Kitty Couture

A fresh white set for a fresh new baby ~ Un ensemble tout blanc pour un bébé tout frais

2012-01-26T15:58:00.008+01:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, friends!
First, thanks so much - and as always! - for your comments. They are so appreciated. Thank you!
There were a few questions about maternity leave etc. in France - I'll try and get to them soon.

Here's another woolen wrap cardigan for the baby's first few weeks.

(Since my usual photograph spot for my handknits is a white couch, and white on white doesn't work well, I used my red cashmere coat as a background!)

This one was knit as a small homage my mum. She keeps remarking that white looks wonderful on babies, and when we unearthed her own babies' layette back in the summer so I could get some inspiration, everything was indeed white, and lovely (although not handknit ;)).

That is why I made a white set for the baby's very first few days: cardigan, hat (which I already blogged about here), and mittens.

This cardigan is a very traditional newborn design in France - with the cardigan usually wrapped in the back and tied in the front, although you can of course wrap it the other way around if you wish. Wrapping it in the back does make it easier to slip onto the baby, as you don't have to open her arms as wide to slip the sleeves on.

Back

This is another design by La Droguerie - I am not a fan of everything La Droguerie, but I do like their baby designs! It is available in several of La Droguerie's books, in a variety of yarn weights. The specific design that I used is "Brassière (bébé cashmere)" from Tous les bébés de la Droguerie; it was also published in Les Bébés de la Droguerie, and their English publication, La Droguerie's Babies. It is also in Tricots Intemporels pour Bébé, by Astrid Le Provost AKA Citronille (see here on Ravelry).
I'm mentioning this last book because it is much easier to get (it's on Amazon) than books by La Droguerie, which are only available in their few shops scattered over France (sadly, there isn't one in Montpellier!) You can also order La Droguerie stuff by phone, but I personally find it a bit iffy, not to mention their shipping rates are overpriced; so I wait until I'm at my parents' in Lille to go to the shop there.

Here's the cardigan before seaming so you may see how it is constructed - clockwise from left bottom; you have the first back panel, a sleeve, the front panel, the other sleeve, and a second back panel, which overlaps over the first:

I have a time-saving tip about this design: Instead of knitting the pieces separately and putting the live stitches on waste yarn before joining for the raglan yoke, I knit them all one after the other on the same long circular needle, in the order of construction (back - sleeve - front - sleeve - back). This saved time when joining at the yoke.

The yarn is the wonderful (and extremely good value!) Baby Merino by Garnstudio (Drops). The design asked for DK weight yarn, but I couldn't find any superwash merino in a pure white in this weight - so instead I opted to knit fingering weight with yarn held double: literally "double knit" (DK)! The result is a very cushy, and oh so soft, fabric. My gauge was slightly larger than per design, so this is a largish newborn size - which should give us more wear out of it.

Here are the matching mittens - you know, to prevent the baby from scratching herself - also in Drops Baby Merino.

With hand for scale:

These are a free design - Fingering Weight Baby Mittens, by Christine Vogel. They're shown with the cuff folded up.

All this set needs is matching booties! Hopefully I'll manage to whip up a pair before the baby comes. I do have a pair of booties ready, but they match the Bruyère Kimono (and another hat, and another cardigan, to be shown later :)).

I think my mother's right - this looks so fresh. In fact, I am so glad I followed her advice that I am currently working on another white cardigan - a little bigger this time.

Now another homage to my mum would be for our daughter to be born 2 weeks early - that would fall exactly on my mother's birthday! :)

Bonjour !
Voici une autre brassière en laine pour les premières semaines de ma petite fille à venir.

(Comme l'endroit où je prends mes photos est un petit sofa blanc, sur lequel les tricots blancs n'allaient pas ressortir, je l'ai recouvert de mon manteau rouge pour servir de fond !)

Cette brassière est un petit hommage à ma mère. Selon elle le blanc est ce qu'il y a de plus beau sur un bébé ; quand nous avons exploré la layette de ses propres bébés cet été, pour que j'y puise de l'inspiration, tout était blanc, et tout frais (mais pas fait main ;)).

Pour lui faire plaisir, j'ai donc réalisé un ensemble tout blanc : brassière, bonnet (dont j'ai déjà parlé ici) et moufles.

C'est un modèle très traditionnel, vous en conviendrez ; la brassière se croise dans le dos et vient se nouer sur le devant ; c'est plus pratique à enfiler dans ce sens, car on a moins besoin d'étendre les bras du nouveau-né.

Dos

Il s'agit d'un autre modèle de La Droguerie : je suis loin d'être une fanatique de la Droguerie, mais j'aime bien leurs modèles de layette. On trouve se modèle décliné dans plusieurs grosseurs de fils dans leurs publications. Celui-ci spécifiquement est "Brassière (bébé cashmere)" de Tous les bébés de la Droguerie; il est aussi paru dans Les Bébés de la Droguerie, et vous trouverez le même modèle tricoté dans un fil plus fin dans Tricots Intemporels pour Bébé, de Astrid Le Provost / Citronille.

Voici la brassière avant assemblage, pour vous montrer comment il fonctionne : dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre et en partant du bas à gauche, on a un premier panneau dos, une manche, le devant, la 2e manche, et le 2e panneau dos, qui vient se superposer au premier:

Une astuce : au lieu de tricoter les pièces séparément en laissant les mailles sur des bouts de fil/arrête-mailles, je les ai tricotées à la suite sur une longue aiguille circulaire, dans l’ordre d’assemblage final (dos - manche - devant - manche - dos).

Le fil c'est Baby Merino de chez Drops, super doux, très belle qualité, et un prix très raisonnable. En fait, il m'aurait fallu un fil plus gros DK, mais pas moyen de trouver de la laine superwash en blanc dans la bonne grosseur. Du coup, j'ai tricoté du fil plus fin, en double.
Mon échantillon (tricoté avec la taille d’aiguilles inférieure à celle préconisée) est un tantinet plus grand que celui recommandé, mais ce n’est pas plus mal, car le dessin avec les mesures ne me semble pas très cohérent par rapport à l’échantillon et aux instructions. Et puis ça fera un peu plus d'usage ainsi.

Voici les moufles assortis, pour empêcher ma petite de se griffer le visage ; aussi en Baby Merino de Drops.

Avec une main pour vous montrer l'échelle:

Il s'agit d'un modèle gratuit : Fingering Weight Baby Mittens, de Christine Vogel. Les photos les montrent avec les poignets repliés.

Tout ce qui manque à cet ensemble ce sont des chaussons assortis ! Peut-être que j'arriverai à les faire avand l'arrivée du bébé. J'ai déjà une paire de chausson prête, mais elle est assortie au Kimono Bruyères, et à un autre petit bonnet, que je ne vous ai pas encore montré ;)

Je trouve que ma mère a raison - cet ensemble blanc est tout frais. D'ailleurs, je récidive en ce moment en tricotant un autre gilet tout blanc, cette fois un peu plus grand. Eh oui, un autre de ses conseils, c'est d'avoir plein de gilets bien chauds : les bébés en ont beaucoup besoin ! :)

Baby Kimono - "Bruyères", by La Droguerie ~ Le Kimono Bruyères de la Droguerie

2012-01-23T11:06:00.005+01:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, everyone!

Today marks the beginning of my maternity leave. Not a day too early, I should say! I've been so tired and heavy lately.

To celebrate - and because the beginning of maternity leave also means the due date is drawing seriously close! - I was on a finishing kick this weekend: seaming and adding buttons to finished baby handknits, putting the final rows on a few projects, and joining machine sewing to some knitting projects for extra finishing touches... Lots of small things that had been waiting for quite a while in some cases. I'm so glad they're now all well and truly done!

On top of this, there's a bunch of projects I finished over the past few weeks that I didn't get around to share with you here - as I thought it was better to be productive for the baby's arrival, rather than blog about it and make less! You can expect therefore a whole string of posts in the upcoming days. I wish I was more regular at blogging instead of keeping silent and then posting a bunch at a time, but there you go...

In the spirit of taking it easy during my leave, I've also decided to show these to you in no particular order - simply following my fancy. Deal?

Hospitals/clinics in France typically require a set of 3 woolen cardigans for the stay at the clinic. Wool is essential to help the baby adjust to room temperature after being in a 37°C womb for nine months. I am happy to say that after this weekend's finishing spree, all three are entirely finished, laundered, and ready to pack!

Here's the latest of the three (told you I wasn't following any order!).

This is the "Kimono Bruyères", from the most recent book by La Droguerie, Rêves de Bébés à la Droguerie (I'm actually the first on Ravelry to have made it!). It was fun to make; it is knit all in one piece, in garter stitch, and the sides and underarms are then seamed. You can see what I mean in this pre-assembly picture:

There's an extra button inside the cardigan to keep it snug:

I particularly like the wrap style for newborn cardigans, as they add an extra layer of warmth.

The yarn is Debbie Bliss's Baby Cashmerino - not 100% wool, granted, (it is 55% Wool, 33% Microfiber, and 12% Cashmere) but so, so soft for a newborn's skin, thanks to the cashmere in it (which also provides warmth, like wool), and sturdy, thanks to the microfiber.

How cute are these buttons? I think they add just the right touch of whimsy to an otherwise simple design.

The ravelry page for this project, with all the technical details, is here.

I'll be back soon, with more finishes!

Bonjour à tous !

Mon congé maternité commence aujourd'hui. Il était grand temps ! Je me sens bien fatiguée en ce moment.

Pour fêter cela, et puis aussi, parce que cette date signifie que le terme se rapproche sérieusement, j'ai eu un élan ce week-end pour terminer plein d'en-cours presque finis : coudre les tricots, ajouter les boutons, tricoter les derniers rangs sur certains ouvrages, joindre la couture machine à certains tricots pour parfaire les finitions... Plein de petites choses qui attendaient parfois depuis des mois !

En plus de cela, il y a un certain nombre de projets que je n'ai pas eu l'occasion de vous montrer dernièrement. Ben oui, en ce moment, je préfère être productive pour le bébé à venir, que bloguer ! Ca veut dire qu'il devrait y avoir toute une série de nouveaux articles prochainement. J'aimerais arriver à être plus régulière, plutôt que de ne pas poster pendant un moment et tout d'un coup mettre plein d'articles, mais bon... C'est la vie, c'est comme ça ! :)

D'ailleurs dans le même ordre d'idée de ne pas me prendre la tête en ce début de congé, j'ai décidé de ne suivre aucun ordre logique dans ces messages - de me laisser porter par l'envie du jour ;) Ca vous va ?

Les maternités en France demandent typiquement 3 brassières de laine pour le séjour à la clinique. La laine est essentielle pour aider le bébé à s'adapter à la rude chute de la température ambiante, après un séjour de 9 mois dans un bain-marie à 37°C ;) Je suis bien contente de pouvoir vous dire aujourd'hui que ces 3 brassières sont désormais entièrement terminées, lavées, et prêtes à emporter !

Voici la dernière des trois (eh oui, je vous ai dit que je ne suivais pas d'ordre ;))

Il s'agit "Kimono Bruyères", un modèle issu du tout dernier livre de La Droguerie, Rêves de Bébés à la Droguerie (tellement récent que je suis la première sur Ravelry à avoir tricoté ce modèle !). Très sympa à faire : il est tricoté au point mousse tout d'une pièce, et les côtés et manches sont ensuite assemblés. La photo ci-dessous vous aidera à visualiser :

Il y a un petit bouton en plus à l'intérieur du gilet, pour bien le maintenir contre le bébé :

J'aime particulièrement les modèles qui se croisent car ils sont encore plus chauds, avec cette couche de tricot supplémentaire. Le fil est Baby Cashmerino de Debbie Bliss ; bon, d'accord, il n'est pas entièrement en laine (55% laine, 33% microfibre, 12% cachemire) mais il est très, très doux, grâce au cachemire (qui tient d'ailleurs chaud également) ; et résistant, grâce à la microfibre.

J'adore les boutons ! Je trouve que c'est juste la bonne petite touche de fantaisie sur ce modèle tout simple.

Ma page ravelry pour ce projet, avec tous les petits détails techniques, est ici.

A très bientôt !

Purple Romper AKA cutest baby knit ever? ~ Un pyjama tout doux, tout douillet

2012-01-14T11:09:00.008+01:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, friends!
Thank you for the good wishes following my latest post. They were much appreciated!
I've been able to work from home these past few weeks (it was that, or stopping working altogether, something that wasn't exactly possible given my position at work), and am now just a few days shy of my maternity leave - woohoo!

I have a large backlog of stuff to share, but instead of doing it chronologically, I'm going to start with one of my latest finishes - and what's possibly my favourite of all the things I've made for the baby so far.

The design is Small Things Romper by Carina Spencer. I like the philosophy behind the design's name - much as in The God of Small Things, the idea is to cherish all the happy nothings in life.
Granted, these don’t look like they’ll be the most functional baby pyjamas in the world as they don't open at the legs, but they were too cute to pass up. I mean, I had been knitting so much practical baby stuff - and I had to cast on something just for the fun of it, you know? Now that I'm done with it, I certainly don't regret it - this is so, so cute!

At $10, the pattern costs more than I’m usually willing to pay for a single design (there's a bonus sweater design in the pattern but it really is just the romper knit down to the waist), but it is really clever. This was definitely not auto-pilot knitting! Sometimes it's fun to make something really challenging and ingenious.

The "tush shaping" (as phrased by the designer) is done with short rows to allow for the baby's cushioned, diapered bottom; I used my favourite method for short rows, which I learned when knitting the Vitamin D cardigan. It makes for virtually invisible turns.

The yarn is Rowan Calmer in the Plum colourway - so, so soft, with a velvety feel to it; and very stretchy, which makes it extra comfortable for a baby. If it wasn't so expensive I'd get more to make another romper in a different colour!
This used a little over 2 balls, and since I'd bought 3, I have just enough yarn to make a matching hat.
The wooden buttons come from my local notions shop, La Mercerie in Montpellier.

Well, you get it - I love this, and cannot wait to see my little girl in it!

My ravelry project page with all the details is here.

I'll talk to you soon - I have tons more to share! The baby's wardrobe is filling up quite nicely. :)

Bonjour !

Merci pour vos petits mots de la dernière fois. J'ai pu travailler de chez moi ces dernières semaines, et le congé maternité est désormais tout proche : j'ai hâte de pouvoir me reposer et me détendre à fond !

J'ai plein de projets à partager avec vous, mais au lieu de le faire par ordre chronologique, j'ai décidé d'y aller au coup de coeur pour aujourd'hui, et de vous montrer un des tous derniers ; de tout ce que j'ai fait pour le bébé, c'est peut-être bien ce que je prefère !

Le modèle est Small Things Romper de Carina Spencer. On pourrait le traduire par "le pyjama des petits bonheurs" ("small things" voulant dire ici tous les "petits riens" du quotidien qui rendent la vie précieuse). Certes, il y a plus pratique comme pyjama de bébé puisqu'il n'y a pas d'ouverture à l'entrejambe, mais j'ai trouvé ce modèle trop beau pour ne pas le faire. De temps en temps, un p'tit caprice ça fait du bien ! J'avais fait tellement de tricot "fonctionnel" dernièrement que j'ai eu envie de me faire plaisir. Et franchement je ne regrette pas : ce pyjama est tellement mignon !

Le patron est cher pour juste un modèle : 10 $, avec un modèle prétendument bonus pour faire un gilet assorti, mais celui-ci correspond tout simplement au haut du pyjama. Mais il est vraiment bien conçu, et j'ai appris plein de choses en le tricotant. Attention, il n’est pas fait pour tricoter sans réfléchir devant la télé ! Mais ça fait du bien de faire un truc bien compliqué de temps en temps.

Le petit derrière est créé avec des rangs raccourcis, pour un popotin rembourré de bébé. J'ai utilisé ma méthode préférée pour les RRs, celle expliquée dans le modèle du gilet Vitamin D. Ca donne des tours de rang invisibles.

Le fil, c'est Rowan Calmer, dans le coloris prune (plum) - tellement doux, au toucher velouté, et très élastique, donc super confortable pour un bébé. S'il n'était pas si cher, j'en rachèterais dans une autre couleur, pour faire un autre pyjama !
Le pyjama a pris un peu plus de deux pelotes, et comme j'en avais acheté 3, il me reste juste assez de fil pour faire un bonnet assorti.
Les boutons en bois viennent de La Mercerie à Montpellier.

Bon, vous l'aurez compris - j'adore ce pyjama, et j'ai vraiment hâte de voir ma p'tite cocotte dedans !

La page ravelry avec tous les p'tits détails pour ce projet est ici.

À bientôt : j'ai plein d'autres choses à vous montrer ! La garde-robe de la cocotte commence à bien se remplir :)

Bonne année !

2012-01-04T09:11:00.003+01:00

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English version

Bonjour, bonjour, friends,

I wish you all a happy, creative, and sunny New Year 2012!

Montpellier Botanical Garden on Jan. 1st, 2012
Picture by Seb

I've been having problems with high blood pressure that have meant getting as much rest & relaxation as possible for my and the baby's sake - and this hasn't been compatible with being much online, let alone blogging or podcasting. I very much hope to update the blog and put in a podcast episode some time soon - I just don't know quite when, and ought (and therefore am trying) not to worry too much about it. :) Things are far from awful, so don't worry about me! I just need to be careful :)

I very much hope that you enjoyed a lovely end of the year, and that 2012 has been up to a wonderful start for each and everyone of you!

Bonjour, bonjour !

Je vous adresse tous mes voeux pour une année 2012 heureuse et créative,
pleine de beauté, de tendresse et de soleil !

Le Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier le 1er janvier 2012
Photo de Seb

Des problèmes de tension m'obligent à me reposer et me détendre le plus possible, pour la santé du bébé et la mienne ; cela n'est guère compatible avec une présence en ligne, encore moins le blog et le podcast. J'espère tout de même mettre le blog et le podcast à jour bientôt ; mais je ne sais pas encore quand... On verra ! :)

J'espère que vous avez passé une excellente fin d'année 2011, et que 2012 a déjà commencé merveilleusement pour chacun-e d'entre vous !

Winter Maternity Dress

2011-12-19T17:22:00.008+01:00

At long last! Here's the review for my winter maternity dress, along with pictures taken over a week ago... This last week has been way too busy for my own taste!

(pictures taken at 6 months+1 week, i.e. 29 weeks pregnant)

So, here is Simplicity 3678, which I made in its regular (non-maternity) version twice in the past: a winter version with crossover bodice back in 2007 (which currently looks pretty cute over my bump and leggings); and a summer version, with scoop bodice and cap sleeves, in 2009.

My alterations for maternity wear here were fairly simple:

- I cut the top bodice 2 sizes larger than usual at the front

- as with Simplicity 2580, I removed the taper from hips to waist in the front skirt, which gave me a rectangle for the front skirt. I redistributed the extra fabric with gathers centered at the middle front (NOT all the way around, which wouldn't have been as flattering, especially as my bump sits all at the front and not at all at the sides).

- this time, given that my bump is much bigger than back in the summer, I also lengthened the center front of the skirt, by drafting a hem that scoops down from the sides to the middle. This allows the hem to remain even.

See? Even hem all around :)

I have been getting so much wear out of this dress - it is great for layering with warm tops and tights underneath, boots and a lovely red cardigan (not handmade) if it's really cold, and of course, my red coat!

One last picture for the fun of it:

(of course, this one is Seb's favourite!)

