Update on my Treasure Socks

I can't honestly say these are fast for me to knit. No they are not. But then I do take my time when it comes to knitting anything, but mainly socks, due to the tiny needles used for 4ply yarns. 

I started these last week they are a mix of West Yorkshire spinners signature 4ply in colour Silent night with contrast colour being an alpaca mix which is Drops nord. Hopefully they will wear OK.

I am liking how they look so far.

I am already planning another colourway in this pattern because I am knitting this in reverse to how the pattern shows and how most people will probably knit these. I thought it would be good this way though I looking at the sock so far I am happy. The pattern is straight forward if you like fair Isle ( I do) and I only had to unpick one round so far when I was first sussing out how the pattern works. I will not finish in time for the Winter Haven KAL which ends today I think, but that's OK because I knew I was going to start these late so it was to be expected. I generally run over with this KAL anyway due to being such a slow knitter.

But still I think this is going to make a nice warm pair of socks once finished.

Thanks for popping by my blog,

See you soon,

Bracken 

Red jacket /top

 

When I came to write this post I realised I did not have a decent front view of this top so its been slightly delayed being posted while I sorted that out. Still another delay does not really matter.

This jacket/top is actually very "dressy" so I find it needs smarter trousers than my favourite joggers and combats. Its very warm and cozy and works surprisingly well with my wool mix office trousers so I suspect this is worth the time its taken to trace and make this because its going to be worn for work as well as play. Probably more for work. Its not as I intended but its actually really good for my wardrobe because I tend to make more casual clothing and its a fact most of us spend far longer working than at home.

This is the top done up -with no extra layer underneath it. Ignore the stupid face!

I started this before Christmas and it had me stumped for a while. I think being forced to stop sewing over the holidays was really good this time because it gave me time ( enforced!) to consider how to make this. 

The top is not so easy to make as I was expecting until I realised a couple of things. 

With extra underlayer its even warmer.

You actually do not need to add the neck zip.  

Ignore the hair. I was having hag day that day!

Personally I want the zip done up, but maybe thats because this is a bit bigger than I expected when I cut it out. Not sure though, because I suspect I would leave it done up if it fitted perfectly - or was smaller because this is actually ok when I am wearing lots of layers and thats now in the UK because its really cold and frosty though still sadly no snow as yet. So really this is perfect for a frosty day out and about when I want to leave my Ski jacket at home.

The zip is a nice addition, yes, but you can very easily pull this top on without opening it so I am not sure as yet if I will bother to add it on my next version of this top. I think the zip is really more for looks than needed shall we say. I will make on of these in the next few weeks - another maybe in something like fur because I have currently lots of faux fur zebra print ( velboa ) fabric. 

I want to use some of this tiger velboa to make a lining for a cape coat but will not need all of the 7m I have of this. Why did I buy 7m? 

Well thats a good question because I only actually needed 3m max, for what I wanted and that would still give me spare fabric, just in case, because usually I do buy extra just in case I mess up. This was relatively cheap but even then, 7m? 

I honestly cannot give a good reason for buying so much. Well it is lovely fabric and as a teen I really had an obsession with velboa fabric jackets which possibly had something to do with me buying so much of this. It would, in fact, have made better sense to buy two different patterns in this fabric but I didn't. I bought 7m of zebra so I must use it up somehow.

 I did not top stitch the seams. I now think maybe I should have. The fabric is very stretchy though and I was not so sure I could achieve a decent finish without stretching the fabric as it got top stitched so I left it but it might have been better had I done it.

Anyway this top: If you have ever made a Gyspy type of top or Burda would call it a Carmen top its easy. Its just took me a while to figure that out. Its does not quite appear to be a Carmen top but, yes it is.

What you have in fact is a Carmen top on the bottom part - wide shoulders and raglan sleeves, with a wide yoke and cowl on top of it. You make the yoke-cowl first then make the Carmen part and then attach the two together and I was so happy when the yoke exactly fit the bottom Carmen bit. No messing or adjusting needed.  Well done Burda because the pattern is dead on.

