You guys really love these glove patterns! I’m posting for the third week in a row, a glove pattern from the Glove and Mittens Publication. This time I’m sharing the little pink beaded/sequined ones in the upper left-hand corner. If you’ve missed them, I’ve shared the Norwegian Mitten, bottom left, and the yellow cable-knit glove, bottom right.
In detail:
Click on the following link to download the pattern as a free pdf: Pink Beaded Glove Pattern
Click here to add to your Ravelry Queue or Favorites.
This glove & mitten booklet is chalk full of great patterns. I do have to say… this cover image only shows about half of the patterns here. There’s a whole bunch more that are offered on the inside. And I should state… If I get more request for gloves I’m just gonna scan the whole document for you guys so you can have them all! :)
Pattern Details:
This pattern is written using US size 0 knitting needles with a fingering weight yarn, that gets a gauge of 9 sts per inch and 15 rows per inch in stockinette.
The pattern is listed as a size medium. Looking forward into the pattern, I calculated that this medium size equates to a 6.6 inch hand circumference, without the thumb, taken near the base of the thumb.
Additionally, this pattern calls for 66 sequins and 66 pearls for “Trimming”. The trimming of the gloves is the last step on the pattern & the pearls/sequins are embroidered using the image as the guideline. What this means is that this would be a great, basic glove that can be frilled up and trimmed as you see fit!
And lastly (but not least)…
Thank you all so much for all of your ‘congratulations’ and advice on the house! Be sure to check back on that post, as I’ve made a comment at the bottom of the post for you all.
It’s gettin’ real peeps! It seems everything has aligned and in one week’s time I will officially be a homeowner – a first time homeowner to boot!
Felix and I have been keeping house chat on the down low since there were many ways the deal could have fallen through from when we had our offer accepted. But we’ve gotten the clear to close from all parties and per my Realtor when I asked him what would prevent us from closing at this point he responded back with:
Things that would prevent close:
Nuclear attack
Tsunami (south side only)
Left wing radical arson at propertyIf you clear the financing, and the bank gives you the “clear to close”, the scenarios are too seldom to even get into. Just don’t lose your job this month or make any major purchases.
So as long as I don’t quit my job or buy a Porsche with my credit card… I should be all good.
Here’s the 1885 Hyde Park house we’re purchasing (pending south side Tsunami) in one week’s time:
It doesn’t look like the prettiest house on the block, but I’m hoping that with time (and money allowing) we can get it looking back like it once did when it was built:
Why yes, I did manage to find an original line drawing of the house from 1885! heh I’m a clever researcher that way…
Isn’t that original drawing so much better than what it currently looks like?! I think so.
Felix and I are headed to home-remodel territory in such a short time. I don’t think I talk about my history very much on here but I grew up in a constant work-in-progress house that was built in 1910. I never had air conditioning and I never had a shower growing up. It’s an amazing house though:
I couldn’t find any recent images of the exterior, but this was taken a few Christmases ago.
I’m no stranger to brushing my teeth at the kitchen sink or doing dishes in the bathroom sink. But I’m fairly certain this is going to be a whole new deal actually being the homeowner since it’s been a good 10 years since I’ve acclimated myself to renting & not having to fix anything, ever.
I officially started packing up stuff this past weekend too.
So much is happening so fast….
In short, this news will impact so many things, both on the blog and off! I want to say we know what we’re doing – but we such newbies that it’s most likely a very naive statement so let’s just say: I don’t think we fully comprehend what we’re getting ourselves into but we’ll learn. heh
We do know the first thing we’re going to tackle (and by us I mean trained professionals) is the electrical, some plumbing, and the furnace – so that things are livable. After that we’ll be seeing how much $$$ we have left over and then do things accordingly.
I’m going to be working on my knitting projects, like always, and for the next month I’m hoping to find time between packing boxes to wrap up some of my WIP sewing projects – but we’ll see how that goes.
Once we officially move – things are going to be spotty on the site since I don’t know if I’ll have a computer or internet or even my sewing machine. Not to mention – all I’ll probably have time for is working on – thinking about – dreaming about house remodeling.
