Friday Eye Candy and...

More baby gifts.  

My standard baby shower gift has become burp cloths and a taggy blanket.  I like to think these can be considered 'boutique' burp cloths and the mothers appreciate that they can be more of a  'going out' burp cloth.  By that I mean "looking as cute and trendy as a cloth babies are spitting up on possibly can!"  ha!  Anyway - more burp cloths, gender neutral this time and a patchwork taggy blanket (new to me - I'm loving the idea of a TINY quilt - just one square of patchwork) - but cute!  Still minky on one side and patchwork on the other.

Before you think I'm cheap for just giving burp cloths - Eric and I did make a great diaper cake again!  Meghan is planning to use cloth diapers (which makes the idea of a diaper cake hard) - but we used one cloth diaper and the Earth's Best disposable diapers (she was registered for) this time.  There is a bottle brush through the middle, a bottle, some toys, pacifiers, a rattle and lotion etc.  I enjoy making these - they make a great decoration, a fun gift and I hope the moms like them too!

(I just have to say - stupid dumb flash - but the ones without are worse)

And now for the eye candy.  I bought some new sock yarn (surprise) to finish up my very own sock club (you might have seen it in the picture before).  Its Colinette Jitterbug (and I LOVE IT!) in Toscana.  The possibilities are endless of what to knit with it - but I'm really excited.

We have a wedding this weekend so I won't be sewing :(  I was really hoping to complete a top for Spring Top Week 2010 - would have been my first clothes sewing experience.  I was really hoping that contest would spring me into action (and it did somewhat - I found the main fabric and a pattern - but realized too late I didn't have enough fabric for the trim and tie).  Oh well - hopefully I'll still make it just for me when we get back.  But the wedding does mean lots of car time which means lots of  knitting time!  (well - if Eric will drive!)  So I should have something to show for my weekend after all!  Wonder what it will be?!?!  :)

Hope you have a great weekend!

Sock of the Month

There has been ALOT of sock knitting going on around here....

Blackjack socks with Lorna's Laces limited edition colorway - Robin's Egg from last April (yeah - it took me a year to knit these socks)

THESE socks however are looking more like one week to complete (I may start knitting all DK weight socks)

These are Duckies in Happy Feet

I am loving these!  But both pairs are coming to an end and I decided to take the Yarn Harlot's advice.  Make your own sock club.  So I took the sock yarn from my stash, matched each one up with a pattern I would like to make with it and stuffed them each into a baggie.  Then I had hubby choose one and that will be the next pair of socks I knit (yes, girls - PAIR!  I am trying!)  So... here is my make-shift sock club all set up and ready to go...

Exciting huh?

There are enough there for May-November if I knit a pair a month (lofty goal if I do say so myself - cuz none of those are DK weight...)  but I am really thrilled about the prospect and hoping it keeps me motivated to knit a PAIR of socks and move on to the next one out of the grab bag.

I bet you just can't wait to see all these finished socks and what hubby picked next- any guesses?

Wrenna

I am going to start this post with a very controversial statement (in the knitting world).  I HATE Noro.  There, I said it.  I never really 'got' the Noro craze, but I did TRY it one time.  I knit my mom (and I both) a Calorimetry out of a skein of Silk Garden.  I liked it a bit - how it was changing etc.  But the sticks in the yarn etc - not a big fan.  Well in the middle of knitting the calorimetry the yarn was just tied together and then broken.  End one bright bold color, start another.  WTH?!?!

I swore off Noro (except there may be an entrelac scarf in my future - b/c honestly entrelac looks better in Noro than anything else - I will admit that).  I say all this b/c one crappy knot deserves another (I guess)....

In the middle of knitting my Wrenna Sweater I ran into the same type of crappy knot.  Oh Lions Brand - at least you have a $5 price tag that makes me expect knots...Noro - what is your $20 excuse?!? 
Moving on...I did finish my Wrenna sweater and its okay.  The yarn turned out lovely and I like the color.  It needed a lot of blocking and I'm not sure its very flattering on a 5ft tall bustly lady - but I'll probably wear it anyway.  (or to be honest I already wore it anyway!)

