Experiments with Fabric

I've been on the hunt for a new project bag for a few weeks now. I only had two and both were in use, but I needed a new one for my Stephen West Doodler MKAL. I looked on Etsy, but I couldn't find anything I was in love with, so I decided to make my own!

I'd made box bags before, but never with a lining fabric, so I headed out to Joann's for their Veterans Day sale and picked out a few of my favorite fabrics. My mom had a few extra Doctor Who fabrics she had accumulated over the years (apparently not being able to sew didn't stop her from buying fabric), so I decided to make her some too.

The first bag I made was a drawstring bag. I wanted a short, open bag to keep my Doodler in because it's a multi-skein project and I like the wide opening for keeping and untangling multiple skeins. The "Snug as a Fox" fabric is the absolute cutest fabric I found, and I was so happy to get an adorable bag out of it!

For my second bag, I wanted a taller zippered bag out of some cute Christmas Fabric I found. I was really proud of myself for figuring out how to turn it without using any tutorials, but on the next bag, I will put the hole in the lining fabric instead of the exterior fabric.

I had a great time making these, and I'm already on the hunt for more fabric and thinking of different sizes to make. In fact I loved making these so much, I think I will make a few for my Etsy shop! If they sell well, I will make them a normal section of my shop. I will make a few more to hone my skills a little further, but expect to see them in my shop later this week!

Yarny Wishlist

The holidays are coming up, and although its still November it's never too early to start your Christmas list! Ever since I was little, I've spent hours each November curating my wishlist until it was perfect and, while there aren't as many toys on it nowadays, this year's list is no exception. I've collected a few of my wishlist items here to share with you guys!

Forbidden Woolery

The Forbidden Woolery is a new brand to me. I discovered her on Instagram when she posted a picture of her newest Steampunk collection yarns, and I've been craving some ever since! I especially love how beautiful and subtle her colors are. I can see each of these skeins making a beautiful pair of lace and cabled socks.

Hedgehog Fibers

I've been lusting after Hedgehog fibers for a long time now, but when I want to order, the colorways I want are sold out. I was thinking about doing Stephen West's Doodler MKAL, but the kits have been sold out for a while, and I don't know if I want to invest $100 including shipping for yarn specifically for a mystery shawl. But the yarns themselves are beautiful and I can't wait to get my hands on some!

Knitter's Pride Royale Set

When I saw this interchangeable set, I HAD to have it. I'm a sucker for all things romantic and Parisian, so these were right up my alley. The only set of interchangeables I have is an old Knitpicks Acrylic set, that has been slowly breaking one needle tip at a time, which is probably why they no longer make them. I have it on good authority that Santa will be acquiring a set of these for me, and I'm super excited!

Quaere Hanukkah Kit

I've seen lots of people planning special Christmas socks this year, and I want in on it! My family is half Jewish and half Christian, so I really appreciate that Quaere has created special colorways and kits for both Christmas and Hanukkah. I love how beautifully coordinated each of the kits are, but I love the colors in the Hanukkah yarn a little more and I love that I could use the bag year-round.

Umbrella Swift

For years my mom and I have shared a flat-style swift with pegs and holes, but I think I should get my own so I can wind yarn on my own time. This one from Knitpicks is fairly inexpensive, and is a lovely color that I wouldn't mind keeping out all the time.

Laser-Cut Yarn Ring

How cute is this ring! I am absolutely in love with it! YellowBearWares has a lot of knitting jewelry and accessories using recycled needles as well that are also extremely beautiful, but this ring is my favorite.

What's on your yarn wishlist this year? Have you tried anything on my list? Let me know in the comments!

Sweater Planning - Fingering Weight Edition

My Cozy Gull Vertebrae Sweater is getting close to being done. I just need two half-sleeves and the front button band (though there are no buttons so is it really a button band?). So now I'm on the hunt for my next sweater pattern. My Vertebrae is knit with Quince and Co Chickadee which is a heavy sport/DK weight, so I'm thinking my next sweater should be something lighter in a fingering weight. I wear my lighter sweaters much more than my heavier ones down here in the Louisiana heat and I've got a few different patterns in mind.

I'm a little picky when it comes to sweater knitting. I only knit top-down sweaters which limits me quite a bit, but there are still plenty of nice patterns to pick from.

Featherweight Cardigan

This pattern is insanely popular on Ravelry, and I'm sure you've heard of it. It's been knit over 7000 times, so I feel pretty comfortable knitting it. I would definitely use fingering weight instead of a lace weight yarn though, and I'd switch the fronts to ribbing or seed stitch because I hate the way it curls.

Risen Cardigan

I'm really drawn to this one because of the cabled edging and the textured fronts! I can imagine this in a lovely light blue or a darker green. It's only been knit 12 times according to Ravelry, so I'm a little apprehensive.

Cosette Sweater

This is a simply gorgeous sweater out of a beautiful color. Those cables look so classy and soft and I'm itching to knit this as well.

All of these sweaters are fingering weight, so once I decide which to make, I have to decide which yarn to pick. I have several ideas in mind.

1. Dye my own yarn: I've been dyeing yarn for a few months, and I feel pretty confident in my dyeing abilities. This would be the cheapest option, but I would be limited in what yarn bases I could use because my supplier mostly has nylon blend fingering weights.

2. Quince and Co Tern: After knitting my last sweater with Quince and Co yarn, I've fallen in love with the brand. I love how they source their wool in the USA, and they have some beautiful colorways. If I picked this pretty silk/wool blend yarn, I'd use either the Sea Glass or Mist colorways.

3. Wollmeise Pure: I don't know about any of you, but in my mind Wollmeise in the holy grail of yarn. I've wanted to work with it for as long as I can remember, but I've never found it in the wild. Making my sweater out of Wollmeise would be about $30-$40 more than using the Quince and Co, and 2-3x as much as using my handdyed, so I'm a little hesitant.

Please let me know what you think! Have you knit any of these sweaters or used any of this yarn? Tell me in the comments below!