A wild incoming knit project...

So here's a confession: I have been sewing for over ten years. I have not worked with knits very often.

I made a few items as a teenagers (completely incorrectly, looking back on it), but it never entirely jazzed with me. When I was studying fashion at college, we did have a knit garment section, but by that point I was in a full industrial sewing studio kitted out with all the fanciest equipment. Four thread industrial sergers! Cover stitch machines! Cover stitch machines with binding attachments!

So you can say when I was learning how to sew with knits I was a little spoiled.

Now that I'm back to reality, and back to working on my own one little sewing machine and no serger, it's time for me to learn knits the home sewing way. It's funny to work backwards in that respect, actually.

I came across this very cute lavender polka-dot knit in my stash, and was hit with thoughts of sweet little Peter Pan collar tops. Oh, how delicate and dreamy I will look!

The inspiration:

T-Shirt With Peter Pan Collar (see more peter pan tops)

 Everything I like in a top: kimono sleeves, polka-dots, nice and roomy, good for wearing out or tucking in...

I do get worried about high-necked shirts in conjunction with my huuuuuge... tracks of land. But when tops are kept roomy enough it's usually alright.

I did hunt around the internet to see if I could find a pattern but unfortunately I am hella picky, and kept running into road blocks. Even though it's a knit, I still wanted bust darts. And a keyhole back! And a slightly flared bottom! Oh hell, I'll draft it myself.

I traced off one of my favourite blouse patterns that I know fits well (Burda 7226 specifically) And added a wack of changes - eliminating the waist darts, straightening out the side seams, adding an extra inch of width at the hip... I've made this blouse enough times I knew what tweaks I needed to get the fit right. I then drafted the collar from scratch off the blouse neckline.

I've had a few bad instanced recently of not making a proper muslin and regretting it, so before I dipped into my polka-dots, I cut out a sample in a bit of baby rib-knit that was luxuriating in the stash.

It's more coral and less traffic cone in person. I'm not sure if it's really my colour, which is why I didn't feel bad using it for a mock-up. If it works out well and I still don't like the colour on me, I'll gift it to my sister.

So I was all ready to start sewing when I remembered I don't have any ballpoint needles. Foiled! I'll pick some up at work on Thursday and then we're full steam ahead into knit land.