Just a little shawl I recently knitted. I love the deep color with the bits of dark pink thrown in. Cashmere and merino wool - not great for taking photos in 100 degree heat but in a few months I'm sure I'll be wrapped up next to the fire, holding a snifter of Courvoisier as I gaze at my perfectly behaved children taking turns turns at the backgammon table.
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I was walking through Michael's on Saturday night and there were a lot of Spring wreaths around, with a lot of fake greenery and country roosters etc. I ran across these pretty roses and got the idea to make my own Spring wreath. I have a lot of fabric scraps lying around, not to mention all of those fabric birds, and this was what I came up with.
Now, if you happen to live in New England, you know that it is absolutely lashing rain for the second or third day in a row and it is dark, dark, dark (do I sound like Eloise's nanny?) I'll retake these pictures when the sun comes out and they will be much more pleasing to the eye.
This was quite a fun project. Juniorette's bed broke the other day, so we were all sitting on the giant bed that is the two kiddles beds pushed together. You should hear the giggling at night that goes on! Anyway, we were drinking hot chocolate, Juniorette was doing her homework on the bed, the rain was coming down in torrents (and unfortunately flooding a lot of homes and businesses.) Junior was helping me glue fabric to the styrofoam ring that we were using, and it was a nice change of pace - being forced to stay inside and light candles, have hot drinks and enjoy the simple things, like games of Mastermind and Laundry Hide n' Seek (if you don't make it to home base you have to put away five items of laundry.) If you have any fun rainy night ideas for us, by all means share them - Husband is on call tonight and I'm anticipating some antsy offspring in a few hours. Don't forget about the two giveaways - the drawing for the capelet is tomorrow, followed on Thursday by the drawing for the photographs (three chances to win.)
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I finished my latest little project in the middle of a downpour and thought it was the perfect little frock for a giveaway. I believe it showed considerable strength on my behalf, since it's mostly green and only has two flowers, really, since the top one is attached to a pin. Talk about a mish-mash of fun materials: The pink trim is a beautiful wool from Australia. The green wool is from a perfectly situated little shop, just off I-93 on the way into Boston. I can usually convince Husband (jeez, I hope he doesn't decide to read this) that we need gas right about the JFK Library turnoff, and he can just drop me there for the shortest ten minutes ever. And each time I'm able to act like, "You know, honey, that looked like a yarn store - could you just drop me there so I can check it out?" So far, he hasn't noticed the coincidence between low gas and the yarn store, he is a guy, after all. They also have Amy Butler fabric and are crochet-friendly.
The fuchsia flower is a hand dyed yarn from right here in New England, the white flower is wool from Scotland, and the little pink button is a vintage button from an antique store down the street. It will fit a size Small and is meant to be worn like this. It's got a lot of flexibility in whom it fits - you could even give it to a kiddo, say a size 10,12, or 14 and it will fit but just be looser. It's waaaay too big for Juniorette who is six, otherwise I'd never get away with this! If you'd like to win it, leave a comment and please tell me where you live - I love to know where my visitors are situated around the globe. I'll do a random drawing next Wednesday and announce the winner. And if you're bummed that it's a size Small, leave a comment about what size I should make next time, then go and enter this giveaway that my old flatmate is doing (it's just useless chocolate - off you go, now.) Or, if you'd like to make your own frock, the pattern is the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet and can be found here for free.
I snapped this when I was buying the green wool. I mean, one can hardly blaming me for siphoning off not putting gas in the tank before leaving Providence, right?
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Today at Chez Pink it is blustery, gray and snowing out. I'm working on a few small projects at the moment, but admittedly in the back of my mind is, "Maybe you should get a job." I know we all have those moments where our small things seem piddly and rather un-grand, when just yesterday, knitting a shrug seemed to be the meaning of life. The search for the most perfect yarn, and the rhythmic knitting while trying to ignore Husband's tv show, which last night was Gangland enjoying the ambience of the post dinner lull.
The other day after the kiddles had gone to slumber, I painted these flowers so I could pretend that Spring had come. Heck, all of this sewing, knitting and momming is a job! And it's fun, so there, small annoying voice in my mind. These are pieces (cut out last night during Operation Repo, just so you can share my pain) for a bag, as I try my hand at sewing again.
And the aforementioned shrug, made for a friend but the yarn is so snuggly (baby alpaca) I sort of want to sleep in it and tell her Junior ate it or used it for a surfboard on the stairs.
Just look: Husband came through with the mugs! He brought home eight of them which you will see in good time. Today isn't such a good camera day since it's as dark as a cave in our apartment. Oh, and just so you know how much I love you all, I emptied the tea out of my mug first because it was yellow and, well, it just looked like a urine specimen. You are so welcome!
And finally, I have another shrug in repose which will be done tonight. I just couldn't do it in that green without a complimentary color, but I think the pink is just right for the trim. Oh jeez, am I really discussing trim color? Get a job, get a job... Must get back to my tea and sewing now - have a lovely Wenesday everyone and think of me suffering with my knitting tonight while Husband no doubt finds us another gem to watch.
