Darn!

 

Fast fashion is not my thing. 

My wardrobe is fairly limited and contained. No, I am not a fashion minimalist but I am a deliberate shopper. As a general rule I only go clothes shopping when I need something specific. Then I go in, find what I need and get out -- as quickly as possible. I do not bargain hunt, but rather, keep fewer items in my closet. I tend to buy classic styles that I can wear year in and year out. Where I veer from this path is in my hand made clothing. Here I will be a bit more daring as I try out patterns, often, to just learn a new skill or method of construction.

When things wear out I try to repair them but some things are not worth the time. Socks for example, I never catch my socks in the wearing out stage but only seem to realize there is a problem when a big hole has appeared. By then, the effort involved in repairing it is almost as much as the effort that goes into knitting a new pair of socks. I tried darning socks for a few months but after repairing one pair of socks only to immediately burst through them in another area, I went back to the Yarn Harlot's method of darning socks. I hold the sock over the trashcan and say "Darn!" as I drop it in.

Sweaters, however, are another story.

My son wears handknit wool sweaters 12 months of the year. Don't judge. He's an adult and knows what he needs to wear to be comfortable.

All of this wearing leads to the inevitable wear and tear. Mainly the elbows. These I mend.

The most recent victim of elbow wear is his Dust Puppy sweater. Originally knit for my husband, Dust Puppy has been around for probably about 20 years in it's current incarnation. (It was originally knit several sizes larger but Mike then lost a lot of weight and I reknit it.)

All that is to say that it's kind of surprising that the elbows are just wearing out. One sort of gave way a year or two ago and the other one I noticed just before Thanksgiving.

Usually I do my best to just duplicate stitch over the worn areas and bring them up to strength that way. I keep some left over yarn from all of my hand knits just in case I have to do a repair. Unfortunately, Dust Puppy was knit so long ago that I no longer have the yarn I made it with.

So I got creative. Follow along on my darning tutorial to see how!

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Step one, identify the worn area.

 

Step two, out line the area to be darned. Usually I use the same color yarn but, as I said, this time I got creative. I used a blackish sock weight yarn left over from a sock weight sweater. I also usually darn in a square but circles are good too!

Step 3, run "warp" lines vertically from one edge of the outline to the other. This provides a matrix for what comes later.

Fill in any gaps that seem to be too wide. (This is a personal decision.)

Step 4, duplicate stitch over as many of the encircled stitches as you can. I either work vertically or horizontally or ... both. Yup, I play fast and loose here and just go into the next stitch that feels right at the time. Use the warp threads to help you figure out where missing stitches should go.

Step 5, once you get to an area with actual missing stitches, start weaving. Using your needle, go over and under the warp threads, filling in the area until you have a nice dense patch over the sweater wound. (O.k., it looks like I didn't get those photos so please use your imagination.)

Then I got creative. Using a sparkly black sock yarn I crossed over the area, back and forth on the diameter. I started dividing it like a pizza and then kept splitting the pieces until there was no evidence of the original grey yarn.

The end result ... a mini Dust Puppy (rear view).

Thank you for joining me in my first, rather scattered, tutorial. Tune in next week for more fun!

Leggings: A Learning Journey

Eight Ten pair of leggings (workout style). (Pattern links at bottom of post)

That's how many I have made since my love affair with me-made workout gear began.

With each pair I have gained valuable skills and confidence.

Some have provided valuable lessons.

Yet others have shown me the risks of choosing colors on line while still knowing that I do not have the greatest color sense in the world.

And another two pair taught me that workout tights can also be skirts! (There are attached bike shorts under the skirt.)

And yet others have proven that it is difficult to know what a fabric will feel like when bought on line. (The pair below are not my faves when it comes to working out.)

It was this pair (below) that convinced me that it was time to start learning how patterns are actually drafted.

They look good and feel great (fantastic workout fabric)  but I have some issues with them. First off, they are a little to long and hence a bit baggy at the ankle. This was my fault as I went for the "tall" version of the pattern without reading carefully and looking for what height the regulars are drafted for. Turns out I am kind of in between the two. Figures.

