I'm really rather happy to announce that I finished the first Tanvi cardigan. It turned out really pretty, and better than I had hoped. That said, am I satisfied? I'll have to withhold judgement until I have blocked it. You can see in the pictures below that the neck line is all stretched out. Should I blame the yarn, the children, or knitting a size bigger than I should have?? I don't know yet.
Pattern: Tanvi
What I learned: I'm starting to get more comfortable with my knitting skills, and changing up patterns to suit me. There were a few things I didn't like about the way this pattern was written. I was happy with the results when I changed them.
Here are my models in action:
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| She wasn't happy I made her stop getting ready for school to take pictures. Puts on a nice smile anyway. |
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| I'm showing the back twice with different amounts of light to try to show the diamonds. This picture was taken before we added the buttons, and you can see the neck isn't as stretch out. |
Here are the buttons that Rori picked out:
Before I go I've got a question for any quilters out there. I have a bunch of receiving blankets from when the girls were babies, which I saved to one day make into quilts for them. In my cleaning frenzy I've decided I should do it now (why do we always give ourselves so much to do when pressed for time?). I was thinking of just doing a strip quilt, but I don't want it to be too boring. Or too hard. Any pattern ideas? I want something a little girl will like, but one that won't drive me mad piecing together. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Blame the children!!!
ReplyDeleteNo I'm just kidding it really looks wonderful pre-blocking and will probably only improve. Also, those buttons are seriously awesome.
Love the buttons! So cute, and perfectly coordinated :)
ReplyDeleteTurned out really beautiful and I love the sparkling buttons!
ReplyDeleteAndria--I agree...the buttons are awesome!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the quilt goes...you can make a 9-patch square (with pretty large squares) and then rotary cut through the middle both directions (essentially cutting it into four equal squares), and then flip two of them before you piece it back together. It's hard to imagine if you've never tried it, so do one on paper with different colors of crayons and you'll see. It looks like you made smaller and larger pieces and is 'interesting-looking' without being hard at all. Then you just repeat this over and over until you run out of fabric. XXO-
I did a web search on this design and couldn't find it. Then while looking at another quilt *Bing* there it was. I LOVE this idea. So simple, and you are right, it looks harder than it is. I love that. Thanks so much for this idea.
DeleteLooks lovely. I've got some of those buttons! And, in pink.... X
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! and the buttons are great.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic. I love the colour and the pattern. The buttons are perfect.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, the cardi is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteWow, you finished this project quickly! It looks great, I love the buttons!
ReplyDeletecute sweater-cute model
ReplyDeletelooks lovely! I love the lace and the drape :)
ReplyDeleteThe buttons are so cute! And I really really love everything about the way it turned out, the color, the design and it looks fantastic on your model :)
ReplyDeleteThe lacy sweater is beautiful. Blocking will make all the difference in the neck, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteHere are 2 quilts I've had pinned on pinterest that look simple and cute.
http://neverenoughhours.blogspot.com/2010/08/fat-quarter-baby-quilt-tutorial.html
http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2010/07/tutorial-road-trip-quilt.htm
I just got my sewing machine tuned up, so I'm itching to quilt right now, too!
These are both cute ideas, thank you so much. I really like the cluckclucksew blog, it is wonderful!!
DeleteI think the sweater is really cute... How sweet of your daughter to oblige her momma's photos. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have two ideas for your quilt...both of which I have been meaning to make with my stash but just haven't gotten there yet. One is to cut thin strips (about 2" thick) as long as your receiving blankets are, and then sew a few together until they are the length of your finished quilt, and then just sew your long strips one after another after another. I wish I could find the picture to link to, but it turns out really pretty. The other is to cut your pieces like you would for a log cabin quilt but then just sew them all in straight lines so you end up with long and short pieces in rows. It's fast and pretty.
ReplyDeleteGood luck...I hope you share what you decide on.
Thank you for these great ideas! My daughter is a fan of the "strip quilt" as I like to call it, which I think is what you are describing. So I think one of the two will be like that. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out!
DeleteSweater turned out great, is it the pretty lavendar or the tan? Amazed how different it looked when you changed the light. Congrats on getting it done.
ReplyDeleteIt is lavender.
DeleteOh it turned out so cute and so glad you could get a smile from your model. Who wouldn't like those sparkely buttons?
ReplyDeleteBlocking is like magic! I think it will help fix the neck problems. Congrats on your successful mods to the pattern.
ReplyDeleteI am loving the sweater awesome job.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a nice sweater. The diamonds and details came out great... Love it.
ReplyDeleteMy kids lost all their blankies. Try pieced hearts and bows -- there are geometric patterns that are pretty straight forward.
ReplyDeleteThe cardigan turned out lovely! Those sparkly buttons are a great match for the lavender yarn. I sometimes add a simple slip stitch crochet border to tighten up a neckline. I think it looks cute layered over the white shirt, too.
ReplyDeleteThe cardigan is super nice! The buttons she picked totally "make" it :)
ReplyDeleteThey look lovely in their new sweaters. That's a great pattern. Perfect color and the sparkly buttons would make any young girl smile. Thank you for sharing your photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely cardigan!
ReplyDelete