Superstitch

Do you see a theme?

Wow, ZandS has a quick turn around time! They are all the way up in PA and i'm down here in TX but i still got my order in 2 shipping days! Now i have a big stack of awesome fabrics. Now i just need to decide what to do with them all! Here are the rest of the Freshcut by Heather Bailey fabrics i ordered.... mmm soo pretty.

And these are the random fabrics. The measuring tapes and flowers are from my favorite, moda's building blocks, and the tattoo print is an Alexander Henry print that i'm going to use for a gift. i really hope that you all will be seeing some more sewing projects soon. But before i can get back into my sewing room i have to get it cleaned and organized. You may remember the bookshelf i got last week? Well i want the larger wall unit for my craft room. I have run out of places to store my fabric and instead of buying less fabric, i'm just going to buy more storage! Hopefully over the next few days I will be cleaning and reorganizing my craft room and maybe sharing some progress pics, if i dont get too self conscious of my mess!

And now for your moment of zen....

More Spring fun!

I just love mail! I went on a little mini fabric buying spree on friday and this is the first package. These are all from the fat quarter shop, she is about 30 minutes from me so they shipped yesterday and i got them today! I love it! I bought a charm pack of Moda's Peas and Carrots, 2 of the new pink Denyse Schmidt fabrics (the second and third fabric from the left) 2 of Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabrics (the first and last fabrics) and a random clearanced fabric that looks nice with the others.

I really love simple quilt tops that show case awesome fabrics so i'm trying to come up with a quilt idea for these and the fabrics i have coming from ZandS in a few days. I'm wondering if Modern Quilt Workshop's Plain Spoken would look good done in prints, maybe even prints with a few solids. You can see Hillary's version of plain spoken here. Let me know what you think! Or if anyone has any other ideas on what i could do with the fabrics please share! I'll post the second half of the fabrics in a couple of days.

Ready for Spring!

I'm so ready for spring, just look at my wip basket, it looks like some easter eggs exploded in there! This yarn is great! I found it at a joann's that was going out of business. Its 100% wool and it is supersoft! I think i bought 15 skeins in assorted colors. Looking at all the colors together i just kept imaging a very preppy tennis sweater. So i created a random striping pattern and now i'm making a little short sleeved, springy cardigan. Now if Spring could just hurry up a little....

Something wicked this way comes

I am in LOVE with this sweater so far! It is knitting up really quickly and its looking great. I am about 15 rows past the arm hole split and it only took me 2 and half days to get there! Thats quick for me! I am planning on having this done and shipped off to my sister by February 1st so that she can get some use out of it before spring. I also want to get it done by Feburary so that I will have time to make one of these for me. I am going to order Malabrigo in the Cinnabar colorway. Its just gorgeous, and very happy, spring colors.

I really, really love the cable detail at the neck, I think it makes the sweater interesting enough without having too many busy details. That is why I am not attracted to aran sweaters, the cables are gorgeous but its just too busy for my taste. Oh and the color is way more accurate in the first photo, i'm using wool-ease in cranberry on size 7 needles.

Nice and Easy

Well, the finishing of the deep v vest is not going well... I completed the body, and cut the steeks, and now i'm stuck. Since i used an acrylic blend i have to finish the edges somehow, well i tried zigzaging the edges with my machine, oh wow, that was a failure. Has anyone ever tried to seam rip zig zag stitches off of a hand knit sweater? Not. Fun. So the vest has been put to the side so that i dont cut it up in a fit of rage.

(and yes i probably could have put on a less distracting tshirt for this photo, but you know, i didn't)

So now onto the nice and easy things....I started an entrelac scarf out of Paton's SWS. I'm following the Danica pattern and so far it is a very easy, quick knit. Great for taking my mind off of the dreaded vest. The colorway i'm using is called natural geranium and i really love the different shades of pinks, dark purple and brown, very, very pretty!

