Tag Archives: knit

November – Indie Gift Along on Ravelry

Posted on November 19, 2019 by | Comments Off on November – Indie Gift Along on Ravelry

It's that time again!

Get your yarn wound and your knitting needles warmed up.
Indie Designers Gift-Along sale is happening next week!
More info here: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/indie-design-gift-a-long

Have a great November!

-A

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The DIY Mojo is Back!

Posted on October 3, 2016 by | Comments Off on The DIY Mojo is Back!

Watch out! I'm getting that itch to make clothes again! Bought a sewing pattern after receiving some lovely new fabric from a friend. Bought yarn for the first time in over a year, and am now putting together some new DIY projects. 

Knitting:
Sadly our local LYS, the Loop & Leaf is closing, and Celeste the lovely owner of the shop had to sell all her yarn stock to prepare for the sale of the building. This meant steep cuts in price to the yarn and so I bought two small lots of yarn: 5 skeins of Juniper Moon Farm's Zooey and 7 skeins of Berroco Maya. We didn't have any stockists in Germany who carried Juniper Moon Farm or Berroco yarn so I was happy to finally get to try some of the more American brand yarns in warm-weather varieties. The Zooey is a cotton/linen blend and the Maya is a cotton/alpaca blend (chain structure).  I don't have too many warm weather yarns so it was perfect.

My first swatch in over a year! (Juniper Moon Farms Zooey)

Berroco's Maya yarn

Sewing:
We took a short trip to Germany, and I was able to catch up with friends. One of my friends is going super-minimal-no-waste in her household so she foisted some beautiful fabric on me (see the first pic). It didn't take much to convince me to take it! I want to make a blouse and a skirt for work.

Quilting:
Finally, I finished both sides of the fun "blue-green" patchwork quilt I started last year. So now all that's left is the actual quilting!


And that's what's happening in my craft-room (which is also the living room and art studio and general multi-purpose room)!

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Ravelry Indie Designers Gift-Along 2015

Posted on November 17, 2015 by | Comments Off on Ravelry Indie Designers Gift-Along 2015
I can't believe it's November! And, this means it's time for Ravelry's most amazing time of the year for independently published knitting patterns.  This year is no different, and I'm participating as a designer with 14 patterns on sale for 25% off their usual price...



AND, I'm offering a physical prize, too!  I'm offering a giclee (fancy term for high-quality inkjet) print of my knitterly illustration "6 Fabulous English Sheep Breeds".  So, if you're interested in winning it and/or hundreds of other prizes, check out the Ravelry Indie Design Gift-Along page full of information on the super-fun events to come.

  • Prizes
  • Games
  • Contests
  • Knit-alongs
  • Crochet-alongs
  • Machine-Knitalongs

All the details are on the Ravelry Gift-Along page and the magical gift code in order to make your 25% off of my knitting pattern dreams come true is there too!  Have a great time, and I'll see you there!

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Fancy joining a KAL?

Posted on June 2, 2015 by | Comments Off on Fancy joining a KAL?

Hello my fellow knitters,

I’m running a KAL for my pattern Wind & Storm. The first 10 peeps who commit to the KAL will get a free copy of the pattern. All other participants will receive the pattern at a discounted rate. And for all participants that complete the pattern, I will do a raffle giveaway!

This KAL is to celebrate the re-release (this time self-published) of the Wind & Storm pattern which was originally published by Knit Now in Issue #30 in 2014.  I'm nearly done with the self-published version which will have its official release in the fall (mid-September) but I’ll have it up beforehand as a soft release and for the purposes of this KAL.

The KAL key dates are as follows: 
Start: June 15, 2015 
End: September 15, 2015
Yarn and knitting requirements can be found on the pattern page for Wind & Storm.
And, feel free to use the image above as your project image place-holder until we officially start the KAL! It's great to have people knitting the same thing as you and when you run into questions or issues, we all help each other!  It's a lovely experience if you've never done one before.




