Another sweater update
The last one we talked about isn't the only sweater I cut up at the beginning of the season. I actually did three. And, just as with the last one, this one held up to an entire winter of heavy wear and frequent washing (in the machine, on gentle, with cold water, hang to dry) absolutely beautifully. No fraying, no unraveling, no runs, no problems at all. Quite a few purple hair dye splotches, but that's a different issue. And, spoiler warning I suppose for anyone following along on the sweater saga, the third one also held up beautifully. I [...]
Sweater update
Were you sitting up nights wondering about the sweater I cut up back in October? I mean I'm going to assume the answer is an absolutely resounding nope! But I'm still going to show you how it held up. So, back in October I dug an old (circa 2015) cashmere sweater I never wore out of the back of my closet. I never wore it because I hated the length. So I said fuck it and took scissors to it. And then I proceeded to wear it and wear it and wear it all winter long. No really, it's been [...]
Pocket full of Posies, Part 5
So there's no rule saying you have to do more than one flower. But I think they look best in groups. And I suspect you may well want to do more than one. Because they're really they're fun to make and you're not going to want to stop after just one. So we're talking about how to end one and start the next right over here. Just in case that's the sort of thing you're into. Wondering what's going on? I've taken a bunch of photos and made a bunch of videos while I worked on mending this sweater. I'm [...]
Pocket full of Posies, Part 4
Now that you're weaving away, you can totally change colors. I mean you don't have to...no one will make you. But you can. Which I suspect means many of you will. So let's talk about how! Because really, if you do it right, it comes out pretty cool! If you want to see how, I'm explaining it all in alarming detail over here. Just in case that's the sort of thing you're into. Wondering what's going on? I've taken a bunch of photos and made a bunch of videos while I worked on mending this sweater. I'm putting the videos [...]
Pocket full of Posies, Part 3
Once your spokes are in place, you can finally start weaving! This is the fun bit. It's shockingly easy and startlingly quick. No really, I have a hard time stopping once I get going. It looks a little something like this once you get started. If you could use something easy and quick to distract yourself from the ongoing horrors, all the instructions live right over here. Come play along! Wondering what's going on? I've taken a bunch of photos and made a bunch of videos while I worked on mending this sweater. I'm putting the videos up in a [...]
Pocket full of Posies, Part 2
Next up, we're making spokes! For you see, these glorious, cheerful little flowers are all built on a set of spokes. This is part of what makes them so suitable for use on knits. Because instead of going through your fabric over and over and over again (which has a tendency to constrain the fabric and make it less stretchy), you just build a framework of spokes and then weave the fancy bits on top of those (rather than stitching them directly into your fabric). It looks a little something like this. If you want to watch me do it [...]
Pocket full of Posies, Part 1
Ok we're trying a thing! I'm fixing a sweater, and I'm bringing you along. Wondering what's going on? I've taken a bunch of photos and made a bunch of videos while I worked on mending this sweater. I'm putting the videos up in a series of posts over on patreon, and I'm turning the photos into a download with written instructions. While I'm working on creating those instructions, I'll make the series of posts available to everyone on patreon (yes, even folks with a free membership). Once the proper written instructions are ready, I'll put them up for sale in [...]
Less hole, more decoration
I tried. I tried 'subtle.' I really did. But subtle mends on fine gauge knits, especially if you don't have matching yarn, are actually far, far more difficult than Big, Boisterous, Dramatic mends. Plus infinitely less cheerful. And I dunno about you, but I don't currently have the necessary fortitude for both harder and less cheerful. So I went in the complete opposite direction. And I kinda love it. There's another hole over on the sleeve, and I'm going to do it next. Want me to show you how? (Where 'show you how' likely means write up proper instructions for [...]
Evidence
The chop was a success, and I decided the cuffs needed to get a trim to match. Because to do otherwise would bug me. I don't make the rules, I just live here. And when I went to trim them, what did I find but evidence of a previous bit of intervention on this sweater. Turns out at some point in the past (do I recall when? no. can I find mention of it on the blog with a cursory search? also no.) I had mended a tiny little snag on the arm of this sweater. It looks like I [...]
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