W.I.P. Wednesday - Olivia's 2010 Sweater

On the needles as of today is Olivia's KPS hooded tunic in a beautiful plum color that she picked herself.

Cameron's sweater is complete and he loves it.  I put it on him today and he said, "Oh, it feels nice."  I love that my kids love the things I make for them.  Olivia was very excited to see Cam's sweater finished because she knew that meant I would be starting hers.  I may not have all three finished before the Sandwich fair, but "two out of three ain't bad."

WIP Wednesday - February Lady Sweater... and more

The air is crisp and cool.  September is begging for me to complete a few knitting projects.  I am a jeans and sweater girl, and yet I have never made myself a sweater.  I started the February Lady Sweater in April of this year.  It knit up very quickly, but I got bored.  I am an all-year-round knitter, but I do admit that I took a little break when the temperatures reached the high 90s in New England this summer.  I knit three cotton dish cloths instead.

Now it is almost Fall, my most favorite season!  I took my sweater out of the bag and tried it on again, and I am not happy.  I sized myself and cast on a size above, and it turned out two sizes too big.  Here is the sweater taking a big old dip in the frog pond.

I like the pattern, but I have not decided if I will try something else.  If anyone has any suggestions, advice, encouragement, I would love to hear it!!

For the kids I chose the Knitting Pure and Simple Hooded Tunic pattern.  It is simple and I am comfortable with making a hood.  Cameron's sweater is currently hoodless and armless.  I am in the process of picking up the hood stitches.

If I set my mind to it, I could have it complete by the weekend.  Olivia's sweater is not even on the needles yet, but she chose a pretty plum color and I am looking forward to starting it!  I'm hoping to have all the sweaters done before the Sandwich Fair.  It is quite a lofty goal, but I won't be staying up until midnight and stressing about it, for sure!

WIP Wednesday - February Lady Sweater

The local weather forecast on Sunday evening called for rain all week.  Imagine my surprise to find the sun shining for the past two days!  I seized the opportunity to take the kids out in our yard to play.  I also seized the opportunity to do some knitting!

A couple months ago I searched Ravelry for a sweater pattern... wait for it... for me!!!! Yes, a sweater for me.  The first sweater in the list was the February Lady Sweater.  It was the most popular, had wonderful reviews and it was FREE!  I didn't even browse for any more patterns, I just hit print.  And there the pattern sat, for two months.  I had dreams of going to the yarn store and selecting some luxury yarns with which to knit my sweater.

A few weeks ago I finally made it to the store.  After some quick calculations I realized I could buy the yarn or two weeks worth of groceries.  I chose the groceries.  I'm such a great Mom! :)

Trying to make myself feel better about our financial woes, I told myself it's my first sweater, I'll work my way up to the good stuff.  I'm planning on wearing the sweater to work on the days that it's chilly inside, so I chose Cascade in a charcoal color.

It's knitting up pretty quickly and I'm liking how it looks so far!  Can't wait to finish it.  Hopefully while it's still cool outside so I can enjoy it.

W.I.P. Wednesday #13

I was recently lamenting that I was feeling uninspired by my knitting projects as of late.  I have been knitting small, simple items by request.  Most recently a doll sweater and a pair of mittens.  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy knitting no matter what the project, but sometimes I long for a project that challenges me and that I feel pride about completing.

Then I remembered my thoughtful husband's Christmas gift.  My most favorite yarn store is The Elegant Ewe in Concord, NH.  Damien left his comfort zone and went into the yarn store and picked out some beautiful Frog Tree Alpaca sport weight yarn and a pattern for a hat to make for me!  I set it aside at the time because I had a list of projects to complete, and in complete honesty, the pattern seemed daunting at first glance.  I set it aside and forgot completely about it until now.  It is exactly the challenge and inspiration I have been looking for.

The pattern is an Elegant Ewe original called "Adult Brioche Hat with Earflaps" by Kelly Bridges.  It says "perfect for the men in your lives" but he selected some very feminine yarn colors, so I just know he was thinking of me.

I cast on last night and completed the first Brioche Row and the first few rows of the first earflap.  My thoughts drifted to how beautiful and soft the yarn was and how warm I would be when it was finished.  Then, I lost count.  I was knitting and turning and knitting and turning; different numbers of stitches each row.  I couldn't figure out where I made my mistake so I started over.  Thankfully the Olympics were on and I didn't mind staying up a little longer (although Jacobellis' semi-final round was painful to watch).

So, here it is.  This week's WIP.  I am loving everything about this hat.  The feel of the yarn, the challenge of the pattern and the fact that it was a wonderful and thoughtful gift from my man!  Thanks baby! 

Stay tuned as I have something very exciting to share with you later today!!!!!!  For now, I'll keep you guessing.  Happy WIP Wednesday everyone!

W.I.P. Wednesday #12

My WIP posts are usually up pretty early in the morning on Wednesdays, but today I was a little delayed.  I wanted to complete last week's WIP before posting a new one.  Olivia's fingerless mittens are done.  They are so cute on her darling little hands, but I want to wait until Daddy comes home to take a picture.  I have a fantastic photo in mind, but I need his help.  But here are both of my kids fingerless mitts (minus their cute little hands) along with this week's WIP:

After completing the fingerless mittens I cast on this pretty Mission Falls 100% merino superwash wool.  It's a plum color and it will become the Odessa hat by Grumperina for my dear friend Renee.  As requested I will be leaving out the beads on this hat.  This should be a nice quick knit as it is the second time I have knit this hat.  Check out my Handmades page to see what I have knit this year and to check out what is "on deck" for the coming weeks!  At some point I would like to try the Odessa hat again with beads.  Maybe for myself?

