Tag Archives: Simplicity

September 29, 2014 · 7:00 AM

FO: Corkscrew Hat

I mentioned a while back that I would be participating in another Progressive Needles Knit-a-Long, hosted by Michelle Hunter. This is the hat we made!

I had been wanting to make myself an interesting hat (I only had one boring, plain one) and this one fits the bill perfectly.

I always learn a lot from Michelle’s knit-a-longs. This was my first time doing stranded colorwork, but her instructions made it much easier than it looks. She encouraged us to learn to knit with one color in each hand. It felt very awkward at first knitting with my left hand, but I got the hang of it by the end of the hat. Learning a new technique like that opens up so many possibilities for new patterns to try!

The yarn we used for the KAL was HiKoo Simplicity. This is a great, all-purpose yarn! It is made from merino wool, acrylic, and nylon. You get the warmth from the wool, but rather than being itchy, it is super-soft. I liked this yarn so much, I chose it for the yellow hat I am making for my daughter.

The next Progressive Needles Knit-a-Long starts October 2! I will be participating again, and we will be making a cowl. We have 3 lengths to choose from. I will make the shortest length because I have discovered that I prefer short cowls rather than longer cowls or scarves. The yarn we’re using is HiKoo Simplinatural. I chose the color “First Press Olive” to coordinate with my new hat. Will you be joining in the KAL?

Details:

Pattern: Corkscrew Hat, by Michelle Hunter. It is available as a free download on Ravelry.

Yarn: HiKoo Simplicity. My colors were “First Press Olive” and “Framboise”.

If you are on Ravelry, you can check out my project here.

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Filed under Knitting

Tagged as hat, KAL, knitting, Simplicity

March 31, 2011 · 6:01 PM

Simplicity 2603 – The Top

My latest sewing project is this cute top from Simplicity 2603. The pattern envelope hardly even shows this top, but it is a hidden gem!

For fabric, I used an ITY jersey knit that I purchased a couple of months ago from Fabric.com. This was my first time using ITY and I like it a lot; it looks silky but not polyester-y, giving it a bit of a dressier look than other knits.

As far as alterations, I did full-bust and full-back alterations. Doing this rather than going up a size gives me a really nice fit in the neck and shoulders. To do the alterations, I simply placed the front and back pattern pieces a little bit away from the fold to add width. These simple alterations work with this pattern because of the neck band and the gathers at the neckline. For the front, I simply added the extra width to the gathering. In the back, I eased the extra into the neckband.

Placing the Back Piece Away From the Fold to Add Width

I should probably have done a sway back adjustment, but I didn’t. My prior attempts at doing so have not been entirely satisfactory and I didn’t feel like trying it with this project.

Notice the pooling in the small of my back?

This top looks great with black pants. In the summer I will wear it alone, but for cooler weather it works nicely with a black cardigan.

With the Cardigan

BTW, I wish that background were my home, but alas, it is the view from our lodging in the Napa Valley weekend before last.

My full Pattern Review can be found here.

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Filed under Sewing

Tagged as 2603, sewing, Simplicity, top

February 24, 2011 · 10:01 PM

Simplicity 2603 – Cardi-Wrap Complete

After a nearly 3 year dry spell I have finally sewn something for myself! It was a lot of fun to get sewing again, even if it did happen very slowly. I actually completed this a couple of weeks ago, but it took me a while to get around to taking pictures.

This is the shorter cardi-wrap from Simplicity 2603. I did the long sleeve version with the cuffs.

This was a good project to get my feet wet again. I didn’t want to worry too much about fit and the loose front on this top is very forgiving.

Side View

The shape of the front piece is interesting, but it drapes very nicely. It falls into place quite easily.

Front Piece

The fabric is a heather gray matte jersey. It ends up looking charcoal, which I really like. While the fabric drapes nicely (very necessary for this pattern) it is a little too heavy for this style. I was hoping to be able to wear the top tied in front, but I won’t be able to because of the too-heavy fabric. It just doesn’t look right:

Tied in Front

I really like the cuffs on this. They are attached about halfway between my wrist and elbow with a little fold. It’s hard to describe, but I think this treatment is a nice detail.

Cuff

I’m still getting used to this style on me. It is very different than what I usually wear. I wore it out of the house yesterday and I felt pretty good. My hairdresser complimented me on it, so that’s a good sign!

A different top underneath.

All in all, a satisfying project. The sewing bug has definitely hit me again and I have to hold myself back from planning too many projects.

See my complete pattern review here: review.

Next up: a sleeveless top in my new purple and black print fabric.

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Filed under Sewing

Tagged as 2603, sewing, Simplicity, tops

February 2, 2011 · 9:53 PM

Sewing Updates

Remember that cardi-wrap I was so anxious to make a couple of months ago? I was hoping to have it finished before I posted about it again, but since I seem to be sewing at a snail’s pace I thought I would give you an update. I have actually made good progress on it. All I have left is to sew on the sleeves and hem around the whole thing.

I haven’t decided how I’m going to hem it yet. I’m thinking of either doing a rolled hem or a narrow overlock stitch on my serger. With both of these options, the stitching will be visible on the outside and I think it will provide a nice contrast around the edges of the draped parts. I will have to experiment. I don’t think a traditional folded hem will look very good with this style or my fabric. Many people who have made the cardi-wrap have just left it unhemmed, but I’m not a big fan of that look. I can understand the appeal though – this top has a lot of hemming to do and it is very visible!

In other news, the fabric I ordered arrived last Friday. I love it! It will be perfect for the projects I have in mind.

The next project in the queue will be a top made out of this new fabric: