#but i also do have a knitting pattern picked out already

[alarming-prism]

now that the weather is turning cold my little creature brain is running around shrieking about sweaters. knitting and crocheting sweaters. need them. must burrow into them. meanwhile, all my projects in progress --

[journeyman-tier-fibercraft]

Decided since I was already drying the new doily on the guest bed I might as well do the annual reblocking of all my other doilies.

I didn't have quite enough pins for all four of these guys at the same time but the small circle one stays under a lamp and was the stiffest going in so a couple of it's fringe not getting pinned shouldn't be a big deal.

When I pin out my doilies I usually do a full like wash, soak in water, soak in starch but I didn't feel like that whole process so I just pinned them out dry and sprayed them with some water/starch mix. It was certainly faster but I'm not a fan, I got starch water literally everywhere. Next year I'll do the soak (which works out, they'll probably need a good wash by that point anyway).

Once these boys are all dry I'll wash and reblock some of my big doilies too, some of them are visibly dusty which tells me all of them are very very dusty and it's just hard to see. I'd like to get them all washed before thanksgiving, chronic illness permitting.

[olderthannetfic]

What's a good place online to get decent-quality yarn at a reasonable price?

--

Knitpicks.

Assuming you want wool and that kind of thing, your idea of reasonable is box store prices, and you're in the US. They regularly have amazing sales too, on top of the already-low prices.

The snobbier you are, the more you'll need to look for other people's destashes. I was just at a reuse place today and they happened to just have gotten in some nicer-than-usual yarn with the labels still on.

The ideal is to find someone's grandma who is drowning in her stash or, better yet, someone with a dead grandma and no interest in knitting who needs to dump a bunch of yarn fast. But, of course, it depends if you're the kind of knitter who finds that inspiring or if you just want the correct yarn to use on a project you've already picked out.

I got some Wool of the Andes worsted early in my current phase of knitting, and it's quite nice, especially for the price. I'm currently trying out some of the sport weight because I have a specific Christmas sweater that needs it. I'm finding it scratchier and less nice, but I haven't blocked it yet, so we'll see. The whole Wool of the Andes line is beloved by thrifty knitters.

If you're willing to do some work and you like an adventure, unraveling a thrift store sweater is by far the most cost effective way to get a big lot of yarn. You can check the tag for fiber content. Some of these yarns will be rather thin, so you might hold them double or even triple for hand knitting.

For me personally, it usually makes more sense to chase super deep discounts on ultra premium stuff and then see what I can figure out with the yardage I end up with. It's really going to depend on you and your priorities. If you're longing for cashmere, it makes way more sense to try the thrift store approach. If you have a very specific Christmas colorwork pattern, Knitpicks or the like is probably a better bet. I got a big lot from fabulousyarn.com once when I needed that exact yarn. They seem fine. I don't know a lot about these big online stores, but there are a few of them, and they tend to have good deals.

You also have to consider whether you're going to be able to get continental US shipping (probably free from a US store) or not.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

[0310s]

boynextdoor with a fashionable s/o ⊹๋࣭⭑

members: bnd legal line x gender neutral reader

genre & tags: fluff, established relationship

wc: 1.9k

a/n: as someone who adores dressing up, i just thought this was something i eventually had to write! i've slowly been building my closet these past few months, looking for thrifted clothes and jewelry i can add to my rotation! it's been fulfilling and i get a lot of energy from the outfits i wear (∩˃o˂∩)♡

🍎🍓🍊🍋🍐🍏🫐🍇

ᯓ★ sungho 

🍀 what style does he prefer? 🍀

i personally think sungho is attracted to people who wear more feminine styles of clothing. he just enjoys how pretty and delicate everything looks! he also likes someone with a cozy style—basically anything soft and huggable. the closest style i can think of would be coquette! think oversized cardigans, knit sweaters, pleated or tiered skirts, ribbons, mary janes, and cute hats (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

🐬 shopping with his s/o 🐬

sungho would definitely be an enthusiastic partner if you asked him to accompany you to shop. he looks at each item with an careful eye, assessing the item’s quality in comparison to the price point. i also believe sungho has your wardrobe memorized, so if you show him something similar to what you already have, he’ll point that out so you can look for something else. plus he’ll be a big help calculating costs when you’re shopping on a budget! he’s definitely your voice of reason if you feel indecisive, listing down the pros and cons of each piece. and he’d definitely hold you back if you wanted to buy items out of your budget ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

🍧 couple items and coordinating outfits 🍧

sungho would def be shy about couple items that are too obvious, so he’d settle for matching necklaces/bracelets with subtle, delicate designs. sungho also tries to match your energy for the day—if you’re going for something lowkey, he’ll do the same, and when you put more effort into your outfit for the day he’ll dress up more! but he'll make sure to never outshine you... he wants everyone to see how pretty you are and focus their attention on you.

🍎🍓🍊🍋🍐🍏🫐🍇

ᯓ★ riwoo 

🍀 what style does he prefer? 🍀

riwoo would most likely be attracted to someone who has a quirky and interesting style. the closest style i can think of would be that of 90s harajuku streetwear (think fruits magazine!). he’d like someone who has a strong sense of personal style and someone who’s knowledgeable about clothing materials. plus someone who knows how to layer and experiments/is willing to take risks! i can imagine him thinking someone with colored hair, bright makeup, and who accessorizes is cool (∩˃o˂∩)♡ 

🐬 shopping with his s/o 🐬

as the most fashionable member in bnd, riwoo would definitely possess a more critical eye when it comes to shopping with you. you’d have dates where you spend all day browsing clothing shops, especially thrift or vintage stores! riwoo makes sure to point out unique pieces or items with good silhouettes. he also thinks about layering and helps you pick items that go well together with your existing closet. he definitely considers durability as a priority—if the piece looks too flimsy, it’s not going home with you.

and if there’s something you really, really want but is out of your budget, he’d most likely buy it for you behind your back, then quietly gifts it to you before the day ends. (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝) he would buy items you’re both interested in, mostly accessories and outerwear, so you can share them!

🍧 couple items and coordinating outfits 🍧

rather than owning couple items, riwoo and you would borrow from each other's closets! you share accessories like scarves, necklaces, rings, hats, brooches, belts, and even glasses, as well as jackets or layering pieces like vests or button downs. at the rate you nab items from each other, you practically have a shared closet. as for coordinating outfits, riwoo thinks it’s a fun challenge to match your outfits based on materials and patterns! your outfits won’t look similar, but they’ll look like they come from the same collection. i'm sure you and riwoo have a highly popular, shared instagram where you post your looks—you'd definitely be considered a "power couple"!

🍎🍓🍊🍋🍐🍏🫐🍇

ᯓ★ jaehyun 

🍀 what style does he prefer? 🍀

i feel like jaehyun wouldn’t have any specific preference as to style, but i think he’d still like a well-dressed s/o! jaehyun would be fine with anything casual and comfortable—clothing that come to mind include cropped tees or button downs, baggy jeans, oversized varsity jackets, and chunky sneakers! but if you’d prefer something more feminine or dressy, he’ll be your #1 hype man ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ) he thinks you look pretty in anything you wear because you’re you!

🐬 shopping with his s/o 🐬

jaehyun definitely likes to wander around, but he tries his best to stay Focused when you’re out shopping with him! he’s honest about whether something looks good on you or not. sometimes it results to petty arguments when you’re very insistent about buying a certain item he doesn’t like… but he’ll cave in when you give him your absolutely convincing puppy eyes ૮ ◕ ﻌ ◕ ა. it’ll be very obvious if he likes something—when you come out from the dressing room in a great outfit, he’ll look like he’s just seen his spouse in wedding attire for the first time, jaw drop and all ᰔᩚ૮ ᴖﻌᴖა. he’ll be so full of praise for you it gets a bit embarrassing when there are others in the fitting room area!

