OAL Finishline!

What do you know? I have two, TWO, finished outfits for the Outfit-along hosted by Andi Satterlund of Untangling Knots and Lauren of Lladybird. I finished both outfits in plenty of time but had a hard time getting pictures. My bestie is visiting from Indiana so I drafted her for an impromptu photo shoot and what do you know? it's way easier to have someone else take pictures!

 The cardigan is Myrna by Andi Satterlund and I knit it in Cascade 220 in color #2409. I lengthened the body and mirrored the decreases to make the cardigan more wearable with the rest of my wardrobe.

The dress is Simplicity 1803 with the notched neckline option and soft pleats instead of a gathered waist. I love a dress with pockets and I decided to move them to the side seams a la Ladybird's suggestion. The fabric is a rayon/linen blend from the folks at JoAnn's.

 My second cardigan is Sylph by Louisa Harding from her book, Cardigans. The cardigan is knit in pieces and seamed and the only modification I made was to lengthen the body by about an inch. Since my fabric was a little crazy I wanted a simple, classic shape in a solid color. I used Miss Babs Yowza! Whatta Skein in the Ironweed color. The yarn was kicking around in my stash since the first Sock Summit and I was super happy to have the perfect use for it.

 I used Simplicity 1803 (again) with the plain vee neckline for my second dress which I'm calling my Zebra Fruit Stripes dress. The fabric is the same rayon/linen blend from JoAnn's since I like working with it so much. Really. It has excellent drape, is easy to sew, and is easy to launder.

This challenge really lit a fire under me to do more sewing and to think about my existing wardrobe and how to make new things that work with it. Both of my dresses work with store-bought cardigans I already own and both cardigans look cute paired with jeans, pants, and skirts that I already own. 

Did you participate in the OAL? How did your outfit turn out? Did you finish in time?

More Fun With OAL2014!

I'm really sad to say that I woke up with a horrible cold this morning and am still feeling pretty yucktastic but really really excited about the latest episode of my podcast - Doubleknit #92! In this episode we interviewed Andi Satterlund of Untangling Knots about the Outfit-Along and talked about our sewing plans and knitting plans for the OAL. Andi also hung out to talk movies with us and it was super fun! If you're curious about Andi's sewing experience or want to hear more about the selected knit pattern for the OAL, Myrna, give it a listen. 

In more OAL news, I finished my dress this week and promptly purchased fabric for two more dresses - we'll see how many OAL garments I can cram into the next month or so, huh? 

This is a Kaufman chambray with an awesome anchor print that I ordered from fabric.com. I plan on making the super popular Emery Dress by Christine Haynes with it. I think it'll look fabulous with my Audrey in Unst from last year (photo below). If I don't get around to making an OAL set with it I already own something handmade that will work toward my Me Made May 2015 goal.

I also picked up some more linen blend yardage from Joann's in a crazy kind of zebra print. I used the same blend for my first OAL dress and was happy to see the same type of fabric on sale for half off since I liked sewing with it. I'll be using the same Simplicity 1803 pattern but a different view for this fabric. It looks like my tendency for sewing is to choose a nice print and then knit something solid-colored to match and I'm okay with that! The zebra print will pair nicely with lots of solid colored cardigans.

How's your OAL progress? Zooming through the sewing and stuck on the knitting or vice versa?

OAL 2014: The Knitting Portion

Remember last week when I wrote about the awesome Outfit-along I decided to take part in? I somehow forgot that I mentioned I'd talk about yarn choices for the cardigan I'll be knitting as part of the OAL. Oops! Seriously though, my sister was visiting from out of town and it was my last few days of quiet before Little A came back from her Nana's house in California - I had relaxin' to do y'all! 

Now, I'll not say that I don't have yarn, cause I do (see above)! But when I went to my stash to look at worsted weight yarn in sweater quantities there was...like...a hole. The pattern for the KAL is Myrna and the gauge is 4.5 st/inch on a US #8. Since the idea is to knit something to go with my dress, I want to choose a coordinating color from my fabric. 

I think red might read a little too Christmasy with the big red flowers in the print and the pink is out because it's ME here. What's left is orange, orangey-red, and a couple of shades of green and maybe yellow. I'm inclined toward the green side of things since I don't have a green cardigan in rotation right now.

My go-to yarn is Cascade 220. I know absolutely that I can get 4.5 sts/inch on a US #7 with that yarn and it comes in an amazing array of colors.

Second up is Quince & Co Lark. I haven't knit with Lark before but I really do like the yarns I have knit with from that line. I have a few skeins of the Cypress color in my stash that I'm going to dig out for a color comparison and take another look at the color cards I borrowed from a friend. 

My third choice is Malabrigo - I love Worsted since it's so buttery soft but a sweater knit out of it would pill after one wearing and I'm just not up for that kind defuzzing on a handknit. Rios is a good option and I think lettuce or sunset might be colors that work with my fabric.

I'll be making a trip to my LYS with my fabric this weekend to see what works in real life and as soon as I get it I'll be swatching for Myrna.

Are you participating in the Outfit-along? What knitting pattern and yarn are you using?

Sew Crazy

I have a confession to make. I'm a bit obsessed with sewing lately thanks to everyone's posts about Me Made May and the bug hit hard Friday after learning about Andi and Lauren hosting a SAL/KAL in June and July. The idea is to make a coordinated outfit using sewing and knitting and I've decided to join in! Saturday afternoon I decided to snag the pattern at Joann's and take a look at fabric. The pattern for the sewing portion of the Sew-along is Simplicity 1803 which is a simple fit and flare dress with princess seams and a gathered skirt. Lauren will be posting step-by-step instructions on her blog. I found a great linen blend floral print that will be perfect for this Summer (40% off didn't hurt either).

 While I was shopping for the dress fabric I picked up Simplicity 1364 and fabric for it as well. Now, I have to tell you that I haven't sewn a garment for myself in ages - probably since I started knitting about seven or eight years ago. This pattern is super simple with three pieces and a lapped zipper in back and it felt like a good fit for getting my feet wet with sewing garments again. It's not 100% perfect but not too bad after such a long sewing hiatus.

My fabric is a cotton blend in an awesome leopard print and it was the last of the bolt. I barely eked out the pieces with the fabric I purchased. There are two long deep bust darts for shaping and that's about it. Since I don't have a very narrow waist that's not a problem for me but I wouldn't say it's the most figure-flattering silhouette. I totally want to make this again in a slightly lighter weight fabric or something with just a smidge of stretch and take out about an inch or two of fabric at the neckline where the fabric has a tendency to tent. I can throw on a black cardigan and a skirt or pants and wear this to work without any problem!

If you're interested in joining the Outfit Along you can find information on Andi's blog or Lauren's blog and Andi started a thread on Ravelry in her group for the knitting side of things. I'll be knitting and sewing the suggested patterns but it's definitely not a requirement that you do so! If you've been interested in trying your hand at sewing or knitting garments this is a great way to get started since both hostesses will be on hand to answer questions and guide you through the process. I hope to see you join!

Since I mainly talked about the sewing portion of the Outfit along in this post I'll be writing another post about my sweater and yarn choices this week.