rainbow slouchy beanie

January 14, 2014January 14, 201415 Comments

while i was taking my class at close knit, i had fun wandering around touching the different yarns, admiring the colors and varying degrees of softness, learning about weights, the usual “getting to know this new medium” type stuff. and then i found a yarn that was so perfect for my little gal and decided to make her a hat even though she didn’t need one.

slouchy pink rainbow hat

it’s pink, but it’s also rainbow-y! it’s soft, it’s worsted weight – lighter weight yarn than i’d ever knit with before, but not so tiny it was scary…it was perfect. it’s the first “real” yarn i bought and yes, good yarn makes a big difference (just like good fabric does while sewing!). it’s by cascade yarns – superwash paints in rainbow sherbet and i loved knitting with it.

i thought it’d be cute to make her a slouchy beanie, and asked Tara what pattern she liked – she suggested the Graham (free on Ravelry). my teacher said by age 5 or 6 a kid can wear adult hat patterns, so i cast on the adult medium size from the pattern started work on the ribbing.

at a certain point, i decided i didn’t need the broken rib texture to add interest to the main body of the hat – the yarn had so much going on color-wise, i stuck with my sewing philosophy of “loud fabric? use a simple pattern” and hoped it’d apply to knitting too.

so after i was done with about 2.5” of k1p1 ribbing, i just knit in the round until it measured about 7.5” from the edge, then started my decrease (i had to look up how to do that evenly). i first knitted a row adding a marker every 12 stitches, so with the next round i could just get to the last two stitches before each marker and knit them together rather than having to count. i love how the decreased part looks with the little ridges! once it got too tight for my needles (i don’t know how to use double pointed needles so i just did it all on circulars) i just cinched up the last bit and added a pom pom. as you do. 🙂

i blocked the hat and let it dry overnight with the crown stretched over a dinner bowl (my first time blocking!). it definitely helped add to the slouchiness, though it stretched out the brim a little more than i wanted.

it still fits her fine, just a teensy bit loose.

oh! i should talk quickly about her skirt too – i made it for her first day of school and felt like it was too simple to blog on its own…but it goes so nicely with her hat, i figured i could throw it in here, okay?

the fabric is the popular (with good reason!) briar rose by heather ross – hex bee in lilac. i basically sewed a lazy days skirt with no ribbon, and slapped a shot cotton hexi pocket on there for fun. she’s worn it quite a bit in the last few months.

in this outfit, all layered and cozy and pink and purple, i think she looks like a little rasta grandma. 🙂

i keep thinking that, as a beginner, i should knit something bulkier, something with immediate gratification just to practice the whole process and get more projects under my belt, but i really like the look of the thinner yarns and the shapes those creations take, ya know? can’t help it. and i’m pretty much in love with this hat on top of her head.

peace out.

more hat details here on Ravelry.

canvas portside duffle

January 10, 2014January 10, 201427 Comments

next in the gifting line up, the thing i was most excited to make – a portside duffle!

when Jen of Grainline Studio released her Portside Travel Set pattern a few months ago, i really wanted to get it for a “someday in the future” project (the pattern includes a duffle, dopp kit, and small zippered pouch – awesome value, really, and would make a great wedding/father’s day/graduation gift!). i exercised restraint and held off on buying the pattern, though – until i drew my brother-in-law’s name for our family gift exchange and i knew it would make a great gift for him.

he’s a tall guy (it’s a huge bag!), he’s a musician (needs to haul stuff around!), and he’s a creative person (appreciates handmade!). plus i feel like i have a good sense of his taste. it just seemed like the perfect thing. when he opened it he seemed to really like it, and didn’t even realize i made it until he saw his initials inside (see below), so it paid off for sure!

i’ve been interested in sewing with heavier materials lately. i bought a beckel tote for my mother in law for Christmas and the thick canvas and the heavy duty topstitching was fascinating – i bought it at this awesome bazaar in town where i could talk to the woman that sewed it (on an industrial Juki, she said), so this was sort of my chance to put my Bernina 380 to the test and see if i could make something similar in style.

i bought heavy thread, cotton webbing, and a bunch of metal zippers at JoAnn, plus natural and camel colored canvas duck in the outdoor section there. some of the hardware was harder to find and i had to get it at Mill End. the bag is lined with yarn dyed essex in leather, which i got as a remnant at Bolt.

