In Threes

In remembrance of the day, I choose to give thanks.

Three things I'm grateful for today:

The loves of my life, Daniel, Noelle and Ellie.
The unconditional love of my family members.
It is palpable and gives me comfort on the hardest of days.
The love of God and the clear signs of His mercy and grace in the daily struggle.

Good things come in threes...

Speaking of which...

"In Threes" is one of the most popular patterns on Ravelry, and after knitting it I can see why.
 Truly seamless and knits up quickly in worsted weight yarn.

Do your eyes deceive you? Nope! It is baby pink acrylic. But this is Brava Worsted by knitpicks. If you're going to knit with acrylic I recommend this. It glides off the needles and is soft but not too soft. No splitting issues and great stitch definition.

This sweater was meant for my friend's 1 year old, but after knitting it

I realized it not only fit my little kid but my big kid too! Oops!

 Ellie had fun, and loves her new sweater.

rawr.

Sewing: Patricia Cowl

Long story short, it's been a long time since I've made a "finished object" of any sort, and I wanted to whip up something to re-inspire myself.

Enter the "patricia" cowl, pattern found here

The pattern is part of the "Fat Quarter Gang" collection

written by Shannon of  Very Shannon.

I made it out of some random shirting fabric I had in my stash.

It has weird dimensions and a twist in the loop both attributed to

S.W.M.B (sewing with mommy brain).

I still love how it turned out.

Boy I strongly dislike taking pictures of myself. Awkward City.

But aint my new cowl purty.

I call it "pluffy" because...well, it was the first word that popped into my head when I put it on.

Noelle is a big fan.

making this cowl was a nice way to start off a much needed weekend.

Happy Friday everyone!

Saturday Sewing

Summer is finally here, and I finally had time to reunite with my Janome...

I had to literally dust her off poor thing.

Using Shannon's nifty FREE reversible project bag tutorial I finally made myself a project bag.

The pattern is so clearly written and was a great way to get my sewing legs back.

I used the same fabric for the whole bag, but I don't think it diminished the cuteness factor at all!

This random calico print reminds me of Little House on the Prairie.

Cute corners to help the bag stand up...

pinning, and sewing. I used to be lazy about this but the pinning is essential for a cleaner look.

This bag is such a great size, perfect for socks or bigger WIPs.

I used bias tape instead of cording. Need to find something a bit sturdier but this will do for now.

I'm so glad I dove back in!

Happy Weekend, y'all.

Finally, Aidez

I cast on this sweater as part of the Aidez KAL hosted by celticcaston, 

but I just got majorly distracted by, well, life I guess. 

I'm glad my mojo finally decided to grace me with its presence again because it's finally done.

i.love.this.sweater.

I knit mine in Malabrigo Worsted, colorway Vaa.

It's difficult to capture the color properly, but I like to think of it as a sea monster colorway. 

My seaming was quite wonkified, esp. in the neck area. 

But hey, no one is coming at me with a magnifying glass or anything.

Super helpful Helpful seaming tutorial by Kelly of celticcaston

Pretty front panel. 

I'm such a dork but i love how the ktbl (knit through the back loop) stitches really set off the cables.

The sweater was knit with zero ease for me and as you can see the sleeves are a bit long. However, this adds yet another cozy element to the sweater.

I never want to take it off.

If I had a fireplace, this would be the sweater to curl up in, read my book, and drink the mommy juice. ha.

Check out all the lovely Aidez that were knit up as part of the KAL here. And thank you Kelly for hosting, even though I'm months late in saying so!

Rasta-Marian

My Gemini self needed a break from my Gemini (tiny needles and tiny yarn)...so I made a Marian cowl (pattern by Jane Richmond) with lofty, softy, delicious Malabrigo Rasta yarn. 

All I have to say is that this pattern and this yarn are a match made in heaven. Seriously.

 Attitude!

i love how she looks like she's being swallowed up by the scarf.

happy yarny babies!

looks like a top!

I've reached the sleeve separation point on the Gemini top which is the point in the top-down knitting process where the work actually starts to look like, well, a top!

Leave it to me to be nowhere near done and dreaming of my next project...Castle Pullover by Cecily Glowik McDonald...isn't it gorge?? I totally blame the KAL!

