Making Margaret (2)

The next step to making Margaret: a cabled gauge swatch. (I'm taking the advice of Brooklyn Tweed, and its really good advice!) Since I'm knitting the sweater in the round, I wanted my cabled swatch to be circular as well...but I wanted to see the cables all together clearly, so I cut it open. I used the crocheted steek, the same one I'll use to cut open the front of the finished sweater to make it a cardigan.



Here the purple yarn is crocheted in two rows that bind the stitches. When you cut between the crochet, nothing unravels and you get lovely neat edges which will become facings.









I see now with the cables all together I want to make a few tweaks here and there. I think I'll go to my sketchbook and calculator to get a solid vision of what cables go where...and then its on to real knitting! (I hope...)

Making Margaret (1)

The grey cabled cardi I am making has a name now: Margaret. I was admiring Margaret Howell's SS10 line, (oh if I were rich, this would be my spring coat!) and I was really impressed with her philosophy of designing clothes. When I saw the photo of her, I liked her even more! Sweet sweater Margaret. So, Margaret it is.

Here is the beginning. Lots of dreaming, sketching, flipping through pages of my Japanese cable book.
1. Knitting little squares to see how a few of the cables I like look in my grey wool.

2. For a perfect fit, I really take my time with swatching. Because I am knitting Margaret in the round, I first made a circular gauge swatch to see how my plain (stockinette) knitting looks, and how many stitches per inch I make. I didn't want to end up with a useless tube of knitting, so I made a little pouch with a tassled cord to cinch it shut. Good for holding small things when packing for a trip, or using as wrapping for a special gift.

That's all I'll show for now. More soon. I can't wait till the actual sweater knitting begins! But there is more designing and testing to do...

golden ticket knit (3): a simple pleasure

This is the one I reach for most. Simple to make, simple to wear, extra comfy with that thick merino wool. Simple. Adapted from this. I'm still really glad for my golden ticket!

I'm looking for a spring coat, some kind of anorak. Maybe this. Wish I could have an adult size version of this!

How I want to Eat

I know I've said as much before, but I really really love Rachel's food blog, Rachel Eats. Yes, her food is always delicious, her writing beautiful and her photography lovely, but there are lots of food blogs out there that fit that description. I think what makes this blog so special is that Rachel seems to have so much affection for really good, really simple food. And the way she writes about it, you know it is a part of her, and her everyday life, in a very beautiful way. (This post illustrates what I'm talking about; its the post that made me fall in love with her blog.)

There are so many food blogs out there with magazine-spread photos and a new recipe 365 days/year with trendy ingredients--pistachio encrusted Alaskan salmon with radicchio dumplings!!-- and it's gorgeous and sometimes it inspires me, but honestly often times, reading those blogs just makes me feel tired, and I look about and my kitchen looks dingy and dull in comparison. But mostly, its not how I want to eat. I want a repertoire of cakes I can count on one hand, and to adore each cake. I want a handful of dishes I cook every week because we love them so much, a few special ones for holidays, and to slowly explore new dishes as I go. I want my food to feel a part of me. And it does, more and more. Especially since we started making Pasta and Broccoli, which I now crave weekly, which Adam now can now make by heart (!!!!!!!!!!!) and which we learned here. So thank you Rachel, and please keep writing!

Below is a visual recipe of Pasta and Broccoli, for the real recipe go here. The only thing I do different is to be sure and mash up the broccoli really well. Its just how we like it. And don't forget lots of parmesan on top!

Whew.

Its been a wonderful horrible week. Wonderful: 5 year anniversary of being together with my sweet love. Horrible: 3-day migraine, bad stomach aches, a relentless computer virus. Whew! I am really really happy its Friday. I plan on having a gentle cozy weekend and wish you one too.

A beginning

I've got a pile of pale grey wool in a basket that I want to make into a cabled cardigan. Something cozy, to layer over patterned dresses. Something that will last forever and is beautifully made. I picked up this nice book from Kinokuniya Bookstore to help me suss out the cable designs. The book is beautifully clear with charts galore and visual diagrams of techniques- perfect. My favorite part is the photographs; most cable books I've seen show each cable on its own, but the groupings in this book help me imagine combinations for my own sweater. Below are just a few of my favorite pages. Its hard to decide which cables to use, they are all really lovely.