W.I.P. Wednesday #11

Remember these?  If you do, then you remember that my whole family wanted me to knit them a pair.  Cameron's are finished!

Olivia's are on the needles!

W.I.P. Wednesday #10

A certain little girl is turning 2 this week.  I am knitting some sweet little bunny rabbits for her.  This pattern is great because all you have to knit is one square and two ears.  The rest of the shaping is done just by sewing ends together.  Fantastic I say!

Even more fantastic is the fact that I got out of the house last night and knit the entire square at a good old-fashioned Stitch and Bitch.  My SIL Katrina introduced me to a fun group of ladies in the Lakes Region.  Last night a few of us gathered to drink wine, talk and work on projects (the project part was optional!)  Super fun and I can't wait to do it again!

W.I.P. Wednesday #9

Ahhhhh. Christmas knitting is complete. Now I can get back to a "normal" routine and back to my WIP posts.

I am taking a short break from knitting for others so that I can knit something for myself. I have always wanted fingerless mittens, so here they are in progress:

The pattern is Maine Morning Mitts which I was inspired to knit after seeing them on SouleMama.  I love how they are turning out.  I strayed slightly from the pattern using a light worsted weight Mission Falls superwash Merino wool.

W.I.P. Wednesday #8

Almost done with another pair of legwarmies.  I just love these!  They knit up so easy and I know the pattern by heart.  With Christmas only 51 days away, I am starting to panic just a bit.  There are so many things I want to make.  I'm planning a handmade Christmas this year for my family and friends.  I know there will come a time in the next two months where I will have to step back and let go, but for now I can keep dreaming!  Hats, and mittens and warmies, oh my!

W.I.P. Wednesday #7

I had to make these

before I could finish Cameron's sweater.  Our friend Anna turned 2 today and this is her gift.  I got a little side-tracked (for a very WONDERFUL reason) but Cam's sweater will be finished this week!  I think the color is fantastic!  I can't wait to see him all snuggly and warm wearing it.  I think it's going to be quite stunning!

Have I mentioned that I love Fall?  If not, I do!

W.I.P. Wednesday #6

The beret is complete and I am pairing it with a matching set of leg warmers. I know it's hard to believe, but Fall (my favorite season) is just around the corner. Sweaters and hats with a pair of jeans, football games, baseball playoffs, beautiful colors, cool crisp evenings, and my favorite local fair. What's not to love?

W.I.P. Wednesday #5

Everything that I create, whether I plan to sell it or not, is made with love and with a special child in mind. Depending on the color, the pattern, the design, there are so many wee ones in my life, I can picture one of them wearing it. The great thing about starting an Etsy shop is that I am constantly creating. And if nothing sells, it truly will not bother me, because all of these handmade things will find a home on a special birthday, a holiday or just because.

W.I.P. Wednesday #4

We have actually been enjoying some sun here in New England, so my craft projects have taken a back seat to playing outside with my children. It has felt so much like summer, finally! Long mornings and afternoons at the lake watching my four year old swim underwater have left me little time to complete any projects, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Recently, though, I have put this on the needles:

It's a moss stitch beret from Debbie Bliss' Great Knits for Kids. I made one for my daughter with matching leg warmies back in January and it was a fun hat to make. This one is made from organic merino wool that my Mom picked up for me in Vermont in November of last year. It's called o~wool and I love it! The color is a chocolate brown, which is the new black you know! This hat will go in my shop when it's complete, so stay tuned!

W.I.P. Wednesday #3

I can't believe it is Wednesday again! I finished another bag from last week, and as you can see from my previous post, I made my little girl a bonnet. This week I have definite plans to post some items for sale on Etsy, thanks to some rainy weather and a hubby's Kelly week at work. (That's five days off in a row at the Fire Station.)

This week I am turning a friend's skirt...

...into a pair of pants and a bonnet, size 24 months. I can't decide if I'll sell them or keep them for Olivia.

I am also making more bags and baby hats for the Etsy shop.

I'm still working on the sweater from last week and I am planning on knitting some berets to sell in the shop as well. So, I had better get to work!

W.I.P. Wednesday #1

I am a W.I.P. (Work-In-Progress), that is for sure! Every Wednesday I should just post a big giant photo of myself and label it W.I.P.

But seriously, right now I am working on opening my Etsy Shops. The first shop is called "Side By Down Designs". When my son was first forming sentences, instead of "upside down" he would say "side by down". I always thought this was the cutest thing ever! "Side By Down Designs" will showcase my designs that are made from repurposed materials, such as this dress...

...made from one of my husbands' old button down shirts.

And this pair of pants...

...made from the legs of a pair of women's pants (thanks Lauren!)

The other shop will be called "Sevin Stitches". This will be all the other things I create. I am focusing my energy on bags at the moment. Here is a photo of my W.I.P...

...which will soon look like this:

My other W.I.P. is harvesting and freezing strawberries and rhubarb (from my yard) so I have a constant supply for making strawberry-rhubarb treats.

Of course, this is only a short list of all the things I have on my plate, but there are 52 Wednesdays in a year, so I'll pace myself!