
Hi, friends. How was your week? I’m supposed to be out of town right now but the universe has been tossing up nonstop roadblocks this week, to the point of also derailing my blog output. So rather than being ready to talk about my Fall making plans, or sharing a meaty Elsewhere list, I’m here asking about yours! (Mine are uncertain anyway — I’m hoping you’ll help get me unstuck.)
So that’s my Q for You for the long weekend: What are your Fall making plans? I want to hear about your knitting and/or sewing goals, patterns you’re fixated on, anything you’re willing to tell me!
And I’m also still hoping to finish crocheting my hat this weekend, even though I didn’t get the road-trip hours I was counting on … I’d love to hear your weekend plans, too!
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PREVIOUSLY in Q for You: What’s your time-worthy detail?
Funny you should ask! Yesterday I spent a few hours in Belfast Maine, my fav shopping town. At the fabulous Fiddlehead Artisans, I got some fabric to line a soft lawn skirt I want to make, and stumbled across some teal wool crepe for a winter skirt. Then I poked into a popup bead shop and got some beads to go on a lace shawl I want to knit. Pattern undecided, but yarn and beads procured! I also swung through Heavenly Yarns on my way back to the car. Didn’t get anything, but I scoped out the kidsilk haze colors for a variation of the diaphanous raglan that I want to make. That should keep me pretty busy! Plus I just signed up for a craft fair in November, so I need to crank out some hats and other small items.
Curious: What’s your winter skirt strategy? What sort of skirts do you like, and do you wear them with tights and boots or what.
I like skirts that are on the long side and roomy- full a-line, or gored. Most of mine are heavy knits, but I have some lighter weight ones like this wool crepe. I wear them with tights and handknit socks always, shoes depend on the weather- boots or birkenstock clogs or some all weather slip ons. I am not a fashion plate, but I have my own weird style. Shirts are either long sleeved cotton knit or turtleneck, all topped with a sweater or shawl. All fall/winter long, and here that means October to at least the end of April. This year that meant until near the end of May, but that’s unusual. Normally by mid-May, tights and wool socks are replaced with sandals.
I haven’t knitted in a long time, so for practice I am knitting a childs short sleeve top down sweater jacket. I it comes out to my satisfaction I will give it to one of my little Great Granddaughters. I was on a cruise in September and brought my knitting. Didn’t get much done. There was a young man who conducted a knitting get together, but it was more to introduce knitting to others. There was a lady from the UK who was an advanced knitter. She had her husband there who did a lot of bragging about the wife and all her projects. I was taken with her ability to knit the seed stitch and not look at her work. The young man in charge was doing finger knitting.
I bought some cotton yarn to knit Barbie clothes, but now I can’t remember where I stashed it. If I find it I will take it with me in November to the air show in Deland, Florida..
Wow! So busy! The cruise people sound interesting. 😉
My plan is to hem my Parkside shorts (that have been sitting there for a ridiculous amount of time waiting for a hem) so I can wear them hiking this weekend and make a Grainline Alder Shirtdress out of denim (the perfect summer to fall garment with the addition of a sweater!). Can’t wait to see your finished hat!
Those sound like great plans, including the hike!
high-waisted rigid jeans
flannel shirtdress
slinky black pleated mid-calf skirt
christmas Stasis sweater
Excellent list!
Right now, I’m working on a little cardigan for Rhinebeck. Weirdly enough, I found some old printed out instructions from an old magazine (no pics), and I thought I knew what sweater they were for. So I started knitting it, and discovered that it was for some unknown sweater. LOL! I’m finishing it, anyway. I hope I like it. Next, I fell in love with a vest that Patrick Simmons was wearing in “A Murder is Announced” ( the Acorn version). so I created the colorwork chart to match, and I’m going to use Brooklyn Tweed’s Alberta vest pattern directions with my color chart. This pattern has got the steeking instructions and everything!
I don’t know that show (tell me more!) but googled the vest, and yes to that! https://66.media.tumblr.com/199e5a769a6e2ff6b403b373b3358bad/tumblr_pslhnkidTr1u8gg67o6_500.png
Yes, that’s the vest!!! The show is just Miss Marple, and that’s one of the episodes. I love watching both the old Miss Marple (BBC) and the new one (Acorn) just for the gorgeous sweaters.
