Best Of - The Banyan Tee

The Banyan is my go to pattern for kid's knit T-shirts - for school tees, for up-cycling and also for pyjamas. I have tried other T-shirt patterns but this is the one I come back to over and over.* I think in my time I would have made it easily fifteen times. Maybe twenty.

What I like about it is that it is a little looser - which means more growing room and more comfortable for the small people. And because I sew my knits without an overlocker the looser fit means less broken seams and a nicer finish. It is also super quick. All in all it probably takes an hour or two. And if you can make more than one at a time I think you can do it quicker. 

So the details. It is a pattern by Figgy's which is available as a pdf download from Stitch56. There are actually two different shapes. A boys shape which is looser and a girls shape which is more fitted with a different neckline and what I think is called a handkerchief hem. You can see some beautiful versions by sewers on Pinterest here. ** I adore the striped girls versions. They are next on my list.

The bit that I really really love about the Banyan is the neckline. In both the boy's and the girl's pattern, it has a lovely shape. However, my favourite thing is that I LOVE how simple it is to put on the neck band AND the total lack of fiddly-ness. Having to fiddle with a curly knit fabric to do a neckline is one of my least favourite things to do when sewing. This technique makes it super simple. 

I love this pattern so much that I asked Sophie to teach it at The Craft Sessions 2013***. You can see what was made in her class in the photos below. All of those fabrics were recycled from tees from the op shop. Sophie has also made a bunch of them for her small boys which you can find on her blog. 

Not the best photo - but fabulous garments!

I LOVE the fact that it looks wonderful with a combination of fabrics all thrown together which means that you can use small bits and pieces (I would call them scraps if I wasn't writing at ridiculous o'clock after being out with girlfriends for a glass of wine....my apologies!)

I did the same thing on the horse tee below. I took a tee that had holes in the arm, that belonged to my partner, and used the existing pattern for the front of the small boys tee. Can I tell you how happy he was that he got a new T-shirt out of a T-shirt that used to be his dad's? This is a winner all round.

Over the years, I have learnt to wherever possible make the front of the tee a dark colour. The grubbiness of small kids when eating and playing has meant the end to many a light coloured garment. By making the front piece dark I think I get an extra six months out of them before they become too feral to wear.

While I love the girls shape I often tone it down a little to make it less flappy and more practical. A version of this can be seen below in yellow - still flappy but not so much. I know literally nothing about pattern adjustment. I just wing it and redraw lines. It often works out. In the yellow version I just redrew the wings to make them less wingy. I then smoothed the curve on the bottom. It is a little wonky but she is happy. I was attempting to do the half up and half down thing inspired by Brienne but I accidentally cut off the back bit....ridiculous but true.

I have included photos of this last pink T-shirt to show you the joy of winging it and the use of the lovely Banyan neckline finish. I found this tee a month ago. Cut out and half made. I have no idea why I abandoned it - it may have been because I wasn't sure what to do with the back. I couldn't look it up because I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the pattern is. It definitely isn't a Banyan. Once I figured out that it would go over her head even if there wasn't an opening, I attached the Banyan neckline finish, then I literally just sewed the two pieces together. Dodgy but such a sweet top. Dodgy can equal joy!

Have you used the Banyan? Or is your go-to something else. I would love to hear.

Have a great long weekend.

Felicia x

*I have tried the Flashback Skinny Tee by Made by Rae - which I really like but hasn't become my basic. Again - I liked it but it hasn't become my basic tee.

** When the pattern was first released it came with some pants. So some of the pictures on that pinterest search are the pants. 

***She is back teaching this year!!

Part 1 - Best of light sweater/cardigan yarns

This topic is so close to my heart - I love a lovely yarn - working with it and the resulting garment! I have discovered over many many years of knitting that I mainly wear lighter cardigans. And I have also discovered that in order for a cardigan to be a successful-almost-year-round cardy then it needs to be knitted in a lighter weight yarn. Light weight cardys have more seasons - even in the summer they are on regular rotation whereas my thicker cardigans and jumpers really only get a good work out in the winter.  

Now you may or may not know this about me but I have knitted a few things in my time. And I have tried many many yarns.  So I thought I would share some of my favourites - yarn that lasts and wears and is nice to knit with. And just so we are on the same page I should define what a lighter weight cardy is - yarns and patterns that have a gauge of between 21-25 stitches per 10cm. 