In fact Burda seem rarely to have a miss-matched pieces in patterns which is why I like Burda so much. The so called Big Four often have a pattern piece that is way off and is either far too short, which is very frustrating when its something like a facing and it doesn't fit so you have to cut a second one and try to work out what size it should be. Of course its far better though if its something like a facing than if its a main pattern part. I have had both. A facing can of course always also be cut in a different fabric but not so if its part of the main garment itself. Anyway I digress. Burda is usually perfect for this. The sizing can though be off with Burda. I cut my usual size from this time but its come out quite large. No so terrible when its an outer garment but there is no way with will work for summer when I wear less layers. Several items I have made from Burda Style magazines have come out huge on me but at least everything lines up. I am confused with Burda sizing to be perfectly honest. 9 times out of 10 they work for me but I seem to get the odd item that is massive. This top is one of those odd items. I used my usual seam allowance etc so its not that. I am not sure as yet because if I make my next version for winter this might be the right size but if I want to wear in summer I might want a size smaller.

But for a jacket worn with layers in winter its probaby better to be the size I made it. 

It does look like the magazine photo so maybe this is meant to be large?

 

I wasted quite a bit of fabric because I followed the magazine instructions but it was pointless with my fabric to do so. It tells you to cut the front and back pieces on the cross but thats really because Burda used a textural fabric. With my fabric you really cannot tell so I would not do that again for this kind of fabric.  

I am intending to make some simple flared yoga style trousers to go with this because this fabric has wonderful drape as well as being so warm. Its a fake angora according to Pound Fabrics where I bought it. I wish they would get more of this fabric back in because I would like to buy more and in other colours. Still I must be grateful for what I do have. Its lovely fabric. 

So also this jacket is a tick on my New Years list. And if I manage to make them so will the trousers be so hopefully I will stay on track a bit more this year and actually make what I wanted to make.

Thanks for visiting my blog

Have a great week,

Bracken

My new socks for 2024

 

 

This is the West Yorkshire Spinners Christmas yarn from a couple of years ago but was for sale this Christmas so you can probably still buy this now. Its "Fairy Lights" and is glittery.

Just at New Year I had only begun my second sock

 

 and was desperate ( seriously I was/am) to join this years Winwick Mum Knit Along 2024 otherwise known as the Winter Haven KAL 2024. 

This year there is a new pattern called Treasure Socks and its a colourwork pattern so hopefully that will suit my usual liking for fairisle types of knitting. nyway I got these finished ;last night - almost anyway. I have yet to sew up the little gap you get when you cast on with straight needes - you can just about see the gap here. 

I will sew it up soon though because I want to wear these. After all they took me most of 6 months to knit!

I started these back in the summer because I wanted them for Christmas but then I decided to knit several baby items and I also started a jumper for me - that is still unfinished but I will go back to tht later. For now though I need these so managed to knit sock two in just a couple of weeks. The tension is slightly tighter ( though also more even) than sock one but hopefully that will mean I am in sock mode for the Winter Haven KAL and will be able to get going now with that and if possible make a second pair of socks for this winter. 

They were really meant to be Mosaic Pattern socks ( Also a Winwick Mum Pattern that I attempted previously), but the cherry red is not the best contrast with the Fairy Lights so I abandoned that and ripped them right back to the ribbing which meant reknitting the leg of the first sock. Possibly thats why its taken so long really cos I wanted to do a different pattern and then it did not work and it put me off for a while. But in the end these work and will be really nice to wear. They have the heel in WYS cherry too.

I started the Treasure socks very late last night and so far have only a couple of rows of ribbing done. This colourway is also Christmas glitter yarn and is Silent Night which is dark shades of blue and kind of random rather than the WYS stripes from what I can see online. I am though going to do the Silent Night as the main colour and do cream as the contrast so its going to mean my sock is the negative of the ones on the pattern. I do not have a  WYS yarn in cream but do have some drops Alpaca/wool/nylon which is sold as sock yarn so thats what I am going to use. So here is the start of my Winter Haven KAL 2024.

