What up, everyone! It’s practically the end of the July – two days left to go! – which means one thing ’round these parts… The Outfit-Along is nearly over!
I’ve had a lot of fun with the pieces this year – both making and wearing them! – and I’m excited to finally show you guys my finished sweater + skirt!
Here is the complete outfit!
The sweater is Zinone by Andi Satterlund, and the skirt is a Hollyburn from Sewaholic Patterns.
Zinone was made using the suggested yarn, Quince + Co Sparrow (the color is Moon), which is a fingering weight linen yarn. This was my first time working with linen and OMG TRUE LOVE Y’ALL. Very easy to work with and felt so good on my hands! My gauge swatch put me at size 2 needles, and I knitted the size XS (which is my usual size for Andi’s patterns and corresponds with my bust measurement). I chose to knit the version with the partial lace back, and slightly cropped. I was originally going to do the full lace version, but I guess I’m way out of lace-knittin’ practice because I had a helluva time working this one out. Fortunately, the directions for the partial and full lace back at the same for a bit at the beginning of the pattern, which gave me plenty of time to change my mind 😛 I also completely frogged the entire thing and started over after finishing the lace section, because I realized way too late that I had read the pattern wrong (which is why I was having issues in the first place). I was trying to be clever and separate my repeats with stitch markers – you can’t do that with this pattern, as some of the stitches borrow from previous repeats. Whoops. Once I realized I’d done goofed, let me tell you… it was hard to rip everything out and start over. But I’m glad I did, because my second attempt at the lace looks pretty bomb-ass, if I do say so myself 😉
I made some slight sizing and length modifications to the sweater as well – I knitted the correct number of rows for the cropped version, but somehow it ended up really short (I am thinking I read the pattern wrong). I just continued knitting until I got to the length that I wanted, and did a couple more rounds of decreases as well. Speaking of length, this sweater is only about an inch shorter than the schematics – it’s 16.5″ long from the shoulder, which hits me right about at the belly button. The cropped version on Andi appears to be a lot shorter than mine, even though it says it’s an inch longer.
Anyway, this was a very easy and satisfying knit. I did nearly run out of yarn at the end – I bought enough for the cropped version, and ended up frogging about 3 rows of my gauge swatch. Actually, I had an extra skein but I was trying really hard not to use it so I could be cheap and return it to the store 😉
I LOVE how this linen feels in the summer heat – finally, an excuse to wear my handknits even in July! 😀 And it’s pretty awesome that it’s machine washable. I haven’t done the recommend 3 washing cycles yet, though – I did one Soak wash (this is how I wash all my knits… and my lingerie for that matter. Soak is AMAZING, cannot recommend enough) and then one wash in the washing machine. My new place has me doing laundry at the ‘mat, so running 3 loads back to back to back isn’t exactly doable for me! (well, it is. But I’m not about to pay for that haha) So far, though, it has softened up considerably after even 2 washes. Can’t wait to see how it softens even more with additional wear and washing 😀
Sorry, loads of photos!
Now for the Hollyburn!
I already wrote a couple posts about the modifications to make this particular skirt (see: Choosing Your Fabric, Flat Piping, and Installing an Exposed Zipper), so I’ll just brief over the key details here.
The navy rayon crepe is from StyleMaker Fabrics (who is one of our sponsors for this year’s OAL!). I added flat piping at the waistband (sewn with silk crepe – from my stash) and an exposed metal zipper to the back. I also shortened the length considerably, omitted the pockets, and used stretch interfacing on the waistband.
I sewed the entire skirt on my Spiegel 60609, and it did pretty well overall! While I don’t want to say I was concerned to see how it would handle that shifty fabric (I have sewn straight-up silk and a bra on the 60609, and it hasn’t given me any problems thus far with my fabric choices), I was still pleasantly surprised at the entire experience. I didn’t use any special stitches, and only feet that came with the machine. The zipper foot in particular was great for both applying the piping and the invisible zipper, as well as making sure the topstitching was nice and straight and close to the edge. I did find that I needed to increase the stitch length just a smidge for this fabric, as it wanted to bunch a little bit otherwise, but overall I’m pretty happy with it! I am glad that moving the needle over is an option with this machine (you just increase the zigzag width while on a straight stitch), however, I’d love to see some new feet released to use with this machine. Maybe a 1/4″ foot or an edgestitching foot? 😉 HINT HINT.
