Music Class Ensemble! For Sewing Class!

Here's the deal!  Poor Camden needs to represent this week!  I may have said so in my last post, but Camden attends a sewing class at Modern Domestic, and it's her FIRST sewing camp, for which we are BOTH excited!  But I was aghast to realize it was coming up so quickly, and not only did she not have a fun Easter outfit, but she didn't have any new handmade clothing for her sewing camp.

First-world trials and tribulations, y'all.

It's rather easy to pull together the Music Class set by Oliver and S, as it calls for low yardage.  I have only ever once made the blouse with long sleeves, and I wanted to say I've made this a few times before, but I can find NO photo evidence of this fact :O  Well...other than the version I made back in 2013.  But I'm going crazy, because I know it exists.  Anyway, I used the Tokyo Train Ride fabric by Cotton and Steel.  I can't recall what I originally bought it for, but it works here, and this seller still has some in stock.  You NEED this print.  Orange does it for me, though, aha!  Samesies with the skirt, as it calls for low yardage, and I'm so crazy with my cutting techniques - which often leaves me with fabric leftovers, and I'm all, "What do I DO with this???"  LOL.  So...good and bad having leftovers.

The pattern itself, as usual, is quick and easy enough to put together.  If you plow through those pintucks and pleats, everything else is a breeze.  This was actually the very last outfit I made before shutting down sewing room operations.  I hope that this time, there isn't such a long stretch between sewing sessions.  When we moved in the summer of 2016, I packed things up in probably May, and then I wasn't able to sew again until November, essentially.  I mean, I guess I could have set up shop at the kitchen table or something, but that is a whole slew of other issues.

I know everyone and his/her mother has made this outfit, as it's an oldy, but if you have NOT, you need to!  I have nothing new and special to say about it, other than my usual:  ALWAYS lengthen Oliver and S patterns for longer wear.  I made the size 10 this time (though an 8 would have been fine), and I lengthened even that, so, since Camden just turned 8 a few days ago, I'm hoping we'll get use out of it until she's partway through her 9th year.  We shall see!

And some days in the life of....

A quick birthday poster before we ditched town!  And she has new sheets for her new room!

More presents from us - and grandma and grandpa!

Grandma prepared a couple of fun posters!

As usual, Matt adds the Darth Vader touch!

When I have kids with me at my massage appointments...

At this point, the fabric is mostly off the shelves, too!

New sewing room!  After trim is finished, I'll go in and paint it up!

LOL at this photo

Gifts from grandma in Michigan!

They always look forward to their singing cards!

An Abate! Gotta Stay Warm!

Brrrr!!!  Days are getting chilly here.  Camden needed a warm sweater to fight the cold, as her Paint Me a Sweater is short-sleeved, and her Penny Lane IS warm, but a girl doesn't always want a turtle-neck, right???

In comes the Abate sweater, designed by Alicia Plummer (FB page HERE and blog HERE) of the Plum Dandi Ravelry group.  (There does happen to be two adult versions, called Ease...and Bulky Ease.  As for the yarn....oh, the YARN!!!  A big thanks goes to Jenny Porter, the dyer behind MarigoldJen yarns (FB page HERE, ravelry group HERE and shop HERE).  She dyed this yarn at my request, and it's just so lovely.  She called it Up North because I had told her I wanted it in grays, blues and greens to signify that Camden was born on the West side of the Cascade Mountains.  It's the second time I've worked with her yarn, and I have several skeins in my stash because it's all SO GORGEOUS.  Also, duh - she is awesomely sweet and helpful - and quick to respond to Etsy messages!

I've knit one or two of her patterns before, and this one was well-written.  It's clearly mostly stockinette, and you can see on the pattern page that it's meant to have a bit more ease, but I did make it slimmer-fitting; I just can't remember now if that was with intention or not.  I DO know I did make the forearm/wrist area slimmer-fitting, and I think I'd not do that next time.  I love the fit, but I think it'd be nicer for Camden if I hadn't decreased another few stitches.  Also, I will admit to pure laziness:  I should have done a sewn bind-off on the hem and sleeves, and I did NOT :O  And....I should have.  Ugh, but oh well.  I tried to bind off loosely, but that sewn bind-off would have reall helped out for cuff turn-ups and such.  Not a huge biggie, but I should have followed the directions, LOL.

It's a lovely, soft merino sweater, and Camden does find it cozy!  I was a bit silly and made the drawstring too short (btw, THIRD attempt making it...even THEN still too short).  Next time, I'll make sure to do another four inches in length.

I'm super excited about this sweater, too, because I planned for it in a colorway that would work for Tiberius.  I know there'll come a day when I'm moving even slower with knitting than I already do, and I'll be glad I planned ahead.  I do hope, though, that this sweater fits Camden through Fall of 2016 ;)  I did make it longer for that reason.

And of course, some fun shots from recently!

All the knits!  And remember this Bryce Canyon shawl??

Awww, drawing practice

LOL, a Santa!

