Inspiration!

I was hit with the design bug the other day. I just happened to be online window shopping at this store called Forever 21. I found 60% of the tops to be completely great (if not reeking of "Hi, I'm made in a sweatshop overseas"), but quickly realized that the name of the store, while sounding like it would be for anyone over 21 wishing to remain young and hip, is really one of those Seventeen magazine deals, where it's really appealing to 15 year olds wanting to look 21.

I forged on though because the tops were so cute.

Like this one:

And these...the yellow is so great. I think the one on the left is linen. If it had a wide collar-band, I'd really love it. I started sketching out pattern pieces instantly.





Then, I saw this shirt:...and fell in love! I knew it was well out of my design skills, but the nearest store is 3 hours away. Can I really drive there? Buying these clothes from the online store is just asking for a return hassle. But trying to make them could be even more soul crushing.

In any event, I think the whole point of this post is to show this video:

A Shirt Story

Because, this is what I'm afraid my sewing skills will result in! (Sorry, I wanted to embed the video but it was a no go)

Not really a refashion...

So I shouldn't be posting about this, but *did* use my sewing machine.
In my pursuit of this cute Gap dress, I found this shirt in the clearance section:


It was an XL and looked like a giant mumu on me, so I hemmed the side seams. I know it's not much of a refashion, but I am so excited that it worked. I'm a big fan of Wiksten Made, and while her designs are much better, I thought I did a pretty good job finding a similar design.

Now I just don't know if I should wear the dress or the shirt to work tomorrow!

Baby gear

Well, I think I already broke one of my New Year's resolutions by not posting all week. I guess crafting takes time. I have been busy crafting fun baby items lately. My pending auntiness didn't really kick in until a month ago, but now I just want to make baby things all time. My first project was a little hooded wrap. I knit this with Bernat organic cotton. Organic cotton is hard to come buy if you're not willing to order online, so I question how organic it really is. Hmm. I really liked how the little wrap knit up though.
Second, since the baby is going to be born in winter, I thought a little sweater and hat set was necessary. I used patterns from One Skein for both the hat and sweater. I thought I was getting the hang of seams, but this sweater was crap to sew up. I loved the yarn though. It's Classic Elite Yarns Lush, 50/50 wool/angora. It's super soft.
Finally, I made some baby bibs. I wasn't too sure if new babies use bibs but I've been assured that they do. They're so little that a little bit of fabric goes a long way. I really like the kitty/cat fabric. The more I look at fabric, the more I'm tempted to buy the super expensive stuff online. There are so many irresistible fabrics out there. I used the pattern from Chickpea Sewing Studio. They sewed up really fast, and they're so cute....

Babies are cute.

Photo Frenzy!

I have my camera back! I thought I'd update my knitting progress.

First, I finished my Stag Bag:
The liner isn't quite right...Tippi's how-to was really helpful. I think I need to reinforce my strap. I wanted an over-the-shoulder I knit two i-cords but they stretch and really pull on the bag so I might add a fabric underside to the straps. I haven't had time yet for that. The bag is usable (and being used). I have to admit to being a bit wary about my talents and desire for the bag, but it's so great. I'm so glad to have tried this bag.

I also made another bag this week:
I didn't quite have the right colors to make the Candy Corn Bag. My bag also really belled out when I felted it. I used Patons wool. I've felted with this before, but it really acted funny this time. The different colors seemed to felt at different times. I think the original is much cuter, but this was just a quick little project. Halloween is so close and I want to be able to use it this year.

Finally, I started another baby sweater:
It's the Jo-Jo Basic Crew Sweater from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. I'm using Lion Brand Wool-ease worsted weight yarn, so it's not so natural, but I am trying to work through my stash still. There's a lot of cute ideas in this book.

Zombie knitting!

Because I can never pass up posting fun knitting ideas:

Wonder Washer

As I was glancing through various blogs today (avoiding school like the plague), I came across a post about this:
It's the Wonder Washer and I thought it was too cool not to post about it. I could felt any wool I lay hands on any time I want! I could also wash new fabric without waiting until I have a load of laundry too. So, I doubt I'll buy this (practicality and space and all...), but it is fun to dream.

Softies

I haven't posted anything too exciting for a while, so I'll add to that streak by sharing this link I found today:

Softies Central

It's all about handcrafted toys. They're all so cute! I particularily love August 28th's post of the Candy Corn Vampire!

This & that

I finished the Debbie Bliss Martine cardigan and I'm pretty happy with it, but it's very big in the body (hard to tell from the photos), so I'm giving it to my sister who's pregnant and starting to show - I think this style of one-button sweater is perfect for a big belly.





Here are the results of some more thrift-store un-knitting. These are both cotton; the red and tan are really soft, and the green is a really fine tape-like yarn. I don't have anything in mind for them yet, they're just going into the stash.




I just received the new Norah Gaughan pattern booklet, Vol.1, from Berroco, and I *love* it. I've actually never yet knit with Berroco yarn but I'm a big fan of their patterns.

And finally, the recent posts on TECHknitting on joining methods are amazing! She shows several ways to join new yarn *without leaving tails* that will need to be woven in! I can't wait to try them out.

Street Knitting

I was reading my Daily Awesome and the newest post was on Swedish street knitters and it posted pictures from Masquerade. The pictures are great.