kcwc: the end

Okay, for the sewing that I did manage, this is absolutely my favourite piece. Sure, it's just a sweatshirt but it's red and white - and it has red and white stripes in the hood! I would wear this everyday if it was my size. And I made it using a pair of pre-loved sweatpants from my dear friend Ragdoll, so as long as Milo doesn't stain the bejeezus out of it, her little baby boy will be next in line to wear it. It's funny, I love raglan sleeves in knitting, but this is the very first time I've sewn a raglan sleeve. I didn't use a pattern but drafted a pattern from an existing hand-me-down. I know I will use this a few more times.

As soon as I finished the sweatshirt, I took the inspiration from this skirt (oh my goodness, it's awesome) and pulled out a thrifted shirt hoping to cut a few triangles out of it. But the shirt had these crazy diagonal sleeves and I realized I could make the whole skirt out of the two sleeves cut open. Fifteen minutes and three serged seams later and Sadie had a skirt. She wore it instantly (yes, over top of rainbow leggings).

Almost forgot this shirt! I made this on Tuesday with the same jersey as Sadie's pants. Easy style and it seems anything with a ruffle gets a thumbs up from my girl.

So another KCWC week done. I may not have sewn as much as I'd hoped, but no matter - I got to make a few wearable pieces and have some fun photo shoots with the kids. I know I've already said it, but this last photo reminds me even more - there's sewing and then there's spending time with my little people. I'll take a laugh-off by the blackboard anytime.

kcwc: a bit more

This funny romper was supposed to be my big plan for the week. I had sketches, I drafted pattern pieces...but it has ended up as a so-so experiment. The whole layering-for-pockets is what had me excited, and I suppose that worked (even though Milo was much more interested in dropping toys down the inside of the romper so that they fell out onto the floor - I guess pockets don't excite him yet). And I did like attaching the ribbed edging on the inside and then turning it to the front to top stitch, so that's a good lesson for the future. But as for the wearability and look of the romper? Not sure.

What will get worn is these shorts. Funny how thirty minutes of investment can be so much more useful. And now there's no more gray fleece left (points scored for using up every little scrap of this fleece) so I've moved on to other colours. More to show later today!

kcwc: the beginning

So far, this week hasn't gone as planned.  Double shifts at work, hardly seeing the kids...so sewing has taken a total backseat.  But on Monday I accomplished a little, starting with a quick kerchief for Sadie -  pretty scraps of fabric to help keep hair from her eyes.

And then a pair of desperately needed pants (well, that's according to Mom, because I'm not a fan of her all-tight-pants wardrobe, but I'm trying to be subtle about it).  The fabric is a lightweight, almost pique jersey so they should be great in warmer weather.  I used some older pants as a guide and dressed them up with the ruffle cuff. There were two tiny holes in the fabric so I covered them with the blue heart above and Sadie seems pleased with her "peek pocket". Already they've been worn twice and washed once, so I think they're a success.

Hopefully more to come, but I'm predicting a blow-out single post late in the weekend. My fingers are crossed, hoping for sewing time to magically appear (and work related projects to magically disappear). But I'm also overdue for some serious kid loving, so we'll see. Kids beat out time at the sewing machine any day.

adventures in fleece

How is it that you can have shelves of fabric but still realize you have nothing of something-or-else? For me it was fleece. Now that I'm comfortable sewing with knits, fleece seemed like a natural next step and wouldn't you know it, Fabricland had a pile of awesome jogging ends for $5/metre. So I stocked up even though I have nowhere to pile it and already way too much fabric in my stash.

At least I have a plan - sew through the pile quickly. Everything got washed right away and my first experiment is this cardigan. I used my adapted t-shirt pattern for the basic shape and then copied a fleece cardigan of Sadie's that I love. Hers buttons all the way down but I'm a sucker for comfort and I think the single button is a little more sophisticated - if that's at all possible with a fleece garment. To break up the all gray look, I added striped cuffs (better photo below) which are actually attached on the wrong side of the fleece and then folded up. Then one pocket, a little striped loop and a button from Paris finish it up.

It's probably not one bit flattering, but I love wearing it - it's really comfortable and the striped cuffs make me smile, so I've got a black version planned next. As long as this spring stays cold, I'll have plenty of chances to wear it. But then again the Kids Clothing Week Challenge  is coming up soon, so my sewing should switch over to Sadie and Milo. Hopefully I can make a dent in my stash for that.

colour wonder

Warning: my little friend firmly believes in modelling and I have a hard time editing the photos that he's in. This dilemma ends with having more than the necessary amount of photos in one single post. Pretend that I'm writing about a quilt and not an almost-two-year-old.

