Sidebar
We interrupt your regularly scheduled elbow patches to talk about the slits on the side of the sweater. I love sweaters with side slits (what can I say, I have a big ass, side slits make for extra ass room). But I find they tend to get messed up over time). But...but...this is fixable! The best way I've found to fix it is by blanket stitching around the perimeter of the slit. Now, if you were a cool kid, you'd do this before it got worn out. But if you were me, you'd intend to do it before it got [...]
There is actually some knitting involved in this
So these are the patches. Nothing fancy, just more or less oval shaped, and a good bit bigger than the worn area on the sweater. I'm knitting the patches in Ontheround's Everyday DK in Silver Lining Tweed. That's actually the exact same yarn I used for the original patch (this is more leftovers from the same skein I used before). You can see that the original patch faded a good bit since I put it on. This is totally MY fault, NOT the yarn's fault. I have done things to this yarn that no yarn should have to endure. [...]
The middle is messy
Like with a lot of projects, the middle of this is going to look a bit messy. I'm pretty sure if I were doing this right I'd only show you the shiny finished product. But I always find it refreshing to see that someone else has messy bits in the middle, so I'm leaving them in. The first step was ripping off the old patch. I'd put it on there rather firmly, and it has been through the wash dozens of times since I put it on, so this part was actually kind of a pain. But I wanted to [...]
Ongoing
This mending thing is an ongoing process. If you were here last spring, you may remember I saved the elbow on an old cotton sweater I wear as pajamas. Well that kept the sweater happily in the rotation for another nine months. But now, the elbow on the other side is starting to get thin. It doesn't quite have an actual hole yet, but if I don't do something soon, it will. So I've decided to just go all out and fix this up properly. I'm going to take off the old patch and make a big patch for each [...]
Your swatch has the answer
So as always, swatching is informative. That's the short version. The long version goes something like this.⠀ I started with the grey with neon speckles and the blue. It's promising, but I see I'd need a smaller needle (that's a two, and the fabric is too open for what I want). Next I tried the purple and purple. And it's lovely, but the contrast is too subtle for this project. While I was working the purple swatch, I got distracted and tried out a solid gray yarn and gray floof, but again, way too subtle (and alas it was dark, [...]
Silk Road Socks Individual Patterns
If you've been following along for the last few weeks, you know I am neck deep in a massive shop reorganization. At the beginning of the year, I took my whole ravelry store down (talk about scary). And I've been busy bringing patterns back out as I get them revised and reformatted. The whole process is unspeakably satisfying. I am one of those people who thrives on order and tidiness, and this is basically giving that part of my brain free rein to be as picky as it wants. But, you're not here for disturbing insights into how my mind [...]
Rummage
Look, sometimes you need a very particular yarn. Or rather, a very particular pair of yarns (thus upping the difficulty level considerably). So the only thing to do is dump out the stash. All of it. In one huge pile. Then dive in. I'm looking for some sort of floofy yarn and a smooth yarn to go with it. And I've got a few contenders. But of course the real test will come when I swatch them. Which is what happens next...
Temptation
The temptation to put a stamp and an address on one of these and see what happens if I actually try and mail is very nearly overwhelming. I'm sure it would actually end in heartbreak. There's no way at all that's a good idea. None. Zero. But my goodness it's tempting. Yes, the pattern will be out soon (probably early February...so you can make a pile for your valentine needs). Because I'm not going to keep you waiting long. I'm not a monster! [pextestim pex_attr_set="looking-for-this-pattern" pex_attr_autoplay="false"][/pextestim]
My beating heart…
You folks are relentless! Which is, I admit, rather flattering. But still...there were howls of dismay in my inbox this morning. Apparently some folks were awfully sad they couldn't start on these over the weekend. But don't worry, it's all better now! The pattern for Palpitation is back up. It was down for a little bit for the new year (just a reminder for anyone who missed it, I took everything down at the beginning of the year and I'm bringing things back out as I have time to update them). But I think you'll love the new version! I've [...]
Mailing List
Want to hear when a new pattern comes out or something fun is going on? Sign up below!
Patreon
Want to support the content I create, get nifty bonus material for some of my favorite patterns, or get every new release delivered right to your inbox? Head over to patreon and sign up!
