mitts

cabled mittens using this pattern
back in november (catching up with life a little bit here)

lion brand fisherman's wool
gauge was tight, but they fit nicely after blocking
added another cable because i have long fingers, made the thumb longer also (see project page for modifications)

i like them.

a little bunny

for my favorite "faux-niece" (one of my best friend's daughters who calls me AUNTIE LALA.  i love it.)  e turned 3 last month, and i got this bunny to her in the timely manner of one month late.  i've had a lot going on.
 

this bunny is the Well-Dressed Bunny - i liked the simplicity of it, as well as the fact that 3 is a good age to dress and undress things. non-human things i mean.

miss e also loves fairies so i fashioned a set of fairy wings (this took a few tries and some experimental wire until i just decided to make stuffed wings).

i used lion's brand fisherman's wool (that skein just doesn't quit) and made no modifications.  the whole bunny has a lopsidedness which, fortunately, i think is cute, but was unintentional and a result of poor stitching on my part.  she doesn't sit on her bottom very well either!  stitching the mouth was hard for me, apparently because i overdid it (as usual).  when i got to the eyes, i did about 3-4 quick stitches, and they were just right.  will ever remember to go easy?

if there is a soul in the world who cares to know the pattern i concocted for the wings, i will post it, but i figured the chances were slim that there is a need for them!

tomorrow is my first day off in a couple weeks, and hopefully the eve of my return... how dramatic...

l

addendum:  did i never post e's gift from her 2nd birthday last year?  that is weird because i was happy with it and i usually think WAY too much about posting things.  well, here is manti, in cascade 220 superwash, the collared verstion, with blue buttons:

(the third picture i mostly just posted because of those eyes!)

home for the holidays

smunch is coming back... charlie brown tree and all.

squares square top

•  "super easy square top" using this tutorial from cotton & curls

• thrifted sheet from salvation army, $1.49

• 20" wide by 26" long, plus seam allowances (french seams)
• slightly curved hem at the side seams; if i thought ahead i might have made this longer and made more of shirttail hem
• offset the vertical strip, and matched it to the back (the horizontal stripes are not matched to the back)
• made a muslin first (glad i did)
• the curve of the neckline took a couple tries; i'm happy with how it came out, but the fabric does pucker a bit.  maybe should have made a neckline binding, like the wiksten tank
• underarm seams were a little tricky since there is no actual sleeve

super happy with this one, love it

vintage loot

in between packing and more packing i've made last (and second-to-last) trips to my favorite vintage shops in providence.  oh, dear.

vintage fabrics from What Cheer? (round one) - i particularly love the funky barkcloth sailing scene and this wool plaid (apparently a half-finished scarf?)

round two at What Cheer? this weekend found me more plaid (i couldn't get this image out of my head when i saw this fabric in the store) and a great 60's knitting booklet.  the cover, alone, was enough to get me to buy it, what with a couple smoking cigarettes at a table covered in coke bottles, sitting in two feet of water.

but i want to make this shawl-collared sweater in an oatmeal/brownish shade.

and finally, i found this precious little packet of transfers at Rocket to Mars.

the good thing about having all this good stuff is that i'm newly unemployed and will soon have too much time on my hands (hopefully not for too long).  the bad part is that i'm not supposed to buy anything.

also, guess what - the Tideland pattern has just been published - go buy it here right now, because it's discounted until november 6!  i can't say enough what a beautiful pattern it is.  aren't they great?

photo by londonleo via ravelry

pumpkin tideland mitts

i just finished this test knit for the Tideland fingerless mitts by londonleo:

this is a beautiful pattern, to be released soon (i'll post when they're released).  i used CEY Alpaca Sox and i love this color.  it suits my blue and orange obsession (which has kind of evolved into red and blue) although i like it with the army green too.

if i make this pattern again, i may adjust where i start the thumb gusset, as i have long fingers and i like my mitts to cover them more.  however, i think where these fall probably looks nicer.

i have a gauge problem and because my gauge tightens as i go along, stop paying attention, start knitting faster, i overcompensated on the right mitt and it's actually a bit looser.

my other issue?  it took over 60 pictures before i could get the semi-decent ones above (that's sort of a lie, the one just above is the first picture i took).  is that normal?  i mean, for those of us who aren't photographers and have a little point-and-shoot with a self-timer?  i often don't blog because i don't have the patience to get a good picture.

linen tova dress

this dress was finished a while ago... somehow when i'm not happy with something i make, i drag my feet to photograph and post it... but i want to post it all, even the mistakes, (an abalone post is also soon to come although long finished for this reason) so....

it's not that bad, but the linen is cheap ($4!) and unimpressive.  i've worn it several times and like it enough - in my twisted mind the cheap, faded-out linen has become "vintage-looking."

 things to learn from:

