Short and sweet

Just a brief post this week, to demonstrate that despite decades of dressmaking experience I am still 1) capable of doing something really dumb and 2) bad at estimating.

Wearing my official 'going for a jab' outfit* with my Express Line cardigan last week prompted me to think that I could do with a few more separates. In my stash I have a few skirt lengths which were part of a lot of sewing stuff which I bought at auction, so I decided to make one of them up. It's a lovely vintage fabric, pure wool I think, in a brown and black check.

The skirt fabric

I used my self-drafted straight skirt pattern. I had used this pattern for my black skirt, which is now a little snug, so when cutting out I added some extra width to make the new skirt looser. Then, in what can only be described as a brain fart**, when sewing the pieces together I narrowed the seam allowances to make the new skirt looser. It was only when I tried on what was, by then, a remarkably roomy skirt that I realised what I'd done!

Fortunately I had made the skirt with an internal curved petersham waistband, not a sewn on waistband. Also, I hadn't added the lining by the time the Awful Truth dawned, so it was reasonably straightforward to unpick the petersham and redo the side seams of both the skirt and the lining. Despite this extra work I still thought, last night, that today I could finish the skirt and take photos before it got too dark to do the latter.

Reader, I could not. Somehow I always forget just how slowly I sew. So the big reveal of a not-very-exciting project will have to wait until next week!


* - I went for my covid and flu boosters this week, and wore it again. The combination of skirt, sleeveless top, and cardigan is perfect for the job.

** - Having done some research on brain farts before using the term (academic habits die hard!), I’m slightly mollified to discover that I may have made this error because of my decades of dressmaking experience rather than despite them.

Express Line speeds to the finish

Little more than three weeks after I started it, I completed my Express Line cardigan - the joys of working with super chunky yarn!

All done!

Although the pattern described as relaxed fit in the body, I feel that mine came out as quite close-fitting. It's not a problem, I'm perfectly happy with it, but I might make the next size up if I want one with a boxier fit.

The back view shows off the broken rib pattern

Top-down knits are great for anyone like me, who has to shorten bodices. I knitted this slightly longer than my standard schematic-minus-two-inches, but it still came out a little shorter than I wanted, possibly due to the tighter fit. So I added two more rows to the ribbing, which also gives it that deep vintage welt.

Worn with my covid jab top and black skirt

With hindsight, I think that the full-length sleeves could probably have accommodated another two rows. The thing with super chunky yarn is that two rows equals quite a lot of length, and I didn't want them to end up too long, so erred on the side of caution. Something else to remember if I make another one - of which, more later!

Anyone who reads this blog regularly (thank you!) will know that I normally suffer agonies of indecision over button choices. Not this time. I found the perfect vintage buttons in my button box; the right size, look and colour and, crucially, the right number!

The perfect buttons do exist after all!

Because there isn't a huge amount of negative ease in the design, the button bands didn't need to be strengthened with petersham. However, I did line them with some wide satin ribbon, just because I feel it's a nice touch.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the end result, and even ventured out to take photos somewhere other than my back yard! I'm really self-conscious about taking photos with other people around but Port Sunlight, where my friend F now lives, is both picturesque and quiet, so seemed a good place to start. Most of the time I was trying to be sensible, but I couldn't resist attempting one 1950s knitting pattern cover shot.

Getting in touch with my inner knitting pattern model

It turns out I'm not the only person who likes this cardigan. I took it over to show my mum, and she absolutely loved it - so much so that she's asked for one for Christmas! I really did not see that one coming; the idea that I would ever get good enough at knitting for someone to ask me to make them something is mind-boggling. However, Mum is the only person from whom I would actually take requests, and I'm very happy to do so.

A Stitch In Time, volume 3

I have a new addition to my small (compared to my sewing collection) but growing library of knitting books.

New book!