If/when I feel less tired, I'm still hoping to sew pyjamas and (perhaps?) an extra top for the last couple of months before the baby comes. We'll see. For now, though, I really need to rest up!

Done at last! Botanical Garden Lace Stole ~ L'Étole Jardin des Plantes de la Droguerie

2011-12-11T18:37:00.008+01:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version

Back when I made my red coat, I thought a lightweight stole in a subdued grey would be the perfect accessory to complement the rich colour and texture. I decided to embark on a design I'd been wanting to make for a few months - l'Étole Jardin des Plantes by La Droguerie. "Jardin des Plantes" meaning, as you've all guessed by now, Botanical Garden. I'm a sucker for botanical lace motifs, and whether have I lived in Paris or Montpellier, I've always been a haunter of botanical gardens. Montpellier's Botanical Garden, one of the oldest in Europe, far surpasses the one in Paris IMO. One of many instances where I feel I've truly gained by moving away from the Capitale.

It will come as no wonder, therefore, that we did the photoshoot in the Jardin des Plantes.

The design comes from La Droguerie's book Petites Pièces et Petits Plus (and can also be found in their Petites pièces et accessoires - tome 1.
I wanted this to be massive - you know, the generous, squishy kind of shawl/scarf that feels so luxurious and warm on a winter's day. As a result, I bought 4 balls of alpaca in a sportsweight (Sierra Andina by Adriafil), and knit (And knit. And knit.) until I was all finished with the yarn. As a result, the stole is taller than I stand!

As is usual with lace, this didn't look like much while on the needles:

But a few hours of agressive blocking took care of it:

And here it is, all light and airy, and fluffy - and oh so, so soft

This took quite some time to knit, and I confess to being quite bored with it in the end; but the result more than makes up for those tedious last few pattern repeats. There is such a feeling of accomplishment when a large lace project comes to fruition.

For those interested, the Ravelry project is here.

It was a beautiful day today, and Seb treated me to quite the photo shoot - and did a fantastic job IMO. Pictures of more knitwear and of my winter maternity dress (which you can see peeking from under the coat in the above pictures) are therefore forthcoming very shortly! So much better than indoors pictures with the tripod and self-timer.

Quand j'ai fait mon manteau rouge, je me suis dit qu'une grande étole légère dans un gris délicat serait l'accessoire idéal pour contraster avec la couleur et la texture riches du manteau. Je me suis lancée dans un modèle que j'avais repéré depuis le printemps dernier : l'Étole Jardin des Plantes de La Droguerie. Je suis fan des motifs végétaux au tricot dentelle, et, que je vive à Paris ou à Montpellier, les jardins des plantes ont toujours été un de mes lieux de flânerie préférés. Quoique celui de Montpellier, un des plus vieux d'Europe, surpasse de loin celui de Paris à mon humble avis... Un exemple parmi tant d'autres où j'ai le sentiment d'avoir gagné au change en quittant la capitale !

Il était donc obligé que l'étole Jardin des Plantes soit photographiée dans son lieu éponyme.

Le modèle vient de Petites Pièces et Petits Plus (mais il se trouve aussi dans Petites pièces et accessoires - tome 1).
Je voulais une écharpe/châle immense et moelleuse à souhait... Alors j'ai acheté 4 pelotes d'alpaga (Sierra Andina, grosseur "spor") et j'ai tricoté (et encore, et encore) jusqu'à ce que je sois à court de fil. Le résultat : une étole plus grande quoi moi !

Comme d'habitude avec du tricot dentelle, ça n'avait pas l'air de grand-chose sur les aiguilles:

Mais après une bonne séance de mise en forme...

Voilà la dentelle qui s'ouvre et s'épanouit, pour une étole aérienne, duveteuse, et tellement douce :

Vous vous en doutez, ce tricot a duré un certain temps ; et j'avais vraiment hâte d'en avoir fini durant les dernières séries de motifs. Mais le résultat après la mise en forme m'a complètement réconciliée avec ce projet. Quoi de plus gratifiant qu'un long projet de dentelle qui arrive enfin à son terme après tous ces motifs patiemment répétés...

Pour celles/ceux que ça intéresse, la page Ravelry est là.

Il faisait merveilleusement beau hier, et nous en avons profité pour faire plein de photos de mes petits derniers (merci Seb !! C'est tellement mieux que les photos en intérieur avec le retardateur). De quoi bien alimenter ce blog dans les jours à venir !

Super Quick Knits (2&3) : from head to toe ~ Tricots express : de la tête aux pieds

2011-12-07T14:42:00.002+01:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, everyone!

Next up in my series of super quick knits - a tiny hat in organic cotton, and felted slippers for the cold season. From head to toe - just not the same person's ;)

Ravelry project page

This is going to be our baby's very first hat. My sister advised me against wool, as newborns, while they need to have their heads covered when they move from womb to room temperature, also have a tendency to sweat profusely. I thus settled on organic cotton from a European company, Katia, which has a little shop here in Montpellier. When it comes to cotton, esp. for babies, I always use organic, as it is not that hard to make, and really makes a difference, both for the environment and in terms of the chemicals used to make the yarn, which is going to be in direct contact with the skin.

Seb and I saw a similar hat in a shop, and Seb loved the little tail. The original pattern - Hospital Hat by Annika Barranti - has a knot instead of a tail, so I just knit the i-cord tail for 4 rows (instead of 3 inches) before decreasing and binding off.

This took just a couple of hours to knit. I definitely have to make a few more in some other colours!

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I took a break from baby knitting to make myself a much-needed pair of warm slippers. Floors in Southern France (at least this part of Southern France) are typically tiled so as to stay cool in the summer; but it means they get really cold in the winter! Instead of turning the heating on, warm slippers over socks seemed a more reasonable option for the beginning of winter. :)

Ravelry project page

The design is a freebie by Drops; I took this opportunity to place my first order ever of Drops yarns, and boy have I been happy with this brand. I've been knitting with Drops yarn pretty much nonstop since then. Seriously, this brand has the best value!

The yarn I chose for these is their super bulky yarn Eskimo (100% wool), which felted beautifully.

Again, each slipper knit up in a couple of hours, and even though I should probably have used a different kind of seam (less bulky and visible - I went for sturdy instead), I still like them, and have been wearing them all the time. The smallest size in the pattern turned out a bit big, but it's fine when worn over thick socks; it also means they slip on and off very easily, which is a definitely plus with my big pumpkin of a belly, which makes bending over more and more challenging ;)

---

I haven't had a chance to take pictures of my latest dress yet, but I love it! I hope we'll have the time to go out and take some pictures soon.

Bonjour tout le monde !

Voici les pièces 2 et 3 dans ma séries de tricots express : un tout petit bonnet, et des chaussons feutrés. De la tête aux pieds donc... mais pas pour la même personne ;)

Ce bonnet sera le tout premier de notre bébé. Ma grande soeur (maman de Robin et Florian pour celles qui se souviendraient !) m'a déconseillé la laine, car si les nouveaux-nés ont besoin d'être couverts pour supporter le changement de température de 37° à température ambiante, ils ont aussi tendance à transpirer. J'ai donc décidé d'utiliser un coton bio de la marque Katia (une marque espagnole), car nous avons la chance d'avoir une petite boutique qui vend cette marque ici à Montpellier. Quand je tricote du coton, je tâche de choisir du bio, surtout pour les bébés, car il n'est pas si compliqué d'en trouver, et que ça fait une grosse différence à la fois pour l'environnement et en termes de produits chimiques utilisés dans la fabrication du fil, qui va être en contact avec la peau.

Projet sur Ravelry

Sébastien et moi avions vu un bonnet similaire dans une boutique, et Seb aimait beaucoup le petit toupet. Le modèle d'origine Hospital Hat par Annika Barranti - a un noeud au lieu d'un toupet, alors j'ai simplement tricoté 4 rangs avant de diminuer et de rabattre, au lieu des 3 pouces (7.5 cm) prévus.

Ce petit bonnet n'a pris que 2 heures à tricoter. Il faut vraiment que j'en fasse d'autres, dans d'autres couleurs !

---

J'ai fait une petite pause dans les tricots pour bébés afin de me faire une paire bien nécessaire de chaussons feutrés. Les sols par ici sont carrelés, ce qui est très bien pour garder la fraîcheur en été, mais glacial en hiver ! Au lieu de mettre le chauffage en route, j'ai préféré faire des chaussons bien chauds à enfiler sur des chaussettes. :)

Projet sur Ravelry

Il s'agit d'un modèle gratuit de chez Drops; à cette occasion, j'ai fait ma première commande de laines Drops, et je suis vraiment ravie de cette marque, que j'utilise beaucoup depuis.

Le fil que j'ai choisi pour ces chaussons est leur super-bulky Eskimo, en 100% laine.

Ici encore, chaque chausson n'a pris que 2 heures à tricoter. J'aurais dû sans doute utiliser une autre type de couture (j'ai privilégié le solide à l'esthétique), mais je les aime quand même bien mes chaussons. La taille la plus petite s'est avérée un peu grande pour mes pieds de lutin, mais ça va très bien par-dessus de grosses chaussettes. Et puis au moins comme ça, les chaussons sont faciles à enfiler/enlever, ce qui est bien appréciable quand on a une citrouille en guise de bidon, et qu'il est de plus en plus périlleux de se baisser !

Fluffy Fibers: Episode 10 ~ Making Do with Little Time

2011-11-28T20:04:00.004+01:00

Simplicity 3678 Sneak Preview

I managed to free up a bit of time to put out a recording just before the end of November. Yay!
P'tite Mignonne was a bit crazy this time, so I hope the occasional meowing in the background won't be too distracting (she is a very vocal cat).
Also, the baby was dancing all along the recording; but that you cannot hear. :)

You can download the episode (36:10) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

~ Episode 10 Shownotes ~

1. Sewing Projects; 2. Knitting Projects; 3. Something Natural, Something Seasonal

Introduction
Thank yous.
Fluffy Fibers group on Ravelry
Tini sent me an Ottobre issue.
Jali had a giveaway - I won a darling Kwik Sew Duro Dress.
Tanesha sent me a copy of Scandinavian Stitches from her birthday giveaway.

1. SEWING PROJECTS (5:57)
- I made a dress! Simplicity 3678, which I altered for maternity wear. Sneak preview on top of this post; "real" pictures and alteration details are forthcoming. :)

I had previously made a winter version with crossover bodice back in 2007; and a summer version, with scoop bodice and cap sleeves, in 2009.
With a knit print that Melissa brought me last Spring. The whole story is here.
- Took pictures of my Jalie white top: see this post.

2. KNITTING PROJECTS (16:08)
2.a Finishes
- Baby Hospital Hat, by Annika Barranti; knit in Katia Eco Cotton.
- Other finish: see the "Something Natural" section.

2.b Currently knitting
- Started knitting a baby cardigan/jacket that I'm designing.
- Plugging along on the Garter Stitch Baby Kimono, in Dream in Color Smooshy. One sleeve (and the edging to go). The end is nigh!
- Also making slow but steady progress on my Étole Jardin des Plantes, by La Droguerie; knitting this in alpaca (Sierra Andina by Adriafil) - very lightweight, and therefore a perfect commuting project. I'm 3/4 done.
- Started on a white baby sweater in a true newborn size this time, for baby's first few hours/days. Design is Brassière Cashmere, by La Droguerie; from their book Tous les Bébés de la Droguerie, but also appeared in Les Bébés de la Droguerie, and in one of their very few English books, La Droguerie's Babies. I say in the podcast that this was supposed to be knit in a DK yarn, but the recommended weight is in fact worsted. As I couldn't find any white superwash merino here, I'm using Drops Baby Merino (fingering), held double. I really like this yarn. This is a fun design.

2.c Coming up next
- The über-famous Fetching gloves for my brother's girlfriend; out of Drops Nepal in light grey green. Tany made a pair of elbow length Fetching for me 4 years ago and I still love and wear them to bits.
- Mitts for Seb (my own design), in the style of Mitchell's gloves in the British series Being Human.
- Baby pyjamas
- A vest for my 2-year old nephew's birthday.

3.SOMETHING NATURAL, SOMETHING SEASONAL (29:49)

Where I talk about crocheted washable scrubbers. The design I use is Spiral Scrubbies by Judith Prindle.

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

Super Quick Knits (1): Alpaca Cowl ~ Tricots express (1): col en alpaga

2011-11-28T11:59:00.001+01:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, friends!

I am sharing the first in a small series of projects that were super quick to knit - but are also quite useful!

Today, an alpaca cowl to go with my red coat...

Design: Cambrian Cowl, by Alana Dakos; from the Coastal Knits book, which I reviewed in episode 9 of my podcast.

Yarn: Montana, by Lang Yarns; a thick-and-thin slub alpaca yarn. See the irregular stitches this creates?

Love it. It adds a nice rustic touch.

Buttons are from La Mercerie in Montpellier.

I like this cowl, and the construction was fun. After wearing it a few times, though, I wish I'd made it smaller. As it is, it absolutely needs to be folded on itself to stay put; so I am slipping it on wrong side out, and folding it over, so that the right side and buttons lie on top.
Something to bear in mind if you have (or are knitting this for someone with) a narrow neck.

Bonjour, bonjour!

J'entame aujourd'hui une petite série de tricots rapides (mais non moins utiles ;)). Aujourd'hui, un col en alpaga, pour aller avec mon manteau rouge...

Modèle: Cambrian Cowl, de Alana Dakos; tiré du livre Coastal Knits dont j'ai fait un compte-rendu dans l'épisode 9 de mon podcast.

Fil: Montana, de Lang Yarns; de l'alpaga en fil mèche, donc irrégulier. Voyez les mailles irrégulières qu'il donne :

J'aime beaucoup ce petit effet rustique...

Les boutons viennent de La Mercerie in Montpellier (choisis avec une amie qui se reconnaîtra, un bien bon souvenir ;)).

J'aime bien ce col, et la façon dont il se monte est originale ; mais après l'avoir porté plusieurs fois, je dois reconnaître qu'il est trop grand pour moi. Pour pallier ce problème, il est impératif que je le porte replié sur lui-même. Du coup, je l'enfile à l'envers, et je replie le bord supérieur sur le bord inférieur, pour que les boutons et l'endroit du tricot soient posés sur la couche inférieure.
Tricoteuses aux cous graciles, pensez-y si vous souhaitez tricoter ce col !

A casual top: Jalie 2804, adapted for maternity wear

2011-11-25T13:02:00.005+01:00

Hello, hello, friends!

I am truly and completely swamped (and exhausted!) at the moment, and very behind with my blogging - not to mention the podcast. Things should start to calm down in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, this post will be short and sweet - still better than none at all, right?

Here are pictures from a couple of weeks ago...

This is Jalie 2804 - the Empire Crossover top, which I altered for maternity wear. It is so comfy, and I trust it is long enough to last me to the end of the pregnancy - and beyond, as it is also nursing friendly.

I made this out of 100% cotton jersey. The bust line sits a little high (I underestimated how much fabric I needed up there!), but it is still wearable IMO. If only because it is so cosy to wear! I also like the ruching at the sides.

Oh, and you bet I wasn't going around with just a top on in November - so here was my whole outfit:

With my Un-Iced jacket, which I've been getting so much wear out of; and my Damson shawlette, which I love to bits.

Thank you very much for your wonderful comments on my coat. When time allows, I'll devote a longer article to maternity alterations, with pictures of how I redrafted the lower bodice for this particular pattern.

Have a lovely weekend!

Little Red (Riding Hood) Baby Bump Coat / Manteau de (Petit Chaperon) Gros Bidon Rouge

2011-11-11T12:32:00.005+01:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, all!

Finally, pictures and a review of my red maternity coat!

(Montpellier cathedral in the background)

First off, the pictures were taken 2 weeks ago. I was hoping for sunnier weather to take better pictures, but I'm not sure when that will happen - so we'll have to be content with these!

Those of you listening to the podcast already know all about the fabric - a cashmere and wool blend - and the troubles I ran into with the pattern. I do NOT recommend the book this pattern is from - Les Intemporels pour future maman, by Citronille. If you don't have any experience in coat/jacket sewing, save yourself hours of frustration (and the waste of beautiful fabric) and do not go anywhere near this pattern.

I do like the finished result, though.

This picture and the next show the coat well, but the true colours are those of the first picture - it's been impossible to take good pictures since this coat was made, as we've been having weeks and weeks of heavy rain.

Oh and look - pockets - of course!

Luckily, I'd read up a lot on the topic of coat/jacket making a few years ago, and had written a tutorial to add a lining the proper way back then; it all came in handy.

Here's a peak at the pleat I added to the center back of the lining, for extra ease:

(again, the red is much cooler and deeper in real life, with a magenta sheen.)

I was at first a bit frustrated with having to settle on something so common as a black lining (as always, by lack of choice locally), but I have to say it does look classy against the red.

(see how I'm flashing my baby bump at you - shocking I know!)

The top, by the way, is Onion 2017 - I made it years ago and it is one of my most oft-worn handmade garments. The front usually flows in deep pleats for a look that is absolutely not maternity-like, but the fabric is now all filled out. I have been wearing this, and my longer version, a lot lately, as the fit was rather loose to start with, so that I'm not stretching out the fabric - yet.

(Taken 2 weeks ago, i.e. just shy of 5 months pregnant)

This has been one of my favourite maternity outfits lately.

Bonjour à tou-te-s !
Voici (enfin !) des photos de mon manteau ceinturé.

Le tissu est un mélange laine et cachemire, bien chaud, bien doux.
Le patron, "manteau ceinturé", est issu du livre Citronille des Intemporels pour future maman, que je ne recommande pas... Surtout pas à des débutants ! Si vous n'avez jamais fait de manteau ou de veste avant, passez votre chemin, et épargnez-vous des mètres de beau tissu gâché et des heures de frustration.

Si cela vous intéresse que je partage mes modifications du patron avec vous, alors faites-le savoir en commentaire. J'ai si peu de commentaires de lectrices-lecteurs francophones que je n'ai pas envie de passer du temps à réécrire mes modifications sans savoir si cela sert vraiment.

Cela dit, j'aime bien le résultat final.

Cette photo montre bien le manteau, mais pour la couleur, c'est la première photo qui est la plus fidèle : un rouge profond avec des reflets magenta.

Et comme tout manteau qui se respecte, il a des poches !

(ici encore, le rouge est plus profond et froid en vrai.)

Voici un aperçu de l'intérieur :

J'étais un peu déçue d'avoir si peu de choix pour la doublure et de devoir me rabattre sur du noir. Mais finalement c'est plutôt classe en contraste avec le rouge.

Le haut est Onion 2017 - je l'ai fait il y a des années et ça demeure un de mes hauts faits main préférés. Comme il était peu ajusté au départ, je peux encore le porter pour un petit moment sans le déformer, grâce aux deux pinces profondes du devant. J'aime beaucoup porter ce haut et version plus longue en ce moment.

Photos prises il y a 2 semaines, c'est-à-dire à presque 5 mois.

Fluffy Fibers: Episode 09 ~ Cashmere and Alpaca

2011-11-05T21:30:00.010+01:00

Brassière à la française (short rows baby sweater); shown over my coat's cashmere fabric.

