kristen makes

I’ve really been in a dress phase lately. Something about wearing a fun and flowy dress just makes me feel like a free little kid again. I chose this pattern for the neckline mainly (the one on the middle dress) and made a few changes to it. I shortened it a fair amount and made it sleeveless and more tank-like.

I also had lots of fun accessorizing it:

The gathers were fun, but also tedious. There were a lot of layers of fabric and my patience is a little thinner than it used to be. If you look closely the craftmanship is… not so good! But I don’t really care.

Ruby and Alyosha like the dress too!

Oh yeah, by the way, my birthday is tomorrow! 27 on the 27th, whoop whoop!

Well, readers.  It has happened.  My knitting obsession has finally turned me into a granny. 

Proof:  I knitted my first shawl.  I have always thought that shawls were so frumpy and grandmotherly.  When I first picked up knitting needles as a serious knitter, I planned only to represent the cool, young knitters out there.  None of that old world knitting crap.

Alas, I eat my words.  I now like shawls.  Granted, the patterns out there are quite cute and shawls no longer have to be the huuuuge, drapey, mothball-smelling germ-factory that they once were (at least as they once were in MY opinion). 

Plus shawls are pretty flexible.  As my model, Ruby has clearly demonstrated throughout this post, one can wear them as a shawl, or as scarf, or even as a kercheif (which is funnily enough starting to become quite a fashion).

The shawl featured is the Arrowhead Shawl from Interweave Knits magazine and also featured in knittingdaily.com.  The pattern was pretty simple and fun.  I think I used berrocco sockease yarn, purchased so generously for my by my mother at the Knit and Stitch Boutique in Cocoa Village, FL.  I also got my first ever skeins of Noro yarn in a really nice off-white colorway.  I’m too intimidated to use it as of yet.

I just found my high school prom dress! 

T & I have been packing things up to get ready for the move, sorting what’s coming to Scotland, what’s being stored, and what’ll be tossed.  I came across a box of clothes I sewed way back when.  Think back in high school!  In high school I was enrolled in Mrs. Gray’s sewing class at Satellite High School (a class that Trent and I did take together!), during which I made my prom dress from a sewing pattern and was so proud of it.  I think I had more fun making it than I actually had at prom.  No offense to my date (now husband), I just really REALLY like sewing. 

It’s a little scary to see how young Trent & I were; and its hard to imagine the pre-beard times.  Please note our proud display of flip flops and chuck taylors as our prom shoes in the first photo.  We were (still are) so straight-laced that that was our form of rebellion.  Yes…  so sad.  Of course, once I came across this dress again, I HAD to try it on!  It still fits, but only barely.  Still proud!

siiiigh, good times.  good sews.

Probably at least 2 months ago, I ordered some yarn from Joanns.com to make this cardigan.  They sent me about 3 more skeins than I remember ordering, darn!  Anyway, I liked how simple this cardigan is, how it hangs very casually.  It knit up pretty quickly, too.

The moss stitch has some a really nice detailed look.  It’s not too thick and overly warm, even with the yarn being 100% wool.

I like how it’s cropped so it looks pretty cute with jeans, or with a dress.  I think it may be a little too cropped, and I get slightly annoyed that I unintentionally made the sleeves and the hem end at the same point.  Oh well.

Modifications that I made to the pattern:

• I sewed down the collar/placket rather than allowing the stockinette stitch to curl and roll under.
• I think I also made it a little shorter than the pattern.
• The sleeves came out too baggy so I (gasp) took it to my sewing machine, sewed in about an inch of seam allowance, trimmed the excess, seam-finished the yarny edges, and steam-set the seam with my iron.  I know this is taboo in the knitting world but I wouldn’t have it it with the sleeves as frumpy as they were.

We’ll be living here.

Still lot’s to do though.  We have to get the cats set for the move, figure out our UK cell phone plans, pack up everything, figure out what’s going to be stored and what’s going with us, straighten out our visas, and of course say goodbye to everyone!  Scotland countdown and updates will continue regularly…

This is the Taylor tartan.  My father’s side of the family are from the Taylor clan in Scotland, so I thought it would be neat to try to knit a swatch of it.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any FREE knitted tartan patterns, and I am not mathematically inclined enough to figure it out myself.  So I’ll be lazy and just pull the image from the internet…

The reason why I’m all of a sudden talking about tartan is because very soon, I will be much more immersed in Scottish culture and history, because Trent & I are moving to Scotland!  He got accepted to study his PhD at University of Edinburgh, so we will be heading over there in early September!  We are both in complete shock and cannot thank God enough for this amazing opportunity.  I am really looking forward to seeing some sheep farms and great yarn shops!  I of course plan to continue this blog over there, so you might see more bits about Scotland rather than just 100% crafting.  Not a bad thing, right?