Tag Archives: gift

RAINBOW SHORTS

20 November 2014 by Julianne

Somehow in the mad rush that is preparing to leave for Burning Man, I whipped up some new shorts for my husband.

However I forgot that I was supposed to line them, and the loosely woven fabric started pulling while he wore them on the playa. Now they have a comfy, worn-in attitude that only comes from giant patches and after-the-fact lining.

I got this polyester upholstery fabric from Fabric Planet in Venice, and used 1 yard for the shorts. The fabric wasn’t quite wide enough, so I found a gray twill in my stash and used it all up on the side panels, waistband, and pockets. The lining fabric sat in my stash for only a few weeks, and was left over from a client’s project.

Our last name is Siadek and I love the little gold S pattern.

It’s a pattern that I drafted myself and tweaked over the years, and I feel like I’ve finally achieved a good fit for Jason. So now I’m just going to make 5 new pairs.

He calls these his ‘dress shorts’ and wears them to parties and other fun events, usually with sandals and his purple shirt (which I think is his favorite). He really loves this capri length, and I love making him clothing that suits his personality and comfort requirements without looking sloppy or boring.

MOODY HOODIE

20 September 2014 by Julianne

My adorable little niece has been at it again, always growing up! She’s almost 13, and exactly like her momma has entered the somewhat moody ‘my favorite color is black’ phase of her life (and is just as sweet and funny as ever, but now with added introspection and an Instagram account).

I should have been working on projects for clients, but one morning I came across these gray and black remnants and dropped everything to whip up a hoodie for my little brooding ray of sunshine.

striped hoodie, made by Julianne

I wanted the hoodie to feel like a cocoon, something she could retreat into, something that would make her mother say “I can’t see your face!”

striped hoodie, made by Julianne

So it’s all remnant fabrics, and the silver zipper was also from my stash. I had purple and blue thread in my serger, which happens to be Allia’s current favorite color besides black and gray. I used a vintage raglan pattern as a base, and added the hood and pockets.

Of course now her little brother wants one too, but his should be green and blue, and he drew me a picture of poop as payment.

striped hoodie, made by Julianne

Don’t let that look on her face fool you, she’s just as weird and silly as the rest of us.

FRIENDSHIP SOCKS

15 June 2014 by Julianne

As soon I saw these orange and fuchsia skeins of yarn, I knew they were destined for greatness and friendship. Coordinating socks, one pair for me, and the other for my truly lovely friend Gigi. Gigi and I once had coordinating purple pants, bought at H&M when we were living in rural France, so there is a precedent for these socks. The fuchsia pair is for my friend, and the orange pair is for me.

Here are Gigi’s footsies:

And mine:

Oh dear, they really do look tight. Perhaps I should re-knit the heel, working 3-4 rounds before starting the decreases.

These are my first worsted weight socks, which are obviously much faster than fingering weight! I used Cascade 220 superwash, one ball of each color to make both socks (and the tiniest bit left over). Cascade was easy to work with, the colors are deliciously vibrant, and affordable at $12 each, but there were about 4 snags in each skein.

Once again I used Liat Gatt’s tutorial for socks, but these socks were knit two at a time. I really loved this technique, and will be using it for all socks from now on! I remembered this tip on keeping simultaneous balls from getting tangled, which I added onto by lining the yarn opening with painter’s tape (this let the yarn slide smoothly across the zipper lip).

I tried short row heel, but after three attempts and increasing frustration I returned to the afterthought heel. My main reason for avoiding afterthought in the first place was Kitchener grafting. This stitch gets a lot of grief, and I’d struggled with it before. With a sigh, I threaded my tapestry needle and prepared for 20 minutes of annoyance. And then… I remembered all the steps without looking up a tutorial, and it turned out perfect. Kitchener and I are friends now.

So it looks like afterthought heels will be my go-to, as I simply love the contrasting heels. I still need to perfect my corners, but that will be an easy adjustment. Also, I think I should have created a wider opening for the heel (I did 5/9 opening, a little less than 2/3). Next time!

The twisted ribbing is knit 1 through the back loop, purl 1, which creates a very neat ribbing. I bound off with Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, because it’s easy and works great, and I really don’t care about binding off in the rib pattern.

Gigi has tiny feet, so I hope these will fit! And they were only a few days late for her birthday.

Any readers have any tips or preferences for heels they’d like to share?