Fitting

With Christmas and Boxing Day behind us, and a few days to go before I have to deal with a Zoom birthday for James, I chose to spend most of my morning working on matters of fitting. Probably the biggest mistake I encounter when knitters aren't satisfied with one of my designs is the failure to take time to deal with issues of fit. For instance, never assume that the armhole depth prescribed by a pattern is going to work for you (hear that, all you Buttonbox knitters?) Same goes for body and arm lengths, not to mention foot and hand lengths. In general, designers work with industry standard measurements, because that's what magazines and yarn companies want. Unfortunately, a lot of us aren't average. So, always take time to check out a pattern's finished measurements and compare them to your own. And fitting doesn't end there. Take my advice about wet blocking work in progress, and you'll be much happier with your knitting outcomes, trust me. 

First up this morning, my Penelope Mittens. These are really just "utility mitts", the kind you wear to put the garbage out and shovel the mound of snow the plough has piled at the entrance to your driveway before it turns to concrete. In other words, they're not fancy, they're easy to make, and they're thick enough that they don't always need a second layer underneath (especially if you're engaged in a vigorous physical activity). These jobs are not the ones you do wearing your precious Diamanda or Vinland mittens. Mittens are an example of an item that demands a proper fit. It's tough to get your house key in the front door or pick it up when it falls into the snow if there's an extra half inch of hand and/or thumb in the way. So, when possible, try mittens on their intended victim (in this case, that's me).

The advantage to mittens made in the round is that you have the opportunity to try them on as you approach the endpoints of the hand and thumb. When the hand reaches the tip of your pinkie (see above), it's time to start decreasing for the tip. This is similar to the rule about when to start decreasing for the toes of socks.

The bulk of my morning was spent on re-configuring the Wiksten Shift Dress into a version with a gathered skirt and inseam pockets. Wiksten's designer has a gathered skirt hack on her website. I loved the look immediately (it reminds me of these gorgeous dresses from Egg) and wanted to try it out, although I had concerns about the scale on someone of my petite size. I started off following the instructions as given, knowing that adjustments would be required. I used Size 0, the same size I made for the shift version, because I really like the way it fits in the neck, shoulders, and arms. However, I was right to anticipate that the overall width would be overwhelming. Good thing I cut the skirt to only 1.5 times the bodice width. 1.75 would have had me drowning in fabric. Even so, the width was stupidly ginormous on my 5'1" frame. My goal became to maintain the looseness and boho feel whilst reining in some of the width. The solution? Darts. I decided to treat my work as a muslin and fitted the darts while wearing the dress. Then I hand sewed them to double check for fit. I also decided to raise the waistline by half an inch to get a better looking proportion. Finally, after pulling the dress on and off more times than I could count, auditioning a multitude of lengths, I concluded that lower calf length was NOT A GOOD LOOK. I would have looked like someone masquerading in her big sister's clothes. A just-below-the-knee length was perfect. To be sure, I tried the sample on with Victoria (not yet published) and Ellerbeck, and really loved the look. I'm thinking about making the final version in black linen for a go-everywhere, dress-it-up-or-down garment (assuming we ever get to go anywhere again).

The moral of this story: take time to get fit right. Just right. A half inch can mean the difference between a piece you love to wear, or one that sits unworn on a shelf for the rest of its life.

To Ice or Not To Ice

This seems like a year to try new things. Instead of trying to carry on as if nothing is different, it's a good time to change things up. To that end, this morning I made and then froze these.

They're Gingerbread Cupcakes from "Moosewood Restaurant Favorites" (not the "Ginger Cakes" from the list of Moosewood's online recipes). There's a whole tbsp of ground ginger in them. I sampled, and they're winners, just like our other two favourite cake recipes from the same cookbook (Apple Bundt Cake, and Deep Chocolate Vegan Cake). Now the question is: should they be iced or not? Cream cheese icing would probably be nice, but I don't have any cream cheese. Ordinary butter icing might be too sweet. I think, once they thaw out on Xmas Day, I might simply give them a light sifting of icing sugar, and surround them with a few Medjool dates.

We're having a Zoom Xmas, with Isabel in San Francisco and James nearby on King Street E in his new attic apartment. I'll drop off dinner for James. Another change: no turkey. We're all (including Isabel) going with tourtiere this year. (Why does my spell check want to turn this into "torture"?)

There's some concern about snow on Friday, so I'm readying myself for a possible Xmas Eve drop off. This morning I roasted buttercup squash. Now it's mashed and sealed up in the fridge. One less thing to deal with.

