sweater Archives • Jessica Smith Creates

February 5, 2020March 6, 2022

Rust Bucket

Late last year I made my quickest sweater ever.

I mean, if we’re counting, it’s my third knitted sweater, and fourth sweater overall (after 2 crochet ones), so it’s not like this is a huge track record to beat.

But oh boy was it quick!

Two weeks.

Feel free to laugh, but I’ll be the one laughing in an incredibly warm and squooshy alpaca sweater.

Also this sweater cost 20 dollars. And time.

Since I moved to New England in early fall, I needed to get a new driver’s license. The closest DMV to me is between 30 and 45 minutes away depending on whether I’m functionally awake, whether it’s precipitating, and how far (not) over the speed limit I want to drive on unfamiliar roads. Luckily this DMV had Saturday hours, but only until noon.

Have I ever told you that I’m not a morning person?

So the way I convinced myself to go to the DMV was to treat myself to yarn afterwards! And it was such a great store. Yarn piled taller than me, an excellent sale rack, and such nice employees! I think I spent an hour just checking out what they had!

While perusing the sale section I found a bag of multiple skeins of alpaca yarn marked at $10 in browns and greys. Then I found some coordinating rust alpaca and got 2 skeins for $5 each. So the brown is Mirasol Sulka, the rust is Mirasol K’acha, and sure the grey is Araucania Coliumo.

And then I set out to make a sweater that did not require five billion skeins when I had six. I started out using the Chunky Knit Fisherman’s Rib Sweater by Handy Little Me before getting to the end of the first ball and realizing that I would never ever make it to the end of the sweater. So I ripped some back and started freestyling and knitted and knitted and knitted.

The real winner here is finding the Fisherman’s Rib. I love the very squish that it makes! So stretchy too, and very plush.

I ended up with something like kimono sleeves with a tiny eyelet detail and a round neck. In the pics I’m wearing it over my first Sew Over It Vintage Shirtdress.

And it’s warm and it’s comfy, and it’s cropped in a good way! I’ve got a few more knits for the blog, so I suppose that’ll be the plan for the next post! See you next time!

December 12, 2016August 22, 2022

Progress – WSP

It’s been nearly a week since I posted about my short term winter sewing plans, and so far I’ve completed about 2.25 of my goals. I’ll be creating real posts for all of these (once I get pictures), plus posting a bunch of the stuff I completed this year and forgot to share, before the new year, but I figure I’d keep you updated!

So I managed to serge and put together a sewn knit cardigan last Wednesday, when I had access to a serger at a makerspace on campus. It’s got a pretty bias tape pop of color! But the serger threads were white, and it doesn’t fit well with the navy color… I’m debating what to do.

And I got the jeans cut and serged last Wednesday as well. Putting it together, though… That didn’t happen until Sunday at 1pm when I realized I hadn’t left the couch yet that day. But I got them finished before 1am on Sunday night/Monday morning!

As for my coat, I roughly cut out the pieces, and dyed them using normal RIT dye, and some iDye Poly, and let them dry. I intended to actually cut and interface the pieces, but I’m still working on the muslin, and deciding if I need a different upper collar and cuffs fabric because the wool is kinda scratchy to me. But this seems quite doable in a week! (I may be delusional…

I’ll be parading around in my new jeans today, rather happily. Maybe parading is too much. Sashaying quietly? Scurrying quietly, or something like that! Have a lovely Monday!

September 29, 2014August 19, 2018

Oatmeal

If you’re a long time reader of my blog, you may have noticed my love of cardigans.

There was the pink one, and the blue one. I also made two green ones pre-blog.

Plans were made for two more… And I made one of them!

The other should be made up shortly… but will I blog it anytime soon? Not likely!

So here’s my beige sweater, or Oatmeal.

You may remember this picture, which I got from Pinterest. Isn’t Pinterest cool? Full of fun ideas and things that I have no interest in making, but just look so darn pretty!

I loved the idea of this, and I don’t mind the execution, but once I look in the mirror I start pulling and fiddling to make it look “right.”

If I move, or breathe maybe, the back seam rides up, likely because I’m a sloucher, and pulling my shoulders forward drags the fabric up.

You may notice from the pics that I wore this with my black dress (which is definitely the most comfortable thing I’ve made, and once I fix the straps I think it may be a weekly wear option.). I also made it at about the same time, but I haven’t gotten around to posting about it.

That seems to be a theme for me.

I got the fabric from a Fabric.com haul last year, or early this year. I’m not quite sure anymore. But its a viscose tissue knit with some rayon, I think. Maybe some lycra, maybe not. Very breathable feeling and soft.

I tried to follow the “pattern” but I made changes. Like attaching the entire “skirt” to the “bodice” and shortening the cardigan. I made it up during the summer, and a shorter drapey cardigan makes for better summerwear.