🍧 couple items and coordinating outfits 🍧

i strongly believe jaehyun is a sucker for obvious couple outfits or items—he wants everyone to know you belong to each other!!! ૮ ・ﻌ・აᯓᡣ𐭩 he’d definitely love matching jackets or hoodies, something that’ll be comfortable for the both of you! but he’ll also want to have matching necklaces for sure, something to remind you both of each other when you’re apart ₊˚⊹♡ similarly, jaehyun loves coordinating your outfits for special dates! like sungho, he’ll match your vibe for the day—if you’re going for a comfy look, he’ll follow suit; if you want to spend your day in baggy streetwear, he’ll do the same.

🍎🍓🍊🍋🍐🍏🫐🍇

ᯓ★ taesan 

🍀 what style does he prefer? 🍀

taesan would prefer someone with an opposite style from him, so he’d find a feminine style appealing and interesting! your style could be goth, alt, coquette, or even none of those—honestly, it doesn’t really matter to him. he thinks skirts are very pretty though, whether they be mini skirts with stockings, patterned midi skirts, or flowy maxi skirts.

taesan also likes how your nails are so perfect and meticulously done and considers getting his own nails painted. plus, he’s amazed at how you’re a master at your makeup routine and the amount of effort you put into it, so he watches makeup tutorials in his own time to surprise you by replicating your makeup routine on you (∩˃o˂∩)♡ he would also love taking fit pictures with you with a digicam, and he’d love snapping pictures of you as you pose along the street.

🐬 shopping with his s/o 🐬

taesan loves shopping with his s/o. it’s a time for him to observe his s/o’s preferences and what makes your face light up. when you see an item that makes you gasp in delight, he tries hard to hide a smile at your enthused reaction and silently takes note. he's pretty fashionable, so he’ll be reliable when you ask him for fashion advice! when you shop together, taesan will be honest about what suits you and what doesn’t. when you hold up an item that doesn’t look that nice, he’ll have that pensive look on his face if he’s not into it. he’ll help you look for alternatives when an item you want isn’t in stock. taesan also offers you tips on how to layer jewelry!

taesan is also the type to see an item he thinks would suit you and buy it for you. he ends up accumulating so much that it fills an entire box—when you ask him what he’s bought you so many clothes for, he turns red and shyly tells you how they reminded him of you… which makes you flustered and sooo happy (˶ ᵔ ̫ ᵔ ˶) ♡

🍧 couple items and coordinating outfits 🍧

taesan would secretly adore matching items. you bring it up in passing but are too nervous to directly initiate anything… (づ>/////<)♡ he's initially shy at the thought of it, but when he does his own research, he grows attached to the idea of having matching items with you, someone he dearly cares for. so one day, he gifts you with matching earrings while shyly mentioning he’d love to wear them together! from then on, you'd have fun looking for matching jewelry together.

like riwoo, he’d love to coordinate outfits based on materials and patterns. in particular, he’d love to coordinate a mix of knit, denim, leather, or plaid, typically in neutral/dark colors like off-white, gray, black, or dark red. still, the outfits wouldn’t look exactly the same and would leave room for you to experiment with your individual styles! 

🍎🍓🍊🍋🍐🍏🫐🍇

ᯓ★ leehan 

🍀 what style does he prefer? 🍀

i think leehan has no particular preference when it comes to fashion, anything goes really! he’s very supportive and content to see how happy you are with the clothes you wear. he wouldn’t mind anyone with a different style from him. at the very least, he’d want you to be comfortable and warm in your outfit. he brings bandaids, safety pins, and a little sewing kit around with him in case any accidents happen—he’d definitely trade his sneakers for yours if your feet start hurting in your shoes ૮ - ﻌ • ა  leehan saves every fit pic you send him and uses them as his wallpaper, and he'd take candid pics of you too and swoon at how cute and pretty and cool you are in your outfit.

🐬 shopping with his s/o 🐬

while he’s not particular about his s/o’s fashion, he’d want to be there while his s/o shops or chooses what outfit to wear for the day. leehan loves quality time with his s/o! but don’t rely on him for fashion advice or expect it to be a productive time; he thinks you look pretty in everything and will let you know. he’s so sincere about it too that you can’t even get mad at him.

but one thing leehan will be insistent about is you wearing fish or marine-themed clothing. 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 he makes you fit the most atrocious fish-patterned polo that looks like something your granddad would wear and thinks you look hot. he sees this cap that goes “fish love me, women fear me” and full-on begs you to buy it. and you know what? you do—because how can you refuse the pleading of a pretty boy like leehan? (ㅅ´ ˘ `) he's just happy to see you dressed up in something he has an interest in.

🍧 couple items and coordinating outfits 🍧

leehan would definitely buy you matching alien plush keychains to attach to your bags or belt loops 👽⋆｡°✩ he’d feel giddy looking at your matching charms and how cute they look on you… it’s like you bring a part of him everywhere you go 🛸 and i stand by this—leehan would definitely have custom shirts printed for the both of you that say “i love fish and my s/o”. deep inside you’re embarrassed at how the design looks like it’s been shoddily done on microsoft powerpoint, but when leehan proudly admits he made it himself, you just shut up and wear it… anything for him i guess (๑>؂•̀๑)

something i’ve also observed is how in the bnd content online, leehan wears long sleeves almost all the time! so rather than have coordinating outfits, leehan would lend you his outerwear. he’s a man with a plan—but is veeeery sneaky about it. he accidentally “forgets” his sweaters at your place. he also lends you his jacket with the excuse of “adding layers” to your outfit (something he learned from you!!!). and somehow, his clothes make their way into your closet—you’re highly puzzled, but you’re not complaining (❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡

🍎🍓🍊🍋🍐🍏🫐🍇

ᯓ★ networks: @onedoornet 

[tadpolesonalgae]

Piercings[*]

Poly!Batboys x reader

a/n: I realised you probably would have specified poly batboys if you wanted them all together rather than individually but I was feeling a little feral (and also a little tired, I’ll admit it) so I’ve written it as all of them together 🧡💛 — also we’re saying that with fae healing she only needed a week to be sorted and safe from infection

warning: piercings, slight nipple play, poly batboys

word count: 1,270

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Teeth tug at the interior of your lip as you walk into the sitting room, finding all three of them contained within the cozy chamber. 

Three sets of eyes raise when you enter, sensing you have something to say. You shift anxiously on your feet. “Hi…” you begin, toes curling in your socks, a spark of nerves glistening beneath your skin, pulse spiking in your throat—one they can almost certainly pick out. 

It’s Rhys who takes the lead as the closest to where you are, lowering his book and setting it down, open, over one arm of the sofa, Cassian watching intently from the other end, ankle crossed over his thigh. “You look…nervous,” Rhys muses, violet eyes gleaming with satisfaction when you shift, fingers clutching the hem of your thick, purple jumper. “Did something happen?” 

Your lips part to speak, but a rush of nerves has you second guessing yourself, averting your gaze to the floor, heart pounding. “I have…” Fuck, you’re nervous. You swallow. Look back at them. “I have something to tell you…?” 

Rhys’ lips tug upward at their corners, interest sparking in Cassian’s hazel eyes, a neutral but attentive expression from Azriel. You ease in a small breath—you know them; they won’t be angry with you. You just need to show them. It’s easy to admit you’re far more scared of the attention they’ll give you rather than potential disappointment. They’re feral enough if they so much as catch a glimpse of a new set of underwear they’ll be dragging you to their bedroom, pinning you to their mattress, so this…you swallow again. Maybe it was a stupid idea. But they’re going to find out eventually. It’s already been a week, after all. 

“Maybe it would be better if I showed you,” you mumble under your breath, fingers tugging at the deep purple wool, the knit stretching as you lift it to reveal the lacy white camisole underneath—sheer enough for the metal bars to be visible as they push against the soft, creamy fabric. 

Cassian’s book slips from his grip, thudding on the floor. Pages fluttering. 

You bite the interior of your lip, folding the jumper over your arm so your have something to do with your hands. “They’ve finished healing now…” You tell them, glancing down at the individual stitches that make up the purple knitwear, picking out how the yarn wraps around itself to form a repeating pattern. 

“Come here.” Rhys’s voice is deeper; rougher. Strained, as he calls you over. 