For me, the most fun part about this challenge is ending up with TWO pieces that I can mix with other garments in my wardrobe. I love this top + skirt together… but honestly, I like them even more with different things from my closet! They are definitely wearable with a bunch of what I already have (which is part of the reason why I got a little boring with the colors 😉 I wanted the versatility!); here are a couple of examples:
Zinone top + Ginger jean shorts
I don’t know about y’all, but I am LOVING the cropped trend! Slightly cropped with a slightly high-waisted bottom is my new favorite thing right now (not your cup of tea? This is the beauty of knitting your own – you get to decide the length!). I love the way this top looks tucked into a skirt, but the combination with my high-waisted Ginger shorts really makes my heart sing the most.
Hollyburn skirt + sleeveless coral B5526 button up
I did not realize when I made this shirt that it was going to be one of my top 10 handmade garments of all time, but it is. It goes with everything. The sleeveless option + lightweight cotton fabric make it a great option for summer, and it layers beautifully under sweaters in the winter. The color is perfection and looks especially great with navy (my go-to summer dark neutral). It’s as easy to wear as a knit tshirt, but looks a helluva lot more refined and classy.
Anyway, I guess that’s it for this post! Those of you still scrambling to finish your outfits – you have 2 days before the deadline! Make sure you upload your finished outfit to the Official OAL2016 Finished Outfit Thread on Ravelry before 7/31/16 Midnight PDT if you wanna win one of those sweet prizes! Andi and I will be drawing 3 winners at random, who will win fabric, sewing pattern, and knitting pattern vouchers! Even if you’re not participating, do take a look at that thread! There are some amazing outfits to drool over 🙂
LLADYBIRD 
I’m such a dummy when it comes to knit. I started with knitting then switched to sewing, I’m stuck at the scarf+hat level. Your knitted top is beautiful, beautiful! Especially that crocheted(?) yoke part. It’s like rocket science for me… 🙂
It’s not too hard! You just have to follow the pattern as you go (don’t try to read ahead – I still get overwhelmed when I do that! Take it one step at a time ;)). The lace is actually knit as well 🙂 yay for knitting!
I really like your finished outfit. Beautiful job and looks great on you!
Thank you so much!
Lovely pieces! That flat piping on the skirt really takes it up a level. I usually tend to stick with knitting in the winter and sewing in the summer, but that top is so perfect I may just have to break my habit 🙂 The lace looks pretty intimidating, though.
On an unrelated note, I’m traveling to Nashville today for a quick weekend trip and was wondering if you had any must-see tips. Hoping to stop by Craft South if there’s time! (Even though I put myself on a fabric buying hiatus, but it doesn’t count when you’re traveling, right?)
Thank you! I generally tend to knit really light stuff in the summer – heavy winter wools are awful in this heat! (Although it’s nice to have that stuff ready to wear when it does get cold!) the linen was really wonderful to work with, and not hot at all!
I wrote an article for Seamwork Magazine (Colette Patterns) about my must-see tips for Nashville, so check that out! It’s easy to find via Google (sorry, I’m not at a computer so I can’t link right now). And I’m at craft south today! Come see us! You need souvenir fabric 😉
So sad that we ran out of time and couldn’t make it to Craft South but we did pack a lot into a day and a half! I loved your city! So much to do and see. Jackalope was one of my favorite stops 🙂 The only unfortunate thing is that apparently there was a “beach bodies” convention and everywhere we went was super busy.
Oh yeah, that Beachbody convention was killer that weekend! If I’d known ahead of time that y’all were planning for those dates, I would have tried to talk you out of it haha. My other boss (that I PA for) is actually a Beachbody Coach, so I’ve known it was coming up for months now hahaha. But anyway, I’m glad you had a great time! Come back and visit when it’s not full of ladies in yoga pants ;P
Wow such versatile wardrobe pieces. Nice work.
