On My Needles / Sweater Hacks and Hibernating Projects
I can easily get swept up in a project and all else falls to the wayside. If I don't periodically regroup and get organized, things in my little studio tend to pile up and not get put away properly. I was way overdue for such a clean up and it was a great way to assess what projects are ongoing and which have been finished and can be properly squared away. It also occurred to me that I haven't made an "On My Needles" post for quite some time! Now that I'm properly organized in my office, let's jump in!
I'll start with most recently cast on and work my way through to older hibernating projects. I recently received an email from Leigh who has knit 6 West Coast Cardigans to date!!! She reached out to me about knitting the pattern into a vest for her husband and in troubleshooting this with her I immediately felt inspired to cast on and see this one through to the end! I needed to see just how it would work up! I pulled every ball of super bulky yarn out of my stash and got to work straight away.
When I was working on the West Coast Cardigan prototype my initial collar had a lower profile which I decided to rework into a more substantial collar for the final design. It's always been in the back of my mind that the smaller collar would be really well suited to a men's version and decided to pull my notes out and apply it to this vest hack. I'm not 100% sold on the black collar, it was just something I had handy and took along to knit up on a camping trip... I may pull it out and use one of the colours pictured above instead. Elsie and I are leaning towards the light grey. I'd like the collar colour to be used for the armhole ribbing as well as the ribbing at the hem of the body.
Guess who's asked if she can have this project before it's even off the needles...
100% cuteness ♥
This also happens to be the year that all of my store bought socks blow holes in the bottoms. Time to cast on another pair of Climb socks (I think I have about 5-6 pairs of these already in my sock drawer).
Another pattern I've been dying to hack is the Winston Pullover. Last year I made a modified version in seed stitch for the knit-along. Since then I've had it in my mind to try applying a turtleneck to the pattern and finally decided to use some stashed yarn to cast-on. I'm really happy with the results but undecided on the colour (I might like something a little lighter)... guess who's offered to take this version off my hands when I'm done?
You guessed it...
...we might just have to agree to share it.
Side note—the pants that I'm wearing in the photos above are the Arenite Pants (these are the slim hack), they are my latest sew and I've been living in them!! Literally. I love them so much I made a pair of shorts with the leftover fabric and have already cut out another pair in some special linen from Blackbird Fabrics that was a gift for my birthday! If you'd like to follow my sewing adventures I've started an instagram account exclusively for sewing at janerichmondsews.
I've been making mini Toba Slippers for some of the kiddos in the family including Elsie and have been meaning to write up the pattern for years now! This is Elsie's unfinished pair that have been hibernating since last year. She's nearly grown out of them and I haven't even finished the pair, gah!!
What's on your needles?
Fernwood Cardigan / Picking Up Buttonband
Fernwood Cardigan / Finish Body + Hem