my husband said the machine sounded different as i sewed this bag – i honestly don’t think my old machine could have handled the super heavy material! walking foot, size 16 needle, i pulled out all the tricks to keep it running smoothly.

i quilted the bottom with a layer of batting to help it sit upright if he set it down.

and skipped the dopp kit, but made the little pouch…easy and quick:

i ran into just a couple snags – i think there was a missing pattern mark on the end pieces as to where i should place the straps, and i found the lining a bit too large for the bag, which may have been due to the fact that it’s linen and stretchy versus the decidedly non-stretchy nature of the outer. not sure, i’d have to make it again to find out. and my husband has requested one, so it’s on the horizon once he figures out the colors he wants!

pretty fun making such a heavy duty, masculine bag though! it just feels so LEGIT, you know? when you finish a project and have that sense of “wow, i actually made that!”, it’s always fun.

lickety split field study bag

January 6, 2014January 5, 201414 Comments

for all the sewing i’ve done from Rae’s patterns over the years, i’d never made one of her purses! she was kind enough to send me the lickety split and the bonsai bag patterns in advance of the holidays, and i sewed up a lickety split for our awesome day care gal as a Christmas present.

Rae actually released this pattern in 2009 (forever ago in sewingbloglandyears)! i’ve always thought it was a neat design and it looked like it could be sewn quickly but also had nice style to it, so it seemed like the perfect project for my gift sewing spree this year.

you can see in the older patterns how Rae’s pattern writing and digitizing skills have progressed over the last four years, but even though it’s an “elderly pattern” it’s still digital, a smart design, clearly written…and a lot of fun to sew!

i used a really pretty Anna Maria Horner Field Study linen (Flower Circuit in Sunny) for the bag, which was given to me by Jess (that gal seems to have become my main fabric provider lately, hehe) and lined it with a pink kona cotton from my stash. i skipped the outer pockets but added one to the inside. the bag can be reversible if you want!

it took a bit more fabric than i expected due to the looooong handles and being cut on the fold, so i ended up piecing two outers together on one side which looked completely fine. after taking these photos, i decided to add a snap (just a normal size 16 metal snap, nothing fancy) at the top center to keep it from gaping open. it just took it from “tote” to “purse” a little more, too.

my big ol’ belly makes it look a little small and out of proportion maybe, but to me it’s the perfect size bag to use everyday for lots of different applications (diaper bag, errand-running bag, gym bag, lunch bag, grocery bag, car bag for road trips) and i love that the straps can be tied to be longer or even separately (say onto a stroller handle or cart) if desired. the boxed bottom is great, too, gives it a nice shape.

the title of the pattern actually describes both the design and the sewing…it truly came together lickety split!

i’ve got fabric picked for another one to keep for myself. 😉

gifts for the nieces

December 30, 2013December 30, 201312 Comments

when my blog is quiet like it has been, it usually means i’m up to my eyeballs actually making stuff.

and aside from making a human (due to arrive in less than 2 months now!), i also sewed quite a few Christmas gifts this year – nine, actually. that’s kind of a lot for me. i got photos of MOST of them ahead of time, but may need to follow up on a few that i really want to photograph modeled rather than taped to a wall, so we’ll see how many of the nine show up here. i even made a MAN gift! anyway, let’s knock three out right now, eh?

i have three nieces – my sister’s kids – and i feel like i don’t sew for them very often. i really wanted to make them each a comfortable, wearable, but uniquely handmade garment to go with some store-bought leggings I picked up on black friday.

for the 4 year old (Em’s best friend, currently in pre-kindergarten, and almost always wearing a knit top and leggings when i see her):

a Nessie Top! i tried to pattern test this for Jess of CINO, but her pattern testings somehow come at especially busy times for me, and I wasn’t able to. however, i still had the tester version of the pattern and was very excited to sew it up! the top comes together really quickly (construction is similar to the FBST, since it’s a simple knit shirt), but i love the swingy girly shape and hi-low hem of the Nessie, and couldn’t wait to make it in some Heather Ross Briar Rose strawberry jersey knit (sent to me by the very same Jess for my birthday, and such a dream to sew!).

i hemmed it using my double needle and a walking foot and it worked great.

