There are two – maybe three – things I think about when I think tartan.
Myths about Scottish heritage, its ubiquity amongst the snobby set, and punk.
I found some fantastic tartan fabric at Marshall Fabric and while I first thought they might become pants (after all, what’s more punk than tartan pants?), this dress by Tiana Herring caught my fancy instead!
Join me as I make the Juniper Dress by Tiana Herring and talk about tartan, plaid, and resistance.
I enjoy spinning on occasion, but sometimes I just don’t want to bring out my Schacht-Reeves saxony. The Dreaming Robots Electric Eel Wheel 6, or EEW6, is the perfect solution! The e-spinner is small and portable, yet holds a serious amount of fibre. Each bobbin holds about 8 oz of fibre, so you can spin a lot.
I didn’t want to use my Really Good fibre just in case I messed up somewhere, so I dove into the stash and pulled out one of my lesser-loved fiber club deliveries: Qarth.
Qarth from the Into the Whirled Luxe Fibre Club, July 2013
Qarth is an 80/20 Merino/Silk blend from Into the Whirled’s July 2013 LUXE club. The fibre itself is gorgeous – but the colours just aren’t to my taste. I’m into pinks and purples. Cyan, olive and mustard…not so much. They’re an odd combination, and I understand their inspiration (a still from the TV show Game of Thrones), but they sure aren’t colours I would have chosen for myself.
I started my spinning experiment in a Twitch livestream. If you’d like to see the unboxing of the e-spinner, you can find it here. It took a little longer than I thought it would, but it was worth it. The EEW6 spins like a dream. If you’re worried about being uncoordinated and unable to move your hands to draft wool while moving your feet, then this is definitely the spinning wheel for you.
The Yarn Structure
The yarn came together really well. I chose to make a 3-ply yarn, and spun it fine enough to possibly make socks or a shawl. I haven’t counted the length yet, but I’m sure there’s a couple hundred yards at least.
To distribute the colour a little more evenly, I chose a fractal spin. First, divide the length of the combed top into 3 parts. The first part is spun as-is. It will have the longest colour repeats.
The second strand of top is split into two parts, and each section spun one after the other so the colour pattern repeats twice.
Strand number three is divided into four and spun one after the other. This will have the fastest colour repeats.
Qarth spun as a fractal 3-ply
The yarn can look really interesting when spun this way. While I’m not fond of the individual colours, and probably wouldn’t choose to make something for myself out of it, the resulting yarn is perfect for someone who loves olive and yellow colours. I think it came out well…and into the handspun stash it will go until it tells me what it wants to be or to whom it wishes to be given.
I have plenty more fibre where this came from, and with my two spinning wheels – my saxony and my e-spinner, I don’t have an excuse to NOT do some spinning!
Edwardian French Drawers. They sound a little exotic, don’t they? All the pictures I’ve seen have featured very shapely, slender ladies sporting shaped flounces frothing at the hem with lace trim.
I worried that they’d hang wrong on me, or that they’d look ridiculous, but in the end, I’m very happy with my reproduction French drawers.
I used Truly Victorian pattern TVE02 – Edwardian Underwear to make the drawers. This is probably – so far- the most cottage core item of clothing in my wardrobe. I originally planned to make and talk about both the French drawers and a corset cover. Unfortunately, the drawers were more involved than I thought they would be! There was a lot of hand-sewing, particularly on the facings and hem. I also hand-sewed the lace trim into place, as well as the buttonhole.
I shot the reveal in my parents’ back garden. The weather was beautiful, but I chose the absolute wrong time of day. It was late afternoon by the time I was able to get my makeup on and my gear packed in the car for the trip. As a result, I was shooting directly into the sun – the nicest flowers in the garden are in the west. Whoops. That said, I still had a good time setting up cameras and posing. I hope the neighbours aren’t too confused!
Hot Girl Summer
My main worry was that I might accidentally show more of my body than intended. You usually make Edwardian French Drawers with an open crotch area. This is for practical reasons, Having to use the washroom in a hip-hugging corset in the early 1900’s could really cause some drama in the ladies’ restroom. The drawers are actually very modest. I wore them with my chemise tucked in. If anything, the tucked-in chemise gave the drawers a little bit more poof!
And we all know how important it is to wear well-ventilated clothing in the middle of a heat wave. Seriously, we’re sitting at 32 degrees Celsius right now. Hiding in my basement office is a wonderful way to spend the day.
In this week’s video, I also rant about the pattern industry and the way it still refuses to put serious acknowledgement into the plus-size community. Perhaps this is something that deserves a blog post of its own.