Thank you!
These are totally gorgeous and when pieces are so wonderfully wearable, that’s all to the better! I had looked at Zinone in the past (it’s in my Ravelry Library) and now I’m really thinking about knitting it up. I’m wondering if Elsebeth Lavold’s Hempathy would work. It’s a DK, but a pretty skinny one. I’ve already used it for one top and would love another. This stuff also softens WAY up with laundering. How did that go since you found out you couldn’t place stitch markers to help with the lace making (which is what I always do, as well). Sounds like one of those “don’t talk to me, don’t even breathe at me” kinds of projects. 🙂
I think a DK would work, as long as you can get the right gauge (or recalculate the pattern for the gauge you get with DK). You know, following the lace pattern wasn’t too bad once I ripped it out and started over. The first few rows of set-up are a bit intense – not quite “don’t talk to me, don’t even breathe at me,” but close 😉 – but once you figure out how the pattern looks, it’s really easy to quickly see whether you’ve messed up at lace row. I also counted every row after knitting it, although that’s a bit overkill. I actually found it pretty relaxing once I got the hang of the lace pattern! I would definitely knit it again – maybe even the full lace back!
I’ve been known to overkill on occasion — and lace’ll do it for sure. I’d so much rather do that than find out I’m a stitch or two off when I get to the next row/round! 🙂
I procrastinated myself out of the OAL this year, but dang do I need to knit that top! It is gorgeous!
It really is! I say this every year – but it’s one of my favorite patterns of hers 😀
Super amazing outfit, your knitting always impresses me (maybe i will will learn one day) you skirt is fab, loving the piping detail.
Thank you! I highly recommend learning – sewing is wonderful, but knitting is PORTABLE 😀 haha
Your outfit looks awesome! I did the full lace back crop top, and also know I’m gonna wear it a ton with my ginger jeans and ginger shorts. Such a good combination! Unfortunately my sewn piece (supposed to be overall shorts but they looked terrible, so I’m making it an overall skirt) probably won’t get worn nearly as much… but hopefully I’ll at least get it done!
I actually did use stitch markers for the lace, but only every 2-4 repeats, and I just moved the markers on the 2nd and 4th rows for pattern A or 6th and 8th rows for pattern B. I also counted my stitches *all* the time. I kept forgetting yarn overs or forgetting to pass the stitch over on the slip knit/knit to together/pass slipped stitch over (“the mountain-tops” as I thought of them, haha).
By the end I *almost* (but not quite) had the lace pattern memorized.
I counted my stitches every row, too! It was a moot point, honestly, because once I saw the pattern emerging it was really easy to follow and I rarely missed a YO or decrease. I never missed a mountain-top, those were my favorite part of the pattern and I actually looked forward to doing this haha! Super dork over here 😛 I nearly had the pattern memorized too, by the end. It’s really easy once you get the hang of it.
I’m a pretty experienced lace knitter, and the lace on Zinone was giving me fits. I actively disliked being so married to a piece of paper for such a simple looking lace pattern that I ended up subbing in a different lace stitch from a shawl pattern I own.
I’m totally with you on the linen thing I’ve worn my zinone a fair amount of time since finishing it, but the downside to summer knits is that they do need to be washed EVERY time you wear them because it’s quite hot and sticky outside. Usually I wash my winter knits every third wear or so (I wear them with tees or tanks underneath). And yes to Soak! I’ve been using it to wash my bras and knitwear for years, and I love every scent I’ve ever purchased. Fig is my favorite right now, but I need to finish off the rest of Ravelry Unleashed before I’m allowed to use it.
I’ve been working on my skirt the last few days, finishing it last night. And then I tried it on. It was so tiny! I had stolen the skirt from a dress pattern I’ve made a few times, but I’m recalling that every time I’ve made it I hacked the top 2″ or so off. So I had to undo all the lovely topstitching and pockets I had added and cut the top off my skirt to fix it.