Art smocks for Jeanine over at Stitch Art

Just another day of Community School

Skillzzzz with Lego

Tender Is the Hat....and Cowl??? Cabernet Time!

This girlie can officially be WARM this winter!!!!  Seriously, isn't it beeee-yoo-tiful???

Can I also say that I'm glad it's DONE???  Aha!  Neither of these projects is lengthy/difficult.  Naturally, though, I made them more difficult - because that's the sort of ship I run.  The first time I made the hat, it turned out too small, because I failed to read the directions and left out the first several rows I was to knit after the ribbing.  Such is life.  This first version will head off to a cousin - naturally!  I didn't want to rip it out, because I figured a finished hat is a good thing - as long as it fits someone and I have enough yarn to complete everything else, which I DID.  Whew.

Gonna get ya'!

I used Colour Adventures (the FB page link), base Dia Merino DK, colorway Tender.  Elena Nodel, as always, dyes up a gorgeous yarn.  And it needs to be known that after blocking this yarn out, it softens up super nicely, not that it's rough to begin with, but you get me??  The patterns, Cabernet Hat (in DK weight) and Cabernet Infinity Scarf (which covers several weights of yarn, though the link says it's DK) are written super well - easy to understand and no issues at all.  Monika Sirna, the pattern writer, includes a tutorial to help peeps out with the cabling, but it's not something an experienced cabler needs to look at.

Always have to do a sad face

With that hat, my gauge was trying to trick me, as usual.  I didn't want to go down a needle size, and I didn't actually do a gauge swatch IN pattern, which the pattern calls for.  I winged it, and I found the right size needle I needed for the ribbing.  I cast on for a small but did the length of the medium.  And naturally, after blocking, it's a bit bigger in the ribbing than I'd like it to be, but thankfully, the hat is a teeeeny bit slouchy, so, she'll grow into it just fine.  And as you can see, the cowl is a great fit, so, I'm pretty happy with the set.

As a bonus, it SMELLS awesome, aha!  I used Eucalan in the grapefruit oil scent...which for some reason, really stands out this time :)

Love this!

And bonus:  I love that I made two hats AND a cowl out of two skeins of yarn!  Yay to me!  One day, when I have TIMETIMETIME on my hands, I will whip up one of these sets for moi.

One day.

Looking Hip: TWO Modern Pixies!

This could very well be my last blog post as a mother of one...OUTSIDE of the uterus!  Dare I hope that it stays that way for a few more days????  I've been sewing up a storm this weekend, and I'm not yet done.  After some minor details are complete, I will have finished three dresses, a skirt, and a top.  In my wildest dreams, I will also have the chance to trace, cut and sew a couple more patterns, but let's not get hasty, eh?  ;)

All that aside, though...knitting is the point of this post!  Which project, you say?  Why, I did a KAL of sorts with a friend, Terri - the Modern Pixie by Elena Nodel.  I've been in suspense to share this sweater, and I chose the ONE insanely WINDY day on which to take pictures, so, take care to ignore Camden's windswept look.

Camden would love that horse!

The wee headband she received at a birthday party!

The pattern itself is SOOOO easy/such a basic, in terms of straight-up stockinette, but it has such a cool look about it.  Camden loves this sweater, and I don't know if wee Amelia does, but she should - hers looks awesome!  I'm glad we each went with a different striping method, so, it gives you the chance to see a couple versions.  My ONLY issue is that I honestly suck at striping.  I carried the yarn in this sweater, and it wouldn't have mattered if I'd NOT carried it.  End-weaving also leaves an un-pretty look for me.  If anyone knows of a better way to carry yarn and NOT have an ugly "seam" of sorts, let me know!  Terri apparently works magic, as hers is great.  I suppose you can't really tell in the pictures I chose to put up, but I promise the funny look is there.  Also, in the sweater link, you can see there is a belt option, but I chose not to add that, as it wouldn't look right, in my opinion.

For Camden's sweater, I used Colour Adventures Little Mermaids and Bleeding Heart colorways (list/pictures of colors HERE), and the yarn is fantastic.  Naturally, I had to go down a needle size, because I am a loose knitter - and I honestly think going down two needle sizes IS smarter (this is per an Elena sweater I just finished, by the way - more on that another day!), as with blocking, I think I'd be more on gauge.  (The smart person would just start wet-blocking...and I definitely plan to do that when I knit my OWN sweaters!)  The yarn was delightful, as always with CA yarns.  I have quite the stock pile of CA yarns to work through, actually ;)

Terri used Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky, which I've heard is awesome possum yarn but haven't yet used.  She used the colorways Vishnu and Button Jar Blue, which look super great together.  She also had no issues with the pattern, and it's lovely on Amelia.

These colorways are this lovely in PERSON!

The mean wall hurt Camden's hand a few minutes into the photo shoot, so, she went from silly to sad; thank goodness her dad was there to give kisses.

Ouch!!

Don't mind his crazy sword-fighting glove ;)

The unknown count-down to el bebe's appearance continues....But here is one last shot of the big sister!

Wearing those Nozky leg warmers by Monika Sirna!