So what is on your needles (knitting or otherwise!)?

Friday Eye Candy

This week's eye candy is a lovely Lorna's Laces yarn.  With the crafting time turning more towards knitting around here, the stash is getting more of a yarn boost (rather than fabric) too.  I LOVE the Jimmy Beans Wool special colorways of Lorna's Laces each month.  This colorway was actually super special because it was for an event (never seen that before). But my husband will tell you (um, and I think I already mentioned it once...) that brown and pink together are my colors!!  So without further ado...May I present to you...

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Stitches West '10 Colorway (Yum!)

 Pink and Brown and Red - OH MY!

And since we all know sock yarn doesn't count in the stash....I decided it was just fine to get two!!  :)

I hope you have a lovely weekend planned!  I am hoping to get back in the sewing room and make a top for Spring Top 2010 Contest (and to challenge myself to sewing something I can wear) and we have a wedding shower to go to  - so I'm really hoping Eric will drive and I can knit more too!! 

Happy Weekending!

<3 N

I still sew...

Burp Cloths (for my favoritest little nephew Drew and his new best buddy, Will)

They each have a matching set of these

Brown is Alexander Henry's Zoo

Green and Orange are Lizzy House's Red Letter Day

And another set for Will

Blues (top and bottom) are Lizzy House's Red Letter Day

Green is Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party

I hope they (or more their styling moms!) enjoy them!

And...if I can get my computer to cooperate tomorrow - eye candy!

Friday Eye Candy

Oh what?!?  It isn't Friday?  Well I owe you one from last week - and believe me its not from lack of trying.  I tried to load these pictures to blogger (or even save a post) all day on Friday and all to no avail.  So my promise of fabric fun is coming a bit late.

 

I found a great fabric shop in Chicago that I wanted to visit - and I was really excited when I found out it was just a couple miles from my brother's house.  Unfortunately I didn't look it up sooner b/c they also have some amazing class offerings. Once I was there though I found amazing things I haven't been able to feel and see anywhere else (I do most my fabric shopping online and its hard to tell scale, how something feels etc from any description).  So while at the Needle Shop I was ecstatic to see Echino, and AMH's voile, more of AB's Love fabric and lots of amazing patterns.  I'm a bit on a budget b/c I haven't been making much lately (did you notice that too) so I bought only some 

Echino Scooters

And some AB Coriander in Blue

I finally got to touch AMH's voile fabric and I can tell you with much certainly there will be Voile in my future!  That stuff is AMAZING!  The hype I hear is real!  I really wanted to make AMH's new dress pattern, but as I've never made anything to fit my body (yet) I think starting smaller (with less expensive fabric) is in order first.  But let me just reiterate about her Little Folks - WOW!

Hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend.  We certainly did around here.  We had gorgeous weather, the message of Good News (He is Risen!  How great is that!) AND I had my MIL in town to help me with a different type of crafting, and its garden season again!  :)

Socks

Well I promised a finished PAIR of socks and finally I am here to deliver.  These socks have been done (the knitting part) for over two weeks - but as Morgan has taught me - it isn't DONE until you weave your ends in (I HATE weaving ends in btw). 

Anyway, for a sock pattern named Tadpoles these had a very fitting finish last night as I weaved the ends in while we were out fishing.  It also made for quite a good picture opportunity...

That leaves only one single sock left without a partner.  I'm working on that...

(oddly enough I knit the second sock for each of these in the exact opposite order I knit the first sock in)

Anyway, to try and eliminate this problem in the future I recently started this too...

So far, I don't get it.  Ugh!  SSS will forever plague me!

(oh and tomorrow IS Friday Eye Candy - and its GOOD Friday - so I'll make it a good one! Make sure you come back!)