“Why…” you ask, a note of warning in your voice, raising a brow. This is exactly what you were worried about. “I’m only telling you so you know. They’re still—”

“That was an order, princess,” Azriel murmurs from the other sofa, tension underlying the rigidity of his wings, hazel eyes piercing in on you like you’re a rabbit that’s about to turn on her fluffy tail and frantically try to hop away. 

Half reluctantly, you step closer to Rhys’ side, fingers fiddling with the jumper to try and keep your nerves soothed. 

Violet eyes look up at you, and you force yourself to remain still as he grips your hip, a sure enough sign you won’t be leaving without their permission. “Is this why you’ve been hiding yourself from us?” He inquires, and you nod. “And you’re saying they’re healed now? Properly healed?” His thumb swipes across the bone of your hip, your every sense keyed to his touch. You feel like you could get lost in his eyes. So strangely hypnotising. Like they’re luring you in. 

His lips tug upward, and then you’re being tugged forward, landing perfectly in his lap under his guidance. You squeak, squirming beneath his touch, trying to shift out of his lap—you knew this would happen. “Rhys, hold on,” you try, gripping onto his wrists as his palms splay across your stomach leisurely, fingers crawling beneath the hem of your close-fitting camisole. “Wait, they’re…” 

“What?” Rhys drawls, lips grazing the shell of your ear. “Tell us what they are, darling.” 

“…they’re sensitive.” 

The pads of his fingers stutter briefly over your skin, before his lips are curving into a grin. “How perfect.” 

“Rhys, please…” you murmur, trying to glance at him. 

“Please what?” 

“Be careful?” You request, shifting in his lap. Shaky fingers lightly wrapping around his wrist. 

He hums, attention flicking to his brothers. “Should we?” 

“Rhysand!” You exclaim, trying to turn to look at him, but his grip tightens on you punishingly, reminding you to keep still. 

“Try her out first,” Azriel muses, drawing your attention, hazel eyes boring into you—hot, hungry, and adoring. It gives you a little reassurance, at least. “You’re supposed to be on my side, Az,” you mumble, a little betrayed he isn’t advocating for your release. “When you’re wearing pretty things like that? I think not,” he drawls, a hint of affection in his expression. “Besides, you know very well you aren’t permitted to keep secrets from us.” 

“I wanted it to be a surprise…” you mumble, flushing. 

“I think it’s safe to say we’re surprised, sweetheart,” Cassian drawls, “but a secret is still a secret.” 

“Cass…” 

“Do you disagree?” 

You open your mouth to do just that, but instead a startled sound squeaks from your lips, Rhys’s fingers brushing lightly over the peaks of your nipples. You gasp, trying to grapple with him to get his hands away but you can hardly manage to make him budge as he circles your breasts through the thin fabric. 

“I didn’t want you to have to wait while knowing about them,” you try, cheeks heating as thoughts begin to melt away. “Wouldn’t it have been worse if I had told you?” 

“A rule is a rule, darling.” 

“But Rhys…Rhys!” You gasp as he pulls your top away entirely, and you can practically feel their attention on your breasts. The pretty bars adorning your nipples. 

“How sensitive are they?” Azriel asks, but it’s worryingly not directed at you. 

“Let’s see…” 

A panting moan spills suddenly from your lips, breaths fluttering as Rhys brings his thumbs to lightly drag across the sensitive peaks. You squirm in his lap, nonsensical pleas whispering from your mouth as you try to squeeze your legs together, heat simmering violently and you’re worried how severely they’ll exploit this for their advantage. 

“Pretty sensitive,” Cassian drawls, and you exhale deep breaths of relief when Rhys’ fingers cease their stimulation, already practically trembling in his lap. “I suppose I can see why she wanted to keep these secret, knowing us,” he remarks, your lower lip wobbling at the comment. He grins, and your hairs rise. 

“I have different ones,” you say, trying to halt Rhys’s fingers, trying to figure a way out of his hold. “I got ones with different colours…let me show you.” Rhys laughs beside your ear, breath fanning down the side of your throat, making you shiver. “Darling, that won’t work. You’re staying with us until we decide you’ve had enough.” 

“But that can take hours…” 

“And it’ll take days if you don’t stop whining,” he counters, grazing his thumb across your nipple. “I’m sure between the three of us, we could make it last much longer.”

You squeak as shadows wrap around your ankles, wrapping around your calf, up your knee, lacing around your thighs, pulling them further apart. 

“And if we have to correct your behaviour one more time…” Azriel warns, your skin prickling at the low, raspy tone. Toes curling. Shadows creeping higher.

He doesn’t have to finish that sentence for you to understand the meaning. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

general taglist: @myheartfollower @tcris2020 @mali22 @slut4acotar @sfhsgrad-blog @needylilgal022 @hannzoaks @hnyclover @skyesayshi @nyotamalfoy @decomposing-writer @soph1644 @lilah-asteria @nighttimemoonlover

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[cassiocantdrink]

so ah, mittens. at some point, i stumbled across a fantastic local project on instagram. a bunch of volunteers collect handmade knits and around new year's eve, distribute them among homeless people!

pros:

fidget stimming but you get a sock at the end. or something.

learn to knit mittens. or socks. those small things i have never attempted before

get rid of leftover yarn!

somebody gets warm knits!

no need to be fancy. any mitten is better than no mitten

no need to interact with anybody, neither the volunteers nor the homeless people (i honestly don't have the spoons for that rn)

the drop off point is not only a 20-min walk from where i live (which is already a miracle, given the size of the town), but a 20-min walk on the way to work!

cons: ????

so this is how it started (found a youtube video on magic loop). despite its slightly eldritch appearance, it was a Very Instructive Mitten! the magic loop itself, decreases, increases, the obvious need for the modified kitchener graft but the most important of all??

this lady straight up PICKS UP AND KNITS several stitches (she says 4, i say 5) from the body of the mitten so that there is absolutely NO HOLE between the thumb and the body! i hated that hole for my entire life. i never knew you could get rid of it that easily.

this is my cousin's hand, misha ended up pinching a pair. it was the day when i badly miscalculated the width and ended up with what looked to me like an effing oven mitt. see, size-wise, i'm a corgi at best who's under misapprehension that she's more of a german shepherd. so i knitted a mitten that was like, my size?? measured a postgrad's average man's hand, recalculated and.... and ended up with this. fortunately misha came for a short visit, he of Huge Hands and Feet (well he's like 6'1 so they're proportional, just, you know... big. the entire misha is big, especially when viewed from a 5'5 perspective). i approached him timidly, coz, would you do me a favor, try on a mitten?

misha went ecstatic. there's not much that can drive a seasoned hematologist to ecstasy but the mitten did the trick. IT FITS!!!! proclaimed misha, IT"S SOFT!!! IT"S BEAUTIFUL! holy shit. it's a basic mitten? it's orange? would you like me to knit you a pair of maybe grey? i also have dark brown? noooo, said misha, admiring his mittened hand, IT"S TERRACOTTA and i love the color!

i had to brake here, hard. a man who knows what terracotta color even is deserves a pair of terracotta mittens, no doubt. so later, i finished the other one and mailed it to him bc of course he was only here for a day. i whipped out my measuring tape again, and IT TURNED OUT that what i thought was my size, was actually that average mens' size i was after. the length was correct for my hand, yes, but the width, oh no. the width was exactly mens M. excellent. so now i had two variants, M and L/XL, and i went to work.

the loot: NO MORE orange terracotta yarn taking up half of my yarn bin! ran out of blue and grey as well, yippee! 11 pairs total but one went to misha and three i unraveled bc they were too thin and redid in double yarn, so seven. yep, dropped them off, went without a hitch. now, after this rather intensive warm-up, i feel like i can hatch more intricate plans, hehehe.

the ultimate goal: tashashu gordon's hypnosis mittens. not now, now i feel like another sweater or maybe two if i'm being bold. but someday, definitely. and before you think i'm delusional to go from my basic knits to this, i'll have you know that i've done her aurora borealis scarf, so i fell that i have all the knowledge i need. also, i had to re-calculate the entire scarf pattern for a different gauge, so yeah. i can do this.

overall: total success, would definitely do it again. mittens, socks and chest warmers, here i come!

