the one hour shirt

Oh sure, it's snowing outside, but that doesn't mean we can't think ahead to better weather, right? I had another week at home and decided to use the time to sew some clothes for the it-must-be-coming-soon spring.

Way back when I was pregnant with Sadie I used this McCall's maternity pattern to make a couple of dresses. But the style is very simple and it doesn't scream maternity so I've been wearing one of the dresses ever since. I figured this would be a good base pattern for a few shirts and dresses however I must have given away the real thing in a ruthless purge. Thank goodness for the class I took last year at the Workroom - all I had to do was draft a new pattern from the existing dress and make some necessary adjustments to match my still-shrinking chest. Then I set about making a few garments, starting with these two little tops. Easy bust darts and an A-line shape mean these sew up in no time, and for variety I tried making straps with an inner facing on one and then bias tape straps and edgings for the other. Both are quick and easy options.

I simply adore this polka-dot fabric though. It's a linen/cotton blend from this Etsy shop, but I only ordered half a yard thinking it would be great for crafty projects. Turns out it was JUST enough for this top. I imagine it would make a great dress because the drape is lovely, but there may be a limit on how many polka-dot garments I can own. Maybe.

love is...

Lemon cupcakes, for starters. But not just any lemon cupcake - only these moist, delicately glazed morsels will do. Using Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe I simply filled 18 muffin cups instead of a loaf pan and halved the glaze. They are heaven, plain and simple. Something about the fresh scent of lemon seems perfectly Spring-like.

Love is also having a new workspace, and one that isn't stuffed into the corner of a bedroom. Sure, maybe some people wouldn't love the idea of working in the unfinished basement of a house built in 1923, but I'l take anything that allows me to put two tables back-to-back. Finally my sewing machine and serger don't have to jockey for space and I can lay fabric out without having to move furniture out of the way.

It's amazing what a few coats of paint can do for freshening up old cinder block and concrete. The bare hanging bulbs aren't the best, but a sisal carpet and hanging pendants add some warmth and I'll figure out better lighting later. The curtains on the left are hung on cast iron plumbing fixtures and slide aside easily to reveal the unsightly laundry area. They create a clean, ivory wall that defines the space - which measures close to 8' x 14'. With all this work space, I'm addicted to spending time in the basement. Finally I can sew (or paint, or draw, or whatever) at night and not wake the little people.

But there is one thing that tops all this in the love department: Jay brought home 48 boxes of chocolate raisins for me the other day (umm, that's 2 cases). He's worried that Glosette's may be phasing out my absolute favourite candy, so he stocked up. For me. Not only am I set for a 6 month sugar high, but I seem to have the best husband ever.

Ah, love.

toddler snappy shoulder vest

{EDITED TO ADD: 6, 8 and 10 year old sizes now added! See updated pattern here.}

Honestly, I think vests are a marvellous invention. Not only are they fun to knit, but because there is no sleeve length to worry about, they tend to fit a growing toddler for at least two seasons. That's quite a feat for a single garment.

This new pattern has a sportier feel but still fits my lazy-knitter requirement: there are no seams to sew. Using a saddle shoulder construction this comes together pretty easily and the shoulders are a great way to use up scrap yarn. I've knit three versions of this and basically chose a different close-to-worsted scrap yarn every time and although it made tiny differences in the size of the saddle, it didn't affect the final size of the vest much. Gauge is only important for the main yarn which is Dream in Colour Classy again. What can I say, I like a washable yarn that has interesting colour affects - I mean look at those blues! So awesome. And I've worked out two sizes this time, 2T and 4T. Keeping our little guys in sweater vests until they are school age sounds like a nice idea to me.

What you will need:
Worsted weight wool (I used Dream in Color Classy, Midnight Derby colourway, 1 skein for either size)
Worsted to Aran weight wool for shoulders, 50 yds (great use for scrap wool)
4.5mm needles (16” circ)
extra 4.5mm needle (for holding stitches)
4mm needles (DPNs - for neck and armhole edgings)
1 stitch marker

Gauge is 19 stitches over 26 rows = 4” square. Size is 2T [4T] with finished dimensions of: 10.5″ [11.25”] wide, 14.5” [16”] long (or longer – the body is up to you!)

SHOULDER SADDLES (make 2)
Using 4.5mm circs and shoulder wool, CO 20. Knit in stockinette for 14 rows and bind off on RS row.

FRONT
Using main wool, pick up 12 stitches along vertical edge of a shoulder saddle. CO 15 [17], then pick up 12 stitches along vertical edge of the second shoulder saddle (39 [41]stitches on needle). Turn work and purl to end. Turn work and knit to end. Continue knitting flat in stockinette for 3” [3.5”] ending on a WS row.
Next row (RS): Knit to end, CO2.
Next row (WS): Purl to end, CO2.
Next row (RS): Knit across 43 [45] stitches and transfer to spare 4.5mm needle.

