Making Miscellany: 2
On knitting doldrums, twin needles and craft admin
Hello reader!
Well, well, well, it seems February has come and (nearly) gone. I had secretly assumed that one of the by-products of starting a monthly newsletter would be I’d realize that, in actual fact, I get much more making done than I feel like I do. That revelation will have to wait for another month. Whether it’s the fact that February is short (because, er, two or three more days would see me whip up a jumper from thin air?), that the rhythm of our family’s week had changed now that parental leave has ended for both of us, or that we’ve been in a rough patch with child sleep (is it a patch if it’s lasted several weeks? I maintain it is), progress on projects has felt particularly glacial this month. I often notice that there seems to be an inverse correlation between the amount of time I spend making stuff and the number of ideas I have about what I’d like to make, and this month I’ve certainly felt my brain has been in creative overdrive, filled with projects I’ll get to one day. So settle in, and we’ll have a little romp through some projects, both real and imagined.
On The Needles
I’ve realized that it’ll be tempting with this format to simply report progress since my last missive, which I think would make for rather tedious reading for you and potentially disheartening writing for me! So I’m going to resist that accounting urge and instead take the long way around to telling you about my most recent cast on.
To get there though, first I need to talk about gauge (or tension), and begin by confessing no telling you (because confession invokes contrition): I am an unapologetically loose knitter. Overall, I am very comfortable with this fact. I knit, in part, to relax, and I find few things less relaxing than wrenching tight stitches along a knitting needle. I know the adjustments I often need to make (drop down a needle size to get gauge) and the pitfalls that can bring (shorter stitches, a tighter row gauge, some recalculating for certain types of patterns) and am happy with my loose ways.
But there are two situations when I regret my loose gauge. The first is with socks. To get a really sturdy sock gauge, I should really use 00 needles (1.75 mm) and that is … just not pleasurable. I managed one pair of socks like this, and while they’ve worn beautifully, it’s just not something I can face regularly .. knitting socks on 0s (2 mm) is slow enough as it is! (See this Hibernal Sock … cast on at the end of December, first sock finished this week.)
The second is when I come to knit ribbing. Specifically 1x1 ribbing. Mine always looks a mess, and I really don’t like it. When it makes sense I always replace it with 2x2 rib. But sometimes it doesn’t .. which brings us to Anker’s Summer Shirt.
You might ask why I would choose to knit a tee with a 1x1 rib yoke if I don’t like 1x1 rib, a very reasonable question to which I don’t have a good answer. I cast on a first time and was appalled at my messy rib. I frogged and reminded myself that the way we knit isn’t fixed (and as an aside, neither, apparently, are our personalities) and read up on ways to address it. On attempt two, I tried combination knitting, despite the fact I’ve tried it many times and never had good results; this time was no different (isn’t there a saying about that?). I experimented with wending my working yarn between more fingers on my left hand (I knit continentally and usually just tension it over my index finger) and giving a tug after each purl, which seemed promising, so I cast on a third time.
The result is … maybe better (or maybe that’s just my sunk costs talking)? I didn’t take photos of every iteration, and I often start knitting on this and forget to make the adjustments for the first few stitches so it’s still a bit … meh. The combination of all the things — multiple false starts, not loving rib, trying to remember to adjust how I normally knit, having tighter than usual stitches — coupled with the fact that I’ve been having some RSI issues with my hands (which gripping my knitting extra tight hasn’t helped — a vicious circle) means that, after nearly a month, this yoke is still a bit puny. Luckily, there’s not actually that much ribbing to knit (I think I have a band and a half to go), but it’s the sort of project I pick up in the evening intending to work on while we watch TV or play a game, and end up just sort of holding or setting in my lap without realizing I’ve stopped. (Do you have projects like that?) I’m hoping I’ll enjoy the sea of stockinette that’s to come, but I’m also still really feeling my knitting needs a bit of pizazz … I’m not particularly excited about any of the projects on my needles. (Maybe the solution lies with the hook, rather than needles … perhaps I should start this cute crochet cardigan for my baby for spring? I’ve got the yarn ready to go!)