And I am only just over one week behind everyone else so not the end of the world and I will ultimately end up with two pairs of new socks!

Thanks for popping by my blog. I will show you how these progress as I go along. I am now knitting seriously every evening whilst listening to Audible which is my preferred way to relax and something I have not done for quite a while which is maybe why my knitting stopped. 

Have a great week, 

Bracken

Happy New Year 2024 and a New Start

I called this post NewYear and  New Start because that's my aim. Its not actually where I have got to as yet. I am hoping to actually completely change my life this year. That includes move to a different country as well as everything that will go along with that but I will not bore you with these details just yet. The house move though is yet another reason to keep this list concise this year. It needs to be achievable.

For now its New Year and I do hope you had an enjoyable New Years Eve. 

In the end we spent ours with familly and friends. I have to say my days of queuing at the bar are long gone and these days we still like to celebrate with just close friends rather than at pubs and clubs. 

 

Normally, I start the new year each year looking at my aims from last year and what I actually managed to achieve. It kind of works but I know on last years to do list I had a few things still left from the same list the previous new year so the 2022 and 2023 list had the same aims. And I still have not made some things even one year on. A couple of these I am carrying forward for the third year!

I suppose tnot making some of the items partly comes down to to the fact several of the items on last year's (and the 2022) list are they are luxury items and not really needed. If I need something eg. a pair of trousers then it gets made. If I am cold I make a warm top etc. etc.

 

I am intending to still carry a couple of these items forward - dresses and skirts but see below for more info. That is if you want to continue reading, because this post is more for me than for readers. I need to get my aims down in a recordable way because otherwise I seem to lose my sewing mojo so to speak, and kind of drift into dreaming of sewing not actually doing it and that is why this post is for me so very important to my yearly sewing. Its a round up but really it sets my intetions for the rest of this year. It makes me think of what has not worked well and what I should possibly repeat.

 

Then there's the aims to make things like the basic vest tops and also legging. We'll yes, easy to make, very needed, but I will only make from offcuts which limits the chance to make what I need. I hate though to cut into a large piece of fabric that would make a sweatshirt say and then waste the excess because all I made was a tiny vest. Really its not financially a viable make. So I keep leaving the vests and they stay on my list of things I am intending to make. This past year I could have made some but made some very useful baby clothes instead. I do not regret the choice but possibly I should have more realistic aims this year about how long it actually takes to sew things. 

 

In the end in 2023 I ended up buying black leggings, not making them, because it was actually much cheaper to do so. I also got them instantly and they have a fleece lining. I cannot buy the fabric to make them myself,  so would have made thinner versions. I have the past few years been obsessed with totally making my own clothing but I have decided this is actually not always a clever thing to do. 

 

Black leggings are practical, but boring to make. I need them but why pay more when making them yourself (and that's not including effort and time) when they are so cheap to just buy. I never bought such items since around 2013 so for 10 years I have made my own but it was actually nice to just buy them and I saved £1.85 a pair on what I could make them for. Not including time or the thread to sew them up that is. Or the elastic for the waistband. So really they were even cheaper!

 

That's made me think quite a lot about my sewing, because shouldn't I be concentrating on making the stuff I cannot buy, either because its unusual, or because its very expensive to actually buy? Like everyone I have limited time for my hobby so why waste it making boring stuff I can buy quite cheaply?

 

So a small revelation for me really. But it will from now onwards change the focus of my sewing slightly I expect.

I also need to take much more time inspecting my fabric before cutting and cut it if possible right side up. I recently made a jumper cut with right side down. 

If you look closely you can see the angle of the pattern  is a-cock. I carefully lined in the selvedges and tried so hard to cut on straight grain. We'll looking at the knit on the reverse of the fabric, yes it's on straight grain ( or looks to be), but if you look at the pattern on the right side, it's at an angle. Probably only I know, but it really bugs me. 

I read about this phenomenon years ago on some blog or other- so sorry not to credit that blog but I do not remember who it was said that - sometimes with knits, lining up the selvedge does not work, because the fabric can stretch and set the pattern at an angle. It's the first time it's happened to me with knits but not the first time I never realised I had cut off pattern-wise that is. 

