Knit one, sew one

Two finished projects to show you today, one knitted, one sewn.

I finished the teddy bear baby blanket. I washed it but didn’t block it in any way, just hung it up and let it dry.  It was knitted in Sirdar Country Style DK, which is a machine-washable wool/acrylic blend because I don’t think the friend it is intended for is likely to be handwashing blankets after the baby is born. However, it washed very nicely and is now very soft and snuggly. I just loved this pattern; it was straightforward and quick to knit but the combination of stocking stitch and reverse stocking stitch is just so effective. The best part of this project is that the baby isn’t due for another 2 months so I can wrap this up and put it away until it is needed and I won’t need to subject myself to the usual frantic week or two of knitting that takes place just before or after the birth!

Second project was a roll/case for my KnitPicks interchangeable needle tips. Despite being only my second sewing project in about 16 years, i.e. since home economics classes in school, it’s entirely my own design. No pattern, no tutorial, just work out what needs to go where and try it and see what happens. This did, of course, result in the odd hiccup. For example, see the small loop of ribbon attached to the left-hand side of the roll in the bottom picture? It’s now a design feature (and I may even have come up with a use for it) but was originally supposed to be the ribbon for keeping it all together when rolled up. Unfortunately, my brain has yet come to grips with the inside-out back-to-front thinking that’s needed when sewing things up and then turning them right way out and the ribbon ended up beautifully sewn in between the lining and the cover.

I’m so pleased with the way this turned out in the end though. It takes all my tips, plus some crochet hooks and my sewing and needle gauges. The striped flap (shown lifted up in the picture) keeps everything from falling out no matter how thrown around the roll gets in my bag and everything is just so much better organised and easier to find than in the pouch that they came in. I’m considering making another one, incorporating the lessons learned from this one and some ideas I’ve had since and if I do, I’ll put up a tutorial on how I did it.

The more I use this striped fabric the more I love it; things made from it are just automatically appealing and make me smile when I see them. I’ve got some left which I might make into a holder for my interchangeable cables or a pouch for my stitch markers since there is nowhere for them go in here. Do I really want an entirely co-ordinating set of knitting project and notions bags though?