to me but it works. The silk does the heavy lifting though. I like working with cotton, but silk may be my new favorite warm weather fiber.
A special thanks to the pattern writing of Weichien Chan from Saskie & Co and Jamie Lomax from Pacific Knit Co, for explaining this process with such clarity, that I leveled up from a sock knitting dreamer to a sock knitter. Check out their patterns! I’m glad I did. 😃
The Sock Saga
How? And, why? Those were the questions burning at the back of mind as the sock process eluded me, again and again. For years, I couldn’t wrap my mind around the heel of the sock patterns I acquired. I tried a toe up approach. I tried to mess around with short rows. I even bought a sock pattern book from a used book store, for a bit of sock heritage. Heel flap, confused me. The mechanics of double pointed needles, challenged my hand eye coordination. Magic Loop tested my patience and exposed my tight tension, from my cluttered mind. But the Addi Sockenwunder 9″ cable in 3.5mm became the key to unlock knitting mechanics I was lacking.
If you’re familiar with this blog, you know my frustrations with knitting in the round. This came to a head in February, during the Melt the ICE hat knit along. I seriously messed up my tension, and initial attempt by twisting my work. My joined stitches became a helix, coiling around the cable. I frogged my work, and started again, this time waiting a few rows before joining. (I found this wisdom thanks to the advice of Reddit, I think? To the past comment thread that helped me, know that I am eternally grateful.) This time around, I was determined to keep my hands loose and my mind relaxed, and it worked. I did not feel the hand fatigue, I normally experience when knitting in the round. The short cable length of the Sockenwunder needles was the key, the stitches slid easily around in the exact space of a sock circumference. This is why Magic Loop and I, did not form a lasting relationship, the shifting of stitches was a hurdle I disliked. Same with DPNs, I don’t want to keep track of stitches on needles, I want to be in a flow state of stitching. That is the best part of knitting in the round, in my opinion, you just go and knit. It is incredibly relaxing, like crocheting a simple stitch across a project, you and the stitching implement become one with the yarn, looping and creating a fabric with a relaxed mind.
For this reason, the Sockenwunder socks came together quickly, despite the new techniques I was employing in this project. My first sock, I began at the end of the day on a Thursday, knit the body of the sock on Friday, and finished the toe and heel on Saturday. My second sock was began on Sunday, knit Monday, and wrapped up on Tuesday. Quick and easy, compared to a sweater! It’s what I want out of this knitting practice, something quick and relaxing, that is a pleasure to replicate over and over again. In the short term for my own feet for this coming winter, and in the long term for loved ones and beyond, hopefully charity knitting socks and possibly selling them at a market or online marketplace.
Sock Pattern
My sock pattern was loosely based on the patterns featured in the Arctic Knits book, which I will not go into detail for copyright reasons, but one thing I will talk about is my sizing mistake. I cast on an extra ten stitches from the Saskie & Co pattern, because of my usual tight tension knitting in the round. They fit a bit loose, and that’s okay. These first socks are a toile, for future socks, as I develop my preferences for socks. They are still usable, with a relaxed cabin socks fit for lounging around the house. I may layer other cotton socks underneath on cold days to pad the fit.
Another deviation from the sock patterns in the Arctic Knits book, was my choice to knit stripes, with scrap yarn from my Saskie Cardigan (another Saskie & Co project I will share soon). I didn’t know if these socks would turn out or be another failed attempt, so I used up my extras, in random stripes. This freed up my mind to concentrate on the mechanics of knitting the sock, and not the knitting charts. In the future, I plan to make the socks as written by Weichien Chan, they are stunning color work socks.
I used a combination of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Knit Picks Stroll, and Kelbourne Woolens Germantown.
Now, what about that random raised row of brown yarn? That is the magic of the after thought sock! You make temporary arrangements for your heel and pick it up again after the sock body and toe are complete. This is where Pacific Knit Co’s tutorial had my back. Sometimes I need things rephrased, and many detailed pictures to make a new skill click. I’m a visual learner. Sometimes those patterns, although well written jumble in my mind. By using the combination of both pattern designers I successfully picked up the stitches above and below. I did this with a second set of circulars from Clover that were a bit longer, 16″ but the same gauge of 3.5 mm. The length difference was helpful during the knitting process, as the long needles hung down out of the way of my hands knitting on the Sockenwunder, and alleviated the stress of stitches falling off when unattended to.