On the Sewing Desk
While I’ve been in the knitting doldrums, I have been spending more (read: any!) time at my sewing machine this month, and that has felt really lovely! I finished off the Jackson Tee that I had cut back in November and will now shout loudly from the roof tops that I HAVE FOUND MY PERFECT T-SHIRT PATTERN! I’ve slowly realized that one of the challenges of sewing your own clothes is first recognizing what type of clothes you actually like to wear. If you like t-shirts that are loose and easy, then, uh, don’t buy t-shirt patterns that are designed to fit snugly with waist shaping (this should be obvious, but it’s taken me … awhile … to work out.) Anyway, this was a super simple project, and actually now that I’m writing about it I’m recalling that I was feeling rather meh sewing it. I kept snatching enough time to do just one seam on my overlocker then having to set it down, I accidentally sewing the neckband on wrong, it just all felt a bit doomed. Then I decided to treat myself to a twin needle since I do sew knits fairly often for myself, and imagine I will for the babes the longer time goes on. [For those who are interested in what a twin needle is: On a standard sewing machine, when you’re hemming knit fabrics, you’ll have to use a zigzag stitch … a plain straight stitch won’t stretch along with your stretching fabric, making hems/sleeves etc tight and/or causing the stitches to pop. If you look at a commercial tee, you’ll notice they often have a double line of stitches at the hems and neckline (which I think is usually created by a cover stitch machine), but a twin needle creates that effect, with stitches that stretch along with the fabric.] And that twin needle just turned the project from a duty sew (I must sew up that thing I cut) to an oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-cool sew. I love the finished result on so many levels. I love its easy fit, with the slight drop shoulder — I’m wearing a size 10, and my chest currently measures around 34”. I love the combined finishes of the overlocker and the twin needle … none of my hems feel like they’re pulling or too tight, and it even made my wonky neckline look less noticeably wonky. When I’ve put this tee on, I’ve forgotten I made it, and I can’t wait to find some fabric I like to make a few more! I’ve now got my sights set on making some Arenite Trousers with amazing bright orange fabric given to me by an even more amazing friend. I love comfy trousers, and I think a fun bright orange will pair really nicely with the muted mauve and navy of my new favorite tee (along with other items in my wardrobe). So hopefully they will be underway soon.
In the meantime, I’ve started working on a simple Irish Chain Quilt to start building up my quilting skills. Aesthetically, I really like the look of simple, scrappy quilts with plenty of white background and this fits the bill. I’d plans to make a sort of improvised and very simple 9 patch with my first jelly roll of fabric, but decided it might be a good learning experience to try following a quilt pattern and settled on a (still simple) Irish Chain Quilt. When I eagerly unrolled my jelly roll, I realized that I didn’t love the fabric quite as much as I thought when I’d ordered it … there’s a fair bit of metallic in it, which isn’t 100% my thing. But in some ways I think having fabric I don’t feel overly precious about has been good. It’s saved me from agonizing over optimal placement for every bit of fabric and encouraged me to just give this process a go and see what I end up with! At time of writing, I’ve not made it very far, but I’m feeling excited. I’ve cut some strips into smaller strips, cut some squares from background fabric, and I am beginning to sew strip sets that will then be cut into smaller strips still (there’s a lot of strips in this project!) … and then I will be ready to start assembling some quilt blocks!
On the Table
I’ve been enjoying cooking dinner a bit more often than usual (I am not the primary cook in our house), but a lot of this month’s cooking has been improvised! We did have this spiced cauliflower and potato dish, and I adored it. I love aloo gobi, but it’s not something we tend to make at home … I loved how roasting the cauliflower and potatoes first meant they held up really nicely in the sauce (we added a can of tomatoes to our sauce).
I’ve also been watching Stanley Tuuci’s Searching for Italy (although the title makes me laugh … is Italy lost?) and reading his memoir, Taste. Not highbrow literature by any stretch, but Tuuci is enjoyable to spend time with when I’m sat feeding H. (Incidentally, he is one of the only celebrities I have ever seen out and about … I spotted him eating at a ramen joint in Soho where I was waiting for a table. The ramen was mediocre, but the sighting top notch.) So mostly, all I want to eat at the moment is pasta. Send your favorite pasta recipes?