[chere-indolente]

Newlyn Fisher Clothing Set

I come to you today with this little historical seaside fashion interlude (before going back to work on more 1880′s sets). This set includes cable knit sweaters in high and low waisted, and variations on traditional fishermen smocks. More pics and download below

This set is partly inspired by the works of the school of Newlyn, a group of painters known to have depicted the surrounding of Newlyn, a Cornish coastal town, and its many fishermen in the 1880′s to 1900′s. And here is the painting that I referenced in the promo picture.

—————————  Cableknit Sweater  ————————

———————————————————————————

This is the sweater from the Werewolf pack without the little laced up strings on the shoulders (why do you always add these unnecessary details EA ? 😅). I’ve made a short version (S) for my high waisted needs and a long (L) version, for both masc and fem frames, as well as both adult and children. 

Cableknit sweaters originated from Ireland, in the Aran Islands, though other types of knitted jumpers called gansey already existed in the British, Irish and Channel isles. They were created between the 1890′s and 1900′s. They were initially knitted with unwashed and undied wool. Both the natural lanolin from the virgin wool and the knitted patterns made for water resistant sweaters and as such : good alternatives to the previously used ganseys made of oiled wool died with indigo.

 These Aran sweaters slowly became some fashionable sportswear item during the 20′s and 30′s, and later reached its peak popularity in the 50s’ and 60′s worn by the likes of Grace Kelly and Steve McQueen.

40 solid swatches

for adults and children

2 lenghts : S & L

——————————— Vareuse V1 ——————————

———————————————————————————

Vareuses are a style of fishermen smocks with a V neck. This style was typical of Brittany fishermen though I have seen depiction of Norwegian fishermen for example sporting this style of smocks on 1880s paintings too. While I couldn’t find substancial informations on their origins and date of appereance, vareuses seem to have been used at least as far as mid 19th century and were still worn as work wear up til the mid 20th. 

It is said that traditionally fishers wore different colors depending on their fishing style : yellow ones for those shellfish picking, rust colored ones for those using fish traps, red ones for oyster farmers and blue ones for those fishing in the open seas.

Fishermen smocks were oiled to be water repellant and worn on top of clothes and knitted garments to protect them from water and keep them relatively clean.

On this 1st version of the vareuse I’ve not put any clothing “underneath” to allow for warm weather and for combinations with accessory shirts or turtlenecks.

33 solid swatches

for adults and children

——————————— Vareuse V2 ——————————

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This 2nd version of a vareuse include a cableknit jumper sticking out of the V neck collar. The set also includes an overlay to pick the color of said cableknit jumper.

33 solid swatches

39 solid swatches on the cableknit overlay (located in the right wrist section)

for all ages

—————————  Cornish Crewneck  ————————

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Similarly to the vareuse, the crewneck is a style of fishermen smocks. This style is traditionally associated with Cornwall, in the north west of England. Cornish crewneck smocks were used similarly to vareuses.

33 solid swatches

for all ages

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Download : dropbox — simfileshare

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[andromeda-nova-writing]

Made with Love

Fem!ReaderWords:2200

Summary: The Sweater Curse. A superstition in knitting about a relationship ending due to reevaluating a relationship due to the hard work in making a sweater. It was something Thoma didn't put too much thought into. At least he didn't before.

AN: This is actually really fluffy fic. Don't let the summary make you think it's angst. I learned knitting for this. It's hard. Also happy early birthday @milkstore! All my Thoma fics are basically for you but this one is even more so. 🩵🩵🩵

It was two months until Thoma’s first anniversary with Y/N. There were so many times that she had been cold around him to the point of borrowing his jacket or sweater. Y/N borrowing a sweater he had made for himself was the catalyst for the two of them getting together. Which means he knew exactly what would make a perfect gift.

He had spent the last month keeping track of what colors Y/N wore the most and the style of her clothing. Using what he had gained he had gone to pick up all the yarn he needed and he couldn’t be more excited to begin the project.

He sat outside in the garden of the Kamisato Estate, his project bag filled with yarn at his side, knitting needles in hand. The cast-on felt easy to him, as he had done it countless times. With a needle in his right hand, he wrapped the yarn around his thumb before sending the needle underneath the yarn creating a loop. 

He had taken measurements off of a sweater that Y/N would wear regularly. He had to be a bit sneaky to get it and he also got caught but it was worth it. He had already done a gauge swatch of the yarn earlier to figure out how many stitches he needed in order to make the body of the sweater. Thoma was so determined to get this right that he remembered to do the gauge swatch!

The last of summer’s warmth wrapped around him as he worked into the stitches letting himself get lost in the project. He had noticed the one sweater of his that Y/N stole the most was built with only knit stitches which made his work easier. No pattern to work about and every row would be the same. It would be easy to build it up fast and he could let himself get lost in the project.

But not too lost. He still had a date to go on later.

-

“Why don’t we just go to the fabric store and find a new button to fix up your bag?” Thoma offered getting up off the floor after looking for the lost button from Y/N’s bag.

“We don’t have to do that. I’ll just switch bags at home. I think I have a spare there anyway.” She spoke as she leaned against the wall of the estate. “Let’s just go already. I think we should still go to Ritou instead of Inazuma City anyway. It's been a while since we've gone there.”

“We were there last week together.”

“I know. I just found myself enjoying Ritou more recently.”

It wasn’t something to overthink. Just a change in date location. It was good nothing was set in stone.

“We could go for a walk on the beach there. Could be fun to collect seashells.”

“Okay. Then that's what we will do.” it was a bit different than what Y/N would normally suggest but it's not like what she suggested was a bad idea. Plus they could still go out to eat after. All he really wanted was to spend time together anyway.

-

Thoma had been working on the sweater for at least two weeks now. Progress was going well. He was working on it faster than he thought he would. He had even finished two whole balls of yarn. He sat inside the common area of the estate near a window, listening to the rain.

“How’s the sweater going?” Ayaka asked after walking up to him. “You said that’s for Y/N right?”

“It is. Does it look good?” Thoma asked pausing the row he was working on to hold up the sweater for Ayaka to see.

“It’s very pretty. I see her wearing that color all the time.” She examined the fabric. “Oh! That looks a lot like the sweater she borrows from you.”

“That’s the point.” He went back to working on the sweater as he talked. “It’s for our anniversary. I just wanted to make something I knew she would like and use.”

“Awww. That’s really sweet of you. Not to pry but I thought you two had a date today.”

“Raincheck. It’s fine though. It's not the best weather for a date anyway. There’s always next week anyway.” He shrugged it off.

“That’s true. I guess this makes it a bad time to ask to learn then.”

Thoma thought about it for a second. “Well, I could use teaching you as a way for me to start the back panel. Let me go grab some things. I’ll be right back.”

-

It had been a month of working on the sweater. The front panel had been completed and the back panel was a little over halfway done. He was supposed to be starting the sleeves already. He didn’t slow down from taking time to try to teach Ayaka. He actually got a lot done while showing her what to do.

He was stressed out. Dates were canceled, cut short, or plans were completely thrown out into something different. Normally this wouldn’t bother him too badly. People get busy and that’s okay. This was different though.

There had been one day last week when he had run into her on a trip to Inazuma City. It was like she was trying to avoid him once he had yelled out her name. Perhaps she was already trying to avoid him. It wasn’t like he had done anything wrong. He had done nothing but treat her with the love and respect that she deserved.

Was it wrong to question her when she had done the same? Had. That's the word he kept getting stuck on as of late. He never even got an explanation of why she was so busy as of late.

Maybe that’s what made him so concerned. It didn’t help she kept turning down any trips to go to any fabric stores together. He could have sworn he saw her leave one the other day. She left with Itto of all people. It didn’t make sense to him. They didn’t talk or hang out before from what he knew.

Were they friends and he just didn’t know? But she would have told him. She would always happily tell him of the things she did with her friends. Thoma really didn’t want to think the worst. Y/N was his girlfriend for almost a year. Someone who he trusted so much. To think that she would betray him in such a way felt too harsh.

Thoma stopped his stitching and looked down at the back panel of this sweater he had been working on. Oh no. Had he caused this?

