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!

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.

Marianella

Sometimes a knitting project, like many things in life, starts out with the best intentions. It even looks like smooth sailing and clear skies ahead. But then you realize, you made the wrong size. You keep knitting, horribly in denial, until you finally realize you need to move on. Square your shoulders, frog away, cry a little, move on.

It helps when you finally find a new life for the yarn, in this case the original project was Oatmeal Pullover...the pattern is great, but the yarn wasn't quite right for it. 

The yarn is Ella Rae Latte in colorway Majestic Jade, held double. Isn't it lovely?

The pattern: Jane Richmond's Marian

Noelle had to jump in. My little ham.

The crazy bag lady toddler? Also mine. 

She sure loves the Marian, refused to take it off once she got her paws on it. 

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!* 

Springing Ahead

My goal for the weekend was to sew a simple project to get myself re-acquainted with my sewing machine.I I've been all about the yarn for months and months and have been neglecting it. Poor Janome.

Any-hoo, I decided to make a Simple Skirt. The pattern is by Dana of made. This pattern is a basic skirt pattern with many options, truly "the simplest skirt you will ever make", as she says.

I did modify it a bit. I did two layers and instead of folding both layers together at the top I created a casing by pulling the top layer up 2 inches, folding over and sewing it to the top of the inner layer. I also took the easy way out and used the selvedge edges so I could avoid hemming. Cheater's piping.Yay.  

Noelle loves her new skirt.

The perfect skirt for storytime...

or any time.

I should of taken photos of my sewing steps as I went along, but Noelle was cutting paper "cookies" and Ellie was napping, so I wanted to make sure I finished it before she woke up. I'll get there someday.

Celebrate Color - Granny Stripe Sweater

Granny squares had quite a presence in my childhood. Our house was positively covered in them; throw rugs on the floor, couch coverings and bed coverings. 

My grandma was the one who churned out these things in her sleep, it seemed, and she is the reason I learned and love to knit and crochet. She was like my second mother. Especially around the holidays and when I look at my children I wish she was here to share it all together with us. When we go home to my parents' house the rugs are still there on the floor and throws are still on some of the couches. It's a small but very warm reminder of her love and care for me and my family.

I wanted to create a colorful, granny inspired sweater for Noelle but it turned out to fit Ellie much better. It's top down, seamless, with a granny stripe bottom and buttons in the back. I used Wool-ease and I love the vintagey feel of the colors.

This is also my entry for Celebrate Color.

Two Little Elves

I made this hat for myself but it turned out way too small, so I bequeathed it upon my little elf:

Of course another little elf wanted to join the party.

happy little elves.

reminded me of another pair of mischevious little elves...

It's officially November, which means it's time to get crackin' on Christmas presents. I actually have a plan, which means there's a greater chance that all the presents will actually get done. Yay for handmade goodies!

Bloomin' Coffee

When Ellie finally crashed after waking up for the second time at 4 a.m., I couldn't get back to sleep. My head was so full of so many new ideas for things I wanted to create. My problem is always I have so many ideas that I can't settle and nothing actually ever gets made.

After fumbling around in the dark and, after several failed attempts, making a cup of coffee (forgot to pour the water in, then forgot to turn on the darn machine) I dug my heels in and made something I actually needed to make: coffee cozies. My sister in law (well, my sister-in-law's sister) asked me to make her a cozy, and I figured it was the perfect opportunity to practice magic loop. It's like a cuff for coffee in 2x2 rib. 

Here's what I made:

I will be adding these to the shop as soon as I can get a few more knit up.
Here's a picture of the girls in the Halloween garb...

May the Force be with you. hee. hee. 



Keeping Warm

Ellie had her first experience with snow on Saturday:

The snow can be quite a bother especially in the middle of winter when we have to dig out our cars and shovel ourselves out of our houses. But watching N and E watching the snow, it was a moment for me, for sure.

I am a freak and I LOVE the cold. Especially when I have an army of cozy accessories for me and my mini-mes...Oh, yes I did:

I made the Gap-tastic Cowl using double-stranded DK merino Style yarn from Knit-Picks. It is so soft but also sturdy. I think to wear something that you made yourself also adds an emotional element to clothes that is really indescribable. I just call it "happy".  Happy in Gray cowl.

So, of course mini-mes need to stay warm too. She wanted a pink one so I made a seed-stitch cowl using Bernat Roving. It is feathery soft and light and the color is bright and happy. I know I choose the same colors over and over, but if it ain't broke...