I'm thinking either of these yarns would work pretty well...
lovely Malabrigo Worsted from my Christmas yarn stash.

Which color should I go with? 

Less is More

Last week I vowed to have more Gemini finished, and instead I sadly report that Gemini is no more for the time being. I have to cast on again with smaller needles and to be honest the thought of it has got me...well...twisted. hmph.

I did finish this adorable sweater though...

Baby Sophisticate pattern by Linden Down 

yarn: Berroco Comfort Chunky in Cadet

 cute garter stitch cowl neck. Got to practice my short rows!

managed to find three matching vintage leather buttons in my button stash! 

I highly recommend this pattern. There are so many projects with detailed projects notes for easy size modifications. 

This was  my first experience with Berroco Comfort. I love the stitch definition and the easy care aspect of it, but my needle points did get caught in the yarn a lot and it was kind of splitty.

In other non-knitty news, our move date is set for May 21st! 

Hopefully we'll continue to get healthier not sicker as the day approaches. N and E are pretty good sports though...they don't seem to have any less energy at all despite the runny noses and coughs.

Noelle's latest masterpiece. It's a pig family and the words "dog" and "cat. 

Lady Liberty

I only finished 10 rows of my Tops, Tanks and Tees KAL Gemini Pullover:

It's reminding me increasingly of this lady:

I've put off working on it more until I finish off two little baby projects. 

 The Little Professor Vest

Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down  

With our move just a month away, I only have bits of time here and there to work on projects, but I am ever so grateful that I have this skill because I find it does help to ease the overwhelming stress of it all. Knit a few rows, take a deep breath, down a cup of cold-brew, and things seem a little bit more manageable.Yay for creative outlets!

twiggy

Noelle woke up Easter Sunday sporting a 104 fever. She is still sick but finally seems to be improving a little bit. Being stuck at home isn't all bad. I managed to finish another sweater...The Twiggy sweater, pattern by (surprise) Jane Richmond. It was the perfect project to whip up between KALs.

Knit with large needles in lofty Bernat Roving, this sweater is chunky looking but in this particular yarn feels very light. It's already fuzzing up though, even after blocking. Next time I knit this (and there WILL be a next time, the pattern is so easy and fun!) I will probably go for a sturdier, plied yarn. 

Now, I definitely know how to sew a button. But I wanted to see if there was some special way to sew buttons on knitted "fabric", and I found this great tutorial. Always nice to learn new little tricks. 

Close-up of the cute button loop. Since I had only 8 buttons I just did 7 buttons on the body and one button on the collar. I am on the short side so it worked out perfectly fine. 

sweet Ellie...

Classic Raglan Pullover

It is finished. My Classic Raglan Pullover, pattern by Jane Richmond. Made as a part of the Classic Raglan Pullover KAL hosted by the Canadian Living's Craft Blog. Thanks ladies for the encouragement and inspirations. KAL's are a great way to stay motivated.

my project page for Classic Raglan Pullover

The yarn is Cascade 220 heathers, colorway deep deep burgundy. I can't say enough how much I love this yarn, the color choices are amazing and so reasonably priced for such a high-quality yarn. I want a Classic Raglan in every colorway! 

I did experience some sleeve-itis when it hit 70 degrees last week and the last thing I wanted to be doing was knitting. However I powered through and I'm so glad I did, as the last few days have snapped back to appropriate early spring weather. My new sweater is the perfect thing to be wearing!

Next time (there will definitely be a next time) I'll make it a bit longer and make the size 32. This one is very comfortable to wear but it's a bit big.

Noelle's reaction (while it was blocking): I hope it dries soon so I can touch it. It is SOOOO byoootiful...

I see her future, and it's a yarny one, folks. I love this girl. 

arrrr, matey!

A while ago, my sister went to Japan and brought back all sorts of goodies, like pretty paper, washi tape, various hello kitty paraphernalia, and a few yards of Japanese cotton that she bought on the street:

Owls...

and skulls.

 

Less than a yard of each, just enough to make more simple skirts!

 

As usual, Ellie had to get in on the fun. You may recognize the orange skirt, I made it for Noelle eons ago.

*ding!*