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Sewing Knits: Vogue V9056

Posted on March 6, 2015 by | Comments Off on Sewing Knits: Vogue V9056
I always knew the three-quarter view was the most flattering!  Hah!

deep INHALE!
This was my first knit top of the year, and I think of it as a "lukewarm" project.  The cut of the pattern is not too friendly for those with poochy bottom-belly pouches like myself.  It makes the wearer look a bit "full" in the belly with just the slightest exhalation.  I'm still going to wear it, but possibly with shapewear underneath. It's not my favorite top, but I'll be wearing it anyway because I love the fabric.

EXHALE!
And somehow I managed to mistakenly align the stripes along the sleeve and create a mobius!  That made for a heck of a time when I was doing the twin-needle top-stitching.  I had a big laugh when I realized what happened.  I could've sewn a spiral up the sleeve! HAH!
EXHALE again...
My biggest frustration with Very Easy Vogue's V9056, though, is the sizing.  Its sizing is so off!  I even checked with the finished measurements, and made the size 12 with 14 sleeves.  I made an adjustment to the torso and lengthened it to make sure waistline really hit where it said.  I've never had to do that.  I'm short-waisted usually.  After trying it on, I was swimming in it!  I had to take it to the serger and lop off 3/4" on each side seam.  Yes, 1 1/2" total of fabric removed which in woven fabric patterns is ridiculous, but in a knit it's upsetting.  Negative ease, people! Cutting off the fabric, in turn, affected the drape of the peplum, but I can deal with that.  Just argh.



And the pattern illustration looked so promising, too!  One of my friends made it, and she looks awesome in it!  I asked her about the fitting, and she admitted to ignoring the measurements and just making the smallest size regardless.  So much for following instructions!  Hah!

 


Well, it's a non-maternity, non-nursing top and I need those so I'll keep making them!  Next on my list is Colette Pattern's Moneta.  We'll see how that one goes.  They're a bit more conscientious about modern fit, so hopefully I won't have to make too many changes to the pattern.

⁃ Fabric: grey and cream stripe knit
⁃ Pattern: Vogue V9056
⁃ Year: contemporary
⁃ Notions: twin-needle
⁃ Time to complete: 4 hours
⁃ First worn: this week
⁃ Wear again? Yes, but with reservations.
⁃ Modifications:  bodice dropped, side-seams taken in

UPDATE
March 19: I made a rookie mistake.  I forgot to wash the fabric before sewing, but in this case it's worked in the favor of this piece and it fits really well now!

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Fairisle February 2015, Week 2

Posted on February 12, 2015 by | Comments Off on Fairisle February 2015, Week 2
This week, members of the fairisle course had their first chance to STEEK!  Yes, we did.  We cut through our knitting.  And, we did it with impunity!  Hahah! (snip, snip, snip!)

Here are some photos from class...



I love their color choices!  Check out those beautiful palettes!



I was able to make some fairisle swatches using the knitting machine, and I am fairly certain it's what helped many overcome their fear of cutting through their knitting.  Amanda might recognize this yarn if she looks closely... thanks, Amanda!


Lots of students even decided to go the traditional route instead of doing the crochet support.  I think this group was especially motivated to cut their knitting.


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WIP: Prepping for Fairisle February!

Posted on December 16, 2014 by | Comments Off on WIP: Prepping for Fairisle February!
This past month, I've been working on a fairisle pattern and accompanying hand-out for a class I'm teaching on traditional fairisle techniques.  I've taught the class twice before, but I was taking over someone else's class after they were too sick to teach.  The orginal instructor had chosen a very thin yarn to do the colorwork, but now that I'm teaching it again I asked to switch to a thicker yarn.  Here is where Rowan Fine Tweed steps in.  It's pre-felted, slubby, thick/thin colorful yarn, and best of all, it's tweedy!!  I love tweedy yarns.

I'm getting back into the knitted swing of things, and warming up by writing a new fairisle pattern replete with oodles of simple motifs and steeks!

So far, here's my progress with this little vest...

First my swatch using the least used colors (two of the contrasting colors)...


Then once I configured my numbers, I designed the schematic for the vest and cast-on.  Since this one is steeked, I cast on in the round with extra steek sts at the center front...


Halfway through, I realized my row gauge had relaxed and I re-configured my numbers to be sure that the lengths would work out.


Then, after washing/blocking, I steeked the center sts! 