When he was first learning knitting he was told how it was a bad idea to make a sweater for your partner. The sweater curse is what it was called. A superstition he thought could be easily avoided by waiting for the right person and knowing he was secure in the relationship. Thoma wasn’t one to believe in curses of the paranormal or rational kind.

But this was a rational curse. Maybe he should have taken it more seriously. Were there signs she wanted the relationship that he hadn’t noticed? If there was he hadn’t noticed. 

“Is everything alright?” Ayato asked the question bringing him out of his internal worries.

“I’m not too sure.”

-

This was wrong. So many levels of wrong. Why did he take his lord’s offer to track his own girlfriend down with the Shuumatsuban? This had to be an invasion of her privacy and trust.  He should just walk away before anyone notices that he is here. 

“Yo! My bro! What are you doing here?” Itto had greeted him from the entrance to the fabric shop. He had always been friendly despite the imposing figure he had. Too much care for others to purposefully cause any pain. Yet Thoma was here not knowing if his warm greeting was full of lies.

“I just came to pick something up.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He was missing a few things to finish up some projects that were just lying around. Now it would be weird if he left right away.

“We should totally go get some food first. When was the last time we had a meal together? My treat!” Itto offered placing a hand on Thoma’s back trying to lead him away from the fabric shop.

Thoma moved back away. “I need to get this done now. I have a bit of a list of things to get done today. Maybe next time.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you need and I’ll grab it for you. That would knock your list down so fast.” Itto kept trying to stand in Thoma’s way.

“I appreciate the help but I got it.”

“You know this store is kind of the worst. I think there’s a better one in Ritou. Why don’t I show you it?” Itto looked as if he was thinking off the top of his head just to keep Thoma out of the store.

Thoma forced a smile trying to stay calm but Itto’s behavior only made him more worried about what was going on. “Another day. I need to go in now.” He dogged past the oni trying to stay in his way making it into the fabric shop.

Itto followed behind with worry on his face. He tried so hard to keep Thoma out. He had one job!

Inside the shop towards the back, Y/N was sitting in the back next to Itto's Granny. She had a cloth in her hand and was moving a needle back and forth. “You know I'm still worried he won't like it.”

“With how much you improved you shouldn't doubt your skills now. I bet he'll love it just cause it's from you.” She comforted Y/N. “It's going to be a wonderful anniversary present.”

Thoma’s face went red. He shouldn't have walked in here. He started walking backwards hoping not to be noticed by either of them. He walked back into a standing filled with different buttons and threads knocking it down and falling with it as well.

The two of them stood up quickly. Itto was already getting ready to help Thoma up. Y/N looked down, frowning that her boyfriend, who normally she would have been happy to see, was in the same store as her. 

“I'm sorry. I did try.” Itto apologized as Thoma stood on his feet.

“You did your best. Let's give them some space.” His granny spoke before going outside with Itto. The shop owner shook their head before getting up to leave as well.

“You were supposed to be at the estate right now. What are you doing here?” Y/N asked before placing the quilt down on the table carefully.

“I just uh,” he bent down real quick, grabbing a button. “Needed this. I'm off to go pay for it now.”

A frown filled Y/N’s face. 

“I'm sorry. I just really got worried because you were acting differently. I thought I knitted myself into a curse and I got worried you didn't want to be with me and were starting to pull away.” He rambled. “I didn't want to believe it so I had to figure out what was going on.”

Y/N walked straight up to him and gave him a kiss shutting up his rambles. “You're cute you know that?”

His face was already red with embarrassment but felt even hotter now. “I think you've told me that.”

“I was trying to surprise you by learning how to make a quilt for you for our anniversary. You could have told me you felt neglected. I'm sorry. I never wanted to do that.” Y/N apologized as she pulled him into a hug.

“I should be the one apologizing. You were just trying to do a nice thing for me and I was thinking that you were just over m-” another kiss to shut him up. He pulled back with a smile attached to his face. “It's hard to speak when you keep doing that.”

“That's why I keep doing it. I must have been neglecting you if you keep rambling like this. If I let you go on any longer you might just tell me what you were knitting. I want it to be a surprise.”

Thoma let out a laugh. “Okay. That's understandable but I feel bad. I ruined your gift.”

“You have no clue how much I wanted to tell you. There are only so many times I can hear Itto tell me it's cool or his Granny telling me it's pretty. The compliments aren't enough unless it's from you.”

It was her turn to be shut up with a kiss. It quickly turned to Thoma peppering her face with kisses. “You have no idea how much I love you.”

Y/N laughed with each kiss tickling her face. “I love you too. You wouldn't be here if you didn't. Love makes you people do dumb things.”

Thoma thought for a second thinking about the offer Ayato gave him just to help figure out what was going on. He would tell her a little later. “Yes, it does.”

[little-lego-ninjas]

repetitive motions

It has been a minute, guys. Sorry for my lack of activity! I do have another little oneshot for you all to enjoy, though. Here's Zane knitting and generally having a good time for once in his life (no he isn't obsessed with completing tasks what are you talking about) (also also he may have a crush on Kai i am unsure feel free to interpret it however you'd like)

(1.7k words of Zane living life)

It was a relatively peaceful afternoon, as far as Ninjago City standards were. There was the usual hustle and bustle, the traffic coming in and out of the city, the deliveries of mail and take out punctual despite it all. The shoreline was alive with the late Summer rush, tourists maxing out the last of their vacations and highschoolers ignoring their upcoming responsibilities for just a little bit longer.

It was a lovely afternoon to relax, in Zane's opinion.

His chores had already been dealt with for the day (tidying his room, taking care of his laundry, and cleaning out the spam in his hard drive), and dinner was something he didn't need to stress about, since Kai was taking over tonight to give him some much-needed reprieve. Which left him with little to do other than indulge in his hobbies.

One he had picked back up recently was knitting, having missed it during the chaos of the past year or so. So much had happened that it had gotten nudged aside in favor of less time-consuming tasks and hobbies, and Zane felt a little bad that he had forgotten about his projects. Thankfully, he had memorized the pattern of blanket he had been trying to create, and he was excited to finally add some more stitches to it.

Settling down on his bed, Zane made certain that he had all of his needed supplies. His three rows in "blanket" was laying in a bin, neatly tucked away with his needles, and his yarn. His phone was on his bedside table in case anyone needed to reach him, and his door was partially open in case it was someone just deciding to come see him.

He nodded to himself. He was ready to get to work then. Curling his legs underneath him, Zane picked up his skein of yarn and his project, placing it the yarn next to him and the project into his lap. Mentally, he brought up the pattern's instructions so he had a base to follow in case his memory served him incorrectly, and he placed his fingers against the needles in the proper position for efficiency.

He drew in a deep breath, and then began to knit. It was a tedious process, repeating the same motion over and over again, row by row, but he liked seeing the progress slowly grow with his efforts. It made him feel like he was doing something, like he was working for his reward. It reminded him of baking, meticulous in the measurements, precise in the numbers, everything laid out to be followed exactly as described for the proper results.

He smiled as he cast off another row, ready to begin the second. The blanket had doubled in size with his short bit of work, and it was steadily beginning to look like an actual blanket, rather than a strangely long cat toy. Zane was quite pleased with himself for his neat stitch-work, happy to keep on going until he was stopped by an outside force.

"Hey, Zane, sorry to bother you but do you know where the good dutch oven is?"

Well. There was the outside force.

Zane looked up from his blanket, unsurprised to find Kai hovering in his doorway, one shoulder against the frame. He was dressed very casually, almost like he was preparing for a nap. Maybe he didn't want to dirty his nicer clothing with his cooking.

Then again, that's what aprons were for…

"Not the bad one that's the neon orange color, but the older one?" Kai asked, gesturing with his hands for the rough size.

"I believe it is in the cabinet to the right of the stove," Zane said after a moment of thought. "Is it not?"

Kai shook his head, rubbing at his left eye with the palm of his hand. "Aw, I forgot we reorganized the kitchen last month. No wonder I couldn't find it. Thanks, Zane."

Zane nodded. "Happy to have helped."

