In Anticipation of Fall

The days have been sunny and warm, but there is definitely a crispness in the air that clearly indicates fall is around the corner. In celebration of fall, I have finished my "Pumpkins Gone Wild" print dress. The fabric is by and was purchased at Mill End in Portland/Milwaukie. I purchased 2.5 yards, which was just enough with a little bit left over. I also bought the same amount in another colorway (white), which I thought about making into an apron at some point.

The pattern is Simplicity 3833 (view C), part of the 1960's retro line. You can find the pattern here. http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=3833. I originally cut a size 16 in a muslin, according to the size chart. I found that it was a little too loose so I went down a size, also adjusting according to the "petite" fold lines. It fits perfectly!!!

The back has a completely non-functional sash, but I included a cute little bird button detail. My 4-year-old thinks it's the best part of the dress. The button is by Dill, purchased at Bolt in the Alberta arts district of Portland.

I also finished my "monkey" socks from Cookie A. http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTmonkey.html. It's a popular pattern from Knitty.com. What can I say? Despite all the sock patterns in my library, I can't resist the free ones from Knitty.com. The pattern was fairly easy, but I modified it to knit on two circular needles. I also replaced the heel instructions with an "eye of partridge" heel, using instructions from Charlene Schurch's "More Sensation Socks." I have found that this is probably one of the most useful sock knitting reference books in my library.

The yarn is Araucana's sock yarn. It's a machine washable wool, easy to work with, and hopefully easy to wear.

The socks themselves took me several months to knit. I think I may have started them in March or April. I do recall I finished knitting the first one during our vacation in Kauai in late April. It says something about my knitting speed -- or the speed of the rest of my life -- that I just completed them this past week.

Finally, I substituted a round toe, directions also from Charlene Schurch's book, because I am not very good at grafting a regular toe. I also like the look of a round toe better. I think I will probably post instructions for both the heel and toe at a later point.