#started with the Flax sweater

[iplaywithstring]

I frogged and restarted my sweater last night.

I realized I wanted more positive ease, and instead of the cables I want to try to make puff sleeves.

I was almost halfway done the sleeves - almost had a finished sweater! - but what's the point of making your own clothes if it doesn't turn out the way you want.

I want a sweater I will reach for and wear. and what I had wasn't it.

I added 4 sts when I increased after the neckline, and instead of eyelets for the raglan increases, I'm doing llinc and rlinc with two stitches in the raglan. Those stitches will then be added to the body for a looser fit. Two inches before I separate the sleeves, I'm going to increase by 13 sts on the top of the sleeve to add a bit of puff. Maybe a little earlier, we'll see. That will give me more sts on the sleeves overall and then when I decrease for the cuffs it'll be a little puff.

Probably will make it longer too since I know I have lots of yarn.

Patterns are just suggestions anyway.

[elephantbitterhead]

Current knitting project -- probably a vest, although it keeps trying to persuade me to make it a sweater.

[stripe-conlon]

Friendly reminder to myself that I should not procrastinate this year as I do not want to be shoving myself through a sweater in a month.

This is a reminder for those who handmake Christmas presents that now is not too early to start. It may in fact be a good time to start if you have a lot to make/your craft takes a long time. You should maybe start it now, whether that's brainstorming or actually doing the crafts!

[samknitchester]

oops! ...i did it again

flax sweater 2.0 (this one is for me)

we're well past the pit cast on/putting sleeves on hold. i plan to just finish the body with this (1 lb) skein and start #2 with the sleeves. hoping #1 lasts me the rest of the body so i have 2 less ends to weave 🤞

[knit-me-a-blanket]

WIP Wednesday

As I mentioned last week, the most fun part about knitting is constantly being able to start something new and learn new things. I wanted to share updates from the projects I posted last week.

One thing I wanted to make abundantly clear is that projects take time! Just because there is a weekly update doesn't mean the project will be finished in a week. The most important thing is that you're dedicating time to your craft and enjoying it.

Last week's sock was an easy pattern created by me with the sole purpose of keeping me entertained while commuting on the bus. And, it's now in limbo because my needle broke. I've since ordered more needles, but they didn't come until yesterday. I haven't made a lot of progress since last week's update, but I will always share a photo! If you look closely, you can actually see the broken needle!

The yarn that I ordered for the Flax Sweater in its DK version has finally come in! I’m using Red Heart’s Love collection in the color BlueBell. As I mentioned in my last post, this is one of the old acrylic yarns in my stash that I decided to go through, although I'm enjoying how it's knitting up. I have finished the body and one sleeve! Hopefully, it's finished before my friend moves to Minneapolis at the end of the summer. She'll need it in those cold winter months.

Thanks for stopping by. Let’s knit something wonderful together! My ask box is always open, so feel free to drop a comment.

[countthelions]

Some sweater starts [derby days / dandiwishes/ birch pullover / flax]

[365knitsocks]

April Craft Notes - 4/8

Greetings! I feel like the first full week of April was a creative success if you don’t look at the fact that I didn’t complete anything. I made a lot of progress thou.

I will share picture updates for the projects that I did work on and save the rest for later.

The WIP’s that I worked on:

Hubby’s Blanket: I worked on this project a lot. I have a daily goal of at least 2 squares. I am just starting the 8th row which is the half way point.

Baby Sock Donations: I knit one baby sock last week. My goal is at least two pairs a month

Diamond Art Project: I finished the background last weekend

Flax Sweater: I am almost done with the yolk of this sweater but right now it just looks like a sweat blob

Pair 203: I finished the first sock and started the second. I am hoping to finish this pair of socks this week.

After I finish my adult pair of socks I plan to replace that project with a hat. I want to create a free chemo hat pattern for donations. Let me know if you are interested in testing the pattern.

MY CURRENT WIP’s:

The Coziest Memory Blanket (Started October 2023) 

Brittany’s Recycled Denim Blanket (Started August 2024)

Cross Stitch Project (Started December 2024) 

Hubby’s Blanket (Started December 2024)

Baby Socks for Donations (Started January 2025) QTY – 6 pairs as of 3/30/2025

DIAMOND ART – (Started March 2025)

FLAX SWEATER (Started March 2025)

SOCKS/PAIR 203 (Started March 2025)

[azuremaenad]

I'm facing my fears! This weekend I started knitting my first ever sweater. I'm far enough along that I don't want to frog and restart, but for future sweaters, I think I'll be doing a 1x1 twisted rib (only twisting the right side stitches). Also, either a long tail or German twisted cast on next time. The cast on I picked isn't really doing it for me, but again.... I don't want to restart!

