Friday Eye Candy

Clemson Sock yarn....

...And thats all I have to say about that! :)

Friday Eye Candy

-or- otherwise entitled "What I've learned about online retail therapy." 

I LOVE retail therapy, it usually gets me through most of my really bad days.  Sometimes though, when those bad days are work related (every day) and you are too busy to go shop after work, or what you want to shop for (fabric/yarn) can't be found in your hometown, then you may turn to ONLINE Retail Therapy.  Let me say - for the record - It doesn't work the same.  The 'buy' isn't directly followed by the 'enjoy' and you 'buy' again thinking it will help.  Really, its not therapeutic in the long run (just expensive! ha).  But in my case a couple weeks ago - it made for a really awesomely fantastic Saturday! 

That Saturday (after online retail therapy all week on my lunch break) I received not one - but two amazing packages of yummy goodness.  Including my fave, mmmmmmmmMalabrigo!  This time in chunky...

2 skeins of Cuarzo

Will most likely be a hat and mittens...

And one skein of Sauterne

This will be a Foliage...99% sure of that!

The rest of the LOVELY box from Eat.Sleep.Knit was (sadly) not for me...so I had to send it on

  More chunky Malabrigo (and a fun scratch off ticket, button AND Rice Krispie Treat!)

The second box was from Knit Picks and had yarn for two blankets 

The white is for Drew's Christening blanket (to be seen Monday!) and the other (FUN!) colors are for Wild Stripes!  I really have had my eye on the blanket for a looong time - but didn't want to splurge for all those colors of yarn, now that I have a nephew (a reason to knit the blanket) I was thinking about it.  Knit Picks has great prices and lots of colors, so I took the plunge.   It made the package MUCH more fun than it would have been all white!

Knit Picks also had all their books on sale (and retail therapy ALWAYS loves a sale) so I finally splurged $7 for EZ's Knitting Almanac.  I figure one niece and February Baby Sweater will be worth it (not to mention mom wants matching mittens to her Chevron scarf - and those are in here).

That is ALOT more than I normally buy and may have to be the only Friday Eye Candy post for the MONTH of May!  Enjoy your weekend - I'll be knitting, knitting, knitting on my DrewBean's blanket (60%+ done), and hopefully enjoying some nice weather at the lake!

Happy Weekending!

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!

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

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!  :)

Friday Eye Candy

Remember this bag of goodies?  (from the knitting weekend?!)

Well I showed you the yarn already...but the fabric I found in Summerville too was amazing!

Here's a peek...

Nicey Jane Fat Quarters 

(by Heather Bailey)

(I had no idea how much I loved this line until I saw it in person.  Now I'm trying to decide how much more I can afford to get my hands on.  Its just lovely in everything I've seen made with it).

I also got some Dolce

(by Tanya Whelan) 

b/c well fat quarters were buy 12 get a 13th free - and who can resist that (when you already have 10 in your basket?!?)  And the one on the far right is AB - of course!  :)

They also had this adorably cute car fabric (that I didn't realize was Riley Blake til I had it being cut)

I couldn't resist just in case I had a nephew (which I did!!)  So you will see this heading to Chicago as something soon!

Last but not least they had some AMH and AB in their 'sale bin!' *gasp!* so I bought all they had of both (less than 3 yds - for $3.50/yd!!  CRAZY!  I figure it will work well for a quilt back - if I ever to finishing one of those!  lol)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  We have family in town - so maybe not too much sewing - but hopefully lots of fun!  :)

Happy Weekending!

Hob Lob

We recently had a major improvement in the Augusta area.  We got a Hobby Lobby!!  I found some cute fabric and added to the stash (very inexpensively!)

 

and some knit for a FUN pair of pajama pants...

 

Eric even enjoyed a trip in there to see what its all about (its so much bigger and diversified than a Michael's etc.  If you have one you should really check it out!)

Have a good weekend - and here's to more FINISHED projects next week!

Friday Eye Candy

 

So that big blue bag did have yarn in it.  Wonderful yummy Malabigo yarn to be exact.  5 skeins of worsted weight in pollen (should make a sweater though I don't know yet which one) and be just mmmmm....yummy

I'll do the big fabric reveal next week (maybe..)

And I have decided from our trip that I want to live in Summerville. I had the BEST turkey meatloaf ever, found yummy Malabrigo at the knit shop and walked across the street to the best quilt shop I've ever been in!  They had an entire front room full of the designer fabrics I only drool over online - it was great!  (and only 30 minutes from Charleston - my fave!  ahhhh)

Hope you have a great weekend!

Friday Eye Candy

A week late and a dollar short right?!?  Sorry!  I've had a pretty bad case of the winter blues - keeping me from sewing and posting to the blog - but I'm trying to pull myself out of it.  Maybe eye candy will help us all!

 

My very very FAVE from this stack (AB - shocking huh?!)