I’m sad to move out of Logan Square – my home for nearly 6 years. But I’m also excited/nervous to start this new chapter aka adventure with Felix.
Any good advice for a newbie homeowner???
I’ve read though all of your great-wonderful-happy comments & THANK YOU so sooo much! Felix went and read them all too, bwt. The one thing I kept reading over and over is not to rush. This one piece of advice was the thing I took to heart most.
You see, when we were last walking through the house with my dad (hvac genius), he was asking about all sorts of things we hadn’t though about yet, such as knocking down walls, placement of such and such… This left Felix and I were feeling like we had to have all the answers immediately and we felt a great amount of pressure to make these decisions. We don’t know what we want quite yet and after reading through what you guys had to say – I now feel alright about this. Felix and I are going to take it down a notch and let the house tell us what it wants/needs!
We’re now planning on NOT making any major decisions until we move in since we don’t want to be in such haste that we regret major changes later down the line.
Thank you so much; you guys truly rock! :)
This dress post has been a long time coming, but I finally managed to go out and take some photos of the completed Picnic Dress this past weekend.
Yes… indeed it was a bit chilly outside but not terrible; it got up to 60 degrees today.
Before I delve in too far to the details, I have to share with you again the inspiration behind this creation:
Stephanie of Girl with the Star Spangled Heart blog made up this dress after seeing another 50′s design using this print on Bernie Dexter’s shop. The Bernie Dexter dress is lovely. Stephanie’s dress is even more so, since she created it. I too fell in love with this fabric after seeing hers and scoured online for the Michael Miller BBQ print to create one for my very own.
I couldn’t find more of that bbq print on fabric.com, but I did find this mod bbq grill one instead.
This summer especially, I’ve kept finding Stephanie creating dresses that I too had wanted to make but never got to. I’m thinking mainly of her patio dress which I’ve been longing to make something similar in a cotton gauze since I got a pattern for in 2012.
I find it’s a fine line between recreating a look for your very own and hacking the design – and it all comes down to credit: Give credit where it’s due.
Creating (whether it be sewing or knitting or anything) is a personal and fun process. I really think it’s great when a gal will write a comment to me that I’ve inspired her to go out and get the same pattern or the same fabric/yarn to make a garment for their very own too. It’s truly one of the greatest compliments I can get as a seamstress and makes me tickled that you’d like it so much to make one for your very own. :)
I’ve never felt like my dress was ‘stolen’ as long as it was made known – which is how I feel most of us bloggers & sharers of projects feel. So Stephanie “Thank You” so much for inspiring me to make this cute 50′s picnic dress. If you ever visit Chicago – we have to wear it together and be twinkies for the day. :D
First of all, I would like it known that this is most likely the first time you’ve seem my shoulders! heh I’m sooo NOT fishing for comments but I really don’t like my chunky upper arms. My shoulders are fine – but there’s a shall we say…. thickness to my arms. Now I’ve been working out a ton and can do 30 lb. shoulder presses and even dead lift 115 lbs. But my arms have remained “looking” the same no matter what. So here they are… I just have to get over it I guess and this is step one.
This angle is fine…
This angle is less than fine….
I went with a black detailing at the straps and piping at the under bust since it really breaks up the busy print so well.
When did I get so freckly?? huh Okay… moving on.
I had a hard time getting the fit of the bodice just right.
I have such a petite upper bust that I was trying to add elastic to the top bust gathers and even that wasn’t working to prevent gaping. I ended up removing a good 4-6 inches of width at the bust and doing less gathers there to try and help prevent gaping when I bent over. It’s a tiny bit tight when I stand straight up but even so… when I bend over there’s still a slight gape. Hopefully I can figure it out for next time – if there is a next time with this pattern.
I went and added in two side back panels of shirring onto the bodice of the dress using Gertie’s directions here.
I have to say, shirring this dress was the best decision I made; It’s fitted yet oh so comfortable to wear!
And this is how I can pull of wearing this dress to work:
This little cropped jacket does wonders for many of my dresses that aren’t necessarily work-appropriate.