Both Weichien and Jamie helped finally see the how and why of the heel shaping. With the heel flap techniques, I lost sight of the point. With the patterns that had me turn the heel while knitting the body, the complexity of this, overwhelmed me. But the after thought heel, eliminated both of these hiccups. I could see the sock body and the heel taking shape, it was intuitive. If you have experienced overwhelm by socks, I high recommend mixing up your tools and techniques. That is why we have so many to choose from, you must experiment to find the right fit like selecting a bowling ball.
Experimentation and repetition are my biggest takeaways from this multi-year sock saga. It’s not the finished project, as much as the process that defines the success. Knitting requires a patience and tenacity to frog and cast on again that has been hard for me, as a perfectionist with squirrel brain to stay the course with. Mistakes anger me. Frogging feels like a waste of time, but its not. Committing the skills to memory by practice is no different to volleyball practice drills or math homework. To be a skilled maker, you must put the time in, no short cuts. In this age of information and short cuts, it’s counter-cultural to slow down and fixate one skill until it is acquired, but it is the only way as humans we learn.
The harvest season awakens something in me. I know it is the season that everything dies, but it does so beautifully. Humidity, also bids farewell for 6 months, and with it the best time of the year for getting dressed awakens from its slumber. But what are you to do when the itch to buy something new descends, as it did upon your mind last August? I’m determined to find new ways to scratch this itch, without over consuming and overspending. May I introduce you to my newest sewing obsession – applique?
Applique is like drawing on my clothes. I love it! Items from my wardrobe that I don’t like anymore can be erased and sketched upon once again with needle, thread, and scrap fabric. Or sometimes you get the double whammy of upcycling a garment with applique, from another garment you aren’t vibing with anymore. This is what did to re-imagine three hoodies from my existing wardrobe with patches and cut up scraps from projects that didn’t work out, to recycle and enjoy those projects in a new form.
1: Removing and Replacing a Portion of the Garment
Sometimes, try as you might, you have to cut out a portion of fabric from damage. This is what happened to this hoodie. It used to have block letters, embroidered by machine, that I had grown tired of. Even though I had good memories from the destination this hoodie used to spell out across the front, I had grown tired of being a billboard for this place. I tried to remove the embroidery, very carefully, but my stitch ripper did its thing too well and made holes. To remedy this, I cut a large section of fabric, bigger than the area I needed to replace to fix this problem. Next I secured this to the hoodie, by hand sewing, but you could sew this with your machine very easily. Just watch for pins! Finally, I cut out a moon and some birds, abstract style, from scrap fabric, sewing those to the newly repaired hoodie. It’s ready to wear once again!
2: Why Not Add a Separating Zipper and Patches?
Sometime it is not the graphic, but the overall function of the garment that needs an upgrade. I do wear this light blue hoodie, but not as much as I could, if the hoodie had a full zip, so I could wear it as a jacket. To make this upgrade, I purchased a separating zipper, usually labeled as a jacket/coat zipper. Before I began my cut, I marked where to cut, ensuring I would cut evenly in the middle of the garment. Next, I pinned the zipper in place, adjusting this several times, for perfect placement. I sewed this by hand, which I highly recommend, since a special sewing foot and some direction is needed to sew zippers without obliterating your needle.
I was quite pleased with its new functional form, but it was still missing some personality. It was time to cover the Nike logo. Once again, I tried to seam rip the logo, but those logo’s are quote stubborn. Instead, I changed it up to sew these Canadian Geese patches and a moon to this area of the hoodie, inspired by the film Fly Away Home.
3: Cover and Forget the Old Screen Printing
Now for the easiest upcycle – covering a screen print graphic with applique. For this design, I layered pieces of the background fabric, which was cut to be mountains, into a night sky. When choosing an applique this sizable, I recommend trying this one before you sew the pieces into place. By doing this first, I noticed the graphic was extending into the armpit, not desirable for comfort or the image I was creating with this applique pieces. I trimmed from the sides and tried again, before I began to sew. I first sewed the sky and then placed the bats. These bats were also free hand cut on the fold.
By changing up the graphic from a business, to piece of artwork, I can share something I am interested in with the world. Bats. Bats are great pollinators and help us maintain the mosquito population. They are also ambassadors of spooky season. Through some sewing and a little imagination, I transformed an unworn hoodie into a favorite piece of art. I hope this inspires you to get creative with something you might toss in the donate pile, and give your garments a second chance with a dash of applique!
