Shameless huckstering:

Avert your eyes! OR, pay a visit to Knititude to see some excerpts from the Dayflower Camisole/Dress pattern, finally available for sale.

Another Peanut Dress, aka Sarabeth

Cross-posted at A Little Loopy.

Nope, your eyes do not deceive you; it's another Peanut Dress...kind of. I know- I'm like a one woman tiny dress factory over here! Same Peanut Dress pattern, same occasion (1st birthday), however, whereas the PDs were made especially for my nieces, the Peanuts, this here dress was made especially for B's niece, Sara. How funny is it that both B's sis and my sis gave birth to their first babies within eleven days of each other?

Once I knew that the pattern worked and the first dress was in the can, I decided to roll out another one for Sara, time permitting (which it did). I wanted stripes, and wouldn't you know it, I adore this striped version as much as the others. All three dresses were knit with Classic Elite Premiere (love this yarn, I can't tell you), on US size 6 needles. I didn't plan out the striped pattern ahead of time. Rather, I let them unfold along the way. For all the improv, I think it turned out really cute, and as "balanced" as asymmetrical stripes can be (you know me- this is always a consideration).

A small modification: I lengthened this dress by about an inch to account for Sara's long legs. Although she is only 11 days older than the Peanuts, she is taller than them. (Sorry, 'Nuts, just keepin' it real.) ;) This mod should still allow for some growth over time, which was always the intension of these dresses. I mean, can't you see these as tops eventually over shorts or little people jeans?

Here's a close up of the stripey goodness. The colors represented in this photo are much closer to the actual colors. Happy, happy! Well, off to gift wrap this baby- Sara's party is on Sunday!

PS: I've been exhaustified by work lately, but I am planning to write out the pattern (legibly) and making it available a couple other sizes as well. Wish me luck...

FO: Peanut Dresses!

Cross-posted at A Little Loopy.

Well, my friends, my first design project, the Peanut Dresses, are dunzo!

Two firsts

My goal for this project first was to stick with a simple design, small enough in scale so that I could get my feet wet with this whole designing-for-the-first-time thing, without psyching myself out. And although it was quite frustrating at times, I learned so much in the process, and am really happy with the end result. And best of all, they fit!

Peanut dress fitting (over a bathing suit). Hope to get more FO pics with both Peanuts soon.

These are simple dresses that are made to fit a 12-18 month year old, with room to grow. I purposely chose this a-line, empire waisted shape with spaghetti strap ties at the top, so that as the girls got bigger, the dresses could become tops, by adjusting the straps. It's knit in the round from the bottom up, with side decreases spaced evenly throughout the skirt and armholes. I changed the stitch pattern at the top, where the color change happens, and at the hem, to add a little bit of visual interest and also to tie everything together.

A few simple, but important lessons learned about designing:

1. Writing out a pattern takes work - and more knitty math than I am comfortable with at present - but I'm sure this will become easier with time (...right?). Me calculating the number of stitches and decreases...let's just say it wasn't pretty, though I'm sure it was funny to watch. Thankfully, Dis can do math, and I have her phone number. The way I went about writing out the pattern- I'm not sure how *real* designers do it, but I started out with a vague sense of the size and measurements and I wanted, what I wanted to do, and where, in terms of the decreases, and the general design in mind, but I actually wrote out the pattern as I went along. Yay for pencils and a good eraser!

2. Revisions are just part of the process. Sometimes you have to just try something out and if it doesn't work, you have to rip it out and start over. I lost count of how many times PD1 was tampered with. I learned to embrace the two steps forward, one step back, and repeat method.

One major modification to my initial design: I had planned to embroider flowers all around the bottom. However, after testing out various stitching methods on my swatch, I found that none looked all that great, plus it ended up being too bulky, and I didn't want the dresses to end up looking messy. In the end, I decided to keep it simple: one flower motif instead of many. I made a trip to F&S Fabrics and found cute daisies. I sewed them on, and simply added a stitched stem. Not what I had in mind from the beginning, but I'm pleased with the solution I was able to come up with.