• don't buy cheap linen.
• as soon as i cut it, i realized the length is too short for me as a dress.  i had elaborate plans to make a gathered muslin slip with a raw hem to go under it but, eh, the dress isn't worth it.  hence the leggings.
• i need to do a better job trimming threads when i'm making french seams.
• the collar is a hot mess but since the dress, again, was "eh" i didn't worry too much.
• i tried pockets, toiled over them a bit, made them work, then took them out because they just made me had demented hips.  if i make this again with a more structured fabric i might put the pockets in.

i love wearing two things i've made all at once.

test knit

for london leo

this is actually the second half, one is complete.  love the pattern and this pumpkin colored yarn (the computer and cheap camera don't do it justice).  a finished pair soon...  because doing a test knit with a deadline is the RIGHT thing to do when you're moving in ten days and have to pack your whole apartment!  the packing can wait.

getting somewhere

it's not that there's nothing going on around here...  everything is just taking a little longer.  these two have been slow going, but i have a finished tova dress (a dark linen that i wish was more like this one) as of last night and am in the final stages of an abalone.  but to post these, i have to get home before dark to take pictures. 

since that's not happening anytime soon, i will have to post a picture of the other reason everything's taking a little bit longer AND the other somewheres i'm gettin'...

hey!  we're moving to baltimore!  (i couldn't find a better picture.  while i AM excited about the orioles, there are many other cool things in baltimore).

back from a break and some changes

i'm {apprehensively} back.  i loved that internet break!  i was surprised how much i didn't miss it, and surprised at how much time i was wasting.  i started reading BOOKS again.  and good timing, because i read this one, which kept me inspired. 

i've settled slowly back in, reducing the blogs i read by half (uh, because i think i was reading about 40) and not going on pinterest every day.  i think spending so much time on the internet was causing me to think for myself less and crossed the line from inspiration into loss of originality.

anyways, enough blabbing.  something else happened which i will tell more about soon, but the living room redecorating has to stop early.  so, i'm posting what got done so far, and since there are gaping holes on the wall and no curtains like i wanted, i'm posting before and afters so that the afters look more impressive!  (please keep in mind that several months or years lapsed between these pictures, so this is an evolution and not an overnight change).

before...

after!

and a closer look at after!

we were stuck on what to hang between the windows, and i have always wanted to display this beautiful frank lloyd wright scarf i got at a vintage shop in montreal.  the books and plant started to make it look too snooty, so i added a vintage hulk lunch box.  off to the right are a stack of vintage suitcases with art and craft supplies.

before...

after!

after we painted, we wanted to rearrange furniture, but had some limitations to work with.  finally i decided to think outside the box and put the couch off-center in front of the "mantle," rather than the more traditional display above.  the painting is of new york city, painted by my great-grandmother and the coffee table base is from a textile factory in fall river, ma, and dates from the early 1900's.

before (from a different angle)...

after! (from the opposite angle)

i didn't have a good before picture, but this actually ended up being one of my favorite parts of the new room.  it's like a quirky mini library, with more of my great-grandmother's paintings.

and while i was looking through before pictures i was struck by a couple contrasts of my kitchen (which has turned into a 3-part room).

before...

after!

 little busy, huh?  the kitchen had NO counters so we had to improvise, and now it is also an "office" and a "reading nook" (see below).  oh and a bike.  and typically, a drying rack full of clothes.

before-ish...

after!

after!  (the "reading nook")

i look at these and want to add more patterns!  that's going to be it for now though.  i wish the pictures were better.  no design*sponge sneak peak, but i like it.  this internet break made me re-think the whole blog thing, and i'll probably post slower again, but if you're thinking about an internet break, i highly recommend it!  

a little break

i'm going to take a week-long holiday from the internet. remember that pinterest problem? yeah, i think it's an internet problem. i need to cleanse my brain. not that i'm blogging daily or anything anyways, or not like it's so dramatic that i will be off of the internet, but that's where i'll be. i will be, of course, working on a few things,

and i leave you with this sign i passed by today while at the sowa vintage markets.

see you next sunday night!

vintage finds

we spent yesterday afternoon doing some vintage shopping in boston - i found stuff at two great stores, one of which i had NEVER been to or heard of and can't believe i was missing out, and one which i knew of but did not realize was as great as it is.

i bought this dress at oona's, which was having a 50% off EVERYTHING sale!  this dress was $17.50.  i want to fall-ize it (like wear it with layers for fall), cardigan, tights, boots.

this little scarf i found at cafe society for $6, which i had never heard of or been to before yesterday.  i used to live not too far from there at one point.  shame.  this scarf might become a pillow.

and this necklace is also from oona's, and $7.50!  the chain is kind of short, so it hangs down from your collarbone, which is kind of nice, i usually buy pendants on longer chains.  this is almost a choker but not (hello 90's!).

we also went to garment district where i found nothing.  and now i'm off to saver's to find an old sweater to unravel and knit with...