And to make this "turning of the page" complete, I'm casting on for a new/old pair of mitts. If you're a longtime reader, you'll recogize these.

I made them at the same time as the Penelope hat, but never got around to publishing them. It's time to finally take care of that. This time round, they're going a shade paler in Quince's Puffin in Glacier.

OK, I admit that this is a highly impractical colour for mitts. After a couple of outings, they'll start to look grimy. But hey, I love, love, love this colour, I have a few skeins of it lounging around in my stash, and I'm going to live a little dangerously (at least as far as knitting goes). 

P.S. The weather forecast for Xmas Day has changed. Now we have a rainfall warning. Our non-winter continues. No complaints, mind.

Gingerbread and Lace

The scent of freshly baked ginger cookies is surely up there in the "Best Smells Ever" list. These aren't really "gingerbread", but ginger crinkle cookies. No rolling required, plus they have a very slightly crunchy exterior combined with a soft and chewy interior. Truly, it doesn't get any better. I found the recipe in the Globe and Mail a couple of weeks ago. It's a keeper.

Such a relief not to be doing any last minute gift knitting this year. Because of my fears of mailing delays, I completed all my knitting obligations by early November. Now it's just fun stuff to knit at my own pace (not very fast, I rarely spend even an hour a day knitting). My test of Victoria is done and ready to wear while I wait for the other testers to finish.

Wheatsheaves, the shawl, is inching its way into the fun lace charts. My knitting philosophy, as you probably know, is to get as much bang for my knitting time with as little effort as possible. As with Victoria, the Wheatsheaves lace charts are easy to memorize and require only casual attention. Perfect for audiobooks and/or CBC Radio or NPR (which, amazingly, is broadcast loud and clear from Cape Vincent just across the lake) or Netflix.

I generally try to keep favourite Calendars going for more than one year by printing off pages for the incoming year and taping them over the original pages. It now seems quite prescient of me to have chosen this little gem a year ago while on a trip to Picton during Isabel's visit here.

The illustrations made me smile when I first saw them and still do now, when a little daily smile goes a long way.

P.S. The best recipe for real old-fashioned gingerbread, the type that used to be served with butter before it morphed into cake in the late 20thC, is from the late James Beard's "Beard on Bread". A copy of it can be found here.

Tutorial: Making a 3-Layer Mask

This is a post for Isabel. She likes the masks I recently sent her along with some fabric to make her own, so this is a step-by-step lesson aimed at her. If anyone else finds it useful, that's great.

1. Cut out the pattern. I use this one. It fits me exceptionally well. The 3/8" seam allowances are included.

2. Trace the pattern onto your pre-washed batik fabric (it's the densest cotton) using tailor's chalk and cut out three pieces from doubled fabric. You will end up with six pieces in total (each piece below is actually two pieces). I like to make one set out of a contrasting lighter fabric that will become the lining.

 3. Sew the long curved edges, then clip the curves.

4. Press the pieces open with the seams to one side. Press the seams in each piece in the same direction. It will all work out, trust me. Then layer them in this order.

5. Pin the layers together and sew the top and bottom. The top is the longer curve. It's pretty obvious.

6. Turn right side out so that the right side of the lining is showing. At first you'll think there's no way this will fit through the side openings, but struggle for a minute and suddenly it'll go. Press everything nice and flat.

7. Edgestitch the bottom. If you wear glasses all the time, go ahead and edgestitch the top. Your glasses will shape the top edge around your nose.

8. If you don't usually wear your mask with glasses, you can insert something like this.

This is the plastic-covered piece of metal (I assume it's metal) from the Stonemill bread I buy at Loblaw. It's perfect for this purpose. Insert it into the top edge and edgestitch as shown below.

 9. Turn the side edges under about 1/4", then about 3/8". No need to be precise. Edgestitch in place, backstitching a few times at the beginning and end where the elastic will put some strain on things.

10. Cut lengths of elastic. I use special mask elastic that I purchased from Fabrications. I cut 9" lengths because the elastic will shrink after washing. I use a blunt tapestry needle to thread through the side edges. You could use a small safety pin if your side openings aren't too narrow.

11. Tie off the ends. I recommend washing the mask before wearing. Everything will shrink a little, which for me results in the perfect fit.

Done!