The yarn is Malabrigo Mechita, Fiona colorway. Pattern us Flax Lite.

[odddrawingsandwhatnot]

I have fallen into a fiberart hyperfixation,

And it's spinning out of control!!!

It all started when in the midst of big anxiety moment I started crocheting this blanket (almost done, it's just a lil guy that is partially made from an abandoned sweater project).

Then I started watching more videos about crochet and knitting and began stumbling across a video of a woman growing her own flax on her patio deck and making her own linen out of it. In the video she used a spinning wheel, but it got me thinking of highschool social studies and the word "drop spindle" sprung to mind as a small portable spinning tool. My highschool had one and I held it in my hands, but the class was teaching us that it existed, not how to use it.

So then I started looking up videos about how to use a drop spindle and the history of hand held spindles.

I briefly looked them up online before realizing I live in a fairly densely populated city that is known to have a lot of hippies in it, so I found a fiber arts store locally that I could go to after work (no shipping wait/cost baybeeee). I bought a $26 CAD student drop spindle and a $5 CAD bag of 50g unspun wool fiber.

I started spinning while sitting on the bus ride home from the store, it really is as portable as they say.

The right bundle there on the pencil was on day 1 and the one on the left was done on day 3 (today). You can see it's looking much more consistent.

I wound the newest thread into this here ball and then made some sample swatches to choose what hook gauge I should use.

The smaller hook as you can see makes the inconsistencies far less obvious and for my purposes I like having the smaller gaps too.

My purposes are as follows:

When I was at the store I saw some wool that was dyed various green and I want to spin that, and then crochet this cloak.

Is that all? Is that all I'm planning on doing with this project? FOOL! I SHALL THEN FELT IT!!! THE WIND SHALL NOT DARE TO TOUCH ME!!!! Imma be the toastiest bitch in the land.

tldr: I am become old lady spinning my own yarn for crochet and giving myself a simple but big long-term project to make.

Thank you for your time.

[thequeenofthedisneyverse]

Palia tailoring job ideas but more in depth

I've been thinking long and hard about this idea and, with other research, think this skill could work without harming the buyable cosmetics.

So, I think the level should start out with us asking to be Jel's apprentice because we're interested in making clothes. Of course, Jel being the sweetheart he is, would say yes. BUT, before he accepts us, he would like to see if we made anything and show it to him to see where/ what area we need help in.

Of course, to start the level off, our answer would be no, so then Jel would open the guild store and give us the recipes needed to make a few outfits.

A sewing machine, mannequin, dye bowl/bucket, and a few scraps of fabric with new pattern recipes should be free. Once we have the items, we can we add the color combinations and patterns of our choice to the outfit.

The first outfit we should have access to is the simply stitched/roughhewn set.

Level 1:

Fabric rack (like from Jel’s shop) - free. We can make other types of fabric and store it there for future projects.

Sewing machine recipe - free

Mannequin recipe - free

Cotton/wool recipe - free

Leather (already can make that with the loom)

A recipe to the simply stitched and/or roughhewn set - free

Simply classic set - free

And summer short set - free

This is a level we should also level up quick in. Right after we finish making the pants we should almost be on level 2 kind of fast. Once we're done, we take the outfits to Jel and after that he unlocks level 2 and the items that come with it.

And no, we wouldn't have to choose both sets, just pick one and decorate.

Level 2: Other fabrics, tops, and bottoms

Fabric rack update - free

Sewing machine update - free

Mannequin recipe update - free

Linen - 800 gold

Flax - 700 gold

Jute - 600 gold

Cashmere - 500 gold

Sisal - 400 gold

Bamboo (maybe we could possibly make fabric out of flow branches/bark?) - 300 gold

Abaca (some plant in Palia could be a substitute for that) - 200 gold

There’s fabric called “camel hair”, so the substitute for that should be chapaa, Ormuu, or muujin fur - 100 gold

Village vibes set - free?