I made this skull top a long time ago now. 

I still wear this often in summer despite the fact the skulls are cut at an angle. I did better when I used the red piece of fabric in the summer dress but I still live with the top I cocked up.

I could recycle the blue top. Eventually I will, but the tops still in nice condition and sometimes it's still worth keeping something even when you made a mistake. Especially when it rminds you to do things better!

So for this year I really need to double check what exactly I am cutting before I do the first cut.

Ok so to my plans for 2024:

Right now I need some nice warm trousers that can double as work and loungwear. I had thought this impossible but the fashion for knitted flares will mean I can do this and enjoy the fact that I can get away with comfy semi-smart trousers even at work. Being knits they probably will not be work worthy for long but they should get me through winter, so I aim to make 2 to 3 pairs of flares similar to these but in more boring fabrics. 

Much as I love pretty velvet prints I have to be realistic and I need some basic greys, creams or blacks right now. 

One pair I will make from the rest of my jumper fabric because it contains lycra so should work for winter trousers too and will make a lovely cozy pair of trousers. Not too sure of the other fabrics as yet. Hopefully this will work!

I also have a half made winter jumper/top so will complete that ASAP.

 

Its from this 10/2015 Burda Style magazine and will hopefully be completed soon because I need it and I want to cut out a coat.

Maybe a second pair of trousers from that fabric because I have quite a lot left. Its a dark red fake cashmere with 4 way stretch and the most amazing drape. I bought this last January sales and had no idea what to make and I should have bought more in other colours. Its a lovely fabric but they sold out. Still it's always easy with hindsight! 

 

I will show you this top assuming it all works out soon. Its harder to make than I expected though and having Christmas ( sewing shut down for me) in the middle of making has seriously slowed me down. I still have no table to sew on today. Hopefully that will be sorted soon but we have a familly birthday party tomorrow, so I need to get that done with first.

That will also give me two outfits I can look good in for work or play. And since I will have whole outfits it will make it easy getting dressed this winter when I really find it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

Last year I traced a hoody from a Burda mag that has zips at each side of the neck. I really want to make this but might use some cheap sweatshirting for the first (muslin) version rather than risk a nice piece of fabric until I know if I am up to making this particular top. I cannot currently find that magazine so no picture of that one I am afraid but its still on my list. This is from the Burda UK website:

I find this a hard choice then because I have several pieces of very nice sweatshirting bought in sales. These bits of fabric cost about the same as the more ordinary every day polyester stuff but I cannot replace the nice bits for that amount of money so best I just go with the cheapo everyday stuff first maybe? 

 

The thing is it's not all about cost. Buying a nice fabric in a sale can often mean you match a cheaper fabric in price but it's not a match really. The nicer fabric is a bargain that usually cannot be replaced for the same cost and often it cannot be replaced at all because it gone out of fashion and no one has it any more.

 

This is the kind of dilemma really slows down my making. Risk my bargain bit of fabric and get something lovely - if it works first time? 

 

Or just make a cheaper bit of fabric up so I effectly make a wearable muslin first?

Of course the trial/muslin is best because then if I need to adjust or it just will not work or its the wrong size I can still make another, using my lovely fabric, and it should work second time making. But financially both the lovely one and the boring everyday version cost the same because my nicer fabric was bought on offer, so then I am just delaying using my nicer fabric. 

The trouble with diving straight in with the nice fabric can be seen with this top I made ages ago. 

It came out really really small, weird shaped and even when I added wide bands onto it it still never fit me. It was awful!
 

Anyway, it just did not fit. I loved that fabric and wasted it. The top went in the bin and I never used that pattern company since, but that did not get me back that piece of nice fabric, so I will probably go down the safe make a trial (muslin) first. And end up with two tops. But really that's not so bad. Better by far than wasting a nice piece of fabric.

