Finished!

Finally my Jasmine (from Kim Hargreaves' Nectar) is finished and how much do I love it!


The yarn is Habu Tsumugi A-1 2/17 which has knitted up with a loose tweediness perfect for summer. It was worth knitting on 2mm and 2.25mm needles!

Also finished is some of my sewing. Finally I've nailed the pants pattern, first my 'jeans' from Built by U by Wendy Mullins.


I've been trying not to live in them, but they are so comfortable. The material is from Astratex in Richmond and has a bit of stretch which is why they look a little saggy baggy. I had enough left over for an A-line skirt also from Built by U. I've tried not to go over the top with my decorative stitching.


Also finished are my new work pants, made from a pattern I drafted from the Built by U pants with a facing at the waist rather than a waistband. The material is by Hugo Boss and is again from Astratex.


I'm thrilled with these, they are comfortable and light and I've managed to get them to fit snugly in the small of my back so that I don't have to worry when I'm crouched over working in front of people.

I've got an enormous pile of material to sew...four shirts using Built by U (which is great as the book shows you how to make lots of variations), some knit tops from Built by U Home Stretch (I've already made a few and they're all in the wash, that's how much I wear them!),


and a dress from Vogue. That's all before Christmas I hope!

On the needles is the square necked cardigan from Rowan Studio Issue 11 using up my tatty balls of RYC Bamboo Soft

Being Green

My Louisa Harding V neck jumper from Modern Classics is finished just in time for a spring cold snap in Melbourne.

Karabella Margrite is beautiful and soft and warm. I only need six balls, so I could have made it a bit longer in the body. Might make another for next winter...

I've started work on Jasmine from Kim Hargreaves Nectar in my Habu Textiles Tsumugi Silk. It's going to have a different look from Rowan 4ply Cotton, but it's coming along nicely...why do I keep knitting on small needles and in green?

I've just knitted a little scarf for Michael's niece Zoë, in the right team colours after the AFL Grand Final. I'm not sure if she'll like it...



My friend Ms Lisa has taken three of the books and I've marked them sold on the previous post.

Japanese Sewing Books for Sale!

I've got more than I can hope to use...so here they are!

$20.00 (Australian) each including postage within Australia...if you want me to send one overseas...let me know and I'll send you a postage quote.

All patterns are intact, some have their pattern sheets loose, but still included. All of the books have come from Japan in the past two months. All the books are in Japanese, but there are plenty of diagrams to help. Two of the books don't have full size patterns, but have the measurement in metric so that you can scale up your patterns.

Dress made of my favorite cloth by Machiko Kayaki SOLD
Dresses, shirts, vests, coats and jackets



Cotton and Linen SOLD
Again a real mix of pants, tops, shirts and dresses



Stylish dress book SOLD
Dresses and shirts



Sewing Recipe SOLD
A real how to book with great photos of all the steps. Tops, shirts, dresses.



Everyday tops and dresses SOLD
Yes, that's about it!



Everyday pants
Ditto



Pants (both mens and womens)
Fantastic range of pants with great suggestions (I guess) on what is the best fit for your body type.



Lace and Buttons (this book does not have full size patterns, but has cutting layouts with pattern measurements for you to draft your own) Tops and dress patterns with heaps of ideas for embellishing shoes, tops, bags and clothes generally.



Dresses (again, this book does not have full size patterns, but has cutting layouts with pattern measurements for you to draft your own). Lots of different more formal dresses.



If you have any questions, send me an email or post a comment. Happy shopping!

Finally...

Yes, Michael's vest is finished!





And I've also finished my Juliet Scarf...I love Karabella Boise, it is soft and it doesn't itch!



I've knitted another Juliet Scarf in Louisa Harding's Angora Pure and I think the stitch definition is better in Boise.



I started quickly knitting my second fitted jumper from Louisa Harding's Modern Classics before winter really ends in Melbourne. This is knitting up beautifully in Karabella Margrite.



And clearly in the grip of a very green moment, I've started working on my Hobo bag by Norah Gaughan from Knit Knit. For some reason I thought it might be nice to knit it in Habu Textiles Fique, but my fingers are not so sure...

Knitting, sewing, knitting, sewing...

Michael's vest is progressing, but slowly...it was perhaps not my brightest idea to knit a man's vest in fingering weight yarn. However, I'm going to finish it before I start anything else!

I've been refining my pants pattern, mixing Wendy Mullin's skirt and and pants patterns from Sew U. It's my new obsession and Spotlight has become my favourite store!

Lots of parcels!

All my internet shopping has been delivered! First to arrive was these beautiful Habu textiles yarns, perhaps for Louisa Harding's Kitty (from Summer Classics).




Some more Habu for Norah Gaughan's Missing Piece Hobo Bag from Knit Knit.



Some Karabella Margrite for another Louisa Harding pattern, the fitted sweater in Modern Classics.



And finally my assortment of Japanese sewing patterns with some lovely projects which I'll get on to after I've worked out what the instructions are!



I finished my Ana hat and I love it! I changed the way it was finished off at the back a bit so that it looks more 'cloche' than 'bandana'.




But work progresses slowly on Michael's vest...

Love, love, love...

Marmee is finished...



...and I love it! The collar took ages to finish and yet another ball of Patons Merino Deluxe, but it was worth the effort.



The darts give it a really good fit. While I was knitting I wasn't happy with the way the yarn knitted up, but after a wash and a good press everything is smoothing out nicely.



As I was finishing Marmee, I started my Ana hat in Fleece Artist Woolie Silk 3 ply. It's constructed like a fabric hat I love but which I can't wear as it's too tight. One long edge is pleated with the two short ends to bring everything together at the back of the neck. I don't want mine to look like a bandana as I want it to have more structure, so I might have to fiddle with the pleats.



But I'll have to put that aside while I knit up Michael's birthday vest knitted in Jade Sapphire 2 ply, which may well send me blind!



I've also got some Habu Textiles Cashmere for an art project I'm going to work on.