I didn’t have a good start with the lace pattern, but it got WAY easier once I could see the pattern repeat as I knitted it. I don’t mind being married to a piece of paper, but I’m like that with all my knitting so it’s normal for me 🙂
Bummer that your skirt turned out tiny! Blech, I hate it when that happens! But at least you were able to fix it!
I love that knit top, it looks great with the lace yoke. I might have to get that pattern (hate sleeves, and all that making up of sweaters). I think I would go for a slightly longer version, I’ve gotten too old for cropped anything 😀
Thank you! It’s a fun pattern, and pretty fast in terms of sweater knitting 🙂 And yep, easy to lengthen! Although I personally don’t think ANYONE is too old to wear a good crop top! 😛
So cute! Love the sweater and I have sparrow in two colors in enough quanitity to make a sweater! I just added that sweater to my revelry library. I love your hollyburtoo. So glad I have that pattern. Maybe I will make an early fall outfit 🙂
Truly an amazing outfit!!!
Yes! Early fall outfit FTW!
The skirt and sweater look great together, but go with the other pieces nicely as well! By the by, perhaps you would consider making your font darker? It would make easier reading on the computer – thanks in advance!
I’m not sure how to change the font color, to be honest 😦 I think it might be something I would need to code, which I know nothing about (obviously – I mean, look at my terrible blog design hahaha). I went into my settings and the only option I have is to change the font itself, not the color.
You may have an easier time reading through a feed reader – like Bloglovin or Feedly – or by subscribing via email. Or if you know how to change the font color, tell me how to do it and I will! 🙂
Soooo pretty, lladybird- both items. The knit top is beautifully done (love the colour)- I agree about linen yarn. I also love linen/cotton, plain cotton, bamboo, silk blends – any combos of these! Your skirt with the piping is stunning.(If I still wore skirts, I’d copy it myself!!) Well done you!!
Thank you so much!
I don’t knit but your top ALMOST inspires me enough to try – maybe better yet I’ll get my husband to take up the craft 🙂 Love your skirt but then I love Sewaholic altogether especially her book which I keep handy. I’m going to investigate your contest! I have a couple of things I’ve made this month that would be fun to enter.
Oh man, a husband who knits would be SUPREME!
Love your makes! Now I am sure I want to learn how to knit. Just have to finish the hundreds of sewing projects I have planned first 🙂
GIRL you can do both – remember, knitting is portable 😛 Which means it can go places that your sewing cannot HAHA!
Well, you know since I got hit by a truck on my bike, three weeks ago tomorrow…. And I got a broken leg that is mending….. when I’m up to it, I’m gonna uber to my favorite yarn shop and see if this sweater is doable for a beginner. I’ll keep you posted. You’re beautiful. Wear a helmet if you don’t already, saves lives and brains.
Please keep me posted! I am so bummed that you’ve had to go through all this shit to begin with, but I’m glad you’re on the mend and I’m VERY glad your helmet saved you! I will admit that I don’t normally wear a helmet, but after hearing about your experience that is definitely about to change. ♥
Well, as soon as I can form the correct words, I am going to blog on my bigyellowbowl blog about helmets and distracted drivers…. stay tuned. I was wondering, if this knitted top would be too difficult for a beginner. I’ve only knit that scarf in recent years, what do you think, I think it’s a sweet pattern and could be worn year round here in California. Thanks for being a bright spot and inspirational. 🙂
SUPERB JOB WITH ALL OF THESE!!! PRETTY PERSONIFIED.
Love your site! So happy to read about your use of the Spiegel sewing machine. I’m pretty sure it’s the one that I will purchase. It’s a reasonable price for all you get. I occasionally sew and don’t need fancy. Do you still use this machine?
Hi! I do not use or have the machine anymore – after I ended my partnership with Spiegel, I needed to downsize the number of machines I own (I live in a very small apartment and I already own 4 other machines which I love and use regularly!). But I did enjoy the machine while I had it, and agree that it’s a reasonable price for what you get 🙂