The Doodle Decks from Pacific Knit Co had this aura, pulling me in from the first instance I saw online. Maybe it’s because of my 90s and 2000s childhood? It reminded me of the crafts we do as kids – the mini weaving looms, tie dye shirts, friendship bracelets, bedazzling etc. There was something about this deck cards.
If you are not familiar with the doodle decks, they are curated colorwork charts that are combined into a small deck of cards, with a design per card, and additional cards to teach you how to make the most from the themed deck of your choice. I love the approachable nature of this pattern! Instead of a paper pattern, with line by line instructions, you get miniature charts contained per card, that is far easier to keep track of when you are knitting.
I found this format incredibly easy to use! I could quickly flip through my options, and choose my pattern cards. You can compare options or brainstorm sections of your project by easily laying out the cards on a table. The small card, the size of a playing card, was easy to manage in my project bag. To pause my work, all I needed to do was slip my card on top of the deck, and slide the deck back into the box. No graph paper to fold or book to mark, easy peasy!
As a self-drafter, I am not the best at following patterns. I think some of this stems from neurodivergence, and some from the fierce individuality instilled from girlhood in the 90s-2000s. I remember, not wanting to be accused of “copying” someone’s style, or locker layout, or room decor. It was a major social faux pas. Even though knitting patterns are literally sold for this purpose, to share your design with the world, I can feel myself resisting. But with these doodle decks, even though I was not the one to draw these charts, I feel like it is a choose your adventure kind of pattern.
There are ideas for sure suggested in the deck, but you can follow your own heart. I like the customization of Pacific Knit Co’s format. I have learned a lot from them through this experience of using their color work doodle decks, including new perspective in regard to my own self-drafted color work charts. I always go big, with these large graphics, that span the front of a piece, when big is not the only way. Small designs, with repetition, in the fair isle tradition, are just as effective and a new way to tell the same story.
I would highly recommend giving these decks a try. I purchased the Farm Doodle Deck from my local yarn store, Moon and Yarn Craft Room to make the Town Farm Cardigan. For copyright reasons, I did not show the cards, aside from the front of the deck, but as you can see from these photos of my finished object, they contain lovely variety that will spark your imagination.
I love fall, and I wanted a sweater to celebrate that. But what makes this project even more personal to my taste, is the maple leaf motif at the neckline. Through my dad, I am half Canadian. They are from all over Canada from Saskatchewan to Alberta, and a lot from Ontario. Growing up, because of the nature of divorce and my dad’s messy relationships, I didn’t get to know this side until my twenties, and although it continues to be complicated, I wanted to knit a piece that spoke to my own heritage. Maple leaves seemed like a perfect motif to jump into. With the addition of the tonal yarn, this piece has a lovely fall gradient, that evokes the season, but doesn’t pigeon hole the garment into one season. I wear this in the winter and spring, without feeling out of place.
You may recognize the base of this sweater from my post, ‘Will I Wear a Knit T-shirt?’ and the answer for this project was yes, but, I’d love this even more as a full length sleeve! So as it goes, this project was cast back on to needles to make some sleeves, except, this time I tried a new to me technique – crochet – to create sleeves in the round. I wanted this piece to have a lot of texture, so I experimented with knit and crochet stitches to make this piece, which has a simple design, compared to my other projects feel a bit unique. In the end, I think I ended up with a lovely love letter to a part of me that I don’t always understand but are connected to even when they feel far away.
When I first saw these dragon egg skeins, it was right in the wake of Joann’s closure, I felt a sense of wonder. Like, maybe there was more to see outside the cave, to paraphrase Plato. I began to look at niche and new to me yarn brands, and Noro stole my heart.
The yarn is effervescent, floating on the loveliness of its craftsmanship. The yarn looks hand spun, although it is made on a hybrid machine. It called to me, as a knitter who had stuck to the budget yarn and avoided wool for years because the scratchiness was all I could remember. I didn’t know that wool, in spite of the scratchiness, has unique properties that enhance your stitches and make caring for your sweaters easy. Wool is antimicrobial naturally, meaning you don’t have to wash them consistently like other garments in your closet. They can be spot cleaned and refreshed between wears. The other important thing I was missing out on was the way the wool grips onto itself, it has memory, and a squish that is unlike what I had experienced with my acrylic and cotton based fibers.