Please note that obviously yarn choice is a matter of personal taste and you might completely disagree. Please do! I would love to hear about it in the comments. i would also love to hear some of your favourites. Things that I haven't mentioned. 

Before we start we should talk a little about terminology. In Australia we often refer to sport weight yarn as a 5ply and dk as an 8ply yarn. These terms are a little deceiving as the size of the yarn doesn't actually relate to the number of ply. So an 8 ply can be a yarn that is a single ply yarn but is the right size (in other words has about 100m+ in every 50g ball).

So DK yarns are ones that knit up between 21-22 stitches per 10cm and generally have from 100m+ in every 50g ball. There are many many exceptions to this including most of the yarns mentioned below. 

A Sport weight yarn or 5ply is one that knits up anywhere between 23-26 stitches per 10cm and generally has from 125m+ in every 50g ball. 

This pattern Seamless Blue uses the same yarn at different gauges to achieve different sizes (and a different fabric).

Both of these types of yarn can be used for patterns with a gauge of between 21-26 stitches per 10cm.  What I mean by this is that you could use a sport weight yarn with a recommended gauge of 24 stitches per 10cm in a pattern that wants you to achieve a gauge of 22 stitches per 10cm. You just ignore the needle size suggested on the pattern (as you always should as your own tension with a given yarn and needles will not be the same as someone else's!) and keep changing the needle size until you achieve the required tension. Sometimes stretching a yarn outside it's recommended gauge leads to a terrible loose holey fabric or conversely one that is too stiff, but sometimes it creates something magic. The only way to find out is to experiment with the yarn to determine if you can achieve the gauge you want and still like the fabric. (There is also Ravelry if you are fighting need to swatch but this takes you into dangerous territory). 

I have learnt over time that I really like light weight DK yarns. They are dk yarns because they achieve 22 stitches per 10cm but often have a really long yardage/meterage. The reason I like them is because they create a light fabric rather than a super dense one. Again a matter of personal preference. 

Ask me questions about any of this is I have confused you. It is late and I only have a moment to get this post done so may lack some clarity - apologies.

So without further ado and in no particular order here is my go-to list for sport weight or dk weight yarns.

Old Maiden Aunt Alpaca Silk Sportweight

Oh my oh my how I love love this yarn. So far the only thing I have made out of it (completely circumstantial) was my Vitamin D minus the flaps you can see below and on Ravelry. Terrible pictures but this yarn and this cardigan is insanely wonderful.

It is lovely to knit with with a good twist and nice stitch definition. Warm and light. And the colours are incredibly beautiful and I believe hand painted. They are so incredibly rich. I love a semi-solid yarn and Lilith (owner) does it perfectly. The colour in many of her yarns is mainly solid with just a little semi to give it some depth and lift. It is a drapey yarn without much elasticity but it doesn't really stretch like cotton would so it retains it's shape. 

I took some pictures of it this morning and it I swear I did nothing to make it look better - just chucked it on a hanger. It looks this good after two years of solid wear. I treat it mean. There is not a pill on it. Check out those underarms.

My lovely friend Karen in the US did a knit along with me recently using this yarn in the gorgeous Dreich colourway and you can see her version of James here. Even with her iphone photos you can see the semi solid nature of Old Maiden Aunt's colourways. Other colourways of particular note are the gorgeous Brass Taps and Oak, Last Night's Red Dress and Lon-dubh....and I could go on and on but you need to go look yourself.

In contrast I have recently used another Alpaca Silk yarn blend that has a similar makeup and it was super splitty and is now pilling after a few weeks of wear. 

You can buy it direct from the source here and they have very reasonable shipping - and is lovely. Find it on Ravelry here.

Vital Stats for Old Maiden Aunt Alpaca Silk Sportweight are Alpaca 80% Silk 20% - 100g - 255m - 22 stitches per 10cm. 

Rowan Felted Tweed DK

I have an ongoing love affair with Rowan Felted Tweed. I realise it isn't the coolest yarn. It isn't even 100% natural fibres - there is 25% viscose - which breaks all my normal rules. BUT there is nothing like this yarn on the market. 

