Sweaters & Sweatshirts from 2011- 2013!

As promised!! I'm trying to post them in completion order.  Here's the first one that didn't get added in my 2011 updates.

I made this with Loops and Threads (Michaels brand) Charisma.  It's 100% Acrylic and super soft.  The sweater pattern is called "Oatmeal Pullover" and can be found on Ravelry.  I love this sweater, it's really warm.  I wear it when I know I'm going to be cold.  It isn't for a mild fall or spring day. :)

Again, made with Charisma.  I made this to look like Phineas' shirt that he wears in Phineas and Ferb.  One of the best cartoons on tv!!!  Also used the Oatmeal pullover pattern again :)

Ok, Ok, I know but I really love the Oatmeal Pullover pattern and the Charisma yarn.  I timed how long it took me to make this.  12 hours. BOOM.  I like how I finally strayed from striping - which the pattern is all one color haha.

Bergen Street Cardigan (pattern on ravelry)  This one turned out a little big in the body and I remember struggling with the pattern at times but in the end I think it turned out great! :)  Made with Alpaca!  And my cat specializes in hugs.

Made a Shrug!!  My shrug making skills still needs work, but this is from 1 skein of red heart super saver - it was a birthday present so I felt like making a shrug from it :)

"I heart Aran" sweater.  I put a lot of work into this one.  It's another one I love!  It has hearts and x's and o's in the cables :)  The only thing I'd do different, which i might eventually go back and fix, is make it about an inch or two longer, it feels just a bit short in the front.   Made with Cascade 220.

This sweatshirt was just a bit too wide and the arms too baggy so I just took it in. Sorry no before picture but I really like it now that it has a more feminine baggy sweatshirt fit. :)

Made in less than 2 weeks this is "Rotation" found on ravelry, I think for free.  Side notes about this.  The pattern description did not specify to repeat the set of rounds, say it gave a pattern of 5 rows, it didn't say to repeat that 5 times.  It should have.  I had the yoke done and I had to take it apart to get it to match the pictures.  I'm glad I did, it looks fantastic!  Also, I did the alternate colors in the bottom ribbing too, the pattern didn't call for that.  The pictures on the right are color accurate.

"Aidez"  found it on Ravelry but I think it was a yarn company's pattern.  I ended up changing all the cables and adding a seed stitch. lol talk about heavily modified.  I also added the wide collar and buttons.  I really love how this turned out especially considering all the changes I made, I've never strayed so far from a pattern in knitting when it involved a sweater!  The yarn is upcycled from a store bought - but purchased at the thrift store blanket.  It's 100% acrylic. And super super warm!  I tell people it's like wearing a blanket! Because I am!

I couldn't find the original, but the sweatshirt in the picture was created entirely out of two non hooded sweatshirts.  I also added the "The Crew" logo by hand with fabric markers :)

This was a super baggy sweatshirt that I took in, really simple and took maybe 7 minutes. :)

And now a before and after with a look at how I do it!

Ok so the problem with this sweatshirt is really only that the sleeves are too big.  The body of the sweater fit really well, even without waist shaping. (taking it in at the natural waist)

Using white thread so you can see, and because I was too lazy to change it, you can see that I simply sewed in enough to get rid of the excess fabric that I didn't need in the sleeve, then because the body fit so well, I kept the seam really close to the side.  I could have stopped at the seam of the sleeve to the body but I thought it would look better if there were a matching seam down the side of the body.

You can see that the sleeves are more fitted and the body is still the same, fitted body.

 Hopefully tomorrow I can keep up the trend of catching up and share my headwear and t-shirt surgeries?

Dresses! I'm so ready for summer!

I have been very busy crafting since I last updated!  And to not make a huge post to catch up over probably 200 projects I'll just post and share as I see fit.  The last month or so I've been re-working a lot of dresses.  I'm itching for summertime so it's currently my only outlet because the summer sweater I'm working on is taking forever.  It's a beautiful sea foam cotton and I'm working Kate Davie's (Get off) My Cloud sweater. :D

This dress I bought from the thrift store for 29 cents.  It was see through and had shoulder pads and was just super ugly.  I hacked off the top right underneath the top button you see, seam ripped the bottom of the sleeves to create what became the new straps, I created a casing at the top of the dress for elastic to go through, and added a wide ribbon for a belt/band.  Then since it was see through I took a twin sized bedsheet and cut it up to use as a liner and sewed it in using the same sewing line as the one that created the casing for the elastic.  I love this dress so much.  It really transformed and now it's the dress it deserves to be!

I made the majority of the dress 2-3 summers ago for the Fourth of July.  It was just the bottom part and the triangle tops.  The picture of the back is what was added this time around. The fabric is an old bedsheet.  I really liked this dress for what it was - a summer, I'm at the pool/beach dress, but I wasn't really finding myself at the beach or pool and decided it was time to either get rid of it or make it work for more of a daily wear.  So I added the top section and decided I liked it underneath the triangle tops.  I had planned on getting rid of the triangle top entirely but then it seemed like more work than it was worth especially because I liked the new top underneath.  I drafted the pattern for the new top by looking at a fancy dress I had :)

I had started this dress around 4 years ago, thought I was done and asked my boyfriend at the time what he thought, I remember being disappointed by whatever his answer was and decided to scrap the dress entirely and I put it away with my fabric.  I randomly found it last month and put it on just for the 'hey' of it and I wasn't sure what he had made me hate it for.  I literally only added the halter strap that goes into down and across my back and around to the front for a bow and I love it.  The dress you see now use to be the bottom skirt part of a very amish looking dress.  It had a collar and sleeves and was very unattractive.  Now it's scandalous!

I got this one from a thrift store for $4.99.  I found out last week it's being sold new right now at a local department store for $20.00  I have to admit, I like my after version way more.  There's some shirring that use to be in the middle, I cut off the top to make the shirring be the top and I left enough room to create a casing so I could run elastic through the top of it.  I took the elastic from the sleeves for this.  The straps are what's leftover of the sleeves and the band/belt came from the top of the top section which had been elastic'd. Now it's that perfect tea length dress we all love in the summer time! :)

And I just created this today! It was a $2.99 dress from the thrift store.  I took about 3 inches off the top and then 6 inches off the bottom.  With the bottom section I cut off both ends enough fabric to create puffy sleeves and then left the rest to be part of the sash belt.  I also obviously lowered the neckline :)  This one and the purple one are contending for my favorite.  ALSO this is a bright peach, my bathroom lighting and my camera just weren't jiving tonight. :)

And lastly I think I'll share my Cincinnati Red's headband because tomorrow is opening day and I'll be wearing it proudly and eating peanuts, cracker jacks and big league chew! :)

It was pretty simple to make.  I'm going to make more for my sister so when I do that I'll make sure to write down how I did it :)  Go Reds!

Hopefully I'll be able to get on tomorrow and share sweatshirts and sweaters I've knitted/sewn!