On My Mind
This week, I’ve been thinking about what I’ll call crafty admin … the things we have to do to be ready to make (tracing patterns, cutting fabric, winding yarn, tidying/organizing materials), and the making tasks on our list that feel more like a chore than a pleasure. I’ve had some mending on my mind for months … a hole in the elbow of one of Nick’s most worn zip up hoodies, which was itself a (not handmade) gift from me, and holes in the back of the single pair of jeans I like to wear. Every time I see the holes on either garment, I think, I must mend them before they get bigger. Then they get bigger, and I still haven’t mended them. Tuesday was a sunny day, and while the little baby slept and the bigger babe was at pre-school, I decided to be virtuous and grab these two items to mend. I went in telling myself it wouldn’t be fast (this is my downfall with mending I think - I always think it’ll be quick, then get annoyed when it takes awhile). I committed to just mending those two things as my day’s allotment of crafty activity. And you know what? I really enjoyed it! Since then, I’ve felt a lot of energy to do stuff I usually avoid. I carefully hand wound a skein of sock yarn that was too big for my swift (and enjoyed it). I cleaned and oiled my sewing machine (and enjoyed it). I’m eyeing up the overflowing scrap hamper in the craft room that makes me a bit sad and looking forward to sorting it into useable scraps of different fabric types and stuffing scraps the next time I have a free hour. I’ve even been looking forward to tracing pattern pieces for my next sewing project, something I usually find a real bore. Maybe it’s all a product of not having time for much of anything — so even the more mundane crafty admin tasks seem like a treat — or maybe it’s a maker’s spring cleaning urge, or maybe in a day or two this flurry of excitement for crafty admin will pass. But I also think there’s something to be said for embracing these admin bits as something that can themselves be pleasurable and worthy of time, rather than just thinking of them as barriers to be got over before making begins. If you have any musings on crafty admin — tasks you love (or hate) or just general thoughts — I’d love to hear about them!
In My Dreams
Buckle up, it’s a quilt/patchwork themed in my dreams this month. I’ve had quilts majorly on the brain, and while I won’t share all the stuff that has gotten my excited (because that would be a whole other newsletter’s worth) here are a select few!
I was idly thinking wouldn’t it be cool to make a solar system for my toddler (she loves all things space) and decided to look for a pattern, and came upon this astounding quilt made by Ellen Harding Baker in the 1870s and held at National Museum of American History (what a shame it’s not on view).
Speaking of old quilts, I’ve also really been enjoying following Jenna theladywholunches work to repair her family’s heirloom quilts — she’s just shared the first finished one! I love her account for sewing inspo generally, and this project is so cool.
I am really loving the look of this Felix Quilt, coming March 1 from Penelope Handmade. Maybe my next quilt project?
Quilting adjacent, but actually knitting … how cool are these just released Sawtooth Quilt Socks? I’ve never tried roosimine, this looks like a great way to give it a go.
And I’m also looking forward to the release of the Horizon Day Dress from Matchy Matchy Sewing Club with it’s fun patchwork skirt. I applied to test this pattern but didn’t make the cut (ah well!), but I’m really excited to have a closer look when it comes out. It’s not breastfeeding friendly, so probably not a sew for this season, but I love the look of it so much! Maybe it’s time to make up another version of their Collage Gather Top instead … once I've organized all those fabric scraps I was talking about!
Phew, for someone who thought she didn’t have much to say for February, I seem to have gone on for quite some time. I hope you’ve found something to tickle your fancy, and that, wherever you are, you are well and have some nice making on the horizon. In my corner of the world, spring is undeniably on the way. The days are steadily lengthening, the snowdrops are out in full force, the first crocuses and daffodils are tentatively blooming, and every day, at least a half dozen black birds come to our back garden and feast on the berries of the prodigious ivy that covers our garden wall. I love springtime in the UK … it feels much longer than the springs I grew up with, with more time to appreciate the transition of the seasons (and this spring is, apparently, set to be even more glorious than usual). But I’m also feeling an unusual (for me) reluctance to leave this season of cocooned coziness, a season where my little family has grown and begun to learn how to be a family of four. My wee babe will be six months old in a few days; my eldest looks less like a toddler and more like a child every day. So while I miss having more sustained time to do the things I enjoy (and also miss sleep), I will also miss this chapter of our little family’s life, especially as it’s one we’ve no plans to revisit. It’s funny how all those contradictory things can be true at once.
Right, now that I’ve sent myself into a little weep over my much needed coffee, I will leave you! Til next month!
Katherine
So many wonderful makes, real and imagined! Like you, I am a loose knitter (except on 2.25mm sock needles - go figure!) and here is something I have learned: If I swatch with my beloved Chiaogoos in the recommended needle size, my stitch gauge will be off, guaranteed. As you noted, dropping a needle size might fix the stitch gauge but will throw off the row gauge. BUT, if I switch to wooden needles in the lower size I will generally get the right stitch gauge and retain the row gauge of the larger metal needle. Not sure why - maybe the slight increase in friction on the wooden needles means the stitches can't be as tight? - but it works consistently for me.