Another slight change in plan involved the strap construction, if you will. I had initially thought crochet chains would do it, but once the dresses were made, I realized crochet chains wouldn't be sturdy enough. Many people suggested i-cords. While I liked the idea of i-cords, I determined that standard 3-stitch i-cords would be too bulky once tied into bows, especially on a baby-sized shoulders. So, I went with 2-stitch i-cords. Still very sturdy, but less bulky. I really like how they turned out.

top detail

3. Patience is key. Designing and knitting a garment of one's own is challenging, because you will encounter bumps (if not giant potholes) in the road, but it's ultimately very rewarding. Knowing that I set out to design something, plotted the whole thing out, knit them up, and they fit- I can't help but be proud of this accomplishment. I definitely see more designing in my future!

hem detail

Many thanks to my pals and designing mentors, Julia and Marnie, for creating the Create Along, which allowed me to fulfill my desire to try my hand at designing for the first time. And for their encouragement, along with that of fellow CALers, bloggy friends, and of course my Loopy Girls, which helped to push me along.

Post-script: This is really turning into THE first birthday dress of the season. As if two dresses weren't enough; I'm now knitting up a third for B's niece, who will also turn one in a few weeks. It's the same, but different. I'll post a picture soon. :)

And Then There Were Two

Also posted at A Little Loopy.

Well, I committed myself to working solely on the Peanut Dresses, and much as I'm itching to knit something for myself, like a summery cami or tank, it seems that my one (project) track mind is paying off. PD2 is done! Well, mostly done. Both dresses still remain sans straps at the top and embroidery. Knitting PD2 was so much easier, since I already had the pattern instructions written down from the trial and error stages of the PD1 process.

And let me tell you, there were repeated attempts, various trials, and numerous errors. I lost count of how many times I ripped back poor PD1. But, PD2 is all the better for it. Yay for copious note-taking! I must admit-they look pretty cute together!

Next, I need to figure out what I want to do about the spaghetti strap ties for the top. Initially, I thought of attaching crochet chains, but on second thought, I fear those wouldn't be sturdy enough. I'm going to have to sit down and play around, methinks, and see what I can come up with.

My biggest concern at this point, aside from how to handle the ties, oh- and how the embroidered details will turn out (my embroidery skills are rather rusty), is how they will fit on real life Peanut bodies. But, after spending some time with the real life Peanuts at a picnic over the weekend, my estimation is that I think they should fit just fine. *fingers crossed*

Then again, maybe if I just give them enough paper napkins to hold their attention, they won't care how the dresses fit...

Mishka Progress

It feels like it's been so long since I spent a morning propped up on my pillows, talking to the blog about knitting. Since the last time, I've been slowly plugging away on Mishka - just a row here and a row there - finally over the weekend, I was able to finish and block the first piece.

I always build my designs around a yarn. When I first see a yarn I usually have a fairly clear conception of what I want it to be, at least in the sense that I know if it will be a tank or a cowl-neck sweater or some knee socks. I usually cannot "see" anything other than the type of piece that I first envision for a yarn until it has been made into that initial vision. Later, I can use that starting concept as a building block and move off into other directions, but at first it just has to be what it is in my head. I buy approximately the amount of yarn that I think I will need to create that vision. If I were smart I would buy that amount plus one skein, but usually I cannot manage to make myself do that. I abhor leftovers, and can go to fairly extreme lengths to make sure that I buy exactly the right amount of yarn and not a bit more.

This was how it went when designing Mishka. I bought the yarn for the piece about two years ago, and envisioned it as a sleeveless shell. As I worked on it, it morphed from sleeveless shell into a draping, flowing top, with shoulder and hem ties woven through casings. The body is worked without shaping, with about four inches of ease built into the width, so that it will blouse and drape. The armscyes are shorter than on a sweater so that undergarments will stay hidden, yet a bit looser than on a fitted tank so that the flow won't be interrupted.

