More PJ's for #1

I made these a while back but did not have time to take a pic or blog about it until now. I made it for #1, who always seems to be delighted at whatever I make for him. I know as he grows older, hand made things will become passe so I should enjoy it while it lasts. It's very gratifying when he is so pleased with my gifts for him.

The boys and I have the day off for President's Day, so I'm responsible for the very mediocre quality of the pic. You can probably tell the difference between my photos, taken with a little Canon Elph, and the ones my husband takes, which are much much nicer in quality and composition.

Oh, almost forgot, the fabric is Alexander Henry's "tumbleweeds." The pattern is the same I used for the monkey PJ's a while back, an old Simplicity pattern that I modified by adding the bias strip/piping. Alexander Henry is fast becoming one of my favorite fabric designers. I also bought this recently but haven't decided what I want to do with it yet. It's called "toadstools," I have two yards, purchased at Fabric Depot during one of the monthly 35% off sales, making it about $7+/- per yard.

Instant Gratification

I'm still working on the February Lady Sweater. Unfortunately, not much progress since my last post, between a combination of being busy at work and having an irksome case of tennis elbow on the right.

To get out of my rut, I whipped together these two little bits of sewing yesterday. Each took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Now, that's instant gratification!



This is a freebie from the Spool website. You can find the pattern here: http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/. When you look at the entry from Spool, you will see that the only mod to it was to attach a piece of ribbon to turn it into an ornament.



This one is also a freebie from Heather Bailey's blog, hellomynameisheather.com. The best part of both projects is that I used scrap fabric and materials I already had on hand. This was after having dropped quite a bit at the Fabric Depot sale on Friday on more than enough fabrics to keep me busy for awhile.

BTW, I gifted both to my sister tonight as a hostess gift for Niece #6's first birthday. I also gave her the little China Doll dress that I posted about previously.

February Lady Sweater: In Progress

Here's one of three projects currently on the needles: the February Lady Sweater. The pattern has been adapted by Pamela of Flintknits.com from the February baby sweater from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac. I bought the Knitter's Almanac quite a number of years ago, just as a reference, but have never knit anything out of it. I'm just delighted to be able to now, even if it is a few degrees removed. Both the baby version and the lady version of a significant following so I'm sure you can find other examples.

Here are the pics, not very flattering but you get the idea. BTW, in case your interested, the fabric below is from Amy Butler's daisy chain line. I bought it for another Emmeline apron, but who knows what it will turn into.

Last but not least...

A summer dress for my youngest niece. It will probably not fit her for another year or so, she's only 10 months old now!


The deets - fabric is by Michael Miller. Pattern is Simplicity 2907 cut in a size 2. I added the bias trim at the hem, and a little decorative stitching on the pockets. I hope she likes it!

Let it snow!

Every once in a while we get a little snow in Portland, but not like this! It had been snowing off and on for an entire week, and on Friday night, it started dumping buckets. We have over a foot of snow outside, and it might even hang around until Christmas.

Maybe in anticipation of the snow, I finished another hat, Habitat, by Jared Flood of Brooklyntweed.com. I also knit it in a smoky blue Malabrigo worsted -- I had read so much about this yarn and wanted to try a quick project. It did live up to all expectations, soft and spongy.

Next up, Emmeline apron...

This is the apron from last summer. I actually finished it very soon after I first posted it but have only now gotten around to taking pictures of the finished apron. It was a super easy pattern -- I've actually worn it a lot. I have some Amy Butler in my stash for another one, which I will get around to one of these days. Here's the other side -- fully reversible, awesome!

Saving up the FO's! First up, Shedir Hat...

I was updating my Ravelry page, only to discover that it's taken me almost one year to finish this hat. I worked on it last winter and finally picked it up again last week. It only took me a couple of evenings to finish up after having let it linger for quite a few months. So, here it is!

It's another Knitty pattern, part of the mini issue in support of breast cancer awareness. I knit the hat using one ball of Rowan Calmer on two size 3 circular needles. It was a so-so project process-wise, but the I love the result. I tried to post the link, but it wouldn't work. However, you can just go to knitty.com and do a search for "shedir." Have fun!