Drum roll please…. Yep, you did hear that right. I’ve only gone and made my first knitted item of clothing! Step forward my first (of many, no doubt) Coco top…
I am so proud of this 🙂 And do you know, it was absolutely pain free. I think my fear of knits actually came from reading too many ‘how to’ guides if that’s at all possible. Possibly one of the few disadvantages of reading too many blogs (that, and a ever-expanding, sometimes overwhelming ‘to-sew’ list 😉 ). I got totally confused as to how to even start. In the end I followed the advice of my machine shop, and purchased a stretch needle and it was as simple as that really.
I’m sure everyone has heard of the Coco top by now. But just in case you haven’t, it’s an Indie pattern by Tilly of Tilly and The Buttons fame. The instructions were clear, straightforward, and accompanied by plenty of photographic help, which I always find invaluable. I discovered my machine has a programmed ‘knit stitch’ which I think, although I could be wrong, is also sometimes referred to as lightening stitch. It makes that kind of pattern at any rate. I did a mixture of this stitch and Tilly’s instructions, which consisted of a mixture of zigzag and straight stitch.
And dare I say it, but I actually found working with knits easier than working with wovens, despite their ‘difficult’ tag. Purchasing said knit fabrics wasn’t as straight forward. It was only at the third shop I visited that I actually succeeded in finding any appropriate fabric. I know I probably could have gone online, but at the moment I like to actually see and feel the fabrics. I also find the advice of staff invaluable. As usual, it was Leon’s of Chorlton that came up trumps. I actually purchased three different knit fabrics, but thought I’d start with the cheapest first.
This wasn’t only a knit fabric, but a striped one too, but I promised myself that I wasn’t going to get too stressed about matching my stripes. Actually, I didn’t do too badly. It’s slightly longer on one side somehow, but I can live with that.
There’s not an awful lot more to say really. I plumped for the simplest version with a small pocket and, after much deliberation, opted for the size 3, which I think turned out perfectly. I even added a little extra ribbon simply for my pleasure. I know, get me!
And did I mention it’s navy blue? 😉
navybluethreads 