It feels good to finish a quilt - especially one that has been kicking around for over a year. I must give credit to Amanda at Soulemama for the inspiration; surely if she can finish a twin size quilt while 8ish months pregnant with her 5th child, I must be able to get mine done, right? But let me at least lay blame in the size of my house because for the longest time I just couldn't figure out how to baste the layers together. There is no floor space big enough in this small dwelling...and it's not even a big quilt. But then one night I realized I could take this to my father-in-law's and baste it on his empty, spacious tile floors. Next hurdle - remembering to do this when a visit was looming. Finally, I had everything ready and two weekends ago I selfishly used a visit to pin everything together. Then I spent this past Thursday machine quilting and binding it. Things are wonky - for instance, I chose turquoise thread for the quilting (what was I thinking?), the lines aren't very straight (umm, should have paid attention to Soulemama's trick for that), and there's a host of problems with my binding, but overall it's done. And it's usable. And Milo loves to lay down on it because the extra thick batting (again, what was I thinking?) makes it really puffy and comfy.

And in the spirit of adding colourful blankets to the house, my Mom made me an awesome granny square lap blanket for my birthday. I feel really spoiled. She did a fantastic job and I just love the palette. There's something so timeless and so fun about granny squares. If you're a fan you should check out this Flickr group, and if you're in Toronto I think this workshop would be amazing.

It's definitely a colourful spring around here.

dinner music

One quiet Friday Jay, Milo and I visited the local Salvation Army. Jay has the better eye and he soon spotted some Disney records circa 1967 that had the most wonderful covers (and the Jiminy Cricket one above had never even been opened!). We debated for a moment whether Sadie would be interested in records or not, and then purchased six. Basically we figured she would enjoy them for about a week, and that a week of fun was worth the cost. Clearly we know nothing.

Both Sadie and Milo are addicted to these albums - and we're at least a month past that fateful day. Jay has an old Fisher Price record player (the full plastic deal with speakers built in) and it has been sitting on the kitchen table reliably playing an album during every meal...or any time we're in the kitchen. The house favourite is Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day: Sadie has every word memorized, Milo has learned to ask for "wiyo oooh oooh" and I can't stop humming Tigger's song.  We actually avoid Disney most of the time, but I find these recordings incredibly charming and I can't complain that the kids have forgotten all about TV during their vinyl addiction. I've figured out how to set the table around the player and I don't think I could tire of watching Sadie carefully place the needle down or Milo flipping through the gigantic pages inside the covers.

Oh yes, it was well worth the investment. Lesson most definitely learned.

the one hour shirt

Oh sure, it's snowing outside, but that doesn't mean we can't think ahead to better weather, right? I had another week at home and decided to use the time to sew some clothes for the it-must-be-coming-soon spring.

Way back when I was pregnant with Sadie I used this McCall's maternity pattern to make a couple of dresses. But the style is very simple and it doesn't scream maternity so I've been wearing one of the dresses ever since. I figured this would be a good base pattern for a few shirts and dresses however I must have given away the real thing in a ruthless purge. Thank goodness for the class I took last year at the Workroom - all I had to do was draft a new pattern from the existing dress and make some necessary adjustments to match my still-shrinking chest. Then I set about making a few garments, starting with these two little tops. Easy bust darts and an A-line shape mean these sew up in no time, and for variety I tried making straps with an inner facing on one and then bias tape straps and edgings for the other. Both are quick and easy options.

I simply adore this polka-dot fabric though. It's a linen/cotton blend from this Etsy shop, but I only ordered half a yard thinking it would be great for crafty projects. Turns out it was JUST enough for this top. I imagine it would make a great dress because the drape is lovely, but there may be a limit on how many polka-dot garments I can own. Maybe.

love is...

Lemon cupcakes, for starters. But not just any lemon cupcake - only these moist, delicately glazed morsels will do. Using Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe I simply filled 18 muffin cups instead of a loaf pan and halved the glaze. They are heaven, plain and simple. Something about the fresh scent of lemon seems perfectly Spring-like.

Love is also having a new workspace, and one that isn't stuffed into the corner of a bedroom. Sure, maybe some people wouldn't love the idea of working in the unfinished basement of a house built in 1923, but I'l take anything that allows me to put two tables back-to-back. Finally my sewing machine and serger don't have to jockey for space and I can lay fabric out without having to move furniture out of the way.

It's amazing what a few coats of paint can do for freshening up old cinder block and concrete. The bare hanging bulbs aren't the best, but a sisal carpet and hanging pendants add some warmth and I'll figure out better lighting later. The curtains on the left are hung on cast iron plumbing fixtures and slide aside easily to reveal the unsightly laundry area. They create a clean, ivory wall that defines the space - which measures close to 8' x 14'. With all this work space, I'm addicted to spending time in the basement. Finally I can sew (or paint, or draw, or whatever) at night and not wake the little people.

But there is one thing that tops all this in the love department: Jay brought home 48 boxes of chocolate raisins for me the other day (umm, that's 2 cases). He's worried that Glosette's may be phasing out my absolute favourite candy, so he stocked up. For me. Not only am I set for a 6 month sugar high, but I seem to have the best husband ever.

Ah, love.

toddler snappy shoulder vest

{EDITED TO ADD: 6, 8 and 10 year old sizes now added! See updated pattern here.}

Honestly, I think vests are a marvellous invention. Not only are they fun to knit, but because there is no sleeve length to worry about, they tend to fit a growing toddler for at least two seasons. That's quite a feat for a single garment.