I was very lucky to find that Premiere yarn goes a bit further than expected. I bought exactly what I thought I would need for a fitted shell - five skeins - but with a little ingenuity and advanced planning, I have been able to stretch that amount to work for a blousy top. I worked a slip-stitch edging that I borrowed from one of Annie Modesitt's designs along the armscyes so that they are self-finishing, and also employed a little trick I picked up years ago to avoid the stair-step effect of an armscye bind-off (it also works for necklines and shoulders) to accomplish the same. I worked the reverse side of the shoulder casings in a coordinating yarn that is lighter and of a substantially smaller gauge so as to use less Premiere, but also to make it less obvious that there is a casing present at all. As a consequence, I think I managed to get enough extra fabric in the piece to make it blouse effectively. In addition to giving it four inches of ease, I made it twenty-three and a half inches in length from the shoulder, which should give it a total length of at least twenty-four inches with the ties at the top. Standard length for me on a fitted shell would be somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty inches, twenty-four should provide plenty of blousing space.


I still haven't decided how to handle the hemline of the piece. I could seam the sides all the way down to the hem and just let it as is, swinging free. Or I could leave it unseamed for the last three and a half to four inches and run a casing along the bottom edge where I can weave ties through so that it gathers in and sits gently on the hip. I think I prefer the second option, but it will all depend on the length when worn. I may be just short enough on fabric that the effect wouldn't quite work without an additional half-inch to gather and blouse.

I'll just have to see when I get there. There is always a little interplay of idea and chance, no matter what the initial concept. Even if it turns out very close to the way I envisioned, there will doubtless be some element of surprise. I think this is my favorite part of designing - reaching the point when I feel certain that what I have done so far will work and that I will enjoy it, but still having some improvisation left on the horizon - a little bit of uncertainty that makes it all exciting.

Progress, woo hoo!

I finally got around to getting started with the Roadrunner pattern. I sketched out the original shirt and measured it.

I decided to do an edging on the hem, neckline, and sleeves, with the rest in stockinette. Plain stockinette is, well, plain, but it shows off the lovely fiber, Classic Elite Premiere in a pretty medium lavender color (#5207). I bought it at Webs, which of course has just about every color of everything, but this one grabbed me.

For the pattern, I chose something from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns: Open Star Stitch. I swatched for both the pattern and stockinette, and I was off!

(Warning: color is embarrassingly inaccurate!)

Just enough to give the hem a little texture and make it lie flat (as opposed to plain stockinette, which rolls).

(Color much more accurate here!)

Then I began the stockinette, and a gradual decrease on either side for a bit of waist shaping--nothing too dramatic, since this is supposed to be a t-shirt with some ease.

So that's my progress so far. I have a lot to think about: how do I make the pattern "curve" around a scooped neckline? How do I create cap sleeves with the patterned edging? Should the sleeves be separate, or should they "grow" out of the front and back pieces? Hmmm...more to come!

Peanut Dresses - knitting has commenced!

It's hard to believe that I actually wanted to be a fashion designer at one point in time. In no way had (have) I the creativity needed for this profession, but fashion interested me, and I was into it for a while there in my early teens. Judging from my very simple, rudimentary sketch for my Create Along project, it's clear to all why it's just as well I let that dream die. (If I had any sense at all, I would have turned to shoe designing, but that's another lost dream for another day.)

Peanut Dresses on paper

I've improvised, tweaked, and winged several projects before, but this is by far the biggest designing project I've undertaken- on purpose. Somehow, I need to not only come up with an idea (or ideas, as the case may be), find yarn I like, and then turn that into dresses for a certain pair of twin peanuts.

Peanuts, in dresses

What's that, you say? Good luck? Thank you, I will need it! Because although I at least had the foresight to chose a very simple shape and line for the dresses, there's a lot that goes into designing! (Duh) Translating the picture and idea in your head to paper and then to an actual piece, is far more involved and labor intensive than you might think. I've always respected designers for their talent and ability, and this process has only intensified my admiration.

It took a while for me to settle on a design, but I've got it now, and after swatching and profuse mathematical planning (and readjusting), I'm finally on my way! I played around a little and came up with this little design-whatever (highly technical design term) for the non-hemline. I think it adds some visual interest, as well as (hopefully) some stability, so we might avoid the whole rolling up thing. Here's a glimpse of the bottom of PD1.

No, it's not a watermelon dress. You'll see.

"Do you think Aunty knows what the heck she's doing? Hmm..."

Create-Along: Back At It!

