Watson

I love learning new things. However, I admit that learning new things can be daunting. Case in point: sewing a bra.

The bra in question is the Watson bra. It's a great entry into making your own lingerie because it's a soft bra without anything more complicated than having the right findings (which I bough alongside the proper fabric in a kit). Still, a bit intimidating for a first timer.

It turns out that I didn't have anything to be worried about (though it probably helped that I read through the pattern about 5 times before starting). I was able to start sewing and complete the bra in about 2 hours! The joy of whizzing through a satisfying craft project in a small amount of time has no equal.

For as much as I loved this project (and find the final bra to be very comfortable), I can't wait to dig into my next Watson and make a couple tweaks. Next time, I'll adjust the sizing, be sure to baste my layers by hand, and use non-lace fabric for the cups. That said, I could not be happier with my first bra-making experience.

Surprise Mittens

Every once and a while, I think of a craft project so nerdy that I just have to make it. The impetus for my most recent of these projects was HiKoo's Abracadabra color-changing yarn. And my brain naturally made things more complex by insisting that I use this yarn in a fair isle project.

However, the result is just amazing, as shown in the following video when I expose a "fresh" side of a mitten to sunlight. I just love the way that the zigzags appear from nothing.

What's not being said is that in doing color-changing fair isle, I ended up doing "two"-color, white-on-white knitting. Thankfully, the color change yarn was very shiny against the wool, but it was still much easier to knit these mittens outside on a sunny day. For reference, here is the indoor view:

Oh, and did I mention the pattern was in Swedish and modified? The book I have has since been published in English, but I managed to make my version work by inferring Swedish knitting words and using the provided chart.

So, yes, sometimes I like a good challenge. White-on-white, color changing fair isle modified from a Swedish pattern was a crazy idea, but I think that the awesomeness of the results made it all worth it.