Otherwise for 2024, I need a nice baggy cape type coat. I know what I want to make. Its from a Burda I bought second hand. I actually have 2 copies of this magazine one I was given in German and one in English. I originally thought I would have to translate but then realised I also have the English copy. Thats good because this may be harder to make thn expected ( like my top above thats ongoing!). This cape coat is from Burda Style 12/2002 number 128:

 I bought the fabric which is a black speckeldy wool mix and I am adding a tiger striped furry lining so assuming it works it should be very cuddly to wear and to sit in in an office environment at a desk wrapped in it when its just freezing. and just need to do this before the snow comes. It usually does in the UK, though last winter was relatively mild, but we do get that here in the UK. A mild year then loads of snow next year. Not sure it's got anything to do with global warming either because even in the middle ages before the industrial revolution we had these changeable winters in the British Isles.  It was documented as far back as the 11th Century.  

I suspect sometime in January or February we will get snow and probably the ice will come in the next couple of weeks. We had some already but although it's wet and warm at around 4 to 7 degrees C right now it's likely to change and I want a blanket coat so even at a desk I can wrap up and keep warm if I need to. I kind if feel I should keep a blanket at work - have considered this for years. It makes sense rather than sit there freezing but I think it would be highly frowned upon, so I have never done it. It was certainly a good thing about covid and working from home I could wrap up in a blanket when needed but in a work environment its a big no no, so I will make a huge coat that works in the same way this year instead. I suspect this coat is going to take me a few weeks to make - probably all ir most of January so I need to set myself less to make and maybe I can then achieve it.

So this is going to be a short list this year( I think the list gets smaller each year as it goes, as I become more realistic about what I can really achieve!)

2 to 3 pairs of basic winter flares using the free pattern with my flares made wider - as on my previous velvet versions.

Cape coat- as above

Ballet style dress(s) - on my list for the last two years!

 I really want to make the two dresses and have fabric for both versions so this should be quite easy. After all I bought the pattern even if it was years ago. I also, in both cases, bought the fabric, so I do need to try to make these. 

 

Though I have previously got very stuck on a skirt with a twist front that I abandoned around a year ago. 

 I may have to give that one another go as well just to see how to do the twist. Its currently half made in the UFO's box with a couple of coats I also could do with going back to.

Hoody as above with zips at neck.

 

A short winter weight mini skirt - no pattern decisions as yet but I do have some bright orange check boucle I want to use for this.

And for now that's all I am aiming at sewing-wise, because if its like every other year I will add this or that top or dress to this list virtually every week anyway. By keeping this list short I may even get to tick a few items off it as the year progresses.

Knitting though- well that's another thing. I began these socks last June. They were intended to be my Christmas socks. I didn't like the contrast I chose because it was not enough of a contrast and looked rubbish so in August I took them right back to the ribbing. That took about 3 days because I am not good at picking up stitches in 4ply so did it very slowly. Then I decided to just knit basic socks. In the meantime I knitted a baby aran and some baby socks. That took all my knitting time and at best I am a slow knitter. So Christmas comes and I have done the one sock. Not working for a week meant I have got sock two on the go but yet to turn the heel etc so really I am half way through sock 2. Never mind I will finish these socks but it might be at the end of January but to be honest that's fine. 

This is where I am at today with these socks as at 12pm UK time today:

 

I have one and a bit stripes before I start the heel flap on sock two and turn the heel then its the home run to finish them. 

 

And if at all possible, assuming I get these finished, I want to take part in this year's Winwick Mum Winter Haven Knit Along (KAL). I will see what the new pattern is and maybe get these finished asap and start that as well. Two new pairs of socks for 2024 would be wonderful.

I also want to try and get a knitting pattern published this year so I am trying to learn how to write understandable, reliable knitting patterns. I have interest from a publisher but have to actually get going and do this. And this is a huge aim for 2024 and my main New Years resolution. I will keep you posted on this one as I progress it.

So from me at the moment for my aims for 2024 that's it. I am hoping keeping it concise means I actually complete this year's list.

Take care and thanks for visiting my blog,

Happy 2024 

Bracken