i added a little olive colored microsuede pocket for a little extra interest and to make sure it didn’t go “pajama.” i left the pocket edges raw and zigzagged around them to secure. word is, my niece is a fan and it fits great! i made a 4T and she is average-sized (about the same size or bigger than 5.5 year old Em who tried it on and had just the right amount of growing room).

for the 2.5 year old…a peasant dress covered in bunnies and balloons!

pattern is the sweet little dress by leila & ben. i’ve sewed a bunch of these in my time, and they’re always Em’s most-worn everyday dresses (remember this one?). they make it easy for a little gal to dress herself, they’re reversible and comfortable and cute. they can be layered in the winter and worn alone with sandals in the summer. the recipient of this dress pulled it on over her Christmas Eve jammies upon opening it and, i’m told, cried when it had to be washed.

always a good sign.

i made a 3T for growing room, and flared out the sides a bit as i like to do on this pattern. the fabric is Balloon in Aqua by Sarah Jane from her Children at Play line (still available here and here). i think i got it at Fabric Depot way back when.

for their baby sis, who is 11 months and juuuust starting to take a few steps but still mostly crawls, another peasant-style top…

this is Made by Rae’s Pierrot Tunic, another pattern i’ve made quite a few times before. i made this in 12-18 months figuring it’ll be a dress now and a top later (the way these things fit, i bet the middle sis could wear it now if she wanted!). i omitted the neck ruffle but took a cue from Rae and added vintage ribbon trim to the bottom (can’t remember who so kindly sent that pretty ribbon to me! help? fess up!).

the fabric had no selvedge info but has a really nice feel to it (almost like pima cotton maybe?) and was sent to me by Sanae Ishida as a thank you for guest posting for her – thanks, Sanae! it worked perfectly for the Pierrot. i stitched the ribbon on by staying right on that purple edging – so glad my machine allows me to move my needle ever so slightly to allow me to get that precise.

and there ya go – three pink/purple garments for three sisters! i didn’t want to make anything so fancy or precious that it wouldn’t be worn, and i put a lot of thought into the styles i chose for each little gal. these were the first three gifts i made this year and i was nowhere near burnout yet, so they were super fun! it was good to sew patterns i was really comfortable with, too. that helped a lot.

i’ll be back with more handmade gifts!

after-christmas cookie recipe

December 27, 2013December 27, 20137 Comments

i hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! once the mad-dash to finish up all of my sewing was done, it was very relaxing and nice.

i don’t know about you, but in the weeks leading up to Christmas, my kids just kept coming home with candy canes. from classmates, from school, from friends, from greeters at grocery stores, in stockings – candy canes are everywhere around the holidays.

dark chocolate candy cane cookie recipe

one evening, i decided to modify a basic cookie recipe to use a few of those up! this is the perfect cookie to bake AFTER Christmas, when everyone is still snuggled around and relaxing, and to use something that may otherwise linger around the house for months. i used dark chocolate baking powder because there’s nothing much better than dark chocolate and mint together if you ask me. the cookies stayed soft and puffy and have a subtle minty flavor that isn’t overpowering – they taste unbelievably good paired with your morning latte!

i’ve never posted a recipe here before, and frankly it makes me a bit nervous, but my friend and baker-extraordinnaire Jess volunteered as official recipe tester and she gave it a thumbs up, so here we go…

: : : > > :: < < : : :

AFTER-CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPE

by skirt as top

yield: about 3 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark – regular cocoa powder works too)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temp
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
2-3 large peppermint candy canes or 4-6 mini candy canes (use more or less depending on how much minty flavor you like)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unwrap candy canes and put into a plastic ziploc bag, removing as much air as possible and sealing tightly. Sandwich the bag between two towels and smash candy canes with a hammer into small chips/dust. If you want, you could also put them in a blender/food processor to pulverize. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder until well combined. Set aside.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in stand mixer, first on medium speed until combined (1-2 minutes), then increase speed to high and beat for 5-6 minutes, until the mixture gets lighter in color and almost whipped-looking in consistency.

Scrape down bowl, decrease speed to medium-low, and add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add flour mixture gradually and beat until just combined. Do not overmix!

Stir in mini-chips and candy cane pieces by hand. Drop by spoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies should be puffy and soft when you remove them from the oven and (fingers crossed) remain that way after cooling.

ENJOY!!