I already had volumes one and two, so pre-ordered this one some time ago. For various reasons, it has taken a while to come to print, but it is totally worth the wait. For a start, it is just a lovely thing in itself: a hardback book, generously illustrated with beautiful photographs, printed on smooth, heavy paper. Everything about it suggests that this is a quality product, and that you will be in safe hands following one of these patterns.

An example of the photography

And what patterns they are. All types of colourwork are represented: intarsia, Swiss darning, slip stitches, and Fair Isle. There are some earlier and later examples but most of the patterns are from what was probably the heyday of colourwork, the 1940s, when rationing and make-do-and-mend meant that patterns which could utilise small quantities of wool were both popular and necessary.

The original images of all the patterns are included

The book includes two vintage knitting favourites: the Lavenda Rainbow Jumper (aka Jojo) and Chevron, here offered in a variety of sizes and lengths.

Jojo

Chevron

And this, for me, is what really makes the book. There are only 25 patterns in the book, fewer than in the previous volumes, but each one comes in an impressive range of sizes. Plus, there are options for different lengths, different shaping for those who prefer either a vintage or a more modern look, and even sleeve variations for some patterns.

Excelsior comes in sizes 71-157cm/28-62" chest

Unlike dress patterns, knitting patterns in the past were only offered in a single size, usually 32-34"/81-86cm bust. Of course, with colourwork it's not just a case of adding a few more stitches to the row for a larger size, the effect on the pattern has to be considered as well. A perfect example is the Nordic inspired cardigan, Folklore.

Folklore has both allover pattern and motifs

In an interview to mark the book's launch, Susan said that she didn't want the bottom band in the larger sizes to just include ever wider expanses of white between the motifs, so the pattern includes charts with different arrangements of motifs for different sizes.

This, to me, sums up the care and thought which has gone into this book; I can't imagine the amount of work involved to make sure that all of the patterns knit up successfully in the variety of options offered. Several patterns include instructions for knitting in the round or in flat pieces, and for those which only have the former (due to space constraints), information on how to convert the pattern yourself is provided. Ideal for lever knitters who are terrified of steeks but don't mind a bit of arithmetic, i.e. me!

My mum was a very keen colourwork knitter during the war years, and has frequently suggested I should give it a go.

Mum knitted both of these

Until now, I've thought it was beyond me, but this book has definitely tempted me to give it a go. Even better, Susan is running a colourwork knitalong over the winter. Given that it was Tasha's Wondrella knitalong which gave me the confidence to try knitting in the first place, I feel that there may never be a better time to try.

Marooned!

Oh, Sleeve Island, you get me every time. I complete the body of a knitted garment, and think that the end is in sight. Spoiler alert for any non-knitters reading this: it isn't.

I added button bands to this and thought I was nearly done. Wrongly.

Really, I shouldn't be surprised. I know from decades of dressmaking that sleeves can be large pieces, and there's no reason why knitted ones should be any different.

One thing which was very different from my previous knitting projects was the experience of knitting a sleeve in the round in super chunky yarn. For Wondrella and Confidette, which I knitted in DK yarn, I used fixed length circular needles of ever shorter lengths as the sleeves got narrower, ending up on 20cm long needles. These don't exist for 10mm needles, and of course thicker yarn requires fewer stitches to make something the width of a sleeve. I struggled with interchangeable tips and the shortest cable I had, until eventually I realised that the solution was actually to use a longer cable, pulled into loops in two places

My method for knitting the sleeves

Another issue was the yarn itself. I'm using Stylecraft super chunky tweed, which consists of four thick strands twisted together. Unfortunately in every ball I've used (I'm currently onto my sixth) there have been sections where either the strands have been poorly twisted, or one of them has not been twisted at all. As a result, I've had to cut out unusable sections several times, which has provided a whole bunch of extra ends to sew in - joy.

The yarn, and an unuseable section

Of course, any knitting project of mine requires a healthy dose of my own stupidity. This time it was the discovery that 10 rows back I had knitted five stitches which I should have purled.

