Spector Sweater #jojifallkal2019

I've joined in with plenty of sewing challenges and sewalongs but this was my first knit a long. Knitting takes much longer than sewing so it's a real commitment. Luckily Joji's fall knit a long ran for a whole three months, giving me just enough time to complete the sweater project I had in mind. There were hundreds of people signed up this year, with different chatter threads for different types of projects on Ravelry. There were plenty of knitters who managed multiple projects which astounded me! 

Moneta top hack

I love a 1 metre make, especially when the fabric was good value in the first place. I bought this Liberty jersey at the Knitting and Stitching Show from the Sewbox stand. They have lots of packs of Liberty fabrics pre-cut into 1m, 2m and sometimes even 3m lengths. I picked this 1m pack up, thinking I might just get a long sleeved top out of it. It was tight but I managed it in the end!

Why do you make? #WhyIMake

Recently my reasons for making have featured a lot in conversations with people I'm talking with; it's something I've noticed more now that I knit as well as sew. When someone comments on something I'm wearing and I get to say those words we all look forward to "Why thanks, I made it actually", people mainly respond with a 'oh right' and move on (sometimes it does lead to nice comments or a shared interest, but that's rarer). I think it's partly because they don't see the process behind it. Now, if someone sees me knitting, that tends to generate more conversation than anything (sewn or knit) that I'm wearing. I have a feeling that there's something about it being unexpected that prompts curiosity. As I've been drawn into these conversations it's made me think more about why I am making and I have found different reasons behind both of the crafts that I enjoy. Then Love Crafts went and put it out there as a question as well so I thought I'd start out with my reasons and put it over to you to add in your comments as well.....

Virva Fingerless Mitts from Laine Magazine

These were made entirely on a whim. I took it into my head to make a small gift for my Nan (who also likes to knit) as a thank you for sending me on some patterns. I'm not sure why, but fingerless mitts were what sprung to mind, so I started looking through my copies of Laine magazine for some inspiration. The Virva mitts appeared and I knew immediately they would be perfect. The description in the pattern said that they were intended to be made as part of a set, with a hat, all from one skein of yarn. This made them all the more appealing because there was the potential to use one of my sizeable leftovers from another project - I just love putting them to good use. Not as much as I loved how quickly these came together though - cast on and finished in under two weeks!

Sew Over It My Capsule Wardrobe: Work to Weekend eBook - Camille Jumpsuit

Some of you know the ending to this one already if you read my previous post all about least worn makes, but I felt that this project still deserved a bit of its own time. I made it ages ago but could never get to blogging about it because I haven't worn it out yet! This pattern is one of the 5 core garments in the Sew Over It My Capsule Wardrobe: Work to Weekend eBook and comes with three variations of its own, including a trousers only option. It has a wrap style bodice and does up at the back with a zip. It really sums up the whole work/weekend vibe in the book with the different options and I took the plunge with the tailored sleeve for a work look (the other option being a floaty 'weekend' sleeve). I say take the plunge because the whole jumpsuit thing has really passed me by. It's not something that I lean towards - I think they look great on other people, but I think I'm a little put off by my short stature. However, Lisa looked so glamorous in her versions that I thought I'd give it a go anyway.

Poet sweater

From the moment I saw the Poet sweater in Laine magazine's Instagram feed, I wanted desperately to make it. I loved the delicate lace pattern repeated over the front and back and thought it would be perfect for winter time when you still want to be warm but need to look a little elegant! This is one of the most intensive projects I've taken on so far and took a lot of concentration, but is totally worth it.