Reversible Cables

I've been reading about reversible cables lately and thought I might try my hand at it. The trick to reversible cables is to make them in 1 x 1 rib knit. The cable will then look identical from both sides.

This scarf is made in Nashua Wooly Stripes in "Eathy" and is knit on 5.5mm needles. The pattern is simple:

Cast on 31 stitches. (K=knit, P=purl)
Row 1: K 5, *(P 1, K 1) four times, K 5. Repeat from *
Rows 2 through 7: Repeat row 1.
Row 8: K 5. Place 4 stitches on cable needle and hold in back of work. (P 1, K 1) twice. Place cabled stitches back on needle. (P 1, K 1) twice, K5. Place 4 stitches on cable needle and hold in front of work. (P 1, K 1) twice. Place cabled stitches back on needle. (P 1, K 1) twice, K5.
Repeat rows 1 through 8 until desired length of scarf is achieved.

Spray Painting Fabric!

I finally made myself a new shirt using the pattern I made a couple of weeks ago, and I'm really happy with the results.

I decided to add a pattern to the fabric by laying some lace over it and then spray painting the whole thing - the spray paint passes through the holes in the lace, and you're left with a negative version of the lace pattern. The picture above is one of my test swatches.

Spray-painted fabric is surprisingly durable in the wash - I just throw mine in the washer and dryer with the rest of my clothes. It will probably fade over time but, really, I can always make a new one!

The only downside I have found is that sometimes you get a lingering scent of spray-paint coming off the shirt, but I'm sure that will fade after a handful of washes. I am so happy with the way this project turned out!

Adjusting the Bust on Sewing Patterns

Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing
is a great sewing blog. Gertie tries some really fun stuff, and I have learned techniques I never even thought existed by reading it.

One of my favourite things she is doing at the moment is a sew-along for a coat. Such a fantastic idea, and a way to learn step-by-step how to not only sew a garment, but how to make it fit your body precisely. She is answering questions all the while. If I weren't so VERY far from my sewing machine at the moment, I would be sewing along. As is, I may just have to catch up when I get home :)

Learning to alter patterns appropriately is one thing I need to do. Gertie linked to a tutorial today on how to adjust the bust size of a garment to fit. Apparently it's better to size a garment according to your high bust, rather than your actual bust (measuring under your armpits, but above the full part of your chest). I'm not super gifted in the area, but I'm not flat either, and whenever I make a garment to fit my bust, the shoulders are too wide. I'm hoping to use this tutorial the next time I make a top, so that it fits me correctly! She's also recommended the book Fit for Real People as a resource on how to fit garments. I need to look into making that purchase...

On a completely separate note, a few things have shown up on the Craft blog that caught my eye:

- Neozoon's fuzzy animal art. Luxurious graffiti, who would have thought!
-These canning jars by Weck are so lovely, and look very practical. They show of their contents well, and most have large, reusable lids that I love.
-Apparently they have a nice collection of free patterns over at Living Crafts. I will have to take the time to check it out one of these days...
-The photos from Caboodle Ranch kind of creeped me out; they make the cats look like giants!