Tutorial: Knitting an afterthought leg (or thumb or heel)

I like to knit my stuffed animals as seamlessly as possible. Seams can be weak spots, particularly when being pulled and dragged about by little hands. So I've designed all my stuffed animals with seamless appendages. They're set up the same way you would do an afterthought heel on a sock, or an afterthought thumb on a mitten, but if you haven't done it before, it can be a bit fiddly. So let's walk through it together, shall we? 

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Want to knit a cuddly and strong seamless friend of your own? I'll be selling Bradac kits this Saturday (11/19) at Knitwit yarn shop in Portland or check out my toy designs below!

Bradac - PDF Pattern

$6.00

Fleet Fox - PDF Pattern

$6.00

Bradac Polar Bear Kit

$38.00

Domenic Duck - PDF Pattern

$6.00

Zienna the Zebra – PDF Pattern

$6.00

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Quick Winter Knits and a Pop-Up Shop!!

I've been a busy little beaver of late. Without any looming deadlines, I've had time to just play with my knitting design, and in doing so, I've come up with a lot of fun, quick accessories to share with you, just in time for your own holiday knitting.

First up is Eiswasser: this spiraling knit toque is inspired by the snowpack on top of the mountains that melts into rivulets, which turns into streams and rivers. Eiswasser (or ice water in German) recreates those streams in a densely-cabled toque that is incredibly warm, despite its name and lighter-weight yarn. Top it off with a fluffy (faux) fur pompom or leave the spiraling crown open to view. The sample is knit in Manos Del Uruguay Milo in Lisboa a Merino/Linen blend that is divine to knit with and has a beautiful rustic look, but soft feel. Never have I been more sad to hand a sample off than I was when I dropped this off at Knitwit last week.

Next in the quick-knit accessory line is the West Branch cowl. Designed to show off a special skein of handspun or hand-dyed yarn, this simple, but gracefully cozy cowl is the perfect knit for those looking to learn lace or who just want to use a special skein. A few big buttons add an extra fun with minimal effort. This cowl works in a variety of fiber weights. The pink sample, shown in One Lupine’s West Branch in Berry, is a worsted weight wool/silk blend available Exclusively at Knitwit, while the white sample is an all-wool Aran weight yarn of my own handspun. Very different in drape, but equally beautiful.

Pop-Up Shop

In other big news, if you've been poking around the website, you may have noticed I now sell a curated range of craft supplies and kits! I'm very excited to share this new endeavor with you all and will be adding more items in the coming months. If you're in the Southern Maine area, I'd invite you to join me at Knitwit in Portland this Saturday from 1-3, where I'll be having a mini pop-up shop as part of their holiday knitting kick-off event. I'll be selling project bags and polar bear kits, and have sample of several designs to try on. 

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This is Halloween

I love any excuse to dress up, so I've always loved Halloween. These days the challenge is to a) coordinate everyone's costume and b) find time to pull them all together. 

This year was a perfect mix of homemade + purchased items. Little Miss Cleaver wanted to be a dalmatian/firehouse dog and we were lucky to find the hooded vest at the consignment store. The spotted fleece she already had, so I only had to whip up some leggings and "paws". Mr. Cleaver got to be a fireman, and after little luck finding anything that looked like a firefighter coat for cheap, I bought some reflective tape at the fabric store and pinned it to one of his coats. The store-bought hat sells the look. 

As for me? Not being able to find a firefighter outfit for one, I shifted my plan from being a second firefighter to being a burning building. With some cheap felt, a dozen yards of tulle and some quality time with fabric paint and a sharpie, I ended up with the hottest costume in town. (Can't help myself.) 

LMC had a great time trick-or-treating and handing out candy. We have some very generous neighbors, so even though we only did both sides of one street, she is well stocked on sweets. I can't wait to see what she comes up with for next year! 

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Introducing Ezekiel Saw

Every so often, a design bursts, Athena-like, fully formed from its creator’s head. Ezekiel Saw is one such design for me. I had a clear vision of a triangle shawl in two-similarly toned, but distinct colors with detailed open lace bands.

When I went to Knitwit, my local yarn shop, to scout yarns to bring that vision to life, I was immediately entranced by the drape and subtly marled palette of CoopKnits’ Socks Yeah! yarn.

The Wave and Wheel lace pattern of the bands creates a wheel within a wheel motif, reminiscent of an old folk song about an altogether different kind of vision that we used to sing in my high school choir: “Ezekiel Saw Da Wheel.”

