Knitting and some sewing too.

Long sleeved cardigan under way.

The past couple of weeks has seen a lot of knitting alongside a little sewing and preparation for more sewing. I have been concentrating on getting this long sleeved cardigan finished and also starting a pair of trousers. However, I seem to have been getting all sorts of things wrong. I have completed the whole of the large sections - back, fronts and both sleeves - only to have to rip back the left front since I missed out two rows of the first zigzag pattern. This may seem fussy, but it will irritate me when I wear this cardigan, so I really must sort that out now before finishing it. At present I am nearing the section of the right front where I shall be decreasing ready for the collar shaping. Hopefully I shall finish this in the next day or two and then I can rip back the left front and do the same corrections to that. The photo shows the pieces of the cardigan as I completed the second sleeve. If you look at the top left of the photo you will see one of the front pieces. It clearly shows the first zigzag pattern. The section just below the purl rows is the bit which is wrong. There should be a line of five holes at this point and not four. An irritating mistake to make especially since I got it right on the back. Definitely a case of more haste and less speed.........

Trousers

The trousers are now nearing completion and I will post a photo once they have been hemmed and are ready to wear. At present they are waiting for me to get around to sewing the long side and inside leg seams. So not much more to do. The fabric is a linen/cotton blend and I am really looking forward to being able to wear them. It is a pattern I have used before. Sadly, last time I got the sizing wrong and they turned out a little too large. This time I have used a smaller size. The pattern is KwikSew 3363. a simple pair of straight leg trousers. As you see from the photos these should go nicely with the long sleeved cardigan I am also making.

I have been reading The Colette Sewing Handbook and have taken on board some of the advice, most notably the second chapter which is entitled "A thoughtful plan" and details ways to dress for yourself and your shape. This might all sound very obvious, but the advice is timely for me since I really hadn't grasped these ideas before having them spelt out for me in this book.

Skirt

The second item I have prepared for sewing is the Meringue skirt from the same book. I am really not sure about the scalloped edge of the original and also the short length so will probably be modifying this with an underskirt to make a feature of the scalloped edge without having it as the hemline. It also doesn't have pockets which is something I do prefer any skirt I make for myself to have. I may end up adding these to the front since it is a very plain straight skirt otherwise.