Scarves, Shawlettes, Shawls

Does linguistic precision matter? Probably not. I'm prepared to grant licence to any knitter to call their knitting whatever they want, even when based on one of my designs, but for my own knitting I like to distinguish between SCARVES, bits of knitting meant to keep the neck area warm, and SHAWLS, designed to cover the shoulders and often much more. A scarf can generally be worn under a jacket or coat. A shawl must, by reason of its size, be worn on its own or possibly even over a coat. As for SHAWLETTES, if I had my way they would disappear as a category. Neither fish nor fowl. It's unreasonable for me to dislike this word, but I do. There, I've said it. 

These cantankerous thoughts arise just as I am launching into a reprise of Wheatsheaves, not as a scarf, but as a shawl. In other words, I'm blowing up this

to enlarge it into a full-scale warm shawl to wear around the house this winter. To accomplish this, I'm using this

 

along with a larger needle size. Not sure yet whether I'll need to work extra repeats. I'll play it by ear. That's the nice thing about shawls.

Rather warm here for December. Looking back at the blog for Dec 14, 2013 when it was minus 16C, I'd say we're lucky. Still able to walk outside without winter boots. No hat required this morning when I took this pic near the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, down the street from our place.

 

The building, designed by Norwegian architects, is such a lovely combination of the old and new, and seems to fit into the landscape perfectly. The soft colours of the old limestone and the new weathered wood are beautiful in the pale winter light.

Christmas tree up today (earlier than usual) and I strung lights along the front porch rails. Trying to stay cheerful as the darkness of the solstice descends.

Testing Underway

Sometimes things actually get accomplished ahead of schedule. While waiting for the internet guy this morning I somehow managed to complete the schematic for Victoria and insert it into the draft pattern.

The draft has been sent out this morning to testers. If you feel like joining in, just let me know on Ravelry. Snow coming later this week. After James' move, I hope. Only rain today. Where do pigeons go when it rains?

Apparently, nowhere. So depressing to see them out in front of the house in 4C drizzle.

Victoria Update

 Nothing gets done as quickly as we think it should. James is preparing to move into an apartment this coming week, Isabel is in the planning stages of a move back to Canada in the early new year (very complicated logistically in a pandemic), and I've finally given up on Bell for internet service and, after more than two frustrating hours on the phone with Bell yesterday, made the move to Cogeco with installation coming on the same day as James' move. We are going to do the physical part of the latter on our own, hoping that our little Mazda 3 can swallow enough of James' mattress and bed rails to safely get the few blocks to downtown.

In the meantime, Victoria is moving toward a final version.

I like to work from my draft before sending a version out to testers. That will likely happen at the end of next week, assuming everything else falls into place. 

Bill and I took a stroll around Fort Henry yesterday afternoon. Very Novemberish light.

This is the view toward the St. Lawrence with one of the city's four martello towers in the distance. The fortifications are part of a Unesco World Heritage site. Looking forward to a relatively nice day today, a sunny 7C.

Hunkering Down

Now that COVID-19 has finally hit our community (36 active cases as of today), Bill and I are doubling down on staying out of harm's way. A brisk walk in the neighbourhood once a day, 

some leaf raking (all done now, thank goodness), and a once-a-week curbside pickup at our local Loblaw (our milk, eggs, and local veggies are delivered by Limestone Creamery). That's pretty much it. Lots of knitting and sewing. I made new 3-layer masks after the new mask recommendations came out a couple of weeks ago. Xmas presents all made, and tomorrow I'll get a box of goodies (edible and not) into the mail for Isabel without even having to enter the post office, courtesy of the nice staff at Peters Drugs down the road. 

Victoria 2.1 is underway, but nothing to show you yet. As soon as it's done, testing will begin. 

Lentil soup and scones for dinner. This is our new favourite scone recipe.

Oatmeal Date Scones

 

2 c wholewheat or spelt flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ c + 2 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp honey

½ c dairy or soy milk

1 c chopped dates*

¼ rolled oats (I use large flake)

 

*If you buy the kind of pitted dates sold for baking, they may be a little dry. Snip them into raisin-size pieces with scissors, then soak them in hot water for 10 min before draining the water off.

 

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix dry ingredients except for oats. Mix the wet ingredients separately, including dates, then add to dry mix. Knead gently for 30 seconds. Spread half the oats on baking parchment, then shape dough into a flat round about 1” thick. Sprinkle remaining oats on top and press down very lightly so they stick. Cut into 8 wedges and bake until golden on the bottom.

