Back in the spring, I won a skein of Liesl's naturally dyed yarn in a giveaway (ironically, on a blog that I'd just started reading, though I've been following Liesl's blog for a long time). It was some DK organic Merino, dyed with marigolds...a gorgeous shade of yellow, which happens to be my favorite color. Originally I had other plans, but ended up deciding on a hat.
I used the FreshMint pattern, and while the larger size should theoretically have been snug on my head, it was too big. So I went down a needle size and it seems to have worked out okay. I'm still not crazy about how loose it is at the crown, but I really like the chevron design made from purl stitches.
The yarn was wonderful to knit with, of course. It's so soft but still feels sturdy, and I love the color. When I posted a work in progress picture of this hat here, someone had mentioned that they wished they could pull off wearing this color. Honestly, while I know what colors I'm drawn to and which ones I wear the most, I'm not one of those people who knows what colors match with their skin tone, hair color, etc. I don't know if this is a color I "should" be wearing or not, but that doesn't bother me.
Ravelry project page.
I made this sweatshirt last week, and while it's not very flattering, it's probably the most cozy garment I've ever sewn. :) Of course, it was made from the Renfrew shirt pattern. The fabric is this sweatshirt fleece from Girl Charlee, which is made in America. It looks like a regular knit on the outside, but the wrong side is a brushed fleece. Because sweatshirt fleece is supposed to not be as stretchy as regular knit fabric, I added an inch to each side seam because obviously I didn't want a sweatshirt to be too tight. But this fabric has a lot of stretch, and making it bigger wasn't necessary at all. I ended up taking in the side seams until it was about the normal size of my t-shirts. I'm not sure how well this sweatshirt will hold up (the fleece side shed a lot when I prewashed it), but for now, it sure is comfortable. :)
I love the hat! I'm determined to finally figure out how to knit this winter, and this pattern looks like one I'd like to try. Yep, just bought it. :) Thank you for knitting such a beautiful example! I'm pretty overwhelmed by the number of patterns out there - I seriously haven't been able to choose even a top ten in each category of things I want to knit before the winter is over (a hat, a cowl, and a pair of fingerless gloves isn't too lofty a goal, is it?). I've known how to crochet since I was 8, but for some reason the mechanics of knitting never made much sense to me. All of your gorgeous hand-knits have finally pushed me over the edge to try and master the use of two needles as once. ;) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Of course you should learn how to knit, and I definitely think you could knit those three things this winter. :) I would probably start with a cowl, then do the hat (similar to the cowl, except you'll learn decreases at the crown), and then finish up with the fingerless gloves. The number of patterns available is pretty overwhelming! There are so many things that I want to knit. Good luck with your knitting! :)
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