Bother!

I tried unravelling the affected columns of stitches and picking them back up correctly with a crochet hook, but while to first one worked perfectly the second one was a complete mess, so I decided to just undo the whole thing back to a safety line and reknit it.

The pattern has three-quarter length sleeves, but when I tried the cardigan on, I decided that I would prefer full length for winter. As ever with Tasha's patterns, Express Line comes with lots of customisation tips, which included how to lengthen the sleeves.

The original sleeve length, pre-ribbing

Despite all this, in under a week I have managed to complete one sleeve and start the other. On the plus side, I'm far happier with my pick-up-and-knit on this than I was with my Confidette bolero. However, somehow on the second sleeve I have managed to start the knitting in the round section one stitch different from the first one, so there are purls where there should be knits and vice versa.

Whoops

It only affects what would be the sleeve seam if the sleeves had been knitted flat, so I shall just hope that no-one notices, as I'm certainly not going to take it all out and try again!

Good in theory

When I first started knitting, back in February 2023, there was a strong possibility that my blue Wondrella cardigan would be my first and last project. But it was a success, and I got the knitting bug. Even so, I had the best of intentions. I would only knit one project at a time. There would be no UFOs or PHDs. And no yarn stash. Less than 18 months later, how is this going?

Erm. Not entirely as planned!

I am still working away on my Lothian shawl. I wasn't happy with the wonkiness of my first few rows so, on the basis that a special project is worth doing properly, I frogged it and started again.

Much neater

I was far happier with this version, and am now up to 72 rows of the 138 which make up the plain section.

Progress so far

But there is no denying that it's slow going. 4ply feels very thin compared to the DK I have mostly been using, and with the row increases 72 rows is less than a third of the plain section overall. So, I have been tempted away to the dark side of a quicky and bulky project.

Whoops

The culprit is Express Line, another excellent pattern from Tasha Could Make That. Knitted in super chunky yarn, on whopping 10mm needles, I only started it a week ago but already have the body completed.

The image above is a better representation of the colour

I would have even more done if I had picked up the stitches for the buttonhole band correctly. In such a thick yarn it's very obvious that it's wrong, but somehow I only noticed as I was about to start casting off. So again, it was a case of frogging and redoing.

How could I have missed this?

Not only do I have more than one project on the go, but I have had a UFO for ages. Ten months ago I started a third Wondrella cardigan, this time modified to include cable panels up the fronts. I completed the 'full width' section and all of the (plain stocking stitch) back, but put it away in the spring as it is very much a winter cardi. Now that it's autumn, I am thinking of picking it up again once I have the Express Line completed. Unfortunately, I didn't complete writing out the modified pattern, and it's a struggle to remember what I was planning. I will work in out eventually, but it's a useful note to self - don't assume that you will remember what you were doing 10 months ago!

Can I remember what to do next?

Finally, there's the small matter of the stash. A few weeks ago it was the annual Coastal Colours Pop-Up Wool Show in Port Sunlight. This was where I got the wool for my Blue Dahlia shawl last year, and it's almost local to me, so of course I had to go. I was very restrained, and went round all the stalls to see what was available before making any purchases. (Judging from the number of people who were, like me, sitting in the café consulting notes, this approach was being widely used!)

Something which really caught my eye was this beautiful set from Yarn Unique with its glorious rich colours. It was my one 'must buy' from my first look round.

Yummy!

I follow AndKnit on Instagram, and some months ago she posted her version of the Puff shawl (you can see it here). I liked the pattern, and had hoped to find some suitable wool for making my own version at the show. After much deliberation, I settled on these two skeins from Ducky Darlings.

Firepit and Cardomon Spice

The Puff shawl

It will be a while before I get round to making these purchases up, but I don't feel too guilty about making the most of a wool show that's practically on my doorstep. I find that winter is increasingly knitting season for me, so hopefully I will get some projects done before too long.

