Baby it's cold outside. . .

Excited to sneak in a warm and cozy knit for Christmas card photos.  

Hoping for more craft time soon :)

Wurm Cowl

Wurm cowl by CatReading.  A simple, fun, cozy, and relaxing cowl to knit.  

Aidez Sleeves . . its progress

And through the long winter months we go.  For most knitters this is their most productive time.  

Me . . not so much.  :(

Tax season is well in the works and with a 4 . . .almost 5 year old. . .I might get two hours of knitting a week if I am lucky.

But at least my life is full. . .there are lots of new challenges, lots of new experiences . . .and special people to share them with. . . so for now . . knitting progress can be slow.  The yarn will still be here when I am ready :)

Construction in progress

Brooke and I started a new project this weekend.  And a very exciting one at that.  About 6 months or so ago someone was very kind and gave us an unfinished doll house that they had once started but never got around to finishing.  Well we said heck ya!  But then got busy this summer with our own home repairs and just never got to it.  

Well Brooke is going on 5 in a few months and I started thinking . . .you know you better get to this doll house or you'll be passing it on to someone else in the same state you received it in.  

The structure is very cute.  Its a 1990's model I think from the look of the girl on the box but I think we can modernize it with some newer colors and some modern wall paper.  I have tons of great prints in my scrapbooking paper that will work perfectly.

We both decided that the first thing to go was the color. . .mint green is just not our taste and I told Brooke that she could pick the color.  And I think she went with a good choice too.  The girl really does have good taste.

So bye-bye mint green paint. . .on to some primer.  

One coat of primer. . .looks better already doesn't it!

And now for the second coat. . . .looks good white . . .can't wait to see when its painted (????).

That will have to be a surprise  . . .

Can't wait to start decorating. . .picking out wall paper and flooring. . .so much fun!

Aidez

Its January . . .its cold. ..and all I want to do is snuggle under a warm blanket in my pjs and knit something warm with cables.  This pattern is Aidez which is free and can be found on ravelry.   Its been around for a while and on my list of knitting desires.  After finishing my Christmas knitting gifts I decided to pull out the stashed yarn and cast on.

Unfortunately this is not my first attempt.  I previously knitted 18 inches of the back and then realized the sizing was not going to work for me.  I gave a quick sigh and then pulled it out to start again.  Oh well right??  I guess I really don't mind if the finished project is a good fit.  Its worth it in the end. 

Yarn is Cascade Ecological wool.  I like the look and the feel of the yarn and the price. . .great price point for sure.  

I am please to say that I am past the 18 inches and into new knitting territory.  But looking back at the new product after pressing it for sizing. . .I now know I made the right decision.  

My next dilemma will be the sleeves . . .from what I hear they knit very slim or narrow so I might need to go up a sizes for the sleeves.  Hmmm . . . I still have time to ponder.  

Poolside Tote

I recently finish my first Poolside Tote at Christmas time (Pattern - Here ) for my mom as a gift.  I actually started it at home and then dragged it and my sewing machine along with me as I was out of town for work right before the holidays.  A little risky as I had not read the pattern or sewn the bag before.  Not the best plan when you are in a hotel room for three days with only your travel tools.

Luckily I can say that this pattern was easy to follow and I didn't have any trouble with the construction of the bag.  I really like how it came out.  So much that I decided to make it again.  But this time I am going with a canvas base for the outside since it can still be a little floppy of a bag for my taste.

So for round two I am going with a gray canvas and a pink/plum print.

Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Entrelac Scarf

Its challenging but simple at the same time.  I LOVE Entrelac!  Keeps my mind entertained and easy enough to pick up at any time and still remember where you left off. 

Noro Entrelac Scarf

Pattern Free - Here

Noro Silk Garden - 4 skeins

Another version with Plymouth Gina

Same pattern and only 4 skeins.  Love the color on this one!

And today was Pancake Sunday again!

Cowabunga Dude!

Vermont Red Barn Mittens . . .

Perfect touch for the first Vermont snow of the year.  

These mittens remind me of those classic pictures of a red Vermont barn in the snow. 

 You know the ones where the barn just pops out of the picture 

and makes you wish it was winter so you can be sitting cozy 

by the fire with the winter wind howling in the background (knitting of course)?  

Or maybe that's just me?

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted

Colorway:  Burgundy

Needle Size: 8

Cast on: 28 stitches on 4 double pointed needles

Knit in the round until the cuff measures 2 inches

I then worked a basic thumb gusset of 11 stitches 

and knitted a 3 x 3 cable up the center of the mitten 

with a steep decrease at the top for a pointy mitten top.

The color really pops in the snow and has a very simple classic feel to them.

The yarn is soft, warm, and very enjoyable to knit with.  

A happy warm start to the long winter :)

2015 Happy New Year!!

To many new knitting projects in 2015

and many sewing projects

But more importantly . . .many precious moments with this little one :)

May 2015 be my year!

Cheers :))

A Birdie Sling Christmas Gift and Pancake Sunday still continues . . . .