Village summer set

And village sweater set

Level 3: Necklaces and a few more outfits

Fabric rack update - free

Sewing machine update - free

Mannequin recipe update - free

Pearl necklace recipe - 5 gold

Festoon necklace recipe- 10 gold

Beaded necklace recipe - 15 gold

Initial necklace recipe- 20 gold

Sautoir recipe - 25 gold

Torque recipe- 30 gold

Lariat recipe - 35 gold

Graduated necklace recipe- 40 gold

collar/choker recipe- 45 - gold

Pendant recipe - 50 gold

Track suit, sunlight,

Level 4:

Bracelets - 5 gold

Waist beads recipe - 10 gold

Huggie earring - 15 gold

Chandelier earring - gold 20

C-hoop earring - 25 gold

Bajoran earrings - 30 gold

Tassel earrings - 35 gold

Shoulder duster earrings - 45 gold

rider, laced up, and Classic tunic should be 50 gold each.

Level 5:

Both of these two outfits should cost 50 gold.

Seeing as it's the end of the line for the free clothes this level can introduce new clothing items. As well as future levels.

Accordion skirt - 1 gold

Asymmetrical skirt - 2 gold

box pleated skirt - 3 gold

bubble skirt - 4 gold

circle skirt - 5 gold

Cooking apron recipe (Like Reth's) - 10 gold

Apron recipe like Tish's - 15 gold

Chapaa hat recipe - free

Mushroom hat recipe - 20 gold

Frog hat recipe - 25 gold

Sunhat w/ flowers recipe - 30 gold

Pheonix hat- 35 gold

Dragon hat - 40 gold

Chef hat - 45 gold

Head mannequin recipe- 50 gold

Level 6: Introduced to new clothing such as dresses, vests, and shoes. These will have recipes attached of course, but hopefully the items needed will be in your inventory.

“Peasant” dress

Bouffant dress

Empire dress

A-line dress

Sun dress

Wrap dress

Basic vest

Asymmetric vest

U-neck vest

Four pocket vest

Double breasted vest

Chelsea boots

Desert boots

Level 7: These will have recipes attached of course, but hopefully the items needed will be in your inventory.

Brogues shoes - 1 gold

Oxford shoes - 2 gold

Derby shoes - 3 gold

Ankle boots - 4 gold

Cowboy boots - 5 gold

Knee boots - 6 gold

Chukka boots - 7 gold

Espadrilles  - 8 gold

draped skirt - 9 gold

godet skirt - 10 gold

Gypsy skirt - 12 gold

Layered skirt - 13 gold

Paneled skirt - 14 gold

ruffled skirt - 15 gold

Yoke-waist skirt - 16 gold

Level 8: Really fancy stuff (There should be some sort of way for you to choose different necklines as well.)

Tea-length ball gown

Classic ball gown

A-line ball gown

Mermaid ball gown

Empire waist ball gown

Trumpet ball gown

Barrette

Aigrette

Comb

Ferronnièr

Drop earrings

Threader earrings

Silk gloves

Level 9: (I know the suits are oddly specific but bear with me here.)

Mismatched earrings

Cuff earrings

Teardrop earrings

Dangle earrings

Cluster earrings

Barbell earrings

Crawler earrings

Circular barbell earrings

Fingerless gloves

Wire hook earrings

Single breasted - one button peak lapel suit

Single breasted - one button notch lapel suit

Single breasted - two button notch lapel suit

Single breasted - one button shawl lapel suit

Single breasted - three button notch lapel suit

Single breasted - five button notch lapel suit

Single breasted - four buttons bal collar suit

Single breasted - five button jewel neckline

Side note: The way you could level up faster with these is by gifting the outfits to other players. A cute idea would be a player selecting someone under the tailoring skill jurisdiction and sending an outfit idea they had in mind that they would like to wear in game. A small way for players to help each other out.

This commenter gave me that idea, I also love the story line option.

To add to my other ideas, once you're done with the outfit you can store it in your closet. Did I mention you can mix and match the outfits? Yeah, you should be able to do that to

Maybe in the closet you can keep a file ranging from pants, skirts, dresses, and tops. That way you can easily pick a file for an item, put it on, and go to the next file.

Level 10 should be the last level (Because there is literally nothing else, I can think to add for further levels.)

If you have any ideas for what I could add (or a better way to arrange this to not make the levels look messy) let me know because I feel like there are things I'm missing.

Also, the reason I priced everything so low is because things in palia are expensive. Even with in-game currency.