Fantasy fabric shopping

After last week's unintended addition to the stash, I am going for a far safer method of fabric shopping - virtually, via the pages of my 1950s/60s (?) pattern catalogue. All of the illustrations are in colour, and the artists have created a wide range of different prints in the 'dresses' section.

A few of my favourites

Some are particularly bold.

Even I would think twice about these two

In a lot of cases, a colour theme links the two or three dresses on the page.

But I would happily take a dress length of each of these

Cherry prints are almost a cliché of 1950s dresses now, but these illustrations suggest that such fabrics did exist.

Cherries on a black background

Cherries on a white background

Along with other fruit-related prints.

Oranges and lemons

The entire fruit bowl

In some cases, even the line drawing of another view is patterned.

Showing the effect of material cut crosswise

While bright colours could be acceptable for daywear, evening dresses are mostly black or pastel shades.

Pastels. For evening. Groundbreaking.

Of course, in fantasy fabric shopping land, everything is perfect. The ideal contrast fabric is always available.

The same print in the reverse colourway

Finding buttons which exactly match a colour in the print is a breeze.

No button-matching angst here

And so is finding accessories which tie in with not just one but two colours in your new dress.

Match the green and the pink? Easy

Oh, to visit fantasy fabric shopping land! But if I did, my stash would be even bigger.

Morecambe again

This weekend I went up to Morecambe, to go to the Vintage by the Sea festival. I travelled up on Friday, which among other things meant that I got to see the vintage car display first thing on Saturday morning, before there were people about. The effect was like standing outside the Midland Hotel in the 1950s.

Early morning

The festival was wonderful, and far bigger than when I last went in 2018. Despite this, I bought very little. I tried a few items on, but they were all too small for me. But as I was very happily wearing another of the dresses that I bought from Fantouche Vintage in June, I didn't feel at all deprived!

I really can't take selfies!

What I did buy should come as no surprise to anyone. Most of the vendors were selling clothing or homewares, but I managed to add to my stock of old Style patterns.

From the unprinted patterns era

The same vendor also had knitting patterns, and I found some splendid examples which I think are from the 1930s and 1940s.

Knitting pattern haul

The instructions for all of them are terrifyingly brief, just the inside two sides of the leaflet. The back of the Greenock pattern is all about the brand.

Wool and knitted goods

Lister and Patons meanwhile use the back to show other patterns in the range.

Lister has men's and children's patterns

Patons is all women's

The festival wasn't just shopping, there were lots of displays and workshops as well. When I first started wearing vintage in the 1980s, it was all 1950s and occasional 1940s pieces, i.e. 30 to 40 years old. Obviously, time has moved on from then, but it's still a bit of a shock to see something like this.

The 1980s is now vintage!

Going much further back into the past, an unexpected treat was being able to go into the Winter Gardens, originally opened in 1897. When it was 'modernised' in the 1930s, many of its original features were simply boarded over rather than ripped out. Now a group of dedicated volunteers has saved this stunning building from dereliction, and it is slowly being restored to its former glory. It has always been closed and looking very sad when I have been in Morecambe previously, and it was a joy to see it coming back to life. Sadly, I didn't have time to do the full tour, but I will definitely do so on a future visit.

The ornate entrance

One of the two ticket booths

Stairs to the upper levels

One of the tiled panels in the entrance

Boxes in the auditorium

I may not have bought much at the festival, but that doesn't mean I came home empty handed. On the Friday afternoon I took a stroll along the front, and unexpectedly came across an actual, bricks and mortar, fabric shop! As well as fabrics on the roll there were lots of remnants, including one which I recognised as Peter Horton cotton lawn - the same as this recent purchase. It's a beautiful quality fabric, in exactly my colours, and it was at a discount as well!

Impossible to resist

Naturally, I bought it. I'm thinking of using it with the dress pattern I bought, for a truly Morecambe dress. Not this year, but perhaps in time for next year's festival?

Yes it's gone up, no I don't care