Radio silence

Hello chickadees! 

The blog has been quiet for a bit, and I'm very sorry! I've recently injured my elbow and forearm, and my doctor and chiropractor have prescribed lots of rest, which means no sewing or knitting for me!

I'm working on a few "Planning Posts" for upcoming projects, so keep an eye out for those. In the mean time, you can follow me on Instagram to see what I'm up to! My username is sevenbuttons 

Much love,

Rachael 

Knitswap

Hello Chickadees,

First off, I'd just like to say how much I love the online sewing/knitting community. There are so many sweet people in this group, full of encouraging words and helpful tips. It really is so fantastic!

A while back, I joined Tumblr in an effort to connect with people that share my interests, as well as gain inspiration. For those of you that don't know, Tumblr is essentially a microblogging and social networking site. I found that there is a very large knitting/yarn-loving community on Tumblr, and it's a great way to have discussions about yarn or patterns, discover tips and tricks from other users, as well as share finished projects without the pressure of a full blown blog post. It's great!

At the beginning of January, somebody decided to put together a round-robin knit swap. We filled out a form with the item we'd like to receive, the item we'd like to make, shipping info, and a few other getting-to-know-you questions. Then the host matched everybody up, and we had 2 weeks to make something we think our partner would love.

After checking out my partner's blog, I saw that she really really liked Dr. Who, and I knew that she wanted socks. And so the Tardis Sock idea was born!

I headed to my local craft store to see if I could find a suitable sock yarn, but no luck! So I had to treck all the way downtown to an adorable little yarn store. Luckily, they had the perfect colour. I used DROPS Fabel in the colours 100 ( an off white) and 108 (tardis blue). I used Keladry B's "TARDIS SOCKS" pattern on Ravelry. 

Now, enough talk, here are some pictures! 

Starting on the "windows"

Legible letters!

The finished project

A close up

I got a message from my knitswap partner as soon as she recieved them, and they were a hit! I love it when a gift project works out.

Love,
Rachael

Victorious!

Hello Chickadees!

Look! A finished sweater! 

 This is my first big project, and I'm so happy with the finished result. I've worn it all day, and it is amazingly warm! Merino really is a miracle fibre.

This was knit in about a month, with a little break in between. The pattern is called "A New Design In Cable Stitch",  from the Victoria and Albert Museum Knitting Collection. As I mentioned before, I used Knitpicks Gloss Fingering weight, in Jade. I'm totally in love with this colour, and the yarn is so lovely and squishy. 

This pattern is knit in pieces, and then seamed together, which is really a blessing and a curse. It feels less daunting to knit things a piece at a time, especially if you're used to knitting socks or hats like I am. But the downside of pieced knitting is the seaming. I spent many many hours sewing up all of the seams. But it is so very worth it!

I found this pattern really quite easy. The instructions are brief, but easy to understand. It's a simple cable stitch with a few increases and decreases. I didn't make any changes to the pattern, for two reasons:
-I've never knit a sweater before, so I didn't want to go messing about with things I didn't understand
-I loved all the pictures that I've seen of other knitter's projects.

Now that I've knit this one up, I have plans to make another one, but switching the regular cable to a braided one.

 

When I put on this sweater, I felt like a 1940's college girl, so I thought I'd pose with a book. Plus it gave me something to do with my hands, to avoid the awkward new blogger thing.

I love that this sweater works with my little Scotty Dog brooch.

Ravelry notes HERE

I hope you all are keeping warm!

Love,

Rachael

Faling Out Of Love

Hello Chickadees,

Do you ever fall out of love with a project? It starts off great. You are happy with your choice of material, you love the pattern that you've chosen. But the closer you get to the finish line, the more frustrated and annoyed you become with it? Stephanie from Yarn Harlot wrote an excellent post about this just the other day. You can check it out here.

I am having this issue with my Knit for Victory project. At first, I was LOVING the pattern. It looked lovely. I knew it was going to be nice and cozy warm. But each piece that I completed made me long for my next project. Now, I'm currently on the last piece, which also happens to be the largest one, and I feel like it takes some major will power to pull it out and start working on it. But alas, I have a deadline, and I believe that I can finish in time!