In which I indulge in sewing cashmere and knitting alpaca; offer (hopefully) encouraging tips on sewing a coat; share a small pile of knitting projects; and give a review of Coastal Knits, by Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig.
With guest appearance by P'tite Mignonne ;)

You can download the episode (1h15min - oops!) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

~ Episode 09 Shownotes ~

1. Sewing Projects; 2. Knitting Projects; 3. Book Review

1. SEWING (4:27)
1.a Finished projects (4:27)
- Manteau ceinturé ("Belted Coat") from Les Intemporels pour Future Maman
- Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer
- my tutorial for making and sewing a lining to a coat or jacket.
- how to sew sleeve and sleeve lining hems by machine for an invisible hem (Threads article on bagging a lining: scroll down to part entitled "Sleeve hems by machine").
1. b Coming up next (23:20 )
- Maternity/nursing pyjamas - out the same wool jersey from which I made my well-loved pyjamas years ago.
- Long-sleeved dresses
- Items from my "regular" wardrobe I found I can still wear: Onion 2017 top and tunic, and Simplicity 3678 dress.
- Onion and Minikrea sewing patterns - a Danish pattern company.

2. KNITTING (33:36)

2.a Finishes (33:36)
- Finished the Sunnyside Baby Cardigan (shown above), in Alpaca from la Droguerie - AKA the softest yarn I ever knit with. Made fabric-covered buttons for it (see this blog post).
- Finished the Plaid Torsadé by la Droguerie. I plan on backing this with flannel.
- Made a baby dress: Super Simple Baby Tunic, out of Sirdar Crofter.
- made felted slippers - quickly made, and put on my feet so quickly that I haven't had a chance to photograph them. Made out of Drops Eskimo - my first experience with Drops yarns, which I am very impressed with.
- made the Cambrian Cowl, a very new design by Alana Dakos - just needs buttons. Made in Lang Yarns Montana, an irregular slub alpaca yarn which created a rustic kind of fabric.

2.b Currently knitting (48:50)
- Still plugging along on the Garter Stitch Baby Kimono.
- Almost done with my Brassière à la française (shown on top of this post). Yarn for this project is Plassard Boud'chou, which I don't recommend.
- Started on a grey scarf in alpaca to go with my red coat - Etole Jardin des Plantes by La Droguerie. A fairly long project, but this is "potato chip knitting". Alpaca is Sierra Andina by Adriafil. Perfectly soft, in a subtle, luminous grey.

2.b Coming up next (59:25)
- a newborn outfit for the hospital (wrap cardigan, hat, and booties)
- Baby Tiered Coat (sorry about mispronunciating this).

3. BOOK REVIEW (1:01:07)
Coastal Knits, by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting and Hannah Fettig of Knitbot.
I first mention the Gnarled Oak Cardigan. My favourite design is the Wildflower Cardigan.
I then mention Hannah Fettig's Bayside Pullover, the already quite popular Rocky Coast Cardigan, and her Water's Edge Cardigan.
Alana Dakos's Rustling Leaves Beret is lovely, but too small for me.
Projects by Alana Dakos that I already knit: Spring Garden Tee and the Cedar Leaf Shawlette.

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

I wasn't going to make anything in pink... Baby Knits II

2011-10-23T09:13:00.005+02:00

Hello, all!

I knew I said the next thing I finished (and shared here) would be some sewing for me, but my back decided otherwise over the past couple of weeks.

Since I most certainly will not turn this blog into an account of small pregnancy woes, and I don't want to desert it - and you! - either, I'm sharing another tiny knit today.

Cat included for scale

(but do keep in mind her build is closer to Maine Coon than Persian!)

Project details:

Design: Super Simple Baby Tunic by Rebecca Gunn.

Yarn: Austral by Katia for the white; Crofter by Sirdar for the fair-isle pink (colourway is Loganberry).

I bought the Crofter on Ebay and was expecting more of a red than a pink; but as you can see, this is definitely in warm pink shades. This is why I decided to play around with some white to tone it down.

Ravelry project page.

My alterations:

My gauge was a little larger than recommended, and I deliberately kept it that way, to make a slightly larger dress that should last the baby a while longer.
I knit this a bit longer, as a dress for early days (and probably a tunic for later)
I replaced the moss stitch at the bodice with garter stitch, as the moss stitch looked too muddy with the fair-isling yarn.
I cast on one extra stitch at split between front and back when joining for bodice.
Stripes distribution: white eyelet edging; 2-row pink stripe; 8-row white stripe; then all pink until 2 rows before bodice: 1 row white, 1 decrease row white, 2 bodice rows white.
I also knit buttonhole tabs in white for a better contrast with the front (and with the buttons), and to have them match.

I'm not sure how much of this you can see (you'll see it much better in the picture's original size), but the buttons are in a gradation from light pink to warm fuchsia to pinkish brown - all of which are also part of the yarn's colours!

Seb and I are not huge fans of pink, but we both had to acknowledge how cute this turned out. Let's say pink is just going to be one of many colours we're going to dress our baby in. :)

~*~

Back is finally better as of yesterday (fingers crossed it'll stay that way for a little while!) and since the weather here brutally turned from blistering summer to early winter, I have, have to manage and find some time amidst my work (mid-terms, yay! - not) to crank out a coat very soon. As in, over the very next few days. I traced the pattern and cut out the coat and lining yesterday, so at least the worst part (for my back, but also because I hate tracing and cutting) is over!

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!

All but done: Baby Knits (I) ~ Tricots pour bébé (I)

2011-10-15T13:39:00.003+02:00

Hello, hello!

Today I thought I'd share baby items that are all knit up, and only need a bit of finishing.

This round yoke cardigan is the very first thing I made for the baby, when we felt the pregnancy was far along enough to get started on concrete plans... I knit this in the Peak District as we were approaching the 3-month landmark. Knitting this first item for the baby was so very special.

Why is it not quite finished, will you ask? Well, I want to appliqué a little birdie to the lower left side of the cardigan - to bring more focus onto the buttons.

~*~

The following cardigan took up a lot more time, being knit on 3-mm (size 2 1/2) needles. :)

The design is a freebie by Canadian designer Tanis Lavallée.

I wish you could see in person just how soft and beautiful this turned out, thanks to the alpaca yarn. Well worth all the time.

Why no buttons yet? I just couldn't find buttons that matched the cardigan in softness of shade and material, AND that were small enough, so I resorted to making my own. I couldn't even find locally kits for fabric-covered buttons in such a small size, so I had to buy the kit online - and received it this week.

What I hadn't anticipated, however, is that such a soft, soft cardigan, would be requiring the use of a hammer. Let me tell you, covering tiny, teeny 11-mm buttons is a much fiddlier business than covering larger buttons for a coat.

(fabric is remnants of the Liberty used to make the skirt I'm wearing in the picture at the very top of the sidebar - blogged here.)

~*~

Lastly, this big, soft, cushy blanket was knit with worsted yarn held double and 7-mm needles.

The design is by La Droguerie - Plaid Torsadé, from their Tous les bébés de la Droguerie book (sadly not available online, and rather tricky to get even in France!).

I really like how this turned out. It is technically finished, and could be used as is; but I want to make this more special by backing it with a beautiful flannel, which hasn't arrived yet. I want this to be a classy, timeless, but also sturdy blanket that may last and appeal to our daughter for many years. Backing it will definitely make it more durable - and warmer, and even cushier!

I'll be sharing more details of each when they are 100% finished. :)

I am also almost done with the most adorable little dress ever, and should finish another baby jacket within the next week. At this rate, our baby girl is going to have a rather well-stocked wardrobe!

Next up though: more maternity wardrobe sewing for me! I mean, it's still very much summer here, which is rather strange (we've been breaking all-time records of temperatures this week), but autumn is bound to come eventually, right?

Humble but Necessary: Maternity Pillow Cover

2011-10-11T14:06:00.004+02:00

Not all sewing projects can be as exciting as making a new dress; yet I imagine I'll be getting a lot of use out of my latest FO.

Those of you who follow the podcast may remember I mentioned finding a French family company that made maternity and nursing pillows stuffed with 100% natural cork micro-balls, which I find more eco-friendly and healthy than polystyrene; and one of my plans for maternity sewing was to make my own cover for it.

I wasn't sold on the fabric when I first bought it, but I have to say it really looks good on the bed - Seb and I have always had a thing for blue, and most of our linen is blue.

Here's a view of the back, with the zipper - and a cat that somehow found her way into the pictures:

As you can see, this pillow proved extremely popular the minute I put it on the bed. Within 30 seconds of discovering the pillow, P'tite Mignonne had worked out perfectly how well suited it is to support your back:

I was thinking only the other day that I hadn't shared kitty pictures in a while. I certainly wouldn't have you think that P'tite Mignonne was neglected these days - it really has been quite the opposite.

Fluffy Fibers: Episode 08 ~ Inspiration Overload

2011-10-08T09:44:00.007+02:00

In which I explain my sewing plans for the nursery and for myself, mention my knitting finishes and projects, share a small knitting design, and a recipe for healthy biscotti.

You can download the episode (57:39) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

~ Episode 08 Shownotes ~

1. Sewing Projects; 2. Knitting Projects; 3. Something Natural, Something Seasonal

1. SEWING PROJECTS (1:38)
No finishes this time, but lots of plans taking shape.
- Nursery decor - Pam's Place is the etsy store where I got the fabric for the nursery (pictured above). I highly recommend this seller. Fabric is designed by Susybee, and is produced by Hamil Textiles.
- Sweet Safari organic fabric line, by Alyssa Thomas
- Kwik Sew 3689 and Simplicity 2388:

2. KNITTING PROJECTS (22:51)
2.a Finishes
- Finished my Vitamin D cardigan. Blogged here.
- Also finished Sunnyside Baby Cardigan. Need to find buttons or to cover some myself.

2.b Currently knitting
- Making progress on Plaid Torsadé by la Droguerie.
- Wanted to start on the Clara Dress but felt my yarn worked better in garter stitch; so I opted to start the Garter Stitch Baby Kimono instead. I am calling this Nymphéas, as I find the hues in my skein of Dream in Color Smooshy highly reminiscent of Monet's Waterlilies, AKA Nymphéas.
(I mention the Damson shawl I knit in a variegated Malabrigo sock yarn.)
My KnitPro bamboo circulars are not quite ideal for this project, though, so I would love to receive advice on more slippery circular needles in small sizes.

2.c Other knitting news (42:26)
- Published a little design for a felted cozy for a MP3 player.

3.SOMETHING NATURAL, SOMETHING SEASONAL (44:21)
3.a Advice needed on cloth diapers
I would love some feedback from people who have experience with cloth diapers; here, or on the Fluffy Fibers group.

3.b Healthy Biscotti Recipe (47:14)

When you crave a biscuit but want to do without the saturated fats!
Preheat oven to 160°C (320 F)
Ingredients:

125 g = 4 ½ oz organic almonds, or 50% almonds and 50% hazelnuts
250 g = 8 ¾ oz organic flour
100 to 115 g = 3 1/2 to 4 oz cane sugar
2 eggs
50 g = 1 ¾ oz organic sultanas
Orange rind
A pinch of salt.

Beat eggs and sugar vigorously – the more you beat, the fluffier it gets, the lighter the biscuits will be
Mix in flour and salt.
Add almonds, sultanas and orange rind.
You’ll end up with a big lump of dough that is rather hard to work. Transfer it onto a baking tray covered with a baking sheet. Shape the lump into a long loaf, that should be about 6 cm/2” wide.
Bake for 35 minutes. When the 35 minutes are up, take the loaf out of the oven, and cut it into thin slices, about 1 cm = 3/8” thick.
Lay the slices on one side and put back in oven for 5 minutes; take out of the oven again and lay the slices on the other side to bake for another 5 minutes.
You can choose to bake these for a bit longer if you want very hard biscotti (to dip into tea or coffee for instance).

Now all you need to do is invite a few friends over and enjoy the biscotti with them over a hot beverage - and some knitting!

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

Pretty Pregnancy Wardrobe: Belly-Friendly Cardi ~ Un gilet pour bidon évolutif

2011-10-01T13:27:00.013+02:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, everyone!

First off, for those of you who don't listen to the podcast - Seb and I are having a girl!
As you can imagine, my head is reeling with ideas for her wardrobe. :)

Today, though, is about my own Pretty Pregnancy Wardrobe. This week I finished a major piece in the collection.

Vitamin D Cardigan
(19 weeks)

This may well be my favourite knitting FO so far.

The yarn, first, is dear to my heart. Bought on our stay in the Peak District, made from local sheep (British Blue-Faced Leicester - of which we saw a great deal on our hikes), it is kettle-dyed with plants, in a colourway also reminiscent of the flowers encountered on our hikes in beautiful Derbyshire - Bluebell. Perfect.

This yarn drapes beautifully and is so soft. My only complaint is that it bled significantly onto my fingers when knitting (note to self: do not wear this over a white top!), but that's part of the charm with natural dyes.

The other thing I love is the tone-on-tone variegation of the yarn, which gives so much movement to the knitted fabric, and emphasizes the interesting construction of this cardigan.

(yes, the colour varies greatly depending on the light)

Project details:
Design: Vitamin D, by Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn: Dazzle Sock by the Natural Dye Studio, in the Bluebell colourway; I used 965 m/1055 yds. Purchased at the delightful Purl City Yarns shop, in Manchester.
Needle size: 4 mm (US 6) and 3.5 mm (US5).
Project page on ravelry

I can safely say this is the cleverest design I've knit in my (admittedly short) knitting career. With the radial increases and various series of short rows, the design and construction keep you interested throughout despite the looong stockinette rows.

I also like that it has equal visual interest at the front and at the back.

I realize I am blabbering on and on, but I really love this thing. It is knit on smallish needles (for such a large cardigan - there's a lot of fabric at the front!) and the end did feel a bit tedious; but I was in serious need of it (which happens if you tend to knit very fitted sweaters that are utterly unsuitable to an ever-expanding belly). Last Sunday, I started on the second sleeve and vowed I would not knit on anything else before I was done with this. I started knitting industriously at 1 pm in front of a BBC miniseries DVD (the 2009 version of Emma, with Romola Garai), and finished the sleeve - and thereby the whole cardigan - at 10 in the evening.

There! Baby and I should be toasty this autumn and winter. And I should be in the autumns/winters to come, too. ;)

Bonjour, tout le monde !

Tout d'abord, pour celles et ceux que ça intéresse (et qui n'écoutent pas le podcast) : nous attendons une petite fille !
Comme vous pouvez vous l'imaginer, ma tête fourmille d'idées pour sa petite garde-robe. ;)

Mais parlons aujourd'hui de la mienne, de garde-robe ; car cette semaine j'ai terminé une pièce de résistance.

(19 semaines)

Je crois bien que ce gilet est mon ouvrage préféré depuis que j'ai commencé à tricoter...

Le fil vient de notre séjour dans le Nord de l'Angleterre cet été, a été produit localement avec des moutons anglais (Blue-Faced Leicester), et teint aux plantes, dans un coloris appelé "Bluebell", c'est-à-dire campanule... Les campanules, comme les moutons, nous en avons vu tout notre saoul lors de nos randonnées cet été. Ce fil c'est donc un souvenir en tous points représentatif de nos belles vacances au pays de Pemberley...

Voilà, je vous laisse avec des infos plus concises, et les photos...

Modèle: Vitamin D, par Heidi Kirrmaier
Fil: Dazzle Sock par the Natural Dye Studio, coloris Bluebell; j'ai eu besoin de 965 mètres. Acheté à Purl City Yarns, à Manchester.
Tailles d'aiguilles: 4 mm et 3,5 mm.
Fiche projet sur Ravelry

Et voilà ! Le bébé et moi devrions avoir bien chaud cet automne et cet hiver.

Fluffy Fibers: Episode 07: Break It Up

2011-09-24T18:36:00.004+02:00

An episode in honour of the Autumn/Spring Equinox! Besides my current and upcoming sewing and knitting projects, I share tips on how to stay on top of your sewing plans despite a busy schedule. I give a mixed review of The Semi-Detached House, and talk about a modernist novel that I started.

You can download the episode (52:58) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

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~Episode 07 Shownotes~

1. Sewing Projects; 2. Sewing tips; 3. Knitting Projects; 4. Literature

(Episode recorded on Friday, Sept. 23.)

1. Sewing projects (2:50)
1.a Completed (or nearly so)

- I finished my early maternity summer dress, Simplicity 2580. Pictures and review in this blog post.

- This week I started and almost finished a long-sleeved version of Jalie 2804, the Empire Crossover top. Shoutouts to Christina for inspiring me with her own versions from 2010, and for linking in her posts to tutorials on how to tweak regular top patterns for maternity wear. That was very useful.

1.b Coming up next

- Zippered cover for my cork-filled support/nursing pillow. (I didn't want a polystyrene-filled pillow). The stuffing is tiny balls of cork, and you have the option of purchasing just the pillow, and the pattern for the cover (not that drafting this would be difficult - I just wouldn't bother!).

- Long-sleeved knit dress for the impending turn of the weather.

2. Sewing tips: how not to feel daunted by your sewing plans (13:11)
- Break it up into small, undaunting, manageable tasks
- Sew regularly, even if for a very little while, to keep your reflexes and sew more quickly
- Take some breaks to avoid mistakes - which eventually will lengthen the project. Take time to smell the roses :)

3. Knitting projects (25:18)

- Have only one sleeve left to knit on my Vitamin D cardigan.
- Working slowly my way through Sunnyside Baby Cardigan. The yoke is done.
- Started on a blanket for the baby: Plaid Torsadé by la Droguerie (pictured at the top of this post). Knitting this in Lang Yarns Touring, which I find to be a great yarn for baby stuff. Here's the colour card.
Something I didn't make clear in the recording is that this is a Swiss brand (not French as my phrasing might have inferred, since I compare it to other French brands).
- Dear friend Nicki (luluminstrel) generously sent me two fat skeins of fingering yarn (pictures upcoming on ravelry) which I believe will be perfect for a Daybreak.
- Next I plan to start the Clara Dress by Karin Vestergaard Mathiesen. Seb bought me the kit the day we found out we were having a girl. I've been wanting to make this dress ever since I saw Itty Bitty's version.

4. Literature (39:40)

- Finished listening to the Librivox recording of The Semi-Detached House, by Emily Eden; read by Elizabeth Klett. I have mixed feelings about this novel after listening to the second half.

- Started reading Dusty Answer (1927), by Rosamond Lehmann. I'm sensing common points with Virginia Woolf's The Waves (1931), which further piques my interest. Characters mentionned in the passage I read are: Judith (through whose point of view the narration is rendered); Charlie and Mariella; Julian; Miss Pim; and Roddy.

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

The Last of Summer - Simplicity 2580, maternified

2011-09-22T13:20:00.004+02:00

(16 weeks in these pictures)

The story:

I got Simplicity 2580 months before I was pregnant (aside: even though it was very much in the plans, I decided to keep on planning my next projects without taking a possible pregnancy into account, no matter how hoped-for it was - not wanting to jinx things or anything. This explains why my latest knitted garments, started not long before the pregnancy, are very fitted, and won't be wearable for at least another year. I finished them as I was already 2 months along, to the mirth of my younger sister, who suggested I should simply give them to her. ;))

I'd long been attracted to the cowl neckline in view D, and as I was drafting my pregnancy wardrobe plans and looking at my patterns, I thought it would be a good candidate to alter into maternity wear, while still looking good in the years to come.

As you may recall from my wardrobe plans, this project was directly inspired from this dress, from a French maternity RTW store:

I made my changes accordingly, i.e. to match the shape and style of this dress.