I've decided to document the process of making this sweater on this little space of mine. Something different than just blasting off a photo of a finished product. First I need a name for this sweater. I don't want to keep calling it 'Grey Cabled Cardigan.' Any ideas?

marley

New sweater design in progress. The yarn is one strand of cream lace weight alpaca, one strand of black wool tweed I got from an estate sale last year: a good pound of wool. The only bit on its label I could make out says "100% wool -oonsocket R.I. " Good enough for me.

Here is what I'm thinking: a marled wool cardigan (or pullover? maybe?) knit in the round from the bottom up with seamless set-in sleeves a la EZ. Hitting at hip, slight waist shaping. I'd like the neck to be wide-ish, framing the collar bones. The hem, cuffs, collar and button band will go on last, maybe using just black wool and not the cream? Clearly this is being designed as I go.

And here's someone I made up from the black tweed last year.

Spaghetti al Limone

One of my favorite recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks. Definitely my favorite PAGE of any cookbook, ever. Solid lemon yellow design! Happiness. I regret not getting pictures of the actual food, my excuse is it must be eaten immediately, while steaming ribbons of lemony steam. (Also, v. hungry.) I also don't have an exact recipe, because I go by taste. Below are some rough instructions, but even better is to read Rachel's version. She is my favorite food blogger.

Spaghetti al Limone

for 2

1. Boil enough spaghetti for 2.
2. Meanwhile, squeeze the juice of a lemon in a bowl. (Have a second lemon handy.) Add a few big glugs of olive oil.
3. TASTE. Add more lemon or olive as needed. You are going for a big bright flavor, but I think its best when you can really taste the olive oil too.
4. Grate some parmesan in a little pile.
5. Drain pasta, dump back in pot.
6. Add sauce and cheese, stir vigorously.
7. Taste, adjust, add some twists of pepper.
8. Serve and eat IMMEDIATELY. Best when piping hot.

linen wool cotton

Really nice inspiration from the book Linen Wool Cotton by Akiko Mano. All of the projects are so beautiful and simple.

Faye

I designed and sewed up this shirt and it only took me four months! The sad thing is I'm not even kidding. The process of designing, fitting, and sewing take me forever- I'm so slow! Seriously, I've knit two sweaters since I started this shirt, and I'm not a speedy knitter. Crazy. Still, I'm happy with it, probably because I took my sweet time. I focused a lot on fit, and with each fitting, I learn a tiny bit more. I've said it before, but making clothes makes me even more in awe of amazing designers who make such incredible clothing. I hope someday to be that good!

So, 2 books were indispensable to me while making my Faye shirt. This one, for drafting the basic pattern, and this one, (ignore cheesy cover) for understanding fit. Cal's book is SO clear and the projects are really cute! I used her guidelines for the basic button down, but changed the shape to be more a-line. Soon, though, it was clear I needed some darts (hello c-cup) and I wanted to improve the overall fit. That's where the Palmer Pletsch book came in. So helpful! I adjusted for my sloping shoulders, did a full bust alteration, adjusted the sleeves, etc.etc.

Still, there is so much I'd like to learn and improve upon regarding fit. I could list all the shirt's imperfections, but overall, this shirt is the best fitting thing I've sewn yet. So, onward! I'm sketching ideas for more shirts and some dresses...

more photos here

golden ticket knit (2): peacock mittens

Hello hello! Happy to be back in this space, to show you some mittens that make me really happy. Loosely based on this pattern, but I changed so much. I wanted MORE texture, NO flare at the cuffs and NO ribbing. Now they are a nice simple shape, perfect for me. I love them. Now I'm dreaming of finding the perfect coat to wear them with...grey wool, bracelet sleeves, slight a- line shape, gold buttons rounded like small mushroom caps, or toggles... it's somewhere in a thrift store, waiting for me, right? Have a lovely week... I'll be back soon with some sewing.