Well ... it IS Boston ... [MMM-L 10, 11]

So there I was standing at the counter in front of the wall of buttons in Windsor Button, debating. "I can't believe I'm picking out buttons for a wool sweater at the end of April," I said to the saleswomen who were hovering around four sets of black buttons.

"Well ... it IS Boston ..."

And so it is.

This is Trina, a free Ravelry download. [Ignore that my skirt is not centered] When I finished it and tried it on my roommate said, "Very cute ... that was popular all over Tokyo this winter." Which in my brain is shorthand for -- score!


I used the same yarn as for this sweater. I have to admit, it's a bit rough and not terribly drapey for a pullover sweater, but when I saw this pattern while trolling Ravelry [seriously addictive stuff] I knew that it would suit the yarn to a T, and I just happened to have 5 balls on hand for another project that I never got to because I knew that cardigan would need a yarn with more drape. I have to say, it's really nice to be developing a feel for matching yarns to knitting patterns ... just like I'm working on developing a feel for matching fabric and drape to sewing patterns.

Anyways, I knit this for a 36" bust and then did an extra set of decreases to get a little 0" ease going on, but I think I must be the worst gauge-r in the world because it came out huge. At least one size too big. So after soaking it I put it in the dryer for 7-8 minutes and bit my nails the entire time. Which made the yarn even stiffer, and I think that's a good thing. So it worked out, and it also worked out that I had to frog this 3 times because I discovered I needed to add a couple inches in length.


This closes with snaps, the button is decorative. I put a snippet of a dryer sheet behind the snap for stability, or maybe I'm just deluding myself on that one, but anyways it works for me. And I have an extra honkin' button just waiting for a home. The original pattern calls for 3 buttons but I was cheap and only bought two, and then Hana, who was chatting with me as I sewed on the first button, pointed out that one button only gives this really nice lines, so I've kept it that way. That's one stylish lady, my roommate.


I am not, however, terribly fond of the way it poofs out in the back. Hana tells me that's just how these things are, and I'm inclined to believe her but also inclined to want to make up a solution for this. I think I'm going to wear this a couple times and see if it won't settle down on its own. If I was to make this again [and I won't], I might see about putting the decreases in the back, kind of like darts, instead of at the side, since I didn't get much of an A-line look to this cardigan as the original shows. I'm pretty happy with my version, though.

Day 10. Don't mind the expression on my face, I was trying to look directly at the camera for once. Awkward!

Handmade cardigan and handmade/refashioned skirt. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but I've been growing more and more in love with the color orange. In fact, it is the most featured color this month! I know mustard yellow and then purple has been everywhere, but for me, it's all about orange. I mean, orange goes with everything. And in a really great persimmon-y shade, or in a bright shade, or in heather, or ... or ... or ... The possibilities are endless.

Day 11.

Sorry for the crap picture, I ran out of the apartment this morning before I had a chance to snap a photo, so you have a night shot instead. Refashioned cardigan from turtleneck, although I spent so much time on it I feel like I may as well have sewn it from scratch. I tend to put a lot of time into my refashions [and into my handmades in general] ~ I dunno, I've never been one of those down-and-dirty types of refashioners, I'm more of a meticulous, overthinking, control freak-ish, OCD, excessive-detailing kind of refashioner. I think it's because I want a wardrobe of clothes that I really and truly love, filled with clothes that work together as a cohesive unit, and so I try to make pieces I think I will still want to wear in 5 years. I admire people who - BAM! - have a handful of new skirts in an afternoon. But I know me. I'm going to want a little extra detailing to make it quirky, or I'll obsess over the silhouette or something. So I have to work with who I am, you know?

Looking back at my outfits so far, I'm realizing that it's been a bit of a struggle to create outfits that center around handmade. Sometimes the MMM-L part is really Light, if you know what I mean. And that says a couple things about me: 1) I was deluding myself re: how much handmade I actually wear on a daily basis, 2) I have a certain standard of off-beat-ness or diversity of styles that I want to play with in my outfits. And clearly the garments I make have a ways to go in those two departments, or else I wouldn't still be reaching for my RTW pieces!

It's time to step it up a little more and push my creative comfort zones. And you know, after 20 skirts, 2 dresses, and 1 blouse and 1 cardigan refashion, I should be up for the challenge ...