Kai left his room, and Zane was eager to get back to his knitting. He didn't want to loose the good work flow he had began when he started. Picking up where he had left off, Zane started adding a new row to his project, wondering if he should add more colors than just blue to his work. Perhaps he should invest in some new skeins next time he went into the city, just to keep his hobby afloat. There was only so much he could create out of the same ice blue shade before it became egotistical of him.

Maybe he should make something red for Kai next, something nice that he would enjoy, but not something that he wouldn't use. Perhaps a pair of gloves. Zane nodded to himself, waiting until he finished his next row before he set his project down on his lap. He needed to make a note in his phone so he could remember his next project, just in case something went wrong with his memory.

Again.

Zane pursed his lips as he typed into his notes app, adding red yarn to his growing grocery list as a second thought. He set his phone back down and went back to knitting, pushing aside his negative thoughts of memory loss and struggling to find himself again. It was in the past, and he was in the present now, so it was alright. He didn't need to dwell on it anymore.

He paused when he noticed his ice blue yarn was turning a murky, reddish shade as he kept adding stitches to his row. Zane knit his brows in confusion, lifting the string of the skein he had been using, finding a good portion of it stained with a reddish substance. A quick scan identified it as cranberry juice.

Zane sighed softly, undoing his row to remove the coloring. He would have to cut the stained yarn out and splice in a new piece to keep going. That was probably the price he paid for using Mrs. Walker's old yarn that hadn't seen hands that weren't a toddlers in over a decade. It was kind of her to give it to him though when he expressed an interest in learning, so he wouldn't complain. It was just a minor setback in his productivity.

He just needed a pair of scissors and he could get back to work in no time.

Zane carefully set his project aside, getting to his feet. The kitchen was the most common place for the countless pairs of scissors in the monastery to end up, and it was the best bet for finding a pair quickly. He picked his phone up, pocketed it, and then left his room in search of scissors, eager to return to his blanket. The sooner he finished it, the sooner he could get to work on his next project.

Would Kai prefer fingerless, or fingered gloves? Hm…

Zane slowed his walk to the kitchen halfway through the living area when he realized how quiet it was. It was never quiet with a monastery full of young adults. Curious, he glanced around at his surroundings only to find that he seemed utterly alone. If not for Kai's soft humming from the kitchen, Zane would have thought everyone had gone on a mission, or had decided to spend the day acting their age, out in the Summer heat rollerblading, or watching a movie.

Poking his head into the kitchen, Zane found Kai dicing vegetables, his phone on the counter playing music. Not wanting to startle the ninja with a knife in his hand (which happened far too often for how trained they were), he stayed by the door before he spoke. "Hello, Kai."

Kai lifted his gaze for a moment, nodding a hello since his hands were full. "Need something?"

"Just a pair of scissors. My yarn is stained in a section," Zane answered, moving toward their resident "junk drawer", that remained that way no matter how many times he cleaned it.

"Ah." Kai slid the knife across the cutting board, collecting the onions he had been dicing, depositing them into the dutch oven with practiced ease. "That must suck."

"Not entirely," Zane mused as he dug through the drawer for a pair of scissors. "I just have to retie the yarn before I can continue. Nothing too bad."

"That's good, then. I figured it would be, like, a nightmare to work out." Kai threw a grin over his shoulder at Zane, "Can you tell I don't knit?"

Zane giggled. "It is only a little obvious. Your creative talents lie elsewhere."

"In what, drama?" Kai asked, laughing at his own joke. "I think it's cool that you're making something that's gonna be useful to someone else. You've always been like that though, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."

Zane paused in his search for scissors, looking over at Kai to watch him add another knife full of vegetables (peppers of some sort) to his pot. "Just another thing about you that makes you you."

Suddenly, Zane didn't want to work on his knitting anymore. He closed the drawer and made his way over to the other side of the stove, leaning against the counter. "What are you cooking?"

Kai glanced over at him. "Well, I was gonna do carnitas, but I found a pack of stir fry in the freezer that really needs to be used, so I'm doing both."

Zane nodded, resting his chin in his hand. "Mind if I assist?"

"You're kidding," Kai said, stopping what he was doing entirely. "I literally said I'd cook tonight so you could just…"

He gestured vaguely, "Relax, or something."

"I have found myself bored and lonely without anyone else to keep me company," Zane admitted. "Everyone else has found something to do, and I enjoy cooking with others."

"I hear the 'if' in there," Kai teased.

Zane rolled his eyes. "Yes, if they don't burn down the kitchen in their cooking endeavors, then I will cook with them."

Kai smirked. "There it is."

"Is that a yes or a roundabout way of telling me no?"

Kai laughed, nodding to the sink. "Wash your hands, let's get this done."

Zane smiled as he rolled up his sleeves to follow orders, already in a better mood than he had been before.

[eolewyn1010]

Downton Abbey Fashion 15 - post-war indoors fashion

I already need three posts to go through all of the indoors fashion of this season, and it’s only the second. Can you imagine how many posts I will need once they have 200 and more costumes introduced in one season?

Edith has been wearing this blouse to a walking suit before, but now we get an uncovered look at it. Quite cute; while the color isn’t super exciting, these little flower bundles do their thing. And the little black button rows under the collarbones? So unnecessary, yet so lovely.

The art deco blouse is BACK, baby! Have I mentioned I like these? They are something to look at, but they also are cut quite wide and seem comfy. Very brown outfit; once again, this might’ve benefitted from a contrasting skirt. But I like the little scallops embroidered on the top of the waistband, and they seem to have liked it too, as this skirt gets another moment on stage. Also, this was Sybil’s last season, and I hate only noticing repeats like this in hindsight because it messes with my statistics.

Here, it goes with a greenish grey blouse. Edith has a lot of indoors day outfits this season because, during the war, we mainly see her working in the house. She hasn’t quite grown into her confidence yet, daring a print pattern here and there, but rarely a bold color.

Well, polka dots are one of the patterns that turn me off like garlic blooms do Dracula. Edith kind of looks like a librarian here, but I guess that is one of her jobs for the convalescing soldiers. I wonder if the apron is her own or she had to get one from Downstairs.

Is this dress grey or lilac? I’ll tentatively say lilac. The stripes don’t pick me up as they usually do. Maybe they would have more impact if it weren’t for the white lace-ish embroidery around the collar. The dress is fine, I guess; it just doesn’t wow me. Edith, do you wish to become one with the curtains?

See, this is the outfit I meant that looks a lot like one Mary wore during the same season. Only Edith has a round buckle where Mary chose a square one, Edith wears a slightly brighter red, and the lapels of her blouse are longer, but they also end in these little tassels. I also think the cuffs are worth a second look; they are buttoned up, and these buttons are cute. What is it with me and buttons?

This sort of washed-out emerald green becomes one of Edith’s signature colors. It’s almost a shame to introduce it in such understatement, but I do like the structural weaving on this shirt. Interestingly, she wears it again years later in season 4, and it fits into an entirely different fashion just by virtue of how she wears it: Loosely over her skirt instead of gathered in at the waist.

Speaking of color understatements. Edith does have a quite brown- and grey-dominated wardrobe this season, but alright; she at least gets to play with some patterns. And the silk ribbon trim is back.

And a dress where I really don’t mind the dull color so much because the cut is so neat. It compliments her figure, the neckline is flattering, I love the buttoned front and cuffs. Look out, Mary; fashionista Edith is on her way.

--------------

Sybil also gets another of these blouses, and she also gets some soft lilac to wear. I’m not the biggest fan of this big-ass flower print (I can’t help it; I’m a sucker for art deco), but the overall picture is rather lovely. Wouldn’t want to wear this buckle though; that probably pokes her in the stomach if she ever leans forward. Or maybe not; this is still corset time.

We gotta appreciate the simple things. There’s nothing fancy about this knit cardigan. But oh my god, I want one! It looks so supremely cuddly and warm. You know things are bad when I consider taking up knitting again.

More lilac because Sybil is still in her pastel phase, but this blouse has a cute checkered print. And I’m bringing back the apron question, although with Sybil, I at least have a solid reason to think she got one from Downstairs – because she walked up to them and asked for help with everyday knowledge such as basic cooking.

