A style question...

I'm just about finished with the sweater I've been working on, and I am at a point where I need to make a style/color decision. I'm having a hard time figuring out what I want to do, so I'd like to hear your opinions. The pattern is from 1951, and this is the photo from the original magazine.

I only had one skein of yarn for this whole project (it wasn't originally intended for this purpose), so I don't have enough to finish the collar and cuffs. So now we come to my question. I have just enough to finish the sleeves and neck with a simple crochet edge....OR, I could use a different color yarn to make a contrasting collar and cuffs. I was thinking something in the white/cream family.

So, should I leave it plain or make the contrasting pieces (and if so what color)?

                                                                                                                   Thanks!

1950s Lacy Jumper Progress

Hello all! I've managed to find a little time during naps to work on my sweater a bit more and finally managed to take a few pictures of the WIP as well, so I wanted to share them with you. I finished the back some time ago, and got the front finished up during sporadic knitting fits while the wee one was sleeping over the last two months. I finally cast on for the first of the sleeves a few nights ago and am about 4 inches into it. Since my yarn supply is limited, I've decided to shorten the sleeves by two inches in an effort to have enough to finish the entire sweater. The yarn I'm using is Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb, and has been really nice to work with (other than that epic tangle that I spent months trying to deal with). It's extremely soft, and doesn't tangle while I'm working with it (again, that behemoth of a knot was something that happened inside the ball somehow). I'm getting ready to start the sleeve cap shaping on this sleeve, and will then cast on for sleeve number two. I would have preferred knitting them both at once, but since I just have the one ball of yarn to deal with I decided to do them one at a time and just count my rows very carefully to make sure they are uniform. Further project notes can be found on my Ravelry page. 

In other news, as some of you may notice, I've done a little bit of revamping on the blog. I spent a while yesterday reorganizing and editing and have begun to organize archives of my completed project posts as well. Those can now be found under the tabs at the top. I've also uploaded links for PDF files of the two 1930s pattern drafting and draping textbooks I shared with you all a long time ago. I've been wanting to reformat and update my layout for some time, but as someone who is not at all tech savvy it was a bit daunting and so I kept putting it off. Since I was sitting on the couch with a sleepy baby most of the day yesterday I decided it would be a good time to go ahead and start figuring some things out in order to create a cleaner looking, more pleasing blog layout. It's still a work in progress, but it was fun learning how to do some new things with the HTML and so on. 

Hope everyone is having a good week!

New shoes!

So, I was kind of irresponsible recently and bought myself a new pair of shoes (and not practical ones either). I absolutely LOVE Miss L Fire shoes, but they are expensive and I can only justify spending that much money on shoes every once in a while, when I've been saving up for them for months. Recently, however, Gertie posted that My Sole Addiction had the Lolas on sale. That was the end of me. I couldn't resist. They were nearly half off and shipping was free...and my husband said I deserved them (isn't he great?). So, without further ado.....

My new Miss L Fire Lolas in rust!!

Not only do I now have another color gap filled in my shoe collection, these are super comfy. The pirate print lining is really fun, too! I'm not sure when these puppies will make their debut, since I spend nearly all of my time on the couch underneath an infant (plus I still can't get into much of anything besides my yoga pants at this point), but just knowing that they're mine is enough for now. I can't wait until I can wear them out!

In other news, I finally worked out that massive tangle in my lace weight yarn and have since completed the front of the sweater I was working on. Next up are the sleeves. I have a very limited amount of yarn, so we'll see if I can get both sleeves out of it and still have enough to finish the collar and cuffs, but if not I am thinking of doing the collar and cuffs in a contrast color, perhaps white or cream. We'll see how it works out. 

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

My biggest project yet!

While technically far from being big, my sweet little baby boy (born on Tuesday evening) is by far the most important, time consuming, labor intensive, beautiful, rewarding project I've ever taken on. We've been home for just a couple of days now and are still getting adjusted to a new schedule and lifestyle changes, but everyone is happy and healthy (and tired). Needless to say, all other sewing/knitting ventures will be put on the back burner for the next several weeks, but I do have a few things lined up for when I'm back at it (hopefully by later this summer). The blog will be pretty quiet in the meantime, but this little fellow is definitely worth it! 

Baby Finn, several hours old and lounging on his Papa's lap. 

Jumper progress

I got the front and back body pieces blocked and have finished the first sleeve for my So Neat and Sweet jumper. I was going to knit the sleeves at the same time, but since my Lacy Jumper is being held on my favorite wooden #3s, I had to use a much shorter metal pair that made it virtually impossible to knit them both at the same time. I've got the first one finished but not blocked, and the second one is on the needles right now. 