Alterations:

- What I did to accommodate my growing belly into this initially very fitted dress, is cancel out the taper from thighs to waist, which gave me a rectangle for the skirt. I then gathered the top of the skirt before assembling it to the bodice.

- I didn't have to raise the waistline, as this is an empire dress to start with.

- I added a tie as in the inspiration picture; I feel this accents this dress (and the belly) in a nice way.

That is all I did as far as alterations are concerned. I cut a size 8 at the back (one size larger than usual, to account for expanding ribcage) and a 10 at the front. I basted everything before doing the actual sewing, but didn't need to change the fit.

I stitched the hem by hand, for an invisible hem (catching only one strand of fabric for each stitch); but the fabric, a viscose knit from Tissus Reine, is thin, so the stitching shows. Since it is regular, though, I don't think it matters.

Likes/Dislikes:

- I love the cowl neck, which is a particular favourite neckline of mine; I also really liked that the front bodice is very neatly finished, as it is lined upon itself; this really beats the more sloppy finishing of New Look 6470, (i.e. pattern I used in the posts linked just above), where the front top edge is left unfinished.

- What I wish had been different (and what I'll be altering if I make this again), is that the back, on the other hand, isn't lined. My fabric being a little on the slim side, and maternity underwear being what it is, it doesn't make for the smoothest of looks:

(note, however, the matching Ficcare, that I'd gotten secondhand only a few weeks before! Matching my hair accessories with my clothes is quite a little obsession of mine).

Now I was feeling pretty proud with this altered design and with the result; but the funny thing is, as I was browsing patternreview to check links when putting together my wardrobe article, I noticed Trena's version. I had admired hers when she made it months ago. Looking at it again, I realized she'd done the same alteration of widening the skirt at the waist to add folds and fullness. Even though I didn't consciously copy her, it must definitely have stuck in my mind! I guess I hadn't added two and two together because her dress is long-sleeved, and because the clever way she sewed on the ties makes it closer to the body (so flattering!). The good thing is, it confirmed that this dress should also look good on me in future years.

I kept the best picture for last: my younger sister Hélène came to visit from Paris last week, a rare and wonderful treat; we celebrated her arrival by feeding the baby ice cream! Note the extra cone for the baby ~~(or it may simply have been that I was holding Seb's ice cream as he was handling the camera;))~~

What can I say. The baby loves ice cream.

Autumn-Winter 2011-12 Wardrobe: Pretty Pregnancy - the Plan

2011-09-18T10:15:00.004+02:00

Warning: picture-heavy post!

In case you didn't know quite yet how much of an organisation freak I can be, the following should dispel any lingering doubt.

Here is what I am hoping to accomplish, depending of course whether my back/overall condition allows me to cut patterns and fabrics for another few months. Currently, it varies from day to day. ;)

I'm aiming to finish a garment every 10 days or thereabouts.

Wherever applicable, pictures of ready-to-wear inspiration and patterns are linked to their corresponding websites.

I. DRESSES

1. Cowl Neck Dress

Inspiration:

Pattern to adapt:

Simplicity 2580, view D, knee-length skirt

Alterations: make fuller skirt
Notes: to make in turquoise knit.

2. Mock-Wrap Dresses
Inspiration:

Pattern to adapt:

McCall's 5974
Alterations: raise waistline
Note: make shorter hem to compensate for flat-heeled shoes.
One in a solid colour (antique mauve or black), one in a print (purple/black/white knit).

II. TOPS

1. Twist Top

Jalie 2788
Notes:Make a sleeveless version, in deep purple knit; make a 3/4-sleeved version with lengthened hem to account for bigger belly in later autumn/winter.

2. Criss-cross top
Inspiration:

Pattern:

Jalie 2787
Notes: Long-sleeved version, with lengthened hem to account for bigger belly in later autumn/winter.
In pink knit.

3. Ruched top
Inspiration:

Christina's fabulous versions!
Pattern:

Jalie 2804
Notes: Time allowing, make one sleeveless for early autumn (white cotton jersey); make another with long sleeves, and lengthened hem, to account for bigger belly in later autumn/winter.

4. Wrap Top
Inspiration:

Pattern:

Megan Nielsen's Wrap Maternity Top
Notes: should have enough red fabric for this.

III. COAT

Inspiration:

(Love the raspberry shade!)
Pattern:

Manteau trois-quart from French book Les Intemporels pour Futures Mamans
OR/AND (depending on time/state/fabric availability):

Manteau ceinturé from French book Les Intemporels pour Futures Mamans
Note: second coat shouldn't take too long to make; useful for early winter. First coat for colder season.

IV. EXTRA LAYERS (knitting)

Vitamin D by Heidi Kirrmaier (Pipibird). In a denimy blue.

Idlewood by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. Knit longer, as a dress.
(Time allowing... not holding my breath on this one, as there is so much I want to knit for the baby!)

V. MISCELLANEOUS

1. Zipped cover for support/nursing pillow
2. Slippers (to knit and felt, or to sew - I lean towards knitted and felted).

Pretty Pregnancy Wardrobe - Jalie 2788 Twist Top

2011-09-15T12:09:00.007+02:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

Hello, everyone!

Shocking, I know - 3 posts in 4 days! Thing is, I really need to move along with sharing my projects, or this blog will never be up to date with my current projects. This post is 10 days overdue! ;)

Here is the first item in my maternity wardrobe (which I'm calling "Pretty Pregnancy", and that will be its label on the blog). As I explain in my latest podcast, I'll be concentrating on tops and dresses, because my older sister generously lent me several lovely pairs of maternity trousers, among which are the white linen trousers I'm wearing in the pictures (merci, Catherine!).

For this first top, I used the Jalie Twist Top pattern (Jalie # 2788).

(Pictures were taken 11 days ago, and people have been telling me I've popped even more since then).

Pattern review

Pattern description (from the pattern envelope): "V-neck top with a fashionable twist along the cleavage line and tie at back neckline. View A has a three-quarter sleeve, View B has a puff sleeve and View C is sleeveless. The pattern includes optional front flounce and modesty panel for more coverage. The hem can be finished with a wide stretch lace trim."

Designs elements I liked: I like twist tops - they have this "designer" touch while not being over the top, nor hard to make at all. I liked the modesty panel in this one, which is quite necessary for this to be work appropriate given my cleavage's, ah, current condition.

I didn't use the front flounce because I didn't have enough fabric, but may use it some other time.

Changes: I made this a side bigger than usually (Jalie offers a lot of sizes - I made size 7 instead of my usual 5 or 6). I ended up having to take the top in at the shoulders seams.

I initially added 6 cm to the hem for extra belly coverage; but ended up chopping 5 out of these 6 cm, thereby only lengthening the top by 1 cm. I am short waisted, and guess in more "usual" circumstances, this top would look really long on me.

Looking at the pictures, I realize I could do with a little more coverage at the front armholes. I'll have to tweak the upper front panels next time to add more width.

I really like the way the knot turned out:

(Necklace is a handmade gift from a forum exchange - love it. Earrings are handmade as well - came from a little shop in Hartenstraat, back from when Seb worked in Amsterdam 3-4 years ago. I can't believe I still remember the name of the street!)

Conclusion: I love this top and have been wearing it pretty much every day that it's not been in the wash :) Definitely need to make more! I'll be making long-sleeved options for the cooler weather. This is another Jalie winner.

Bonjour, tout le monde !

Eh oui, tout arrive : 3 articles en 4 jours ! Il me faut vraiment me remuer un peu, autrement ce blog prend trop de retard par rapport à mes projets. Ce message a déjà 10 jours de retard !

La rentrée étant bien commencée, je n'aurai pas le temps de faire toujours des articles complètement bilingues, il faut être réaliste. Je me contente donc ici de l'essentiel : il y a un peu plus de détails en anglais.

Voici donc le premier projet dans ma garde-robe de grossesse (que j'appelle "Pretty Pregnancy", et ce sera sa catégorie sur le blog). Je ne sais pas si ça intéresse certain-e-s d'entre vous que je fasse un article sur le détail de ma garde-robe (tout est prévu !) ; pour faire bref, je vais me concentrer sur les hauts et les robes, car ma grande soeur m'a déjà gentiment prêté de jolis pantalons de grossesse, donc le pantalon de lin blanc que je porte sur les photos (merci, Soeurette !!)

Le patron est le Haut "twist" de chez Jalie (Jalie # 2788).

(Les photos datent d'il y a 11 jours ; il paraît que je me suis encore arrondie depuis).

J'aime bien la façon dont le noeud s'est formé dans ce tissu fluide :

Conclusion: J'aime beaucoup ce haut et je le porte tout le temps ; il faut vraiment que j'en fasse plus. J'en ferai aussi à manches longues quand il fera plus frais (ce qui ne semble pas près d'arriver...). Comme toujours, de suis ravie Jalie (super slogan, non ?).

Fluffy Fibers: Episode 06 - New Ventures

2011-09-14T11:42:00.007+02:00

In which I share exciting new adventures.

You can download the episode (54:21) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

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~Episode 06 Shownotes~

Intro; 1. Thank yous; 2. Sewing Projects; 3. Knitting Projects; 4. Spinning Ventures; 5. Literature

1. Thank yous:
- My friend and fellow podcaster Rebecca (rebeccawip on Ravelry) gifted me the new and very lovely Rosy Days collection by Cecily Glowik McDonald, to make the start of term easier :)
- Martha kindly sent me the beautiful Acer Cardigan, a design by Amy Christoffers, as a thank you for the podcast.

2. Sewing projects (5:37):
- First I mention the Knitmore Girls, as Jasmin and Andrew are expecting as well.
~ 2. a. Planning a wardrobe: my motto is Functional, Fitting, and Fun!
- Functional: shades and styles that work together. Check out the Pattern Review contests, where they often have wardrobe contests (not at the moment though), whose rules can help you build your wardrobe on other occasions.
- Fitting: your occupations, your complexion, your shape, your personal style - it has to be you!
- Fun: in making and wearing these designs and fabrics. You will get so many moments of joy wearing your wardrobe and remembering the making of these clothes everytime you put them on.

~ 2. b. My pregnancy wardrobe:

- Right now in casual occasions, I'm wearing skirts with elasticized waistbands that I made earlier: bias skirts (which I contributed to the One Yard Wonders book), and ruffle skirt.
- Jalie Patterns.
- My blog post on Paris addresses to shop for fabric; the shops I mention in the podcast are Tissus Reine and Le Marché Saint-Pierre (Tissus Dreyfus), both of which were grimly deficient in knit fabrics when I visited.
- Mamzelle Fourmi (= "Miss Ant") online fabric shop. French, and offers good quality fabrics - hurray!
- My first maternity top is Jalie 2788. Pictures forthcoming very shortly.
- I also just adapted Simplicity 2580 into a maternity dress.

I can share my detailed wardrobe plans in a separate blog post, if there is some interest.

3. Knitting projects (32:00)

- Have the sleeves left on: Vitamin D, by Heidi Kirrmaier
- Finished project (knit in the Peak District): Cardigan à empiècement arrondi (= "round yoke cardigan"). From Astrid le Provost's Tricots intemporels pour bébés (= "Timeless knits for babies"). Knit with Guéret merino wool, by Fonty (French brand).
Similar designs in English are: Round Yoke Toddler Sweater; Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater; Baby Willow Set.
- Sunnyside Baby Cardigan by Tannis Lavallée. I'm knitting the lace version, in the alpaca by La Droguerie.

4. Spinning Ventures (42:50)

My lovely wheel is the Sonata by Kromski, which is foldable, and I couldn't be more pleased.

The dealer I bought it from is Alysse Créations. Sandrine, who takes care of the fiber part of the shop, is also a fantastic knitter and spinner, meaning she truly knows her business. Her fibers are lovely, and great value. I got a bit of several fibers to test them: Blue-Faced Leicester, Falkland, Shetland, and some of her coloured merino rovings.

I spun merino in the Céleste (= "Heavenly") colourway as my first try (shown above and on top of the post). Overspun, but my spinning friends at the local knitting group tell me it's usable, and I am excited.

5. Literature (51:04)
Currently listening to a Librivox recording: The Semi-Detached House, by Emily Eden. A fun, lighthearted novel of the late 19th century, wonderfully read by Elizabeth Klett.

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

Merci !!

2011-09-12T19:33:00.003+02:00

Thank you so much for the wonderful wave of love and good wishes that you sent my way after my previous post. Wow - and thank you!!

I had high hopes to send a personal thank you to each of you that left an email/website address, but work decided otherwise.

Please know that I have enjoyed and treasured each and every note.

Pictures of my first maternity top (and baby bump!) will be coming shortly, and in the meantime, I am currently editing episode 6 of the podcast.

Encore un grand merci !

Feet the size of seam allowances ~ Un encours au long cours...

2011-09-03T15:42:00.009+02:00

Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)
English version: click here

The vast majority of us sewists have a distinct, intrinsic sense of exactly how much a seam allowance measures; it is something we instinctively visualize, to the point we can eyeball them when working on a garment.

It probably won't surprise you that, when told of feet that measured 1.5 cm (5/8”), I couldn't help immediately thinking of a seam allowance. You know, all the fruit analogies just weren’t doing it for me – I mean, can’t a lemon’s size vary significantly depending on where and how it’s grown? And, er, what’s a kumquat?

But give me a measurement of 1.5 cm, and I can immediately visualize the size not only of the feet, but of the whole little body attached to it. For the first time I really, really got a clear and intimate sense of the size of our baby.

Everything's going fine so far, and happy does not begin to describe how we feel!

The due date is very early March (it would be late February by English, American, or indeed most other standards, as the French health system adds a week to the pregnancy from I believe most of the world: a pregnancy here lasts officially 41 weeks). Seb's hoping for a birth on Feb. 29th! I am 15 weeks along right now, so the exhausting first few months are over.

You can imagine I have TONS of creative ideas, both for my pregnancy wardrobe and for the baby. For those of you who listen to the podcast, you will now understand why I was so excited about my fall-winter wardrobe in my last episode - it is indeed going to be a bit special this year!
I couldn’t start on my sewn wardrobe as early as I’d wished because of sciatica, but the pain is starting to abate and I was able to finish my first top yesterday (fortunately, it was cut out before the pain started, as I don’t feel up to cutting out patterns and fabrics quite yet). I did start on belly-friendly knitwear, though, and the baby already has a first little cardigan all knit up and blocked, which only needs buttons.
I don’t think any other project has ever made me quite so happy as knitting this little cardi – apart obviously from this other ongoing, (and indeed way longer than) 9-month project!

Bonjour à tou-tes ! Vous l'avez sans doute remarqué : je ne poste pas souvent de photos d'ouvrages avant qu'ils ne soient terminés... Aujourd'hui, cependant, je fais une exception pour un en-cours... au long cours !

C’est quand on m’a donné la mesure de 1,5 cm pour les pieds, que j’ai automatiquement pensé à une marge de couture, et que j’ai tout de suite pu visualiser la taille, non seulement de ce peton, mais de tout le petit corps qui y était attaché ;) Je dois avouer qu’avant cette révélation, les analogies fruitières ne m’évoquaient pas grand-chose (la taille d’un fruit, ne dépend-elle pas de la façon dont il est cultivé et de la latitude à laquelle il pousse ?).

Tout va pour le mieux, et la naissance est prévue pour fin février-début mars. Inutile de vous dire ce que nous ressentons : c'est d'ailleurs difficile à exprimer par de simples mots !

J’ai des tonnes d’idées pour ma garde-robe et pour le bébé. Une sciatique m’a empêchée de me mettre à la partie couture de ma garde-robe aussi tôt que j’aurais aimé, mais la douleur s’étant un peu calmée hier, j’ai pu terminer mon premier haut (heureusement, le tissu était déjà taillé, car je ne me sens pas encore prête à couper patrons et tissus). Côté tricot, j’ai commencé un gilet spécial bidon qui s’arrondit, et le bébé a un premier gilet qui n’attend plus que la pose des boutons.
J’ai beau chercher, aucun autre projet ne m’a autant enchantée que ce petit gilet... Sauf évidemment cet autre projet en cours si particulier, et... qui ne durera certes pas que 9 mois !

The Baltic Pullover (AKA Mothed)

2011-08-28T14:22:00.001+02:00

Mothed is a free pattern on Knitty.com. I liked the simple lines and the eyelet detail on the sleeves.

The simplicity of design seemed perfect to showcase a special yarn - Madelinetosh Merino Light, in a truly stunning colourway: Baltic. It was a birthday gift from Seb. I used about a skein and a half to make this.

The first picture was taken pre-blocking, so the eyelet detail on the sleeves hadn't opened out yet. Here is a picture of the eyelet after blocking:

DETAILS:
Design: Mothed, by Mags Kandis
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (fingering weight), in Baltic.
Yardage used: 726.0 yards (663.9m)

Needles: 5mm (US 8)

Project's ravelry page.
Knit between June 10 and July 22. I started this for International Knit in Public Day, on June 11.

Knit in Public Day. Picture by Katia.
Skirt is here and crocheted top is here.

As beautiful as the yarn is, I was really disappointed to find it very tangly. I adore the intense shade and love the feel and drape of the finished result. Yet the yarn, especially in one of the skeins, had a tendency to felt against itself, which created an awful tangled mess at the core of one of my balls - and resulted in a waste of time untangling it, and of yarn, as a chunk of it was simply not salvageable. Good thing I didn't end up needing the whole two skeins! Perusing the feedback on the yarn's page on Ravelry, I realized I wasn't the only one with this problem.

On the upside, the people at Madelinetosh read about my poor experience and messaged me to say they had worked on the problem, and offered to send a new skein in the same colourway to make up for my troubles. I look forward to receiving it and see how the yarn behaves.

I brought a few alterations to the design to give it a more finished, polished look than the original version. The most important one is that I changed the edgings:

bottom edging: P 1 rd, K 2 rds, P 2 rds, K 2 rds, P 2 rds, single crochet BO with 6-mm crochet
Sleeves edging: P 2 rds, K 2 rds, P 1 rd, single crochet BO with 6-mm crochet

I also knit longer sleeves: 12 rounds instead of 4 before the eyelet pattern.

For the eyelet pattern, I knit it as is for the right sleeves, then edited the eyelet pattern in Gimp to reverse the picture for the left sleeve, for symmetry.

Some catching up to do - the Damson Shawlette

2011-08-27T15:35:00.006+02:00

Well, well, I have quite a bit of catching up to do. This summer ended up being so busy, with two hefty research deadlines in mid and then late July, and I just needed to take some time off the Internet and computer in August.

Those of you listening to the podcast already know we spent 10 days in England. I may be posting a few pictures.

Still, it means my latest projects have gone unreviewed on my blog, despite being mentioned on the podcast.

I've decided to just dump them all in a few short posts, with the relevant information, so that I can go back to posting about my next and current projects as they are actually being completed, not weeks or months later!

First up today is the Damson shawlette.

DETAILS:
Design: Damson, by Ysolda Teague, from her Whimsical Little Knits 2 booklet.

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock, which I used for the first time, and is now definitely on my top 5 list of yarns to knit with - and to wear. The shade is Abril. I used a whole skein (400 meters = 440 yards). This yarn turned out so light, drapey and silky after blocking.

Needles used: 4mm (US 6)
Project's ravelry page.

This yarn was my treat at the end of the students' semester (which by no means signifies the end of my semester, contrary to what they think! But still - it meant no more papers to grade for 2 months at least!).

As with any real treat, I wanted to use it straight away.

