Knit 1, Make 2

Buckle up friends, it’s going to be a long one. I’ve not shared my make nine progress so far so that’s what we’re going to talk about today. I’ve completed 4 of my nine projects – 2 sewing and 2 knit – and I’m here to tell you all about them.

The first project I started was the Zelda Crop by Olga Putano. This was a really enjoyable pattern; perhaps except for the 3 color rows, but there aren’t too many.

I’ve loved this pattern from the first moment I saw it and I’m so glad I finally gave it a go. It is very well written, with clear charts and instructions. I used Stress Knits yarn in Dusk (light pink), Mountain Mama (dark green), and Eucalyptus (light green).

I knit a size 3 and my bust measurement is currently 41.5″. That should leave me with nearly 0 positive ease but I’ve noticed that my gauge is teensy bit looser working on a sweater than when I swatch. I usually pick a size down from recommended or something fairly close to my measurement. I’m very pleased with the fit overall.

The one thing I agonized over was the length. No shade on the pattern, I am just quite short waisted. My natural waist and the bottom of my bra are best friends and are surprisingly close. I usually shorten all my sweaters by a few inches and planned to do just that here. I hadn’t really thought through how that might work or not work with the color work.

Honestly, this is a hair longer than I had wanted but it wound up ok. I knit the body (the plain knitting part) to 3.5″ – a full 5″ shorter than called for in the pattern! Definitely something to think about in the future for sweaters with a band of colorwork or patterning at the bottom hem – remember this for later. I’m wearing it here with one of my favorite garments I’ve ever made, this cute little chambray Estuary Skirt (pattern by Sew Liberated).

Next up, I made the Metamorphic Dress by Sew Liberated.

I used two colors of this amazing linen/rayon blend from Blackbird Fabrics. I had in stash 5 meters of the lighter purple, Wisteria, and two remnant cuts of the darker color, Deep Mauve, 1.2 m and 0.9 m. This is just enough of the dark and way too much of the light to make the dress so I decided to try to get a skirt out of it as well.

I was able to get everything cut out, but I did have to modify a bit and add a seam to the back bodice of both sides of the dress. Small price to pay to use up basically every bit of all three cuts.

Anyway, this dress is amazingly comfortable. I cut a straight size 16 and it’s quite a bit too big. I think I need to go down a size and futz with the shoulder and arm holes.

I do plan on making this again sometime, I really like the look and versatility of the two sides.

The skirt I cut was the Gypsum Skirt, also by Sew Liberated, paired here with my brand new Mount Pleasant Tee:

First, the skirt. I used the same linen/rayon in Wisteria as the Metamorphic dress above. I cut a straight 16 and I really like it; the length is perfection. I do think I could have gone a bit shorter on the elastic, it’s pretty loose at my waist but still pretty comfy. Additionally, I need to work on the waistband sewing itself. I don’t know if it was the fabric or my general lack of patience, but it’s not the best. It’s uneven in some places and not evenly gathered all the way around.

Now, onto the top. This is a new favorite, I think.

This is the Mount Pleasant Tee by Megan Nodecker. I used yarn from Backyard Fiber Works in the Shell colorway (they don’t dye yarn anymore). I knit a size L and the fit is amazing. Again, I agonized over the length. This one is knit from the bottom up, so it’s not really possible to try on and truly judge, at least for me. I based my guesstimate off of how the Zelda Crop fits. I knit it about 2 inches shorter than called for and also decreased the shoulder length by a half inch. I was worried that it would be too short, but it’s pretty dead on.

Let’s pause for a second and talk crop tops. I never wore crop tops when I was a teenager and having a baby didn’t add to my tummy confidence. I’m working on that. I have played many body shaming and age related internal scripts to myself over the last 20 years and I’m ready to shut that down. My tummy deserves it’s moment in the sun.

So here it is, my first ever crop top and I’m in love. This little tee is so soft and comfy – I’ll definitely make more of this pattern. I sandbagged a bit on it because I had some gift knitting and major indecision over the length but otherwise it was a super quick knit.

All in all, this is a great start to my make nine and I think these are all good wardrobe pieces. Happy to have used some serious stash and made up some patterns I’ve had in my mental queue for years.

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Happy making!