in case anyone missed it...

my crafty stuff will be posted HERE from now on. =)

lesson learned

since i'm more pleased with this project and the pictures are prettier. i'm going to share this first.

i've started piecing my kelly mccaleb baby quilt kit! its only been a year since i bought it - i figured it might be time to start it. i dont know what is up with me and baby stuff, but i just loved this kit so i bought it. hopefully we have a little girl some day.

aren't you in LOVE with the fabric that has the sleeping baby?? so sweet.

it took me a long time to decide where all the pieces should go, but i think it like what i ended up with. i'm in love with the random but cohesive look of all these fabrics together. i dont know if i would have been able to pick them and be convinced they would look good. i've sewn the first three rows together and hope to get the whole top together this weekend. should be a great distraction from studying...

in other news...i've been working on the debbie bliss seed stitch baby shoes. i am still drooling over seed stitch. its my new fav. i was really proud of myself while i was making this first one - the pattern is the most complicated i've tried and i did it! i don't even think i pulled out any stitches!

only problem was that i was trying to make the smallest size, 0 to 3 months and as you can see mine is as big as the example in the book! you would think that would have been a clue that somehow mine weren't going to be the intended size. nope. i was totally pleased and ready to seam them up. 

that is when i realized... i should have checked the gauge. i convinced myself i didn't have to because i wasn't going to buy special yarn for this project and all i had on hand was 100% cotton.

poor choice. they are huge! like they would fit a 3 or 4 year old. i'm annoyed because in the book doesn't specify the weight of the yarn they are using just the kind of debbie bliss yarn they used - a ploy to get you to buy her yarn. i know if i had checked the gauge i would have overcome that, but really! how annoying!

i'm struggling with whether i should make the other one. the idea of the shoe is cute and it probably would be cute if it were tiny, but i'm not loving these big ones - the seams are lumpy.... what do you think? make the other one or not??

i also thought i'd share that i made my own center pull ball . aren't you impressed?? for some reason i was so tickled that i could do this! i don't know why but knitting from a ball is so much better than knitting from a skein or hank, don't you think?

Cabled Baby Bib

I have lots of Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn in different colors so I decided to knit a little bib for Baby M. I'm slowly expanding my knitting skills - this included cables (ooh ahh!), seed stitch (more on that in a minute), and a button hole (i know you are impressed).

back to seed stitch... I LOVE IT. i think it is so soft and nubbly. i just can't get over how it feels! so so great. cables. intimidating, but SO not hard! 

i hate this picture - it shows all the flaws, but this was a really good learning project for me. you can see about two inches up where i started being able to knit more loosely - it kind of bulges. can i just tell you how much easier that made my knitting life?? 

a cute simple button from the flea market this weekend! now if i could only find (and afford) a rocking chair to knit in... 

details:

pattern - modern cabled baby bib from gibsongirl on ravelry  

yarn - lily sugar 'n cream 100% cotton in hot blue 

knit washcloths

these are for a special new homeowner.

i am the slowest knitter EVER. i've been working in these for about three weeks! in my defense i wasn't devoting all of my crafting time to them (mostly just knit when i watch a movie or tv) and we were traveling last weekend, but still. i think my slowness can mostly be attributed to the fact that i knit too tight. makes it difficult to maneuver so i go more slowly. i'm learning to knit more loosely and as a result my latest project is going much more quickly.

i love this checkered one. such an easy pattern, but i like the effect.

the solid green is just a simple garter stitch. 

i love the way the cotton knits up - it is firm enough to be kind of scrubby, but still feels soft and organic. 

details:

pattern - dirty-girl washcloths from The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting 

yarn - sugar 'n cream 100% cotton in green & green twists

these will be on their way soon linz!