Always Learning: Lollipop Brioche Hat

I am on my way to Rhinebeck right now and knitting has been on the brain, so I have another knit FO to show you today.

I have knit single-color brioche and 2-color brioche with one strand in each hand, but I've never done 2-color brioche with one strand at a time. I've been thinking a lot about my winter color palette and I found some Wren House Yarns that I bought earlier this year at Indie Knit and Spin that were perfect for a new winter hat. I chose the Lollipop Brioche Hat pattern by Raina K.

I ripped and re-knit this hat so many times. Firstly, it took me awhile to get the hang of doing 2-color brioche. Then, I studied the finished projects and decided that I needed to cast-on fewer stitches and knit with size #3 needles because most people said the hat came out too large. I started with 80 stitches, knit all the way up to the decreases, and realized the hat was too small. I ripped again and started over with 96 stitches on #3s, switching to #4s when I started the pattern. The I had to partially rip back a few more times because I thought I had the pattern memorized but was wrong. But I stuck with it and I'm happy I did because the finished hat is amazing.

There are quite a few typos in the pattern and there are no charts. I think I would have had fewer issues if there had been charts, as I am a very visual person and I tend to gloss over written instructions. I did a 2-color cable cast-on instead of the German twisted cast-on, and I actually don't care for it. Next time I'd go with the 2-color Italian tubular cast-on. I didn't increase stitches after the brim and I worked sections ABA then started the decreases instead of doing sections ABAB because I wanted a beanie not a slouchy hat. I think I knit the decreases as written but I did have to shift stitches to get them to line up correctly on the pattern--perhaps because I ended a half-repeat early.

I am in love with 2-color brioche and I want to knit all the brioche projects now. I know I am late to the party on this one but I finally get it. I may go with a shawl next, or perhaps another hat for my husband.

Cost Breakdown

• Time Spent: ~20 hours (knitting and reknitting and reknitting)
• Yarn: $13.86
• Pattern: $0 (obtained during a limited free offer, PDF is $4.31 USD)

Approximate total: $13.86

Cartography

I love this sweater so much.

Tincanknits released the Strange Brew e-book a few weeks back. I was having a particularly bad day and was in need of a cheerful pick-me-up. I bought the book and cast-on for Cartography right away without even knitting a swatch. (Disclaimer: Do as I say not as I do, always knit and block a swatch for sweaters, blah blah blah) I made the size Adult M.

Originally I had bought several colors of Knit Picks worsted weight wool to recreate this topshop pullover. I loved the combination of colors but ultimately I decided that knitting a plain stockinette sweater was too boring to attempt so I was happy to repurpose the yarn for Cartography instead. I started with 5 colors but I actually ripped back when I didn't like how contrast-y the 2 blues looked together in the large motifs. I replaced the darker blue with some grey Ella Rae Classic. I ended up using just under 1000 yards.

One mod I did not make but wish I had was to add short-rows to the back neck. I was simply too excited to start knitting and didn't even think about it until it was too late. I made several other changes to the pattern as follows:

1. All edges are tubular cast-ons and bind-offs
2. Used lifted increases
3. Used 6 colors instead of 2 or 4
4. Changed colors on a whim and knit the motifs in whatever order I felt like
5. Made a cropped length
6. Decreased 12 stitches at the waist to draw it in
7. Made a split hem about 2" deep on the front and 4" deep on the back with #5 needles
8. Converted sleeve stitch count to be a whole repeat
9. Knit sleeves straight to elbow, then increased 12 stitches
10. Knit wider sleeve for a few inches then did a rapid decrease round for bishop style sleeve
11. Knit deep 6" cuffs, decreasing slightly to narrow at the wrist

My favorite part is a detail that most people would never notice. I love the look of a tubular cast-on/bind-off. The finished edges are so neat and tidy even though they can be kind of a pain to work.

I wore this sweater to work today and I think it will get a lot of wear this winter. I debated whether I should do a cropped sweater or a long sweater dress, but I think I made the right choice. It's a perfect pullover to pair with high-waisted skirts and pants. I just love it so much and I'm already itching to cast-on another project from the book.

Cost Breakdown

• Rough Estimate of Time Spent: ~30 hours (knitting and finishing)
• Yarn: $25.94
• Pattern: $22

Approximate total: $47.94

#1garment3ways: Blackwood Cardigan #1

Here's my Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan for work, weekend, and date night. Construction details can be found on yesterday's post.

Work

Outfit Details:
Willamette Shirt by Hey June Handmade
Everlane jeans | Similar Patterns: Megan Nielsen Ash Jeans, Closet Case Patterns Ginger Jeans
Baggu tote
Caslon ankle boots

Weekend

Outfit Details:
Old Navy tee | Similar Patterns: Fancy Tiger Crafts Wanderlust Tee
Topshop Jeans | Similar Patterns: Simplicity 8516
Nike Sneakers

Date Night

Outfit Details:
Ogden Cami by True Bias
Joe's Jeans crop flares (shortened) | Similar Patterns: Megan Nielsen Ash Jeans
Madewell belt bag sans strap
Steven lace up flats

Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan #1

Fair warning, we've thick in the midst of my sewing when I was without my sewing machine (just got it back last night, yay!) so the next several garments are pretty boring and repetitive since I could only sew knits on my serger/coverstitch.