Oh! Got it.
1. Perth Cardi: lightweight fall cardigan in wool/alpaca fingering (Drops Flora) knitted loosely at DK gauge. Fall is all about chilly mornings and warm afternoons. My first Perth Cardi wore out after 6 years of wear (it was useful in its old age for reading in bed), my second was adopted by my daughter for her life in San Francisco. I really, really need a replacement.
2. Wiksten Haori: this time I’m thinking about a lined version, mid-length, in denim with (possibly) Liberty cotton print lining for colour pop.
3. Mohair/wool loose pullover, designed but not yet knitted: shape inspired by Carol Sunday’s “Jane Morris”, lace panels inspired by Wendy Bernard’s “Japanese Stitches Unraveled”.
I won’t get all of this done before I head off to teach at KnitEast, but I’m not yet giving up!
Nice. I’m also pondering a winter-worthy (Nashville, anyway) Wiksten jacket. I love my housejacket and want another that’s actually meant for street wear.
I had surgery six weeks ago and thought I would be getting a lot more done while recovering, but that didn’t happen. I finally got a summer dress cut out (we’ve had triple digits here and will be in the 90’s through September and into October) and will hopefully sew it today. I’ve got a Heartgyle sock on the needles, and an All the Angles shawl (with a section I have to frog, big mistake) that are for Christmas presents.
Sorry to hear about the surgery! I know I always think I’m going to get more knitting done during any kind of enforced downtime than I actually do, and what a bummer that is! Hope you’re all better, and I’m amazed you’re already started on Christmas knits!
I have 3 sweaters to get going on but living in SoCal makes it difficult to get enthused enough to start – it’s just so hot. I’m almost done with the third panel of my Alabama Chanin swing skirt – one to go! I have fabric for 2 Wiksten haoris, a couple of heavy linen pants no. 1 and a Wiksten dress. Also a pile of already cut needle cord skirts that just need to be sewn. I’m feeling extremely ambitious and just a little overwhelmed.
We’re off to our friends condo in Oxnard harbor for the long weekend. Lots of reading, cooking, drinking and laughing in our future! Happy weekend everyone!
That all sounds lovely!
Trying to focus on things, but who knows!
I have a Glenfiddich sweater to finish. Just sleeves left, and I’m in love with it! The yarn was hand dyed by my stepmom.
I have plans to knit a skirt (Interlaken), in s gorgeous moss green, and hopefully I have enough yarn to get a work appropriate length!
On the sewing front, coats! Kelly anorak (green ikat), Morris jacket (burgundy ponte). Also finishing a wool skirt that’s misbehaving.
That sounds like such a cozy list!
I was just putting together my fall sewing plans! Since I sewed my first ever button-down shirt over the Labor Day weekend last year, I decided my sewing challenge for the long weekend this year should be to finally cut into my cone denim and make my first pair of Ginger jeans! I also have a couple different wool fabrics I bought on a recent trip to Japan that will make some nice fall wardrobe additions–a wool knit to make into a long sleeved tee, and a wool flannel for an Archer button-down for myself.
For fall knitting, I have a Weekender in the most perfect fall color of BT Shelter (woolsocks) so I’m hoping to finish that up. Combined with my planned sewing items, it will create the most perfect fall capsule wardrobe!
That sounds very dialed in — I’m a little envious!
I’m working on a cable sweater for my niece for Xmas, lots of cables so it’s slow going. Weaving some placemats for my sister. I have a shirt that is all cut out and just needs sewing, going to use it to get comfortable with my serger. And I have a chair I have to recane before Thanksgiving or we won’t have enough seats!
That is so multi-disciplinary, I love it!
My fall theme is “you have everything you need” hahaha so I am trying to reimagine some orphaned knitting projects and use that yarn another way. Currently using a couple of simple shawl patterns from Joji Locatelli — Jodi and Storm. They’re great sizes for fall and are super quick, instead of my other projects, which are huge and a bit drudgery ish and too serious. Sometimes you just need to knock out something colorful and fun to re-energize.
Yes, love that. Cheers to reassigning yarn when things aren’t working out!