My favorite part of this dress, besides the shirring & the print is the skirt. It has these wonderful tucks on either side of the center front – it makes for a perfect fullness at the hem while remaining trim at the waist.
I followed the pattern instructions mainly & the only altering I did was to add that back shirring panel and reduce the bust gathers. All in all, this was an easy summer dress to make. And thanks again Stephanie for the inspiration to make this for my very own!
Hey guys! Back by popular demand is another vintage pattern from Lion Brand Yarn company, via the Gloves and Mittens pattern booklet.
This time I’m sharing the blue & white Norwegian Mitten pattern, bottom left corner below:
In more detail:
Click on the following link to download the free pdf pattern: Norwegian Mittens Pattern.
And here’s the Ravelry page to add to your favorites or Queue.
Pattern Details:
This pattern calls for sport weight yarn and US size 2 (2.75mm) double point knitting needles (3 of them). The pattern gauge is 8.5 sts per inch or 17 sts per 2 inches. Since the yarn is a bit thick for the needles here, this would produce a dense, air-tight glove, perfect for the chilly winter months.
These gloves are knit in the round, and they’re designed for a women’s size medium. Looking forward into the pattern directions at Round 24: after the thumb stitches are placed on some scrap yarn, you’re left with 58 stitches. Dividing these 58 sts by the gauge of 8.5 sts per inch, this gives you 6.823 inches. This is the circumference of the mitten – not including your thumb.
I hope you love this glove pattern and do let me know if there are any others you’d like me to post for next week.
Have a great weekend!
For those of you that follow me on Instagram, Vine, or Twitter this will be a repeat post for you. But who could get tired of more bunny videos and pics, even if they are repeats?!
By the way… I’m on Vine, Instagram & Twitter. Follow me if you like.
Phineas is settling into our household beautifully – the three ‘gents lounging around:
Phineas has a penchant for digging and occasionally nipping my knee and couch. But every bun has his quirks. We’re trying to curb this bad behavior with a tried & true method of ‘water squirts’ from my water bottle.
He and Quincy bonded after 3 days – which is a record! Quincy was desperate for more bunny lovin’ after poor Baxter passed away. I’m so happy that Quincy is just as happy & frisky as he can be with his new bro, Phineas.
What’s even more wonderful is that Quincy has been showing me even more affection since we’ve adopted Phineas. It makes my day when Quincy hops over to me asking for some head scritches! (Phineas hops to me for pets regularly as did Baxter… Quincy just assumes you’ll always go to him instead of the other way around.)
Phineas is a young, 1.5 year old bun and is as frisky and curious as can be. He’s the adventure bun of the house. He’s always scaling the back of the couch – running at full speed – hopping into my garbage can – you name it.
Phineas even plays with toys. Playing with toys for buns means throwing an item down on the ground, picking it up and throwing it down again. It’s quite entertaining to watch. My mom recently gave us a large Brussels sprout stalk (and leaves) to take home to the buns. They’ve been enjoying it more than words can say.
I’ve had to set a timer, to how long they can munch for, since Quincy would gorge himself to the point of uncomfortable. (5 minutes is the max)
Not too shabby of a video from my iphone, no?!
And lastly, this is Phineas taking a nap.
It always freaks Felix out to see Phineas laying like this – he always thinks the worst. But I snagged this photo while he (Phineas) was sleeping through a horribly loud thunderstorm a few weeks back – he’s totally a domesticated bun! heh
Hope you love the bunny update! Videos are the best and really show how spunky this little guy can be. Hope to nab some more in the future for you all. Cheers!
So… you remember how I was not so thrilled with the chambray fabric I used on my Hawthorn Dress?? Well… I found some more chambray that was both thinner and cheaper (in cost) and I’m liking it a bit more now.
I liked it so much more that I bought the same fabric in two different colors – a red/white chambray that looks pinkish and a black/white chambray that looks greyish. It was only like $2.99 or $3.99! How could I go wrong?! And they’re both becoming Anna dresses.
I wish I hadn’t made them both up as Anna, but it’s too late now.
Being the mega shortie that I am, I never dreamed that I would be wearing a long dress (outside the house) and look decent. Long dresses generally make me look like a super squat-looking gal, but Felix approves so I feel confident I don’t look 2 x 2 (2 feet tall by 2 feet wide).
