project: baby socks

So I'm a little premature with posting this baby sock project (ZING!), but I know I will have the second sock done this evening. I'm totally loving knitting baby socks, because I can finish a set in a day, rather than a month (as it would take me that long for regular adult socks).

My friend Angie is due to have a baby girl this June, and I had this scrap Cascade Fixation yarn from 2008 when I knit a pair of baby socks for newborn Nora James. Cascade Fixation is an interesting yarn because it uses cotton as a primary fiber, but also sneaks in some spandex! It is a great yarn for baby socks especially, since you don't have to worry as much about the socks falling off the baby's feet. This was an easy project with all of the supplies ready to go! Now I just need to finish the other sock, make a little card, and send it off to Seattle. One thing at a time- finish the second sock today...

While I have actually semi-completed one sock so far, I have really been all over the place this week. While I have been working on the baby socks, I have also been knitting that tank top I described in the last post with the yarn from 2005. Man, the pattern for that Caprice tank by Rowan yarn stresses me out! It is definitely not a mindless knit, and if this tank does not go through this time around- I'm done and giving away the yarn. The tank itself is really cute, but in my opinion, the pattern is written terribly. Major frustrations.

On top of the two knitting projects, I have also had this grand idea to make a dress for this upcoming Friday's Windy City Soul Club. Again, I've been doing really good about using up what fabric or yarn is in my stash. I came across this polka dot metallic/silk blend the other day while cleaning, and thought it would be really cute to use in the top half of a 1950's inspired dress. I brought the fabric into my class to get some opinions on coordinating a fabric, and the decision amongst the students was to find an ivory satin to match the ivory polka dots in the metallic fabric. I was a little hesitant, only because I am really pale, and didn't know how well ivory will look against my currently winter-hibernated legs. But I do have a pair of dark shoes that I think will go with the dress, and if it doesn't work, then I need to wear a pair of tights (which means it will then be a winter holiday dress).

I bought the ivory fabric yesterday, and have the pattern pretty much completed. I would love to start cutting it out and sewing it up this evening as well, so I can maybe have someone fit it for me on Tuesday. It's overall a really simple design, it's just finding the time to sew during the week. Again, this is really ambitious of me to try and make this dress in a week, but hey, I made a shirt dress in a day, right??



playlist: baby socks

"gigantic" - the pixies
"lean woman blues" - t.rex
"new kind of kick" - the cramps
"walk a mile" - holly golightly
"i'm so free" - lou reed
"when i'm with you" - best coast
"jezebel" - reverend horton heat
"the kkk took my baby away" - the ramones
"breakout a-town" - julie ruin

I was kinda going for a lo-fi theme with this playlist...I don't know why. Blame it on the weather?

project: shirt dress

The spring cleaning bug has bit me! As I am still unpacking/organizing the apartment, I keep coming across old projects that are screaming to be finished. I was going through one of my fabric tubs on Wednesday and came across the pattern- with the fabric already cut out- for this shirt dress.

Back story on this shirt dress: while I was teaching at IADT in Seattle, the Patterndrafting 1 class I taught was required to pattern a shirt dress that they would in turn sew in Clothing Construction 1. I kept getting complaints about how I didn't have a sample for them to reference while making the pattern for the dress, so I broke down and made a pattern and found some cotton fabric in one of my fabric tubs. I had my TA at the time cut it all out for me (and I think she did some patterning too), and in a bag it went, never to be completed.

But it's Spring! I saw the bag of fabric and thought- hey, I can fit into this dress! So this past Thursday I went to work! I also found some buttons in my stash that totally match! This is great! I used stashed fabric, buttons and thread for this project. I feel so thrifty.

The dress is a little bigger than I thought, and I am still considering putting some side pockets in. I don't think I pre-washed the fabric (a big no-no) so here's still hoping that it will shrink!


The other project I finally finished is my Entrelac Scarf. It still needs to be blocked, but I am totally ready to rock this scarf in the fall! I think my next knitted project is going to be starting this lacey tank top that I purchased yarn for back in 2005, and have attempted to knit twice now. Keep your fingers crossed that third time is a charm!












playlist: shirt dress

"ode to divorce" - regina spektor
"last song" - matt pond pa
"my night with the prostitute from marseille" - beirut
"meet me by the water" - saturday looks good to me
"campfire kansas" - the get up kids
"don't haunt this place" - the rural alberta advantage
"canopies and grapes" - emmy the great
"everything has changed" - lucinda williams

project: entrelac scarf (part deux)

I have officially crossed the half way point with this Entrelac Scarf: I am almost done with my third skein. The colors are absolutely gorgeous; previous photos did not do this yarn justice. This post is to show you how amazing this Noro Silk Garden yarn is!