Now, the Noro had me from first sight, but how was this self striping yarn to work with? Great actually! I chose the colorway Kori, a cool toned blend of blues and purples, with occasional hints of green, red, and gray.
The pooling was well behaved and the transitions were gradual. The hand spun feel of the yarn did pose some issues for me, when it came to gauge. There were sections that were quite thick and disconcertingly thin. I did cut some of thread like sections out of my yarn, because one snapped on me as I was working with it. This led to some yarn chicken, unfortunately.
My lack of yardage was also my own fault. When I first ordered this yarn, from my local yarn shop, I had planned to make a vest. But once I felt the fabric the yarn created, I wanted a whole sweater. This was not going to be possible with 900 meters of yarn. I had to get crafty, and sourced some yarn from my stash that was a similar color and weight, and most importantly, was a non-super wash wool like the Noro. To mimic the color story of the Sauin, I was careful to splice in the other yarn where the colors made sense and I think it is hard to tell what is the Noro yarn and what is Knit Picks Palette.
So what is it like to wear? A dream honestly. It feels like a vintage sweater, like a wool sweater from the 80s or 90s, a find that would make you do a happy dance if you picked this up at a thrift store. It is minimally scratchy, warm, yet breathable. It’s made me a wool convert and a Noro stan. I want to make this over and over again. What will keep me in check is the price point and availability. Each skein of the Sauin was 35 USD. That is why I chose to add in yarn from my stash to keep this project at 70 USD, instead of 105 or 140 USD, since I am bad at guessing yardage. This yarn brand is incredibly popular, which has made it tricky to get my hands on, but I am seeing that is 2026 the yarn is becoming more common in the US. That makes me happy to see – every knitter and crocheter should give this fiber a try!
I’ve mentioned this before, but as a maker, I revisit a single project many times before it is done. Sometimes I will live with a finished object for a month, a few months, or even a year, and suddenly pick it back up again to adjust something that feels off. Honestly, taking a season or two away from that garment – such as, putting away a dress for the winter, or a sweater while you sweat it out for the summer, can give your mind the space to forget and re-acquaint yourself to the garment like you picked it up from the store. It is a whole new piece again, which can lead to me be less than thrilled with past me and her design choices.
Take this vest for example, I began this project in December 2024, wrapping it in February 2025. I wore it a few times, as it stands as a vest that winter and spring, then it was put away for the warm weather. When cool air returned in the fall, I pulled it out of its drawer and set it on my dress form. This vest did not feel complete, it had more to say, even though my hands were weary back in the winter, so I stopped and called this piece done. But its not done, it would be a gorgeous colorful sweater, and it was time to go back to this garment to make it whole.
Now, this was a self drafted piece. A complicated self drafted piece that helped me cut my color work chops in a garment. This was the first sweater I made with such a large color palette and the first time I decided to make a knitted piece with the motivation of telling a story. I wanted to evoke a winter sky, with a moon that was visible on the front and back. A moon with stars, and clouds, floating above a forest. This sweater would not only feature colorful forms across the fabric, it would have texture. I chose to use the ‘seersucker stitch’ as it was labeled from a Pinterest chart, to weave a diamond texture into the fabric for a 3-D plush effect. I chose large and miniature color work sections to create ebb and flow in the color story.
For the bind off, I had grown tired of the classic 1×1 rib, so I tried something a little different! I chose to create tight stripes, knit stitched together. Instead of stockinette which used knit (right side) and purl (wrong side) for it’s classic construction, I decided knit stitch, knitting the right side and wrong side, would stabilize the stitches for a lack of curling in the finished fabric. And it worked! The technique and color changes ground the color palette for a cohesive garment.
Keeping these previous choices in mind, when it came time to add sleeves and a new collar, I chose to employee a new to me technique, crochet. I wanted the sleeves to be made in the round, and be completed quickly so I could wear this piece for most of the winter. Crochet is much easier to do in the round, and to make progress quickly. The crochet stitches allowed me to work in new directions too, so the sweater had vertical texture to contrast with the horizontal lines of the original vest. With sleeves complete, this is one of my favorite pieces to date. It tells a story. The color palette reminds me of Stardew Valley. The cloud on the back reminds me of an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender when Appa is missing, and Aang thinks a cloud flying above is Appa floating above. I love the variety of colors – gold, navy, magenta, violet, and cream.