There is a lot to love! It is a beautiful light DK weight yarn that knits up between 21-24 stitches per 10cm. Unlike most yarns that achieve this stitch gauge it has super long yardage - 175m. And that isn't a typo!! Which makes it super economical. This stuff goes on and on. So for the cardigan in the picture below I only used 6.5 balls. Crazy cheap for a beautiful sweater. 

Let me tell you about the yarn's magic. It is a blended yarn and is not spun in the same way that more common yarns are spun. And it means that the resulting knitted fabric looks more like a piece of fabric rather than knitting kinda. The yarn looks flat rather than round. It is so pretty. Plus has the added bonus of making unevenness in tension look less uneven. Felted Tweed comes in a range of the most stunning tweedy colours that all go together beautifully. Which is great for colourwork but also for making scrap sweaters for kids. All three of the sweaters below were made out of scraps and single balls I had.

Felted Tweed doesn't feel the softest on the ball but blooms beautifully with it's first wash. My kids call them their cosy sweaters. And it due to the lightness of it it is a lovely yarn for kid cardigans. I find mine get hot in anything much thicker than this but it still knits up quickly.

It does have a couple of small downsides (which I don't care about at all because it is so fabulous and I know them so work around them). Over time it stretches and needs to be washed and resized. It does pop back into shape but it lacks the elasticity that normal wool has.  And it breaks. You can't yank on it like a more traditionally plied yarn. Which can make sewing up a bugger of a thing to do.

I have and will continue to use this yarn over and over again.

Vital Stats for Rowan Felted Tweed are 50% wool,25% alpaca and 25% viscose  - 50g - 175m - 22 stitches per 10cm.

It has a cousin in Felted Tweed Aran which is a magnificent yarn which has 16 stitches per 10cm and is super cosy. However, it has only OK yardage in comparison and the colour palate isn't that special. I'm hoping it gets better with time as I fancy a cosy winter sweater out of it one of these days. I was going to use it for Cinnamon Girl but I couldn't find a colour that worked for me and my current wardrobe.

So I've run out of time tonight and will have to split the post up into a few bits. Let me know if you have any burning questions. 

Felicia x

PS. All the pattern information can be found on my Ravelry page. I have just run out of time to label them all.

Best of knitting designers #1 - Amy Christoffers

So last night something rather inconvenient happened. If one was a dramatic person they might actually say that what happened was downright traumatic. It is Christmas week my friends as I am sure you are fully aware. And Christmas means Christmas craft. Craft that has a deadline with the sole purpose of making others happy. Meaningful craft. Non selfish craft which makes it super feel good. 

Anyhoo yesterday Amy Christoffers released her Cinnamon Girl pattern. And it might be the perfect cabled cardigan. And I feel the passion. And I might have accidentally knitted a swatch this morning at morning tea time. And I now know that my Christmas is destined to be plagued by twitching. Twitching to get back to the joy! The joy of following your passion.

Let's talk briefly about Cinnamon Girl - I don't have a picture yet sorry, so you will just have to click on through - cabled cardigan in a slightly semi solid yarn in a gorgeous gorgeous cinnamon colour. With classic Amy gorgeous shape. One that I love and wear all the time - which as you would all know, if you read this blog an essential part of making a cardy that you love. And ever since my "almost" perfect Stranger cardy I have been looking for a cabled cardy with a better fit. This is it my friends. 

I have included a few photos of my past experiences with Amy's patterns. My all time favourite cardy is the Pomme de Pin below.

Pomme de Pin by Amy - Knitting by me.

Photo's taken in my dirty mirror mid-renovation...

Bailey by Amy. Knitting by me.

I don't have yarn. And I can't make a trip to the store due to the aforementioned Christmas malarkey so I have made some up. I have put a DK and a 4ply together and got perfect gauge first time. I'm "think" I like the resulting colour so I'm calling it fate. Fate means you have to go with it right??

My swatch - any thoughts on the colour? Is it too marled?

Anyway the whole point of the post - other than to share the excitement - was to showcase the lovely Amy. Her designs are gorgeous with the best shoulder shaping I have found in a designer. And shoulder shaping is important as it is a key part of getting the fit right because bad shoulders ruin the whole thing. If you are doubting me then have a look at your favourite cardigans. Good well-fitting shoulders?

My version of Bailey can be seen on Ravelry here. Love the Icord sleeve finish and the pockets.

