Not Every Idea is a Good Idea...

 or In Which I actually Use Some of The Yarn I Bought - Part 2

One of the many things I dabble in is designing knitting patterns. Most often I do so because I conceived of a desire for a garment and couldn't find an existing pattern that was exactly what I wanted. So I try to make my own.

In this case, I first bought yarn I didn't have a plan for (as I do), then attempted to find uses for all of it. It took some time, (as you may have noticed) but eventually most of that speculation yarn got put to (questionably) good use.

This deliciously soft pile of yarn took several turns on their way to an actual wearable. Much math was calculated, graphs were drawn and many stitches done and undone. Finally I came up with this:

It looks ok on the dress form, but it never quite managed to hang right on an actual person. I don't know where all my (totally correct, or course) math went wrong, or if it's just the way the stitches and yarn interact. Either way, I wore it once and now it serves well as a favorite sleeping cushion for my kitty.

My next attempt at stash busting went a little better, though was almost as complicated. I alternated the two almost matching skeins each row to make a ribbed vest with shaping inspired by a vintage sweater I had seen. It too was perhaps more complex than it needed to be, but I like the result regardless. I still wear this one and am working on writing it up in a way others can replicate.

Remember when I threatened to make a Frankenstein sweater out of all my single skeins of mohair? Well, I did, and I did it. The Hazy Day Vest is one of the successes from my compulsive yarn buying habit :)

And finally, this giant ball of mohair that was enough for a sweater all on it's own? Well of course I had to push that to be lacy  and coat tailed, with Copious sleeves. I lost that game of chicken. I ran out of yarn right at the last few inches and had to substitute another yarn to finish. 

Still, despite the last minute substitution and subsequent altering of the neckline, I really like how this one came out. It's very warm and only comes out in the winter, but it's very soft and comfortable. And I really enjoyed making a semi-fitted garment that is dead simple to customize to fit. As someone who has always struggled with getting knitwear to fit well, I try to make sure my published designs are as adjustable as possible.

And now on to my next yarn buying adventure! 

From Speculation to Inspiration to Sweater

or In Which I actually Use Some of The Yarn I Bought - Part 1 

One of the many things I dabble in is designing knitting patterns. Most often I do so because I conceived of a desire for a garment and couldn't find an existing pattern that was exactly what I wanted. So I try to make my own.

In this case, I first bought yarn I didn't have a plan for (as I do), then found a historical pattern that caught my fancy, then used that as inspiration to put a use to the yarn.

The five balls of K + C Willow inflated to two balls of each color when I realized I wanted to make a sweater from them. The colors suggested stripes to me, but that sounded boring on it's own, so I started dreaming up ways I could make make diagonal lines or something else overly complicated. The yarn sat for a long time, since none of those ideas really panned out (shocker).

Then I had a good browse of The Antique Pattern Library.  If you haven't visited that site before, go check it out, this post can wait. Seriously, it is a huge resource for historical, public domain patterns and instructions for just about every craft imaginable. I have found lots of great patterns there, including this one from Minerva Yarns Style Book Vol 30 (1933):

Now, I don't love everything about this pattern, but it sure does present a good starting place for finally realizing my striped sweater. I really liked the idea of alternating stripes of knit and crochet, though I did alter the stripe size and placement quite a bit. I kept the long slim sleeves and v neck, but I added a bit more poof to the tops of the sleeves. Because K + C Willow is a much different yarn that what was used here, I had to alter the stich patterns and counts a lot. Since I also wanted to size it for me, that meant making a gauge swatch and basically designing a sweater from the bottom up using this as inspiration. 

So to do that, I start with a sketch and begin filling in measurements. I wrote up a post going over the basics of measuring and customizing fit here. I was having trouble figuring out how to shape the armholes and shoulders with the crochet sections, as I am far less familiar with crochet in general. Then, my hubby asked if the shoulders were harder than the body, why couldn't I start there and get the difficult stuff out of the way? Solutions sometimes come from the least likely places, and this was a great one! I'd never done a top down sweater before, but with  few tips from my go to vintage books, it was definitely the easier way for this one.

And so I present the finished bistitchual sweater! As a bonus, it used up most of the Willow yarn, so I don't have to scramble to find something else to do with the leftovers!

Before and After: Mermaid Tunic

 Here's a glimpse behind the curtain, at the previous lives of the pieces that became my Erte inspired tunic:

I loved the petal like hem of the purple shirt, but I really wasn't a fan of the sleeves or neckline. Also I tend to like long waisted garments and wished I could lower that beautiful hem several inches. The turquoise top isn't a style I usually go for, but in this case it sang to me of possibilities. Together they make a fanciful side laced tunic that makes me think of something a mermaid might wear as she masquerades in the human world for an evening.

 

Before and After: Inspired by Erte

If you've never heard of him, Erte was a 20th-century artist and designer in an array of fields, including fashion, jewellery, graphic arts, costume and set design for film, theatre, and opera, and interior decor.  

I stumbled upon a book of his fashion illustrations in a thrift store, and immediately fell in love with his elegant art deco fashions.  I wanted to be the models in his drawings, draped in swathes of rich fabrics.  Inspired by his sweeping lines, I tried to recreate a few of his pieces in a more modern mode, from all upcycled materials.

 Taking the basic idea of two squares of fabric joined to a triangular top, I updated the drawing at left to produce a ruffled and lacey dress.  Folding the squares gave a two tiered look, and the lacy dangles of the scarf turned bodice accented the drape and flow.  A strappy sleeveless look gave more freedom of movement than the original, and a good backdrop for accessorizing with a shawl or shrug.

 Repurposing a tank top into the bodice for this dress smoothed out the gathers and sleeve accents of the original, drawing all attention to the dramatic swoops of the skirt.  I kept the rings, but eschewed the tasseled cord in favor of cute velvet ribbons.  Most of Erte's drawings are only available in black and white, but I like to imagine them in rich tones like this.

 Erte came up with some fabulous accessories too.  Instead of stripes of ebony and orange, I appliqued a vintage doily to a panel of black velvet.  The dark fabric shows through the cutwork in wonderful contrast.  The cord and tassels became a black and silver chain, zigzagging through loops of satin cord.

Before and After: Decor to Fashion

The former lives of three of the newest additions to my Etsy shop:



This elegant lacy shrug began it's life as a table topper.  I rescued it from a thrift store.  It was presumably discarded because it had a few snags and loops pulled.  They didn't mar the pattern, however, and the extra loops gave me enough yarn to sew up the sleeve seams.  It must have been fate.







This snazzy skirt started life as a window valance.  It looks OK there on the window, but not near as good as it looks wrapped around a waist.  Those crystal bead grapes especially, swing much more prettily on a set of hips than on a curtain rod.

This charming skirt began as a charming tablecloth.  Unlike the other two above, I didn't know immediately what to do with this one when I bought it.  Then I picked it up by the center and saw how it flowed, and just like the valance, knew it would look much better on a moving person than a static table.