Here are a few shots of the completed piece:

Finished arms

Finished right and left front

In progress back

In the mean time, I'm taking a break from the monotony of cables with a little side project. I signed up for a knit exchange, and my partner has requested socks. I found out that she loves Dr. Who, so I settled on a pair of Tardis socks for her. I'll post some shots of those at a later date.

Love,
Rachael

Knit for Victory!

Hello Chickadees!

If you're into vintage knitting or sewing, you've most likely heard of Tasha from By Gum, By Golly. She is a knitting wizard. In November she announced a 1940's inspired knit-a-long, called Knit for Victory. It is a non-competitive knitting challenge, with the goal of creating an accessory or clothing item that is 1940's inspired.

Naturally, I thought this sounded like an exciting project! I couldn't wait to start knitting! I've had my eye on a pattern called "A New Design in Cable Stitch" for at least a year, but was rather nervous about knitting my first sweater. This was just the kick in the pants that I needed. I chose a lovely jade coloured merino/silk blend fingering weight yarn from Knitpicks, and cast on on Christmas day.

I've already finished the sleeves, and tomorrow I'll cast on one of the front pieces. Here are some Iphone pics so far:

Knitpicks Gloss fingering in Jade

Knitting the first sleeve

If I keep on knitting at this pace, I should be finished in time for the deadline of January 31st. Keep your needles crossed for me!

Love,

Rachael

New Year, New Goals

Hello Chickadees!

I hope the holidays have been good to you all, and full of friends and family. My holiday season was very busy, with too much delicious food, and incredible times with family.

As soon as January rolls around, everybody starts making "New Years Resolutions", and I am not exempt from that group. I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and post it here for the whole online world to see! Hopefully doing that will help to keep me accountable.

My goals this year:
1) Create something new every month.
Many months in the past year have gone by where I did not touch my sewing machine, crochet hook, or knitting needles. I've come to realize that in order to stay sane, I need to be creating something.

2) Learn a new skill or technique
I am a creature of habit, and I don't really like being pushed out of my comfort zone.  But in order to improve my skills as a sewist (or seamstress or what have you) I need to be learning more. I vow to incorporate a new skill in every project I make. That might include learning to sew a new fabric, trying out a new stitch pattern, perfecting my handwork, or trying my hand at tailoring.

3) Blog all of my creations
I see this blog as a sort of online portfolio for my sewing, knitting, and crocheting creations, but in order to do that, I need to actually get down to the nitty gritty of preparing and writing blog posts. This is a little bit of a challenge for me. I will be pushed out of my comfort zone by documenting the procedure ( I usually fly by the seat of my pants), keeping notes, and taking photos of my outfit in public settings.

4) Work on networking
This one goes along with number 3. I read a LOT of blogs, but rarely comment or engage in conversation with the bloggers. I sort of consider myself to be shy when it comes to social networking. I've started branching out on instagram, liking other peoples creations, and asking questions about patterns, fabric, yarn, etc. So far, everybody has been very lovely and helpful, and I don't see why I was so afraid! Here's to striking up conversations and forging new online friendships!

I feel like all of these are totally attainable goals for 2014. I look forward to seeing what comes of it!

What are some of your goals for the new year?

Love,
Rachael

Christmas Time is Here

Hello Chickadees!

Well, now that we're into December, the holidays are upon us! For most, this means braving the insane malls and stores in order to snatch up christmas gifts for those they love. But for crafters, It means furiously knitting, crocheting, and sewing up creations for our friends and family.

This year, I was a crazy woman and decided to knit socks for my friends for Christmas. Having only knit one pair of socks previously, This was a gargantuan task, for a beginner sock knitter. But BEHOLD! I finished all of them, with a few more projects to boot!

 

Clare's Mermaid Socks 

 

Cassia's Dinosaur Socks 

 Sarah's Zig Zag Socks

 

Tori's Feather Socks 

 Karla's Shell Socks 

 Mom's Tweedheart socks.

Click on the caption under each photo to go to the Ravelry page with yarn and pattern information.

I hope you all have a happy, safe, and blessed holiday season!
Rachael