BACK
This time, it’s much easier to see where you are picking up stitches, because the shoulder saddles are already in place. So, using your main wool, pick up 12 stitches along remaining vertical edge of a shoulder saddle. CO 15 [17], then pick up 12 stitches along vertical edge of the second shoulder saddle (39 [41] stitches on needle). Turn work and purl to end. Turn work and knit to end. Continue knitting flat in stockinette for 4” [4.5”] ending on a WS row.
Next row (RS): Knit to end, CO2.
Next row (WS): Purl to end, CO2. Turn work.
Now you’re ready to join in the round.

BODY
Knit across 43 [45] stitches, CO 9 [11], knit across the FRONT 43 [45] stitches from your spare needle, and CO 9 [11]. You should have 104 [112] stitches in total. Join in the round and sit back for some relaxing, mindless knitting. The body length is truly up to you – I knit in stockinette for 6” [7”].

BOTTOM
[K2, P2] ribbing for 2.5” and bind off loosely.

NECKBAND
You can easily tell the front of the vest because the neckline is lower. Using 4mm DPNs and your main wool pick up 17 [21] stitches across the back neckline of the vest, 17 across one saddle, 17 [21] across the front neckline, and another 17 across the remaining saddle (68 [76] stitches total). PM and [K2, P2] for 5 rows. Bind off loosely.

LEFT ARMHOLE
Using 4mm DPNs and main wool, determine the bottom center of the armhole and pick up 18 [21] stitches from this point until you reach the shoulder saddle. Pick up 17 stitches across saddle, then 21 [26] stitches along the back. PM and [K2, P2] for 5 rows and bind off loosely.

RIGHT ARMHOLE
Using 4mm DPNs and main wool, determine the bottom center of the armhole and pick up 21 [26] stitches from this point until you reach the shoulder saddle. Pick up 17 stitches across saddle, then 18 [21] stitches down the front. PM and [K2, P2] for 5 rows and bind off loosely.

Weave in all ends and block if desired. Find your favourite little person and keep them toasty warm in their newest vest!

(Pattern is for personal use only. Please do not use for commercial purposes.)

lists

To make up for missing an adult party I hosted, Jay and I told Sadie we would have a Family Party the following day. She was super excited (as any 6 year old girl probably would be) and the next thing I knew there was a list on the chalkboard. Turns out all you need for a Family Party is a few key essentials - so it was easy to fulfill...and I love that baked goods is a separate item from desserts (aka daserts). We put together a Sadie and Milo playlist, danced around the house with balloons, and ate sushi and sweet things. It was awesome.

And speaking of lists, now that I'm back to reading regularly, I feel like I need to document what I've read because it would seem that I've hit that embarrassing age where you forget if you read that book or not. Also, sometimes it's nice to see a list to know that losing sleep for the sake of wonderfully written words is worth it since the sheer volume can be satisfying. But I don't want to do that here, and thanks to this post I've just learned about Shelfari.  Anyone out there use it and like it, or is there a better, less social-media like option for cataloguing such lists? Clearly I could just make an Excel sheet but that seems so dull. And colourless. And practically anti-technology.

Hmmm.

test vest

Ever loved a test version better than the real thing? I think that's happening to me right now, or maybe I just think Milo looks extra cute in these colours. But regardless of my test version love, one thing is true: I am almost done a new vest pattern! I wanted to offer more than one size this time, so I'm currently on my third version of this vest. The bonus to all this knitting is that Milo will be well stocked for at least the next two winters, but next time I'm working on a pattern perhaps I'll enlist a couple of test knitters. There are plenty of little guys out there who could use a vest or two, right?

As for this garment, I used wool from the sale basement at Romni - Rowan's Harris Aran, now discontinued. It was bargain priced, so perfect for a test. I don't remember what the aqua wool is, but that's the idea of this vest - using little scraps to make shoulder saddles. I'll save the rest of the vest details for the pattern post though, which should be written as soon as my blocked vest dries and a little boy I know survives another photo shoot. Stay tuned.

9 years later

Before we moved into our house, we tore apart our one and only bathroom. That was 2002, and although it hasn't been a construction zone for these past 9 years, we never actually finished the room. The paint job was half done, one wall needed repair, and the first sink we installed kept rusting even though we'd had it reglazed.

I should stress that this is a very small bathroom (and yes, it has to work for 4 people). We don't have room for a regular size sink so the replacement search took a while. But we finally found a new sink that was small in depth, but nice and wide. There was no counter in the original bathroom so we installed an 8" deep chunk of pine (it had been a friend's outdoor step) that works very well as a surface for "things".