She does gorgeous details, beautiful cables, stunning cowls and fabulous wearable shapes. My absolute favourites are Pomme de Pin, Bailey, White Pine (check out Jule's version here - she is one of our lovely teachers!) and now Cinnamon Girl. Her most popular patterns are Larch and Acer. If only there was more time to knit in life....

Go check her out. Which is your favourite?

Felicia x

"Best Of" - Happy Homemade V2

I thought I would start a mini series of the "best of" patterns/materials I go back to again and again. These are my tried and tested and repeated patterns/materials - my go-tos. Might help some of you that are looking for some ideas?? Or those of you that don't have time to shop around and just want to get to the good stuff fast - these posts might save you some time.

On that note, the proviso is of course that this is just my opinion - you might hate them. Craft can be like that. One persons water is another persons wine....or something like that. That said, this first one up can really have no arguments.....it is that good. 

Best Of Japanese Kids Pattern Books - Happy Homemade V2

We are going to start with my most used kids pattern book of all time - Happy Homemade V2. Have a quick look around the internet and you will find this book comes up more than practically any other Japanese pattern book for kids. 

This book is a fabulous all rounder that includes my favourite small person shorts/jeans pattern and my favourite skirt. Both boys and girls staples are fully covered in this book. This is my go to book at the start of a season, after they have beanpoled their way out of last years clothes and I need to do the "right - we have no skirts/pants/shorts - let's sort that out!" thing. 

When I do this kind of making I almost always make multiples at a time; like the three skirts below. It's much faster than sewing things one by one, and really gets the wardrobe situation sorted quickly. Skirts are now covered. 

Ran out of pretty washi tape - sticky tape it is my friends....

I love how this skirt makes the little waist look so sweet - even with the just-got-outa-bed-dreadlocks. It is a little vintagey, great for twirling and good for summer or winter. 

When I went looking for pants to photograph for this post I found 6 pairs of various sizes made with different modifications. This number doesn't include the shorts made from this pattern either. Or the ones I have given away. I make them using a denim with a small amount of stretch, which combined with the elastic waist makes them super comfy for playing and climbing.

The jeans/pants

There isn't actually a jeans pattern in the book. There is a pants pattern but it is very simple. The pattern I use is a shorts pattern but because of how Japanese pattern books are (you trace out the pattern from a sheet) then I just extended them to the pants line to make the shorts into jeans....have I confused you yet? Japanese pattern books often use the one base pattern and then have different variations that use the same base. So I use the shorts pattern with front and back pockets but added the length from the pants pattern to make jeans.

Happy Homemade V2 also has a gorgeous layered dress - pattern f - that I made as my middle one's birthday dress. This dress is just stunning on. Terrible for sun coverage but great as a birthday frock. Wonderful twirling potential. 

This book also has other stuff I haven't yet tried making. There are a couple of different frocks and shirts - most of which I plan on making at some stage.

The lovely Anna has made about 15 versions of the dress and shirt pattern. I just clarified with her tonight  when she popped in and she has made 2 of the dresses with the yoke and 5 shirts/frocks of the pattern with the front tie. Again great basic patterns. 

In the interests of keeping it real - here is the gorgeous frock on Anna's lovely small today- complete with the water blotch or two. 

The lost buttons = true love? This frock has been worn fairly constantly for the last few years.

The book has pretty much every basic clothing type covered. Shorts, pants, skirts, shirts, hoodies and dresses. When I purchased it many moons ago it was only in Japanese. Thankfully it is now also in English. That said, it is for someone who has some basic skills - not a complete beginner as the directions are a bit on the vague side. They show you what order to do everything but not how to do it. 

Favourite short/jeans pattern

Favourite skirt pattern (and the shorts)

One of Anna's favourite frocks

I love this hoodie. I have plans to get there soon.

Beginners: If you are looking for some good kids patterns for beginners please try  Made By Rae - for great everyday kids clothes that are quick and easy to sew  or Oliver and S - for more formal, incredibly beautifully finished clothes. Both of them include great instructions and I promise you that you will come out from making them knowing more than you did at the start. 

Do you have Happy Homemade V2? Is there another Japanese kids pattern book you love more?  

And are you interested in me doing more of these types of posts?

Felicia x