While smaller, independant designers are doing their best to cater to the growing demand for patterns of all sizes, the large pattern companies with actual budgets still seem to deliberately shoot themselves in the metaphorical foot when it comes to doing the simplest things to promote and sell patterns for larger bodies. It’s frustrating. Particularly at a time when sewing clothing is making a comeback due to the cottage core aesthetic and sustainable practices. How maddening.
That aside, I do hope you’ll check out my video. Please leave a like and a comment about my new (perhaps not-so-surprisingly modest) Edwardian underwear! I’m already working on the Corset Cover, and am progressing steadily toward the rest of my Edwardian outfit.
I inherited my Great-Grandmother’s ornate steamer trunk sometime in the late 1980s. Squirrelled away inside were a few oddities. The most interesting were the photographs.
I tried to decide which fashion era I want to tackle first. I asked Mum if she still had the original contents of my trunk. Perhaps they would be the inspiration I need?
I worried. Were they lost in a move? We also had a basement flood in Yellowknife.
Safe as a Box of Bran Flakes
Thankfully, the contents were safe. Together, we sifted through pictures taken over 100 years ago in the Edwardian era. We even discovered an entirely forgotten branch of the family tree!
Hand-made lace on collars, lapels and cuffs. Fur accessories. Extravagant hats. These are just a few of the treasures we discovered in our family photos.
Join me as I start my journey into the Canadian Edwardian Era. Take a look at the inspiration for my upcoming Edwardian capsule wardrobe!
Contents:
00:00 – Introduction 00:54 – YouTube and Project Management 01:55 – Too Many Hobbies 03:56 – Getting it Together 05:22 – A Little Backstory 07:40 – A Simple Chemise? 09:05 – But seriously, what do you want to do? 12:24 – A Potential Plan of Attack
Music:
Butterflies in Love – Sir Cubworth Divertissement – Kevin MacLeod Friendly Day – Kevin MacLeod Theme for a One-Handed Piano Concerto – Sir Cubworth
Divertissement by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100256 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Friendly Day by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100223 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
00:00 – Introduction 00:54 – YouTube and Project Management 01:55 – Too Many Hobbies 03:56 – Getting it Together 05:22 – A Little Backstory 07:40 – A Simple Chemise? 09:05 – But seriously, what do you want to do? 12:24 – A Potential Plan of Attack
Music: Butterflies in Love – Sir Cubworth Two of Us – Saidbysed Sangria – Saidbysed
Update: The pattern for this scarf is now available on Ravelry. I hope you find it as fun to knit as I did!
In this week’s video, I delve into the world of vintage knitting patterns to make myself a Victorian Shetland Lace Scarf.
The Victorian Shetland Lace Shawl, or Wedding Ring Shawl, is an iconic part of knitting lore. The more practical Shetland lace scarf, less so.
The Victorian and Edwardian era(s) have seen a surge of popularity on costube recently. While everyone else is sewing corsets and combinations, I’ve been knitting a scarf. The Victorian Shawl is fairly well known, in both knitted and woven varieties, but scarves seem a more practical garment, meant for both prestige and warmth.
I found myself wandering through the Richard Rutt Collection on the University of Southampton’s knitting archive. I found myself intrigued by a scarf pattern in a book attributed only to “A Lady”.
Could this be a pirated or missing Frances Lambert or Jane Gaugain pattern? Or could this be a traditional pattern contributed by a local knitter?
I picked up my Addi Turbo needles and a skein of silk/wool blend, and determined to find out for myself.
Along the way, I found myself wondering…just who is this scarf meant for? And what does knitting have to do with Gilbert and Sullivan, and Courtney Love? The answer might surprise you!