I’m having a love affair with the Anna pattern. I keep finding more and more excuses to make up *just one more*. Case in point: Lladybird’s silk wonder dress, Rennous-oh-glennus’s color mix dress, Seamstress Erin’s Floral Silk dress… and many more.
I see these gal’s lovely versions and I’m like, can I make one more?? I was soo close to buying silk crepe de chine (in the turquoise color) after seeing Lauren’s swishy dress several weeks ago (while mood WAS having a 20% off sale to boot). I was soo close to purchasing; I had it in the cart peeps!
Then I thought…. if I can’t justify wearing my own pink silk mix Anna to work, how can I fathom wearing a crepe de chine one? heh
I’m currently going back and forth with myself – if I can justify purchasing that fabric again. heh So bad I know!
So here we are with my red/white chambray Anna (aka pink chambray).
For my first, silk pink Anna dress I had cut out the boat-neckline version and had a great fit. But now that I stitched the V-neck it was a bit gapey for me and seemed to want to fall off my shoulders.
I already added silk organza around the neckline for stabilization, but I had to make it a bit more secure for my own peace of mind.
Afterthought-Neckline Gap Fix:
One trick I had learnt somewhere is to create a casing for elastic, with feather stitching. You can secure the ends to the area that is gaping with a small amount of negative ease. So when you’re wearing the garment it *hugs* your body instead of gaping away.
I thought I needed to adjust the neckline, but after adding in some elastic, it was still gaping. I then realized that it was due to too much fabric in the back bodice neckline. I could either unpick my invisible zipper and pull in the bodice back or I could unpick the neckline facing and add in some darts.
I decided the best & easiest fix would be to add in some darts. Since I did all of this after the whole dress was fully stitched together, I had to add a dart to both sides of the bodice but also to the neckline facing pieces to match.
It was tricky sewing, but this fix worked like a charm and I don’t have a gaping neckline anymore!
I even stitched the slit in the dress – I don’t think I’ve down skin above the knee since I was last swimming. heh
I’m surprised I liked the slit as much as I do. It’s not too high, and doesn’t show that much – just enough to make a feminine & breezy summer dress.
This isn’t my ‘usual’ look – but once I had the necklace on I figured why not…
I’m even sans glasses. (They were in Felix’s pocket during the shoot).
Front Bodice Detail:
I raised the waistline seam up just a tiny bit – 3/8″ and it’s now perfect for my short waist! The cap sleeves – while wrinkly – they’re perfect coverage and have a relaxed look to them, which is lovely for this chambray Anna dress.
What’s the best part besides the great fit & design of the Anna dress?! I’m pretty certain I spent less than $10 making this dress!
The red zipper was from my stash, the silk organza for the neckline was from my stash, and I even used a basic white thread from my stash to stitch this up. This means the only money I actively spent was the $2.99/yard (or $1.99) for the 3 yards of pink chambray which comes to $8.97. Isn’t that awesome!?!?! heh
This means I’ve officially got my sewing mojo back peeps! Thanks for talking me through it. I just needed a bit of R&R, some knitting time and here I am back at my sewing machine. Wooot!
I know it’s just barely fall, but it’s going to be winter before you know it and you’re going to want some lovely new gloves.
Click on the following link to download the pattern as a pdf: Cable-knit Glove Pattern.
What’s so wonderful about this pattern (besides how pretty the gloves are)? It’s drafted for BOTH men & women’s hands & uses worsted weight yarn to boot!
Well… the men’s calls for worsted and the women’s glove pattern calls for sport weight yarn. It’s exactly the yarn you’d want to use for a pretty glove like this one.
Gauge:
Men’s Glove: 13 stitches = 2 inches, using a US size 2 (vintage Boye Size 3) knitting needle.
Women’s Glove: 15 stitches = 2 inches, using a US size 2 (vintage Boye Size 3) knitting needle.
At a first glance this doesn’t seem right. But do imagine, using a smaller needle with a larger yarn will produce a very tight knit fabric – which is what you want with a winter glove.
