From the Top

I am onto the body of the t-shirt after casting off for the sleeves and then casting back on for under the arms. I really like the raglan shaping of the sleeves. After about five inches of the body I begin the waist decreases and increases. The Cathay is a great yarn to work with. It's very similar to the KnitPicks Shine.

Blissed Out

I stopped in at Knit Purl yesterday afternoon to browse and check things out. I hadn't been in since it opened. It was a great shop with a nice selection of yarns and needles. I decided to go ahead with the Tivoli t-shirt and was looking at the Debbie Bliss Cathay, the recommended yarn for the pattern. This yarn comes in a great palette of colors, and I was trying to decide between the pumpkin and light blue. I ended up selecting the blue because I haven't made anything in that particular shade. I swatched last night and am only about 10 rows into the project. The yarn, which is a blend of cotton, microfiber, and silk, knits up into a lovely fabric and easily slips off the Addi circulars!

Charmed

I finished the Simplicity 5066 mini yesterday afternoon, but it was too rainy to actually wear it. The separating zipper is a fun detail. I had a few problems with the pattern layout because I didn't buy as much fabric as I should have. So, I ended up creating my own layout and due to how I cut out the pattern pieces, the zipper was supposed to be on the right side, but it ended up on the left. Oh well. I still like how it turned out. Now I get to move on to the dress!

Shake Your Booties

My friend's baby shower was yesterday and here is what I knit up for her. It's another pair of Ugg booties with a matching hat. The hat was made with the remaining Berroco Plush yarn. The only change I made in the booties was to add a drawstring tie for a better fit. I think they probably would just slip off otherwise.

Piece Out

I managed to cut out the skirt pieces last night while watching the NBA finals. I don't know if I'll be able to start sewing tonight, but I think this could make a perfect Saturday afternoon project. On the knitting front, I am considering the Tivoli t-shirt as my next project after seeing it on Flickr.

What's Next?

With a couple of sewing projects to work on, I haven't decided on my next knit project yet. I finally cut out my skirt pattern last night and laid out the pieces on the fabric. I'll pin them down and cut out the fabric tonight. I scanned the directions and the project seems fairly straightforward. The hardest part will probably be sewing in the zipper. I hope I can have this finished by the weekend so I can wear it out and about.

Done

I finished the neck edging, with only a few yards of yarn to spare!

Feeling Strapped

I finally finished knitting up the straps last night and sewed one to the tank. I have to sew on the other one and then knit up the neck edging. The strap shaping is rather clever. Once you have the straps at the right length, you start decreasing on the side that will be sewn to the outer edge of the top. It's a very cool design. I should have pictures in the next couple of days.

Waiting

While I was waiting for the tank pieces to block this weekend, I started knitting up some gifts for a friend whose baby is due in August. I knitted up a pair of booties and a matching hat. I have to do the finishing on these items at lunchtime today. I unpinned the tank pieces this morning and, hopefully, I shall seam the sides tonight and begin knitting the straps.

All I Need Are Straps

I just finished the back this morning and will pin down both pieces for blocking. Once that's done, I'll seam together the sides and knit up the straps.

For Carolyn

I think this will look great after it's been blocked.

Let it Shine

I bought four skeins of Shine from KnitPicks a few weeks back in anticipation of starting this next tank project, Alma, also from Rowan 31. This is a fabulous yarn to knit with and the fabric it creates is really soft. The stitches are practically perfect with a nice uniformity throughout. I would highly recommend it for summer knitting projects. I started Alma this weekend and am just about done with the front. The chart pattern has been easy and fun to knit. I am omitting the flower bobbles and leaves though since I prefer a more simplified look. I also like that the straps criss cross on the back.

Fabricated

Here are the fabrics I bought over the weekend. The two prints are from the Charm series by Amy Butler. I love how they're both really graphic yet not your typical tropical pattern. There are a great series of fabrics in this line, all in really good colors, like pink, blue, brown, green, and orange. They had an updated retro look. The black polka-dotted fabric is for the contrasting dress trim. After seeing this Trina Turk dress, I started searching for a similar pattern, but couldn't find anything until I read this blog entry on Currently. I am planning to make view B of the dress. The skirt pattern is one I've used before to make a kiwi green mini. This time I am going to sew up view F with the asymmetrical zipper. I've washed and ironed the fabric. I still need to cut out the patterns too. I'll probably start with the skirt first since that looks to be the quicker project.

Buttoned Up

I tried to find some cool buttons when I was at the Fabric Depot this weekend, but there wasn't anything that was the right size except these nice simple ones. I stitched them on later that afternoon while watching Kinsey and The Sea Inside. I thought this tank might be a little looser fitting, but it actually fits just right. I made the length just a tiny bit shorter than what's called for in the directions, about one centimeter, I think. And as I mentioned previously, there are seven buttons instead of eight. Overall, this was an easy and fun project.

PS While I was at the Depot, I couldn't help but buy some fabric for a skirt and a dress. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Searching for Buttons

Before leaving for work this morning, I pinned down the two front pieces and they are now blocking. This weekend, I will search for some appropriate buttons. As I was finishing up the right front, I noticed that I only had seven buttonholes instead of the eight that are called for in the pattern. When I was marking placement of the buttons, I must have spaced out and counted wrong. Oh well. I think it will still turn out fine!

Tutorial

Here's a great pleated clutch purse tutorial from Craftster.

Belt it Out

Here's a side project I have been working on. I finished it last week. I browsed through one of my kntting stitch books and found this cool herringbone stitch pattern. It was perfect for a belt because it created a nice thick fabric. The buckle is from M & J Trimming and is wood. The yarn I used was Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in bronze patina.

Near the Finishing Line

I finished the left front piece during the weekend. I'm about to start the moss stitch section on the right front, so I'm approximately two-thirds of the way done. I'm using two row counters on this front piece to keep track of buttonhole rows and increases and decreases. Sometimes it gets a little confusing!