j'adore

'la parisenne'

i finished this today (& just in time for the walk to work tomorrow) i'm so very happy with it, i added a few extra inches to the main part of the hat before starting the decreases, but it didn't turn out quite as slouchy as i would have liked, still it was just about enough (i also think it will be even better after blocking, which is the plan for it this evening)

i used some of the noro kureyon sock yarn, alongside some regia sock yarn 

i'm glad i mixed the two yarns, as the gray mellows out the noro a little & means i'll probably wear it more

blooming nightmare to get a good photo of it on though - so i had to enlist the help of the husband

you can of course see more details over on ravelry




*as you may notice i had a little fun changing the blog about a little this morning - still seem to be having a few teething problems! can't figure why some of the text is turning up in capitals?*

making a start

with October creeping ever nearer, i thought i really should make a start on some homemade lovelies for my stall at the school christmas fair

so a batch of lavender bags have been created, they have now been filled with lavender from my garden (& from the garden of a sweet friend of mine) & are now just waiting to be finished off

i've also been busy starting more knitting projects than i am finishing (5 on the go at the moment!) back with more of that soon

i must also thank kataatok for passing on a 'versatile blogger' award

vote for me!

(please)

remember this dress - of course you do! i couldn't stop shouting about it, well it's up in 'm is for make's' sew along competition

so pretty please pop along here & vote for my dress (if you like it that is) thank you

Japanese sewing part two

i tell you, i'm never going to be able to wipe the grin off my face this time! not much to say other than 

'LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!!!'

from the stylish dress book this time, i really do seem to be lured in by the dress on the covers of these Japanese craft books (but then there are also a lot of other patterns in this book i plan to make too)

i used a neutral linen blend to make it, with a few small snippets of Denyse Schmidt's hope valley fabric & a little lace on the pockets (i do love a pocket)

this one came together easy enough, slightly more tricky than the last, but nothing too scary

& i love, love, love it, so much so that i've been wearing it all weekend (but i have needed to throw on a 3/4 length t underneath - just to keep the chill off)

there's no stopping me now

a new term

what a week, back to school for big G, starting pre-school for little O & back to work for me, it's all been a bit of a shock to the system, well for me anyway, the little ones have taken it all in their stride (aside from being a little more tired than normal) 

not that i'm complaining, it feels good to get back into a routine & in amongst it all i have found time to knit up a few things, 

firstly a hat, this was going to be a birthday present for another little lady, but little O became rather attached & it looked so cute on her that i couldn't resist, so i guess i'll be knitting another one of these!

the finer details can be found over on ravelry

i also started on the Christmas gifts, first up a pair of fetching mittens, these knitted up a treat in some lovely Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran, they were so quick too

i have also embarked on my next sewing project, as i haven't yet found any fabric i like enough to re-make the first dress i did, so i chose another to make in the meantime, 

from this book, i traced out the pattern last week, then cut the fabric earlier this week, thankfully i had a very productive nap time sewing session today, so should have something to share this weekend & i have to say i am even more excited about this one than the last one - (if that's possible)

blue for the baby

I'd been wanting to knit this pattern for ages, so when my cousin had a baby boy last week i didn't need to think too long about what i would make for him,

i used some Rowan wool cotton i'd had left over from another project,

a very quick knit, completed in two evenings, i'm not too keen on the wrapping & turning, as i always think mine look a little messy, but the hat is just so cute i'm sure i'd knit another one 

another great thing is that the 0-3 size really did only use 25g of dk, i weighed it when i'd finished (before adding the button) & it was exactly 25g, it also gave me a great excuse to raid the button box searching for the perfect one

details can be found over here