Another space saving trick was recessing a medicine cabinet into the wall before the drywalling was done - we can hide oodles of junk in there. We then hung a real cabinet above the toilet for more storage, painting it the same colour as all the woodwork so that it takes up less space visually. In the mirror in the photo above you can see a wall next to the cabinet that has a window in it. The original bathroom had nothing to enclose the bathtub - just a wraparound shower curtain. We put up this wall instead, adding a window so we could get light through and also make the tub space feel a bit bigger. Oh yeah, we have a smaller than normal tub too. Thank goodness we have shops in Toronto that carry small size European products.

The curtain panel is my most recent sewing project. I used the same linen that I'd made the shower curtain out of, but I really wanted to add a bit of colour since the whole room is basically white (Para New Cameo white for the woodwork, Benjamin Moore Collingwood for the walls). The single line of patches is just enough colour and it doesn't cross the too-cute line for Jay. But I think the key decision - the one that pulls the whole room together - is painting the door black. We intend to paint all our upstairs doors black, but this is only the second one we've completed. But wow, does it ever make a difference. I think the paint guys were afraid when I said the black oil paint I was buying was for our bathroom, but I'm so happy with it.

So there it is, a finished bathroom. So finished we can even have a little fun decorating. After staying at the Farmer's Daughter hotel in LA Jay was smitten with their vintage Kleenex boxes. Ebay to the rescue and now we have one which not only looks great, but keeps a Kleenex box off of our limited surfaces. All in all, a bathroom that I'm happy to keep clean.

And let's face it, at only 4 1/2 feet across, it doesn't take me that long.

the car hoodie

Ordering knit fabric over the internet is a little hit-and-miss. Luckily my "this isn't what I expected" moments are generally offset with squeals of "this is way better than I imagined!" The mini car fabric is just one of those wonderful surprises.  Ordered from this Etsy shop, it is SO soft, quite heavy and unexpectedly double sided. Perfect.

I only ordered a half yard, so I really had to make it stretch. Because the reverse side is the solid car background, I couldn't resist using it as the cuffs and bands. I had thought I would use contrasting colours for the bands, but nothing seemed to look better. So I ended up with a fairly plain hoodie, but it seems so right. And I made it quite roomy so that Milo can get another year's wear out of it. It's too soft and sweet for only a handful of wearings.

Now on to some girlie things. I've been told cars don't cut it, but pink stripes just might.

perspective

My little girl rocks. I was sad about something that happened today and so Sadie left me a note next to my knitting. Thank goodness I have a six year old in the house to remind me of what's really important. Like heartbreaking messages in funky handwriting on miniature tablets.

And in other interesting Sadie news, this was just sitting on our desk:

Do you think someone might have an early love of shoes? I know one thing for sure - I have got to get myself some "high hell" shoes.

vest envy

My secret is out: anytime I make clothes for Milo, I want a version for myself. It's just that the shapes and styles of menswear appeal to me, and always have. When I think of outfits I've loved in movies, I picture what Annie Hall wore when they were in the theatre line, or Meg Ryan as she walked through the park with Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally. Both inspired (or even borrowed) from menswear. So it was only a matter of time before I made myself a vest. Milo has a growing pile of them (and a new pattern in the works!) and vests are just as practical for adults as they are for kids.

I used Alison Hansel's Leftovers pattern, which is free from Knitty. It's a great pattern for using up scraps of wool, but even without the stripes the shape is perfect. There is enough negative ease to give the vest a flattering fit while still being the classic v-neck style. Not only was the vest a quick knit, but by using Cascade 220, it was also a very economical garment. With one already knit - and worn to work a few times already - I think I will make another but splurge on some more exciting wool. And by more exciting I probably mean my favourite wool, Debbie Bliss' Luxury Donegal Tweed, because I am actually quite boring and prone to habits.

(Side note: the vest also looks great with a tie. But I'll have to sew my own because Jay's collection is a little too 1970's for my taste. And then Milo might need one too. Of course.)

hoodie explosion

Suddenly I have more hoodies than I need, but that doesn't mean they aren't getting worn. Or more made. It's quite satisfying to see my knit fabric stash getting smaller and I love that Sadie is now requesting a hoodie collection of her own. She may not wear what I knit for her, but hoodies are a sure thing.

On the theme of knitwear, Sascha from Piccoli Piselli has a great post about sewing with knits. I had a eureka! moment reading her blog back in the summer and basically I use her cuff technique for just about every garment I make. This post has also led me to a great new hoodie pattern. The ruffle detail will be perfect for Sadie and so my hoodie love can continue. Belly pockets can work for adults too, right?