The Double Moss Stitch Cardigan :: Knitting ::

More on my embroidery here

Happy Monday everyone! Well, isn't it hard to take decent pictures these days. Natural light is quite a precious commodity between the dark hours and the rain. I managed to snap some pictures of my finished cardigan, and I can now tell you how much I love it (now that it has pockets). It is my usual style, an easy to wear oversized cardigan.

I was really worried about the construction of the cardigan. It is not knitted in the round, - you have to sew the pieces together. You would think that because I sew it would be quite logical that this construction appeals to me, well it does not. I actually like knitting in the round. However after this cardigan I may be not so opposed to knit pieces and sew them together. I am not sure my technique is great yet, I totally bluffed it, and it worked, so did not investigate more, but I probably need to pay more attention to the sewing part. 

Pattern: Veste Femme (pattern 22) in Phildar Catalogue A/H 010-11

Yarn: Ecological Wool from Cascade Yarn in silver (see my ethical review here)
Yardage: I  think I used 2 full skeins (unfortunately I had used the yarn for something else, so it was not in full and intact skeins when I knitted with it). 

Needles: 7 mm (to get a light fabric - do try to make a sample to get the right fabric)

Size: I made the size 46/48 based on my gauge

Modifications: I did not make any modifications - even added the pockets. I did block it differently however. I did the neckline, shoulder and arm seams, and block it flat - and then did the side seams. 

Future Modifications: Although I love the double moss stitch, I think it would be interesting to knit this in another stitch to add some visual interest based on the same pattern. Also I may make the front panels larger to add even more drape.

Here is a quick review for you: 

Wearability: 4/5 - It is totally wearable - as soon as it is finished. I did not give it full marks because I do not like the way the edge looks, I would like them a bit neater to make it less hand-knitted (any tips?). 

Time spent: 4/5. I did not keep exact timing, but 3 months for a hand knitted garment for me is fast knitting, I think this could be done in a month if you really focused on it. 

Boredom factor: 4/5. There is so much double moss stitch one girl wants to knit over a month. I was easily distracted by other projects. 

Difficulty: 2/5. There is quite a bit of shaping at the shoulders, but overall it is quite easy to knit as it is mainly based on rectangles. 

Pricing: a bit less than £30 for the yarn and a few evenings of watching your favourite series on Netflix. Not bad value.  

This a great pattern to have for a basic cardigan in any wardrobe. It looks easily adaptable to your needs, and you can easily add more interest than I have done here. I may consider making another one of these. 

Double Moss Stitch WIP :: Knitting ::

Hello Wednesday! And hello WIP day! I am posting this cardigan project as I really need to show my commitment to finish it in the (very) near future - before it gets really cold. It is totally cardigan weather at the moment, so easy - you put it on, and off you are running your errands. Don't get me wrong I love scarves, beanie hats, layering - but it is takes forever to get ready (and this is just half the battle, I have to dress the kids too!). 

This project is quite frustrating as a WIP because you basically knit 3 rectangular-ish pieces that you will sew together. And therefore to actually imagine the cardigan (or whether it is going to be your size after all that knitting) is quite hard - I did not even attempt to take a picture of all the pieces. The model is featured in the Phildar magazine, and I am hoping for a similar result.. But who knows? These pieces do not give me anything - my next cardigan project will have to be knitted in the round.

Also I love double-moss stitch, but I may be having a double moss stitch indigestion here. It is the only stitch used, not a little yarn over, or little cable to break the pattern. However I do love how flat and neat the knitted fabric is, it is going to make it (hopefully) so much easier to put together. 

I am using some yarn from my existing stash - I must have had a massive project in mind, because I have loads of this yarn, but cannot remember what it was. So I am glad this project is using quite a bit of it. It is from the Ecological Wool from Cascade Yarns - you might be interested in my ethical review of the yarn here. This yarn is undyed. 

