Current thoughts on my making

I’ve spent a lot of time this year thinking about the clothes I make, specifically looking for the intersection of what I like to make and what I like to wear. I’m a basics person almost all the time; I love a good jeans + tee + sweater. It’s what I wear most days in the cooler months and sub out shorts for the jeans in the summer.

This year I’ve also been consciously trying to use fabric and yarn without wasting it, trying to make sure I make things I want to wear with yarn and fabric that suits the project. That may seem like the goal all the time, but believe me, it’s possible to like making a certain type of garment but then you realize you don’t really like wearing it all that much. To that end I’ve started to change how I approach projects and what projects I decide to do. Please note that these are unique to me and everyone is going to think differently about making and I wanted to share my current thoughts.

I don’t wear summer knits but I love making summer knits. That means I’m no longer making summer knits. I have five different summer tees that I’ve knit and I rarely wear them. Where I live it’s very hot and even knitting with silk or cotton, it’s too much in a knit garment for me. So, no more summer knits for me and in the spring and fall when the weather is just right, I’ll pull out and wear the ones I’ve already made.

Heavy sweaters also aren’t worth it for me. I knit a sweater with rustic wool this past winter, it was so fun to knit and I love the fit, but I only reached for it for a couple of times over the course of the winter as it needs to be quite chilly for me to want to put it on. I guess I run hot? Or maybe it’s that I live in a new construction, tightly built house where it doesn’t get really cold in winter, but either way, the few heavier sweaters I have are enough.

I love to wear basic, plain stockinette sweaters. Those are the ones where there is no pattern of color work or texture, it’s just the knit stitch all the way. I love knitting them too. I know many folks get bored with these types of projects, but there is something so great and meditative about knitting the knit stitch in the round. On top of that, they are so easy to wear and chuck on over a tee.

This past year I’ve knit and sewn a few things with a lot of positive ease, which is when the circumference of the bust is more than your actual measurements. High amounts of positive ease aren’t my jam. I think it looks great on other people, but I never like it on me. I’m still learning this lesson as I sewed a dress recently that I’m not sure I’ll wear much, the positive ease may be too much for me.

I’m taking all of this and using it to evaluate patterns and find things that I’ll not only love making, but love wearing. This has led to discovering new to me designers in both sewing and knitting. I’m excited to make some of the things I’ve found and to continue thinking about what I’m making, as I’m sure this will evolve over time.