Although I've been sewing my own clothes for almost twenty years now, I didn't pick up knitting for a good long while. It certainly wasn't for lack of trying. It just look me a couple of years (or decades) and the patient assistance of a few awesome women to get me going. Recently (as in, as of March 2014), I got to that point where I felt knitting just "click" with me, and I got it. I've been a prolific knitter in the past few weeks, especially with my sewing room still hovering in the suspended animation between "moving in" and "utterly and completely renovated." I thought it was a good time to clock my progress and thank the ladies who helped me attain this new skill.

My mom is such a prolific textile artist that when I was a kid, she ran a mail-order yarn company out of our basement in addition to working a full time office job. I grew up completely acquainted with a spinning wheel and a loom; at one point she even briefly owned a knitting machine. Today her focus is on painting and dyeing textiles and making art quilts, but she still knits a mean sock. My mom tried several times to teach me how to cast on, but somehow the only thing that managed to stay lodged in my brain was how to knit and purl. But that's important enough, so the fact that I could easily remember how 15 years later showed that she did it right.

Jordan somehow managed to get stuck in my head what my mom couldn't: how to cast on. She also taught me how to knit in the round after helping me buy my first set of circular needles. We went to what is still one of my favorite yarn shops today, ImagiKnit in San Francisco. They have a truly impressive selection of beeeeeaaaautiful yarns in all types of weights, with plenty of vegan yarns. What's more, they also have a rescued shop dog named Mochi! 

Jordan showed me how to cast on and do a basic k1 p1 rib on a set of circular needles, from which I freestyled some cozy and colorful legwarmers, over beers at an international beer shop because that's the kind of gal she is and that's why she is my very good friend. She moved up to Portland a while back to live with all the other angels in Vegan Heaven, and I miss our drinking sessions (and knitting, too)! But at least Portland's close enough, and I have good reason for plenty of visits, so we get to catch up in person several times a year.

Kittee is another one of those good reasons for plenty of visits to Portland! She is a wildly creative sassy smartass and is one of my craftspirational gurus. She is probably one of the best knitters I know- she knits masterpieces! I think yarn runs in her veins- her grandma used to own a yarn shop and knit dozens of intricate, tiny garments for Kittee's dolls, complete with wee buttons. I've seen them with my own eyes and fondled them with my own fingers and they are a true delight.

A few months ago, Kittee hopped in the car with her husband and their dog and came down to visit for a few days. She was knitting a cardigan, and I commented on how I wished I was good enough a knitter to do a cardigan. Kittee said "if you can knit and purl, you can knit a cardigan." She took me to the craft store that day and that evening I was at work on my first top-down raglan sweater... with buttonholes. 

Although I was far from finished when it was time for the Kittee clan to roll out, I kept working at it through motivational FaceTime chats and YouTube tutorials (who needs university degrees anymore?!  All the pertinent knowledge we need is on YouTube!). About a month later I was the proud owner of a completed, home-made cardigan!

Now I am a knittin' machine! YOU CANNOT STOP ME.  No seriously, try to stop me, I dare you. I will stab you with my needles and then knit your punctured arteries back together to save your life! Here's what I've been cranking out in the past couple of months

Sophisticated Baby. The wonderful thing about baby sweaters is not only are you making something adorable for someone you likely love, but they are so small that you just whip right through them. The satisfaction of a finished project is there that much faster! 

This pattern is free on Ravelry and is super easy to follow. I am mum on who this is for because they haven't gotten it yet. So you didn't see anything, got it?!

Ships Ahoy! This top-down raglan cap sleeve sweater is another free pattern on Ravelry. The lacy raglan was a nice detail and a good opportunity to try my hand at cable needles. I chose to make this one a little interesting by alternating stripes throughout the torso of the garment and went for the challenge of the optional short rows to create a curved hemline.

So hey, if you've been thinking knitting seems fun but you'll never be able to do it, turn that frown upside down! Grab a friend, you'll learn in no time! 

If you are a knitter, or if you take up knitting, feel free to buddy me on Ravelry: my username is erikatastrophe.

It's here! I've been blabbing long enough about this dog smock pattern that I'm going to be putting up on the site, but now I've finally done it. Enjoy!

This is a simple, three-piece pattern that is great for beginning and intermediate sewers.  It can be either a quick and easy project or the basis of a more customized and intricate look. It’s a great basic block to work from if you want to add seams or accents and create your own custom pattern. In addition, it’s easily adjusted for size, width, or length, meaning it can be altered to fit a variety of dogs or other companion animals!

This pattern was adapted from a little coat that Pepper was wearing when I first adopted her just over a year ago. I made a few custom alterations, such as lengthening the coat for Pepper's long doxie body. Now that I've struck a balance that works, I'm happy to share the pattern with you for your own special someone!

Please read this boring but important little note: the patterns I provide on this website are all my own original designs which I am happy to share for free as part of the creative commons. Please do not abuse these free patterns by using them for profit or personal gain. You are welcome to re-post anything, just please link back to Sews Before Bros or credit me, Erika Larson. Be excellent to each other. Thanks, dudes!

Finally- if you make something for your companion using this pattern, I would love to see it! It is my hope to get a gallery going on this site featuring projects from readers and collaborators, so please don't be shy when it comes to bragging about your mad crafting skills. Check the About page for my email address. 

And Now, Without Further Ado: Basic Dog Smock Pattern

In what I hope is the start of a long tradition, I'm happy to offer my first free cross stitch pattern: the immortal phrase "Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparklemotion" from the movie Donnie Darko. Have you seen it? It's on imdb.com's top 250, so get on it. 

To download or print this cross stitch pattern in either color or greyscale, click through the the Cross Stitch Patterns section of Sews Before Bros (files are in PDF format; Adobe Reader required. Download it here for free).

Here's the boring but necessary stuff: this is my own original design which I am happy to share for free as part of the creative commons. Please do not abuse this free pattern by using it for profit or personal gain in any way (unless it's personal gain in the form of the sweet lovin' and undying affection you will get from someone if you make a gift out of this, in which case I totally approve). If you would like to re-post it, please link back to Sews Before Bros or credit me, Erika Larson, IN THE YEAR TWO THOU-SAAAAAND (and twelve). Thanks, dudes!

Oh, and finally: I would love to see your interpretation of this project! As the site progresses and more patterns and projects are available, I'd love to start cultivating a Reader Gallery. Please feel free to send me any photos or links to your finished version of the Sparklemotion pattern! Go to the About page to find my email address.