Cross-posted from MindofWinter

Mishka (named after Mames' beautiful GSD), lounging next to the meager notes I have taken.

I kicked off the Create-Along with a bang, swatching up a beautiful Barbara Walker lace pattern that I intended to use for a very simple shell. I was going to do a boatneck sheath style and run a single panel of lace down the left side. At the time I was very enthused about it, but the weeks wore on and it just never got knit.

I finally realized that the reason the shell wasn't happening, was that it wasn't happening in my head - I was truly bored with my own conception. I think the original idea was a good one, very classic, and something that I would get a lot of use from. But it just didn't grab me. I had been flipping through fashion magazines and pouring over runway knits, and I wanted something more current. Not trendy, necessarily, as I like clothing to stand the test of time, but more in the moment that what I had originally conceived. (I will probably design the sheath eventually, as well, when it is more what I am looking for.)

Marnie and I talked about my ideas pretty extensively one night, and discussed how we felt obligated to stick with the designs that we presented to the knitters in the CAL. She had been struggling with her design, Lily, as well, yet felt that for some reason she needed to stick with the conception she had started with. I realized about half-way through the conversation how silly we were. Why would we do this for the CALers, of all people? The whole point of the CAL was to show process, and almost nothing is more part of the process than scrapping design ideas, re-working and ripping! If you are afraid to do that, you are often left with a piece that you don't like, and which does not really represent your full creative process and personal perspective.

That is a long way of saying that I decided to scrap the original idea, and instead work out a new plan. Here it is: I am going to make a loosely-fitting hip-length top that will have hemmed casings at the top which I will run corded ties through to close. The motif will repeat with sections of large "rib" in between on both the front and the back. I would also like to do casings about three inches from the bottom edge with corded ties to create a blousing effect, but that is going to depend on whether I have enough yarn to manage it. I may have to re-work a bit to accommodate the minimal yardage I have going on here.

I was going to sketch it out for you, but I didn't do that yet in my *real* design process, so it's kind of silly to pretend that I did it for the CAL or the blog! I will probably sketch it soon, and I'll include the sketch here when I do. The thing that I have done already is a rough yardage estimation. I find that really useful, so I'll try to share a post on it soon. In the meantime, I will back at it and knitting away on Mishka - yay! It's about time.

A series of unfortunate knitting events

When last we left "Dayflower Lace," it had just been ripped back to the top of the lace. My original sketch (see here) had featured a single repeat of the lace up the upper center front, and an interesting cross between a V and a square neck. I had discarded this idea because I wasn't sure how I would finish the edge, wasn't sure how the wavy lace would look in a single repeat with stockinette on each side, etc.

But then I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a shot...but I had already decreased within each lace repeat, so to continue the single lace panel up the front, I didn't see any option but to rip back below the decreases (luckily just a couple of rows) and then redo the decreases, EXCEPT for the one center front panel. I had decided to go back to the eyelet holes and twisted cord belt to create a close underbust fit, but then, as shown above, I thought I would also try some columns of openwork within the underbust band.

Well. I completely forgot about the effect that nearby YOs and decreases have on the accent ridge, and in this case, it's not even a nice regular wave, but a lumpy-bumpy mess. Plus I don't like that additional openwork.

Lest you think I'm the Lemony Snicket of the CAL, I'll leave you with this photo: yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sleeve Options

Ok soooo I bound off the top of my shirt and I'm already going to have to frog a few rows because I forgot to do the seed stitch edging at the top of the back edge and it rolls down a bit from being just stockinette. I tried this on and I think that it's basically just what I was going for. I like the seed stitch but I do wish that I had been able to get it to cling a little more under the bust. Also because of the increasing, the short rows would have been completely unnecessary and would have looked silly. I'm glad I frogged those.



Here are my sleeve sketches. Got cut off a bit by the scanner I see. Anyways I will reattach and do one of these three ideas. I like the ruffle because it coordinates with the ruffle I plan for the bottom edge, but I'm beginning to think I might not want the ruffle now. I might reattach and work a few more rows and then bind off. I don't really know about the cap sleeves... I just like cap sleeves but not for this top I don't think. My favorite is the drapey sleeve. It's loose and comfortable, and it's different. It looks more fitting to me just from the sketch. I think it would look cute off the shoulder as well, either way one wanted to wear it. I'm welcome to comments and suggestions even if it's something different. Or about the top in general. This isn't the first thing I've designed but it is the most complicated and I need all the help I can get!

