Making Miscellany: 5
Pockets and misbehaving projects
Hello, and happy last Thursday-in-May!
I’m not sure if it’s the longer days, the creativity and inspiration that abounds during Me Made May, or the fact that I’m getting at least a little more sleep [Hazel, if you’re reading: more would still be welcome!], but May has been one of those months where my all my making ducks have seemed to sit in a nice little row. Not that they’ve all behaved themselves (more on that in a second), but I’ve felt a productive, creative joy in the things I've been making and planning. My mental queue of what’s next is clear, even if it is teetering on the edge of reasonableness. It’s felt really nice to be planning and making clothes (because my energy has very garment focused) that suit my life at the moment, with plenty of color and ease. But enough preamble, time is short today, so grab a cuppa (or maybe something iced if you weather is as nice as ours has been) and let’s have a meander!
On The Sewing Table
I’ve been having a lot of fun sewing this month, and also a lot of fun rediscovering some of the clothes I’ve previously sewn but not been able to wear for awhile, encouraged by Me Made May. The month of course isn’t over, so I won’t preempt myself with final thoughts yet, but the combination of getting out my handmades and reading and seeing people’s awesome Me Made May posts has been really good for focusing my sewing energy.
Anyway, one thing I’ve been thinking a lot is pockets! I finished two garments — the Arenite Trousers and Peppermint Pocket Skirt — that both have excellent pocket games, and I’ve also started wearing my Clyde Work Pants again, which I made at the end of summer 2021,just in time for a few wears before they were packed away, where they stayed last spring and summer while I was pregnant. I love the generous proportions and sturdy construction of the pocket style that these three garments share; they are pockets that mean business. The history of pockets, and who has access to them, is a fascinating one, and too big for today (maybe another time?), but I think anyone who has worn women’s clothing will know the frustration and inconvenience that comes from realizing your garment has pockets that are inadequate, or nonexistent. I love that learning to sew means I can insert or, if required, enlarge pockets at will!
These days, my pockets tend to be filled with the sometimes magical, often mundane, occasionally a bit gross, detritus of life with small people—snack wrappers and tissues of varying degrees of cleanliness (the mundane and gross bits), shells and stones, flowers and acorns—alongside telltale signs of a maker … bits of thread and yarn and the stitch markers that seem to escape my notions bag to travel and multiply throughout the house. The big pockets of these three garments hold that and more … you can secret a small knitting project into them.
As convenient as pockets in garments are though, there’s a limit to what they can hold. I have been eyeing up, with increasingly longing, fanny pack/bum bag (for British readers) sewing patterns. I remember when people first started talking about a fanny pack revival years ago and I scoffed. But I can’t remember the last time I carried a handbag (it’s been replaced with a backpack for nappies and kid stuff!) and the idea of having phone and wallet conveniently close to hand really appeals.
In many ways, the fanny pack seems to me the direct descendent of pockets in their earliest iteration — bags (often decent sized) of a similar shape to modern inseam pockets, but that were detachable and tied around the waist. There are some beautiful examples of women’s pockets from the 17th century onwards that feature really stunning handiwork; above are two examples from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The first is from the early 18th c., made of linen and embroidered, while the second is a 19th century example that’s, according to its museum record, actually crocheted! I like the idea of planning my own handmade fanny pack—maybe a simple quilted one—as a sort of echo of this tradition. (If you’d like to read a bit more about the history of these detachable pockets, this article from the V&A is great.) Now I just need to find the time to do it!
And, before we leave pockets, a book recommendation for fellow pocket lovers (does anyone not love pockets?) who have small people in their life: A Dress With Pockets. This is one of Willa’s favorite books at the moment, and I love it too. It’s beautifully written and illustrated, a joyful celebration of pockets and exploring! Willa and I have been working together on making a dress for her with some leftover fabrics from other projects, and inspired by the book, we’re going to add pockets to the pattern — I’m looking forward to showing her how to do it.
On The Needles
What do you do when your projects don’t go to plan? Both my yarn-y WIPs have posed that question to me in the past week!
