a: Most lions are carnivores, but Leo The Paper Eating Lion is a papivore. (paper-vore)
wardrobe refashion: re-sized pajama pants
Just quickie refashion today: some Eddie Bauer flannel pajama pants. Are you already bored with pants? I’ve only got a few left, don’t worry. I did do something fun with these, though.
I fell in love with the super soft flannel and didn’t realize until I got home that they were a size petite. I figured because they were lightweight that I could do capri-style jammies and they’d be good until the temps got really cold.
To keep them as long as possible, I serged the bottoms and turned the hem under just 1/2 inch. I used a little lacy seam binding to hide the serged edge. I totally cheated and sewed the lace on while hemming them.
thrifted: Another 99 cent sale transformation using Butterick 5044.
how to: turtleneck sweater turns cardigan in
5 easy steps
So many knitters are scared of the s-word.* It’s really not that terrible. In fact, I’ve been cutting into sweaters for years to make pillows, scarves and tote bags. You just need to get over the fear that all of the stitches will immediately unravel. Take it from someone who unravels sweaters a lot. It’s not that easy for a sweater to fall apart.
original turtleneck
I’ve been cleaning out my closet and have a lot of beautiful pullover sweaters that I don’t wear anymore. I keep them because the wool is so nice. Sometimes I think I will knit them into something else. I don’t know where I think I’m going to find the time. After my Fair Isle class at knitting retreat, I decided to turn my pullovers into cardigans.
new cardigan
I decided to practice on a thrifted sweater first. I picked a cotton/acrylic blend that was in the donation pile. It had a weird texture — kind of like chenille. Man, was that collar hard to unravel. If you want to practice first, I recommend trying a sweater made out of a nice, simple, plain yarn.
This is a short and sweet tutorial. I assume you understand the anatomy of a knit stitch, know how to pick up stitches and crochet a decorative trim.
Materials:
seam ripper
sharp scissors
sewing machine
crochet hook
Step 1
Remove the seam that attaches the collar to the sweater. Unravel collar yarn and save for later.
Step 2
Find the middle column of stitches. Using a sewing machine, sew a line of stitches two columns to the right and two columns to the left.
Step 3
Carefully cut up the middle column of stitches.
collar removed, stitches sewn and cut
close up of sewn stitches
Step 4
Using the unraveled collar yarn, pick up and single crochet a stitch for each row of stitches. I started at the bottom, worked my way up and around the neck and back down the other side. (Some will tell you to pick up three stitches for every four rows. I say do what feels right, looks good and doesn’t pucker.)
Step 5
Depending on how much yarn you have left, crochet a decorative border. I chose a simple shell edging.
close up of crochet edge
Options
If you want to try this with a crew neck and don’t have enough matching yarn, use a different color or texture to jazz things up. You could also add buttons using chain stitch button holes.
This project is easy once you get over the fear of cutting into knitted stitches. I finished this in two afternoons.
refashion: I’m excited to start wearing some of my favorite wool sweaters again. I’ll be posting my progress as I go. A special thanks to Lynn Anne for giving me the courage to cut!
*s-word is steek!
wardrobe refashion: re-sized capri pants
The summer of skirts has been a success. I’ve been wearing my red, white, linen and denim skirts regularly all season. But ever since I found that perfect pattern for lounge pants, I’ve been thinking about capris. How easy would it be to refashion a pair of existing pants?
I found a couple pairs at the last 99 cent sale (hey, I told you I had good luck that day!) and decided give it a try. Here’s how I did it:
- Wash and dried them on hot to preshrink.
- Removed the elastic waistband with a seam ripper.
- Cut the inner leg seams open. My pattern is only one piece, so I left the outer leg seams intact.
- Pressed the pants pieces with an iron and laid my pattern on top. I had to fudge a little, but they were pretty close.
- There was a lot of waist fabric that had to be removed and the new waist ran right over the pockets. I sewed them shut and cut them out.
- Traced the pattern and sewed the pants back together.
- Cut off the ugly fringe cuff and added a fabric trim.
The whole process was fast and easy. Most of my shirts come down past the waistband, so they actually look pretty good. I’m sorry I forgot to take a before picture. I had a few free hours for this project and just dove in!
refashion: This pants thing is really increasing my options for clothes. After a few more tries, I might tackle a fitted waist!
thrifty find: green sweater
Finally! The thrifty find I missed last week. This isn’t actually my find. I guess when you regularly blog about recycling, reusing and refashioning, you get a reputation. A few weeks ago, my friend Kelly texted me this:
Kelly: Knit emergency: think you could repair this? Hanger damage on an Eileen Fisher sweater.
Me: I think so. It looks like a lot of dropped stitches, but the yarn seems intact. Are any of the strands cut?
Kelly: Nothing cut as far as I can tell. It’s a *huge* discount, and I’ll buy no matter what, but having it repaired would be an excellent bonus, you know?
Me: We’ll make it work.