It's currently just pinned loosely onto Tabitha as I haven't done any seaming as yet. It's coming together nicely, though, and I'm very excited about getting it all finished. As I've said before, it's really been a quick knit which has been great. I've been too tired most days to get off the couch for long, but I hate not feeling productive, so this has been a great project to keep next to the couch. I'm using Nature Spun fingering weight wool and I've really enjoyed working with it. It handles nicely, but I am very impressed with how it blocked. I wet blocked the two body pieces after washing/soaking them with a teensy bit of soap and some white vinegar in warm water. It has produced a lovely, lightweight, soft fabric. Once I finish sleeve number two I will be knitting the garter stitch neckband and blocking the two sleeves. I can't wait to have a new sweater to wear next fall! 

In related news, I've started another of my sewing projects as well. It took me a while to get all of the pieces cut out, because measuring out new seam allowances, man handling yards of fabric and maneuvering all the pattern pieces has become a much more tiring process lately than it usually is. 

This is a Simplicity pattern from 1938, that is available as a reprint from Eva Dress for those of you interested. 

I need to mark all of my pieces, and then hopefully will get to sewing in the next couple of days. I toyed with the idea of lining the bodice, but I really love the slight sheerness of this lawn and I think that the floral print will really look lovely with just a hint of lace-edged slip peeping through. Instead, I think I'm going to just french seam the entire thing since I no longer have immediate access to a serger. I kind of enjoy making french seams actually, and I do enjoy the way they look on such light fabrics. 

We've had beautiful weather here for the last two days, which is always nice, and I finally got my new gas range/convection oven installed as well as having our crumbly front steps repaired! Both of those were things I really wanted to get taken care of before the baby gets here. I hope everyone else is having a lovely week as well!

So Neat and Sweet 1940s Pullover

I'm suffering just a tad bit of project ADD here lately, partially self inflicted and partially out of my control, but I have recently started another knitting project (one that is coming along quite nicely so far). I had started a 1940s knitted turban and frogged that project because I didn't have enough yarn left, so instead of that I made a baby hat from a vintage pattern book that a friend gave me. I don't have any pictures of that, but it turned out really cute. I've also been forced to put work on my 1950s lace sweater on hold for a while since I've yet to work out the mess of yarn that developed in the center of my skein. I got tired of trying to fix it and moved on to something else. During my little knitting break I finished work on the 1940s shirtdress I was working on, and have now cast on another sweater project. My mom knitted a cardigan for me from an early 1950s pattern and had TONS of yarn leftover. She was not the biggest fan of knitting with fingering weight on small needles for such a comparatively large project (she's a prolific sock knitter), and wasn't going to use all of the remaining yarn so I took it and started another sweater myself. The pattern I'm using is one from A Stitch in Time Volume 2. 

The pattern is originally from the 1940s, and is titled "So Neat and Sweet in her simple v-necked jersey". 

Source: A Stitch in Time V2 ®Susan Crawford

I don't have any other sweaters in this style, and I thought it would be nice to have a nice pullover to wear with skirts and trousers for fall and winter. I thought about choosing a cardigan pattern, since they are more conducive to breastfeeding, but I really wanted to do something a little different from what I already have in my wardrobe (which includes numerous cardigans). 

I cast on the back a about a week ago and have finished that and gotten started on the front. The stitch pattern is a very simple one to memorize, which is nice for many reasons, and it's really knitting up very quickly. After having read through two other knitters' projects and notes I decided to go ahead and cast on for the smallest size, allowing a tiny bit of negative ease in the bust, instead of the few inches of positive ease and several inches of ease at the waist. 

I found Tasha's version especially inspiring, and as we're very close in size her notes on sizing, etc were very helpful. She's extremely talented, and I've really loved looking through all of her other projects! This is her version of the pattern. Isn't she adorable?

Image source: By Gum by Golly

I've been feeling pretty tired again the last couple of days, so I've spent quite a bit of time on the couch working on this and I'm excited about how it's turning out. 

It's back to knitting and Netflix for me for the rest of the day it looks like. I need to clean up the house and try and reorganize some things. We just got a new gas range delivered this morning and my kitchen is in complete disarray, along with the living and dining rooms, both of which are full of gifts, bags and paper from my baby shower last weekend. Knitting on the couch is a much more enticing prospect for this chilly, overcast afternoon, though, so knitting it is.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far!

I finally finished another project!

The 1940s shirtdress I posted last time is now finished! I attached the sleeves, set the zipper and did all the other finishing work on it this afternoon and evening. It needs some more thorough pressing, but I really wanted to get some photos taken before it got too dark so I could share the finished product. I found two buttons in my (small) button stash that were perfect. They're a plain, dark wood and were the perfect size for this dress. I don't even remember why I bought these, but I'm glad I did. It saved me making another trip before I could cross this project off my list. I went ahead and put this navy belt on Tabitha just to see what it would look like, but it really needs a dark brown belt to go with the buttons. I need a medium width brown belt anyway, because my collection is somehow lacking one, so I will have to pick one up somewhere. 

Just as a reminder, this is the pattern that I used.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, I just wish that I could actually try it on myself right now. Only five weeks to go until my due date, though! So I'm inching closer every day to being able to wear normal clothes again. I hope everyone is having a good week!