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.

Full of Grace

To knit a fingering weight cardigan 

(for all you non-knitters out there, really, really, thin yarn)

is a real commitment. 

But when you're in love, you're in love.

The object of my affection:

The Grace cardigan designed by Jane Richmond. 

This beauty has many knitters under her spell.

I can't quite rock the "deep olive" so I cast on using Cascade Heritage in this super bright teal. Definitely more "me".  

Here is my progress so far: 

This is an addictive, easy knit but requires attention that I can only responsibly give if the kids are asleep. This has been a rarer and rarer daytime occurrence and I'm trying to keep the long term picture in mind. I already want to wear it though! haha. 

In honor of spring I also cast on this fun shawl - Leafy Bias

One happy litttle leaf.

It's happy because it's knit out of Rastita. 

Speaking of Spring style, since when did my girls become teenagers! OMG!

Mwah!

Hexagon Scarf

I tried piecing together a cowl with my hexagons but couldn't get it to look right. 

Apparently they wanted to be a scarf. 

It felt so good to get back to my crochet. 

 Noelle snapped it up as soon as she saw the camera in my hand and started posing. 

She is so used to wrapping up in woolens and getting her picture taken since birth! heehee

I edged the whole thing in Cascade 220 Fingering...leftover from Rae.

Love all the colors...

"so warm and soft!"

apparently no complaints about the pure wool. I love this kid.

so does Ellie. 

peace, blessings and Happy New Year to all my lovelies!

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!

FO Wednesday

Julissa is off the needles! I chose this project because I wanted to push myself a little (as well as recover ASAP from a froggy debacle). The cables and lace pattern is very well written but definitely not "potato-chip knitting". I'm so glad I did because the end result is, well, pretty darn awesome.  

I take a lot of these "smiling on the inside" photos. Taking photos of yourself is hard! meh.

I adjusted the sleeve length and bottom ribbing to accommodate my shorter frame.

I used magic loop for the sleeves. Fell in love with my Knitpicks nickel-plated babies again.

The Malabrigo is so cushy soft and after blocking (and even a whole lot of petting by me and the girls). I didn't notice any pilling at all.  

I could live in this sweater! Too bad I live in a season-less city now! I'm sure I'll find some occasion to wear it in the dead of winter here...without a jacket. haha. 

Hello Kitty! 

Can you tell I have girls? 

Although I can tell you I know of at least 2 very cool little boys who think Hello Kitty is the "cat's pajamas". Too much? I though so too.

Happy Wednesday everyone! Don't forget to check out the linky party for this KAL at luvinthemommyhood. 

sneak peek

Oh, what's this?

That's right, people. It's a sleeve.

One glorious sleeve of Julissa down (which, incidentally, means the body is DONE).

I don't seem to be exhibiting the symptoms of Sleeve-itis this time around, so hopefully I'll have an FO, not an WIP to show off this Wednesday! cross yer fingers.

mmm, homemade pizza!

Another wee chef, blinded by the California sunshine.

I made this jumper for Noelle quite some time ago. She's growing up, not out, so it still fits her. 

I told her it was a jumper and she interpreted that as a dress for jumping in. hee hee.

My sewing machine is still sitting in the box! The girls really don't need new sewn clothes, so I'm concentrating instead on getting a few useful knit items whipped up for them. Excited! 

Is anyone else's house haunted by a mysterious cookie phantom?

WIP Wednesday - Inching along

To say I got distracted from my KAL project would be a great understatement. 

I'm working on it again and I love it just as much as ever. 

I'm toying with the idea of making short sleeves. What do you think?

 Ellie is both excited to have time alone with Mama in the mornings, but still misses her sister.

Heck, I miss the little bug when she's at school! After seeing my "just knit it" she really wanted a scarf for herself so I started making bulky version of it and connected in the back after knitting a few inches.

It kind of looks like a bandana cowl. in pink, of course.

the blahs

I guess we all have our blah days.

 cooking (and eating) simple, delicious food... 

knitting stripes... (Just Knit It pattern...FREE for the duration of the Olympics!)

...with stash yarn...

...and cuddles...

that's how we beat the blahs around here!

What's your favorite way(s) to chase the blahs away?

Works In Progress

Work In Progress: Castle Pullover

Isn't it so fab? It's such a smart pattern, well written and I can't wait to wear it. 

I cast on the top using Malabrigo worsted in Red Mahogany. I've nearly finished the raglan increases at the top, the arrangement of which is what creates that shapely sleeve. 

I love the subtle color changes that give such depth to the yarn, and it is quite soft and lovely to work with.

It's really difficult for me once I've started a project to resist the urge to work on it 24/7. But I'm learning how to balance things a bit better, especially since Daniel's now returned to work and the girls and I need to develop our new routine.

As Alma mentioned on her blog, her daughter being able to rest in their new home was a comforting sign, and it's the same for me. The children are young, yes, but I'm so grateful to God that they are adapting so well to their new environment. 

 Ellie sleeping in our new home

keeping house

Noelle watching her sister sleep. Love her furry little brows.

gemini musings

Finally finished the Gemini. Had a little trouble finding a good spot in our new digs to take a proper photo. I wanted to take a pic before washing just because I didn't wash my swatch (I know, so bad) so I have no idea whether it will retain its shape or not. 

love the lace...makes me feel so ladylike. harhar

pattern: Gemini by Jane Richmond

The top really does knit up fast once you've conquered the (simple) lace. I was just moving across the country so it hit the back burner for a while. Such a fun pattern, it's no wonder there are over 500 projects already on Ravelry!

Joining in the luvinthemommyhood KAL fun once again with the Castle Pullover. Cast on in lovely Malabrigo...can't wait to see how it turns out. Will post progress photos tomorrow (official WIP Wednesday).

happy together.