Actually, I thought this would be a simple pick-up-the-stitches job, but too long on the hanger had pulled the neighboring stitches too tight. I got out a tiny crochet hook and gently started pulling on loops. I tightened up the loose stitches and tried to evenly distribute the yarn across the others. It wasn’t the most exciting task. (For the quilters out there, it made my eyes cross like endless stitching in the ditch.) It was worth it though. Except for three or four stitches that just won’t behave, everything else looks good.
Of course, my “dedication” to perfection comes into question again. This area is mostly covered by the long, cowl-like collar. No one will ever see my work. Kind of crazy? Well, at least I know it looks good.
There’s another thrifty find to this story. When Kelly gave me the sweater to fix, she also gave me a pair of very nice, dark denim J. Crew jeans that she found thrifting. They fit awesome and I love them. Thanks again, Kelly!
my creative space
This week in my creative space I’m unraveling a sweater. I wasn’t planning to buy anymore sweaters. I don’t need anymore yarn. But I saw these little sparkles and all I could think of was a patchwork baby blanket.
I love the primary colors. New parents are always swimming in pastels. Bright colors are a nice change, don’t you think? Plus, take another look at those sparkles!
I’m planning to crochet solid color squares, so this will be the perfect vacation project. (Yes, I’m planning ahead for vacation projects.) I’ll seam them up when they are all finished. It would be easier to join them as I go, but I need a portable project for the plane, the beach, sitting in traffic, etc.
I’m getting pretty good at this unraveling thing. I hardly had any waste yarn — just a bunch of pesky knots at the end of each color change. And even they didn’t go to waste. My daughter took the pile of ends and put them in a bowl for her stuffed dog. He had ramen yarn noodles for lunch.
Make sure to visit more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s blog.
how to: crochet or knit single row stripes
I first heard about this at knitting retreat. It’s a really simple idea and I can’t believe it has never occurred to me on my own. I love skinny stripes, but breaking yarn at each row leaves too many ends to weave. I always figured that I’d have to do two rows of each color in order to carry the yarn. But, if you do three colors, there’s yarn at the end of every row just waiting to be carried up. So simple! So cool!
This works for both knitting and crochet. I’ll show you what I mean on my dishcloth in progress, which happens to be crochet. (Knitters, ignore the chain row and cast on with Color A. Row 1 begins with Color B, etc.)
how to: crochet or knit single row stripes
Chain your number of stitches in Color A (navy).
R1: DC across in Color A (navy).
R2: Join in Color B (tan) and DC across.
R3: Join in Color C (light blue) and DC across.
R4: Carry up Color A and DC across.
R5: Carry up Color B and DC across.
R6: Carry up Color C and DC across.
repeat rows 4-6 until finished.
When you carry up the yarn, your edges will look like this.
I know some crocheters like to incorporate the transition from one yarn to the other in their chain stitches, but I prefer to start my rows with the faux double crochet, so here’s how I catch the yarn on the way up. I assume you know how to do a double crochet, so I’m not including pics of all the stitch steps, just the ones that are different.
Work across until you have one stitch left. Bring the next yarn up and over your working yarn.
Continue on as usual with the working yarn. See how the carried yarn is getting tucked neatly in the work?
When you have two loops left on your hook, drop the working yarn and pick up the new yarn. Yarn over and pull through the last too loops.
Look at that! Now you are ready to turn your work and start the next row with the new yarn!
stash: This is an awesome stash busting idea. Imagine how many more odds and ends you can use up with this method!
bella’s first trip to morrill hall
thank you, odds + ends, free pattern
Thank you: for all of the sweet comments here and on facebook about my Farmers’ Market tote in Green Craft. I’m still super excited about it.
Odds + Ends: Last week I had a lot of freelance work, so there’s not much to report on the crafty front today. Too many projects started and no time to finish them. I’m unraveling a sweater for a blanket, finishing up another dishcloth, fixing another sweater and refashioning a pair of capri pants.
Free Pattern: If you knit or crochet, you should head over to Sarah London’s website and tell her about your favorite yarn. She’s especially curious about American yarns. Oh, and she’ll send you the pattern of your choice as a thank you. Sweet! I’ll be making the Green Grocer Tote soon!
Back tomorrow with pictures and something finished!
my farmers’ market tote is featuered in greencraft magazine!
Sorry about missing Thrifty Thursday yesterday. I was planning to take photos and write my post in the evening, and right before dinner I found a copy of GreenCraft in my mailbox. I knew something was up because I don’t subscribe to the magazine, but I did submit one of my patterns and a sample to the publication many months ago. I was so excited, I completely forgot about my thrifty pictures and post until after dark. Whoops!
I am so thrilled to see my Farmers’ Market tote in GreenCraft magazine! I designed this bag using men’s dress shirts and a terry cloth towel for interfacing. It’s reversible because our Farmers’ Market runs from May to October: one side has Spring colors and the other has Fall colors. If you get a chance, check out the design and instructions in the Autumn 2010 issue!