My DIY | Embroidered Denim Jacket

WhatIWore: Today I’m excited to share a recent little DIY project I took on - an embroidered jacket! I got the idea from a combination of a recent shopping trip and a PInterest binge - especially pieces from recent Gucci garden collection. I like the thicker look of handworked embroidery, so I decided to take on the challenge myself. I also like have a little lap project in the evenings or when I’m re-watching on of Felix’s kid shows for the bajillionith time. 

I initially used an iron transfer pattern (like Aunt Martha’s brand) for the left side, but it didn’t take as well as I would have hoped. I did get a rough idea of how to lay out the design, so then I used an ink pen to free hand the rest based on the printed design.  

On the right, I traced the medium sized rose from another iron on onto tissue paper, pinned it directly to the jacket and stitched an outline through the paper. Once transferred with that method, I removed the paper.  I actually liked this method better! If you chose to do it this way, you could save yourself the cost of the iron on and find something you like online. Tattoo art would make for gorgeous embroidery patterns! 

The rest of the piece - like the small purple flowers, honey bee and some leaves - were either drawn directly onto the jacket or stitched freestyle. 

All in all, I’d estimate I put about 30 hours into this jacket and am very happy with the results. If you have any experience with embroidery work, you might try something similar! Because I did this one for pleasure, I didn’t stop to take photos along the way for a DIY, but I can tell you that Google and YouTube are great resources when you need help figuring out a stitch (the yellow French knots took me a while to master). 

Another tip - embroidery floss is pretty inexpensive - about 40 to 50 cents per skein, and I wish I’d bought double the pinks and greens (or at least written down the exact color numbers) before I started. Matching under the fluorescent lights at the fabric store meant I had to make a couple trips to get extra the exact shades. 

It’s supposed to cool down later this week and if everyone is back to health in my home (we’ve been battling a nasty stomach bug all around. Ick!), we’ll be able to shoot outfit photos. I think it’ll look cute with a black rib knit dress and ankle boots (but because the front is plain, will go with a lot of neutrals!)

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My DIY | Cable Knit Trapper Hat

WhatIWore: Voila! I just finished my latest knitting project - a cable knit trapper hat! Knit in four major pieces, it took me a little under two weeks to knit, block and assemble. 

This pattern is from the cover of VOGUEknitting 2010/2011 Winter issue. I used a pretty aran weight silk wool blend yarn. It was a lot more lofty than yarns I’ve knit in the past, but I love the final result.` I opted to do the majority of the work with 16″ round metal needles.  I used two skeins of Fyberspates Scrumptious Aran merino silk blend yarn in silver. 

As for the pattern - I stayed true to the instructions for the flaps and band, but made up my own design (five cables with a seed stitch between) for the crown of the hat and did an I-cord to connect the pom poms. I read a lot of reviews for this pattern on Ravelry (my profile here) and a lot of knitters said the hat was too tall, thus my change (I also tried the pattern design and didn’t love it/got messed up enough to rip out, so went with a simplified stitch). This hat took me about a week plus a couple days for blocking and assembling. I rip out a lot of my work so I would have likely been done sooner if I paid more attention while I was knitting (but ya know, #babylife).

Would I make this hat again? Yes! Especially with a DK weight yarn and smaller needles for a kid size. How cute would that be!?

My DIY | Hand Knit Striped Sweater

WhatIWore: Ta da! I’ve finally completed my hand knit striped sweater. This pattern is from the Vogue Knitting 2015 Pre-Fall issue (pattern #15). This is my second attempt at knitting a sweater and I really liked how easy this particular pattern was to knit. I started using the directions for an XL (based on measurements) and then actually finished (from the yoke down) with the large size instructions.

Yarn Choice: My sweater is made using 6.5 skeins (130 yards each) of Plymouth DK Merino super wash wool in Natural (1001) and 1.5 skeins of Navy (1111). I love the texture of this yarn and the color combo looks beautiful together! Adam gave me a hug after taking these photos and said with surprise “Oooooh! So soft!”

Stitches Used: This pattern is pretty simple - knit from the top down on the round  (on 16″ needles) - I even did the sleeves on the round (because I am not a huge fan of purling and on the round you just do the basic knit stitch!). The raglan arm shaping has a simple cable (that you do on your needles - no cable holder required) with some pretty easy increases.

Pattern Pros: Like I said before, this is primarily your basic knit stitch, which I did in the continental style (yarn held in the left hand) to make things go faster. I think I became a better knitter with this project! If you’ve made a hat with decreases or done any cable work, you can absolutely do this pattern! 

Pattern Cons: There are a lot of ends to weave in, but I did this as I went every few color changes. I also ran out of yarn (I bought everything they had and they needed to re-order for me) so at that time I did a lot of weaving in. I actually kind of like that part, but I could use some advice from you seasoned knitters - what about those little ends that pop out? Do you just push them to the wrong side of the work and hope they don’t creep out? Based on info I read online, I did my weaving before blocking - was that wrong?

Also - I could have been a little better with my tension because after blocking this piece grew a size (and I wanted long sleeves, but now they’re too long!) I’ve heard super wash wool can be hard to predict and I do know I knit a little looser as I went (but not THAT much!) so do you think I could use some hotter water and re-block? I like the way the torso fits though! I could really use some advice! 

Final Take Away: Overall, I’m glad I made this sweater. I like the sleeve shaping a lot and I think I would use this basic pattern as a base if I ever wanted to design my own stripe combination or maybe even a centered cable down the middle. I hope I get a lot of wear out of this style and knowing my personal style and hello, stripes! I think I will!