February Knitting and Sewing Links

February used to be a real bore, a time to catch up on unfinished projects, or just wait out the last of Philadelphia winter. No so any more, here is a short list of knitting and sewing activities to fill your late winter schedule.

KNITTING

Anna Vest Knit Along. Still on the fence about knitting the beautiful Anna Vest with other Fringe Assoc. fans in the Anna Vest Knit Along. It would be a great winter layer over my closet full of Archers knit with this Underhill Farm undyed wool/mohair. It's beautiful yarn and I got the gauge on the first try. Yay! But (and it's kind of a big one) I might not have enough, and can't get more. I'm weighing the likelihood of running out of yarn with the cost of buying the pattern book. Anyone else planning to knit along who might be able to sway me in that direction? #annavestKAL

Woolful Podcast  - I totally missed the deadline for "man on the street" this week, but I am really excited about the question. The interweb encourages you to keep each little skill in a tiny box by itself, but there is little distinction between knitting and sewing (or embroidery, or dyeing...) when it comes to a handmade wardrobe. I'm happy to see more people blurring the lines. The guest this week is Anna Maria Horner, so if you sew and have never listened, now is a great time to check it out.

I might be the last knitter alive to not have a Featherweight Cardigan. I've got some bigger projects on my to-knit list, but I keep putting up mental road blocks ( knitting for others, knitting for the SweetKM shop, yarn selection anxiety, to name a few) to making them. I'm hoping the Featherweight will give me some momentum and help me identify which of those bigger projects will best serve my closet. 

Secret Valentine Exchange. Not exactly knitting, but I knit for mine so I'm filing it under this heading. Mine is in the mail. I hope showing it here doesn't spoil the surprise for anyone (surely no one can guess their Secret Valentine!?). It's very similar to last year. Call it a cop out, or going with my strengths! This is the Shape Shifter Scarf, knit with Classic Elite Soft Linen.  #2016SVE

SEWING
Galley Tunic Sew-Along. I am a member the very distinguished panel spearheading the the Liesl + Co. Gallery Tunic Sew-along over on the Oliver + S blog. I just got my fabric in the mail and I can't wait to get started. I expect it to be a whole lot of fun, and a universally flattering finished garment. You won't want to be left out. Consider this fair warning, ransack your stash, hit your local sewing mart, fill your virtual shopping cart, get your ducks in a row cause the sew-along starts February 15th. #lieslandco

Petit a Petit + Family.  My first post as a Petit a Petit team member was a sewn pixie bonnet tutorial, you can get the Blizzard Bonnet pattern here. Be sure to check out the other posts, lots of creative ladies sharing lots of great ideas. Celina has been adding video portraits to her posts, making them extra beautiful and dynamic. Tag your makes #petitapetitblog

Sew It Project. I am a huge fan of small goals. Sometime I write things on my to-do list just so I can cross them off. Project Sew It from Petit a Petit is just that kind on goal. Sew one thing for yourself this month (just one!) and share it with us at #sewitproject on instagram or in the Petit a Petit Facebook group. If you're a knitter hoping to expand your handmade skills, this is a great time to jump in. Just make one thing! Now, go put that on your to-do list. #projectsewit

Best Sewing Blogs. Have you voted for the Madalynn Best sewing blogs yet? I feel a bit dubious about these things, but then again I'm usually not on the list. Thank you to whoever nominated me, it's a thrill. I'm category #30 "Best New Blogger". Lots of my other favorite ladies are on the list Meg from Cookin' and Craftin', Jo from Jo Sews, Sarah from Fabric Tragic, Brienne Moody, Nicki from This is Moonlight, and lots of other well known sewists who don't need a shout out from me.  Hustle on over and support your favorites! (link to form)

OTHER STUFF

Perhaps you've noticed I've cleaned this place up a bit. I've added tabs across the top to highlight the knitting tutorials and sewing tutorials I've made in the past. If you've made any, please share! #sweetkmpatterns

The Fast Pace of Slow Fashion Month.

The internet stops for no man (or over scheduled mom), and that feels especially true this fall. There must be 40 (small exaggeration, but I'm not gonna take the time to count) knit/sew/make alongs going on in October. Enticing things pop up on my instagram feed, sending me sprinting from fabric to yarn, design to production, personal goals to group participation, trying to make all the things. I'm tempted to say f-it and catch up on my netflix queue, but I love this little internet community, and I want to play along. I just have to choose carefully. Here is a list of all the random stuff I'd like to keep an eye on this fall.

MAKE ALONGS

Slow Fashion October with Fringe Association- I love how Karen has so seamlessly rolled knitting, sewing, mending, and thrifting together for this month of thoughtful hand making. I struggle to show the connections between knitting and sewing here, and I see many makers combining disciplines in their handmade wardrobes. It's nice to see a leader in the category bring the sometimes messy gray areas of overlap together, when the internet prefers separate defined categories.

My main goal for Slow Fashion October is to make the time to begin some longer term projects that I have been thinking about for a while. Choosing yarn for my Georgetown Sweater if my first priority. It seems so simple, but so often choosing yarn/color/size is my biggest hang when to starting a new project.  Committing to a single time consuming project is difficult with other daily demands, making this the perfect Slow Fashion goal. I'm also hoping to get a self drafted pants pattern I've been working on sporadically for a few weeks to the point where I can cut into the "nice" fabric, and wear them out of the house without embarrassment. Last, I've got some goldenrod and pokeweed in the freezer that I'm hoping to turn into some naturally dyed linen and canvas.

Knitbot Month at Quince and Co. - As stated above: Georgetown Sweater. Sadly, all the good colors of Owl are sold out online. I have a good substitute in mind, but really want to make something in Quince, too. At the very least I'll make the Simple Hat, or 70 Yard Mitts (or both!). You can never have to many hats with two kids and a Philadelphia winter. Maybe I should make two!

Kid's Clothes Week - Kid's Clothes Week is my very favorite sew along. This season's dates are October 19-25, and you can sew along with the Disguise theme, or completely ignore it, as I usually do. Now that both of my kids are in school, I'm not sure how the photographing part of this season will go. Get ready for clothes taped to the wall photos from me! Handmade Halloween costumes are a must in this house, so I will definitely be sewing along.

OTHER BLOG NEWS

Woolful Man On The Street - I finally mustered the courage to do a Man on the Street segment for the Woolful Podcast. I have never been so nervous to leave a voicemail. You can hear a great interview with Allison of Shutters and Shuttles, and a little story about my family Christmas stocking on Episode 35.

Butcher Sew Shop's New Blog - I live about 6 blocks from this sunny little corner of Philadelphia, but have never been inside. So glad Mali and Andrea (of Four Square Walls) have added a blog so we can all see what they're up to without actually being there.

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GREAT PROJECTS
There are also a few very individual projects I've seen lately that deserve all the search engine optimization a link from this little site can possibly provide.

Vera Luna Pieced Denim Vest - This vest is so good I want to shout it from the roof tops! Old jeans cut apart and repurposed in to the most amazing child's hooded vest. The pockets seamlessly hidden within the over all pattern is my favorite detail. Go see it for yourself!

This Is Moonlight One Year One Outfit - The one year one outfit challenge seems like a whole lot more work and follow through than I am capable of, but it's fun to be the a fly on the instagram wall watching Nicki come up with some pretty amazing materials within 500 miles of her home. The felted wool vest, and hand stretched silk are pretty impressive, but the local buttons are my favorite. Nicki also made my Bless Your Heartwarmer for her son with local wool, thanks Nicki! (pattern here)

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Where are you focusing your making this fall? What make alongs am I forgetting? Let me know below.