I wanted a simple design to show the yarn’s variegation - but not overly simplistic, so as not to get bored wit it. Damson turned out to be just the right project.

I knit this between June 18 and July 3.

This has been around my neck a lot in August - as we stayed in chilly Northern France and then England, travelling in air-conditioned trains, etc. It's really soft, and already quite a favourite of mine. I don't wear it as shown in the pictures, but the other way around (with the "point" of the shawl" to the front rather than the back), scrunched around my neck. So it's just as much a shawl in shape as a useful accessory in everyday wear.

Back soon with more knitting FOs, and my autumn wardrobe plans!

Fluffy Fibers: Episode 05 - "not a finer county in England than Derbyshire"

2011-08-25T21:36:00.004+02:00

In which Elizabeth Bennet would no longer approve of Mr. Darcy's Pemberley. I chat about my adventures in Derbyshire, in the Peak District, mention my upcoming sewing projects and my current knitting projects, and share a summer recipe full of veggies.
(Quote in the episode's title is from Pride and Prejudice, chapter 8, and to be taken with a pinch of salt).

You can download the episode (36:05) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

~Episode 05 Shownotes~

Intro; 1. Peak District; 2. Sewing Projects; 3. Knitting Projects; 4. Something Natural, Something Seasonal

Intro:
- Fluffy Fibers group on Ravelry.

1. Sheep, tea and hikes in the Peak District (3:19)
... And a little bit of stash acquisition, as well!
- Purl City Yarns
- Fyberspates

- The Natural Dye Studio (yarn picture at the top of this post)
- Electric Sheep's Riot episode
- A Playful Day also has an episode on the riots; I didn't mention it in the podcast simply because I haven't had the time to listen to it yet, but it is most probably worth a listen. Besides, her podcast is lovely!

2. Sewing Projects (15:50)
Autumn wardrobe in the plans!

3. Knitting projects (20:45)

- Finished project: Abstract Leaves Cowl, by Deb Mulder; in Lang Yarns Lyon (80% silk -20% linen) (currently blocking)
- Started and finished: Snapdragon Tam, by Ysolda Teague, out of Rowan Lima

- Started and am about 60% done on: Vitamin D, by Heidi Kirrmaier

4. Something natural, something seasonal (28:44)
My recipe for a vegetable flan:
- half a kilo/a pound of seasonal vegetables (I chose 2 types of zucchini, one pepper, you could also use tomatoes and/or carrots)
- I forget to mention that I also usually chop and cook 1 onion in olive oil, for added flavour.
- 4 eggs
- 20 cl or 3/4 cup of cream: soy cream of cow's milk cream
- seasoning: gomasio, pepper, herbs (I used rosemary and thyme, grown in my neighbour's garden, which she kindly gave me)
- optional (I personally recommend if you're not a vegetarian): ham, cooked or cured
- optional (recommended if you don't put any ham): cheese of your favourite sort; I'm not being specific here because every country has their own wonderful varieties of cheese!

Forgot to mention that the more you beat the eggs, the lighter and fluffier (ha!) the flan will be.

Bake for 35 minutes at 210°C / 410°F (thermostat 7). Do not open the oven during the baking, or the flan won't rise.

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

Fluffy Fibers: Episode 04 - Pre-Holiday Chatter

2011-07-31T17:13:00.002+02:00

Podcasting today from the cool, quiet greenness of Northern France. :)

You can download the episode (42:45) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

~Episode 04 Shownotes~

Intro; 1. Projects; 2. Listener's Question; 3. On my Bookshelves; 4. Something Natural, Something Seasonal

Intro:
- Fluffy Fibers group on Ravelry.
- My personal map of France :)

- Rebecca, spinning enabler :)

1.a. Sewing Projects (7:23)
- Sew Serendipity Studio Designs by Kay Whitt - The Monique Dress
- Pink Chalk Fabrics

1.b. Knitting projects (9:34)

- Finished projects: I blocked and took pictures of the Miette cardigan, the Mothed pullover, and the Damson shawlette.
- Malabrigo Sock Yarn in Abril
- Madelinetosh Tosh Light

- Current project: Leaflet, in Rowan Belle Organic, in Zinc.

(Current WIP is significantly more advanced than this picture shows).
- The Cedar Leaf Shawlette I made for my older sister.

- Just cast on: Abstract Leaves Cowl, by Deb Mulder; in Lang Yarns Lyon (80% silk -20% linen)

- Next up: Snapdragon Tam, by Ysolda Teague, and Fetching, by Cheryl Niamath.

2. Listener's Question (23:38): Imperial vs. Metric Measurements

3. On my bookshelves (29:22)

I mention Howards End, by E.M Forster, published 1910; and the adaptation by Merchant and Ivory (1992).

4. Something natural, something seasonal (37:53)
A green tip compliments of my friend Tini (her ravelry profile).

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

Completely Swamped...

2011-07-20T18:27:00.003+02:00

... And no time for podcasting! Or for anything else than work, for that matter. I have a big deadline to meet by the end of the month, and pretty much every waking moment is being spent on this.
ETA: It's the kind of work I enjoy, though, thank goodness :)

I'll talk with you in a bit. Meanwhile, happy sewing and/or knitting to you!

Poppy Fields: The Monique Dress

2011-07-13T20:24:00.008+02:00

(pas d'article en français pour le moment, car le temps me manque, mais vous avez les photos et la référence du patron.)

At last, here is my take on the Monique Dress design by Sew Serendipity Studio.

Poppies are my favourite flower, so even though I don't usually aspire to copy the looks on pattern envelopes, this time I couldn't resist the gorgeous poppy fabric on one of the models.

The Monique Dress - Sew Serendipity Studio

I managed to find the fabric online - Big Poppy, a Laura Gunn design, produced by Michael Miller fabrics. There are two slightly different versions, one called Spice with the flowers being a warmer, lighter shade of red, and the other Aqua, which is the one I chose, with poppies in a deeper, cooler red, and a beautiful watercolour-like background.

I don't usually do large prints because I am so small, but for my spring-summer wardrobe this year I decided to push my limits a bit and opted for a floral theme; so everything I've been making this season is either in a floral print, or in a shade that is flower-oriented. This dress is definitely the pièce de résistance !

Copycat or not, I did make some rather substantial changes:
- lowered the bodice by 3 cm, because the waistline looks really high on the models, and Kim confirmed it.

- the waistline was still sitting too high up for my taste so I reduced the waistband’s SAs to 5 mm (which added 1 cm each to the top and to the bottom of the waistband) to get the waist cinched in more and therefore more flattering.

- shortened the hem by about 3 cm ("about", because I eyeballed it).

- deepened the waist darts by over 1 cm.

- The facings seemed dangerously narrow, so I ditched them and lined the bodice in a white cotton. The inside also looks prettier this way. This also allowed me to check the fit on the cheap lining before potentially ruining my fancy print. I love to use linings as muslins: no time or fabric wasted on something I will never wear.

- instead of cutting strips of contrasting fabrics to frame the waistband, I cut the whole waistband into the contrasting fabric.

- I also lined the waistband (in self fabric) for more stability.

Sizes: As usual, I cut a smaller size (XS) at the back and slightly larger (S) at the front. I guess I could have cut a XS all around and do a FBA, which the deeper darts on the larger size ultimately act for.

You can hear more about this dress and this pattern in the third episode of my podcast (first 23 minutes of the podcast if you don't want to listen to the rest!). I was hoping to write a full review, but time is short, so I figured a shortened post was better than none at all!

Bottom line is, I love this dress, and look forward to sewing more of Kay Whitt's designs. :)

Fluffy Fibers Podcast: Episode 03 - Sweltering Weather, Spellbinding Water

2011-07-07T21:48:00.006+02:00

On this scorching day in Southern France, I talk about my new summer dress and review a Sew Serendipity sewing pattern; tell you about my first try at an Ysolda design; share my thoughts on the latest knitty.com issue; and ponder some more upon childhood reminiscences in literature.

You can download the episode (51:54) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

~Episode 03 Shownotes~

Intro; 1. Projects; 2. Inspiration; 3. On my Bookshelves.

Intro:
- My ravelry page: KittyStitches.
- Fluffy Fibers group on Ravelry.
- The Knitmore Girls
- Annette Petavy - her podcast

1.a. Sewing Projects (3:05)
- Sew Serendipity Studio Designs by Kay Whitt - The Monique Dress
- Michael Miller Big Poppy in Aqua, designed by Laura Gunn - shown at the top of the shownotes
- PatternReview.com
- I mention the Dirndl skirt - a skirt made of two rectangles sewn together at side seams and gathered at the waist.
- Around 20:00 minutes: I goofed when talking about my alterations to the bodice: in the podcast I say my waistband was 1 cm wider (vertically speaking) after reducing the SAs to 5 mm instead of 1.5 cm, but it was in fact 2 cm wider (1 cm gained on each long side of the waistband).
- This is why we finish our seam allowances - by Trena.

1.b. Knitting projects (23:13)
- I finish-finished the Miette cardigan - and promise pictures soon
- I am almost done with Mothed
- I finished Damson and give two thumbs up both to Ysolda Teague for the design and Malabrigo for their sock yarn. Blocking shown below.

2. Inspiration (27:38): Knitty Early Fall 2011 issue
- Creekbed scarf
- Dunes stole
- Rhodion shawl
- Kindling cardigan for girls
- Darrin cardigan
- Leaflet cardigan

- Rowan Belle Organic Aran (I chose the Zinc shade for Leaflet)

3. On my bookshelves (37:09)

- The winner for the giveaway of Pointed Roofs is Alison – ecopicot on ravelry. Congratulations :)

- This time I explain why the passage from Pilgrimage that I read in the second episode reminds me of The Mill on the Floss.

John Constable, A Mill at Gillingham in Dorset ~ 1826

- To read directly the passage that I read last time and that I mention again here, go to this chapter of Pointed Roofs and scroll down to section 7 - what I am talking about concerns the last two thirds of this section.

- Passage read this time: second paragraph (and part of the third paragraph) of the opening page of the Mill on the Floss

4. Something natural, something seasonal

Postponed to the next episode for time reasons. I promise a good, long, eco-friendly segment next time. :)

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

Summer Ruffles ~ Un jupon pour l'été

2011-06-28T12:06:00.006+02:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

Hello, all!
Finally, pictures of my current favourite skirt to wear.

(EDIT : Seriously, what is up with Blogger pictures at the moment? They upload fine and all, and then they look all crappy and pixelly on the blog. Been going on since at least April. I'm resorting to Flickr for now, but that is not the most practical solution IMO.)

The flowery fabric is a Lecien lawn print; the bottom ruffle is linen and I love the weight and body that the stiffer linen adds to the skirt, as the lawn by contrast is thin and airy.

(Pictures taken on a walk along the River Lez)

If you want your own ruffle skirt, I wrote a tutorial a few years back.
I had a matching hat back then as well. :)

Bonjour à tou-te-s !
Voici des photos de la jupe qui est devenue ma chouchoute pour cet été.

L'imprimé à fleur est un linon de coton de chez Lecien. Le volant du bas, carmin, est en lin, et sa rigidité ajoute une bonne tenue au linon léger et fin.

(Promenade le long des rives du Lez)

Si vous voulez vous faire un jupon pour l'été, j'ai écrit un pas-à-pas (en anglais, mais avec schéma) il y a quelques années.
D'ailleurs à l'époque j'avais déjà un chapeau assorti à la jupe. :)

Fluffy Fibers Podcast: Episode 02 - Shared Joys

2011-06-22T19:39:00.011+02:00

In which I talk about sharing the delight of textile crafts with friends - new summer projects that make me happy - Amanda, a constantly inspiring sewing adventurer - experiencing a blissful communion of feeling with Dorothy Richardson's heroine Miriam - and the joy of starting your day with handmade, healthy and tasty granola.

You can download the episode (42:07 minutes) here, or listen directly from the embedded player below (if it works on your browser).
Here is the direct feed for the podcast, and you can also find the podcast on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

~Episode 02 Shownotes~

Intro; 1. Projects; 2. Inspiration; 3. On my Bookshelves; 4. Something Natural, Something Seasonal.

Intro and chit chat:
- My ravelry page: KittyStitches.
- Fluffy Fibers group on Ravelry.

1.a. Sewing Projects (5:52)
- I finished my Lecien ruffle skirt in cotton lawn, and share a tip on using regular sewing thread on a serger. No pictures yet.
- I started on the Monique Dress.

1.b. Knitting projects (9:52)
- I share a formerly secret project, which initiated me to the joys of lace knitting: the 192 Yards of Heaven shawlette, in Malabrigo worsted.
- I finished Miette; it only needs blocking
- My skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino light in Baltic, a birthday gift.

Currently being knit into the Mothed Sweater by Mags Kandis. My Ravelry project page.
- A Malabrigo treat in Abril:

Bought in a darling new yarn shop in Nîmes, La fille du Tailleur.
Yarn is already being knit into Ysolda Teague's Damson shawlette.

2. Inspiration (22:35)
Amanda's Michael Kors polka dot dress - and her daughter's matching dress.
If you don't know Amanda's blog yet, do yourself a favour and go get inspired by her great taste and creativity.
(I also mention a retro polka dot dress I made in the past.)

3. On my bookshelves (26:08)
I have embarked on the reading of Pilgrimage, by Dorothy Richardson. The first novel in the series is Pointed Roofs (published 1915).
Leave a comment under this post if you wish to be entered in the giveaway for a copy of Pointed Roofs. I'll be drawing a name for the next episode, so the giveaway will close on July 4 at noon (GMT + 2 time).

4. Something natural, something seasonal (36:37)
My recipe for handmade organic granola:
Something so obvious for me that I forgot to mention it, is that this is the kind of recipe where using organic produce is definitely a must. It will taste much better, and be safer, esp. as regards the whole grains in the recipe (the husk/hull of grains being what gets most of the chemicals used in non-organic farming).
You will need:
- 300 grams / 10.5 ounces / a little less than four cups of oat flakes = oatmeal for those of you in the US
- 50 grams /1.76 ounces / 5 tablespoons of whole sesame seeds
- 100 grams / 3.5 ounces of hulled sunflower seeds
- then I use a fruit and nuts mix from my organic foodstore, which has sultanas, hazelnuts, almonds, cashew nuts. I use 250 grams / 9 ounces of it.
- 200 ml / 6.7 ounces apple juice
- 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- optional: cinnamon and/or spice mix (cloves, ginger etc.)

Credits: Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

210 Yards of Pink Hugs / 200 mètres de bises en rose

2011-06-17T18:33:00.003+02:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

J'ai voulu faire un cadeau à mon amie Julie. Comme elle adore le rose, tout a commencé avec cet écheveau...

... Et j'ai décidé de me lancer dans mon premier ouvrage en dentelle.

Modèle : J'ai choisi un modèle gratuit très populaire sur Ravelry, 198 yards of Heaven, qui utilise un écheveau de belle laine.
Taille d'aiguilles : US 10 - 6.0 mm
Fil: 1 écheveau de Malabrigo Merino Worsted en coloris Pink Frost ("Givre Rose"), acheté sur la jolie boutique en ligne Eat.Sleep.Knit.

Le patron n'est pas conçu pour les débutants et j'ai eu du mal à démarrer (j'ai refait 6-7 fois les premier rangs...). Mais une fois que j'ai eu compris le truc, ce fut un pur bonheur du début à la fin. Ce châle s'est fait en 2 jours ! Si j'avais su, j'aurais acheté un écheveau de plus pour le faire deux fois plus grand. Mais comme j'ai acheté l'écheveau sur un site américain, et que j'allais bientôt revoir Julie, ce n'était pas possible...

Comme il me restait pas mal de fil après avoir terminé le modèle, j'ai ajouté des rangs à la bordure ; pour finir, il m'est resté à peu près 30 cm après avoir rabattu les mailles. Ouf !

La couleur, rose poudré, est vraiment jolie, et convient bien je crois à Julie :)

Comme toujours, la P'tite Mignonne a fourni une aide précieuse pour comprendre le modèle en dentelle et pour mettre le châle en forme.

I wanted a treat for my best friend Julie. She's a lover of pink, so it all started with this skein...

... And I decided to dive into my first lace knitting project.

Pattern: I chose a free pattern on Ravelry that uses one skein of luxury yarn - 198 yards of Heaven.
Needle Size: US 10 - 6.0 mm
Yarn: 1 skein of Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Pink Frost, bought from the lovely Eat.Sleep.Knit website.

The pattern is not geared towards beginners, and was a bit tricky at first (I had to frog the first few rows 6-7 times). Once I’d figured everything out, however, it was a pure joy from beginning to end. I cannot believe how quickly this knit up! Had I known, I would have got a second skein and made it in twice the size. But since I got the yarn from an American website, and since Julie's visit was imminent, it just wasn't possible.

I did add a few edging rows as I had some yarn to spare; after binding off I was left with less than a half yard. Phew :)

The colour is a lovely, subtle powder pink - which I believe is just right for Julie. :)

As always, P'tite Mignonne was a tremendous help in figuring out the lace design and blocking the finished object.

A huge thank you

2011-06-15T16:04:00.001+02:00

Hey everyone,

This will be short but I had to give a huge thank you for the wonderful response to my first podcast episode! I am blown away by all the comments and kind emails you friends sent me. I was obviously feeling a bit uncertain about it - although I did immensely enjoy recording the first episode - and your response more than encourages me to go on.

Thanks to your enthusiasm I am therefore aiming for a biweekly schedule.

Merci beaucoup for listening, and for the super kind feedback!

Introducing... my Podcast! Fluffy Fibers: Episode 01

2011-06-09T18:11:00.009+02:00

Hi everyone!
Here's the exciting stuff I was hinting at in my previous post.

Podcasting is something I've been wanting to do for quite a while, and I am so excited to give it a go! I hope you too will enjoy this twist from my regular written blogging.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

You can listen directly from the embedded player above (if it works on your browser - I am looking up better options), or download the file (32:40 minutes) here; the feed is being submitted to iTunes as I type. EDIT : here is the iTunes id.

~Episode 01 Shownotes~

Intro; 1. Projects; 2. Inspiration and Pattern Spotlight; 3. On my Bookshelves (and in my ears); 4. Something Natural, Something Seasonal.

Intro:
- My ravelry page: KittyStitches.
- My friend Rebecca's blog and podcast. Many thanks (and hugs) to her for encouraging me to finally take the plunge! I wouldn't have done it without you Rebecca.

1. Projects
- My tutorial on how to make a ruffle skirt
- Lecien Fabrics
- The bias skirts from my own pattern, which was published in the One Yard Wonders book:

- One Yard Wonders Sewalong on Pink Chalk Studio.

- Miette Cardigan on Ravelry, a beautiful free knitting design by Andi Satterlund (who is not American as I say in the podcast, but Canadian! Sorry Andi).
- Rowan Belle Organic by Amy Butler (I'm using the Aran weight in the Aubergine colourway).

2. Inspiration and Pattern Spotlight
- Kim of Cotton Creek Sewing's beautiful Monique Dress.
- Serendipity Studio - designs by Kay Whitt.

3. On my bookshelves (and in my ears)
- The Librivox website
- Far From the Madding Crowd, a novel by Thomas Hardy, wonderfully recorded by Tadhg Hynes.
- The Bostonians by Henry James, a work in progress over at Librivox. This is a novel I've been re-reading as I am contributing to this project; it is not among the most popular novels by James but I recommend it for its subtle irony - and its historical interest, in the way it deals with the feminist movement in late 19th-century America.

