sweater Archives - Sew Wrong

Lucinda November 14, 2016

Finished Project – Toaster Sweater #2

Pattern: Toaster Sweater #2 by Sew House Seven
Fabric: french terry knit from Indiesew (sorry, sold out)

So yeah…this whole “slow sewing” movement is my jam because that’s all I seem to do these days when it comes to sewing. Sewing time is now few and far between – I started grad school this fall and work kicked into high gear two months ago. I thought after the wedding I’d have the time to get back into the swing of things with sewing, but I guess not!

(Oh, and I got a hair cut and chopped off 6″ since my last post – I swear my hair is not that poofy IRL)

Since my time is so limited now, I need to really focus on garments that I will absolutely enjoy making (and wearing) or will challenge my sewing skills – no more time to waste on garments that I don’t have 100% of my heart into.

Toaster Sweater #2 was a perfect jump-start to get back into garment sewing this fall.

When all was said and done, I made this sweater in an afternoon. I have a weakness for funnel necks/turtlenecks and jumped on this pattern as soon as I saw it as part of the Indiesew Fall Collection (now I need to check out Toaster Sweater #1!). The fabric is such a soft, yummy french terry and I just want to wrap myself up in a giant french terry burrito with this fabric. If you’re thinking about making this pattern, make sure to pick a fabric that has some body to it for the neck to sit correctly, anything jersey-like will result in a flimsy neck and the neck facing may flop open.

I loved the construction of the funnel neck – it’s a brilliant way of drafting the facing into the neckline and constructing the curved shoulder seam in the beginning of making the sweater. Hard to explain, but pretty cool when you make it.

I’m gravitating towards loose-fitting tops and dresses these days and I love the a-line fit of this sweater – see how roomy it is? The only thing I would change next time is to lengthen the top – I love the split hem and the hi/lo design, but I feel like it’s a smidge too short in the front for my liking. I’m also wearing a tank top underneath because the splits go pretty high on the side and I would be flashing some skin without an underlayer.

The mitered corner instructions were great, too, and made it easy to hem everything in place with professional-looking results. I used my twin needle for both the sleeve hems and bottom hem, pivoting around the slit opening.

Did you know there’s a Toaster Sweater #1 as well? I’m itching to try my hand at that one since I love #2 so much – I wore it twice already in the last week!

This post is part of the Indiesew Blogger Network – pattern or fabric may have been provided by Indiesew, however all thoughts and opinions are my own

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Lucinda May 13, 2014

Finished Project: Knit Night Cardigan

Pattern: Whole Wheat Cardigan
Yarn: Sublime Yarns Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK (#162 Pinkaboo)
Needle: US 9

Jeans: Gap
Watch: Michael Kors
Sneakers: Reebok

I started this sweater what…two years ago??? Yeah, umm…I got distracted, let’s call it that! Me Made May this year kicked my butt into gear – I really wanted to finish this sweater to wear with some of my dresses, and I’m finishing up a Ginger skirt right now that goes perfectly with this color. A cropped sweater like this really pairs well with a fit-and-flare dress.

I blame it on the fact that I HATE seaming sweaters. Hate hate hate. Which is crazy, because I sew, but there’s something about sewing up sweaters that’s just plain NOT FUN. It’s irrational, I know, whatever. So this guy sat in my knitting bag for the last year, just waiting to be blocked and sewn together. But now that it is, I think it’s one of my favorite hand-knit sweaters to date (but my Owls is still my all-time favorite, hands down).

Honestly, not a complicated knit, but I did have to be mindful of where I was with the pattern. I may have done the stitch pattern on the fronts incorrectly – I’m not sure if they’re supposed to mirror each other? I actually noticed it as I finished binding off for the second side. It doesn’t seem necessary to have them mirror, but if that floats your boat, it’s totally possible.

I lucked out on the buttons, too! White buttons would have looked way too twee, and these pink ones are a pretty close match.

Is Me Made May motivating you to finish any WIPs that are lying around?

