Me-Made-May 2019 - The Turtle Skirt

This post will be the last of four posts that I have finally got around to writing for Me-Made-May 2019. They have been posted in the order that they were intended to be posted throughout the month, so you will most probably see this one first then scroll down to see the rest. So I hope you enjoy.

The last Me-Made that made its way out for Me-Made-May was my 3/4 circle skirt that was one of the very first pieces of clothing I made for a mostly adult me. I say mostly adult, I think I had just turned 18 at the time. I'm not entirely sure but I remember drinking a horrible bottle of wine to celebrate redecorating my bedroom at the same time.

The pattern was a self drafted pattern from some instructions that I found on Pinterest. Whether the formulas from this website or my maths at the time were off it is hard to say. But the pattern I drafted was meant to be a full circle skirt, and I did cut out enough pieces to create the full circle.

The fabric I used I found in a box in our house, and if I remember rightly was originally used to make toddler Lottie a pair of shorts and a vest top. Which I seem to remember wearing on a family holiday to the Isle of Wight. I may be corrected later by Mam. The fabric was a white jersey type fabric with cartoon turtles on it, which is quite cute.

I had never sewn with jersey before (and never have done since) so on the actual sewing side of things, it is a little bit of a car crash, but its held together and still functions as a skirt, so why not just wear it around the house on a summer's day?

I mentioned that I was intending to make a full circle skirt, and yes I did have all the pieces, but I did find that once I had sewn three of the pieces together that actually that size fitted around my waist and that actually if I added another panel in it would have been horrendously too big. So I left out the last panel and sewed up the skirt. Which to be fair wasn't too bad.

But there ends all the different makes for Me-Made-May 2019. Writing this on the 9th of June I can say that I did indeed wear a Me-Made almost every day for Me-Made-May. Whilst it was challenging at times I did manage it, with the exception of one day, where I wore a skirt I had made for an hour before deciding I felt too uncomfortable in it. So here's to a successful May, and to many more Me-Made clothes in my future.

Me-Made-May 2019 - Hermione's Everyday Socks

My last actual pair of socks for Me-Made-May I wore on day 14, and they were a lovely pair of Hermione's Everyday Socks, a free pattern that you can find on Ravelry. These were a pair of patterned socks that I had my eye on for a long time, and I managed to get just the right yarn for the project.

The yarn I got was Malabrigo Sock in the Ivy colourway. The sock yarn is 100% Merino and very soft. This is the first time making socks out of merino, so I will have to see how it holds up and maybe not wear them when I am likely to be hard wearing on my socks.

The socks didn't take me too long to make. The pattern was easy to remember and once I was going I was off. The only modification as such that I made was to adjust my needle size. I didn't gauge swatch but I knew that if I was to use the patterns required number of stitches then I would need to go down to a 2mm needle instead of the recommended needle size for the pattern. I also used DPNs instead of two circulars mainly because I think I prefer that method, and because I only really have one sock size circular, and that is my one super long one!

The socks I came out with at the end are lovely, they are comfy and I am in love with the colour. I would definitely make it again.

I believe I wore these socks a few times throughout Me-Made-May and they stood up pretty well. One day I did wear them to work, and the heels did become a little felted at the back. Which was a bit sad, but I will see if there is anything I can do about it, the felting isn't that bad really. I think I won't wear merino socks to work again though.

Me-Made-May 2019 - The Last Pair of Leftovers

Day 13 was for the last pair of leftovers socks I own. Both socks from this pair are made from the same brand of yarn - Drops Delight I think, and both pairs of socks were made around a similar time.
The red sock was made first, and was leftover from a pair of socks that I made Mr M for christmas. He loves those socks and I am very glad. The second one was a leftover from a pair that I made for my Mam. Although the socks were a little bit on the tight side, I still think she wears them... hopefully.

Looking back at the photos I got when I was knitting both the socks I thing they were made on a 2mm circular needle. Which means that they will by 64 stitches all together. The red sock, was made cuff down and I think with a heel flap and gusset heel construction. It fits okay, but is a little on the small side in terms of length and does like to slide down my foot. Which can be rather annoying as it is a shortie sock and the cuff doesn't do anything to help. But I like to wear it because I made it and I can be a little strong willed like that!

The purple sock I believe I tried a new type of sock construction. I did this sock toe up, but also on a 2mm circular needle. For this one I needed to learn how to do a turkish cast on, which was interesting, seeing as all the tutorials I could find all used two circular needles, instead of one long one. At the time I tried to start this sock I was away from home and only had one needle, which was rather frustrating.

I managed the cast on, and then created a video explaining how I did it, which is on my youtube channel if you are ever curious (it is one of the first videos I did so you might have to scroll back a little to find it).

This sock was also the first time I think I had ever done a different type of heel then the heel flap and gusset that I had learnt to do first. I think it was a german short row heel, or it might have been a wrap and turn. The two I find are ever so similar, so I'm not sure what I used.

I then seem to have done a little more knitting on the leg of the sock before starting on the cuff. Which was unusual seeing as I normally go straight from the cuff into the heel. I don't know if I was trying to give a little more height as I would have in a heel flap, but it seems likely. Without actually having written down how I did this sock, which was a very bad idea, I did manage to create a sock that fits quite nicely. It cups my heel more and is a lot more comfortable then it's pair. Maybe I should try and recreate it sometime.

Me-Made-May 2019 - The Stevie

Day 12 of Me Made May was my Stevie and I fell in love pretty quickly. I took my newly made Stevie out to Bath for a weekend away that I had planned and got some lovely photos of it out in the wild as I was enjoying myself in sunny Bath.

Stevie is a pattern by Tilly and the Buttons, and you can get the digital download or order a paper pattern to be posted out to you on their website here. The pattern is both a top, and a tunic dress which makes it quite versatile. I however am not really a dress person, so I stuck to the top version.

I used some 100% cotton that I picked up in my local Hobbycraft, I'm not sure what sort of weight cotton, but it was on the medium side I think. (Hobbycraft don't really like to put labels on anything...) The sewing went well and I really did enjoy it. The only thing that started to frustrate me was that there wasn't enough of a seam allowance to create a rolled hem. The instructions just give to turn up the hem on both the sleeves and the body once and then find a way to finish the raw edges.

To start with I only pinked the edges with a pair of pinking shears, but after wearing it once and loving it I suddenly felt terrified that the edges weren't quite strong enough and I was scared I was going to loose my beloved top! That probably won't be the case, but I am the kind of person who is always worrying about something.

So after wearing it for the day, I very carefully turned over the tiny bit of hem left and hand stitched a running stitch through it to try and hide the raw edge and hope that it wouldn't want to fray.

The last adorable thing I love about the Stevie is the back. There are two options, a tie back, or a little button and loop. I had to pick out the perfect button for this project and I am so glad I found it. It may be designed for a child garment, but those who know me and indeed the fact that I am still really a child at heart will agree that this is the right button for this project.

Now I am writing this post a little while after I wore this, and in fact a little while after the end of May, and I have already been able to make adjustments to the pattern for myself and make another one, which became my birthday top. I added an inch and a half hem allowance for both the sleeves and the body, which allowed me to create a rolled hem and not worry so much about fraying. I however didn't use the whole inch and a half allowance on the sleeves which does mean that they are ever so slightly longer, which I quite like - but more about that top on my next podcast.

For now, here is the picture of the cute little button on the back, and this top will certainly get more wear for years to come.