4. Something natural, something seasonal
Recipe for a simple yet tasty courgette pasta sauce.
You will need:
- 2 courgettes/zucchinis
- 1 onion
- a few basil leaves
- (optional) wheat germ to sprinkle over the sauce
- (optional) white almond powder
- olive oil to cook the courgettes and onion in
- your favourite type of pasta :)
- Something I forgot to mention: if you are not a vegetarian, try and add some blue cheese to the sauce. It will add creaminess and lots of flavour to the sauce. Just be careful to put it towards the end of cooking the courgettes, otherwise it will melt entirely and lose some of its flavour.

Credits:
Music: Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, mvt. 3 by Joseph Haydn, played by Mario Ajero.

Spring Garden Tee - Le haut Jardin de Printemps

2011-06-05T10:20:00.006+02:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

Ce haut a été un pur plaisir du début à la fin. Le modèle et superbe et les instructions étaient très claires. Le fil de bambou est tout doux ; et par-delà le plaisir à tricoter ce haut, j'adore le porter. Grâce au fil de bambou lisse et frais, c'est une façon idéale d'être à l'aise par temps chaud tout en demeurant élégante.
En plus, le bambou est une fibre plutôt écologique grâce à ses besoins pauvres en eau et à sa vitesse de pousse. C'est vraiment idéal, non ?

Modèle : Spring Garden Tee de Alana Dakos, la créatrice de Never Not Knitting

Alana est aussi la créatrice derrière le modèle de petit châle ourlé de feuilles de cèdre, le Cedar Leaf Shawlette que j'ai fait pour ma grande soeur. J'adore son style - les motifs végétaux qu'elle inclut dans ses créations font forcément vibrer ma fibre écologique ;) Ses patrons sont beaux et très pédagogues.

Taille: J'ai tricoté la taille 28" (71 cm, la plus petite), pour obtenir une aisance négative (= un haut ajusté), et ma tension était un peu plus serrée que celle recommendée. En fait, j'avais commencé à tricoter le haut dans la taille du dessus, 32" = 81 cm, mais quand j'ai joint sous les emmanchures je me suis rendu compte qu'il était trop grand. Alors j'ai tout défait, et tout recommencé dans la taille inférieure. Il faut savoir que le bambou s'étire pas mal, donc il vaut mieux prévoir une bonne taille en-deçà de sa taille habituelle.

Fil: Origins Bambou par Bergère de France. Le bambou, c'est forcément un peu embêtant à tricoter parce que les fibres ont tendance à se diviser ; c'est particulièrement pénible pour les augmentations/diminutions, et pour la dentelle. Mais le résultat en vaut la peine je trouve. Ce haut est si doux, et légèrement satiné. La teinte, méditation, est un joli bleu ciel.
J'ai utilisé pile 5 pelotes (400 m).

Aiguillles: 3.5 mm (US 4).

Le seul changement que j'ai apporté à ce modèle, c'est l'ourlet en dentelle pour reprendre celui des manches. Je dois dire que ce n'est pas mon idée au départ : c'est en voyant qu'une tricoteuse sur Ravelry avait eu cette idée que j'ai voulu faire pareil.
J'ai rabattu les mailles en faisant des mailles serrées au crochet : c'est désormais ma méthode préférée pour rabattre les mailles, c'est stable mais quand même avec une certaine souplesse, et ça va vite !
J'ai aussi bordé l'encolure avec des mailles serrées pour un aspect plus fini.

Et puis, ma version est beaucoup plus courte que sur le modèle original : ça convient beaucoup mieux à ma petite stature de même pas 1m55.

La page de ce projet sur Ravelry

Je n'ai pas été bien bavarde dernièrement pour cause d'emploi du temps ultra chargé. Mais les choses commencent à prendre un rythme plus humain, et je vais même bientôt partager une petite surprise bloguesque avec vous :)

This top was a joy from beginning to end. Great pattern, lovely bamboo yarn; and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy wearing this top. Thanks to the smooth, cool bamboo, it is a perfect way to remain elegant while being comfortable in hot weather. Plus, bamboo is a sustainable fibre. What's not to like?

Pattern : Spring Garden Tee by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting

Alana is also the designer behind the Cedar Leaf Shawlette that I made for my sister. I love her style - all the plant motifs she incorporates into her designs are bound to appeal to my green side. ;) Her patterns are beautifully laid out and very clear.

Size: I knit the 28" size to get negative ease, at a slightly smaller gauge than recommended. (I first started in the 32" but it was too big, so I started over in the smallest size).

Yarn: Origins Bambou by Bergère de France. Bamboo is bound to be splitty, which is a pain when increasing/decreasing or knitting lace, but the results are worth it IMO. This is super soft, and has a lovely sheen to it. The shade, Méditation, is a lovely powder blue.
I used exactly 5 skeins = 435.0 yards (400 m).

Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4).

I really enjoyed working on this. The only change I made was to add a lace hem as an echo to the lace sleeves.

I bound off using single crochet bind-off (now officially my favourite garment bind-off!), and finished the neckline with a single crochet edging.

Oh, and I made my version much shorter than the original - this is better suited to my petite (read short ;)) frame.

My project page on Ravelry

Sorry I haven't been talkative lately. The end of term has been absolutely jam-packed. Things are getting better, though, and I'll soon be sharing a little blog-related surprise with you. :)

Buttercup and Ladybirds: Happy little Cardi ~ Bouton d'or et coccinelles : petit gilet coquet

2011-05-24T14:16:00.006+02:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

Allez, un petit article en français à la demande de mes amies du tricot-thé... et pour toutes les francophones lectrices de ce blog bien sûr :)

J'ai tricoté ce petit gilet pour des amis qui vont avoir un bébé en juin ; ils ne veulent pas savoir à l'avance si ce sera un garçon ou une fille, alors j'ai choisi du jaune ; surtout que mes neveux étant bébés étaient toujours très beaux habillés en jaune. :)

Modèle: Garter Yoke Baby Cardi, gratuit sur Ravelry.

Fil: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, dans le coloris #001 ("yellow", sans blague). Un fil vraiment parfait : comme je le disais aux copines sur Ravelry, il se tricote presque tout seul ;)

Aiguilles: 3 et 3,5 mm. Et je me rends compte que j'adore tricoter avec ces aiguilles plus fines...

J'ai tricoté la plupart du gilet en 3,5 sauf les bordures en point mousse : la bordure initialement tricotée en 3,5 était trop lâche et je l'ai défaite pour la refaire en 3 mm.

Conseil pour les manches, tricotées en rond avec des double-pointes: En plus des points à relever, ne pas hésiter à relever 2-3 mailles supplémentaires dans le milieu bas de l'emmanchure.

Les boutons coccinelles viennent de la mercerie Avant-Après (désormais sise en face de la cathédrale Saint-Roch à Montpellier).

I knit this cardigan for two friends who are having a baby in June. They don't want to know beforehand whether they're having a boy or a girl, so I settled on yellow - my nephews always looked good in yellow when they were babies. :)

Design: Garter Yoke Baby Cardi, free on Ravelry.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, in the #001 ("Yellow" - duh!) shade. Absolutely yummy yarn. I was joking with some friends that it knits up practically on its own. ;)

Needles: 3 and 3.5 mm. For some reason I love knitting on smaller needles.

I knit most of the cardigan on 3.5 mm but did the garter stitch edging on 3-mm needles, as the first try was too loose with the 3.5 needles.

A tip for the sleeves: Knit in the round with DPNs. When picking up stitches, also M1 twice into center bottom of armscye, or pick up 2-3 extra stitches there, to avoid a hole at the underarm.

Please also admire the lush green grass of our lawn - if you remember it was virtually nonexistent when we moved in. Well, some yard work, sowing, waiting, a bit of resowing to cover the remaining bare patches, and we now have a lovely little garden :) All mainly thanks to Seb I should say! :)

Many thanks for the kind birthday wishes! :)

The Turning 30 Dress

2011-05-15T11:36:00.011+02:00

(For some reason Blogger's smaller pictures are blurry; the larger pictures you get when clicking on them, however, are not.)

I turned 30 in early May. My birthday was anything but big - not much fun can occur if you get up at insanely early hours and come home late for days in a row, and for several weeks (which also explains why I'm only managing to post over 10 days after my birthday). I don't mind much, really. I prefer small happy things all scattered around the year, than one big fabulous day that is gone all too soon. I'm the same with gifts - nothing beats RAKs and just-because gifts, and Seb knows it well :)

The really good thing that I did do to celebrate my birthday, though, is make this dress. I love it! Truth be told, I wasn't quite sold on it as I was making it. I had to sew in very short increments and went through phases where I was seriously doubting my choice of pattern for this fabulous fabric. That is bound to happen with a fabric you treasure, right? It only all came together in my mind at the very last minute - when doing the hem. Instead of doing it on the coverstitch, or doing a hand-stitched invisible hem (my usual choice for knit dresses), I opted for a lettuce edging - something I rarely do on knit dresses, but which turned out really cute here, and gave just the right added bit of fun and cuteness to the overall result.

But wait - what you want is a pattern review, right? :)

Pattern: Simplicity 2369, a pattern for a mock wrap dress, a mock wrap top (= same as wrap dress but cut to hips), knit pants. I made view A, the wrap dress with ties, in the shorter length.
Design Elements I like: I like the mock-wrap design, which I find classy and interesting - a nice change from a plain knit dress. The wrap pieces in this one are different, with this rounded edge, which makes me think somehow of a flower petal. I also like the raglan sleeves - another interesting details that makes this pattern stand out in the land of wrap or mock-wrap dresses.

Size: I cut a size 8 all around.

Fabric: a gorgeous lycra jersey that I bought on Totally Fabrics - very special as it was hand-delivered by Melissa when she visited 2 weeks ago.

Pattern instructions: They were fine, except for 2 things:

- some of the drawings were reversed, which was confusing at first - I had this ugly blood-freezing moment when I thought I'd completely messed up and cut both the left and the right sides as if they were right sides. Then I realized the drawings were symmetrically inverted from the pattern pieces. Phew.

- the way they have you sew the tie to the right side isn't the cleanest in the world. Thankfully, Trena had already figured a neater way to do it, with an enclosed tie. Be sure to check out her review and look at her pictures showing how she did this. Thanks Trena! :)

A caveat I might add is that due to the dress construction, you can only really try it on once it's all sewn up. For this reason, I machine-basted everything to check the fit before I sewed and serged all the seams. There was no way I was going to botch my birthday dress :)

I know this may sound bragging and all, but hey - if you don't have the self-confidence to own up to your own accomplishments at 30, then I don't know when you can. I really love this dress, and feel pretty in it. I can foresee a lot of wear out of it!

I didn't get to wear this for my birthday, as it wasn't finished in time. Let's say it's more a dress I made as a gift to myself for my 30eth birthday. Hey, I have a whole new decade to wear it anyway. :)

As per Melissa's suggestion when she was visiting, I'm planning to do a recap of the various birthday garments I made since I started sewing. As soon, you know, as the rhythm eases up a bit on the work front.

In closing...

Many thanks to Doris, Sylvie and Jennifer for their thoughtful birthday gifts! The blue embroidered pillow is Sylvie's and the calendar cover is Doris's work. The patterns (sent by Jennifer) are knitting patterns for sweaters with nifty cat designs. Not included are Doris's super-yummy treats and Sylvie's gift of a shawl pattern from my Ravelry wishlist; and their cards, which really made me smile. Un grand merci à vous !!
Thanks also to everyone who emailed on my birthday. I haven't had the time to reply yet, but they really added something to the day. :)

Sewing Plans

2011-04-30T15:14:00.017+02:00

Hello there! :)
As I was telling you the other day, Melissa and James came to visit this week. We had a great time! I was so happy to see Melissa again, and to meet James. P'tite Mignonne was spoiled rotten with treats and lots of cuddles. Melissa has a picture of us that she'll probably post on her blog when they're back from their Tour de France. The funny thing when we took the picture is, Melissa was wearing Jalie jeans and I was wearing a Jalie top, so we matched. ;)

It was exciting to show my sewing room/office to Melissa, and of course to chat about sewing (though I believe we were pretty good at not talking about sewing all the time, so as not to bore the guys too much!). Melissa showed me her embroidery for her upcoming silver and linen dress, and her grey stretch lace hand-basted on pink jersey for her Burda dress - both are going to be stunning. Needless to say, this was all super inspiring.

Also very exciting were the fabrics that Melissa brought me! When she was planning her trip, she asked me whether there was anything I would like brought over from England? - oh yes, I replied. Knit fabric in pretty prints! So I placed an order on an English website and Melissa had it delivered at her home. The fabrics came wrapped with a big bow, and they are gorgeous!

Yes, P'tite Mignonne is convinced they are part of the treats James and Melissa brought her.

I am so pleased with these fabrics. The recovery is great, the touch is super nice, and the colours and prints are just what I was hoping for. I am simply enamoured with the black, fuchsia and white large floral print. The website they came from is Totally Fabrics.

What do I plan to do with these? Glad you asked :)

The black and fuchsia print is going to become my birthday dress! After much debating, I am going to use Simplicity 2369 (view B) for this one. I wanted a largish skirt to get to fully enjoy the fabric ;) but not so much that it is going to take up all of the fabric. I am hoping to have enough leftover to make a top.

The blue floral fabric, which is darker IRL than in the picture, is going to be made into a Simplicity 2580 dress, a pattern I've long wanted to make - I find cowl necklines so elegant (which is why I swooned over the Maid of Honour's dress at the Royal Wedding yesterday! More so actually than over the Bride's dress). I'm going to make view D, in the shorter length.

I am still undecided as to the fate of the black and red fabric. Maybe the Jalie Empire Dress (see below)? With the stripes going horizontally for the bodice and vertically for the skirt? What do you think? Or maybe a couple of tops. This fabric is super cute, with stylized flowers and cherries that have a retro feel. Feel free to offer more ideas :)

I have lots of work piled up this weekend, but I did cut out the pattern pieces for both Simplicity dresses before going to bed yesterday, and I do hope I'll manage to sew the mock-wrap dress in small increments and finish it in time. I have to get up at 5.30 am for work on my birthday (something that occurs fairly regularly, but that I don't get used to), and the prospect of putting this on should help me start my day on a happy note. ;)

~*~

Knitting wise, I made good progress on my Spring Garden Tee (another design by Alana Dakos). I am knitting this in bamboo for the warm months, and it feels like silk. I love working on this project.

Yep - P'tite Mignonne managed yet again to sneak into the picture.

The gift that was hard to part with; and, a prehistorical sewing memory

2011-04-27T17:47:00.009+02:00

Here is a shawl I made for my sister Catherine's birthday (Catherine is the older one of my sisters - mommy to Robin and Florian for those who remember :)).

The Cedar Leaf Shawlette is a very long and narrow shawl, so that it works more like a scarf (more practical for someone not used to shawl) yet retains the romantic shawl look - my sister is super feminine and delicate.

The (K)nitty Gritty:

Design: Cedar Leaf Shawlette, a wonderful design by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting.

Yarn: Rowan Revive (recycled silk, cotton and viscose) in Pumice (ecru, 1.6 skeins = 205m) and Granite (olive green, just over 1 skein = 137m)

Needle size: 4.5mm (US 7)
Project page on Ravelry

My sister and I share (among lots of other things!) a love for nature and a deep concern for the environment - constantly exchanging tips on leading a greener life; so I felt the leaves motif was fitting. To push the theme further, I chose to work with recycled yarn - the wonderful Revive by Rowan, in gorgeous muted shades of ecru and olive green. Both shades have little flecks of colour throughout. I made the leaves in a contrasting colour to bring out the motif.

I really like Alana’s designs; I am currently knitting her Spring Garden Tee, and loving it too.

I can honestly say that I have never found it so hard to part with something I made! I really love this shawl, and the leaves were quite work intensive, but so worth it. Catherine though is the perfect recipient for such a long-drawn work. She is not the crafty type, but she's always has an immense appreciation for the gifts I made her over time; and she is super meticulous with them. I know this shawl is in good hands :) She loved it, and besides we had such a fabulous family time last weekend that I know she will forever associate this shawl with the memory of this perfect moment.

And I can always make another Cedar Leaf for myself :)

~*~

And now a word about the dress. I didn't make it; it predates my sewing years by almost a decade. I was at the countryside in Northern France and hadn't anticipated such a hot summery weather when I packed, so I rummaged through my stuff there and found this dress. It may not be handsewn, but it is special: I bought it when I was 17 (eek - almost 15 years ago!!), and as it was too roomy when I bought it, my Grandma (you know, the professional seamstress whose work inspired me to started sewing) sewed darts and took it in to fit me better. Come to think of it, it was a sewing lesson of sorts - the only one she was ever able to give me! This is why I treasure this dress. (As you can see, I already loved wearing blue when I was 17. :))

Stay tuned for exciting sewing content coming soon - I have to tell you about the visit of a sewing friend, new fabric!! and my projects for spring/summer dresses :)

Back to Sewing - a little dress for work

2011-04-14T13:07:00.006+02:00

Summer has decided to come early this year, and here in Southern France, summer means business. This means I need some new dresses, and probably a few skirts, too :)

Here's one I made for work - New Look 6643.

I have used this pattern in the past, with great results. I do like this dress - especially the colour, which I really love; but I am disappointed in the fabric, which looked nice, but now that it is sewn up, just hasn't such a great, stable weave to it. Sigh. I paid good money for this fabric.

Finding nice fabrics locally is proving more and more difficult, which largely explains my lack of sewing. I know some of you out here find it frustrating, and believe you me, so do I! Finding decent knits to sew is absolutely impossible, but even good wovens are becoming few and far between. Thankfully, Melissa is coming over from the UK soon, and she's bringing me a few fabulous knits :) It means I can finally dare and use up the last few pieces that I have left! :)

Still, I do like this dress, enjoyed wearing it to work, and even got complimented on it by utter strangers. :)

(the state of the lawn is a long story - basically our landlady decided to hire a gardener to do it months ago, but he never showed up :( we just told the landlady enough was enough, and we're turning over the garden this evening and planting a new lawn ourselves tomorrow!)

(Almost) done: Un-Iced - a Jacket for early spring

2011-03-29T15:23:00.001+02:00

I wanted a warm yet lightweight jacket to wear on those chilly mornings or evenings. In an écru shade, to go with everything.

I settled on a pattern for a cardigan, Iced, from the Knitty website; since I wanted to make a jacket/coat, I chose a thicker yarn and needles to get a sturdier fabric; and I made it longer. This means I added a few increase rows over the hips, and of course adapted the pattern to my larger gauge.

I'm really happy with this - it is exactly as I envisioned it. I've been wearing it all the time.

I was hesitant about buttons, and have been using a shawl pin to close the jacket; but I do feel buttons will be more practical, so I'll add a couple soon.

The (K)nitty Gritty:

Pattern: Iced, by Carol Feller, with alterations to fit my larger gauge.
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool, a bulky yarn; I used 7 balls (= 555 metres / 600 yards); in Linen.
Needles: 10 mm (US 15)
My project page and pattern notes on Ravelry.

The yarn is super soft and cosy, making it a favourite of P'tite Mignonne's. At one point she just sat on the project and plainly refused to let me pick it up and knit it. Though she doesn't look it, especially not in the above picture, she is able to throw quite the tantrum.