Size Inclusiveness: A Hot Topic

Recently, a Raveler who is also a yarn shop owner wrote to me to express disappointment that the sizing for Willingdon is not as inclusive as she had hoped for. She has a lot of larger customers who won't fit into the size range of the pattern (36 1/4 - 49"). It's a valid criticism. So, it's worth taking a moment to let you know where I as a designer am coming from.

I'm a small person, and so is my daughter. I'm 5'1" and she is 5'2", and we're both on the slim side. Both of us have difficulty finding and wearing clothes off the rack. This is how my motivation to make my own designs was born. I had had enough of re-calculating patterns to accommodate our petite stature. My designs have always arisen out of my family members' knitting desires and needs (include my son in here too -- "Stripes", Sandridge, and the "Modern Gansey" were invented just for him). So you can see that from the start, I've been something of a specialist in the small end of the size spectrum. 

It's also important to remember that size is about more than just height and weight; it's also about proportion. Isabel and I are small but pear shaped. We have small busts, skinny arms, and wider hips. That's why some of my designs don't look their best on the well endowed. Brookline, for example, has a narrow front closure which is prone to gapping on those with more frontage. (As an aside, that's not why it's not currently available. I was never happy with the magazine editing of this sweater and at some point I need to go back and restore its original features as seen in the red version on Isabel. That's a whole other tale for another day. Don't give up hope all of you who have requested this back in the lineup.)

"Grading", which is the technical name for the sizing of patterns, is complex. It has to take many factors into account. When designing a top-down raglan pattern, for example, there has to be a balance between the depth of the raglan, the width of the upper arms, and the circumference of the chest. Add to that the need to accommodate a particular stitch pattern and you begin to see what's involved. Some designs are easily adjusted to deal with all of these elements, some not. With the as yet unpublished Victoria (not a top-down design), I would probably have to add a third repeat of the lace panel if I were to add larger sizes, which would in turn change the look of the hem and neck decreases. Doable, but the end result would have a different feel. Gaps between sizes can also vary depending on the size of a stitch pattern repeat. Trellis, for instance, has a long stitch pattern repeat, resulting in relatively large leaps between chest sizes. 

Magazines (online or print) these days want to be as inclusive as possible. It's common now to see submission calls stipulating sizing up to a women's 70" bust. I applaud them for this. But, mathematical limitations aside, since my aim remains primarily to design for my family's personal use (I have no business model), so far I have not aimed to expand sizing beyond my comfort zone. That is not to say that it is not worthwhile or not being done. My friends Robin Hunter and Deb Gemmell, have done a thorough exploration of the problems of fitting larger sizes. I highly recommend their set of cardigan patterns. There are constantly more options as the demand for expanded sizes continues to increase.

I suspect I may have unleashed a storm with this post, but at least now you know why I do what I do.

Garter Stitch Heels

Until a few years ago I wasn't much of a fan of short row heels. As someone with a relatively high arch, I found them ill-fitting. So, I stuck with the traditional heel flap method. Then I stumbled across Lucy Neatby's garter stitch short row heel, and everything changed. Her simple solution? Make the heel on 60% of the stitches instead of the usual 50%. Add to that cushy, hard-wearing garter stitch and you have the perfect heel. I was lucky enough to teach with Lucy at KnitEast last year, and realize now that I forgot to thank her for this little sock innovation.

Above you can see sock #2 of my latest Snakes and Ladders pair in progress as I rounded the heel turn this morning. Notice that I chose to put the instep stitches onto a length of waste yarn -- not necessary, but I find it simpler to work the turn without those pesky instep needles in the way. 

Here's a photo of the original Snakes and Ladders socks all blocked and beautiful before several years of wear wore them down.

Can't help but love the "Colonel Mustard" colourway on this grey and chilly November day.

At Home: New Skills Edition

I read somewhere recently, in an article about coping with pandemic fatigue, that the two pillars of mental health are physical activity and creativity. This may explain why I don't seem to be having an especially difficult time hanging out at home. I walk outdoors almost every day, and I try to keep learning new things. The latest thing I've learned has been more or less forced upon me. I mostly sew Indie patterns, and since the start of the pandemic most Indie designers have been  producing only pdf patterns. Previously, I would take these to my local copy shop and have them printed out on huge pieces of paper from which I would trace the pattern pieces (it's best to keep the original intact in case of future alterations). Lately, I've learned (finally) how to skip the copy shop and print and piece together patterns on my own. I'd tried it earlier, but somehow everything always ended in a horrible mess. The process would start out all right, but as I moved down and toward the right the "tiles" would become progressively mismatched. It turns out there are two secrets to getting it right (assuming you don't have problems printing to scale). 