Barmaid Top

Here are a few progress photos, I had frogged back quite a bit because of the short row mishap. I sorta tried it on when I frogged too and I think because of all the increases that short rows will not be necessary.

I have also figured out what I'm going to do sleeve wise. I have been fashioning this top after a sort of image they always have of girls in old time movies, in the bars with the corset type tops over a poofy white shirt. Usually those girls are barmaids. So in honor of that I've named this the barmaid top. Anyway I did some picture research on what those shirts generally look like and they are almost always pretty low cut and have some sort of frilly or poofy sleeve. Soooo I am going to try binding off part of the sides and casting it back on for an opening. Then after the top is bound off I will reattach (at the underarm perhpaps) and make the sleeves. I'm still not sure EXACTLY what I'm doing but I've got two or three versions I'm going to sketch out and see what looks best. I'll keep you all posted!

No FOs here!

Well, I like the lace upper back well enough...but not for this particular top. Even though the upper columns of faggoting do line up with the similar columns in the Dayflower Lace pattern, to my eye they appear totally unrelated, and in fact the upper panel achieves a certain dominance--which I had not intended. Maybe I can use that lace panel for something else. I actually don't mind the wavy quality of the accent ridge--or wouldn't mind it, if it continued around the circumference of the garment, but it only waves in the area of the upper lace panel.

As shown in the photo below, I decided to try two different ideas for the upper bodice: on my right, no decreases to compensate for the underbust increases, and plain stockinette except for the faggoting around the neck and armholes. On my left, above the bust decreases and extra decoration. I much prefer the plainer side, although I think it looks a little wide, and might benefit from more decreasing at the armhole edge.

Anything else? Looks a little tent-y, you say? I agree; I think the underbust fit needs to be closer.

And then there is the matter of the faggoted edge treatment I tried: although it looks okay from some angles, I had not anticipated that it would have a larger row gauge than the stockinette fabric, meaning that it flares in a rather unflattering way around the armholes, in particular (with the aid of gravity, the neckline seems to lie flat enough).

Ah, well. Blue ramen noodles, anyone?

(Don't worry, I only frogged back to the lace.)

Lessons Learned from Cropped Crochet Cardigan

I have added three more photos of my finished cropped crochet cardigan in Premiere. Julia suggested that I add some thoughts on the finished garment, so here is a brief summary of my lessons learned from this design!
Front


1) This was my first top down crochet garment, so I basically learned how to design a crochet garment from the top down.
2) I would have liked the garment to have a bit more of something...more interesting finishing or some more technical construction elements. But since this sweater was my first top down in crochet, I kept the stitch pattern and the shape simple. Now I am ready to tackle a top down design with some shaping and more complex stitch pattern(s)!
3) The yarn restrictions actually forced me to finish this garment. My original design was for a square neck (top down) blouse style top. I chose to use Premiere as well as solid stitch patterns, which did not support a "drapey" top. If I was not part of the CAL, I probably would have changed the yarn and continued down my quest for a blouse style garment. Instead, I stayed the course with Premiere (and my stitch pattern) and came out with a completely different garment! But now I feel more confident about designing my "blouse" style garment with a more complex stitch pattern and some shaping.

Side


Whew! That is it for now, and I hope to move on to my Splendour sweater soon! Thanks again for the CAL's input on my cropped crochet cardigan.

Close-up of Stitch Pattern

More progress!!!

Ok so here are a few pics of where I'm at. The scrunching up is coming out fine, but I added some short rows, which may or may not be needed. Anyway, I don't think I was doing them right (it's been awhile) because now I've got holes! So I need to redo them. I'm on the home stretch though, and quite pleased with myself. So hopefully you'll be seeing a finished object soon. Oh and I ended up frogging the knitted encasing for under the bust, no matter what I did, it just didn't look quite how I wanted. So instead, as you can sorta see, I just did seed stitch. It works, I just wanted a separation and that did it.

