Project 2021.5 Completed.
Log.20210418. It has been 1 year, 2 months, 2 weeks and 6 days since the start of the pandemic in Canada.
Many people have "had enough" and just three days ago there were those witnessed attending outdoor dance parties to sooth the uneasiness of their 'souls'. They rather spread a disease even if there is a possibility of them killing a friend, family member, or themselves. I don't get it. They may think I "live in fear" but I think they are mistaking fear for compassion and consideration. I don't understand how these people are not in a ways - tagged. They very well possibly be people that work and interact with many others. Making this pandemic harder to contain.
Many people have "had enough" and just three days ago there were those witnessed attending outdoor dance parties to sooth the uneasiness of their 'souls'. They rather spread a disease even if there is a possibility of them killing a friend, family member, or themselves. I don't get it. They may think I "live in fear" but I think they are mistaking fear for compassion and consideration. I don't understand how these people are not in a ways - tagged. They very well possibly be people that work and interact with many others. Making this pandemic harder to contain.
I, on the other hand, am a homebody. I have had no problems staying at home. I've decided to try to complete a project a month. Large or small. They can be ones I've already started and very much need to get on with. Things I've always wanted to do, try, or have.
Project 2021.1 was a Katniss Cowl. It was something I saw in the movie, but I did my own version - red and with a hood, and with an opening so it wasn't a one shoulder sling but more like a vest. My first large cowl.
Project 2021.2 was a Super Mario Themed Quilt. Started in late 2020, with 49 embroidered panels and life quotes. It is a bit morbid why I did this project. It was - as I am in the process of trying to have a child; I thought to myself - with this pandemic, if and when I have a kid and then something happens to take my life. I would like my child to have advice from me in some sort of way. I've also always wanted to make a quilt. and I had never really embroidered anything as large and exorbitant. Aside from cross stitching, it is my first and largest embroidered project.
Project 2021.3 was a jacket I had bought but felt unfinished. It was simply a shell, I also had to purchase it in extra large because of the measurements in certain areas would only fit certain things. I had to take in the jacket to properly fit it, altered the length of the arms, and I added a flannel lining with inside pockets.
Project 2021.4 was requested by my significant other as he was in need of more pajama pants. I had planned to purchase him some during a sale, but had missed out on it and found it maybe cheaper to make them myself. I purchased the material and used another pair of his pants as a template to follow. I made the first one slightly too small for him, and turned it into a set for myself, making a matching top. The second pants I made were perfect. I never got a chance to make pajama pants in high school in home economics class but making these made me feel a little ... how you say... fulfilled.
Project 2021.5
Crocheted Cardigan / Bomber / Jacket.
I own another knitted sweater jacket, but it was purchased a few years ago and has been pretty well worn. What I didn't like about the jacket is that I've always felt it was a little short, and perhaps not the same quality or not quite like it seemed to be as advertised. So I purchased a total of about 16 skeins of Wool-Ease heather grey yarn. Costing perhaps 100-120$ in materials and made my own. I've never knitted or crochet a sweater before let alone a jacket, so I put my skills to the test. I didn't really follow any existing patterns online, I simply in a ways winged it. I made a plan of how I envisioned it to be and did a little research on how it perhaps should be executed.
I made the arms first, starting at the cuffs. I made the mistake of jumping in and making cuffs and didn't count the pattern stitches needed. I also had to disassemble it a couple of times just to get the math and pattern to align just right. It was only when I did all the math could the pattern be properly flushed out. I wanted something with a fall feel, and a bit Canadian in a way, so I choose to have a leaf pattern. Only the first 5-6 rows would have a alpine stitch in between the leaves. One more row of leaves then leading to a Celtic weave pattern crochet stitch. In the arms I ended up reflecting after the weave pattern back into leaves all the way up the arms making some smaller shaping the arm sleeves.
The Body was different. I found that I actually had to think of how it was I was going to make the pocket holes. I realized after a short while that I could simply chain along the edge of the area where I would want my pocket and then chain a strand back to the original start of the pocket and continued the Celtic weave stitch. After the Celtic weave crochet stitch, I transitioned to a cross stitch single crochet stitch, doubling up the yarn. After leaving creating the spaces for the arm holes, I then stitched a row across to attach them again, and continued, decreasing stitches above the arm holes to create the shoulders and then moving on to the hood. I decreased and increased stitches in the later rows working up to shape the neck area. and then to shape the back of the head, and decreasing them again as we worked up. To the top of the head. I originally was going to make the hood separately and attach them later on, but I ended up continuing from the body to the hood as I didn't want to disrupt the stitch pattern. I then lastly crocheted the Edge - a long strip with a braided cable crochet stitch. This latter stitched with yarn along the inside edge of the body's opening and hood rim. I made this a little shorter than the measured inner edge of the opening so when attaching it to the hood it would make the hood a bit naturally tucked.
I flipped the finished crocheted jacket inside out I traced and cut and sewed lining and the pocket insides. leaving the naturally stretchable cuffs and bottom of the jacket unlined. I placed in button loops and buttons on the inside of the jacket so they are hidden and zipper along the inside.
The result is amazing. and the quality I feel is a thicker jacket that can combat the Canadian winter.
You can see video snippets of my projects at the following instagram link:
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