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Contemporary Sewing Patterns for the Modern Maker

KNITTED // WIKSTEN RIBBSTICKAD 2

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KNITTED // WIKSTEN RIBBSTICKAD

I knitted another Wiksten Ribbstickad – i think my love for this pattern is undying. As with the beanie i made for Bunny it was a real pleasure to knit, and done slowly whilst watching tv during a period of sickness. Though it has it’s imperfections i feel really comfortable wearing this hat out of the house – that’s a big moment for me, as I’m quite picky about the quality of things i wear.

I like to wear quite neutral colours in my accessories, and am really happy with how well this hat seems to coordinate with different outfits. I think my biggest regret is the pom pom – don’t get me wrong i love pom poms and i’m really happy with the colour choice, it’s just a little messier and smaller than i would have liked. I have a feeling i’m going to end up redoing it at one point. I kind of feel like with pom poms it’s go big or go home!

Anyone got any knitting plans at the moment? I’m still on the hunt for a simple mitten pattern before it gets cold here again. Good thing i have a few months to procrastinate hehe.

KNITTED // WIKSTEN RIBBSTICKAD

KNITTED // WIKSTEN RIBBSTICKAD

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Knitted// Wiksten Ribbstickad by Megan Nielsen 2015-07-26-3 2015-07-26-4

So I’ve been knitting again!

I spent most of May + June really sick this year, which resulted in a lot of knitting and tv watching. You know i like a good Gilmore Girls marathon. I may have gotten through all 7 seasons haha.

Anyway. The last time i had a real knitting binge was when i was hugely pregnant with Birdie and i made her little newborn hat (here). Which i may add, was way too big, and actually fits her perfectly now that she is 14 months old. So basically i’m not too upset because at least she is getting her use out of it! That time round i used the Purl Bee Basic Hats for Everyone pattern – and in all honesty – i hated it. The sizing is just really big, and i’m not experienced enough to mess with adjusting a knitting pattern. After Birdie’s hat i made a beanie for Buddy and one for Bunny and they were both really huge. So i knew that this year i need to make them some hats that didn’t look so sloppy, i just felt really embarrassed every time last years beanies on.

I love all of Jenny Gordy’s knitting (have you seen the lambie hat she made for Iris?! i died) – so i tried her Ribbstickad pattern, and i just loved it. I learnt a few new things and the fit is just really nice. I feel like it’s a much more stylish hat too. I made one for myself that was exactly as the pattern described, but for Bunny’s i started running out of yarn because i made the ginormous pom pom first (LOL rookie mistake?!) – so her hat is a little shorter, which worked out quite well for her!

I can see a lot of imperfections in it and room for improvement, but overall, i’m really happy and i think this is my best knitting project so far. After all the feedback i received from you guys last time i posted about my knitting i was better able to tackle blocking, and it was way less scary, and way more successful than previous attempts. So yay!

Both Bunny and Buddy are requesting mittens next – any suggestions for good beginner mitten patterns?? This makes me very nervous!

2015-07-26-2

ps. sneakpeeks of the upcoming Mini Briar and Mini Virginia patterns! WINK!

How to make fabric scrap yarn

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I go through a lot of fabric and have a huge pile of scraps, so in the pursuit of less waste, i’ve been trying to get into the habit of taking scraps and making them into fabric scrap “yarn”. I used it for my scrubby kitchen cloths and mostly for making storage baskets (which if you follow me on instragram you’ve probably seen some, but i don’t think i’ve blogged about them yet).

Here’s how i do it!

[Read more…]

Knitted washcloths

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Anyone who knows me personally knows that i’m a little bit of a nut about recycling and reusing things. I hate waste. I hate throwing useful things away. I would much rather drive ages out of my way to dispose of something in the best possible way, or find some way to reuse it, or someone who will reuse it, than throw it in the trash. I hate trash. HATE>

To me, scrubbing sponges are just trash. Gross trash. I hate sponges, they gross me out, they’re synthetic and they only get used a few times before being thrown in the trash. I also hate fabric scrap waste. I end up with so so many fabric scraps, serger scraps, cut offs – and i also hate throwing them in the bin (sidebar: i’d really really like to get a massive compost bin at some point so i can include all my natural fibre scraps in it, ah the dream!).

So a few years ago i made the decision to take my fabric scraps and try to find a useful way to reuse them. This was one of my projects! I took my serger scraps, joined them to make balls of “yarn” and knitted very basic square washcloths. Over a period of about three years i’ve made many more, and now we have a nice little stock pile of reusable wash cloths for the kitchen. They are imperfect. I like that. Some of them are made of a mix of different fabrics, which actually works quite well for scrubbing. When they get dirty they go in the wash with the tea towels, and the cycle continues. So far i’ve only had one die, and that was because we used it to scrub our airconditioning unit and it literally fell apart. I think thats fair enough hehehe.

I’m really happy with this project. It makes me proud to have found a way to use up these “useless” pieces of fabric, and i’m thrilled that we haven’t bought a sponge in three years.

making sense

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Megan Nielsen knitted tube scarves

You may remember that last year i started learning to knit (slowly, i kind of suck) – and i found it was a really great way to relax. Since sewing has become my job i don’t really use it to relax or wind down as  i used to. Knitting was a nice fit, and i was enjoying doing it while i watched the kids play.

So you know what i’ve realised? Knitting is a hobby that might not really make sense in Australia… I only wore sweaters a handful of times during winter, and i can’t imagine how i’ll ever use a woolly scarf again (which is pretty much the limit of my knitting skills so far).

So what’s a girl to do? Well not wanting to give up – i decided to knit some scarves for my lovely sisters in law before Christmas, who live in cooler climates than I! I knitted two yarns at the same time for Sophie (i wanted to make it extra snuggly for Minnesota), and for Annelise i knitted one colour than the next… hoping it would be a more appropriate weight for Melbourne (or maybe not? i mean how cold is it in Melbourne in winter? Cold enough for a scarf? hmmmm) and i like the colour block look.

I’m sure the hard core knitters are crying right now as they noticed i did not block my scarves (i’m sorry!!! i just can’t get it right… ) – but from a purely style driven point of view, i actually really enjoy the curled up edges – and i’m pretty thrilled with how cute these look.

But I mean, where to now? The real question is, should i find another relaxing craft – or begin a trend of inundating my sisters in law with unwanted scarves?! hehehe

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