I also bought the "wicked" pattern from zephyrstyle yesterday, it is a top down raglan with a really pretty cabled collar and an optional kangaroo pocket. I think i'm going to opt for no on the pocket, and mine will be long sleeved. I am using the wool ease in cranberry that is being recycled from poor viveka. I'm already about half way through the top increases but my camera died before i could get progress pictures. The wool ease version is a practice (and by practice, i mean a gift for my sister) I plan on making mine out of malabrigo,the rhodesian colorway.

Mission Organization

Well, kinda. I'm really not a neat and tidy person, but i'm trying to become one! Seth and I bought a new bookshelf at IKEA yesterday and just set it up. So far theres not much on there, but its a step in the right direction. The white and black bag in the bottom cubby is an awesome soft-sided storage bin that i'm using to store some of my yarn. I'm going to try to get another one to put in the other cubby so i can keep all of my yarn in one spot, instead of in plastic bags all over my craft room and bedroom.

The roads finally thawed and i was able to buy the skein of yarn i need to finish my vest! I'm soo close i can taste it. Hopefully i'll have FO pictures before the weekend is over! Sad news in the world of viveka and my generic top down raglan, i'm pretty sure they are both going to be frogged and repurposed. I know there is no photographic evidence, but i had finished viveka's back and half of the front, but the more i stare at it, the more i think that i wont wear it. Its turning out really big, and the yarn is not nice enough to keep me going. The poor raglan is just wayy too big for me, if fits perfect from the neck to my underarms, but its huge around my bust, i'm not sure how to fix it, and i think i may have another use for the yarn......

Did anyone see Posie's blog the other day? She is working on a gorgeous afghan that i may copy! I haven't crocheted anything since the starshell blanket and i'm itching to crochet. These are the colors i have picked out, white, red, lime green, aqua and yellow. It will be bright, just how i like it!

So close!

On saturday afternoon i sat down with my deep v vest determined to finish it while i was stuck indoors during Ice Storm 2007 (haha, thats borrowed from the local news). It really is crazy weather for Austin. Its usually a high in the fifties right about now, but instead we've been below freezing with sleet and ice. Anyways, onto the more interesting things, my deep v vest.

As you can see, i did not reach my goal. On saturday evening i realized that i was going to run out of my dark grey so i ran out to the store and got another skein because i knew i wouldn't be able to go anywhere on sunday. Well, around 8pm monday night, i ran out of the light purple! I'm so mad, and of course all day today was icy and i couldn't leave, and now they are saying that tomorrow is probably going to be icy, so i guess i'm not finishing my vest until this weather lets up. *sigh

And here is the proof, that it does get cold in Texas, once a year!

Look at this score!

All the pretty fabric......

These are 100% cotton dinner napkins i got on clearance at Dillards. They are 19x19 inches each and they are double sided. There are actually only 4 different napkins, you are seeing all 8 prints though. I bought 6 of each which means that i got 48 (almost) fat quarters for 24 bucks. Sounds like a good deal to me! I think these are going to make an awesome quilt. Now i just need to find a pattern i like. I also need to decide if i like the pink and orange fabrics with the rest. They are from the same line but they look a lot brighter and bolder. I may have enough fabric without needing to use them.

i just cannot stay focused!

I always have to have at least 3 different sewing projects going at once, i get too bored doing the same thing over and over. Its looking like i'm the same way with knitting. I have currently on the needles: the deep v vest by eunny jang, knitty's viveka, and a generic top down raglan (pictured below). I'd like to get just one of the projects done, but i cant stay focused on one of them long enough. For the past few days i've been working on my top down raglan. I FINALLY made it to the underarm and i got excited so i've been knitting on it alot. I'm having trouble deciding what do to with it though. I cant decide if i'm going to decrease and make it more fitted. Or just knit straight down and a loose comfy sweater. I'd opt for comfy but i dont know how it will wear and hang. Has anyone ever made a sweater with knitpicks merino style? How is it? I need help!