A gradient dyed hand spun yarn, and my design to use it // CasFri S7E09
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- Опубліковано 5 лип 2024
- In this week's Casual Friday podcast, I have fun events on the horizon, progress on my handspun sweater (and an upgrade on an existing button band), a new 17th century stocking in the works, and what I've learned recently in my sewing projects.
Support me by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi! www.ko-fi.com/roxannerichardson
My knitting designs: www.ravelry.com/designers/rox...
SHOW NOTES
LOOKING FORWARD
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, May 4 and 5, 2024: sheepandwool.org/
BUTTON BAND UPGRADE
The sweater is Morning Ramble by Geoffrey Hunnicutt: www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr...
I modified it in several ways. You can read my project notes here: ravel.me/Rox/mrc
STOCKING EVOLUTION
Stocking pattern is from Natura Exenterata, which you can see in the original here: wellcomecollection.org/works/...
I'm using the Chris Laning pattern from Piecework: www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr...
HANDSPUN SWEATER
Fiber is WAM (wool, alpaca, mohair) from Get Bentz Farm getbentzfarm.com/shop
Dye is Cyan from Mother Mackenzie's Miracle Dye Mix, which I bought from Clemes & Clemes clemes.com/product/mother-mac...
I use StitchMastery to chart out and visualize stitch patterns: stitchmastery.com
If you have questions about this video, or suggestions for future videos, please let me know down in the comments or on social media.
0:00 Introduction
0:30 Looking Forward
8:40 Better Than it Was Button Band
18:13 Stocking Evolution
24:14 Handspun Sweater
34:03 Sewing Updates
Rox Rocks Ravelry group: www.ravelry.com/groups/rox-rocks
IG: / roxmpls
Twitter: / roxmpls - Навчання та стиль
Your pattern matching is awesome! As for the knitting channel that has a bit of spinning, dyeing, and sewing. Who cares. It's all fiber arts and you are not forcing anyone to watch. If they don't like this weeks content they are welcome to turn it off. As for the rest of us we love it.
You ought to finish your plaid blouse. I think your matching looks great and the major stripe falls perfectly on each side of your bust in the front. With the open weave it would be perfect on the blistering hot days of summer and the colors are perfect for you.
The book on your shelf, "America's Knitting Book", is the one I used to teach myself to knit when I was 12. 58 years ago. I still have it.
I like that...mental gymnastics. I enjoyed your sewing ventures as well in this one :)
Love this episode! And please continue with the sewing updates!
I love your cardigans. I like the style of the blue one. I like that you chat about various projects and crafts. I enjoy seeing your process to fix things. I like the “medical Vibes “ too.
Great episode!
The best part of this channel is seeing projects go from planning to finish. I’m so into the maths.
I need to add how excited I am to see your gradient sweater become reality. The dyed yarn is so pretty in colors that reach out to me to. You bring so much to your channel I look forward to each edition.
The gradient in your yarn is gorgeous. I will look forward to seeing the progress on your sweater. The tops are interesting too and I am sure will be useful at home in the summer heat. 🇬🇧
I completely agree about the dental hygienist top. Before you even said that, I was going "I don't know… That flutter sleeve… Those ties…That print..."
However, I think the Madras top is fabulous. I think you should just finish those arm holes and wear it. There is nothing wrong with your pattern matching! And the plaid looks fine. Plus, it seems to be colours that you resonate with. Consider it!
And while we're talking about colour, your yarn dying is masterful! Such a beautiful gradient. I like the idea of your sweater, but would love to see that gradient knit from dark to light, even as a little swatch once you are done with your project.
All in all, very entertaining program.
Have fun at your upcoming events.
I'm thinking about taking out the self-fabric bias binding and replacing it with something else. That fabric did not cooperate with the bias tape making process, and the sewing looks awful around the neck. My teacher agreed that I should have used a different fabric (I even used starch when I made the tape, but it didn't help enough!)
Probably wise. Could not see it on the video. But you did a really good job. Too nice to let moulder.
You feel about quilts the way I feel about knitting or crocheting blankets. But it is fun to learn new things and to watch others learn so don't hesitate to keep on showing what you are learning.
I like the plaid top-you did a great job!
I understand the excitement you have for your all of your projects.
