Golden Kasha and sewing buttonholes after the fact

I thought I'd never be done with this cardigan. Not only was the lace pattern fiddly (with 5 to 1 on purl side), but it needed lots of parts to all come together. But I'd say it was all worth it. It's one of my proudest knitted creation.

One of the reasons it took so long to complete is because I forgot to make the button holes as I was knitting the front. To be more precise I thought I was knitting the right front when in fact I was knitting the left and only realized the mistake about a half way through. 

I deliberated until the end whether I should make the cardigan snap closure or figure out to make the button holes afterwards. In the end, to keep the details authentic I chose to try making it button closure.

I discovered after thought buttonholes on the internet, but I didn't think the 5/8 width ribbon I used to back the band was wide enough to accommodate horizontal buttonholes. Also having to snip a stitch scared me and I was worried I'll ruin the whole thing. After much deliberation I decided to sew the buttonholes directly on the ribbon backed button band. After all, that's how people make buttonholes on knitted fabrics, so it should be doable, right?

I did practice first with a scrap ribbon and an extra button band that I knitted up for this. I just hoped it'll look neater when it's done with a matching ribbon and thread.

Being ever so impatient, I decided I was ready to go with the real deal. I backed the band with ribbon first, and then marked the positions. And then I ran them on the sewing machine one by one.
I did notice that the thick knit snagged the buttonhole foot, making it miss the turn. To mitigate, I sewed extra stitches around the button hole position (after painfully picking a couple of button holes).

It all worked out alright in the end. I'm so pleased with the result that I'm wondering whether this should be how I make button holes from now on, since it's deucedly difficult to space them correctly while knitting. It's also much sturdier.

I also tried making the shoulder pads as directed in the pattern. But alas, they looked great on the dress form but not on human. Next time I try something like this, I'll knit one side first, try it on properly, and then knit the other one to prevent wasting time and yarn.

The pattern is clever in that when it's sewn up, the diamond lace parts fit together like puzzles and look seamless.

Overall, it was great experience. I tried a bunch of new skills - backing button bands, sewing button holes directly on the knitted garment, and making shoulder pads even though it didn't get used. This is going on my Etsy shop as the yellow doesn't look good on me, but I'm thinking to make another one for myself with the yarns I dyed with avocados.

You can see more details of the project on Ravelry.

Clarel, Kasha, and introducing my new friend

Even though I haven't really finished any projects, I wanted to log some updates since I haven't posted anything for a while. I do try to post at least once every month.

I have been out of town for the last 3 weeks, and what glorious 3 weeks they were. I was at a conference in Denmark for a week, followed by 2 weeks holiday in England. One thing I missed a lot was English countryside, so Sean and I did lot of hiking in Peak district and Cornwall. I love moorlands, and poor Sean had to tag along to 3 different moors. Below was Bodmin moor, which I didn't want to ever leave.

Much as I love the country, I wouldn't visit England without visiting London. I splurged at Liberty and bought 3 different Tana lawn. Now I have too much Tana lawn in my stash which I suppose is a good problem to have. The one on far right is a rayon I bought from Sew Over It. I'm thinking to make Sean a shirt with the green lawn on the left.

On knitting front, I'm making good progress on my latest knitting project. I found this Clarel jumper pattern on Free Vintage Knitting some time ago, and was instantly smitten. I envisioned it in tweed green or brown, and it had been in my queue for ever so long. In the end, instead of buying new yarn I used Drops Alpaca Tomato that had been in my stash for over a year. It's my first cable project, and I can see why people love this technique.

Eek look at all the ends! I've ordered some ball buttons from Etsy, and cannot wait to see whether they go well with the jumper. The tabs are just placed on top, not sewn in yet. The sleeves were as always a pain, and I had to redo the sleeve head 3 times, but at last they're done and being blocked. This will make a nice Christmas jumper.

I'm also making headway with Kasha. Pictured below with another Liberty fabric in my stash.

When I started the project I was intimidated by the lace pattern. I thought I would never get the hang of it and feared I'd have to refer to the chart for every row. Well yes, I do have to refer to the chart for every row, but the lace pattern is surprisingly memorizable. The danger is when you begin to think you got it and start to relax. That's when the mistakes inevitably happen.

And last but not least, a small cause of excitement - I finally bought a dress form! I've been stalking Craigslist since last year, and finally spotted one that fitted the bill perfectly. I don't think I'll use it for fitting, since the measurements are 'a little' different from mine (the ridiculously small waist, for one). But my goodness, is it fun to model my handmade items on it. They look 10+ times better than on me.