It works very well with jeans, though. Quite nicely, though I think I’ll like it in early fall and late spring for a slight addition of warmth without sleeves to interfere with flow.

So I like it, and I’ll wear it definitely, but its one of those staple cake items that I’ll stay enthused but not excited by.

August 6, 2014

Catching up!

Last time we spoke, I was making socks.

Scratch that, I succeeded at socks. And actually right now I’m working on another pair.

I’ve been working on stuff since then, but slowly. And at the same time quickly. I seem to have made a lot of stuff, but for some reason it just seemed to come out of nowhere. Blog posts, however, did not.

Individual posts should be coming up soon for these, but here’s a snapshot of what I’ve got:

teaser

And a few more that aren’t quite completed or photographed yet.

I’ve also begun Christmas presents early… as in the aforementioned socks. I know that most people say that and then promptly fall off the wagon, but I’m a woman on a mission… Objective: finish gifts before November, or at least before December. That really means before finals season. I wish I could show you what I’m working on, but then I run the risk of ruining what little surprise they’ll have left.

Cooking has also come up recently as a thing. I’ll admit, I love to cook and bake and candy-make, but rarely do my concoctions turn out pretty, or appetizing to people other than me, or at all. For instance, the last bit of bread I made turned out tasty, I guess, but dense… Having now watched the video on how to actually make a round bread loaf, I think I’ll do better next time.

Knowing that I’m not a food blogger, and that I have no interest in becoming one, I think I’m going to start occasionally highlighting recipes that I’ve used or want to use. Making food can be cheaper than making clothing and yarn stuffs. And therefore I’ve been doing quite a bit of that this summer, so I’ve already got plenty of fodder for these posts.

Well then… talk to you soon! Err… sooner than the last time I posted.

January 19, 2014August 19, 2018

The Three Year Sweater

I’m not exaggerating on this. Three years.

This is the Roseanne Sweater from the book Blueprint Crochet by Robyn Chachula.

I started this sweater in sophomore year of college. Do you want to know how I know? Because I got the lovely yarn then. And I started the project not long afterward. At most a month afterward.

I’ve been showing you the progress I’ve made on this sweater for as long as I’ve had this blog, but then I forgot to work on it… some more.

The last time we discussed it, I had just started on the shawl collar. I think I finally finished the square blocks in October, and worked on filling in the triangles in November.

But this winter break was when I put my foot down. I was going to finish this sweater once and for all. This break. And when I decided this, I only had a week left. Because I love deadlines.

I finished up the collar last week, and attached the collar to the “vest”. Trying it on, it’s a little bit tight against the shoulders, but if I’m being honest, my gauge is crap, and I was very tense when I was crocheting that bit.

I’m a very tight crocheter. I continually have to move up three hooks just to get near the gauge.

So I folded over the wrapped sides, and crocheted them together. At this point, you are basically instructed to create a chain and then crochet ribbing perpendicular to the edge of the sweater. This is where my problem lies.

I cannot start crocheting in a straight line. It has thwarted every crocheted sweater or purse effort I’ve tried. Which is why I like squares and lace, which just so happens to be pretty.

At this point I switched gears and used a different yarn to rim the bottom of the sweater, and then I began to do a smaller version of the ribbing, which basically worked out well. To bring this yarn in with the rest of the sweater, I then added it around the collar.

In the end, I love this sweater, its cute and I made it, which is a plus.

January Project 2

September 27, 2013August 19, 2018

Mint and Navy

I definitely told you about the fabric I’ve been buying. Like this:

I’ve been challenging myself to work on projects bit by bit on nights without much homework, which recently has been quite a few. Might as well take advantage while it still happens.

So I took out my Singer Tiny Tailor, a $15 score from Ebay, and grabbed my fabric pile and made up a small cardigan pattern.

It’s cold here already. It fluctuated for a while, but I’m ready for heavy sweaters and such. That’s why I’m knitting up the Cardilero, which I’ll post progress of soon. But in the meantime, I’ll stick to long sleeved close fit sweaters, which can be quite warm.

Here’s what I ended up with after the first set of sewing!

It’s a little rough, and honestly a bit tight. Not impossible, just odd. The mint lace knit fabric is lovely. Not lovely to work with, mind you. It unravels and pulls like crazy. Soon I’m going to have to overlock it and also finish both the bottom back and and top back, as well as the sleeves.

The sleeve and armscye are also a little funky, but I kinda like it. No uncomfortable enormous underarm seam.

It’s warm and comfy. Exactly what I wanted! I’d call this one a success!

September 25, 2013

Mesmerizing and Cardigans

So I’ve got lots of yarn, and I’m going to continue working on projects with it. I’ve still got my crochet sweater to finish, but that really doesn’t stop me from starting new projects. And now I’m gonna tell you about them, because now I can!

