Posts tagged skirty
Guest Vendor at Congfu
Jul 7th
I’m pretty darned excited. I’ m a guest vendor at Congfu on Hyena Cart this month. I’m a HUGE fan of Congfu and all the fabulous WAHMs that stock that congo each month. The talent is mind-boggling. And the mamas? Are sweet as honey. To be able to take part in a stocking is a huge honor and I feel quite humbled. In fact, seeing my works up there with some of theirs just seems to underscore how LUCKY I am.
I have two items plus two custom slots up for sale starting tomorrow afternoon at 4:00pm eastern time. The infamous bloomers skirty is a three-day auction, since I literally had no idea how to price it. I have had the idea to knit this for months now, and I originally began to knit it for Evie. Shoot, even now, if it doesn’t sell, I’ll happily keep it and use it for Evie. Either way, a lucky little girl will get this skirty because it is truly a unique and lovely item. If I do say so myself.
A lot of love and work and time went into this skirty. I had begun to knit the skirt in a more ‘a-line’ shape but the yarn, which is Western Sky Knits’ “Bella” on Gaia Organic Worsted, had begun to pool quite a bit. So I “frogged” it and reknit the skirt as a more “juliette” style. As you can see, it came out much nicer. The bloomers are knit with short rows and meant to have a full, baggy fit with a “cinched” cuff at the legs and a lacy ruffle with a picot edge. Wow. Just… wow. I almost can’t believe I knit it!
I’m also stocking a pair of board shorts knit in Mosaic Moon’s gorgeous “Woodland in Spring” colorway, on 3-ply merino.
These are super cute and if they don’t sell, I’ll be happy to use them on Liam! The legs are knit to be wide, very reminiscent of “board-shorts”, with the inseam reaching knee-length (or even a touch lower on my short-legged boy!). As always there are short rows in the back to allow for plenty of fluffy-cloth diaper bum room!
I’m excited and nervous all at the same time! It feels like playing in the big leagues. Wish me luck! And don’t forget, stocking is at 4pm tomorrow, July 8th!
Yet another game of catch-up
Jun 15th
I’ve been criminal about this crafty blog here. I have been SO busy knitting that I haven’t hardly had a chance to update it. And that is all my bad, mind you. It doesn’t take that long to post a finished project but here I am, I have a whole handful to post! BAD KNITTER!
First, check out this skirty, done in Sugar Bubbie’s “Silly Old Bear” colorway on Cestari Superfine. There was less than an ounce of trim yarn (on BFL, of all things!) so I had to dye some yarn for the trim myself. It came out a little more royal blue than the blue in the colorway but I think the contrast is striking and really brings out the reds and oranges.
Since I had extra trim available, I tried a lacey edge detail on the skirt and not only was it easy to do, but it looks so charming on the edge of the skirt! It requires some blocking when drying the skirt after washing but the end result is SO worth it!
Next up I have a pair of longies I made for a sweet mama who purchased a custom slot off my Hyena Cart. She had the colorway custom dyed on Cestari Superfine by Ewe Need Color and it’s called “Maverick”.
Striking, yes? I knit the body on size 8 circulars instead of my usual 7’s, because I felt the thicker yarn would behave nicer with it. I’m glad I did! It made for a quick knit.
I also have a custom knit soaker to share, which doesn’t happen that often. It’s knit with Mosaic Moon’s “Birthday Boy” also on Cestari Superfine. The trim is regular white Cascade 22o.
Such a pretty colorway! I tried a 2-stitch icord for the first time and was pleased with the results though it was more difficult to find a neat way to tie it off at the ends. I also tried a 1×1 ribbing on the leg cuffs which worked great and looked nice too.
Speaking of Mosaic Moon, I knit a pair of shorties with MM’s “Goblin” colorway (yep, Cestari Superfine… AGAIN). I completely adore the mama I knit these for and am incredibly honored that she asked me to knit them for her son. I only hope she enjoys them!
And I finish off with another skirty. This was also knit for a mama who purchased a custom slot from my HC and I had such a good time working with her. It was her first completely custom knitted item and she was nervous and excited. The yarn was custom dyed on BFL by a talented HC dyer (whose store name sadly escapes me at the moment) and it was named “Dryad’s Dance”. A perfect name for this ethereal colorway!
I did another 2 stitch icord!
I also did another lace edge detail on the skirt. I thought the colorway complimented it well.
I also put short rows in the back. I don’t usually do this for skirties as the pattern doesn’t really require it. But I’ve noticed that sometimes the skirt will hike up a little in the back so I thought the short rows might counter-act that.
And that gets me all caught up! I’m currently 2/3 of the way through a big custom outfit. It’s three pieces, including a top that I’ve never knit before. It’s coming along quite nicely though and I promise to post it as soon as I’m finished! I’m very proud of it! Then again, I’m proud of everything I knit.
April Bloom Skirty and a soaker
May 17th
This is my latest skirty, knit as a special custom for a special mama. I would have loved to have made the skirt even longer, but alas… ran out of yarn. In fact, there wasn’t a smidge of colorway left when I was done. It was a nailbiter.
The skirty was knit with Sugar Bubbie’s “April Bloom” colorway on Cestari Superfine yarn. I added rolled cuffs to the soaker (as seen above) and a row of trim crotcheted around the edge of the skirt, as per the mama’s request.
I’ve decided it’s pretty hard to make a skirty NOT come out nice. They’re foolproof, really. They always look good. And I always get a lot of credit when most of the really goes to both the yarn dyer and the pattern writer (Tia from Julibeans, in case you were wondering).