I was sooo happy to have the end in sight for the crochet cardigan I’ve been working on for Hazel. It’s a lovely project, with lovely yarn, but I’ve been feeling ready to be done — both so she can wear it and so that I could cast on something new guilt-free, with the expectation that I’d actually have some time to work on it. A few more crochet rounds would have done it, then I’d just have to join the two identical pieces I’d made and do the finishing. And then … something happened. I realized my second hexagon was, in fact, not a hexagon at all! It was missing its sixth side! Often with a mistake so big, I launch into a postmortem (how did this happen? how can I stop it happening again?) or a series of self-recriminations (how did you not notice? why weren’t you paying more attention?). While I was definitely disappointed and a bit annoyed with myself—even now, I’m tempted to type out the justifications for you as to how I didn’t notice—I tried to just accept that there was nothing for it but to rip it out and start again. It’s not the first big mistake I’ve made, and I’m certain it won’t be the last. I’m now happily moving once again through the joyful colors of this Gusto sock wool; at least the yarn is very cheerful!
While what to do about HexaGate was fairly clear—no amount of wishing or hoping or skill with a crochet hook could change the fact that I’d crocheted a pentagon—my knitting quandary this month was in much more of a grey area. I’ve been knitting a Corran Cardigan [Ravelry link] and really enjoying it. As the cardigan took shape though, I kept thinking it looked quite small. I’d done a gauge swatch and chosen a size with a decent amount of positive ease, so kept going, knowing that the allover lace would block out some. By the time I knit the short sleeves though, there was no denying the smallness … so I decided to block it for a fit check before knitting the buttonband on (one of my less favorite knitting tasks!). I blocked it pretty intensely with my blocking combs and it grew, but not as much as I hoped. Faced with the choice to press on or rip out the whole thing and start again, I asked myself if I’d wear it as it was … and the answer was yes. So as I type, the finished cardigan is drying in the sun. I’ve not tried it on in finished form yet, but I know it’s not going to have the loose fit that I thought choosing a size with 5” of ease would give me. I’m not quite sure what happened. I think my gauge was on target, and I think I measured my chest correctly. My suspicion is that maybe it’s one of those garments where fit across the shoulders is just as imporant as chest circumference. So I’ll have a slightly more fitted cardigan than I expected (which is fine, as I mostly planned to wear it more as a summer top) and hopefully some good insight for when I knit my next version! My current plan is to size up, add length, and maybe work the bottom ribbing on the same size needles as the body. I never used to like the idea of reknitting patterns, but I’m really coming around to it!
On The Table
Asparagus season is here! I eagerly await it each year, and then try to eat as much as possible when it arrives. Roasted, gently steamed, sautéed off in a pan, there’s not a way I don’t like it. I’ve not been cooking much recently, but last week I made this tasty asparagus hash from Smitten Kitchen. Now, I don’t normally disagree with Deb (who is such an oft-turned to resource in our house that we always refer to her thusly, as if she’s a personal friend), but I have never successfully cooked raw cubed potatoes to anything approaching doneness in a frying pan. So I always parboil them when I make this (or anything that suggests putting raw potatoes in a skillet). It’s a nice, flexible recipe … I used chorizo instead of pancetta (because it was what I had) and added green beans to our small bunch of asparagus. I think it’s best topped, as Deb suggests, with an egg—poached or fried—but Nick is not a fan of eggs at dinner or any other meal (and yet I still married him). Instead, we had it with some toasted chili cheese bread from our local bakery and a tomato salad. A delicious, nearly one pan midweek dinner!
In My Dreams
Well, obviously, I’m dreaming about making fanny packs. I particularly like the look of this quilted one, though I’ve learned my lesson and will think twice before I start something marked out for an “intermediate quilter.”
In my dreams, I’ve already cast on a new short sleeved Love Note — hopefully that will be a reality before the month is out. I absolutely adore this one made by jessasmyb [side query: can I just recreate her whole wardrobe] and realized a beautiful skein of yarn I got from Black Isle Yarns at Glasgow School of Yarn would be perfect! I already had a ball of cream silk mohair in my stash, so got a second and am ready to cast on when I have a moment!
As mentioned above, I’ve been really enjoying my Clyde Trousers this month .. a long term dream is to try to hack the pattern into Clyde Culottes. I bought some tan canvas from Elizabeth Suzann when she had it for sale some time ago in the hopes of being able to recreate this pair she used to sell. Can I mash up the Clyde Pants with something wider legged to get the culottes of my dreams? Maybe I’ll start working on a wearable toile (not cutting that canvas til I have it all figured out) once I’ve worked through my current batch of sewing projects!
Well, I think that about does it for me today! I’ve started and ended this month with visits to and from friends made through craft, and gosh, do I feel lucky! I’m looking forward to a few days of knitty chat with friends (and some visits to yarn shops!) Enjoy the long weekend if you’re in the UK or the US … wishing you sunshine and a little time for making! As always, I love to hear what you’re planning :)
xo Katherine
Pockets!!