I got this lovely cornflower blue yarn for Christmas last year, and I knew that I wanted to make something special out of it. It’s soft and silky, but even though I have quite a few skeins it doesn’t add up to a lot of yarn.

crochetme5a

link

This sweater caught my eye the first time I got out the book Crochet Me, by Kim Werker, from the library. It’s called the Mesmerize Sweater, for good reasons. It’s so visually pretty, and could be versatile in my wardrobe. I’m thinking it would look lovely over a black dress or something.

These lovely yarns are both a deep purple, and are very different from each other in texture. The one on the right is super soft and fuzzy, and even though it looks blue, it’s really a deep deep purple. The one on the left is more reddish purple, and is a bit scratchier, like it has some wool to it.

link

I’m planning to make a Cardilero with these, from the book Warm Knits, Cool Gifts by Sally Merville and Cady Merville. It’s basically a long rectangle with armholes, which I’m going to make with the reddish purple yarn. I’m also thinking of modifying the pattern a bit, so it’ll be a bit warmer. The other yarn will be for sleeves, for as long as one skein per arm will get me. I’m hoping for at least getting sleeves to the elbows.

August 29, 2013

Who has too much fabric?

Trick question…

There is no such thing as too much fabric.

This week I moved back into college for my final year as an undergraduate, so the stash I brought up is rather small.

I just got a bit more though! Some is for my costuming, and some is for other purposes.

Last weekend I was out thrifting and found this lovely stretch lace gold shirt. I’m not interested in wearing the shirt, but the lace will be perfect for my Belle outfit!

This was going to be the fabric for my Susan costume, but unfortunately the fabric is a bit too bright. I found it on Fabric.com, here, and the fabric is named Turquoise Slipper Satin. Next time there’s a good sale on the fabric, I’m going to get it in Baby Blue, if I don’t find other appropriate fabric first.

This trim will be a part of one of my costumes, most likely my Susan one, and it’s still awesome even if I can’t include it.

This brown lightweight knit is going to be for another wearable muslin for my Belle dress. The previous muslin was made out of a thick knit, but I want to try it with a slightly thinner one to test out how it would hang. I might also make myself a skirt or something with the extra.

In other fabric news, I’ve gotten quite a bit of yummy fabric for my own personal clothing usage!

I’m planning on making a nice short sleeved shirt out of this soft navy blue fabric.

When I was on this fabric shopping “trip” online, this mint lacy fabric was one of my first finds, which I want to make into a cardigan, or something cardigan like.

I thought this brown knit would also make a nice cardigan/shawl like garment. Most of my wardrobe consists of these, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have more, right?

And finally , I got this really neat bias binding, which I may use to bind seams on dresses and jackets and such.

So that’s my new additions to my stash, and now there must be some project working to use this and everything up!

May 31, 2013August 19, 2018

A’collaring we go!

So it’s been a while since I’ve given you an update on my crocheted sweater. It’s moving along, but I took a break during exams and the past week.

Two weeks and a half a week of extra study time was loads of time to procrastinate. I’m an equal opportunity procrastinator, to be honest. Actually studying and crocheting the sweater.

So here’s what I’ve got so far! I’ve finished the vest part of the sweater, and I sewed up the shoulder seams after blocking. It fits well enough around the arms, so I moved on to creating the collar.

I’ve completed 21 whole blocks out of 36, and I’ll then have 10 triangles to make.

I’m hoping to add at least two blocks a day for a while. Then it’ll just be waist ribbing, and arm and collar edging, and then the sweater will be done! Still a lot, but progress is important nevertheless!

April 26, 2013August 19, 2018

UFO #1 About Half Done

Look! Look! Look!

I’m about halfway done with the main structures of the sweater, with creating the base portion of the sweater. The next part to do is the shawl collar, after fitting the base.

In case you aren’t up on your yarn-based crafts, I’ll remind both of us about the proceedings.

To fit the base, I first need to block the base. Because I don’t have all of the supplies I would prefer to do this, ie an ironing board and a spray bottle, I’ll be working with a towel. I have some safety pins, and I’ll find a ruler.

I’ll be pinning the project to the wet towel, in the dimensions dictated by the pattern. Make that, as close to those dimensions as is possible…

Once its dry, I’ll be sewing up the arm seams, making sure I have the proper room to move.

I tend to find that even with careful measuring and blocking, I still rarely get a garment that really fits without me fixing it somehow, normally enlarging certain portions, so I’m doing it right this time. By checking for fit early on, I’m hoping to arrest this problem well before the end of the project, before I can decide that I’m not going to wear the project that I spent so much time on.

After any fixes, I’ll be making appropriate fixes to the pattern for the shawl collar, and then I’ll be working on finishing up that one!

Edging, and then finishing the garment with a waistband, and then I’ll have myself a sweater!