New wardrobe for 2010

One of my new year's resolutions is to learn more about apparel sewing and knitting. First up a new sweater:

This is my first project using a higher quality yarn. I chose Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light and the difference was noticeable both in price and quality. Fortunately, Windsor Button had a good sale. The alpaca was soft and easy to work with and the sweater is very warm. On the downside, it's a little shorter than I'd like and the sleeves are a bit too full. It's not an everyday sweater but I have worn it with a high waisted denim skirt and with black dress pants. The pattern is called Millet and can be found in the Tapestry Collection book by Rowan.

Next up patternmaking. Stay tuned.

As Seen on TV

I was catching up with Ugly Betty on my DVR this weekend and I did a doubletake when I spotted Betty Suarez's fabulous bag.

Do you see the resemblance?

Looks a lot like my knitting bag don't you think?

I'm sure it's just a coincidence (a tote made with IKEA fabric is hardly an original idea) but it was still exciting to see my bag on national TV! Although, upon further reflection given Betty's past fashion choices I'm not so sure I should consider it a compliment.

Christmas Wrap-Up

I was spoiled with quite a few wonderful gifts this year: books on sewing and knitting, fabric, yarn, a stylish McAuley almnae t-shirt and a vintage Vera tablecloth just to name a few. I love all my gifts but I wanted to share a few special handmade gifts from the crafty women in my life:

A ribbon yarn necklace from Mom



Earrings from Aunt Sue



A Girls' Week '09 memory book from Krista & Lydia



A wreath from my cousin Lisa

Yummy homemade relish and strawberry jam from my colleague Mary

I have to admit I dropped the ball a bit on making gifts this year but with all this inspiration to draw from I'm thinking one of my new year's resolutions will be to start working on my Christmas gifts in July.

Sock it to me

Finally, the set is complete. The socks reached their destination and I've been told they are hanging on the mantle with the rest of the set.

Since I didn't put names on the stockings I personalized them in other ways. Mom's stocking features gingerbread and her famous Italian cookies. Dad's stocking has a nod to his favorite baseball team -- the Red Sox, of course.

Now all that's left is to wait for Santa. I certainly hope everyone made the nice list this year.

Sneak Preview

You might remember these stockings I made for my favorite kids last year. There were supposed to be stockings for Mom & Dad too but they never quite got finished. I'm happy to report the set is finally complete and they are on the way to join the kids' stockings on the mantle just in time for Santa. I don't want to spoil the surprise but I can't resist sharing a sneak peak of my favorite details:

Baby Sweater

I knit up this baby sweater for a friend who is expecting. She doesn't want to know the sex so I thought this turquoisey/green would be a safe choice. I used this pattern purchased at the famous Lettuce Knit in Toronto. It knits up from side to side rather than from bottom to top which I initially found a bit confusing. However once I stopped stressing and just started knitting it came together pretty quickly . Although I must admit I did make a mistake on the waistband and cuffs (I knit when I should have purled).



Here's my second attempt for another friend's newborn son. As you can see I corrected the waistband and cuffs on this version.


I really like this pattern. Knitting from side to side gives the basic garter stitch a unique look and the newborn size can be knit up in just a few days. Athough these two sweaters are quite similar I like that you can really change the look with the choice of yarn and buttons. I would definitely make it again.

Christmas comes early

My friends June and Kathleen had the chance to go to the famous International Quilt show in Houston and they generously brought me back a bag of goodies. I'm not exactly sure the origin of all the chicken fabrics but they are really fun. In fact I'm thinking I may have to convince Kathleen to help me turn them into one of her fabulous quilted bags (speaking of Murphy bags if you have some holiday shopping to do I encourage you to check out her fabulous Etsy store).

Some other items of note include several gorgeous buttons including a red clasp that would work on a bag or maybe as a closure for a knit cardi, a pair of rooster embroidery scissors (I had wanted the traditional bird style but these are so much cooler) and some beautiful silk embroidery floss made right in my own neighborhood.

Thanks so much ladies! You both have excellent taste and I love all my goodies.