“Ezekiel saw da wheel;
Way up in the middle of the air.
Now Ezekiel saw da wheel in a wheel;
Way in the middle of the air.

And the big wheel run by Faith, good Lordy;
And the little wheel run by the Grace of God;
In the wheel in the wheel in the wheel good Lord;
Way in the middle of the air.”

I'm also pleased to say that for the first time, I'm offering kits for one of my designs!

The Ezekiel Saw kit is exclusively available through MsCleaver.com and comes with all the yarn needed to complete the project, a printed pattern, and a sturdy cotton drawstring project bag. You can also purchase the suggested needles if desired. 

The PDF pattern is available for $6.00 USD from the following online shops:

LoveKnitting (coming soon)   ||    Ms. Cleaver Creations    ||    Ravelry

If you knit it and participate in social media, use #ezekielsaw to share or tag me @mscleaver !  

I'd love to see your version!!!

Photos by Bristol Ivy

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Curved Narrow Hem Tutorial

I love a good button-up, and if it's got that classic shirt-tail hem? All the better! But as much as I love the look of the sweeping shirt-tail hem, it can be a bit fiddly to actually hem all those curves, so here's a little trick I use to make sewing them just a little bit easier. 

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Things I Made This Summer

There's been so much knitting stuff this summer (which seems like an odd phrase to write) that I've sorely neglected sharing some of the other projects I've been working on!

Which is a shame, because I've been working on some cool stuff these past few months.

Like, I made a backpack!

The pattern is Made by Rae's Toddler Backpack, to which I added the optional lining, and some self-drafted pockets on the outside with mesh fabric, elastic and bias tape. It looks super-impressive, but is surprisingly easy to make.

Also awesome?

Lobster shorts!!

There's been three different Renfrew tees that have been getting a lot of wear (including the white one above and this beauty):

I made baklava  for the first time and garlic scape hummus. I've baked tiny cherry pies and at least three versions of a buttermilk tea cake trying to get my recipe perfect (almost there...)

I've done some embroidery:

I've whipped up quick little projects:

And sewn another dress LMC refuses to wear even though she picked out the fabric from my stash.

Let's just say, it's been a productive summer. :) 

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Three Needle Bind-Off - a quick tutorial

A few people knitting Atlee had mentioned that they'd never done a three needle bind-off before, so I thought I'd post a real quick tutorial. Once you see how easy it is, you'll be kicking yourself for not learning it ages ago (I did!). Prefer to see it in motion? There's a quick video on my Instagram.

A video posted by Leah B. Thibault (@mscleaver) on Aug 15, 2016 at 9:07am PDT

Atlee - PDF Pattern

$6.00

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Knitting with Cotton, a tutorial

Earlier this year I had the chance to spend a lot of quality time with Willet, Quince & Co's sport-weight 100% cotton yarn. After swatching my way through a skein of yarn, I had some ideas of what did and didn't work in the yarn, and came up with three very different designs: Atlee, Ocaso, and Caiterly. While cotton yarn isn't as commonly seen in hand-knitted garments as wool or even linen, it doesn't need to be relegated to the land of dishcloths, as cotton can be very versatile and wearable.

It does, however, have some distinct differences from it's woolly counterparts that should be kept in mind, which I'll be covering today. For all the photos in this post, Willet is shown in the Dinghy colorway, a teal, and I'll be comparing it with Quince's Chickadee - a 100% sport-weight wool in Carrie's Yellow. Both swatches were knit with the same stitch and row count on size US 5 (3.75 mm) needles.

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Gauge

Per the tag guidelines, both Willet's and Chickadee's base gauge is 6 sts/inch on size 5 (3.75 mm) needles.  When I made the swatches, I hit 6sts/inch exactly on my stitch gauge for both yarns, but Willet had 8.25 rows/inch, while Chickadee came in at 9 rows/inch. Over 12 inches, this is 9 rows of difference, so it can really add up over a long length (like a sleeve or body)

Tip #1 - when alternating between wool and cotton, pay attention to row gauge.

Fabric Characteristics

Even though the gauge is quite similar, the fabric itself behaves rather differently. The wool is much squishier and plusher, and tends to hold it's shape better, while the cotton is more floppy, but not exactly drapey (not like silk or linen). The wool, in general, has better recovery (springs back to shape), while cotton has a more relaxed vibe.

Tip #2 - for highly structured knits, cotton isn't your best bet, but it works great for softer, more relaxed lines. 