[craftyyarnbarf]

WIP WEDNESDAY

I have a top down raglan sweater that I’m working on. Using the techniques of the tree ring but with the flax pattern because I can’t be bothered to buy a pattern that’s just switching colors every row. I’m also not doing helical knitting because I don’t care about those little details. Using I love this yarn brand in the colors dark olive and Japanese fields. I have the yarn and I plan on making more sweaters like this one.

I have this massive moss stitch blanket that I’m working on. It’s going to be a twin sized blanket I also want to do a border on it. It’s all a bunch of pink and red yarn I had sitting around that I never use. Really happy with how it’s turning out.

Loved the moss stitch blanket so much that I started another one with some blue yarn that I had no idea what to do with. This blanket is a lot smaller than the pink one and I have no idea if I even have enough yarn to finish it probably not. Made with red heart real teal yarn

[iplaywithstring]

Sweater update!

I am almost finished the redo of the body. I haven't tried it on again yet, but I will before I start the bottom ribbing just to check the length. I'm very happy with it!

The base pattern for this is Flax from TinCanKnits. I like it because it has the math done for me, and it's a good base pattern for making changes. For this one, I decided to try making puffs at the sleeves by increasing 15 sts at the top of the shoulders (where the garter panel is if you're following the pattern properly).

I also put short rows on the back to raise the back of the neck. Honestly this is my one complaint about the pattern - not having the back of the neck raised makes it fit oddly. However, it is a beginner pattern, and short rows can be intimidating. I spaced them out about 10 rows and did it 3 times. You can kind of see where they are, but once it's blocked it won't be noticeable.

I think I'm going to keep all the stitches for the sleeves until I get down to the cuffs rather than decreasing as I go. I want that nice dramatic puff and then a fitted cuff. I'm really glad I frogged the first version of this sweater, I'm excited about finishing it and wearing it now.

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

think birth country not like US or many european country where history is keep sheep for clothes (and meat). think we more plant cotton and flax and stuff. so feel like it much harder get any wool stuff for fiber arts here. mostly unlabeled wool but only species see is the famous merino (and cashmere if like. luxury pre made sweaters).

all roving label & sell for felting. most only solid colors and definitely no hand dyed roving.

late to, but maybe for tour de fleece rest of month, dye roving myself (with help) and spin and knit whole sweater with it. because never knitted sweater with own hand spin. actually never even knitted anything with own hand spun :o

maybe more achievable is make hand spun art yarn… because all my hand spun is more regular. but art yarn look hard with drop spindle…

(tour de fleece is basically any fiber art (specifically spinning?) challenge you decide for self in month of july. stricter rule is must only start spin first day of month and end by end of month, but because start late + disability, try finish by end month but not gonna say “must”.)

[plx-scribbles]

So the thing is. I have way too many knitting wips. I think that this year I'll try to reduce their number (instead of the usual panicking about the amount of yarn I have and then going and buying more of it). Yes?

I did a Thing:

Here's where I start from. Post-its can be added & removed where necessary.

1. Blue toddler sweater (Flax)

2. Yellow sweater (Drops, Lamana yarn)

3. Off-white pullover (Tuku)

4. The Forever Mittens (don't ask)

5. Green Seela sweater

6. Light blue L'ombre de ton ombre shawl

7. Scrap yarn blanket

8. Grey Sandbank shawl

9. Footprints sweater

10. Bright yellow pullover

11. Blue laceweight alpaca shawl

12. Butterfly wing shawl

... Some of these, like the scrap yarn blanket, aren't going to be finished this year, probably. But anyway, having them listed should help. Right?

[tinkingfrog]

I don't know how the fuck I ended up here, because tumblr keeps recommending me twans blogs and groups whether I've blocked their brethen or not, but I'm positively surprised another bp-aligned woman is into crafts as well. Do you have any on-going side-projects atm?

I've crocheted a keychain amigurumi recently, tried (and failed) to get into felting, embroidered several pairs of pants for myself and mom, and I'm trying to get my hands on a good sewing machine, because I finally have a space for myself to properly learn how to sew.

I have so many projects! I've always got a pair of socks on my needles that I bring with me to work. I've got a vest I'm working on for my mom. Some slippers that I'm going to try to felt and maybe sew on some leather bottoms. I'm spinning up some Shetland wool into dk weight yarn from some raw fleece I bought and cleaned myself. That's turning into a cardigan for myself. I recently finished a sweater (luckily winter keeps hanging on here so I've been able to wear it still). I also have a quilt I'm working on from some wool fabric scraps but I'm pretty slow on that one. I'm also trying my hand in some dye plants this year and growing flax myself to make my own linen. The seedlings have started growing! I'm afraid about transplanting them though outside when it gets warmer.

