for a baby girl

Top: Clover Earflap hat knit in cotton. Beautiful pattern by Dover and Madden.

There will be a baby girl for my second cousin who lives in England. We don't know each other really well but, I like to create something beautiful and pass it on. We share a great grandmother who created many beautiful things.

Bottom: knit in Quince and Co. in Plum. The baby bonnet pattern is called Estelle.

Wishing you a nice weekend.

quartz

a lot of garter stitch

The very first thing I learned to knit was a scarf. I remember that lesson well and if I had to guess I would say it was about 14 years ago. There were 6 women in the class which was in the evening in NYC and we were told to bring worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles. I also remember how I pretty much understood nothing after that first lesson and how frustrating it was for me. I went back the next week and slowly started to get the hang of it. I knit ever so slowly while my hands got used to holding the needles (the hardest part for me) and trying to keep my tension in the wool even. I leaned that I preferred one way of knitting over the other on a subway ride when a very kind passenger who was observing told me that there was another way of knitting that may be easier as she watched me fumbling with my needles. It turns out I'm a thrower rather then a picker. Another way of describing this is that I knit English style rather then Continental holding my yarn in my right hand. Though I can pick (continental) the other just comes more easily to me.

So, here we are 14 years later revisiting that very first project. A long garter stitch scarf measuring eight inches wide. Yes, it was a bit boring to knit but, also very comforting and quiet. To be honest it was pretty damn nice and with these frigid days in the middle of winter almost perfect. I still love my first scarf... it's the perfect shade of red and because it's my first and started what will be a lifetime of knitting it represents so much more. How nice to celebrate that!

How to knit this scarf:
Cast on 40 stitches using size 8 needles with worsted weight yarn. You will need at least 400 yards. Knit back and forth knitting or slipping the first stitch of every row (slipping will give your ends a more even look) until you reach the desired length. This one is 60" long. Cast off.
The End!

Here is link to the yarn I used: Fisherman's Wool Yarn in Oak Tweed.

pretty fabric envelopes

This week I tried a craft project from this months Martha Stewart Magazine. My Mom has always purchased this magazine for me as a gift each year and I have been getting it since the 1990's. Quite a long time!

When I saw this month's fabric envelopes made with Liberty of London I knew I'd try them. I'm a sucker for Liberty of London as you may know and I like to try new things with my scraps. I made 7 of the envelopes and although they are a bit time consuming there is nothing too difficult about them.

I've had little time this week to work on anything so far and this was a nice project I could see through. I love the result!

The materials besides fabric are découpage finish in matte, a brush and wax paper. Also, clothespins or skirt hangers are necessary to hang fabric when it's drying.

mimi sweater/top

I finished knitting this sleeveless sweater/top for S yesterday. Mostly I wanted to knit something with this gorgeous yarn and knowing I wasn't going to have enough to make the pattern to proportion (length) and design (pockets) didn't stop me. Partially this was because she most often is in skirts and a long tunic like the original to me looks better with pants. Ideally it would have been an inch or two longer but, for now it fits and that is what saved me from unraveling it. I first tried it in a mohair/wool neon pink that she picked out at the wool festival but after knitting all the front and back ribbing I realized there was a twist in the round. And, actually for once I was happy because I didn't like it at all, the wool was all wrong for the project. The yarn I used here is Cephalopod yarns and is just a gorgeous shade of blue.
I am pretty happy with the final result.

patchwork and baby clothes

Sewing blocks that will eventually be a quilt with what I have. No pattern just random squares and rectangles with a width of 4 1/2" and blocks that are 15 1/2".

Sewing, tiny, baby dresses: one in size 6 months and one in 12 months. Little details still need to be ironed out.

Sewing on my first machine which I received for Christmas 24 years ago as I wait for my other to be fixed at the shop. The Singer was in storage and it was so cold, it needed a little love. I likened the noise it made to singing the first few times I used it.

The dresses will eventually go into the shop. I am thinking about adding a little embroidery to the second one.

love what you love make what you make

Love what you love make what you make...

I made myself finish something before starting something new. Design by Rebecca Rinquist. I always enjoy working with her samplers.

my gretel

Gretel: a beret with a lattice cable pattern knit with Brooklyn Tweed, Shelter. Color: Barn Owl.
Really beautiful pattern by Ysolda. I was really inspired to knit this after seeing this post. Wish I was talented enough to make a fair isle sweater like that too..maybe someday.

stick weaving

Rose bush branch and wool.

bunny

A bunny in the style of Lieschen Mueller. Sewn by hand with muslin, glass buttons and fake fur fabric cut from an outgrown vest. It was planned for a birthday present next month but, I got caught sewing it. Oh well, it's too sweet to pack away for another month.

I have had my Pfaff sewing machine for about 6 years now and have never had it serviced. It has not been working at it's best for a while but, now it's not at all sewing so it's heading to the shop for repair.

It snowed quite a bit last night. Happy weekend to you

spanish dancer

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a nice time over the holidays. Our Christmas and New Year's was great and we have enjoyed the past week and half visiting with friends and family and just generally laying low.

Here is one of my recent finished knits from about a week or so ago. It's a circular scarf knit in a lace and ribbing pattern that lies on an angle. The color of the yarn is titled Spanish Dancer and I think very appropriately named as it's a brilliant red-orange shade by Cephalopod yarns. I'd tell you the name of the pattern though I've misplaced it at the moment which is not at all surprising with the state of disarray from the holidays.