Finished by first Christmas gift this weekend.  A good feeling since is November and we are now counting down the days.  Or at least the TV commercials seem to do a good job of reminding me.  Love the colors of this bag.  The teal and the pop of yellow are extremely appealing to me.  Very happy with the result.  I hope the recipient feels the same.   I am planning my new birdie bag but have some pot holders to make in between.

This is the inside fabric.  

And although I have done a very poor job of updating my blog in the last year I have been continuing with my Pancake Sunday tradition.  

This was todays. . . . along with some others over the past few months.  I am going to try and be better . . .post a craft project update every Sunday along with my pancake.  

I may not have much to say or the brain power to type by the time I sit down but at least I will have an eye appealing photo to post right?

Hey Mickey! …...Hey Mickey!

Mission Halloween Mickey Mouse

And it turned out to be quite a success!  Halloween is now over . . . .

and I can't get her out of this costume :)  

Well worth all the effort for sure.  

All made of fleece (except the gloves).  This is perfect for the unpredictable and usually cold and wet Halloween holiday here in Vermont.  The black and red fleece is micro fleece and the yellow is pill resistant fleece.  All purchased at Jo-ann's so the cost is pretty minimal with a coupon.  I purchased 2 yards of black, 1 yard of red, and 1/2 yard of yellow.

I started off with the pants (which are separate from the red shorts).  I used the Oliver & S pj bottom pattern for the base and just tailored it to be more fitting to her legs.  With an elastic waist these fit great and she can wear them this winter.  

If you don't have this pattern, its definitely worth purchasing.  I have never made the pj top but I use the pj bottom pattern year after year whether it be for gifts or for Brooke.  It has paid for itself many times over.  The pattern is very easy to follow as well.

Next we worked on the shorts.  I used Dana's flat front shorts pattern in a size 5 which is a little big for my daughter at the moment but I wanted her legs to have that skinny look.  Turned out great I think.  I just followed the normal pattern instructions and added some very large white buttons on the front.  This is also another pattern that I use time and time again.  She has a great range of sizes and styles within one pattern and I find myself going back to it time and time again.  A must have for your pattern library I think.

Oh!  And don't forget the Mickey tail!  Once the shorts were done I free-handed a tail pattern and sewed, stuffed, and inserted it into the back seam of the shorts.  I just pulled the back seam out a bit and stuffed the tail through and sewed the seam back up.  This was Brooke's favorite part!

Next we decided to get the shirt off the list (I still needed time to figure out the ears . . .had a vision in my head but was not quite sure how I was going to pull it off).  The shirt pattern is Made by Rae's Flash Back Skinny Tee.  Again, followed the pattern except that I added a turtleneck top (I think it was a 12" piece cut for the collar and just folder in half and sewn in place around the collar edge so you get a slouchy turtleneck look.  

I then just finished the shirt cuffs as 2"(not folding in half for a 1" cuff. . . just sewn on as a 2" extension onto the sleeves) and finished the edge at 1/4"folded over.  Since its fleece, there is no need to worry about the edges fraying.   

I purchased this pattern a while ago and just got around to using it.  So far, I really like it and will be using it again I am sure.  I think I will look into some cute cotton fabrics online and make Brooke some Flash back tees for the winter.  So far I can say this pattern has potential for going into my must have pattern library.

An then comes the Mickey ears. . .Mickey isn't Mickey without ears. . .ears that STAND UP!  So I purchased this pattern from Tiedyediva.  I just left two seams open on each side to insert the ears.  The ears are each made from two round plastic canvas pieces sewn together and covered with fleece.  I also took two rectangle pieces which I also sewed on each side of the two sandwiched together circles (before covering with fabric with yarn and a lg embroidery needle).  Hard to explain, but when I was done I basically had a sandwich of plastic canvas circles with to plastic canvas braces coming out the bottom giving the circles some stability.  This was my husbands idea (thank you!).  After I covered the circle with fleece I inserted (the brace like pieces into the holes I left in the hat at the seams and then hand sewed the seams and ears in place.  Looked great but they would not stand up for a long period of time and because the hat pattern doesn't have a liner the plastic brace-like pieces were scratchy (ouch!).  So I then cut two rectangle pieces of fleece and hand stitched over them the plastic braces on the inside of the hat which gave them extra stability and solved the scratchy issue . . . .Hooray!!!!

And the shoes!  Mickey would not be Mickey without the shoes.  This shoe pattern I happen to find online while searching for ideas.  I love it!  Its easy and fun and just looks . . . .Awesome!!!  These are made out of yellow pill resistant fleece.  Easy to follow and a great result.  They are shoe covers and just sit on top of your child's sneakers.  How cool is that!

And last but not least . . .the gloves.  I admit. . . I purchased these at Jo-Ann's (one size fits all) and added some black accents.  I probably could have made some but time was a little crunched at the end and being that they are white I am glad I didn't.  These $1 bargain now are stained with black face paint . . .oops . . .so i am glad I just went with the quick store bought option on this part.

Very very pleased with this years costume, happy with the smile on Brooke's face, and delighted that the day after I still can't get her out of it!!  Love it:)