Tag: handmade wardrobe

Me Made May

For the last few years I’ve been watching in awe as people post pictures of their handmade wardrobes on Instagram for Me-Made-May. It started on the So-Zo blog ten years ago. “Me-Made-May is a challenge designed to encourage people who make their own clothes to develop a better relationship with their handmade wardrobe. You set the specifics of your own challenge to make it suitable and useful for YOU. However, one very common pledge is for a participant to aim to wear one self-stitched or refashioned garment each day for the duration of May.”

I don’t have enough self-stitched items in my wardrobe to wear one every day, but I do want to develop a better relationship with my hand made wardrobe, so I decided to participate this year. This is my pledge: I, @kephrenknitting, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2019. I endeavour to honestly assess my wardrobe, donate or repurpose the garments I don’t like to wear, and plan new pieces to coordinate with the garments I don’t wear enough. At the end of the month I intend to have a making plan for the rest of the year.

I started by sorting my sweaters. I have a lot of them. Over the winter I sold or gave away around 20 sweaters, and I still have more than 20 left. I started knitting about 13 years ago, and in the time since then my size has changed, my style has changed, and even my skin’s sensitivity to different fibers has changed. I used to love baby alpaca, it was my favorite fiber, but now it’s too warm and prickly on my skin. I also don’t like my sweaters to be as form-fitting as I used to, and I’m not as sensitive to the cold. My color preferences have changed too. My favorite neutral used to be brown, and now it’s gray.

These are the sweaters that didn’t make the cut because of the fiber, fit, or color.

And these are the ones that I still love and want to wear. You can see that my new color palette is very calm and coordinated, and that’s just what I wanted. There are still some gaps in my sweater wardrobe that I plan to fill with yarns in my stash. I need to make a few short-sleeved cardigans and lightweight pullovers, so those are going to be my knitting goals for the rest of the year. I already have some ready-to-wear items in my wardrobe that coordinate with these sweaters, but I am also considering how I can create whole outfits when I sew new garments.

Some of my favorite ready-to-wear garments are wearing out and need to be replaced, like this this gray French Terry skirt that I’ve had for about ten years. It was one of my favorites, but the fabric was getting old and worn and starting to rip at the pockets. I made a replacement skirt in organic cotton sweatshirt fleece and it is even better than the original! I used Simplicity 8175 view C for the pattern, and I replaced the waistband and zipper with organic cotton rib knit and elastic. I left the hem raw so it naturally rolls up on the bottom. The original skirt had a raw hem that I occasionally had to trim because the French Terry frayed, but the sweatshirt fleece doesn’t! I would love to make this skirt again in gray if I can find the right fabric.

Having replaced the skirt, I decided to upcycle the fabric to practice making my new Hudson Pant pattern. I also repurposed two t-shirts for the waistband, cuffs, and pockets. I won’t be wearing these out of the house, but I learned how to put the pattern together and got an idea of the fit. The second pair (on the right) went together much more easily. These are both the cropped version, but I think I have enough of the white jersey to make a long version to test the length on me.

Once I have the fit perfected I plan to make at least three more pairs in organic cotton sweatshirt fleece. These neutral colors will coordinate with just about everything in my wardrobe.

I’m planning my outfits and keeping notes on my projects in a design journal that I set up just like my bullet journal. This way I can take notes on my sewing projects just like I would on my Ravelry project page. The next garment on my sewing list is a button down flannel shirt. I’m taking an all-day sewing class this weekend to get help with the tricky bits, and hopefully, have a finished shirt by the end of the day! I’m excited to share more of my sewn garments with you and incorporate them into outfits for everyday and pattern photos. I hope you enjoy seeing the process!

Thank you for knitting!

May 31, 2019
Hand Washing Hand-Knits

Hand washing isn’t any more difficult than machine washing. There are several different methods depending on the space and tools you have available, and I’ve tried most of them! A common misconception about wool is that it shrinks. It doesn’t; it felts. Shock and agitation cause felting, so those are the things to avoid when washing hand-knits made of wool and other animal fibers. Cotton also has a reputation for shrinking, but it doesn’t, it stretches. After you’ve been wearing your favorite jeans for a week they are stretched out, washing them and giving them a spin in a hot dryer just restores them to their natural shape. Hand washing avoids stretching and felting your hand-knits while getting them clean. It is important to keep your hand-knits clean because they will be less attractive to wool-eating bugs, but you really only have to wash them when they are dirty. I can tell when my handknits need a wash because they start to feel less soft, or they look a little stretched out. A good soak will restore softness and return your garments to their natural shape.

Washing

You’ll need something to soak your hand-knits in, like a sink, basin, or top-loading washing machine. I like this 4 gallon Red Gorilla tub because it can hold about as much as I have room to dry. I have also heard that high-efficiency washers can be used when set to the wool cycle. Remember that we want to avoid shock and agitation, so don’t use water that is too hot or too cold. I like to use luke-warm water for pure wool, and cool water for wool and silk blends. Fill the vessel with water first, then add your soap. A good wool wash like Eucalan or Soak is ideal because it conditions the wool and doesn’t need to be rinsed out. Now add your knits. Squeeze gently to make sure the fabric is thoroughly saturated with water, and let them soak for 20 to 30 minutes.

Knit soup

Removing the water

If you’re hand washing in a sink or basin allow the water to drain out and press your knits against the sides of the sink or tub to remove as much water as you can. Do not wring or twist, as that could cause stretching. Also avoid lifting your knits when they are soaking wet without supporting the full weight of the garment. After you’ve pressed out as much water as possible you’ll have to continue pressing out the excess water using towels. Lay a towel on the floor, preferably a tiled surface, then lay your garment on it in a single layer. Roll up the towel with the knits inside it and press the water out. Dancing a jig on the rolled up towel is especially effective. You may have to repeat the process with a second towel.

If you are using a top-loading washer simply turn to the spin cycle and allow it to run until all the water has been spun out. This used to be my preferred method for hand washing because it effectively removes so much water, but now I use a spin dryer. This amazing gadget spins out so much water that even bulky sweaters dry overnight!

Sweater drying racks

drying

Now that most of the water has been removed, your hand-knits just need to be allowed to dry. If you were washing lace shawls you will probably want to pin them out on blocking mats or a spare bed to open up the lace to be sure the shawls dry in the right shape. If you washed sweaters you’ll still want to shape them to dry, but pins and wires are unnecessary, and can even distort the shape of your sweaters. Just spreading out your sweaters on a towel is enough to let them air dry, but I like to use sweater drying racks to allow for maximum airflow. I use these stackable sweater drying racks, but if your surface space is limited try these hanging sweater drying racks from Knitpicks. It should take between 1 and 3 days for your knits to dry.

New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to catch up on cleaning, and I have a lot of handknits to keep clean. I’ve refined my hand washing process over the last ten or so years, and found the way that works best for me, but I would love to hear what your methods are! Please leave a comment below, and have a happy New Year!

Thank you for knitting!

December 31, 2018