Look at Sybil being one of maybe three people in this house who ever show Edith any kindness and support. I mean, look at this blouse! I don’t know if this is Sybil’s farewell to light blue, but it may well be her farewell to wide, flat collars. The folded lapels give this a little extra though, and so does the tiny strip of lace trim. Yeah, alright; I’ll admit it: This look is another favorite.

This shouldn’t be too noteworthy, except it’s the outfit in which Sybil runs away from home and gets all the way to the next inn. I appreciate that Edith and Mary found her sleeping fully clothed in a separate bed; Branson would have come off as a little too pushy otherwise. I wonder if Sybil picked this on purpose because it doesn’t look like much. Someone running around in a grey skirt and a white blouse devoid of decoration except for a little simple lace on the collar is not who you’d suspect of being one of the young Crawley ladies.

This isn’t so much indoor fashion as it is a work uniform. I don’t have a category specifically for that because it would be a lonely outfit there; since nurses aren’t service workers, I didn’t want to put Nurse Crawley in with the staff of Downton. Anyway. Grey dress with white cuffs and white collar, grey arm band with a Red Cross on it, white apron – it’s all very practical and, obviously, very uniform. I was a little surprised at the head wrap, I’ll admit; I’m more used to nurses of the time wearing these starched little veil caps, but I also don’t know enough to compare specifically British WWI nurses. So I wonder if this was a fashion choice or a historical one.

[quozy-knits]

out of pure excitement, here's how the construction of a cuff-down sock works!

keep in mind this is just how I have made socks in the past and how I've seen them in patterns, this isn't the only way to do cuff-down socks :)

I'll also be using a picture I've already posted on here of a fully finished sock to use as a reference.

let's get started!

(very long post under the cut)

psst, ill be including a picture with a color coded section to help explain exactly where on the sock this is :)

part one: the cuff

the most obvious part of a cuff-down sock is - well - the cuff!

this is typically done with ribbing (though I've seen patterns without ribbing like this one), and I've found that for women's medium sized socks it's around 15-20 rows depending on the pattern and the knitters liking. this is one of the sections that's completely up to personal preference, as some like long cuffs, some like short cuffs, and some prefer no cuff at all :)

part two: transition row/s (optional)

some patterns utilize a transition row, especially if coming from some kind of ribbing to some kind of lace. this can help distinguish the cuff from the body of the foot, but isn't used in too many patterns that I've come across.

part three: leg section

stockinette, lace, cables, you name it! unless your sock is coming from your mid or high calf, you're not likely to have to increase/decrease this section at all. for the sock shown below, I stuck with all 66 stitches the entire way through :) (though be aware that some patterns do call for increases/decreases depending on length!)

part four: heel section

4a: heel flap

a heel flap is typically done across half, a third, or a quarter of the stitches used in the circumference of the sock, I prefer a reinforced heel flap (RS slip one purlwise, knit, continue to end of row ; WS purl until one stitch remaining, slip purlwise ; repeat until desired length), but there are many options out there for whatever you'd like!

most of the time you'll be making a heel flap kind of a square shape, working back and fourth until the end of the suggested rows or continuing until whatever length you'd like (though be aware that the longer it is, the more stitches you'll have around your heel circumference!!!)

4b: heel turn

a heel turn is really simple -- you knit until you're a bit past the middle of the heel flap (RS), ssk, k1, turn, slip 1, p however many stitches required (you can make a pointer or a more flat heel turn depending on the amount of stitches you use to begin with), p2tog, p1, turn, slip 1, knit until 1 before the "gap" that is formed, ssk, k1, repeat until you've finished picking up all stitches (you'll end up with less than your original stitch count, don't be afraid!)

by the way, there is this lovely video by heather storta on YouTube that explains all the different types of heels for cuff down, toe up, and after thought socks :)

part five: gussets & decrease section

5a: gussets (light blue)

the gusset stitches are all the stitches picked up from the sides of the heel flap -- when you slip the first stitch on each row, you create a selvage edge that you later knit from and then decrease from at the edge before the top of the foot until you reach your original stitch count! (the gusset stitches here would be at the edge of the green for the heel flap, the light blue is just showing the decrease section from the gussets as well :) )

5b: untouched foot section(??) (blue)

just as the title says, you don't mess with the stitch count of these areas. the top of the foot is left completely untouched, and besides the gusset stitch decreases on the sides of the back of the foot, it's otherwise untouched as well.

part six: the foot

as much as you may think that all of this is the foot, this is what I personally call The Foot Section - the length of one's foot is extremely varied, so this part is very much not something that can be easily standardized. I've found that measuring from the very back of my heel to the end of my big toe (and subtracting the length already knitting + the length of the toe + an extra 2ish cm) helps me get the perfect fit.

knowing your gauge and knowing your measurements is tantamount to having your own personalized pattern, so being if you want to make something that fits, you've gotta measure!

side note : it's normally suggested in patterns to subtract 2-2.5cm from your actual foot length, but always consult the pattern before deciding on anything in particular!

part seven: the toe

finally, we've reached the end! this is, in my opinion, the absolute easiest part of the sock. you're decreasing every other row (typically), which means every row gets shorter and shorter! personally, I get super motivated when I reach the toe section :)

there are MANY ways to create the toe section of your sock -- I prefer wedge ("square") toes, as I find them to be simple and effective. there are also more pointy and more round toes, along with the anatomical toe variation, so play around with what you like!

as shown in the picture below, there is a decrease on both sides of the sock (4 decreases per row, 2 on each side). this is done every other row to create a nice slope that doesn't make the toe too small, but also doesn't leave it as a Huge section of the sock.

anyways, that's about all of my knowledge on cuff-down sock construction! my tumblr is lagging as I'm typing this, too many pictures I suppose?

hope y'all learned something or at least found this interesting, and have a lovely evening everyone!

(also, it won't let me add the video I wanted to, so it'll be left in the comments!)

[ballpointdoll]

current barbie sweater project. want to try different ways to knit things flat since stitching them up makes the stitched edges so bulky for miniature things. doing the back and front in one go removes that shoulder stitch but also makes the stitches "upside down" on the back, i did this design to see how much that bothers me. verdict is "sure it wont really be noticeable 99% of time bc its just the back, but itd be completely unnoticeable if you just did a pattern with pure stripes instead".

for the sleeves im picking up stitches from the edges of the main piece and just knitting onto that. it looks fine, will judge when im done. but i also couldve looked up the Best Way to do it and maybe gotten a neater join. i will start learning new things soon when i feel comfortable having reminded myself of the things i already knew (and also try out circular knitting again which is what i dread but know i have to face)

the messy edges of the collar feel like they could be fixed with a small crochet needle so i might try that. i wasnt trying to be neat at all and had no plan besides "leave a hole here".

[journeyman-tier-fibercraft]

Finally started this Hannukah present for my grandmother. What's funny is when I showed her all the cashmere I got she said "oh are you going to make me something out of it" as a joke but I'd already planned this project :3c

This is 28.6 grams of a cobweb? 100% cashmere yarn knitted on size US 1.5/2.5mm needles. The plan is to knit this edging (taken from this Knit Picks pattern) for as long as I can (probably 28 repeats? each one takes about 0.9 grams of yarn). If my math is right that should be about 4 feet worth of trim. Then Pick up stitches along the straight edge (left side) and swap to the other colour I have (like a goldy warm toned brown) and do some short row shenanigans to get this vaguely crescent shaped.

I'm pretty much yoloing it, I'm just happy to fuck around with this yarn/pattern. The yarn is sooooo soft tho it's kinda annoying to knit, it's so light that having any sort of fan on blows my working strand around. I'm also not used to knitting lace on both the right and wrong side. Again a little annoying because of how thin this yarn is (I've totally given up on p2tog-tbl) but I give it a couple more repeats than normal before it gets boring.

