This week on the blog I have a little crafting update to share. As with my vacation reading, I did not get as much knitting done on our trip as I expected to, mostly because it was usually just too hot to want to pick up any yarn. But I have made a good bit of progress on something that I will share later on in this post. First, though, I wanted to start off with a finished sewing project that I just completed yesterday for my daughter!
We are calling this the “Sunflower Dress”, and it is based on a free pattern, the Sleeveless Sunday Tween Girl’s Dress from Sew Can Do. I originally had planned on using this print to make her a pioneer dress from a McCalls pattern we have used before, but I grossly underestimated the amount of fabric that dress needed when purchasing it. The fabric and yellow floral rickrack trim came from our final trip to Joann before it closed, so there was no going back to look for extra yardage. Instead, we opted for this simple, sleeveless dress, and I am very happy with this choice.
I decided to adjust the pattern to use a back zip instead of buttons because this makes getting dressed quickly on Sunday mornings much faster when you don’t need help with those impossible to reach back buttons! I do hate installing zippers, and this one went in far from perfectly…but with my daughter’s waist length hair flowing down her back, no-one will ever see it anyway! Yay! The bodice on this is fully lined, which is perfect for those girls who have sensory issues surrounding scratchy seams. I used a bit of thrifted 100% cotton sheet for the lining, which will be soft and breathable. For the skirt, we didn’t go with exact measurements from the pattern instructions but just squeezed out as much length and width as our fabric would allow for maximum gathering and room for growth. I also did add a back skirt seam so that the zipper could go clear down to the hip area for ease of slipping the dress on and off. For the hem, I continued to maximize the length we could get by using hem tape so that the actual fabric that I had to turn up was pretty minimal. Overall, we are both very happy with how this turned out, and there is still plenty of summer weather for my daughter to get several wears out this dress this year. It also has a good amount of positive ease in the bodice, so I am sure it will last her until next summer, as well.
The other project I have to share about is also a bit of a departure from my original plans. This is the Smiling Honey Top pattern from Drops Design, and I am using Viking Garn Bambino yarn. I mentioned this yarn last month when I showed you some pretty crocheted squares I made out of it, along with plans to make a top using those squares as the basis for the yoke. That idea sounded nice, but I just couldn’t get the actual execution to work for me. I did join up the squares, and I still think I am going to use them to make a top at some point, but just not a knit/crochet top. I think I will use them with some fabric instead.
However, I still wanted to make this lovely yarn into a cool summer top, so after much searching, I finally decided on a suitable pattern that worked with my gauge and the needles I have on hand. I had my heart set on a lace pattern somewhere in the design, as well as a sleeveless top that wasn’t very low cut, and the Smiling Honey Top fit both those qualifications. This yarn is working up like a dream, so drapey and smooth! The only complaint I have is that it is rather splitty, but that was much more of problem when I was crocheting at a small gauge than it has been knitting with these 3.5mm needles. I am currently at the underarm shaping section of the back section. I checked Ravelry project pages before committing to this pattern, and I noticed that many people adjusted the pattern to knit in the round. I didn’t want to commit the brain power needed to change a new-to-me pattern, and I really don’t think I will mind stitching my knitting together at the end. The stockinette has gone very quickly, which is nice, since I know the front lace panel will slow me down a good deal. Fingers crossed that I will not have any major issues and that next month I can show you the finished product!
I think that is all I have to share today, though. So until next time, happy stitching, friends!
Kiel