It is a bit rustic, in fact I was quite reluctant to use it for a cardigan, I was worried that it would be too stiff or too itchy on my skin. However once I made my swatch I was quite pleased with the result - due to the fact that I have to knit with 7 mm needles and therefore the fabric is quite light as a result, and because the cardigan is supposed to oversized and should not be too close to my skin. 

It is all serious reading at the moment. I am more and more interested in finding out about nutrition, and just got Potatoes not Prozac out of the library yesterday. It talks about sugar addiction - how it affects people (oh mood swings, I loathe you) and how to deal with cravings etc. I have managed to eradicate all refined sugar out of my diet, and I am working on the boy's diet. I am hoping this book is going to help me be even more vigilant about hidden sugars in their food. However as it is quite heavy reading for the evening, I am more likely to fall asleep on it... 

I will be joining Ginny today, it is good to be back in blogland!  

Maternity Wear # 2 - The EcoFabrics Top and a Discount Code | A Finish {Dressmaking}

These pictures were nearly never taken - this is our last shoot before we had to fly out of Brittany (ie a couple of hours before the flight was actually due to take off), but I am so happy we took the time to take the pictures. Of course on the blog, it is about the top and the fabric I chose, but I do love that picture with Baby MiH, showing his addiction to the sand, and me thinking, please please don't eat it.

Going back to this new pregnancy top... I have actually already made a top out this pattern (from a Japanese book, in French but honestly it is all about the pictures) - and in fact I took pictures of it back in Brittany whilst pregnant with Baby MiH - can you see why I was so keen to take pictures out there. 

I knew it was a great fit for pregnancy wear, but this time I wanted to have a much lighter fabric than Essex linen (this year's summer has been much hotter). 

Let's start by the minor modification for pregnancy wear. Although the pattern (cut in my normal size M) fitted me until I was 5/6 months pregnant without any changes the first time round (and I am a little bit smaller this time), I decided to add some fabric at the gathering stage at the front, in a similar way as with the Tova. I added 2 inches to the pattern (4 inches in total). I reckon I probably added another 2 months for pregnancy wear and it can still be worn as an oversized blouse when I am no longer pregnant. 

I also cut a size bigger for the sleeves, because the pattern seems to fit skinny arms only. I cut the sleeves in L, and added another 1 cm when cutting the fabric. 

The fabric, well let me tell you, I am very excited about this. My readers will know that I am trying to find fabrics/craft supplies that are ethical and environmental-friendly - and this is my first find. I had been looking for a while on the net, and then thought of Etsy - and this is where you will end up on the Eco Fabric Store run by Vishruti, which stores organic, naturally dyed fabrics.

And it is quite hard to find fabric prints that I like, and fit with my sustainability aspirations, that I wanted to know about more about Vishruti and her shop, and share it on the blog so that if you buy her fabric, you too will feel part of the Eco Fabric Store story. 

Hi Vishruti, how long have you been interested in environmental friendly processes in the dyeing of fabric?

Since my teens, I have always been interested in Eco, Organic, Recycled, Earth-Friendly ways of living. It is something that was a part of my lifestyle even before I knew it. My businesses too always reflect the same sentiment and values.

Tell me more about the Eco Fabric Store and its values. 

The Eco Fabric Store was born recently on March 21, 2014, and is based in Mumbai in India. However I have another 3 other shops on Etsy , so technically I am an Etsy shop seller since February 2009. You can only find me on Etsy at the moment, but I am planning to build my independant website as well. 

All my fabrics are Eco Friendly and Earth friendly. The yarns are natural and are hundred percent biodegradable. We also offer a variety of fabrics made from Eco and Earth friendly fibers such as Organic Cotton, Bamboo, Hemp, Soyabean Protein, Banana and Ahimsa Silk. 