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Lucinda January 7, 2014

What I Made In 2013: Owl Sweater and Wool Moss Mini [Grainline Studio]

Patterns: Owl Sweater by Kate Davies, Moss Skirt from Grainline Studio
Yarn: Rowan Cocoon, Scree colorway
Fabric: wool from Metro Textile
Sizes: sweater – small, skirt – 6

Hat: Topshop
Leggings: DKNY
Boots: London Fog

During the snow storm late last week, I dreamed up the idea of escaping the cold by going to Maine (hah!) for the weekend and staying at a resort with hot tubs and fireplaces. It was a great weekend last weekend, and so weird to see the place where I vacation in the summer covered in snow. Chris and I walked down to the beach on Sunday, which was a surprisingly warm and sunny day. It felt like a totally different place, seeing all of the beach stores and cafes boarded up for the winter.

Do you remember the sad story about this sweater back in January 2013? After I wove in the ends and blocked the sweater, it stretched out into measurements that were impossible to wear (we’re talking 30″ sleeves, peeps). I threw it in my pile of WIPs, waiting for fall to come so I could harvest the yarn for a big, chunky cowl. Just before I started the frogging, I tried it on one more time – what the heck, it fits!! Since then, this sweater has been in heavy rotation, especially on cold cold days like what we’ve been experiencing in New England lately.

I really really love this sweater! The sleeve are still a little too long, so I just cuff them up a bit and the sleeves are perfect. The stitches are still a bit loose, but it’s ok because I always wear a shirt under the sweater. I’m not sure how I’m going to care for this; I’m afraid of the stretching happening again and the idea of taking it to the dry cleaners doesn’t really appeal to me.

Instead of putting eyes on all of the owls, I just did one owl – it’s more subtle and not as twee looking. Also, I need to try using a needle a size larger when I bind off – I’m barely able to pull the sweater over my head!

Actually, I really love love everything about this outfit! I made another Moss skirt, this time out of wool and acetate from my failed Beignet skirt, and it turned out even better than my first one. After some practice, I think I finally have the hang of inserting a fly front zipper. I went up a size this time since my corduroy skirt was a bit snug, and lengthened the skirt about two inches since my first one was a little too short for my liking and comfort.

It’s absolutely perfect now! I need to make some more of these for warmer weather, this skirt is definitely a TNT (tried ‘n true) pattern in my sewing arsenal.

What are your go-to winter outfits? Mine seem to be mini skirts, leggings or tights, and boots with a cozy sweater on top.

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Lucinda March 14, 2013

Sister Style: Stripey Renfrew

My sister just finished her Renfrew top and it’s just like mine! We both bought the same fabric at Metro Textile in NYC when I visited her in January and made the same top from the same pattern, how funny is that? She calls it our “crafty genes.” Maybe the two of us can be totally dorky and wear them at the same time when she comes up to visit next weekend, heehee.

Check out her review of the pattern on her blog The Stitcherati and read about her first time sewing with stripes, eeek!

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Lucinda January 31, 2013

Back on the Horse – New Sweater WIP [Chuck]

See? I told you I wouldn’t be down for long after my last sweater fail.

This week, I made a lot of progress on my new sweater: Chuck by Andi Satterlund. Why you ask? Well, after being a slave to my couch for a couple of days after a bout of “stomach flu” this weekend (aka norovirus ewwww), I used the time between naps and rehydrating to catch up on some knitting and Murder, She Wrote. I have to say – this is a genius way to knit a sweater with set-in sleeves from the top down: you knit part of the back, pick up stitches at the shoulder, knit the front to the armpit, and then join the front and back and continue knitting in the round. Pretty cool, right? It’s be a while since I did a serious cable project, which I love knitting, so knitting this sweater has been really fun. And since it’s cropped, it won’t take as long as a normal sweater, sweet!

My sewing plans last weekend were dashed but I plan on making up the lost time this coming weekend – I cut out a Colette Patterns Beignet skirt from wool I bought on my recent NYC trip. I’m a little nervous about the 12 buttonholes (holy moly!) since my machine isn’t the greatest at making them, but I have a feeling the skirt will go together pretty smoothly.

Ahhh back to normal…