The AI picture your husband created cracked me up 😄. I see what you mean.
❤❤❤
I'm going to Maryland Sheep and Wool, too. It will be my first festival. Hope I get a chance to say hi on Sunday!
Come by the Central Maryland Knitting Guild booth.
I will be at Sheep and Wool on Sunday also. It would be fabulous to meet you in person. Hopefully I will see you there!🎉
I can only agree with what you said about the last shirt: On camera it looks absolutely fine!
I mean, YOU have to decide whether it's something you'd want to finish and wear, and it looks like you don't, but from where I'm sitting it looks absolutely wearable. Like you said earlier in the video: It's not perfect, but it's better that it was, or in this case than no shirt, but if it's NOT better to you then toss it.
I am a beginner spinner and rewatched the CF episodes where you jumped down the spinning rabbit hole. It was so fun hearing the excitement in your voice and being overwhelmed by how much there was to learn which mirrored so closely to how I was feeling 😊
You were talking about the reason for your Friday videos…and I can say that they are so informative and helpful to myself, as a relatively newish knitter. Listening to your experiences with challenges, such as your gaping buttonbands, gives me an understanding that I have applied to my own knitting over the years. I really appreciate the effort and dedication you give to your videos, and I really appreciate you. 💕
I love Love Notions patterns! I have almost the full collection, I think.... I hope you try more of them, especially those they have on offer every Friday. I'm enjoying seeing your spinning and dyeing progress as well (I'm a UK Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers member myself). It takes a while, as you say, to be consistent enough to spin a sweater quantity of yarn but the feeling of achievement is immeasurable. I can't wait to see what you make ❤
Very exciting that you will be at MD Sheep & Wool. I live in the DC area and it is my local festival and I hope I see you there! Have a wonderful time exploring DC.
CF is always a delight for me, learning from your learning, and getting to see your FOs. Thanks for sharing so much!
As usual, a great video!
Your varied fiber arts interests remind me of an aunt who knits English style, learned how to make historical patterns to make costumes as a docent at a living history museum, and other finely detailed needle arts... always into new techniques---challenging the mind!
I had to laugh when you said “medical room vibes”. I made a beautiful jacket once but in a green that my family immediately said “Greengrocer” and “Bellhop”!! Needless to say I salvaged the buttons and never wore the jacket 😂.
Really, don't worry about the vertical asymmetry - what matters is those side seams which look perfect 😊
If you’re in town on Thursday/Friday before MD Sheep and Wool, take a look at the Yarncentrick event in Frederick, MD. You will probably feel overwhelmed at Sheep and Wool, I know I do. I recommend you have a few patterns in mind to purchase for, otherwise you might not be able to decide what and how much to buy. I will be doing that this year and I hope it helps me focus my purchases better. Hope to see you on Sunday!
Asymmetrical plaids make great pleated skirts. By setting your pleat width using the plaid pattern, you get a very pretty effect (lighter or darker at the waist).
Pendleton uses this a lot in their skirt designs, so a quick search of their skirts will show the light/dark effect I’m talking about. They often go extra fussy mile by doing stitched down pleats. I’ve only done the stitched down pleats once; it’s tricky to get the shaping correct. I generally do the closure/opening inside a side pocket and don’t stitch down my pleats, for a quick but stylish skirt.
With plaid, it’s easy to adjust the size of the repeat to get you to the skirt fullness you’d like to have. It doesn’t work for a pencil skirt, but it works for quite a range of widths, and a pleated waist isn’t puffy like a gathered one, especially if you’re using a denser fiber. If (like me) you need more length behind, that adjustment is made at the waist, with the horizontal stripe at the hip running parallel to the floor. And of course, hemming is a breeze - whatever hem width you choose (to add or reduce weight in order to change how it hangs, how stiff it is, or how it swings when you walk), it will be very consistent. No wobbling hem. Note: counterintuitively, a narrower hem is actually stiffer than a wider hem.
Woven plaid fabrics are also great for testing out new patterns, as you accidentally discovered, whether or not the plaid is symmetrical. I always check the end-of-bolt bin at SR Harris for woven plaids, even if I don’t like the color or fiber, and buy it when there’s enough yardage to make something. That way, if I’m testing out a new design, it’s very easy to use that fabric as a quick test (no finishing details or pattern matching), to easily tell whether it’s hanging nicely, or to make adjustments so it stays level, etc. It can later be re-cut to test something smaller, or make great rags.
