On the Cutting Table...

I finished knitting and seaming my two-tone sweater and it's finally off my cutting table. I can now start sewing again. It's been awhile, like two months to be exact. Have I missed sewing? Yes!

I was reading Linda's blog about the cute KwikSew twinset she had made. It happens to be my TNT pattern. I had two fabrics sitting next to my cutting table. Waiting for some action. It took me awhile to find my KS 2759 pattern. You know, I put it in a safe place. Well, that could be anywhere in my sewing room. Can you relate?

KwikSew 2759 - Twin Set

I will be using one of the two knit fabrics below. What's amazing about these two fabrics...they look very similar in print. The biggest difference between the two is the weight. One is a heavy-weight and the other is a mid-weight. I'm beginning to think the mid-weight fabric will work better with this pattern.

Brown and blue floral sweater knit. Heavy knit with a slight stretch.

Black and white floral knit. Mid-weight knit with some stretch.

I will be going up to a size Medium on this pattern, since the knit fabrics have very little stretch. I think I will add a black contrast trim around the front edge and leave out the buttons and buttonholes. I think I will lengthen the cardigan to the normal pattern length. My previous versions were shorter. I just love black and white fabric.

Looking for a Bag Pattern

I found these cool looking handles at my local yarn shop (LYS). I've been wanting to sew a knitting bag for myself. I'm still searching for the right pattern. Shape is not an issue anymore. I just want to be able to use these cute handles. I did see the Miranda Bag at Lazy Girls Design that's an option. Does anyone have any suggestions for a cute knitting bag that I can sew? Maybe something quick and simple with lots of interior pockets?

My new handles for my future knitting bag


I wanted to add this picture of me modeling my new knitted garment.

Do you see a neon sign?

See...I've Been Busy...

As you can see, still no sewing. I have been busy developing skills for another hobby.


I've been working on my knitting. I just completed my first knitted garment. A simple vest. I love how the back drapes. I like looking at the backside more than the front. LOL!

I've done a review on this knitted garment. Just like I would do for a garment for PatternReview. You can head over to my 2BKnitting blog read more about this exciting adventure.

Ready for Some Fun? How Fast Do You Type?

I came across this at one of my knitting sites. It's a typing test. See how fast you can type.

Type all the words you see on the screen. Press the space bar after each word. Words that are typed correctly turn green. Words that are typed incorrectly turn red. Just keep typing until the screen disappears and calculates your score. You can find the links to the test below. Enjoy!


70 words

Typing Test

Happy Valentine's!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

SWAP and KWAP?

Did I get your attention?

I've been away from my sewing as well as this blog. I've been busy focusing on my knitting skills. I have finished knitting all 4 sections of my first sweater. I'm in the process of hand sewing the seams.

I thought about integrating my knitting projects with my SWAP. So, I came up with KWAP (knitting with a plan). I can see combining these two plans and completing the projects would take up to 12 months to complete. Whew! Not sure yet what I will end up with. My mind is filled with so many projects that I want to try out.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming 3-day weekend. I need to get back into my sewing room. One of my SWAP projects is to do a jean jacket/shirt. I have a few dressy casual fabrics that I would like to try. Hopefully, my plan will come together this weekend.

Back to my yarns...

Why Do I Sketch?

The other day, Rhonda asked a very good question in my previous post on sketching.

"Can you tell me the advantage of sketching yourself vs tracing the pattern sketch?"

I am glad to answer that question. For me, it's a personal preference to sketch. It's actually faster for me. One of my other hobbies is drawing/watercolor painting, so by nature it's easier for me to do hand sketches. Also, I can make my sketches bigger than the line drawings on the patterns. Actually, I had not thought about tracing the line drawings on the pattern. That would be another great option.

Also, for those who don't use a computer or have a graphics program, I'm just showing another way to create a sewing plan by hand.

So, hand sketching for me produces faster results and works the right side of my brain more.

Happy Sewing!

It Starts with a Sketch

I've been spending way too much time on the computer. I've had to wean myself off, so I can spend some quality time in my sewing room.

For my SWAP (non-computer related), I thought would do some rough sketches of some garments that I would like to include in my wardrobe/plan. I had recalled some patterns that were in my stash and started to draw them out. I went back and noted the pattern.

My first rough sketch, the start of my plan

Back in December, I started to go through my fabric stash and cutting swatches to keep a log of what I have. I know I'm not the only one that can't remember every single piece of fabric I've purchased over the last 4 years. I guess that's when you know you have a fabric stash! My swatching is still an on-going task, because as you know, fabric can scatter to the wind inside one's house. Besides my sewing room (closet & armoire), there's a bedroom closet, and the basement.

Well, my fabric swatching is coming in handy right now as I'm matching my fabrics to my sketches. My rough sketches have been transformed into final drawings (not too pretty, but do-able) with final fabric selections attached. I just need to make sure I have enough fabric.

First group of swatches

My final sketch and some fabric swatches