I haven't measured the scarf lengthwise yet, but it is definitely getting long. I have to carry it around in my Loopy Yarn tote bag when I bring it around with me to work on (I'm like Linus, my knitting project is my security blanket. It comes with me wherever I go...).

So pretty!

After getting into a car accident on Friday nite, and working wardrobe for a Chippendale's show on Saturday, I was pretty much mentally tapped out. I spent most of Sunday going to brunch with Doug and Anna at the Bongo Room and then coming home to knit and listened to This American Life. So that is this entry's playlist, the most recent episode of TAL.

playlist: entrelac scarf (part deux)

"inside job" - this american life

project: entrelac scarf

Okay, having knit about 7 dishcloths in one weekend, I was ready to move onto my next project. I was digging around in my yarn stash, and found some Noro Silk Garden yarn that I had purchased back in 2007. At least, I think it was 2007...there was a yarn store called Stitch by Stitch in Highland, IN that my sister Karie and I discovered together. Needless to say, after my first visit and $100 later, I had some beautiful Noro Silk Garden yarn.

And what to make of it? At the time of purchase, I had been wanting to take on the project of an entrelac scarf. It's on the list of every knitter's things to make, and I felt like I was ready. I even went online and found a pattern that seemed to work for me by Allison LoCicero.

Apparently, I wasn't ready for this until three days ago. After ripping out the first section three times, I FINALLY have the hang of this!

The colors in these pictures look a little dull; I haven't seem to hit the bright colors yet on the scarf. They are, however, in the skein and I keep wanting to knit until I get to them!

I am noticing a trend I have where I start projects that are not in season at all. Not only are these scarf colors way fall, but we are totally in the month of April. Sigh. Oh well, at least I will look totally rad in the fall with my brand new scarf!

I am only on the first of four skeins, so I have a ways to go. I am totally enjoying this pattern; it might be because each little square or triangle is instant gratification! My goal is to have this done by the end of the month, which I think is a totally reasonable goal considering I finished a sweater in one month! BAM!

playlist: entrelac scarf

"clap your hands!" - clap your hands say yeah
"back to the sea" - the sandwitches
"between the lines" - sambassadeur
"kissing the lipless" - the shins
"let me go home" - camera obscura
"hey boy" - the blow
"cut down" - matt & kim
"harmony to my heartbeat" - sally seltmann
"bad education" - tilly and the wall
"the kelly affair" - be your own pet


I've been working on this playlist for a while now, and if you didn't notice, all of the songs are clapping themed! Perfect for Spring and to keep things upbeat and going!

Ps. has everyone checked out the Lollapalooza line up yet!??! So excited!!!

project: coasters

I have moved into my new apartment!

It was a rough day of moving, and thankfully I had a team of three strong men helping me haul of my stuff up to the third floor. And no one made fun of all my sewing/craft/yarn supplies! Now it's just a matter of organizing it all...

Thursday was the big moving day, so by Friday I could go to Whole Foods and get the place filled up with some yummy, organic goodness. A few months back, while cleaning out my grandpa's house, my mom came across a set of three vintage Pyrex mixing bowls that used to be my grandma's. Naturally, being the Pyrex lover that I am, I got very excited and she said I could have them!

This is one of the bowls, filled with some fresh strawberries:

Amongst all of the grocery shopping and unpacking, I found my old coasters from Buy Olympia. I think I bought them back in 2006, so again, it was time to make some new ones. I found some scrap Kaffe Fasset and Amy Butler fabric from when I worked at the Quilting Loft in Seattle (hey ladies!). The idea came instantly, how I wanted to leave the edges raw, and also using a random "crazy quilt" inspired stitch to hold the layers together.
The three layers included: top layer was a printed cotton, middle layer of mid-weight batting, bottom layer also a printed cotton. I made myself a set of six, all being reversible. You know, so I can pick a coaster depending on my mood and the glass that will be resting on it...

I'm hoping that these coasters won't get as stained as my other set. At least with these, I could wash them if they started to dirty. All together, it took me about an hour to complete- start to finish!

Here is a picture of my "will work for yarn" mug resting on a coaster:

The coasters are great, and then last nite, I finally wove in all of the ends of my Smarch Lady Sweater so I could wear it today for Easter dinner. I had my mom take some pictures of the final product:



















The sweater still needs to be blocked, which is why the sleeves are curling a little bit. I'm so happy I got to wear it at least once before the weather turns super warm! I'm hoping to take some better pictures when the flowers start to bloom.

playlist: coasters

"the blues ft. nina persson" - primary 1
"parachutes (funeral song)" - mates of state
"ramblin' man" - isobel campbell and mark lanegan
"the boy with the arab strap" - belle and sebastian
"rotten love" - levy
"true affection" - the blow
"lily two" - matt pond pa
"tightrope" - yeasayer
"with arms outstretched" - rilo kiley