This new pattern has a sportier feel but still fits my lazy-knitter requirement: there are no seams to sew. Using a saddle shoulder construction this comes together pretty easily and the shoulders are a great way to use up scrap yarn. I've knit three versions of this and basically chose a different close-to-worsted scrap yarn every time and although it made tiny differences in the size of the saddle, it didn't affect the final size of the vest much. Gauge is only important for the main yarn which is Dream in Colour Classy again. What can I say, I like a washable yarn that has interesting colour affects - I mean look at those blues! So awesome. And I've worked out two sizes this time, 2T and 4T. Keeping our little guys in sweater vests until they are school age sounds like a nice idea to me.

What you will need:
Worsted weight wool (I used Dream in Color Classy, Midnight Derby colourway, 1 skein for either size)
Worsted to Aran weight wool for shoulders, 50 yds (great use for scrap wool)
4.5mm needles (16” circ)
extra 4.5mm needle (for holding stitches)
4mm needles (DPNs - for neck and armhole edgings)
1 stitch marker

Gauge is 19 stitches over 26 rows = 4” square. Size is 2T [4T] with finished dimensions of: 10.5″ [11.25”] wide, 14.5” [16”] long (or longer – the body is up to you!)

SHOULDER SADDLES (make 2)
Using 4.5mm circs and shoulder wool, CO 20. Knit in stockinette for 14 rows and bind off on RS row.

FRONT
Using main wool, pick up 12 stitches along vertical edge of a shoulder saddle. CO 15 [17], then pick up 12 stitches along vertical edge of the second shoulder saddle (39 [41]stitches on needle). Turn work and purl to end. Turn work and knit to end. Continue knitting flat in stockinette for 3” [3.5”] ending on a WS row.
Next row (RS): Knit to end, CO2.
Next row (WS): Purl to end, CO2.
Next row (RS): Knit across 43 [45] stitches and transfer to spare 4.5mm needle.

BACK
This time, it’s much easier to see where you are picking up stitches, because the shoulder saddles are already in place. So, using your main wool, pick up 12 stitches along remaining vertical edge of a shoulder saddle. CO 15 [17], then pick up 12 stitches along vertical edge of the second shoulder saddle (39 [41] stitches on needle). Turn work and purl to end. Turn work and knit to end. Continue knitting flat in stockinette for 4” [4.5”] ending on a WS row.
Next row (RS): Knit to end, CO2.
Next row (WS): Purl to end, CO2. Turn work.
Now you’re ready to join in the round.

BODY
Knit across 43 [45] stitches, CO 9 [11], knit across the FRONT 43 [45] stitches from your spare needle, and CO 9 [11]. You should have 104 [112] stitches in total. Join in the round and sit back for some relaxing, mindless knitting. The body length is truly up to you – I knit in stockinette for 6” [7”].

BOTTOM
[K2, P2] ribbing for 2.5” and bind off loosely.

NECKBAND
You can easily tell the front of the vest because the neckline is lower. Using 4mm DPNs and your main wool pick up 17 [21] stitches across the back neckline of the vest, 17 across one saddle, 17 [21] across the front neckline, and another 17 across the remaining saddle (68 [76] stitches total). PM and [K2, P2] for 5 rows. Bind off loosely.

LEFT ARMHOLE
Using 4mm DPNs and main wool, determine the bottom center of the armhole and pick up 18 [21] stitches from this point until you reach the shoulder saddle. Pick up 17 stitches across saddle, then 21 [26] stitches along the back. PM and [K2, P2] for 5 rows and bind off loosely.

RIGHT ARMHOLE
Using 4mm DPNs and main wool, determine the bottom center of the armhole and pick up 21 [26] stitches from this point until you reach the shoulder saddle. Pick up 17 stitches across saddle, then 18 [21] stitches down the front. PM and [K2, P2] for 5 rows and bind off loosely.

Weave in all ends and block if desired. Find your favourite little person and keep them toasty warm in their newest vest!

(Pattern is for personal use only. Please do not use for commercial purposes.)

lists

To make up for missing an adult party I hosted, Jay and I told Sadie we would have a Family Party the following day. She was super excited (as any 6 year old girl probably would be) and the next thing I knew there was a list on the chalkboard. Turns out all you need for a Family Party is a few key essentials - so it was easy to fulfill...and I love that baked goods is a separate item from desserts (aka daserts). We put together a Sadie and Milo playlist, danced around the house with balloons, and ate sushi and sweet things. It was awesome.

And speaking of lists, now that I'm back to reading regularly, I feel like I need to document what I've read because it would seem that I've hit that embarrassing age where you forget if you read that book or not. Also, sometimes it's nice to see a list to know that losing sleep for the sake of wonderfully written words is worth it since the sheer volume can be satisfying. But I don't want to do that here, and thanks to this post I've just learned about Shelfari.  Anyone out there use it and like it, or is there a better, less social-media like option for cataloguing such lists? Clearly I could just make an Excel sheet but that seems so dull. And colourless. And practically anti-technology.

Hmmm.