[oniondip420]

Yarn Log - Horseshoe Bookmark

Background & Thoughts

I started this bookmark wayyyy back around the time when I had already started The Blanket™ (Post incoming within the week probably). I had wanted a smaller project that I could use light weight yarn (I think it’s sport weight but I can’t remember) and it just so happened that at the time I was going through some cookbooks to pick out recipes that I could make, and a custom bookmark seemed like a fun thing to add to that process. Of course, I naturally fell off of going through the cookbooks and never actually made anything 💀

Technically, this pattern is not particularly difficult. The most complicated maneuver is an sl1-k2tog-psso, which sounded insane at the skill level I was at, but a quick YouTube search clarified it pretty easily. It was helpful also to do in preparation for the second half of The Blanket™, which had a lot of k2tog’s in it.

HOWEVER, I kind of hated this project and don’t like how it turned out lol. Not only did I choose to use that really light weight yarn, but I also chose a very dark blue color (the pictures look brighter bc they’re well lit, but while working on it, the color might as well have just been near black). This made it extremely difficult to count stitches, to orient myself within my current progress, and to catch mistakes to undo. There are several mistakes in this that I just kind of gave up on going back to fix, because I preferred it to be done rather than perfect:

I messed up the border stitch on one side at some point. It’s not so noticeable, since the yarn is dark and the mistake is so small, but it still irks me since I know it’s there. I have a slightly different technique about the first stitch of each row that I like how it looks (more details when I post about The Blanket™) so it ruins the vibe a bit.

Hilariously, I seem to have gotten the sides reversed halfway through the bookmark, so the horseshoe pattern for the rest of it is just an ugly purl-ey mess that should have been on the other side. Still not actually a huuuge deal since I don’t care about this piece so much, but it’s honestly funny lol.

There’s this random loop poking out. Idk if I accidentally dropped it or something, but it’s just sort of there lol. Luckily I can just sort of tuck it into the hole right there from yo’ing, so it hopefully won’t get snagged and make stuff fall apart.

I think the top of the bookmark is very slightly narrower than the bottom. Idk if this was from pinning it wrong during the blocking process yesterday, or if it was a yarn tension issue. Regardless, it too is like. A couple millimeters at most, so for this project it’s also whatever.

There are certainly other issues with this, but analyzing it even under a bright light is so annoying, I’m not gonna dig deeper into it. The above are just the most obvious issues that I can notice.

I actually finished this bookmark ages ago and it’s just been sitting in my project bag, waiting to be blocked. Since I ended up doing some small warmup crochet projects (posts also incoming!), I blocked them all together, which is why this is FINALLY done.

So in terms of lessons learned:

I hate working with light weight yarn and will not be doing so anytime soon

I hate working with dark colored yarn and will not be doing so anytime soon

That’s basically it. I just don’t want to do something like this again in the nearish future lol

Pattern

[overelegantstranger]

a month ago, my mum dropped a hint that she wanted a little sleeveless popover thing making for her. I had some yarn that would work but it needed something held with it so i got an alpaca fluff yarn and I bought the pattern, and I put the pattern on my queue list because I was already making two sweaters at the time. Then, about a week or two after that, my mum picked up knitting again and she's, as they say, gone mad for it. i think i posted about it. it made me feel like she was doing it out of a sense of competition and i was convinced she would decide to make the popover even after all but outright asking me to make it for her. but i thought no you're overreacting. and now she's made a bunch of hats. she's making christmas presents all over the place. she's knitting herself little scarves. it's all good and I feel a LITTLE sucky because she's fast and I'm not but hey ho, I'm knitting bigger and more complex things so it evens out and it's nice to chitchat about knitting.

then tonight she texts me, says she bought the popover pattern. i said oh no i could have sent it to you i bought it already (genuine communication, also gentle hint about the convo we had had a month ago). no biting on the hint, which tbh i expected. so i've now had to ask her outright if she even wants me to make her the fucking thing anymore (except I didn't put it that way obvi). will update when she texts me back

ETA: she says "if you're happy to make it i'm happy to receive it". still feel kinda gross ngl

[scratchandplaster]

FEBUWHUMP DAY 12 - Semi-conscious

CW: conditioning, parental Whumper, amnesia, emotional manipulation

Previous | [Masterlist] | Next

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..

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"...easy to return here whenever I..."

"My words...you know how to..."

"...slowly coming back to the waking world."

Someone was speaking to him, though Ben was still far too gone to register it.

"Eight. Feeling the tranquility join you from within, always following my voice."

Not yet, he wanted to stay in the pleasant darkness.

"Nine. Coming back to me now, and ten: Wake up!"

With a snap, Bens eyes plopped open, searching confused for the origin of this command. There he was again: Dad, rubbing up and down his spine to help him stir back to the present. The warm smile Ben all too gladly returned only helped to hold on to it.

"Well then, how are we feeling?"

Blinking a few times made the fog in his head partially vanish, but the airy, sticky presence at the back of his head never budged. Yet Ben didn't just feel okay, he felt great! Like a heavy burden was lifted from his chest.

Not strong enough to use his voice again, he simply hugged his dad as tight as he could. Oh, Ben missed him so-so much, it was killing him. Shepard, too, was freed of the heavy pressure inside his heart, never stopping the calming pets that kept his son's mind warm and pliable.

"Ben, do you have any questions about what we discussed?"

Questions? What did they talk about? Maybe Ben spaced out again, like he always did if his wits weren't required... Well, it couldn't have been very dicey if his thoughts already jumped to another topic.

"No, thanks."

Dad's smirk told him that this was somehow the right answer: "Perfect. Dinner will be ready soon, so let's get you to freshen up a bit."

Though Ben had no idea nor clue about what was happening to him, he trusted his dad to guide him. Shepard always knew what to do.

During the past few hours spent together, the sun had begun to set again. The dim twilight didn't really help in getting rid of the fuzziness adorning the world around the edges - focussing felt impossibly hard.

Only as a damp wash cloth wiped through Ben's weary face, his mind began to clear up further, yesterday's worries nothing more than a bad dream.

Cleaning up the crumbs of sleep from Reuben's eyes let Shepard reminisce of how it used to be between him and his sons, just the three of them hand in hand. Since then, everything had just become more complicated. Maybe too complicated, seeing how the boys saw themselves as abandoned and unloved enough to leave one after another. A mistake he had to correct.

After getting the debris off Ben, Shepard picked up a wooden brush to comb through his untamed hair. As far as his dad could tell, Ben enjoyed the endless attention, nearly whining when it stopped.

"It's chilly outside," Shepard whispered and eyed Ben's unusual outfit; too much polyester for his taste, "I don't want you to get a cold, so I made a little something."

Rummaging around behind himself, Shepard pulled out a cardigan and unfolded it to let Ben be the judge of it: it was brand new, mustard-yellow yarn loosely knit into itself. Ben found it beautiful, especially the little cherries stitched on it.

Cherries…just like Sam gave him. Ben hoped they wouldn't join them for dinner too, and cursed himself for it instantly. A cracked ego was no reason to be rude.

"I tried a new pattern. You still grow like a weed, so I had to tweak the measurements a bit," Dad explained and helped him into it, beaming with joy.

Ben, fuzzy and floaty, was also handed a shiny bar of chocolate from a trunk besides them.

"What's that?"

"The present you bought for us," Shepard responded confused, arranging Ben's hairdo into a neat side parting.

"Uhm-"

"At the store? You said you wanted to hand it out at dinner. Shawn couldn't sit still because of all the anticipation."

"Oh, sure." Dinner - there was a stray memory about a gift, though escorted by the faint impression that something was off. This fugue state Shepard recognized only grudgingly.

"You don't have to share, it's yours. You're free to decide."

"No-no, it’s okay. I'm just a bit lost." A clear understatement, dear Ben would forget his own head if it wasn't screwed on. Biting his lip, he had a question for him after all: "Dad, I-I want to know beforehand: how - what will be my punishment?"

Shepard's face twisted painfully: "Punishment? Punish - no! We are so thankful that you came back to us, none of us would ever punish you for that."

Reuben doubted his candor again, as if Shepard didn't just spend hours educating him otherwise. Soft words were not enough this time, it seemed, as Ben kept on dodging his shocked gaze: "Luke said you'd hate me for leaving."

"Oh sweetheart, come on," Shepard sighed and gently took his hand, "I'll show you the truth."

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Thanks for reading 🤍 [Febuwhump 2024 Masterlist]

@febuwhump