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I was under the impression that I could not sew anything other than cushions or blankets. Not clothes, not bags and certainly not a dress! I tried to sew Juniorette a couple of dresses when she was tiny, but they came out looking like nineties grunge garments that the cat had yakked on. I threw them out and the poor child has gone six years with nary a home sewn garment.
Well all of this is about to change. I got this book (and imagine my surprise when I went to my Flickr site and the real live author had commented on my photo ) and followed the directions, doing a little bit each night so it never seemed tedious, and over four or five evenings I completed this dress. It actually fits me - like I could have totally bought it at Forever 21 and y'all would never have known, except the length is about two feet too long. Nothing is sewn inside out, and I even inserted elastic into the sleeves. Incredibly, I lost no blood in the entire process, and save Junior changing all the stitch settings on me so I ended up inadvertently making a partial buttonhole, he did little harm to anything, although not for lack of trying. Best of all, I really love it. If you don't care about being perfect, which I don't, then this is the take home message: If I can freaking sew a dress, then you definitely can, too.
Since Providence doesn't have any fun fabric stores with the fabric designers we all love, I browsed Etsy to buy some fabric (above photo from Amy Butler's website.) There is so much to choose from, it is very reasonably priced and you can find fabric from all the great textile artists including:
Amy Butler . See those sweet polka dots? I'm working on a Spring dress in that fabric right now and am of the opinion that one is never too old for polka dots ( bet that surprises you guys, huh?)
and Jennifer Paganelli, to name a few. These crocheted edge pillow covers are done by Rosehip and I want to have all of them in my house. That woman is one of the most inspirational color mavens out there - everything she makes is full of gorgeously coordinated colors and patterns and I could drool over her projects endlessly.
I bought this purple Amy Butler fabric thinking that I could wear it in February, with tights and a sweater. I think I need to knit a cute cardigan to match it, but who has the time for that when there's a new Spring wardrobe for Juniorette and her mommy to sew? Pret a porter? HA. We're going Ko-TOOR.
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I finally succeeded in designing a little capelet. My little girl graduates from Kindergarten tomorrow and this is a present I made for her. She was so happy when she woke up and found it, it almost makes me feel like I'm having a good week. Of course, then I made the mistake of calling the school superintendent to tell him Juniorette really, really should be able to go to public school here (not 25 minutes away) since we pay taxes (she's on a freaking waiting list) and her current school is closing. All I heard was overcrowdingproblembudgetcutsblahblahblah. " But you haven't seen her in her purple capelet!" I implored, to what, I'm sorry to say, was a most unimpressed secretary.
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This was a project I did yesterday. I thought it was going to be a larger shopping bag but instead it's a slightly smaller pretty bag that I probably won't use for shopping. I was so pleased at the way it turned out and there is not even ONE chocolate stain on it from Junior (big pat on mommy's back.)
And here it is empty on the left and filled with yarn on the right. Perhaps I should make some for my Etsy store.
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My bathroom with the pink bathtub has been incomplete for a while, mostly because I couldn't find the perfect towels and bath mat for it. Well, I found them and they are so fantastic I almost fainted on the spot (that, and the larger towel was on clearance for $6.99.)
Other things I hope to enjoy working on this holiday weekend include: Making this hat. I'm a big believer in sunscreen and hats and I love working with beautiful yarn. Doesn't a new project hold so much potential and excitement? Even looking at this yarn makes me want to drop everything and sit in a rocker (I actually typed "rocket" first by mistake...which is truly more apropos) with a cup of tea and just go to work.
Finish this cushion so it doesn't look like a granny in a mauve polyester pantsuit is the owner.
Get started on this book. Admittedly, I bought it because I thought it was sooo cute it had to be good. I am guilty of judging books by their covers (and it was $2.99 which probably means it's entirely lame.) But reading this in my pink bathtub should be fun, some night this weekend when the kids have drifted off to sleep...
Give this $4.99 chair a seat with a pretty fabric cover. I guess that's enough for the long weekend. I'm looking forward to my little projects and having time with my family, playing in the grass, going to the beach, flying a kite if it's windy. I hope you enjoy your long weekend, too!
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I've been a bit laid up here with a subluxation of my sacroiliac joint (sounds fancy, huh?) so little projects have been happening here and there while I sit on my tush or waddle around. My daughter requested a dress with her favorite foods on it: Cake and peas. So, in an oh so imperfect but full of love way, I made her this Cake and Pea Dress. Note: Dress is from Old Navy, embroidery by me.
I know, I know, I misspelled "heart" in French...that's what happens when you do things freehand while watching little chaps at the park. I kind of like that effect, though...it reminds me of Japanese translations. "She ate her donkey gracefully while bowing." I'm really into studied imperfection right now; it takes away so much pressure and has such a raw beauty to it.
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A little milk bottle cushion out of an upcycled white felted sweater. Thinking it would be a nice accessory for a nursery but it could go anywhere, really. Stuffed with bamboo and edged with cotton. I like that these don't have to be perfect and they just sort of make themselves while I listen to music.
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