I used to have my own organic cotton garmenting and manufacturing unit which was certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) . However I closed my unit because of my marriage and moving to another city, but kept very good contacts and friendships with the certified mills I used to work with and all the fabrics that I am selling on Etsy are from those certified mills only. I work with local communities, and all her products are a representation of local communities, paying fair wages and generating local employment. These are stringent tests that they have to pass to gain the certification.

What dyeing process do you use?

The naturally dyeing process is a GOTS Approved Natural Dyeing (also referred as Vegetable dyeing, Herbal Dyeing). We have developed the expertise to dye/print with flowers, roots, fruits, etc.  like turmeric, onion, myraballams, madder, kesu flowers, dhavadi flowers, natural indigo etc. This not only prevents water pollution due to replacement of petrochemical dyes with vegetable dyes/natural dyes,but also imparts medicinal value to cloth as many herbs used for dyeing are having high medicinal value. Also, this is not a newfound process, it was a common practice in ancient India. Historically done by hand and on small scale.

Do you design the pattern? 

Yes, being a designer, I also design fabric patterns. I also take personal or custom orders from clients who like to create a range or produce a custom line for themselves only. I also have a little block printing space where I create fabrics prints using unique OOAK wooden blocks for myself and my family. 

What can we expect to find in your shop? 

Hopefully there will be more designs available each season, and very soon trimmings. However working with nature needs me to work according to its moods ! For instance the rainy season doesn't allow the natural dyes to dry soon. There is also high humidity issues which causes certain pigments to coagulate which is why certain colours cannot be prepared in certain seasons. For updates, you should like her Facebook page. 

And because Vishruti is such a nice person, you can use the discount code: MADEINHOME10 to get 10% off any purchase in her shop.

As for me, I cannot wait to get started on other projects using the other fabrics I bought in her shop. I am also really tempted by her new tribal print, and I have noticed that she has posted an amazing dark red version of it. 

Cascade Yarns Eco Alpaca Review | Ethical Craft Supplies {Knitting}

You may remember that back in May I was totally set on finishing Nord until I ran out of yarn. Actually I had not ran out of yarn, but the last skein I had came in bits of thread rather than one continuous thread. At the time I had tried to contact the shop I bought the yarn from and I never got anything back (still haven't if you are wondering). However Cascade Yarns had read my blog post and contacted me - and sent me more skeins of Eco alpaca and more! 

Picture found on Ravelry

I had not written the post to get free yarn, and never thought I would ever get anything for free thanks to the blog. However it is very clever of Cascade Yarns to have contacted me, because I am definitely willing to buy more of their yarn - just not through that specific shop. And also I realised that the yarn I am using for Nord actually fits with my new ethical craft supplies endeavour as I am using the undyed Eco Alpaca yarn.  

The lovely skeins  I received from Cascade Yarns

I contacted Cascade yarns to get a bit more information about the Eco Alpaca yarn, and here is what I found out. The ecological yarns are undyed, which makes them eco friendly. As a distributor Cascade Yarns primarily visit the mills, and use the ones they find to have acceptable working conditions, but do not visit the farms themselves. The farms are located up in the mountains in Peru, where the sheep and alpaca are cared for by families.  

With respect to dyes (if you are not using undyed yarn), all of them meet European safety standards for dye safety, which sounds like they are more strict than American standards.Their Eco+ wool is the same wool base as the Ecological Wool, but it is dyed with Oeko-Tex certified dyes, which have an even higher safety standard. 

Pictures from Ravelry 

I asked about natural dyes as I am quite interested in finding major distributors that may consider using natural dyes. Unfortunately - but not unexpectedly - they do not foresee using natural dyes as the process is difficult to control for consistency at their scale of production. However, all of the wools are available in an undyed natural colour that can be purchased to hand dye. 

Here you are a few good options to stash on ethical supplies at a reasonable price. I am currently using Eco Alpaca for Nord, and it is so unbelievable soft, and knowing that Cascade Yarns have been looking at ethical issues makes the yarn I use (and the jumper) that much more special. Maybe it may even mean that I will actually finish it.