Year: 2024

knitting detour: how my plan to make a tote bag turned into a stripy summer top

How does this happen? I’ve managed to start – and finish!– another project that’s not what I intended to work on. For the record, I have three other projects on my needles at the moment. One of them I started last summer… I guess I should make a better effort to stay out of yarn stores! A few weekends ago, I was browsing the isles of Joanne’s Fabrics store and managed to leave with six balls of 100% cotton yarn in tow with the goal of making myself a new tote. I wanted to replace some of the bags I typically carry around, which are looking a bit tired after much use. I also found yarn in a green color I loved. Is it just me? I can never have enough tote bags. I always need to supplement my purse with bags to carry books, knitting projects, samples, treats, or to use if I stop at the supermarket on my way home. The bag I was going to make, a free pattern called the “getting …

february makes: from sweaters to crème brûlée (mishaps included!)

Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been up to lately! As some of you saw on my Instagram feed, I finished making the sweater I started last February. I was modifying the Malaury pattern, replacing the texture created by knit and purl stitches with mock cables for my version. The result was a happy surprise. (I’m feeling pretty confident trusting my math when adapting patterns now–it fits!) I also learned a new technique for attaching a collar that I might start using more often. The pattern called for a back-stitched collar, which was new to me. I normally pick up stitches around the neckline, but the pattern said to knit the collar separately, leaving one of the edges on scrap yarn. I was having a difficult time wrapping my head around the process, and even after finding this helpful tutorial, the whole thing looked way too complicated. Then, I remembered watching a video showing a similar technique that looked much simpler. The difference: no stitches that could potentially unravel! You simply take the finished …