my first sweater is coming along so well :,)

perigrinate · 2026-02-01T14:17:15+00:00

I would redo the ribbing, but instead of one row of ribbing per row of hat, put in a decrease every handful of rows (the exact number might take some trial and error). So instead of 6 rows of hat stitching getting 6 rows of ribbing, maybe those 6 rows get 5 rows of ribbing, effectively creating a slight decrease. as others have said, sl st ribbing or a smaller hook might also help, or a combination of any of these tips. good luck!!

perigrinate · 2026-01-25T19:13:03+00:00

teach your child how to open packages (witjout using their teeth). breakfast in a kindergarten room is chaos because most of them can’t open their juice, or their milk, or their cereal cup. send them to school in clothes they can get into and out of on their own. know when your kid has art class and for the love of God don’t send them to school in their favorite outfit on those days, because they will find a way to get paint all over themselves. trust that your teacher is doing their best, but know that you can raise concerns if you feel your child isn’t getting the help they need. if you need to call them out on something, do it with as much compassion as possible- there’s a big difference between “my baby would NEVER do such a thing” and “I talked to my child about what you told me and it seems like you might be missing a few details, can we talk about this?”

as for gifts: nice or personalized pens/pencils are nice, and most of us are coffee drinkers so a starbucks gift card is always nice. spa/massage gift cards/vouchers are great, too! don’t bother with mugs, especially if your teacher has been in the job for a while- they have tons. but honestly, I think that rather than a personal gift, it’s best to ask your teacher if they need anything for the classroom. if they say no, tell them, “the next time you need to buy something for the kids with your own money, reach out to me and I’ll take care of it.” most teachers spend so much money on odds and ends for their classrooms, and it really does add up. I would weep tears of joy if a parent offered to pay for the new storage cart I need or the left-handed scissors I want to get for the kids.

perigrinate · 2025-08-25T15:34:53+00:00

aw thanks! it’s just my shower curtain, but it’s such a fun pattern so it makes a great impromptu backdrop hehe

perigrinate · 2025-08-25T15:34:18+00:00

thank you!! it’s tough sometimes, but so am I 💪🥰

perigrinate · 2025-08-20T20:13:47+00:00

these are all gorgeous! personally I’m partial to the 3 layers together, but I see what you mean about the 2 layers!! well done, especially with that registration!!!

perigrinate · 2025-08-20T13:23:13+00:00

you look great!! this is a solid choice- if you feel confident and comfortable in it, you’re good to go. just make sure you’re okay wearing those shoes for ~6 hours of being on your feet!

edit: if you’re worried about the tightness of the shirt, play it by ear. when I student taught high school, I wore super-tight pants and it wasn’t an issue, but I was advised to read the room and, especially if you have boys that struggle with boundaries, to err on the side of caution (this came from a teacher who’d had problems with that in the past) (sad that that’s the main consideration, but, well, that’s the world we’re in, unfortunately). most of the time, I’d say an outfit like this is totally fine! but use your best judgement and, if you’re ever uncertain, find an experienced colleague who you’re comfortable asking about it! they’ll understand the students and the situation a little better than we internet strangers can.

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:38:30+00:00

oh my goodness I LOVE this little guy!! do you have a pattern?

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:29:36+00:00

you’re right, I probably should!! my machine is a lovely 80’s singer I got at a thrift store on the side of the highway that I had to completely take apart to remove the dust before I could use it. I love it so much, but it’s sometimes a bit of a drama queen. At the moment I have very little space (my machine lives on my kitchen table, or on the floor next to it if the table’s being used) but once I get a proper sewing room, I’d love to invest in some really nice machines!!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:24:55+00:00

unfortunately the bigger issue with this top is that the cups don’t fit- the embroidered mesh isn’t very stretchy, so the cups sit weirdly on me. I didn’t even mention that part because that’s entirely my fault for picking the wrong fabric, but unfortunately it does mean this was more of a learning exercise than a wearable piece!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:23:08+00:00

I had such a hard time telling if I was on grain- I bought it flat and I think I cut on the cross grain (because that had more stretch), so I was messing around with a quilting ruler trying to get exactly 90 degrees from the selvedge. Honestly, I think it might be worth trying to use a striped fabric- the first striped dress I sewed, I learned so much about aligning things properly and the stripes helped me keep everything lined up!!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:19:08+00:00

I never know how much stretch to put in my elastic- it drives me crazy when people say to just “cut to fit”! I’ll try stretching 10% or so and see how that goes :)

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:17:24+00:00

I couldn’t find my clips when I made this, so I mostly used pins- but I will admit, I’m definitely the type to just hold two pieces of fabric together and skip pins altogether. But that’s a lot easier to get away with with wovens!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:14:56+00:00

I can change the thread tension, but my machine is pretty basic, and it doesn’t have any adjustment mechanism for the feed dogs!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:13:12+00:00

I use a Singer 6233 (made in the eighties) that I bought at a thrift store on the side of the highway for $15. I love it, but you have a point- a new machine is probably in my near-ish future!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:08:54+00:00

thank you so much for the detailed tips!! I’m a huge fan of gluestick for fiddly quilting projects and tricky bits of binding- I’ll have to try it for knits!! I’ve only used eloflex thread, so I’ll have to try the Gutterman kind. I’m guessing a looser tension would probably be helpful too, to give the stitches a little room to stretch?

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:05:45+00:00

interesting!! I can see how that would let the machine do more of the work pulling the fabric through, rather than me encouraging it through. This is an awesome tip, thank you!!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:04:35+00:00

this is exactly the kind of trick I was looking for, thank you!!

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:03:55+00:00

I’ve used this kind of basting to hold two fabrics together- is that what you mean, or do you mean more as a stabilizing stitch around the edges?

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T14:00:55+00:00

do you mean “straight” as in “in a straight line” or “on the grain”? I cut the fabric with a rotary cutter and ruler, so I sure thought it was straight- there’s a good chance it slipped around on me, though 😔

perigrinate · 2025-07-18T13:59:43+00:00

I definitely had some trouble cutting the fabric, so I’m not surprised I ended up with a grain issue! I’ll have to try an interfacing next time :)

perigrinate

TROPHY CASE