As I believe I've stated before I like to try new patterns with fabric that is less precious to me. I bought some amazing leopard print sweater knit from Emma One Sock that I wanted to sew into a Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet. To iron out any issues I had with the pattern I started with the leftover luxury sweatshirt fleece that I used for my toaster sweatshirt. I believe I bought 2 yards originally and was just able to eek out the shorter version of the Blackwood with my leftovers.

I made the size S. I left off the pockets because I had no way of sewing them on without a regular sewing machine. I shortened the sleeves and left off the sleeve cuffs. This was kind of accidental, as I shortened the sleeves first to fit my arm length while forgetting that you also add a cuff which would have made the sleeves too long. I was too lazy to trace and shorten the sleeves again so I just omitted the cuffs and did a coverstitch sleeve hem. I also did not coverstitch the neckband out of laziness. Or maybe I did, I can't remember.

The sweatshirt fleece is very soft and warm and makes a cozy cardigan. The only fit issue I had was that the upper back feels tight when I wear a long sleeve shirt underneath. For my second iteration of the pattern I made some additional changes to that area but I will talk about that next time. I mostly see myself wearing this at home, but it's a nice basic to have in my wardrobe.

Cost Breakdown

• Time Spent: ~3 hours (prepping PDF/cutting/sewing)
• Fabric: $14.07
• Pattern: $7 (used twice, purchased PDF at $14)
• Notions: ~$.50

Approximate total: $21.57

Sew U Home Stretch Raglan Sweatshirt Hack

I've had this sweatshirt pinned as inspiration forever. I really liked the crossover front and the funnel neck, and cared less for the zipped shoulder seam and the thumb holes. I decided to use the Sew U Home Stretch raglan as a base pattern to recreate a similar top.

The fabric I chose was this lovely french terry from Emma One Sock. It has a really nice drape and is very warm. The finished sweatshirt is quite heavy but not overwhelming. I think that the weight and drape work well with the style.

It's been quite awhile since I've sewn this one but from what I can remember, I started with a size S and converted the seam allowances to 3/8". I lowered the neckline so that the funnel neck wouldn't be super tight, maybe 1.25", and I drafted a new neckband that is 3" tall folded over. I redrafted the front to have a curve at the bottom extending to the side seam and cut two pieces, sewing them at the neck and shoulders as one. The back hem is also curved a bit lower than the front. For construction, I hemmed the fronts and backs on my coverstitch first and then sewed the rest as a normal tee/sweatshirt. I shortened the sleeve length and kept the cuffs from the original. Obviously there's no hem band.

I really like the height and width of the funnel neck. It doesn't feel too tight and the fabric has enough stiffness to stand out and hold its shape like the inspiration garment. I don't think I was super successful on the curved hem. I'm thinking now that the two fronts actually need to be slightly different shapes rather than mirror images because I'm not happy with how the under layer looks when worn. I don't know that I need another sweatshirt like this but if I were to sew it a second time I'd probably play around with that detail.

I'm not going to do a separate styling post but at least you can see here how the garment looks when worn. I mostly envision myself wearing this as a weekend lounge-around-the-house sweatshirt with jeans or leggings and I think it's perfect for that. It'll definitely be a go-to when it's chilly in the house and I need an extra layer.

Cost Breakdown

• Time Spent: ~3.5 hours (tracing/modifying pattern/cutting/sewing)
• Fabric: $31.20
• Pattern: ? (Book purchased years ago, used many times so no way to calculate price per use)
• Notions: ~$.50

Approximate total: $31.70

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#1garment3ways: Boyfriend Cardigan

Here's my Love Notions Boyfriend Cardigan for work, weekend, and date night. Construction details can be found on yesterday's post.

Work

Outfit Details:
Target plaid shirt | Similar Patterns: Grainline Archer, Simplicity 1538
Old Navy jeans | Similar Patterns: Megan Nielsen Ash Jeans, Simplicity 8516
Unionbay loafer mules

Weekend

Outfit Details:
BP Cardigan | Similar Patterns: Jennifer Lauren Handmade Juniper Cardigan, Straight Stitch Designs Phinney Ridge
Paige Jeans | Similar Patterns: Closet Case Patterns Ginger Jeans
Adidas Sneakers

Date Night

Outfit Details:
BP twist front sweater | Similar Patterns: Papercut Patterns Aomori Twist Top
Madewell jean skirt | Similar Patterns: Blank Slate Patterns Tillery Skirt
Halogen leopard loafer mules

Love Notions Boyfriend Cardigan

I really wanted a navy hooded cardigan for fall. I found the perfect pattern, the Love Notions Boyfriend Cardigan and paired it with some navy wool sweater knit from Denver Fabrics.

The pattern was easy to assemble and I utilized the layers function to print only my size. I made size XS and did not make any pattern changes other than shortening the sleeves and moving the pocket placement up to accommodate my short arms. The wool fabric was spongy and a little difficult to work with. It is very drapey and soft though, and comfortable to wear. The pockets are pretty droopy in this fabric so I probably should have interfaced them, but oh well. I also think that the neck seam where the hood attaches to the cardigan could have used some extra reinforcement. I may go back and sew some twill tape over that seam just to give it more strength.

Because of the pockets, the hood, and the side seam slits, this cardigan took a bit longer to make than others I've completed since. I think the extra effort was worth it though, as I've been wearing this one constantly. I definitely want to make the shawl collar version as well. Back tomorrow with a styling post.

Cost Breakdown

• Time Spent: 8 hours (prepping PDF/cutting/sewing)
• Fabric: $16.14
• Pattern: $6 (special offer, normally $10)
• Notions: ~$.50

Approximate total: $22.64