misty

Just Knit It  pattern by Susan Ashcroft

yarn: Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in Mist colorway

love the curvy shape

improvised a 3-row crochet border 

(took a lot of experimentation to get it right, but it was fun to try different things)

the Sweet Georgia is just so shmooshy, esp. after blocking.

the drape is incredible.

I just love it!

LYS

For those not in the knitterly know, LYS stands for "local yarn store/shop".
I was kind of feeling bummed by all the gushing reviews of Knit City everywhere so I decided to console myself by checking out my new LYS. So this morning I dragged Ellie with me to this shop while Noelle was in school:

Wildfiber in Santa Monica

Cutest.yarn.shop.ever.

Today and tomorrow is their "yarn tasting" event, which, as you can see, allows you sample different lovely yarns and even knit with them. 

Ellie had as much fun as I did, truly! I was so happy the ladies were so cool with me having her in there. In the course of our time there Ellie managed to lose her stuffie which instigated a store-wide search by all the locals...it was so sweet. 

You can imagine Ellie's face when she saw this table!

Notice the Spring Garden tee on the wall?

The shop samples were well executed and well curated.

This is a blurry shot but I was kind of snapping pics with my phone like a very uncoordinated spy!

Pros: So many! The ladies who work there are energetic, helpful without being in-your-face, and have computers in the front hooked up to ravelry for easy access to pattern information.

They also have a "knit night" on Wednesdays. 

It's not an official one, but all are welcome and they are open until 8. 

The traffic today was a good mix of young and older knitters, exemplified by the mix of people on the couches, including the paper-reading bored-ass hubby and the two Japanese grandmas who were occupying the comfy couches. They were such fast knitters!
It really felt like everyone knew everyone, like Cheers. It was such a great vibe.

The only slight con was that they are not a ginormous shop so they didn't have many of the items I was planning to try out. But, it will not deter me from visiting again. My experience was too good!

Not to mention...

Madtosh DK in Magnolia Leaf. I've been lusting after this colorway for a while.

Noro. I personally love the rustic nubby feel of this wool. and the colors? To die for.

Happy Weekend everyone! 

Back on track

I was a little thrown off by the final decreases, but I finally bound off my first sleeve of Aidez:

After I knit Julissa I find myself only wanting to knit patterns with cables and/or lace. 

Lookit these pretty cables.

I want to cast on for the body so badly but I know I should just crank out the second sleeve while the pattern is still fresh in my mind. 

I ended up cabling without a needle, which is surprisingly easy and makes me feel like a knitting superhero every time I do it! haha.

Several ladies have already finished their Aidez and I'm loving all the fall colorways that are popping up. I still love my Malabrigo though...sigh. So Soft. 

Also finished this tiny little dress...love baby crochet. So easy and fast.

Ruffled - Day 5 and 6

KCWC Day 5 started off with a whole lot of seam ripping. I was determined to turn a never-worn pair of my shorts into a cute skirt for Noelle. FAIL.

Digging around in my stash I found this:

appa's old shirt. Big rip in the sleeve. Jackpot.

I used this tutorial: the ubiquitous Shirt Dress

and this pattern: Sweet Dress

For the ruffle I just cut a double length of stripey fabric and ruffled it up using the highest tension and basting stitch. Then I tacked it on. I left the edges raw on purpose because I prefer the unfinished look 

(plus the fluffiness covers up the less than perfect sewing...ha!)

Since I did the ruffle I nixed the elastic in the sleeves to complement the style. 

I also used the original hem of the dress. Easy peasy.

Waving to her loyal fans...

It's been a gloomy few days so it's difficult to get a proper picture.

I don't know how many shirt dresses I've made but this is the first time I combined patterns and it made me much more confident that it was going to turn out right. Ellie loves her new dress! 

This is my first KCWC and I'm learning so much. The Flickr pool is full of crazy inspiration! 

I miss my yarn, though...there. I said it. Can't wait to finish my last project so I can get back to my needles and fiber. 

Morning Somewhere

I figure it's morning somewhere...weird time to post but this is the time I've got.
Day 4 of the KCWC, and here's what I made...

Wait just a minute, Ellie's coming to show you!

Peasant top, made using Leila and Ben's Sweet Little Dress pattern. 

Closeup of the very girly fabric. Ellie's old enough to decide what she likes, and apparently pink is IT.

notice the crazy bling..

 Clothes are for playing in, so by the end of our "session" this happened to her top....

tree hugging...

dirt piling...

and finally just hunkering down in the dirt.

bliss

NOT handmade. duh.

until next time! Cheerio!

The Third Day

I think I've spoken of my little problem before, but when it comes to crafting, I often can't stop working on something until I "get 'er done".
So, I finished her dress...

 pattern: Sweetheart Dress by Shannon of luvinthemommyhood

perfect for playing hide-and-go seek...

looking at the stars...

striking a pose...

and throwing a fit. ha!

I managed to wonkify the most special detail of the whole dress, so I had to "make it work".

Love the topstitching...

and looooooove that it's fully lined. No itchy seams! 

I was originally planning to make two of these dresses, but I just can't seem to bring myself to sew another one right away. That's not I rollz. 

So, the sewing plan for today is to create a simple skirt for Ellie using the leftover fabric. 

See you on on the other side!

KCWC - Days 1 and 2

Last week our little family was hit by a bug. 

I didn't really do anything craft-wise, including signing up for the KCWC (Kids Clothes Week Challenge) hosted by Elsie Marley on her cool blog. 

Whether I'm officially able to participate or not, I'm going to try to sew for at least an hour a day this week. 

Last night, I finally unpacked my sewing machine and was devastated to see that it had broken during the move! Sigh. It's still usable, but the perfectionist in me hates too see Janomey looking so beat up...

I managed to cut out this pattern:

The pattern is by dear friend Shannon Cook. As soon as I saw this pattern, even before she released it, I knew I had to make it for my girls. 

Noelle's is up first:

Main fabric: Jay McCarroll's Habitat Singing Forest

Lining: Pindot cotton from my stash.

I'm excited to be sewing again! We'll see how much I manage to get done today. 

Some yummyness for you:

Made kimchi...

 tried out my first cast-iron pan with delicious results...

and semi-yarn-bombed the playground with the littles. 

Nothing aids a cold like playing with yarn!