Of course, I recommend testing this out on some scrap yarn you have lying around at home before you go out and buy the perfect yarn for this project. Better to be safe than sorry & swatch.
This pattern booklet has a host of wonderful glove & mitten patterns in it; for men, women, & children! If you’d like me to post up any more, just give me a shout out in the comments and I can make that happen. :)
Have a lovely weekend you guys!
Well… I finished it. :)
On Sunday late afternoon, I finished hemming this dress and was somehow able to get outside with just enough light to take these photos for the Monday deadline.
I’ve had this cotton checkered print in my stash for quite some time. It’s a great fabric, but this project kept getting pushed back to make way for other ones. When Tasha & Rochelle’s Fall for Cotton Sew along was launched, I had three projects in mind. But I had my heart set on making this one up.
While I love the dress, I’m not 100% happy with the fit. There’s a weird fabric scrunching thing happening where the arm strap meets the bodice (near my armpit). If this weren’t happening I’d be in love with this dress. I already tried to fix the area once, so at this point that scrunchy fabric isn’t going anywhere.
I underlined the bodice in a black cotton batiste. I was going to underline the skirt in the cotton batiste as well, but it felt way too heavy with that double layer. Instead I opted to underline the whole skirt in black silk organza.
I love the colorful facings and seam allowances in this dress.
I paired the dress with black accents (belt, necklace, & shoes) as I think this dress is quite versatile for both summer and fall. I’ll just wear a black (or red) cardigan with some tights and I’ll have a cute transitional dress. My hair is the result of day 2 sponge curls; I pinned the sides back and did a tiny victory roll in the front for some bangs.
Bodice Detail:
Ugh! Scrunchy fabric …. I see you! But the scallops are cute & happy, no?! :)
Truth be told… I still don’t quite have my sewing mojo back yet. I forced myself to sew some of it on Saturday afternoon/evening and then completed it on Sunday afternoon. I’m happy I was able to suck it up – get down to business & finish it up for the sew along. But I think I’m more happy it’s finished & done than anything. So now I can go back to my knitting! :D heh
Hope you all had a lovely weekend!
Now that knitting season is upon us (and given all I feel like doing is knitting), I thought it was high time that I begin my weekly Friday pattern scans for you all!
Kicking off Autumn, I have a pattern from the October 1933 edition of Stitchcraft magazine titled: A Slant on Autumn Chic.
Click on the following link to download the pattern as a pdf: A Slant on Autumn Chic.
First of all can I just say how lovely I think this model’s hair is?! I’m going to have to try for a style/set like this sometime soon.
I think you all know me well enough by now that I have a serious weakness for bows, and when you add a tie collar to a knit it’s perfection.
This is a very simple jumper but it gains that elusive thing called chic with a striped tie-collar introducing a dash of vivid scarlet to contrast with the black-white ‘tweedy’ mixture of the rest. A distinctly slenderizing diagonal pattern lends interest to the knitting.
Pattern Details:
This pattern is drafted for a 34″ bust, with a sleeve seam of 18″ and the length of the jumper is also 18″. While it looks tricky to fit – it’s the stitch pattern that creates the diagonal look. So you can re-size this pattern like you would on any other knitting pattern: Adding width at the size seams where you need it or casting on a larger number of stitches throughout.
The tension is stated as 13 stitches to 2 inches ( 6.5 sts per inch) using VINTAGE No. 9 knitting which is similar to a US size 5 or (3.75 mm) needle.
What’s confusing to me is that the source I generally use to check about the standard tension of the yarn types states that the Paton’s Super Scotch Fingering 3-ply produces 8 stitches per inch with a US size 3 needle.
Looking into this some more, I calculated the actual measurement at the bust of the pattern using the original stated tension:
The stitch count for the front of the bodice has 108 stitches as does the bodice back, totaling 216 stitches. Subtracting 4 stitches (for seaming) this gives 212 stitches. Dividing the 212 by 6.5 stitches per inch yields a bust measurement of 32.6″.
This tells me that if you simply get the exact tension, you’ll have a bit of negative ease if you’re a 34″ bust ( ~ 1.5 inches of negative ease).
