Knitting Update on Projects and Setting Dye

Have you ever bought a yarn or fabric only to be heartbroken when you washed it and the color runs?  I found something that works for me - Rit Dye Fixative which I bought at Michaels. I can't guarantee it will work in all situations but I've tried it with several quilt fabrics and recently with a sweater made from yarn that bleeds.  I'm very pleased with the results.  This product and how it works are in the last part of the video below.

I did not get into many details about how I constructed the completed light blue/green sweater (shown at right) in the video.  I did not use a pattern for this.  While I have many patterns added to my favorites on Ravelry, increasingly I find it more enjoyable to just work up my own sweaters using a stitch pattern from one of the Treasury of Knitting Pattern books and figure out the fit as I go using my own measurements and working off of a favorite sweater or top.

To create the blue/green sweater, I worked a swatch for the gauge and then calculated how many stitches I would need for the bottom edge based on my measurements.  As I explain in the video, I made a simple math error and did this wrong the first go round but after restarting I got a good fit.  I knitted the pattern for a few inches and switched to all stockinette.  I also mentioned in the video how I left some stockinette all the way up to work decreases to the waist and then a little increasing up to the bust line.  I learned about this in the Sweater Modifications for a Custom Fit class on Craftsy.com. This is an excellent class to help with fitting.  I use some of these concepts now but I do not use her pattern.  I also tend to remeasure a lot.

When I get to the armholes, I follow another sweater or top that fits the way I want the one I'm making to fit.  I just measure how much I need to decrease and work out how many stitches to bind off at the beginning of rows and for how long to get my desired fit.  For example, if I have a gauge of 6 stiches per inch and I need to lose 1 inch over the next 4 rows, I would bind off 3 stitches at the beginning of every other row.  I added a little more pattern stitch to the top of this sweater as I felt it would be a bit plain otherwise. (And I get bored with stockinette.)

For the neckline on this sweater, I had a Talbots blouse that had a rolled collar and a keyhole back and it was my inspiration.  To get the rolled effect, I picked up stitches around the neck working in a 2x2 rib for about an inch and then did all stockinette for a few more rows which naturally rolls after binding off.

This is a simplified version of what I do.  I like playing with different stitch patterns and I don't mind doing fitting for myself in knitting.  Knitting has far more give than sewing does which to me is far harder to get a good fit.

I'm doing this same idea with the vest using a zip front vest in my wardrobe as the model.  I've never put a zipper in my knitted garments so that will be a new adventure.  I love making things that I know I will wear.  So far I've worn all my knitted sweaters several times each.

Here's the video of my projects for the last couple of months:



Thanks for watching!

2 pager with Stenciling

I'm back with a two pager and process video.  I FINALLY got some photos printed. The first part of the video shares some of those and selecting which photos to jump back into scrapbooking on my first layout in several weeks.

For this two pager, I used kraft cardstock, stenciling and some wood veneer to fit the mood and keep it simple.  Here is the process video:



Soon, I'll have an update on some of my other crafts as well. 

As a reminder, if you have purchased a class in the past, please watch any videos from the classes you would like before October 1.  As announced earlier this year, all classes will go away at that time. This does not affect sketchbooks. All of my other process videos will still be available.

Thanks for watching!