I personally am loving the sewing projects! Rather than this being a knitting channel I see it as a Roxanne channel. I’m interested in you and your approach, your commitment to trying and learning new things and I really appreciate your measured and well researched presentation.
As for your scrubs-like top… I’m not sure if you’re looking for feedback or advice so feel free to ignore this next bit. To my eye, some things that make it scrubs like that could be changed for the next version if you wish 1. The length. Tops that finish between the high hip and the full hip are often difficult to wear because they often cut us off at a place we don’t naturally have horizontal emphasis. It’s neither the narrowest nor widest part of the figure so it disrupts the natural line. However, it is very practical which is why we often associate it with work wear. Hemming this version to end at the hip bones, or making the next one a bit longer so that the hem sits more in line with your natural horizontal lines could help you feel better about this pattern. 2. I’m not sure how tall you are but you have mentioned having broader shoulders and width through the upper back. Again to do with the length, there might be a disruption between the width and length of the garment. More emphasis through the upper half of the top could help make the most of your broad shoulders and balance out the length. Broad shoulders are a blessing! Models often have them because clothes always hang from the shoulders first of all and then skim the rest of the body. It’s much harder to fit narrow shoulders I find. The flutter sleeves could be fuller, or the tie at the neckline could be bigger. Some 1930s sewing patterns could provide some inspiration!
Learning to sew for your own body can be a rollercoaster because it can suddenly make you hyper aware of things about yourself you never noticed before! The good news is once you start to work with your body you end up with the best fitting clothes of your life!
Hi there, thank you for calling in. I enjoy everything you say, I think I am a sponge and just absorb it. I too went to night classes to learn to sew and made a top with long sleeves and Emperor collar. I was very proud of it and got lots of compliments about it especially, is that a Singapore airlines flight attendant uniform? From then on I don't think I have worn it without a cardigan or jacket. I was very embarrassed about that.
Your jacket that you fixed looks lovely now, I hope you have fixed it and nothing else goes wrong. The wool for your cardigan also looks promising, I am looking forward to seeing how you are getting on with it.
I won't hold you up any longer but look forward to seeing you next time.
Thank you for mentioning the difference between Saturday and Sunday at Sheep & Wool festival. I wasn't sure when to go. On the one hand, by Sunday things may get sold out and better to come early and see everything. On the other hand, with fewer people one can browse better and maybe some things will be on sale towards the end. All demonstrations (shearing, sheep dogs) and music will be the same on both days.
As a tip in return, consider visiting the French embassy when you are in DC - they always have the best food and drinks comparing to other embassies!
My understanding is that the European embassy tour is the following weekend, unfortunately!
Thank you for your tips re the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and Embassy Day in DC. I'm travelling to the festival (plus Yarncentrick) from Ireland and had been dithering about whether to go on Saturday or Sunday. So Sunday it is!!
I hope you enjoy your time at the festival, and other activities! :-)
You are correct about spinning. My goal is to find some pattern or project that will use the small amounts; it is a slow craft that really does take time in the modern world to make sense. I feel the old-timers had specific goals, and spun just for that, or just for the immediate family. Maybe every member of the community had a niche to fill for the bigger picture. Context is everything.
Your ribbing stabilisation was very interesting. in the traditional UK method of making a cardigan with vertical ribbed band, the band is knitted afterwards on a smaller needle and stitched on as you knit it , and you have to stretch the band as you apply it. Its a little fiddly, and it always surprises me how much you need to stretch it get it to lie flat. obviously the seaming also stabilises it and as I use good old back stitch rather than mattress stitch it gives it structure. It always makes me wonder who was the first knitter to think of this!
The blue cardigan I showed that had ribbon on the inside was knit separately after the bottom ribbing was complete. The gray one was also knit after the fact, on a smaller needle, but was applied to the edge as it was knit. Because of that construction, it was likely not stretched enough just from the difference in row gauge. I made a number of modifications to the pattern as it was knit, and after the fact. If I were to do it all over again, I'd likely change a few more!
