Spring Socks

Hello, it's been a slow, uncreative two months for me. I've been bogged down at work, which makes me feel uninspired and less apt to knuckle down with my multiple projects. I did manage to finish off these socks, though, which I previously blogged about.

It's from knitty.com, of course. The primary modification was to the toe, again because I hate doing a kitchener stitch, I used the short-row toe. The socks fit real well and are comfy. I don't remember if I talked about the yarn before. It's a wool bamboo blend, nice, but not machine washable. Ugh.

Fabric Shopping

So my next project is going to be a couple of Amy Butler Birdie Slings. Nieces #1, 3, and 4 are all having their birthdays in April, as is Sister #4. I doubt I'll have hand made gifts for them all by then, but who knows, I still have two months. I'm currently working a little patchwork quilt for my childhood friend, who just had her first baby (a boy) on February 10.

So here are the fabrics for the Birdie Slings. The first set is from Mill
End. Working from the top of the pile to bottom, the floral is Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures, the solid is Kona cotton, and the daisy print is Charm Bracelet from Allison Jane Smith for Windham Fabrics. The birdie ones are part of the Feathered Friends series by Wendy Slotboom for In the Beginning fabrics, purchased from Fabric Depot. I love them both!!!

More PJ's for #1

I made these a while back but did not have time to take a pic or blog about it until now. I made it for #1, who always seems to be delighted at whatever I make for him. I know as he grows older, hand made things will become passe so I should enjoy it while it lasts. It's very gratifying when he is so pleased with my gifts for him.

The boys and I have the day off for President's Day, so I'm responsible for the very mediocre quality of the pic. You can probably tell the difference between my photos, taken with a little Canon Elph, and the ones my husband takes, which are much much nicer in quality and composition.

Oh, almost forgot, the fabric is Alexander Henry's "tumbleweeds." The pattern is the same I used for the monkey PJ's a while back, an old Simplicity pattern that I modified by adding the bias strip/piping. Alexander Henry is fast becoming one of my favorite fabric designers. I also bought this recently but haven't decided what I want to do with it yet. It's called "toadstools," I have two yards, purchased at Fabric Depot during one of the monthly 35% off sales, making it about $7+/- per yard.

Instant Gratification

I'm still working on the February Lady Sweater. Unfortunately, not much progress since my last post, between a combination of being busy at work and having an irksome case of tennis elbow on the right.

To get out of my rut, I whipped together these two little bits of sewing yesterday. Each took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Now, that's instant gratification!



This is a freebie from the Spool website. You can find the pattern here: http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/. When you look at the entry from Spool, you will see that the only mod to it was to attach a piece of ribbon to turn it into an ornament.



This one is also a freebie from Heather Bailey's blog, hellomynameisheather.com. The best part of both projects is that I used scrap fabric and materials I already had on hand. This was after having dropped quite a bit at the Fabric Depot sale on Friday on more than enough fabrics to keep me busy for awhile.

BTW, I gifted both to my sister tonight as a hostess gift for Niece #6's first birthday. I also gave her the little China Doll dress that I posted about previously.

February Lady Sweater: In Progress

Here's one of three projects currently on the needles: the February Lady Sweater. The pattern has been adapted by Pamela of Flintknits.com from the February baby sweater from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac. I bought the Knitter's Almanac quite a number of years ago, just as a reference, but have never knit anything out of it. I'm just delighted to be able to now, even if it is a few degrees removed. Both the baby version and the lady version of a significant following so I'm sure you can find other examples.

Here are the pics, not very flattering but you get the idea. BTW, in case your interested, the fabric below is from Amy Butler's daisy chain line. I bought it for another Emmeline apron, but who knows what it will turn into.