 The tweedy felted yarn won't just unravel, so I knew it would be okay to knit from the steeked edges.  I'll post photos when I get the photos onto the computer...

...and if you're in Munich in February, and are interested in learning fairisle techniques, be sure to sign up for my class at die Mercerie!


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Want to know more about Stitchin Knit and Stitchin Crochet?

Posted on October 8, 2014 by | Comments Off on Want to know more about Stitchin Knit and Stitchin Crochet?
(Image from the Underground Crafter site)
I was interviewed last month for a Hispanic Heritage Month by Marie Segares, the crochet & knitting blogger and designer.  She blogs at the Underground Crafter and is also the host of the podcast the "Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show".  If you'd like to read her interview of me for her Hispanic Heritage series that happened in September, you can read it here (http://undergroundcrafter.com/blog/2014/09/18/interview-with-adriana-hernandez-hispanic-heritage-month-series/)

And, for the podcast, she asked me some great questions about how I got into the business of making fonts for knit and crochet. So, if you're interested in listening to the podcast interview you can find it here (http://creativeyarnentrepreneur.com/episode-8-affordable-crochet-and-knitting-fonts-with-adriana-hernandez/) or below.

Thanks for asking me to participate, Marie!


And, if you'd like to see the fonts, you can find them here.

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Knittin’ for Baby: Striped Coverall

Posted on August 16, 2014 by | Comments Off on Knittin’ for Baby: Striped Coverall
And, another project completed just fast enough to wear once.  Ah well.  At the very least, it made for some nice photos.


Can I also recommend a little something to knitters who follow in my footsteps and think that open-ring snaps are the way to go?  Here's my advice... reinforce the knitted fabric with some kind of backing.  Either a thin strip of jersey or something.  The prongs are kind of ripping into the button bands.  Argh.  What was I thinking?!  Oh... I wasn't.  I just wanted to "get 'er done."  And so it goes...


Project: Striped Coveralls for the little dude
Pattern:  All-In-One in Deramores Baby DK (1009) by Deramores Retail Ltd
Yarn: Debbie Bliss, Baby Cashmerino in Dark Green and Grey (1.5 skeins of both colors)

Modifications:

  • Solid color sleeves
  • Shortened sleeves to prevent the LD from eating the cuffs.
  • Added a crotch gusset as seen below... because there was no way they would fit over cloth diapers or at 3 months... and the LD is kind of an average sized 3 month old.





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MMM 2014 Wrap-Up and Thoughts

Posted on June 3, 2014 by | Comments Off on MMM 2014 Wrap-Up and Thoughts
Wow!  I'm still trying to catch my breath after a whirlwind month.  May 2014 totally kicked my butt!  I'm still reeling from giving birth, and the steep learning curve that is early motherhood.  I don't know if I'll ever have a real sleep routine again, but I'm at least getting some shut-eye and getting out and about a bit more.

As a result of all the new routines in my life, MMM 2014 took a bit of a back seat.  I definitely wore mostly second-hand and me-made items, but I had trouble keeping up with photographing and posting regularly.  I think I may have to use my mobile phone a bit more to photograph.  Surprisingly enough, with the help of my parents being in town, I was able to make new items!  I made a white sleeveless nursing top with some success and I even finished a Baby Surprise Jacket for the little dude.





Project: White sleeveless nursing top
Pattern: Simplicity 2317 - with a LOT of modifications to Top "A"
Things to change for next time - choose a smaller size!  I added darts to the bust, overlapped the top to make a nursing tank, drafted a higher back.

This year's MMM definitely made me realize that I inherited lots of maternity clothes, but very few nursing tops so my goal is to make some nice, fashionable nursing tops to get me through the summer and fall.  My jelly belly is also quickly shrinking and all my favorite maternity trousers are getting too loose.  Believe it or not, I'll miss a lot of those clothes - they're so comfy!  Perhaps it's time to bring back my old clothes?  We shall see.  Even though I'm shrinking, my body has changed a lot and I will likely have to make some new items or adjust old ones.  And, I also realized I need a hands-free way to hold the little dude.  I use a wrap when I'm going out, but I think I need to make a sling or something that's a bit faster to get him in and out of... perhaps learn new wrap ties, too.  So many goals!

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