~*~

I have lots of projects for spring! I guess I should write a post on its own just to list and organize my ideas. :)

2011-03-17T22:54:00.009+01:00

Et en France :

Croix Rouge française, Médecins Sans Frontières, Shelter Box France

P'tite Mignonne's Abalone (and a tee of my own)

2011-03-12T07:18:00.023+01:00

As you friends know, P'tite Mignonne recently took up knitting.

She chose a soft, soft yarn in her very own colours; and picked a project with a pretty name, Abalone, because it rhymed with her name (*ETA yes, it rhymes in French!* and yes, she can be a bit self-centred that way...). She was very careful to knit a (couple of, actually) gauge swatch(es) before starting on her project...

With the help of online tutorials she managed to read her way through the pattern. She was quite diligent in blocking her finished creation, although also very tempted to take a nap on it.

(Am I still not allowed to sit on it?)

The best part, however, is that even though she (claims she) was the one wielding the needles, I get to wear the outcome.

The (K)nitty Gritty:

Pattern: Abalone, a freebie by Beata Jezek, directly printable here.
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino (a DK weight), one of the goodies I got in London last month; in Cape Cod Gray, a shade I indeed deliberately chose to match P'tite Mignonne's fur. You know, so her fluff doesn't show on the knitting! ;) And hey, it is truly gorgeous. Grey goes with lots of things, and light grey, albeit muted, is a soft and happy colour in my mind. I used 3.5 skeins (480m).
Needles: US 8 - 5 mm.

The one part P'tite Mignonne cannot claim as her own, though, is the top. You see, P'tite Mignonne still hasn't mastered the sewing machine quite yet. I have decided to make myself some basic, fitted tops to layer under all the knits I (or should I say we) plan on making. :) This one is a great little number from Hot Patterns, the Plain and Simple Fitted T-Shirts, which are indeed exactly that.

I have to confess, however, that I still haven't mustered the courage to make my own jeans. ;)

---

As you can see, I have become quite enthusiastic about knitting. Well, the mere prospect of learning how to knit was hugely exhilarating from the start, and I am now super excited about this whole new creative world that has opened up for me. Tackling a cardigan as a second project may seem a little crazy, but if you've been reading this blog long enough - you know I am crazy that way!

The Framboise Pullover

2011-03-08T10:15:00.007+01:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

This is Framboise, a crocheted sweater. The pattern is by Doris Chan - it comes from her Everyday Crochet book, from which I've also made a dress and a tank top. I love every single design in this book and certainly don't plan on stopping there ;)

The (K)nitty-Gritty:

Pattern: Jewel, by Doris Chan, size 36
Hook size: 5.5 mm (I)
Yarn: Surnaturelle by La Droguerie: 6 50-g skeins = 1050 m (1148 yds), shade: Merlot. Total price = 27.6 €.

I didn't change a single thing to the design this time. I knit it a size larger than my own (36 instead of 33), as this top is rather fitted and I wanted to wear a cotton top underneath (I am wearing a cap-sleeved tee underneath in the pictures).

The yarn comes from the famous (and to me largely overrated) French brand, La Droguerie. While I do love the rainbow colourways that you find in their shops, I was underwhelmed by the quality when I got to see and especially fell their yarns in person - even more so as most of their yarn is not cheap. The only yarn of theirs that I do like, and that I find good value, is their Surnaturelle wool - 100% merino, warm, and very soft, even against my sensitive skin.

I started this back in November, at a time when the weather was very bleak and I was in great need of colour. This took me over 2 months to make, but I started it not long before Christmas, and devoted quite a bit of my spare time to those of the Christmas gifts I had chosen to make. We probably all agree anyway that the pleasure is at least as much in the making as in the wearing, right?

Especially when in good company...

Voici Framboise, un pull crocheté. Le modèle est de Doris Chan et vient de son livre Everyday Crochet, que j'ai déjà utilisé pour faire une robe et un haut en coton blanc. J'aime tous les modèles de ce livre et je n'ai pas l'intention de m'arrêter là ! ;)

Résumé technique :

Modèle: Jewel, de Doris Chan; taille 36
Crochet: 5,5 mm (I)
Fil: Surnaturelle de La Droguerie, 100% mérinos : 6 pelotes de 50 g = 1050 m. Coloris: Merlot. Prix total = 27,6 €.

Je n'ai rien changé au modèle d'origine cette fois. J'ai pris la taille au-dessus de la mienne (36 au lieu de 33) parce que ce pull est ajusté, alors que moi je voulais pouvoir porter un haut en coton en-dessous (sur les photos, je porte un haut à petites manches sous le pull).

Le fil vient de La Droguerie, qu'on ne présente plus (boutique de Lille). Bien qu'en amoureuse de la couleur, j'apprécie beaucoup les arcs-en-ciel de coloris qu'ils proposent, j'ai été généralement déçue de leurs fils quand j'ai eu l'occasion de les découvrir et surtout de les toucher. Je trouve que le rapport qualité-prix est rarement intéressant... Sauf pour leur gamme Surnaturelle, dont le prix est plus raisonnable, qui est chaude, et bien douce, même contre ma peau très sensible.

J'ai commencé ce pull en novembre, à un moment où le temps lugubre me donnait grande envie de couleur. Il m'a pris un peu plus de 2 mois à terminer, mais c'était aussi à un moment où j'ai dû alterner son avancée avec la confection de mes cadeaux de Noël.
De toute façon, nous savons bien que le plaisir est au moins autant dans la création que dans le produit fini, n'est-ce pas ?

Surtout quand on est en bonne compagnie...

A Hop to London... and Knitting Beginnings :)

2011-02-25T10:00:00.006+01:00

Hello, all!

Here I am finally to tell you about my small trip to London in early February. :)

(Pour mes amies francophones : je n'ai pas eu le temps de faire un article en français, mais pour aujourd'hui de toute façon, ce qui compte ce sont surtout les photos... :) )

This was a trip for work and also to gather up and ship off the (hefty) remainder of Seb's stuff in London; I hardly had any time to really enjoy London, which was frustrating and made for an exhausting trip, wedged as it was between very busy days of teaching in France - I didn't take any time off for this, and the journey from Montpellier to London and back is quite a long one. I wish I'd at least been able to see you, Melissa, but that shall have to wait for another, less hectic (and last-minute!) stay.

I did manage to go to Loop in the evening, though! Twice - the first time I felt too overwhelmed by the abundance of goodness to make any purchase, so I went back just before closing time the next day with decisions taken on what yarn and book to get :) This place was an absolute delight!

We also managed to snatch a couple of hours to go walk in Hampstead Heath (one of my favourite places in London), where I showed off my very first knit creation...

... And my whole winterproof, handmade outfit (the calorimetry was crocheted last year, and you probably all recognize the coat!)

The scarf, "Beginner Scarflette", is a pattern that was published on Ravelry at the exact same time I was learning how to knit and looking for a beginner's pattern - talk about serendipity! It is perfect to practice stitches as it is a sampler of the main knitting stitches. I knit it in a yummy Rowan yarn, Colourscape, a collection whose colourways were designed by Kaffe Kasset.

All my project details are here on Ravelry. This was the perfect project for me to gain confidence and truly get started with knitting. (I am currently on to my third project, and am officially addicted to the art of knitting. Loving, loving it.)

And then we were back on the train for the long (but quiet) way home, to do some more reading and knitting - after finishing Patty's gloves, I started on fingerless gloves for me in a remnant of Tosca yarn that I used for my Violaine Tunic:

Said mitts have since been long finished and put to good use, but are yet to be photographed... ;)

Have a great weekend, everyone. Bon week-end à tou-te-s !

Fingerless Gloves for Patty / Des mitaines pour Patty

2011-02-18T15:03:00.002+01:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

Patty is the neighbour and friend who takes care of P'tite Mignonne when we are away. I have also taken care of her sweet little dog on occasion (all the more gladly as her dog is a Sheltie, a race that looks like miniature collies, and reminds me of the collie that my family used to have when I was younger). This time her task was more complicated, as P'tite Mignonne was still on medication. As a thank you, I put together an assortment of goodies from Whittard's in London, and made her these lacy gloves.

Pattern: Shell Lace Fitted Fingerless Gloves, free on Ravelry.
Yarn: Novena by Lang Yarns, a super light, soft yarn, in a shade matching Patty's coat - just a few tones lighter. Patty has an elegant home, in shades of white and linen, so I thought this would appeal to her taste - which happily, it did. :)
Alterations:

The pattern didn’t have a thumb, which looked a little too bare for my liking, so I added one.

Directions for thumb:

Rd 1: Join yarn at right-hand DC in bottom center of thumb opening. Ch 3, DC in next DC, sk 1 st, 3 DC in next st (= shell), sk next st, 3 DC in next st, sk next st, DC in each of next 2 DC, sk next st, 3 DC in next DC, sk next st, 3 DC in next DC, sl st in 2nd ch of beginning ch.
Rd 2: Ch 2, 1 HDC in next DC, *3 HDC in 2nd DC of 3-DC shell, 3 HDC in 2nd DC of next shell*, 1 HDC in each of next 2 DC, repeat between **, sl st in 2nd ch of beginning ch.
Rd 3: ch1, sc in sl st, sc around, sl in 1st sc, bind off.

I also made the gloves longer, partly covering the forearms, and played around with hook sizes to have the gloves follow the contours of wrist and hand:

Rounds 1-7 with a 4-mm hook (up to the wrist)
Rounds 8-11 with a 4.5-mm hook (bottom of hand)
Rounds 12-20 with a 5-mm hook.
I did the thumb opening on round 13 instead of 10.
Also added more rounds than per pattern after thumb opening, for a total of 20 rounds.

(Patty has larger hands than mine, so the gloves look a little roomy on my hands.)

Have a great weekend, everyone. It is wonderfully sunny and mild here today... Spring seems to be on its way!

Patty est la voisine et amie qui s'occupe de la P'tite Mignonne quand nous devons nous absenter. Je me suis aussi occupée de sa petite chienne à l'occasion, une Sheltie qui me rappelle le Colley que nous avions dans ma famille quand jétais plus jeune. Cette fois sa tâche était compliquée par le fait que P'tite Mignonne avait encore 2 jours de traitement à prendre. Pour la remercier, je lui ai composé un assortiment de thés et douceurs anglais de chez Whittard's, accompagné de mitaines en dentelle.

Modèle: Shell Lace Fitted Fingerless Gloves, téléchargeables gratuitement sur Ravelry.

Fil: Novena de Lang Yarns, sur ses conseils (merci encore !) ; un fil très léger, tout doux, très classe, qui se crochète bien ; dans un coloris lin assorti au manteau de Patty, en plus clair. Patty a par ailleurs un intérieur élégant, tout en blanc rehaussé de quelques touches de lin, et je me suis dit que cette teinte discrète lui plairait. Ce fut le cas, et tant mieux :)

Modifications du modèle:
Le modèle n'avait pas de pouce, et je trouvais que ça ne faisait pas assez fini ; alors j'en ai ajouté un. Voici comme j'ai procédé :

Instructions pour le pouce:

Tour 1: Joindre le fil avec une maille coulée dans la bride de droite au milieu bas de l'ouverture du pouce. 3 ml, br dans la br suivante, sauter 1 m, 3 br dans m suivante (=coquille), sauter 1 m, 3 br dans m suivante, sauter 1 m, br dans chacun des 2 br suivantes, sauter 1 m, 3 br dans br suivante, sauter 1 m, 3 br dans br suivante, mc dans 2e ml de la chaînette de départ.
Tour 2: 2 ml, 1 demi-br dans br suivante, *3 demi-br dans 2e br de la coquille, 3 demi-br dans 2e br de coquille suivante*, 1 demi-br dans chacun des 2 r suivantes, répéter entre **, mc dans 2e ml de la chaînette de départ.
Tour 3: 1 ml, 1 ms dans mc, 1 ms dans chaque point, mc dans 1re ms, casser le fil.

J'ai aussi fait les mitaines plus longues pour qu'elles couvrent une partie de l'avant-bras, et j'ai varié sur les tailles de crochets pour suivre les contours du poignet et de la main.

Tours 1-7 avec un crochet de 4 mm (jusqu'au poignet inclus)
Tours 8-11 avec un crochet de 4,5 mm (base de la main)
Tours 12-20 avec un crochet de 5 mm
Ouverture du pouce au tour 13 et non 10.
Plus de tours aussi après le pouce, pour un total de 20 tours.

(Patty a des mains plus larges que les miennes, alors les mitaines sont un peu lâches sur mes mains.)

Excellent week-end à vous tout-e-s ! Il fait un temps splendide et très doux ici aujourd'hui... Ça sent le printemps, et ça fait du bien !

Simplicity Skirt 4637 / Une jupe d'hiver en crêpe de laine...

2011-02-10T18:07:00.019+01:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

(Eh oui, je continue ma fixation sur le violet!)

J'ai une envie de jupes en ce moment... Je vous ai parlé de mon plaisir à porter des robes en hiver, et les jupes entrent dans la même catégorie, d'autant qu'elles sont encore plus pratiques pour le "feuilletage" nécessaire lors des trajets en train et sur mon lieu de travail souvent trop chauffé... Au soldes de l'année dernière, j'avais acheté ce beau lainage tout fluide. J'ai longtemps eu dans l'idée d'en faire une robe, mais finalement, c'est l'envie d'une jupe qui l'a emporté.

Ça fait bien longtemps que j'ai ce patron (il est d'ailleurs en rupture d'impression maintenant) mais je me souviens que j'avais été déçue et peu inspirée en le recevant : la photo est toute bof, sans parler des 4 clones qui se tiennent côte à côte, et que je trouvais légèrement flippants... Pas vous ?

Mais je me suis dit que le drapé fluide de mon crêpe de laine allait parer à toute velléité de ce patron de se transformer en jupe-plissée-pour-petite-fille-sage. J'ai veillé à ne surtout pas marquer les plis au fer, pour garder une jupe ample et souple ; quelque chose de féminin mais qui ne fasse pas petite fille.

J'ai taillé le dos dans une taille 6, et le devant en 8 ; finalement, j'ai dû tout retailler une taille en-desous, 4 pour le dos (le patron commence à la taille 6), et 6 pour le devant. Heureusement que j'avais tout bâti pour un premier essayage, avant d'assembler pour de bon. Même ainsi, et malgré un ferme entoilage, la ceinture est trop lâche : d'ailleurs on la voit bâiller sous mon t-shirt, ce qui n'est pas des plus seyants :( Mais bon, je l'aime quand même cette jupe, et j'ai plaisir à la porter.

Je ne suis pas encore bien certaine de la longueur ; peut-être que je devrais relever un peu l'ourlet ? J'ai bien conscience que les bottes n'étaient pas le choix le plus heureux pour mettre la jupe en valeur sur ces photos, mais c'était ce que j'avais de plus chaud et confortable pour cette journée, et je n'allais pas dire non à une séance photo impromptue sous le soleil ;)

Le tissu fait vraiment la réussite de cette jupe - il est fluide, et chaud ! Certes, le crêpe est un tissu très classique (et classe), mais la couleur violette lui apporte un peu de peps, de "jeune".

(Yep, still obsessed with purple!)

I've been hankering after skirts lately. I told you about my enjoying wearing dresses in the winter; this also applies to skirts, which are even handier for layering, but I have too few of them. At the sales last year, I got a beautiful purple wool crepe in one of the (two) local fabric shops downtown... I had been planning to make a dress out of it, but in the end was more inspired to make a skirt.

I've had this pattern for years (it is now OOP), but remember I was disappointed when I received it - the cover looks so blah, not to mention that the 4 clones standing side by side were slightly disturbing.

I was thinking the very fluid drape of the fabric would annihilate any hint of the schoolgirl uniform look that I thought was palpable on the pattern's picture. I was careful to absolutely not press the pleats, so as to have a soft, supple fullness to the skirt - something feminine but not little-girly.

I cut a size 6 in the back and 8 in the front, that I then graded down to a size 4 (sadly not included in the pattern) and 6 after a first fitting. Good thing I went the whole way and basted the whole skirt before actually sewing it. The waistband still turned out to be on the loose side, despite heavy interfacing. You can actually see it gape under my top, which is not the most flattering of looks. :( I still like this skirt, though, and enjoy wearing it.

I am still undecided about the length - should I turn the hem up a little? I do realize the boots weren't the best way to show off the skirt, but they were my warmest and most comfortable option for that day, and I wasn't going to say no to the opportunity of an improvised photo shoot in the sunlight. :)

The fabric is wonderful - fluid, and warm! Wool crepe is such a classical - and classy - fabric, but the purple adds a fun and youthful touch.

Bits and bobs / Par-ci par-là...

2011-02-08T17:31:00.006+01:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

Bonjour, bonjour !
The past few weeks have been packed with loads of things - at work, and with a quick and harassing (also work-related) trip to London, all the while being sick; but not all of it was bad, as I just learned how to knit! This has truly been the highlight of the past few weeks, making up for other not-so-good stuff. And yes, I did manage to steal a few moments in London to go shop for some stash :)

Up next are:

a review of my latest skirt, which I love, and a few thoughts about my future sewing plans (I am itching to sew a few transitional pieces)
my first knit! (probably along with a few London pics)
a post or two on a few accessories I keep forgetting to post about, which I made for myself or as gifts - fingerless gloves, hats, scarves
a crocheted sweater that I started back in November, and is now finished - but still need to be photographed.

I'll leave you for now with P'tite Mignonne, fluffier than ever in this midwinter time. She got sick with cystitis 10 days ago, but is thankfully entirely well now, as we managed to catch the infection very early (being a light sleeper does have a few advantages after all!). She did have to spend a whole day at the vet's, which was a horrid experience. It is hard to leave your pet in pure kitty hell, without being able to tell her she'll be back home in the evening!

Between this and our leaving for a few days last week, she's been über cuddly since we came back (she is, as a a matter of fact, lying across my arms as I type).

I'll talk to you real soon. :)

Bonjour bonjour !

Les dernières semaines ont été bien remplies - au travail, et avec un voyage impromptu mais épuisant à Londres, assorti d'une grosse crève ; mais aussi avec de bons moments... j'ai appris à tricoter ! Ça a vraiment été le rayon de soleil de ces dernières semaines.

À venir (j'écris pour ne pas oublier...) :

un compte-rendu de ma dernière jupe, que j'aime (et porte) beaucoup ; et mes prochains projets couture
mon premier tricot ! Sans doute avec quelques photos londoniennes
un article ou deux sur des accessoires (mitaines, écharpes, béret) dont j'oublie tout le temps de parler,que j'ai faits ces derniers mois en cadeaux ou pour moi
un pull au crochet commencé en novembre, que j'ai terminé mais pas encore photographié...

Je vous laisse avec la P'tite Mignonne, plus duveteuse que jamais en ce milieu d'hiver ; elle a fait une cystite il y a 10 jours, mais s'est heureusement vite rétablie parce qu'elle a été soignée très rapidement (ça a parfois du bon d'avoir le sommeil léger et de repérer tout de suite que quelque chose ne va pas...). Il a quand même fallu la laisser un jour entier chez le véto, cet endroit infernal...

Entre cette mésaventure et notre absence de quelques jours, elle est encore plus collante que d'habitude depuis notre retour. Elle est d'ailleurs vautrée entre mes bras tandis que j'écris : histoire de me muscler les biscottos ! (j'ai même eu un peu de mal à terminer d'écrire cet article : elle a une patte sur le pavé tactile et le curseur n'arrête pas de se balader...)