Sowerby, Jane and Alexis Xenakis (Photographer). Victorian Lace Today. USA: XRX Inc, 2006. https://www.amazon.ca/Victorian-Lace-Today-Jane-Sowerby/dp/1933064102
“The Richard Rutt Collection.” In the Loop – Knitting Collections, University of Southampton https://www.southampton.ac.uk/intheloop/collections/richard-rutt.page
Sources for tracking pattern authorship & notes on IP piracy in the arts:
Sowerby, Jane and Alexis Xenakis (Photographer). Victorian Lace Today. USA: XRX Inc, 2006. Knitting terms developed by Jane Gaugain: Page 15 Diamond Border Pattern by Jane Gaugain: Page 37 Piracy of Frances Lambert’s intellectual property: Page 41 https://www.amazon.ca/Victorian-Lace-Today-Jane-Sowerby/dp/1933064102
Gilbert & Sullivan IP piracy (via Wikipedia page linked below) Rosen, Zvi S. The Twilight of the Opera Pirates: A Prehistory of the Right of Public Performance for Musical Compositions. Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, Vol. 24, 2007, accessed 21 May 2007. See also Prestige, Colin. “D’Oyly Carte and the Pirates”, a paper presented at the International Conference of G&S held at the University of Kansas, May 1970 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_and_Sullivan#cite_note-37
Love, Courtney, “Courtney Love does the math.” Salon. June 14, 2000. https://www.salon.com/2000/06/14/love_7/
Misc. Image Sources:
Kendrick, C. – https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/var1993000413/PP/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1235342
Andrea Fleming – Courtney Love, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67962433
Sidney Paget (died 1908) – http://www.artintheblood.com/twis/twis9.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11274194
David Shankbone – flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10273439
NASA/JPL-Caltech – NASA, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19525315
Music:
Music: Butterflies in Love – Sir Cubworth C Major Prelude – Bach Two of Us – Saidbysed Sangria – Saidbysed Dancing Star – Aakash Gandhi Divine Life Society – Jesse Gallagher Kiss the Sky – Aakash Gandhi
Just show notes from the video this time. We’ve had three deaths in the family over the past 3 months, culminating in the passing of my father-in-law. I had enough energy in me to get the video done, but not much otherwise.
Last time we swatched; in this video, we knit! I’ve cast on Andi Satterlund’s vintage inspired cardigan, Crumb. This sweater should look awesome with one of my 50’s style sun dresses or empire-waisted mini dresses…if I can get it past the stage where it looks like a slightly frowsy Old God In Training…
I also baked some bread and played a little Untitled Goose Game with the husbeast. We needed some fun and distraction because this week we experienced the sadness of saying goodbye to a loved member of our immediate family.
DMC Daisy Wreath Pattern Aida cloth rescued from another long-forgotten project with a missing pattern. Yes, I know I should have waited and bought black cloth for maximum POP, but it is what it is.
Thread: An Assortment of DMC and Anchor embroidery floss that matched those outlined in the pattern.
This week’s video is about knitting a gauge swatch for a new sweater!
Learning from past mistakes
I’ve only made one adult sweater in my years as a knitter. It was a Cobblestone Pullover designed by Jared Flood that I made from Cascade 220 for the Husbeast.
My first attempt was…not good. I remembered to swatch, but I used yarn from Michaels and didn’t realize the dye lots were different until I had finished two sleeves and was partway done with the body. The tip-off was the very noticeable difference between the two dye lots on the torso. Then realizing both arms were different shades….it was a mess.
Messes being cleaned up all over the place
I wound up making a trip to one of the local yarn stores that deals specifically in what I call “workhorse yarns” – the kinds of sturdy, reliable yarns that knitters generally turn to when they need a yarn they know will Just Work.
Yes, Gina Brown’s in Calgary is something like the early 2000s Apple Computer of yarn, but it’s very reasonably priced and they don’t redesign their stock every 6 months. Which is a good thing.
Choose your own adventure
I chose the Crumb sweater by Andi Satterlund. It’s a vintage-style sweater that will be nice and cozy for cool summer evenings. I have some dresses and long shirts that should go well with the design.
I’d picked up a sweater’s-worth of yarn from Michaels a few years back with the intention of making a Central Park Hoodie. The bulk of the yarn – about 5 balls – is one dye lot. I think the other 3 balls are one or two other dye lots.
Paton’s Classic Wool – Worsted – in Plum Heather 77307
The Crumb cardigan looks like the largest size will require the 5 balls of yarn. If it comes down to it, I’ll re-knit, alternating dye lots per row. It would be easier if this pattern was knit in the round, but I’ll figure something out.
Swatch for the pattern
The first thing I did was take one of those 3 extra balls of yarn and knit a swatch. Then I knit another. See, the pattern calls for 18 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches square. The first swatch came out a bit big, so I went down a needle size for the second.
One swatch each per needle size attempted.
The next step was giving the swatches a soak and dry. The larger swatch shrank down to the right stitch gauge. Row gauge is a bit more tricky, so I’m not going to worry too much about it.
And away we go!
I’ve since cast on for the sweater, and I’m enjoying it. I guess we’ll see how things shape up by next weekend!
It didn’t take long to complete the pair of socks cast on in Video #1. The only time I ever really have issues is when someone decides I need to try colour work. I’ll stick to mittens for those, thanks. Colourworked socks are not my cup of tea.
The video glosses over the hows and how-to’s of knitting socks. I didn’t want to turn it into a tutorial, more a slice-of-life. Socks were knit. Yay!