Is simpler better?

Well, I think I have officially finished my cropped crochet cardigan in Premiere. It turned out to be very simple. I think I would like it a bit better if it had some more technical elements. It was my first top down crochet sweater so I think it was more of a test run for me.

I tried to add a bit more interest in the front and collar edging. But the more I fussed with the sweater, the worse it looked! I tried a corded edging in both the main color (brown) and a contrast color. Then I tried a half double crochet edging in the brown and as well as a contrast color. Next, I tried two rows of half double crochet. I ended up with just one row of half double crochet in the main color (brown)…not super exciting, but it just seemed simpler was better.

I did lengthen the sleeves a bit based on everyone’s opinion, and I think that looks great. Thank you for all your suggestions!




Now, I am questioning my yarn choice for my Splendour sweater. I would love to get everyone’s opinion. My plan was to knit a top down knit sweater. It would include some lace in the yoke area in a 4ply yarn or a single strand of Kidsilk Haze. The body and sleeves would be knit in Stockinette stitch with a DK weight yarn or a double strand of Kidsilk Haze. I was hoping to use Kidsilk Haze, so I could be a part of the CAL.

I am actually thinking about going back to my original yarn idea (Rowan Cashcotton 4ply and DK). I hope I am not breaking the rules but I have attached a photo of my initial swatch in Cashcotton and my swatch in Kidsilk Haze. I tried some other lace stitch patterns in Kidsilk Haze, but the Little Arrowhead looks the best as well as meets my my design criteria (small number of st and row repeats). Which one does everyone like better?

Little Arrowhead in Cashcotton 4ply and DK


Little Arrowhead in Kidsilk Haze

Several detours

Isn't the difference in color in these photos wild? The middle photo is WAY too blue and the others are too gray. Anyway, first a little background: I did decide to use increases along the front to shape the bust area, rather than short rows or increases along the sides. But what then to do with the extra stitches above the bust? I could just leave them; the front of the top would then be slightly wider than the back. I could take the extra stitches into account when I decreased to shape the armholes and/or neck edge, especially if the neckline was a deep U or V--but I was concerned this might give those edges an odd line. Or, I could place decreases directly above the bust, giving what I felt to be the most, how to put it, anatomical shaping possible. The first photo shows my initial attempt at this; unfortunately, I didn't like the way the decreases looked--to my mind, as if someone had snagged a stitch and then yanked on it. (I noticed that Hattie mentioned a similar problem, but with increases, in this post. I had luckily realized that the corded edge at the top of the Dayflower Lace--visible in the left lower corner of the above photo--hid my bust-shaping increases pretty nicely.)
Then I thought I would try a different way of decreasing, along several rows instead of one, and also try using some columns of faggoting to hide or camouflage the decreases: see the photo at left. This proved to be difficult to place so that the columns didn't look odd next to the faggoting along the neck and armhole; if I tried to center the decreases over the bust, the faggoting was off center, and the angled neckline made centering the faggoting difficult. In the end, I decided that too much going on in the upper front just detracted from the lace...but I still thought that some vertical openwork columns lined up with the Dayflower repeats might dress up the upper top, so I tried putting them on the back instead. Hmmm...that corded edge is looking a little wavy...do I like it? Or not? (Hint: RIBBIT.)

It's me again

Another thing about me. I like to post a lot. More progress on my loverly shirt. I've been trying to think of a nice name for it. No luck as of yet. Anyway, suggestions are welcome.

I got up to the under bust band and am trying out the knitted casing like someone suggested...(Marnie maybe? I'm too tired to go look ;P ) but I don't know if it was the increases I did (M1) but it is leaving a rather unsightly line in my knitting. I am not so sure I like that. So before I rip it all out... suggestions? Comments? If I take it out I think I will just leave it plain, in pattern and forget trying to put anything there. The thing is I really wanted something to distinguish it from the top. Maybe if I kept going in the ribbing on the sides...and did the seed stitch again (like I did at the bottom of the stockinette) on the stockinette section...hmmm I might have to try that. I love seed stitch.

Ok well here's a pic so you all can see what I mean. They aren't the greatest but you can still see it.