Spring Knitting And Sewing

The spring in definitely in the air, here in Islamabad. The winter chill is gone and we have days at a stretch, of warm sunshine, interspersed with spring showers. My latest projects suit this change in weather.

My old reader might know that I have a thing for girl dresses with knitted bodices. So, I recently got hold of two balls of cotton yarn, in light fingering weight, to make a couple of spring dresses for my 6-year-old. I bought the yarn online and was a bit worried about running out. But in the end, I managed two get both bodices done, using down to the last inch of both yarns.

Next, I went to shop for matching fabrics and thankfully found some suitable ones quickly. It took one evening to sew up the dresses and another to sew on the buttons.

I love these part-knit part-sewn dresses and would love to test some other stitch patterns in the futre, insha Allah.

In other accomplishments, I did an early spring-cleaning of my craft closet and it has made me resolved to use up some of my stash. I'm still undecided about what to cast on next, socks maybe, or a stole.

Knitted Yoke Dress

 Appropriate to the changing seasons, this project is a knitting/sewing hybrid. I used about 100 yards of this cotton/nylon yarn to knit a yoke and then sewed it into a dress.

The multicolored yarn does not give much stitch definition and may not be the best choice for a yoke, but this was the most practical project, I could think of, for this yarn.

 The dress fabric is cotton with a cotton trim and a satin ribbon for embellishment. It is sized to fit an almost four-year-old.

Baby Dress with Knitted Yoke

Lately, we have been in the throes of a very contagious throat infection, which brought down all the three kids one-by-one over the last two weeks. The baby, last one to get ill, is now on the mend, alhamdolillah. Needless to say, I did not do much besides tending to the kids, all this time. However, I took time today to finish this dress. I had knitted the yoke before the illness, using a partial Maizy ball I had in my stash. I did not use any pattern. I paired it up with matching cotton to make a light, summer dress. Spring is upon us, here in Islamabad. The sunlight has started to feel hot and scorching rather than warm and comforting.

In other craft news, I am also on a knitting spree since yesterday, with one completed sock and a baby sweater started. More to come soon, inshaAllah.