That dental hygienist bit really made me cackle like mad, thank you!
I think the plaid tank looks great! Unfortunately I do agree the flutter sleeve top looks a bit like scrubs, but I still think you could rock it.
I'm very excited to see how your hand spun sweater comes along. I really love the gradient you dyed. Great job.
Your gradient yarn is awesome, I am so looking forward to see the sweater done ...
I like that you have a multitude of crafts on your channel. Both tops are great. Even though the one does give you “medical” vibes maybe you could wear it under a jacket or accessorize it with a belt or something. The other top is great. I like the matching of the plaid on the front. I like to be practical too and think of ways to use something in a different way. Love your gradient yarns.
I think your "dental hygenist" top turned out really nice. I wouldn't have thought of a dental hygenist if you hadn't mentioned it. I can't wait to see the sweater you knit with your self dyed yarn.
The nice things about using overstock/upcycled fabric for your sewing experiments is that it really doesn't cost any more than muslin. You might as well make your test muslin out of a fabric you enjoy. You might or might not get a wearable article of clothing out of it, but you'll learn about the qualities of different fabrics along the way and what suits you best.
Seems like a crafty channel.
I am using the exact same Knit Picks High Desert yarn! I was also curious about "Shaniko wool". It looks like most of the farms that contribute to the pool are merino or merino-rambouillet crosses. I bought some of the bare white and some colored, and the yardages were listed differently on the ball bands. I don't know if that's a typo or if there is a really significant difference after the dyeing process in this case.
The shirt is beautiful. It has my favorite colors!!! Medical shirts are usually boxy. Yours is not. Plus the ties, put in a bow, would change the look.
I think your crafty, puzzle solving brain would enjoy the process of quilting…. I give most of mine away because I don’t need another quilt. Same with socks! I love knitting socks but I don’t need anymore!🤣
Roxanne, I chuckled a bit when you spoke about the tediousness of knitting the stocking, because you picked a rather (boring?) institutional gray color. It seems to, psychologically at least, add to the drudgery of stockinette knitting in the round. I wonder what the ladies of 1655 felt about doing the same?
It is a bit institutional, but it's better than just knitting another natural cream stocking, which I've done a few times, now, and couldn't bring myself to do again! I think I like self striping yarn so much because it entertains me as I knit the socks. :-)
Viewing your buttonband from an architectural drafting point of view, if a buttonband needed more support than the 2 smaller pieces of ribbon, would you be able to stitch short horizontal pieces of ribbon to the 2 vertical strips, above and below the buttonhole, to prevent stretching? Just thinking out loud.
I finally understand the mixture for dyeing yarn. Thank you so much for clearly explaining it
That might work. There are so many ways to do the ribbon bands!
Think the tops turned great! Great job on the plaid match. Is it the floral print that gives the med asst. vibe ?
It's the v-neck, no collar, and short sleeves combined with that floral pattern. I looked at dozens of pictures of finished tops in the Rhapsody blouse pattern before I made it, and didn't get that vibe, and I didn't have that vibe from the fabric while I was sewing it. It was only after I finished it and saw it all together...
Hi, Roxanne! What kind of spinning do you do? Do you use a wheel, or drop spindle, or some other method? I am curious about spinning, but like you, don’t want to go down a rabbit hole that will take away from my knitting. I still have so much to learn about knitting! But spinning……..so tempting! 😅
I have a Lendrum double treadle wheel. :-)
Love the cable cardigan you’re wearing. Is this an available pattern or is it from your head. I spin and then knit from my own sheep.
There's information in the Show Notes about the cardigan, as well as a link to my Ravelry project page for the cardigan that explains the various modifications I made.
@@RoxanneRichardson thank you so much. We’re just into Autumn here in New Zealand and something like this Cardi is perfect for the coming winter
Wool pool, comingled wool
Wool pool! That's the term that eluded me! :-)
@@RoxanneRichardson grew up seeing one at Del Val College, now university, in Doylestown, PA.
@@RoxanneRichardson early 1970's
I love the blouses you made. You're being too critical. Put them aside until summer and then look at them again. You might like them better and be willing to finish the plaid one. Sometimes you just have to let things sit a while. Have you looked at ready to wear clothing. My goodness, they are not nearly so perfect!