The big question is: Who woudn’t want one of these for their little girl? OMG, the cute! Also? Even cuter on the baby. Just trust me on this one.
I also found time in there to knit Evie a much needed soaker to wear at bedtime:
This was knit on a hand dyed bulky Gaia Organic Merino that was purchased off of Spot’s Corner. It’s a little heavy for summer shorts but I think it’s great for a soaker. This thing is bullet-proof!
I also took this opportunity to try a 1×1 ribbed cuff on the soaker and it’s sorta hard to tell on the bulky yarn but it came out very nice. It’s perfect for hugging those chubby little thighs and providing a little extra mess-protection.
Okay, so that’s it from here. For now. Stay turned for some seriously adorable shorts.
Spring Rainbow Skirty
May 1st
Another custom! And another skirty! I have a feeling I’m going to be doing quite a few of these over the next several months.
The yarn is a kettle dyed variation of the “Spring Rainbow” colorway by Yarnoodles on 2ply BBR (Blackberry Ridge Merino) with matching aqua trim. It wasn’t as pool resistant as the other Yarnoodles yarns I have knit with but it still came out looking gorgeous.
Skirties can be frustrating because you have to flat knit the soaker part and I hate purling with a purple coated passion. And then the skirt gets a little tedious because there are SO many stitches in one round that it seems to take so long to get any sort of length. But the result? Is SO worth it, every single time. I just love skirties.
I hope the mama who ordered this loves it and can’t wait to see pictures of what it looks like on her little girl!
Custom Work Catchup
Apr 27th
Once again, I find myself terribly behind with showing my latest customs work! The good news is the reason I am so behind is that I have been so busy knitting! The jobs are very steady right now and that is a very good thing. I have enough yarn waiting in the wings to keep me busy for a long time to come:
See what I mean? So let’s get caught up, shall we? I have a lot to share!
First off, we have a trio of wee bitty small longies with ruffles on the cuffs for a sweet mama who contacted me on Etsy to do the job. She’s expecting a baby (she may have had it by now!) and wanted some wool, including a pair for the cherub to wear home from the hospital (the pink and brown pair above). I ordered the yarn from TIG (Three Irish Girls) on her request and though it did take a while to get the yarn in hand, I was able to knock out the longies quickly and in time to get them to her. They were all on Carys BFL yarn (with coordinating Cascade 220 trim) in the colorways Elsbeth, Kirsty and Isolde. Very pretty yarn! I can’t wait to work with more TIG yarn in the future!
Next up is the second skirt for a sweet mama. It was knit with Western Sky Knits “Saltwater Taffy – Kettle Dyed Variation” on their Rodeo BFL yarn, with coordinating trim in a peachy-pink color. This was a fun yarn to knit with as the color repeats were so random and small. You never knew how the finished product was going to look! It is very soft and just adorable. Kile was going to crochet a fancy edge on, but we ran out of yarn. Nuts!
These next two projects were fun because it was the first time I had worked with my friend Kira’s dyed yarn AND the first time I had worked with the Cestari Superfine Merino I have heard so much about. Both of these colorways were custom ordered by another lovely lady. The first pair (on top) was purple, pink, yellow and green. Very pastel and very pretty! The second pair is called “Fairy Catmother”, named after a Goodmama diaper of the same name. The yarn came out PERFECT and knitted up perfect too! I was also trying a new pattern with this pair and really like it! I added a row of trim to the top of the waistband and the cuff of the capri ruffles and it came out really sharp.
Lastly, I have a sweet pair of shorts for the gal I did my first custom job for several months ago. There was some drama regarding the yarn and I offered up this yarn in lieu of the intended yarn. It is Yarnoodles “Oh The Thinks You Can Think” colorway on Organic Worsted Merino with coordinating red trim. I bought it because I just love Yarnoodles yarn and how it is so wonderfully pool-resistant. It didn’t let me down here, either! I hope the new mama loves them as much as I do. I think they came out just gorgeous.
And now I am caught up! On the needles: another skirty! This time on Blackberry Ridge Merino, which I haven’t tried yet am interested to see how it turns out. I think I’ll be busy for a good while yet!
Fireworks Skirty Custom
Apr 7th
Skirties get a lot of attention in the wool soaker community. They take a considerable amount of work, for one thing. Not that it’s difficult but it is time intensive as well as wool intensive. But the effort shows and is very worth it in the end.
I had a mama recently request two skirties from me and she sent in the yarn she wanted me to use. I was excited to tackle the project and the yarn was gorgeous. The first of the two was knit with Laines Magnifiques’ “Fireworks” colorway on Soyeux BFL with matching trim in purple. This yarn was just simply GORGEOUS and a delight to work with. I love soft, silky, shiny yarn and this yarn was definitely that.
I knit the trim, the undersoaker and a row at the edge of the skirt in the purple trim, and the rest was knit in the colorway. I used nearly all of the 6 ounces of yarn on this medium sized skirt. But the result is simply stunning.
The sweet mama who ordered this skirt was so happy with the result that she didn’t want to wait for me to finish the second skirt and requested I send this one on as soon as it was dry from it’s wool wash/lanolizing bath. The next skirt promises to be just as stunning, as you will soon find out!
For the moment, I’m busy at work on a big order for three pairs of longies for a dear newborn baby girl, due later this month. I’ve finished one pair and am halfway through the second. I’m a knitting machine, ya’ll!
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