Chanel-Style Jacket

Mimi G is giving me agita right now.  She's working on a Chanel style jacket that's making me long for spring.

I've wanted a Chanel jacket for a very long time, but alas they're out of my price range right now. However, I do enjoy reading about how they're constructed and why they're worth every penny of their four- and five-figure price-tags. Claire Shaeffer wrote a wonderful article for Threads magazines entitled, "Inside a Chanel Jacket" in issue 23 from June/July 1989.  Susan Khalje also wrote an article with the same title for issue 121 from October/November 2005. Both articles (and their amazing pictures and illustrations) really show you how to put together the jacket, including all the labor intensive hand sewing (which I'm strangely looking forward to doing). Shaeffer's article also shows how to create trims and buttons if you can't find ready made ones at your local store or if you just want to make something that's unique. You can probably find copies of both on Ebay, but Threads was also smart enough to put their entire back catalog on a DVD-ROM you can buy here for $99 which is much cheaper than trying to collect all the back issues.  Plus it's searchable.

Mimi is working from Vogue 7975 but according to Shaeffer, Chanel jackets have three piece sleeves so I'll be working from Shaeffer's Vogue pattern 8804.  I've worked with Shaeffer's couture patterns in the past and her instructions are incredibly detailed. You'll get a bit of tailoring experience and practice hand sewing while you create a beautiful garment. I also found a ton of information on blogs of seamstresses who've also tackled the project like Go Chanel or Go Home.

I'm so tempted to go fabric shopping this week for something bright yellow, orange or maybe even pink. Mimi bought her Neon Mult/Cream fabric at Michael Levine in LA, but I'm going to visit Mood and other shops in the garment district to find fabric for mine. I need to feel my fabrics so I rarely buy fabric online.  Do any of you buy fabric online regularly? Has it ever been better (or worse) than you thought it would be?

My Socks Are Showing

This is the first sock I've ever knitted. Woohoo! Unfortunately she's alone in the world right now until I get to her twin.

I like the self striping even if it ends abruptly. My next pair will have a more lively colorway though.  Superbright socks might be impractical, but they're so cute. Maybe I'll even tackle something lacey.

I'll put in an "afterthought heel" once I get to the desired height (or run out of yarn, whichever comes first). I wanted to make sure they'd fit so they might be bigger than they need to be. Next time I'll stop increasing at a smaller number of stitches to create more negative ease. Live and learn.

The red thread that's in the center? That's where the heel will go.

I'd love to get this one done by the end of the week so I'm going to spend at least one hour every night this week knitting. Since the rounds are so small, I may finish even earlier than that.

Socks!

I decided that I need to make a pair of socks before I leave this mortal coil.  Socks have always been intimidating to me because of the heel.  I've heard horror stories about "The Heel."

I tried to learn from books, but no dice.  You Tube?  Nada.  Then I took the "Knitting Original Toe Up Socks" course on Craftsy and suddenly it all made sense.

(Sidenote: How much do I love Craftsy courses?  I truly appreciate being able to continuously rewind until I understand something. And that sidebar where you can ask questions? Genius.)

I've had some sock yarn in my stash probably since the '90s so I dug it out. I didn't even know what it was at first since the skein I found had no label. I was so excited that I started knitting anyway; I figured that if it went left, it would just be my "experiment" sock.

Donna Druchunas is an awesome teacher and I did the moccasin toe on my first try!  Now it's about 60% done. I'm doing the "afterthought heel" so I have to go back and put it in after I get my sock to the height I want.

P.S.  I found the other skein and the yarn is Knitpicks Felici self-striping fingering weight yarn.

Done and Done!

I finished my cowl with some modifications.  It's about 12" wide (I believe the original was narrower) and because I knitted it with larger needles (size 13), it has more of a drapey feel.

I'd definitely use this pattern again, but with smaller needles and I'd probably make it narrower.  On the plus side, it's super soft and keeps me warm (though I feel a bit like Queen Elizabeth I with it around my neck.) 

On the Cowl Train

I'm going through an incredibly creative and productive period right now. I've been digging out old supplies and tools (tambour hook, anyone?) and reacquainting myself with all my craftiness.  I now have a very long to-do list of projects. Most of them are pretty involved so to keep myself motivated, I occasionally do a quick project like, say, for instance this cowl:

It's from Margaux's blog.

I instantly fell in love, but the only problem was I had no suitable yarn. But then I saw it: the sweater I started knitting a million years ago. I recently pulled it from the bottom of my closet (where I also found an amazing stash of gloves and buttons, some of which I'll probably sell on Etsy). But I digress. I knew I'd never wear that sweater (it was a stockinette stitch, oversized, crew neck design - so not me) so I decided to frog it for the yarn. I was afraid the yarn wouldn't be usable until I found this little gem. As instructed, I tied the ripply yarn into hanks, swished it around in fabric softener (that's all I had in the house) and hung it up to dry. It worked like a charm.

Now my former sweater looks like this:

The yarn, Brown Sheep Lamb's pride, has an beautiful lustre. My scarf is about 8 inches wide now, but I'm going to knit another four inches to be sure it will look like a proper cowl when I'm wearing it.

Oh, and remember the beret I was knitting?  Here's the finished product:

Sewalong: Frabjous

So I was minding my business when I stumbled onto this bit of magnificence:

and a Sewalong from Frabjous.

Yes, it's on the list.  It reminded me of another similar Anthropologie skirt

that was brilliantly reinterpreted by Communing With Fabric.

Decisions, decisions.  I mean they're both gorgeous and you can never have too many ruffled skirts, right?  Okay, maybe I should say I can never have to many ruffled skirts.

Newness

Ah, new projects.  So I've been MIA because, well, things went haywire in my life.  Anyhow now I'm easing back into crafting.  I'm doing some smaller projects so I can get my rhythm back. First up: a beret. Not just any beret, but the fabled Grace Lace Beret from LoopKnits. I initially saw it on Ravelry a few months ago and put it in my queue.  Now that it's officially cold and I need a stylish hat, I'm making it in Patons Canadiana dark grey yarn. This is my first lace knit, so I was a bit apprehensive with all the yarnovers and such, but so far the pattern is working out quite nicely and it's a quick knit. To make it winter-ready, I'm going to interline it with something fleecy and then make a satin lining.

Here are some pics of my progress.

I never knew it would be so difficult to photograph a knit pattern, but these are the best shots. Once it's finished, I'll try again and hopefully I'll be able to show more detail.