My autumnal garment making plans are legion, but more realistically I’ve about a half dozen things in the queue. Mostly sewing, as I am a Very Slow Knitter…
For sewing I’ll be finishing up the grey and white striped everyday dress from my summertime queue, a white cotton slip to wear with it, and to help it transition into autumn, hopefully adding a darker grey linen pinafore to layer. Probably two new long sleeve knit tops, one in a pale teal mushroom print, and one in a peach/pink with Charles and Ray Eames motifs. (I had good luck last year turning decorative tee shirts into sleeves for a long sleeve kit top, and want to try again)
The more exciting project I hope to get to is to create a bolero jacket by combining handknitted sleeves with some handwoven wool twill fabric. The fabric was a gift, and isn’t enough by itself to make a garment, but is dense and flexible. I immediately thought of Carol Sunday’s “Stripey Sleeve Bolero” { https://ravel.me/stripey-sleeve-bolero } and was inspired by the style and combination of solid and stripes. I’m pretty sure that the pattern is out of print, since it isn’t on her website any more. I’m going to use the design as a jumping off point, and plan on knitting it as outerwear, with worsted weight stripey sleeves suitable for the heavier wool fabric, and should be useful in the cool damp days that will surely eventually arrive.
Wait, back up — Eames fabric?
I found Eames t-shirts in clearance on the Uniqlo website {https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/women-sprz-ny-eames-ut-short-sleeve-graphic-t-shirt-418030COL10SMA001000.html} and picked up two in XXL. I’ll cut them up to refashion into long sleeve knit tops, moving the decorative motifs to the sleeves, and using the plain fabric for the body of the shirt. I’ll probably stencil some additional motifs in a subtle tone on tone around the neckline…
They have another t-shirt with Eames fabric here: { https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/sprz-ny-eames-ut-short-sleeve-graphic-t-shirt-418121.html }
I have great plans to make a Metamorphic Dress and a 100 Acts of Sewing Dress #1 (or two of them.) I’ve just finished two sweaters: Leonie and Strippy McStrippit, and I’m on to knitting my next ‘strip’ sweater…but the piles of unfinished mittens, sewing projects from summer make me think that having any specific fall plan is overambitious. Life does get in the way!
It really does, doesn’t it? But what is a “strip” sweater?
A ‘strip’ sweater is exactly what it sounds like…it’s made in multiple pieces for easy, on-the-go knitting. It’s the polar opposite of a top-down, no-seam design.
(Check out “Strippy McStrippit” on Rav to see an example)
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/strippy-mcstrippit
I’m about to start swatching for a cardigan I first saw in Vogue Knitting in 1997 and marked with a tape flag. I was looking on Ravelry for a pattern to use some yarn I’d bought to make a sweater that I no longer wanted to make, and got reminded of it. It’s Cable Cardigan #8 by Nora Gaughan. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/08-cable-cardigan
That’s so awesome — god bless the internet!
I’m just going to try to finish a sweater for myself in black and grey marled yarn. Anything more than that doesn’t currently seem doable.
Just started a Widow’s Kiss pullover in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in colour Soot. Hoping to have it done by October 4th – Knit City Vancouver! Also hoping to get my bum sewing machine back and finish a half-done Ogden cami and a peplum jacket in a weird heavy fabric that loooks like a persian rug to go with it.
I love reading everyone’s plans! I restarted my Solbein cardigan while on jury duty last month. I could never get gauge in the recommended yarn, but I have loads of Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted in my stash and that is working nicely. I plan to use the Lopi for another sweater at some point, and I might have enough Lamb’s Pride to do another garment down the line.
I realized I have large quantities of yarn purchased with specific projects in mind about six years ago, and never knit. So those are on my list, too. First will be the Luminarie Skirt with a beautiful peacock-blue wool, and then the Ginger Lace Cardigan in a deep eggplant/plum yarn.
I’m also working on spinning a sweater quantity of yarn using wool from one of my Shetland sheep, so that’s an ongoing project. I’d also like to finish a scarf I’m weaving with wool from another of the sheep. (I need to finish that one by Thanksgiving, when I will see the intended recipient.)
Persephone pants in burgundy corduroy! Just cut them out and they could not feel more like fall. And maybe a Rumo in grey. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rumo. And, dyeing some yarn for a very stripy sweater for my partner to be made next summer or fall. And I’m hoping an Ixchel hat also for my partner for xmas.
Trying not to plan too much sewing, I made a bunch of fabulous things this spring and I LOVE them but I got burnt out.