recently made/currently making
it's 𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷
I may not have been writing for most of the year, but rest assured, I’ve still been channeling my creativity through other mediums. Forgive me if you follow me on Instagram or TikTok and have already seen me post about these projects — this shit just makes me really happy.
Made/Making: Melissa Sweater by Crochet by Kristine
I’ve already made this sweater once and it turned out pretty great, so I’m making it again as a gift. The design is by Kristine Bennigsen, a Copenhagen-based influencer who creates classic sweater patterns you’ll want to make in every color. Now, I love the sweater; however, there are just a few things I want to do differently this time around…
The person I’m gifting the sweater to is a few inches taller than I am, and I often find myself wishing the sweater were a bit longer, so the first order of business is to increase the length of the body. I just plan on adding 2-4 extra rows, nothing crazy. The recipient also requested that I make the sleeves less “balloon-like,” this will be a slightly trickier alteration. The original pattern uses a 2:1 ratio between the sleeve stitch count and the number of rows in the cuff to create the wide sleeve. My gut is that a 1:1 ratio might not allow for enough room, while a 3:2 ratio could still result in some ballooning—we shall see!
Lastly, instead of stripes, I’m making a solid sweater with beautifully speckled navy blue wool from Jill Draper Makes Stuff. I’m about a quarter of the way through the body and, while I’m working against a mid-December deadline, I’m confident I’ll finish by the end of the month (famous last words).
Making: Novice Sweater by Petiteknit
My first official knit project! After seeing way too many sweaters and winter items I wanted to make that were knit instead of crocheted, I decided it was time to pick knitting back up after a ~17-year hiatus. My grandmother originally taught me to knit around the age of 8, and although I learned the stitches, I don’t think I ever actually finished a project. I wasn’t a very patient child.
So far, so good! Since this is my first full knit project, I’m following the pattern’s measurements to a tee and have no notes. For the yarn on this project, I’m using a French-Portuguese merino blend in a beige shade called Poivre (French for “pepper”) from (surprise, surprise) French brand De Rerum Natura. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy the yarn has been to work with. I struggled to crochet with it in the past, but I think that was because I wasn’t using the right hook size.
My current goal is to complete the sweater by the end of the month so I can be that bitch this holiday season who doesn’t shut up about how she made what she’s wearing.