My Sewing Space

I was quite taken with Joji Locatelli's Lemongrass when I first saw it. I liked the split sides, the simple cable down the front and the turtleneck. The heavier gauge appealed to me also - faster to knit and a warm, cozy sweater in the end. I went with one of the yarns recommended in the pattern; Malabrigo Yarn Twist in black. I loved this yarn and would like to knit another sweater with it. It is soft and squishy and not at all itchy. Sometimes even soft wool yarns in a scarf or turtleneck start to really bother my neck by the end of the day, but this one doesn't bother me at all. So good. The only modifications I made to the pattern were very simple ones. Length was added to the front and back, but not equally - the back is longer than the front. Since I think loose sleeves on a sweater easily look sloppy, I went down a needle size for the sleeves. I like a substantial turtleneck and I have a long neck, so I added a whole lot to the neck, knitting the first half o...

I'm not really a pattern hoarder. I'm more likely to be tempted by the potential held in a new piece of fabric than a new pattern. Also, I don't have access to the $0.99 sales here and that is a natural deterrent. But, sometimes I see a new and different pattern that I really want and I make the purchase without a definite plan for it on the horizon. So it was with the Nina Cardigan from Style Arc . Given the currency conversion and the shipping costs, it generally isn't prudent for me to be making impulse purchases from small independent Australian businesses. This pattern was expensive. But, I do like to support the small independent businesses and I also wanted to try out their patterns since they get good reviews. Was it worth it? I think so. I used a lightweight burnout jersey in a grey-blue color that I really like. The pattern suggests leaving the front  edge/neckline and hem raw or "babylocking" them. My fabric curled like crazy along any raw ...