Second, when working out, they gather in ways that I think might be a result of a fit that is not perfect, and while I am happy wearing "not perfect," I still want to get closer.

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Several weeks ago I reunited with a a workout buddy who has problems getting workout gear that fits correctly. I took this as a challenge. Asking if she would be my test subject, I got some basic measurements and, using the pattern I'd purchased for the Kracken tights, gave it a couple of tries.

On the first attempt I over thought it and
used some basic knowledge gleaned from the Made to Measure leggings class to try to adjust the purchased pattern. The end result was too small. Then, comparing the basic measurements to the actual pattern I decided to make it up in the smallest size. Too big.

Finally, I decided to try actually drafting the pattern using the Made to Measure leggings class. Since I am still waiting for my friends measurements I decided to give them a go with my own.

Not too bad.

The fabric is not something I would choose for leggings -- it is a bit too thin and has a bit too much stretch (100% horizontal and 50% vertical) and, using the yoga waistband, they were way to big at my waist -- matching my actual measurements instead of being more compressive, something that does not work in this fabric even with a compressive lining. I took a dart in each side of the waistband and will give them the workout test this morning.

My next steps will include making them again in a more suitable fabric (the first attempt was meant to be just that, an attempt using left over fabric from another project (yes, I over ordered and got a pair of "mommy and me" dresses (for me and my adult daughter!) out of the fabric before making the leggings).

I also want to compare my drafted pattern to my purchased patterns and see how they compare. The ultimate goal is to use my personalized pattern to alter purchased patterns and learn how to make the correct alterations. 

Once again, a learning process.

Pattern Links:

First, Second and Third Attempts -- Inspire Tights

Pockets!  -- Spark Tights

Sports Skirt -- Rally Skirt

Kracken Tights -- Simpaticos

Made To Measure Leggings Class

Kracken Fabric - Sew Dynamic Fabric

Slowing Down

 Slowing Down

I have a hard time holding back when I get an idea I really want to try.

For example, last week’s post. Go back, read it, comment and then return. I’ll wait …

I want to do it. I want to try to start my own semi custom, small batch, sewing business.

Now! 

Friday I was *this* close to stopping at the Spandex House (yes, it is a real place) and getting fabric for a sample first make.

Fortunately I got distracted and went home instead.

I need to slow down. I know that I do. My retirement plans are still up in the air and things at work are changing rapidly due to our new Mayor and Chancellor.

Also, I need to build my skills. I’ve only been at this clothing sewing thing for about a year and I know I still have a lot to learn. Yesterday, for example, I finally managed several good hems with a twin needle. (You know, the double line of stitching on the hem of your tee shirt – that. It’s not as easy as it looks.) I used some cool Kracken fabric from Sew Dynamic to make tee shirts for Mike and Natan and tried the twin needle out on them. Not perfect but not bad either.

Lessons learned from these shirts: 1. I need a little more than a yard of fabric to make short sleeve tees for each of my guys. I thought I had enough for Natan’s sleeves and discovered, after I had cut them and was ready to attach, that one was missing the top part. I improvised a fix and moved on. Mike’s shirt has contrasting sleeves and neck band. 2. I need more practice on twin stitching the neck band down. 3. I need to check each piece for issues before I sit down to sew it up - turns out one of Natan’s sleeve was missing its top. I sewed another piece of fabric on and made it work. Now I have ideas for color blocking sleeves!

In addition to needing time to build skills, I have several projects that I have fabric for and need to make up. These include, but are not limit to, a long black dress for Batya to wear for performances (Riverside Orchestra), multiple camisoles for me from the left over fabric from the quartet of tee shirts I made for Natan a few weeks ago and … pillow cases.

For the master bedroom we own two sets of bed clothes. That translates to two fitted sheets, two duvet covers and a passel of mismatched pillow cases. When one sheet wears out I replace it with the least expensive, same fabric content, option I can find on Amazon. That means that my bed is a mixture of different colors. No, I do not care if everything matches.

What I do care about is the fiber content. Many years ago I bought a set of linen sheets on sale. I never looked back.

So, when one of Mike’s pillow cases wore out last week, I decided it was time to make my own. We went to Gray Line Linen and purchased enough fabric to make a few pillow cases. In a color which neither clashes nor matches the rest of the bedding.