This was a labor of love, but I would highly recommend trying a complex project such as this if you are interested in making your own garments. Not only does this piece express my identity, it taught me how to be a better fiber artist. I feel proud each time I wear it. Get inspired and start stitching something from your own imagination!
A project that I have struggled with as a fiber artist, has been the classic cardigan. Like menswear, there is something deceivingly simple yet downright complex. This is my journey to make my first successful cardigan project!
To make this garment, I used 3 Caron Blossom Cakes for a total yardage of 1443, give or take a yard or three left over. I used a 5.5 mm hook and chose a combination of single crochet for the collar and cuffs, and double crochet for the body of the garment. This was my second crochet project, and I’m shocked with how well it turned out, compared to my first knit garments! Crochet is such a forgiving medium, compared to working live stitches between two needles in knitting. It’s simple to pull back progress to correct mistakes, without losing the integrity of the garment. Seaming the garment was far easier, using the hook to single crochet slip stitch the panels together. For the sleeves, it was a straightforward transition to crocheting in the round, compared to how confusing I find knitting in the round to be. In the same way, finding the stitches to pick up for the collar and button band, was a piece of cake!
Honestly, I have struggled with cardigans in the past – including felting a finished garment less than a week after I finished knitting it. It was devastating! The only thing I struggled with in this project was button color, size, and placement. As you can see from the featured photo and this one below, I have changed the color and button placement with wear. The vintage teal buttons I bought secondhand are brittle, one actually snapped in half. These tortoiseshell buttons are darker than I planned to use. I originally wanted to use buttons in a similar color value to the yarn hue, but the contrast is not bad. I think it brings more polish to the finished piece. The tortoiseshell buttons are actually the same I used on my felted cardigan. Always save your notions!
Because this cardigan is made from Caron Blossom Cakes, it is a combination of cotton and polyester, and is quite breathable for how chunky and fuzzy the yarn is. Now, the crochet stitches are certainly helping, but I am impressed by how comfortable this yarn is to wear. It tempts me to buy more, in a different colorway to make another sweater or cardigan. I have pause though. All the color offerings are vibrant. What if two garments with this yarn style is too much?
Overall, I loved my experience making this garment and wearing it. It’s a solid cardigan for Fall and Spring, with appropriate layering I’m sure I would feel warm enough in Winter too.
Have you crocheted a cardigan before? What was your first crochet project? Have you worked with Caron Blossom Cakes?
I wanted to make a cardigan that celebrated our garden, with a yarn inspired by Beatrix Potter, that was made from wool, and featured a fair isle design. To do this I used Pacific Knit Co’s farm doodle deck and Knit Picks’ Chroma Worsted Weight yarn in the colors Beatrix and New Leaf. The Chroma yarn has become a fast favorite of mine for its durability and delicious halo. The yarn is comprised of 70% super wash wool and 30% nylon. This was a bit of a stash busting project, and a splurge. I wished to use up three skeins of deadstock New Leaf, finding the pink-orange-white of Beatrix was the perfect spring-inspired color palette upon which to build. Using a gift card from Christmas, I purchased 6 skeins of Beatrix, although I had to repurchase more with this project using thirteen skeins in total. Not cheap! But worth the splurge to create a piece I plan to wear for the rest of my life that celebrates the garden we have created here at our new house. It’s our in-town farm, as our friend calls it.
The bulk of this project was done on US 8 straight needles, and seamed together using a 5.5 mm crochet hook. The bottom ribbing was created using a US 4 circular needle. The size reduction of 1.5 mm, changed the gauge to create this floral ruffle along the bottom edge. At complete accident! But I like it. In addition, I used mostly stockinette stitches, with 1×1 ribbing at the cuffs, collar, button band, and bottom hem, and the seersucker stitch for added texture, in between color work sections. Will I add buttons? I am uncertain. The original plan was to use buttons, and have purchased buttons, yet I like to wear my garments first beforehand, to see if I want to wear the garment closed. Since yesterday was the Summer Solstice, I have a while to wait!
This garment took approximately 4 months to complete, along side other sewing, crochet, and knitting projects.
The first in a new series called, Drawing the Seed Catalogs. We obviously have a lot of seed catalogs kicking around, what better way to put them to use? And the best part? Being able to find muses to draw without using my phone. 😁