This whole issue is the trickiest part of working with vintage knitting patterns. Once you pick a suitable yarn, you just have to keep swatching until you get the correct tension.
When in doubt: Swatch!
Swatch on some scrap yarn you have at home. Try a sport weight with the US size 5 needle and see where that gets you. Go up a needle size, go down a needle size, try a different yarn, etc. This exploratory phase is great to do when starting any new sweater project no matter if its a modern or a vintage pattern.
Not only does this allow you to get the correct tension, it also allows you to check the drape of the fabric you created which is essential also.
Swatching is a perfect small project you can stuff in your purse and do anywhere: The daily commute, during quick car rides, waiting in the doctor’s office, etc.
All I want to do… is knit!
With the crisp fall air coming into Chicago, knitting is all I feel like doing as of late. I come home from work, feel a bit chilly and sit on the couch to decompress, and knit. But more often than not (lately) I’m on the couch the remainder of the evening watching Little Dorit or North & South while knitting. heh
While I somewhat feel guilty for not working on my sewing, I’m just in a phase. Felix heartily approves of my couch/knitting phases as he thinks I *play* too hard when I come home from the work day.
I’ve been making decent progress on my Wallis Pleated Cardigan:
I have the right front bodice and the back done and have to re-knit the left front bodice.
I pinned the one front and back together to check the fit… and it’s a bit on the snug side. I was looking to make a layering cardigan for the winter but the fit ended up more of a blouse-cardigan style.
Seeing how much I’ve already knit up, there’s no point in me re-knitting this whole cardigan to add in some more positive ease. I’ll just plan on making another cardigan later this season, most likely in a heavier-weight yarn, like a dk.
In addition to the Wallis Pleated Cardigan, I’ve also been working on a long-time project, the Sugar Maple Shawl.
I saw the Sugar Maple Shawl sample 2 or 3 years ago at Stitches Midwest; I fell in love with it and bought the pattern along with the coordinating yarn. I likewise started it 2-3 years ago. It’s one of those projects where I’ve just taken it with me on long plane rides or worked on it when I was between projects. I haven’t been actively trying to complete it; it’s a nice, mindless knitting pattern I can do anytime, anywhere.
As I paused my Wallis Pleated Cardigan, once again I picked up this shawl WIP. I knit it during my commute for a week and saw how much I had gotten done. I realized if I just spent another week or two knitting it up, I could be all done!
So, I’ve set my Wallis Cardigan on hold for the moment and have dedicated my knitting time to finishing this shawl once and for all.
I picked up & knit the whopping 325 perimeter stitches that make up the ruffle border on Sunday! I am working those on 2 different circular knitting needle sets as I couldn’t fit all of the stitches on one needle (and refused to go buy a specific circular needle set just for this one task.)
The border should measure 4 inches when it’s all done. As of right now, it measures just a hair over 2.5″ and I’ve nearly used 1 whole skein of yarn on it! For perspective, I was able to knit the entirely of the shawl body with 1 skein and it measured 12″ wide by 62″ long! This is one dense ruffle. I’m going to have to use my third skein of yarn just to get to the 4″ width on it. heh
And lastly… my Fall for Cotton project is sitting on my sewing table, just waiting for me to complete it.
I’ve pretty much lost my sewing mojo as of late while I’ve been focusing on my knitting. It’s the last week for projects so I’m going to have to force myself to work on it. :|
I only have 4 steps until it’s completed, too!
- Sewing the shoulder straps together
- Joining the bodice to the skirt
- Inserting a zipper
- Hemming
I can probably knock this project out in 2 or 3 evenings, I just have to get my mojo back. I think part of the problem with this is that I’m not 100% happy with the fit of the bodice. It’s *just okay*. The fabric is amazing, but the fit isn’t wow-ing me and I’ve done all I can to improve it.
Is there anything you gals can recommend to get my sewing mojo back online? Or do you just ride it out and when it comes back, it comes back?
Hi, my name is Liz. By day I’m a research ayalyst; I work with data and run statistics all day long. But by night I’m all about creating things. I have a passion for making things and learning new skills... 