1) Cut off the right-hand side and the top of each printed page, and 

2) As you piece the "tiles" together, cut out the pattern pieces as they emerge (adjusting any little discrepancies if necessary). 

There's a good description here on the Helen's Closet website. In fact, I'm preparing to sew the Pona Jacket from the same source. I'd show a photo, but I think it is subject to copyright. It's the longer version I'm interested in. In wool, just like the one featured by Sewing Therapy this week. Clearly, I'm on my way down some sort of rabbit hole with this jacket, but what better time for that?

Here's the printed out pdf of the jacket front ready to trace (I use tracing paper that comes in a big roll and feels more like interfacing).

In the evenings I'm gradually adding to my sock collection with a new pair of Snakes and Ladders Socks (link in the sidebar). These are surprisingly quick to make. Really.

This last week of October feels more like November -- winter coat cold. Pics below from the front of our property.

In fact, as I write the leaves are falling fast and it's started to snow. Sigh.

P.S. I forgot to mention in the new skills department, that I'm learning to use Zoom (isn't everyone?) Good thing, because I've been invited as guest speaker by a large knitting guild south of the border. So, new skills AND new opportunities. Got to find the silver lining in every dark cloud.

Good Things

In a normal year, I'd drive to Picton, ON via the Glenora ferry every few weeks, winter excepted. I'd stroll down the main street, buy a takeout lunch, check out the boutiques, and end with a trip to the Hagerman farm stand, possibly the best in the world. On a full day trip, I might take Bill and visit trendy Wellington or have lunch with him at one of Prince Edward County's many wineries. And of course I'd stop at Rosehaven Yarns. Lesley Snyder, the owner, says the shop is hanging in through this weird time. She carries an eclectic mix of gorgeous stuff, from Quince & Co yarns to Briggs and Little to rovings for felters and spinners. The shop's website has had a fantastic upgrade so online shopping is (too) easy, and Lesley tells me that knitters are sending in orders for multiple projects at once. 

So, to support Lesley, here are some project ideas to entice you to check out Rosehaven's offerings.

Hedgewood works well with any wool that knits up at 5 stitches/inch, including Quince's Lark and Owl. Not everything in the shop is on the website. Ask Lesley if she still has Briggs and Little's Regal in stock because it can work too. There's no sewing up with this design, and most of the cabling is done with the right side facing. This model is knitted in Lark in "Frost". Remember, you need a light colour to show off the texture.

Not in the mood for a big sweater project? Perhaps this is the time to prep for winter with a new pair of mittens. These Bellevue Mittens also use the same Lark, Owl, or Regal and are surprisingly quick to make. I recently wrote a blog post about how to make those essential mitten liners. 

 

 

You could also opt for mindless knitting, perfect for Netflix bingeing or audiobooks (my fave) with this Neck Thingum. For this I'd stick to Lark; since it clings to your neck you need something really soft.

 

If you want a quick, soothing sweater knit in chunky wool you can't go wrong with Cascade's Eco+. Lesley has this in some yummy colours, including my favourite Summer Sky Heather, shown here in my Willingdon cardigan.

Do you have a man in your life looking for the perfect stay-at-home sweater? Eco+ to the rescue again in the Modern Gansey. In fact, this pullover is unisex, with instructions to modify the shape to work on a feminine figure too.

And a third option for a sweater with almost no finishing is Glenora, aptly named for the ferry crossing I take to get to Rosehaven.

You may have noticed in the above photo that Isabel is wearing my Bibliogloves. This has been a super popular pattern on Ravelry and for the small and medium sizes all you need is one skein of Quince's Chickadee. Someone on your holiday gift list will appreciate these quick fingerless gloves.

Maybe you're a sock knitter or a lover of sock yarn. You'll need a solid or tonal yarn for these Snakes and Ladders Socks. They are shockingly quick to make and perfect for cable newbies. I'd recommend Biscotte Sock Yarn.

For some soothing knitting with luxury fingering yarn, go for a Pembroke Scarf (there are knitters on Ravelry who've made multiples of this during the pandemic). Only 2 rows to memorize, and you'll end up with something beautiful and practical.

Check out the Ravelry page (link above) for inspiration. Malabrigo Sock was made for this. Now go treat yourself to some new yarn!