 

and finally some ADORABLE fabric from Fabricworm

 

Have a great weekend.  I am headed to the middle of nowhere for a quiet knitting weekend with some good 'fiber friends' of mine!  We have a cabin, 4 bottles of wine, no cable television and snow on the way!  We should manage to have a really great time - and in light of the fiber weekend - I'll share some yarn eye candy too ( my BFF bought me this so we can make Calorimetries together as she learns to knit!)

Happy Weekending!  :)

Forgotten Friday...

I'm sorry!  I forgot to post eye candy on Friday (and you thought I was good and didn't buy fabric - right?!?)  Well this actually came with my Hope Valley package - but it seems very different - so I kept it to entertain you at a later date.  This is my new 'pink stash'. 

 

The fabric on the far left is for the inside of my duffel bag (coming soon - I hope!), the middle has already been used in Josie's pillow (there is some left too) and the one on the right I just couldn't resist...I mean - brown and pink?!?  Those are MY COLORS!

(see...even in my wedding...those are MY COLORS!)

 

I think the wedding picture makes up for the tardy eye candy post (I hope anyway!)  Hope you had a great weekend!

Friday Eye Candy

This weeks fabric shipment (ha ha!  I talk about them like they just show up and I don't scour the internet over lunch and order them!)  Anyway...This weeks fabric shipment - included Denyse Schmidt fabric.  Her new line of fabric is called Hope Valley and I'm warming to it.

I ordered a FQ set in my favorite of the colorways (Fiesta!)

And I ordered some of the other prints that I really liked

See, I pretty recently started sewing a lot (and becoming obsessed with fabric), and I'm learning that fabrics are usually only printed once.  So - if you love a fabric line you gotta go ahead and buy it.  Or you'll miss it. (great marketing scheme - eh?)  And Denyse Schmidt has a huge following after her Flea Market Fancy line.  (that website is where they are petitioning the fabric company to reprint it b/c so many people - like me! - missed it or just want to buy MORE of it!  Sign it if you haven't so we can all have a chance to buy some more!)   I also missed her Katie Jump Rope fabric line too - (well, I can find a little bit of it for less than $10/fq - but not much).  So I took a chance on liking Hope Valley the more and more I see it too.  I think my favorite quilt (so far) made in this fabric is from Red Pepper Quilts.  I certainly didn't buy enough fabric to make that quilt, but I bought enough to experiment and see how I like it too. 

I hope you enjoyed the eye candy - and have a wonderful weekend!  I have to get the princess' present finished tonight and hope to have some sewing time when we get back on Sunday too.  The quilt top is starting to taunt me! 

Friday Eye Candy and Choices...

Friday Eye Candy for this week just arrived yesterday!  I've been waiting patiently after a bad week at work for my retail therapy to arrive.  This fabric already has some plans waiting for it (which is a good thing...)

 Well - some of it I have plans for - the AB Pressed Flowers I have never been able to find in the pink colorway (my fave) so I had to have it - and the AB green dots set it off fantastically I think - so those were a bit impulse - but the Heather Bailey on the left has a plan for it

(sorry about the crappy photos - no light again)

This is the Heather Bailey and its destined to be a nursing cover for my SIL.  I didn't know she wanted one until Christmas and I've found a couple free tutorials and some great example pics and like this fabric combo.

And the best Eye Candy for last...

ahhhhh!!!  AB love (decorator weight) for a duffel bag.

Finally, my New Years Resolution was to make a quilt a month.  (gasp! - I know!)  I only made 3 in six months last year - but I think I can get the hang of it better this year and I have to start eating up some of this fabric I can't stop buying! 

So - I finished my Nest Quilt Disappearing Nine Patch Squares - but I don't know how I want to lay them out (is there a certain way you are supposed to?!)  Here are a couple ideas I've had...does anyone have more photos / inspiration / instruction for how I should do this?  Do you like either of these options?!  I need help here - getting the top put together and the back made is my goal for this weekend so I can stay on track with my "Quilt-a-Month" goal.

So...Option A

Or Option B

Whaddya think?!

Friday Eye Candy

I love Friday Eye Candy!!  Oh how I missed you when I was gone.  Getting packages in the mail filled with yummy goodness (whether it be yarn or fabric) always brightens my day.  That's why I like to share it with you on Fridays!!
I got these two packages before I left, but I kept them bundled up to open when I got home (as a Christmas gift to myself of sorts...)
Sew Mama Sew was having a sale...and I have this new Amy Butler Love pattern - I can't find a thing to match it - so I tried with some of these orange and purples.  Not so much - but gorgeous fabric nonetheless.

 

and I finally gave in to the one Munki Munki I just HAD to have.  I couldn't stand it anymore.  Aren't they too cute?!?

Goldfish in bags - ah!!

If I have a new nephew maybe his playmat will have these, or maybe I will hoard them for myself!  Who knows.

What I do know is that despite this terrible awful no good cold I have had all week I did manage to get SOME sewing done.  And this is a sneak peak at one thing I was working on...

Stay tuned...I'll share more!