A bientôt. :)

Blue Lagoon

2011-01-22T09:20:00.014+01:00

Well, hello, and Happy New Year, everyone!

I know, I know, it's been a litte while. I needed a break from the Internet and my computer altogether as I took a few days' break; then the second semester started, and (against my hopes) it's been, once again, hectic as hell. Yes, sometimes I do want to quit and stop doing the job of 3 people! But then I remember I was born for this kind of job, and the meaningful part of it takes over from all the stress and chaos.

The weather was so spring-like last weekend that I gave in to Seb's plea, took a break from it all, and we grabbed our bikes (well, a friend's bike in my case - I don't have one down here yet) to go see the sea.

The cycling (and walking) path from Montpellier to the beach we chose to reach is sheltered from the cars; the path runs between lagoons and you can see flamingoes preening themselves, Camargue horses gathered along the path to get some attention... and the blue of the sky reflected in the water all around.

This was also a nice opportunity to photograph the set of matching béret and shawlette that I'd just finished making.

The béret, which I made first in late December, is the Crochet Basque Hat by Drops Designs, with a very interesting stitch pattern. Le patron est aussi disponible en français... :)

I was finding the original model a bit too bulky for my taste, so I chose a yarn in a lighter weight than recommended (Aran instead of Super Bulky) and a crochet hook in size 7 instead of 8.
I made the béret larger than the pattern - first because my gauge was smaller for the reason stated above, and because I wanted a snood-like béret to accommodate the buns I usually wear when going out.
The pattern starts decreasing at round 11. Instead, I continued increasing twice:
Rd 11: As Rd 9, but start with 11 ch; in pattern, chain 7 instead of 6
Rd 12: As Rd 10
Rd 13: As Rd 9, but start with 12 ch; in pattern, chain 8 instead of 6
Rd 14: As Rd 10.
Rd 15: As Rd 11, and I then followed the pattern.

Once I'd made the béret, I decided I wanted a matching scarf. I had half a skein left from the two skeins I'd bought for the béret, so I got 3 more (or rather, Seb got them for me as a Christmas gift ;)). In the end, I settled not on a scarf, but a shawlette. The pattern is another freebie - the South Bay Shawlette, by Lion Brand.

This shawlette came along amazingly quickly. Of course, it helps that I used a 8-mm hook and that my yarn was bigger than the recommended fingering! :) Still - it took less than a week to make, and a busy week at that (I only crocheted it during part of a Sunday afternoon and a few evenings). This is a mindless project once you’ve started on the first few rows.

The stitch is very pretty, I think :) Here is the shawl on my white single seater sofa to show the stitch pattern better. I did not even block it - I was in too great a hurry to use it!

My idea is not to wear it as a shawl, though, but scrunched up around my neck, like this:

The yarn for both is Carpe Diem by Lang, a soft, warm merino and alpaca blend. I used 5 skeins for both projects - 150 yards (1 skein and a half) for the béret, and 350 yards for the shawl.

I didn't need a coat that day, but the turquoise makes a nice contrast with my purple coat, which is why I chose this shade.

If it is any consolation to those of you dealing with wintry weather (and even snow in some cases!), and possibly gaping at the pictures, the temperatures are now back to freezing in the morning. The sun and impossibly blue skies are still here, though, which is what matters to me!

OK - back to work...
Have a great weekend, everyone :)

Winter Flowers - Purple and Grey Cosmopolitan Dress

2010-12-26T17:20:00.005+01:00

Hello, everyone!

I hope this finds each and everyone of you enjoying a happy end of the year, whichever way you like it best!

I am just back from Northern France where we spent a very joyful Christmas Eve among my family; Seb and I then went to his parents' in Paris on the 25th, before heading back South.
We covered quite a few (2,000) kilometres within a few days, and the trains were an absolute nightmare because of the snow and ice, but we made it safely there, and safely back; and everyone was happy that we were able to make it in both families, so all is well (thank goodness we were able to leave P'tite Mignonne home, with a friendly neighbour coming in to feed her). :)

We are now looking forward to a mellow end of the year between just the three of us (i.e. including P'tite Mignonne). A bit of work, some sewing, or reading, some crochet while watching the DVDs we got for Christmas - all with scrummy tea and chocolates. Bliss!

Now on to my last sewing project before Christmas - a Cosmo Dress! The sunny outdoor pictures, as you may have guessed, are by Seb :)

Hot Patterns' Cosmopolitan Dress and I have a complicated history. I have always loved the pattern and this was my first purchase from Hot Patterns. The first time I made it, however, some of you may remember that I was losing my Grandma and I majorly messed it up. I never touched this dress again. The pattern stayed in my pattern drawer for a long time; I glanced at it occasionally, until I was finally ready to dig it up again. This time around, it worked. Cheer with me, friends - I have finally conquered the Cosmo!

That being said, the sewing wasn't exactly a walkover. I cut a size 6 for the back and a size 8 for the front, but I should have made a size 6 all around. The back was a perfect fit. I didn't use a zipper as I was sewing with a knit, so I took out 1.5 cm from the center and cut it on the fold of my fabric instead of cutting two pieces.

(strange posture, but anyway)

The front, on the other hand, was just huge on me, with way too much fabric both horizontally and vertically from the waist up. I wasn't expecting the front to be so big - I usually cut front pieces a size or two bigger than the back, because my back is unusually narrow. Muslin, you say? Finding a pretty knit here is already quite a feat (I got this one online and was really lucky with it), so no - I don't have spare knit fabric for muslins.

The side seams are the last seams you sew, so when I realized the fitting problems, the waist and armhole seams were already serged and there was no way I was unpicking these. I undid the side seams and:

- took in the front bodice at the sides

- made the front darts 1.5 cm deeper.

That really helped, but there was still too much fabric in the bust area lengthwise; again, the sleeves were already set in and serged, so unpicking the shoulder sleeves was not an option. In the end I also made darts below each shoulder seam to pinch in the extra fabric. The print of the fabric is so busy that it is barely noticeable unless you knew it and had your face right against my shoulder ;) - it just looks like an unusual detail IMO anyway, not something that was fiddled with.

I remembered reviews on PR and blogs warning that the neckline was low, so I redrafted the slope of the neckline so it was raised by an inch or so at the center front.
I also changed the finishing for the neckline. This is were I had majorly messed up 3 years ago (though really, what was I thinking back then - facings in a knit fabric?); this time I did one of my favourite neckline finishes for knits: contrasting binding that is sewn stretched out, so as to stay close to the body when worn. I used a black knit fabric for this, that has a bit more body and resiliency than the main fabric.

My last alteration was the sleeves. I wanted neither the scarf-style sleeves - not practical for teaching - nor the huge sleeves gathered at the cuff - way too big for my small frame. I Frankensteined the sleeves from my trusty and much-worn New Look 6429.

One final thing regarding construction: I sewed the side seams and sleeves all in one go, as most of us do when we sew with knits and sleeves do not need easing.

This dress will be wearable in the spring as well, but right now, I am making it work as a winter dress with thermal underwear (and an extra black top underneath if it's really cold), boots and opaque tights (or woolen tights if it's really cold); and it is a great match under my beloved purple coat. My usual accent accessories (oversized cowl, gorgeous cabled fingerless gloves that were a gift from dear Tany a couple of years back, and I'm currently making a matching béret) are grey, so this purple and grey print was just ideal.

(I'll talk more about the cowl some other time, along with some other winter accessories that I've been crocheting for me or as Christmas gifts.)

I have to own up to Trena's inspiration here. I am a great fan of her outfits; the last two paragraphs of this post in particular have inspired me to go out in dresses or skirts almost every single day for the past 6 weeks. A past 6 weeks that have been whoppingly cold around these parts, even here in Southern France. Thanks to Trena's advice I haven't been cold at all - and have been feeling cute at the same time as warm! :)

For a long time, too, I kept drooling over Trena's colourful tights. Up till recently, funky tights weren't something readily available (or at least affordable) in France; happily, this is changing. This will probably sound silly but I was really tickled to find purple tights that were a nice match for the dress. Going back to Trena's post to link it for you, I just realized Trena's tights that day were also purple! I swear this is coincidental. Though you know, with Trena and I being exactly the same size and all - I probably already mentioned that I have regular dreams of raiding her closet for all her adorable dresses. ;)

Excellente fin d'année à toutes et à tous !! Have a wonderful end of the year, everyone.

The Violaine Tunic

2010-12-18T17:13:00.027+01:00

Remember these?

They became this:

Violaine is a top designed by a French designer, Sylvie Damey - although the instructions are written in English. You'll also find it on ravelry:

I made this top with an informal look in mind; this is definitely not something I'd wear to work, but I made it for these days when I can work from home and want to feel more relaxed (and warm!) but still a bit cute.

I changed the shells pattern from the empire waist down:

Starting row of shells: SH in first sc, *skip 1 sc, sc in next sc, skip sc, SH in next sc*, repeat between * to end;
Following rows: SH in each sc, sc in ch-sp of each SH to end.
I did the first row of shells with a 5.5-cm hook, and the following rows with a 6-cm hook for an airier effect. I switched to a 6.5-cm hook from the low waist down.

If you're interested in making this design and want detailed notes on my alterations, they are on my Ravelry project page.

The top closes with a couple of buttons at the back, a detail I found really cute.

I did block the tunic, but it has grown a bit more since these pictures were taken.

This tunic is lightweight, but the yarn (Tosca Light by Lang Yarns) is very warm. And people - just look at the colours: blue, turquoise and purple (AKA the shades I keep obsessing over) softly, softly merging one into the other... Can it get any better than this? ;)
I cannot praise this yarn enough: I am now craving for it in its purple-red colourway...

Long-sleeved Jalie - un haut Jalie à manches longues

2010-12-15T13:40:00.011+01:00

English version: click here
Version française: cliquez ici (et décochez l'autre case)

Hi!
I finally got time last Sunday to brave the cold and take pictures of a few projects. It was just above freezing, but I just couldn't bear to wait any longer to take pictures.
With this long and crazy semester finally coming to a close, I am hoping for a little more time to sew, crochet AND blog in the next couple of weeks, so be prepared for a batch of new posts in the days/week to come! :)

First up is a three-quarter-sleeved Jalie sweetheart top.

(The lovely rose pendant comes from my friend Tracy's Etsy shop, which used to be my favourite Etsy shop before it closed. :) )

I was finding my first Jalie top was a little too snug when I first made it, so I cut the next one slightly bigger. By the time I took pictures of the first one, however, I had lost a little weight and the fit was perfect, so this second one is a bit big on me. That's the thing with being able to sew or crochet only in very short increments at a time: there can be days or even weeks before a top is cut out and assembled, assembled and finished, finished and photographed. (I can't survive without getting a little done almost every evening to unwind though: I prefer to get less sleep and get to create a little every day.)
I was also a little freaked out by the tiny seam allowances the first time I made this top, which played a role in my cutting the top slightly bigger. I know the SAs match those on a serger, but I don't like sewing my knits directly on the serger: I always fear the seam won't be sturdy enough (especially for this kind of top, which is bound to get a lot of use and get washed often); so I first sew on the sewing machine, then use the serger, both for added security and of course for a neat seam finish.

I can't tell you how cold I was taking these pictures - I was actually trying to stop my teeth from chattering - LOL! There just isn't enough natural light indoors ATM to make decent pictures in the flat (and I never manage to get good pictures in artificial lighting).

I believe this Jalie pattern is meant to be worn close-fitting, to bring out the details of the yoke and neckline. That being said, this top still looks wearable to me, and the loose fit gives a more relaxed look; I figured it was good to have a more loose-fitting t-shirt in my wardrobe, which I why I didn't take it in.

I love the colourway. Grey-blue and teal - totally my colours. I used remnants from the first top to make contrasting bands. It's a good thing I have such an obsession for blues/teals or purples: it means there's a lot of matching potential in my fabric stash (and it's fun coordinating my outfits everyday!).

Of course as always someone was out to play during the photo session...

See the big fluffy coat she's been busy making for winter? :)

Bonjour !

Je fais cet article en français aussi à la demande de Katia qui m'a charriée que je n'écrivais plus en français ;) En fait, je ne sais pas trop si ça sert d'écrire à la fois en anglais et en français ; y a-t-il des francophones pour qui c'est appréciable ? J'aimerais bien le savoir, parce que ça prend du temps d'écrire dans les deux langues. :)

J'ai enfin bravé le froid dimanche pour prendre des photos de mes derniers projets. Certains datent d'un petit moment ; comme je vais enfin avoir un peu plus de temps après un semestre très chargé, préparez-vous à une petite série d'articles dans la ou les 2 semaines à venir ! :)

Aujourd'hui, une version manches 3/4 du haut Jalie à décolleté à coeur

(Le joli pendentif en forme de rose vient de la boutique de mon amie Tracy, qui avait une de mes boutiques Etsy préférées avant qu'elle ne ferme. :) )

Ce haut est un peu grand. Quand j'ai fait mon premier haut selon ce patron, il était un peu trop ajusté, alors j'ai coupé le suivant un peu plus grand. Mais il s'est écoulé du temps entre le moment où j'ai fini le premier haut (et coupé le 2e) et où j'ai fait les photos, et j'ai un peu minci entre les deux. C'est ça le souci quand on ne peut faire des projets que par mini-séances : il se passe plusieurs semaines entre la coupe et la couture, entre la couture et les finitions, et entre les finitions et les photos...
Et puis je n'avais pas trop aimé les marges de couture très étroites de ce patron ; c'est pour ça aussi que j'ai coupé plus grand. Ces marges correspondent à celles d'une surjeteuse, mais il est très rare que je couse directement à la surjeteuse. J'ai toujours peur que les coutures ne soient pas assez solides (surtout pour ce genre de haut qui se porte et se lave beaucoup), alors je fais d'abord les coutures à la machine, puis je surjette, pour une couture plus solide et bien sûr pour une jolie finition.

Il faisait vraiment froid, surtout avec le vent : j'essayais de m'empêcher de claquer des dents ! LOL. Il n'y a pas assez de lumière en ce moment pour prendre des photos nettes en intérieur, et je n'aime pas l'éclairage artificiel, alors je préfère les prendre dehors.

Bon, même s'il est un peu grand, il me plaît ce haut, et puis ça donne un style plus relax ; je me dis que c'est bien d'avoir ce genre de haut dans ma garde-robe, et c'est pour ça que je ne l'ai pas repris.

J'adore les couleurs de l'imprimé... Bleu-gris et ardoise : c'est vraiment mes couleurs ! J'ai utilisé des restes du tissu du premier haut pour faire des bandes contrastantes. C'est ça qui est chouette dans ma lubie pour les mêmes couleurs (bleus/turquoise ou violet) : il y a souvent des possibilités pour assortir les tissus... Et au quotidien, je m'amuse bien à assortir mes tenues aussi.

Et comme d'habitude quelqu'un a profité de la séance photo pour aller jouer dehors...

Vous avez vu le gros manteau touffu qu'elle s'est fait pour l'hiver ? :)

A Jacket for Baby Mila

2010-12-09T19:19:00.003+01:00

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a new baby in possession of crafty neighbours must be in want of layette.

Our closest neighbours just had a baby daughter. I really wanted to make something for her - first because they are among my favourite neighbours in the building, but also to make amends for P'tite Mignonne's being obsessed with their garden and, er, occasionally using their gravel path as a litterbox.

I very loosely adapted an existing pattern, that I turned into something more elaborate and girly. Just so you can see the difference from the initial pattern, here's a jacket made faithfully from the pattern. Since my sister has 2 boys (Robin, 4, and Florian, almost 1), I haven't had much opportunity to have fun with girly baby stuff. I didn't want to make something overly frilly, but I thought simple shells and scalloped sleeves would be nice.

When I was last in Northern France, I asked my older sister for advice regarding colour, material, etc. She lent me a RTW cardigan that my nephews had used; it proved very helpful to check the fit. I also copied the cardigan's ties system, which probably every parent will agree is more practical than buttons with a wriggly newborn. :)

Alterations:

- I kept the initial raglan-sleeved yoke in double crochet.

- Sleeves: Finished the sleeves with a scalloped edge: Ch3, DC in first DC, *sk next DC, sc in next DC, sk next DC, [2DC, ch1, 2DC] in next DC* around

- Body: I crocheted in double crochet until the jacket reached the same length as the portion above the ties in my sister's RTW jacket; I then started crocheting in staggered shells. I forgot to take notes while making it and am currently too brain-dead to reconstruct the whole process, but if someone wants me to guide them through it, let me know and I'll write everything down whenever my brain gets the rest it needs to function properly. The shells themselves are (2DC, ch1, 2DC), alternated with single crochet stitches.

- Ties: I guess the following two pictures are pretty self-explanatory.

This last picture shows how I threaded the chain tie through the last rows of DCs. I made the chain ties with a smaller hook than the jacket (3 mm instead of 5mm).

The yarn is Lang Omega, a plump yarn that yields a sturdy and washable result. Lang Yarns are fabulous - I've always been very happy with them.

I just went to deliver my small gift and meet baby Mila (pronounced mee-lah) - she is such a beautiful, delicate baby... Just like her name. :)

Tenue de Concert

2010-11-30T22:13:00.005+01:00

And now for something slightly different ;)
As you may recall, my vocal ensemble's regular dressing code for concerts is black. Sometimes, however, some of the women perform as part of a smaller ensemble, with a few baroque instrumentalists; for these concerts, our outfit has to be coloured, preferably in red/maroon tones. We had a concert on Nov. 21 and here is what I wore:

The pictures were taken after the concert, and I was feeling the exhaustion after the pressure of a very dense concert (Haendel + Pergolesi) and weekend-long rehearsals, all on top of a busy week at work. I'd also undone my hair, as the photo shoot wasn't planned and just happened at the last minute. I had actually already changed into my normal clothes when it dawned on me that it could be quite an opportunity to have pictures of me taken here and then, in the beautiful museum where the concert had taken place: so I quickly changed back into my concert outfit for a few pictures. Hence the tousled hair and wan look ;)

The skirt is Simplicity 2953 (ETA Dec. 3: on my European envelope, the pattern number is 7239 is the European pattern number; I just found the American pattern number on the Simplicity website) - an über simple two-panelled skirt, with a slim waistband, a zipper and hook and eye closure.
The first time I performed with this smaller formation, people had sort of forgotten to tell me about the dress code ;) I only had a few hours before the final rehearsal to buy fabric, a pattern, and make the skirt, so I couldn't afford to be too ambitious. It fits the bill perfectly as it is, anyway.

The fabric is crepe-backed satin - it isn't too shiny in normal lighting, but it does shine quite a bit when the flash is on though!

The beauty of this fabric is that it doesn't take a single crease, which is very handy when you travel to the concert location, sometimes 50 to 100 kms away, and are not sure how you're going to be able to store your outfit during the final rehearsals.

The top is Vogue 7997 - I made it 2 years ago. The fabric has a high amount of lycra, which makes it very silky and IMO acceptable for formal occasions. I really love this top, and force myself not to wear it too often, so that it remains fresh and like new for this kind of occasion.

Here is the outfit in action, during the concert:

You know, I would love to have fun and make a really nice concert outfit some day. As much as I think I should really ease on the concerts as I have way too much on my plate ATM, I do love this opportunity to dress formally (on top of the thrill of the actual concert, obviously!). Wearing a full skirt is so nice. If you have any pattern ideas, please do share!