I want to post about my projects but then I'm anxious about being recognized, obviously. Everyone I know knows I'm crafty (socially acceptable female hobby) and I make things for others often. None of them know my real opinions about trans or my mild black pilled opinions (socially unacceptable and unfortunately my career plans involve needing to be socially acceptable). I might say fuck it though and post some pics.

Thanks for asking!!! I want so badly to have a group of fiber artists where we can knit or spin or weave or crochet or sew in a circle and not be nice to moids or women who'd sell your soul for an opportunity to give a moid a blowjob.

[knit-me-a-blanket]

The Knitting Sweater Curse: Fact, Fiction, or Fiber Folklore?

Ah, love. It's warm, fuzzy, and—if you're a knitter—what better way to show your love than to make something for your partner? But among knitters, there's a long-whispered tale of a curse: The Knitting Sweater Curse.

If you’ve never heard of it, here’s the gist: the curse says that if you knit a sweater for your romantic partner before you're married (or very seriously committed), your relationship is doomed to unravel, just like an ill-fated project with dropped stitches. Now, I mentioned in my last post (click here to read that post) that I had purchased the yarn (Red Heart's Love Collection in Bluebell) for my current Flax Sweater years before to make a sweater for my partner, and it ultimately didn't work out. Does that mean this curse is true? Let's talk about it!

Where Did This Curse Come From?

Like most legends, the origins are a bit murky. If you deep dive into forums and books, you can see traces of the legend shared in knitting circles and online forums. But at the end of the day, I think it boils down to one main reason: Sweaters are big, time-consuming projects. They can take weeks or even months to finish. That’s a lot of effort and emotional investment, especially if your partner doesn’t quite “get” the love behind every stitch.

The Psychology of the Curse

Let’s face it: knitting someone a sweater is a big deal. It’s an act of care, patience, and dedication. But if the relationship isn’t on the same page emotionally, the gift might feel overwhelming. When I chose to make a sweater for my partner, we had been together for almost five years. We'd even discussed marriage, but we were young and weren't quite sure what we wanted from life, let alone how to share it.

I'll admit that when I began making the sweater, our relationship was in one of its down moments. Over five years, you'll have ups and downs. Nothing is ever perfect, and the point of a relationship is to be able to grow with someone and work through both the good and bad times.

Looking back on it, I can say I know I started off wrong. The sweater I chose was a simple raglan knit in solid color with a stripe right before the ribbing. The project took over a year. It was the first sweater that I ever made. I had no idea what I was doing or where to measure on the body to ensure a good fit. It was way too long on the sleeves and too tight on the body. I bound off my stitches too tightly and struggled picking up stitches for the neckline, making it wonky. Ultimately, it fit, but it was not wearable. Oh, and I forgot to mention we broke up two months before I finished it.

How to Outsmart the Curse

There's nothing wrong with making something for your partner or anyone you love. In my opinion, the way to break the curse is really to know who they are and what they want, but also to know what you're capable of. I wasn't at a point where I could confidently knit a sweater as a gift. I was too ambitious. I had already knit my partner a scarf, which he still wears to this day, even though we broke up almost eight years ago. I've never seen him wear a knit sweater, store-bought or otherwise. Ultimately, it was a poor decision on my part to make him a sweater.

Here's my suggestions on how to break the curse—or at least dodge it stylishly:

Start small. Knit a hat, scarf, or mittens first. See how your partner reacts.

Collaborate. Let them pick the yarn, the color, and the pattern. Make it a shared experience.

Set expectations. Help them understand the time, effort, and love that goes into any handmade item.

A hand-knit item won't save your relationship: If your relationship is in one of those down moments, hold off on big projects. Take the time to be there for your partner rather than knitting something pretty and hoping for the best.

Whether you believe in the Knitting Sweater Curse or not, one thing’s for sure: crafting something with your own two hands is always an act of love. This yarn has had quite the journey. It started off as a sweater for one partner, and then, when we broke up, I purchased more to make a blanket for my next partner. And when that relationship ended, I ended up with so much yarn sitting in a bin for years. Now, all of that yarn is being repurposed into things I love. The Flax Sweater is being made for a friend who's been in my life for over ten years. This time it's definitely worth it.

Thanks for stopping by—let’s knit something wonderful together! My ask box is always open! Feel free to drop a comment.