So, to summarize, I have plenty to keep me busy. And yet I am anxious to get started with the next part of my journey through life.

I am going to do my best this week to focus on what I have now instead of what I think I want next. Next is still far away and I need to live in the here and now.

Let’s see what happens.

Post Script: Here are three of the five pillow cases! Now to cast on a sweater …

What Next?

Sometime in the next 18 months I will be retiring. It might be this June, it might be next January or, at the latest, the following June.

The details of how I will make my determination are the subject of another, probably never to be published, post. (More of an internal dialog put in writing.)

The question of the day is: what next?

It is on this question that I am hoping for some feedback. Keep reading to see what I think might be possible.

For as long as I have been able to control my fine motor skills I have been crafting. My endeavors have provided years of blog fuel (go back to when this blog was last active) and I get great satisfaction from my hobbies.

As long as I have been crafting there have been those who have said “you should sell this,” about whatever I was making at the time. Up until now that was simply not feasible. The amount of time that I put into a hand made garment is significant and the cost / time ratio just did not allow any significant hourly wage.

Sewing, however, is a different beast. I can make a good looking pair of workout tights in a day. A tee shirt in a unique fabric in an afternoon and a pretty dress in a pair of days.

But I don’t want to make stuff at random and have inventory to deal with.

What I would like to do is:

• Pick a pattern

• Pick a couple of different fabrics

• Put up the garment for pre-orders

Garments would be made to the client’s measurements and in the fabric chosen.

Price would be based on fabric cost plus time estimated to make the item and would be pre-set at time of ordering with the costs averaged out to accommodate all sizes (larger or smaller quantities of fabric) and assuming the same amount of time for construction of each garment.

Is this feasible? Would you or people you know be interested in this?

Please comment either here or on the social media site that led you to this post.

Thanks!

Hand Crafted Memories

Mike and I are about to embark on our first long vacation since summer 2019. We are heading to San Diego for a week -- a week during the school year. This is a first for us. For the last 30 plus years we have been constrained by the academic calendar and have had to put up with crowds and higher prices for traveling during peak times. 

This trip is only possible because, while we are both still in academia, Mike is on a college schedule and it is currently intersession, and I now have a year round role in a Central office, not in a school and can take my vacation time with more flexibility.

When we travel I always bring my knitting with me. Always. 

Often I come home with more yarn than I left with and, I usually come home with at least one pair of socks finished on the road. Sometimes they are even on my feet!

It is vital that I have my knitting with me. Knitting makes me feel productive while enduring flight delays and give me an outlet for my nervous fidgets while making our way from here to there.

My knits also serve as a memory time stamp. For example, while on our epic trip to Harrogate, England I finished three or four pair of socks. Two pair, in particular, will always evoke memories of that trip. 

The socks at the top and bottom were knit with yarn brought from home. The pair in the middle, and a second pair (not shown) were knit with yarn bought in England. While both of my kids have socks knit in England from British wool, I have socks (top pair) knit en route from wool purchased in Lancaster, PA.  See, time stamps from two different trips combined in one pair of socks!

Mike's hat was made from yarn purchased in a lovely shop just outside of Leeds and knit here in NYC. 

This shawl was knit from wool acquired in Dublin in February 2020 while on a trip with my daughter. The wool is a rarity in that it comes from Irish Sheep, was dyed in Ireland and was started in Ireland on needles purchased along with the yarn. It was finished back here in NYC during the weeks following the start of the pandemic. Whenever I wear it I remember that wonderful trip and the fact that the yarn store was our very first stop after dropping our things at the hotel.

For this week's adventures I give you this!

A pair of socks with half of one foot to finish, The Russell Street Shawl, still in early stages, and a pair of socks in larval form. My thoughts are that I will work on the socks while waiting in the airport and the shawl while in flight. Sock knitting will be with me where ever we wander, ready to take out while visiting with friends, waiting for a meal or just relaxing after a strenuous day of sightseeing.

And, just in case you think I forgot about Mike, he is bringing his paints with him and will return with his own hand crafted memories.