Waxing Poetic about Socks
I find that the humble sock is a perfect project. It’s small enough to be portable, and it’s not so large as to overheat a knitter in summer. They’re suitable for chatting over a cup of tea, or an evening glass of wine. You can knit them by the fireplace, or in front of the campfire. Best of all, they’re as complicated as you want them to be. You can knit them plain, use cables, fancy them up with lace, or add new colours.
They are one of the most perfect projects ever.
Completed Lang Jawoll self-striping socks
Well…unless you live in a place where socks aren’t necessary. I can see them being a bit inappropriate on the beach. Still, very handy when the weather turns chill, and you need something besides flip flops to keep your toeses cozy.
Moving On: Socks and More
I’ve cast on another pair of socks already — I thought I knew who they would belong to, but I’m pretty sure they’re for someone else entirely. Someone who I didn’t even have on my radar at this point in time.
Otherwise, I’m trying to figure out the next project. Will it be a lacy Victorian shawl? I broke out my copy of Jane Sowerby’s Victorian Lace Today, and am wondering if that’s something I should look into now, or perhaps later, when it’s too warm for anything more than lace weight?
Using available sources for research!
Perhaps a vintage-inspired sweater is the ticket. One of the perks of sheltering in place is that there are less dietary pitfalls to keep us from our usual poor eating habits, and the weight is slowly coming back down. I have at least one 50’s style dress, and a couple of “skater” style dresses that would look lovely in a 40’s/50’s crossover sweater.
The truth is, really nice sweaters haven’t changed much in the past 70 years. Going through the Mary Maxim back catalogue has reminded me that we are constantly recycling styles, and there are plenty of similar knits on Ravelry. Mostly, it’s a matter of deciding whether you want a cropped sweater to show off your full skirts, or a longer cardigan to flaunt your ability to afford yarn. After all, the boys are home from the war and you no longer have to unravel and re-knit your sweaters to be stylish (or make wartime supplies for the troops).
I’ve been looking over the designs of Andi Satterlund, and I’m liking what I’m seeing. I’m thinking of applying her Plain Jane pattern/workbook to some of the styles I’m seeing in the Mary Maxim back catalogue.
I Have…Opinions.
One of the things that came up in this week’s video is my opinion on “Jacquard” patterns in sock yarn. Dear friends, I dislike it immensely.
Hear me out: When I go to Knitpicks, I usually wind up gawking at their Felici self-striping sock yarn. Currently, they have colour ways that feature black, white, aqua blue, candy pink and yellow (Test Pattern) or navy, periwinkle, coral, apricot, and orange (Thunderstruck). Maybe three different shades of red is more up your alley (Rose Garden)?
None of those colour ways sounds boring. None of them involve muddying up one of the stripes with splatters of another colour entirely.
I know the “idea” behind the splatters is to make it look like you’ve done some intricate jacquard needlework on the area, but it never looks like that. Real jacquard is intentional. This pattern is…random at best.
Obviously, that’s just my opinion, but I suspect I’m not alone in it. I’ve noticed commercial yarn being wound to “hide” the splattered segments, and…I’m not happy with it. Nope. Not at all.
That said, it’s fodder for yet another video, likely coming soon, on Colour, Crafting, and the Joys of the Monochrome.
Bake Bread and Chill
Stay safe, folks. Grab a good audiobook or turn on your Netflix (I’m not going to suggest Prime due to their “themed” packages) and pull up some yarn. Pour some tea, coffee, or wine, and let’s just knit another pair of socks.
Maybe two. 😉
What are you doing while we’re all sheltering in place? Inquiring minds want to know!
On April 6th, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Theresa Tam, advised that wearing non-medical face masks could give an additional layer of protection when needing to go out in public.
My fabric stash is minuscule compared to my Mum’s, so she granted me access to the treasure trove that is her cotton bin. It’s a huge Rubbermaid tub that’s full of swatches and remnants. Some of the contents date back almost 40 years.
I am a colourful ninja
I’m almost afraid that I’ve snagged some of the fabric she’s been hoarding for other purposes, but I’m sure she’d tell me if that were the case.
At any rate, I made face masks for the husbeast, myself, and both sets of our parents. They aren’t the most chic items of clothing, but they definitely have some personality.
The right mask for the right person
I mixed and matched colours suitable for the gentlemen…even in a pandemic, I can’t see my Dad wearing cute owls on his face. Mum might get a kick out of them, but Dad? Not likely. I stuck mainly with grey, grey-blue, and navy for them.
The ladies, however, get the fun stuff. Burgundy and lavender, cute prints…you name it. My favourite face masks have owls and mushrooms on it.
For more information, click on that video up top to see the process!
