Knitting & Mini Wardrobe

My 3rd post last week never got written. My time got away from me and I was on the bus before I knew it.

Here we go, a knitting project and a sewing project - neither finished but making progress.

Knitting - socks - remember these toes ?
Wendy Johnson's Toe Up with a Difference (the gusset is at the bottom of the foot)



I finished them right up to the cast off row but didn't cast off.

I'm considering them a learning pair and will frog them and knit another pair. The biggest reason being - they are too BIG - too long in the foot and too wide around.

I learned a lot of new things:

1. Turkish cast-on
2. Magic Loop
3. 2 socks at once
4. Short rows to turn the heel
5. Wrap & Turn

The pattern for these called for 64 stitches. much to much for my narrow foot and I cast on 16 stitches instead of the 32 called for in the pattern (my instructions for the turkish cast-on called for 16 stitches and I only realized my mistake when I went back to the actual sock instructions. It made for a very pointy toe, I don't like it. The blue stripe at my toe should probably be the end of my sock.


I also have holes where I finish the heel and start knitting in the round again.
I've since figured out how to fix this (I think).


I've moved on to the next pair with a lovely, soft bamboo/nylon from On Your Toes.

At least it was lovely til I realized how splitty it is !

I've already started this pair twice. The first pair was humongous at 64 stitches, I also used the 32 stitch toe - too wide.

I frogged them after about 2-1/2" and started again with 56 stitches with a 24 stitch toe. I also decided to do a 2k2p rib starting after the toe increases as the stockinette was very plain. Very hopeful that this pair will work out - and fit !


Sewing - Mini Wardrobe - Piece #4 - BWOF 02-2009-125

Yes, I started this wardrobe in May but I haven't forgotten it. I just got a bit sidetracked after the muslin for this blouse was basted together.

So far I’ve only made knit tops from BWOF and used 40 shoulders, 42 waist/hips.

I checked PR first. There aren’t many reviews and the only thing I took note of was that the sleeves might be too tight. Still, I decided to make a muslin. I haven’t yet finished my coat from Marji’s coat sewalong last year but I made lots of adjustments to that muslin and have used what I learned since then...For my first woven blouse, it seemed to be a good place to start.

I cut a straight size 42 with 1" seams. It was snug from the bust down. The bust dart was too long and too high (or my bust is too low LOL, I had to lower the bust point on my coat too). The sleeves were waaay too tight and I couldn’t raise my arms at all. Also, wrinkles on the back (another swayback adj coming up)

I forgot to take a pic before any adjustments. The following pics all show the changes I made to my right side, left side untouched.

When I couldn’t raise my arms on my coat I had to raise the armhole. How to do that with a raglan sleeve? I looked in my books and all over the Net and couldn’t find any info so, I cheated…when I let out the side seams (approx ½“), I just started the seam at the armhole ½” higher. At the same time I moved the bust dart down ½” and shortened it by 1”.


Yeh, so that didn’t help me lift my arm and the WRINKLES ! Front and back !

Hmmm, I remembered something I read that the problem could be a too-tight sleeve rather than a too low armhole. This sleeve has 6 pleats, 3 on each side of center, folded towards center. I let out the outside pleat on each side - that seemed to help dramatically.

Next thing to do is resew the side seams starting at the original point at the underarm but keeping the ½“ extra room I need to make the CFs meet each other (a very important consideration, no?). There may still be a fold at the underarm, but I’ve since found a few sites that say that that is a general problem (feature?) of the raglan sleeve.

Left & Right side view - after changes to RS


I’m going to work with this til it fits. I really like it. It’s a girly style blouse, I don’t have many (any?) of those, most of my shirts are just that, shirts.

My fabric is the flower print in my storyboard, I suspect it will hide a multitude of sins if I don‘t get all the wrinkles fixed. It’s a pretty flowy fabric and the sleeves will not be the linebacker shoulder that show in the stiff muslin fabric.

I’m hopeful I’ll like it once it’s finished.

No work on it today. It's Canada Day here and we're leaving shortly for a BBQ at a friends place !