Weight

Though these swatches are basically the same size (the Willet is 5"x4.5"; Chickadee is 5"x 4.25"). the cotton weighs a gram more. This is why 50g of Chickadee (100% wool) gets you 181 yds, while 50g of Willet (100% cotton) gets you 160 yds. This weight can make a difference in two things: number of skeins required and the row gauge of finished product. 

A few grams isn't a big deal in a swatch, but again, it can really add up over a large garment. If you were working, say, a sweater coat in both yarns, the additional weight of the cotton can drag the garment down, lengthening the row gauge and pulling more on the shoulder seams, and again, leading to a more relaxed silhouette.

The weight can be compensated for in a number of ways - making a close-fitting garment, so the weight is distributed across the body; having strong shoulder seams; and making sure to block the garment flat.

Tip #3 - a little extra weight can add up, so choose your pattern wisely

The Yarn

The biggest complaint I've heard about cotton yarn is that it "has no give" and/or "it hurts my hands." The "no give" is pretty much true. 

Remember how I mentioned the fabric of the wool swatch is springier and has more recovery? The same is true of the yarn itself. 

From a 6 inch piece, I was able to easily stretch the wool yarn an additional 2 inches, and it sprung right back into place. With the same length of cotton yarn, I could barely stretch it all, even pulling quite hard. If you're used to tensioning wool yarn, this can be quite a shift. So once again, the key to cotton is relax. Let the yarn glide through your hands, rather than trying to pull it.

Tip #4 - When knitting with cotton, relax and don't try to fight the yarn. 

But don't think of this rigidity as a knock against the yarn. It has some great benefits, namely that the stitch definition is fantastic. The reason the single stitch cables on Caiterly or the subtle patterning on Atlee's yoke work is because of the way the Willet stitches sit on top of the fabric, instead of blending in the way it would more with wool. One caveat: this means ends don't blend in as well too, so hides your ends in an inconspicuous place, like the side seams. 

Tip #5 - Pay attention to ends, but enjoy the stitch definition!  

Blocking and Washability

One of the big draws of cotton is it's washability. It can go in the washer and the dryer and be none the worse for wear. Both the swatches were washed loose and dried along with a load of laundry in a top loading machine on warm and a standard electric dryer on regular. While the wool swatch clearly felted, losing about a half an inch in both length and width, the cotton swatch was virtually unchanged. That said, some cotton yarns may experience more shrinkage than others, and it may be more noticeable over a larger area than this rather small swatch. 

Tip #5 - treat your swatch like you intend to treat the finished garment, then measure gauge

In Conclusion

Cotton is great for a lot of things, but not everything. So as with any project, match your yarn appropriately to the project and you'll have success! So let's get the cotton yarn out of the kitchen and on to our bodies. 

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Caiterly - PDF Pattern

$6.50

Ocaso - PDF Pattern

$8.00

Atlee - PDF Pattern

$6.00

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Cast On Party!

It's cast on day for the KAL - what are you making??

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Introducing Caiterly and the Dog Days KAL

While I wouldn't normally volunteer to spends months knitting only in white yarn, especially with a dog and a toddler in the house, the nice thing about spending a bunch of time with the sample yarn in a neutral color is that you really get to play with it and see all the things it can do. That's what I got to do with Quince's Cleaner Cotton™ Willet,.

Ocaso shows off the yarn in a beautifully smooth stockinette stich, Atlee displays the marvelous stitch definition in the textured yoke. Caitlery shows what it can do in fine-gauge cables. I like all three designs for different reasons, but Caiterly is probably the one that is most distinctly me.

With three-quarter sleeves, a fitted bust, and delicate cabling, Caitlery  is elegantly feminine and the details are subtle enough that it can be worn with almost anything. 

The sweater is worked seamlessly from the bottom up- raglan style.and features a ribbon-lined button band. (See my tutorials page for details on how to add this detail). 

Caiterly is available for $6.50 from the following online shops:

Quince & Co.     |     Ms. Cleaver Creations      |      Ravelry

If you knit it and participate in social media, use #quincecaiterly to share and/or tag me @mscleaver !  

To celebrate the release of my three Willet patterns, I'm hosting a Willet-centric knit along with Quince on their Ravelry group.  The KAL runs for six weeks and includes special handmade prize for a FO knit from one of my patterns and several Quince gift cards for FOs worked in Quince yarns. For more details, visit my Knit Along page or the Quince group. I'll be knitting an Atlee myself, and I hope you'll join in!

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