Summer Tunic Dress

My good friends and I went on a "field trip" about two weeks ago to "A Verb for Keeping Warm" in Oakland.  I seriously fell in love with that store as it's unlike any other stores I have been to.  They had sample garments on display in every size so you can try it out before purchasing the pattern and know exactly what size you need to make.  I went home with the "Summer Tunic Dress" pattern and some amazingly beautiful fabrics.

The Summer Tunic Dress was a bit harder than I expected.  It took me awhile to "fake" serge around all the seams.  I love the dress and the pattern, but some photos/diagrams would have helped.  I highly recommend this pattern and know that you love the finish project!

I added three inches to the pattern so that the dress is a bit longer.

 Beautiful V-neck and gatherings around the shoulders.

It even has two pockets!  They were so simple to make.  Love having pockets with my dress. 

I think I will be making a few more!

Busy Sewing

I have been busy sewing children's clothing these days!  I go through phases where I am either super into knitting or sewing, and I have shifted into sewing.  This is quite exciting as I get to work with my new sewing machine

Here are some cute pants I made for my toddler and her friends at school.  You can add elastic to the hem of the leg pieces to turn them into baby bloomers, but I thought it's cuter this way.

 Cray Commute fabric from Japan.

 Happy Birthday hats for a special kid who has a birthday coming up. 

 I added these to the back of the pants so I know which is which!

There are more shorts in the hamper waiting to be washed.  These are the most perfect short to sew for little toddlers!

Cameo

I have made a few shawls in the past, but dont really love any of them.  They were either too small or not the right shape for me.  I came across the Cameo shawl at Miss Babs' booth this year at Stitches West.  I glanced at the Cameo on display and fell in love with it.  I bought two skeins of Miss Babs 2-ply yummy and the pattern.  Within a few weeks I finished the shawl.  I know understand why the Miss Babs' booth was packed with shoppers.  The yarn is so bouncy and the colors are gorgeous.  I have worn this shawl a few times and everyone comments about how beautiful the colors are.  The pattern itself is so simple yet addicting!  I finished the project within a blink of an eye!  Now I just want to make more shawls! 

 Did I mention that the yarn is bouncy and drappy!?

The shawl is just the right size for me.

Perfect Men's Socks

I finally made a pair of men's socks!  I just have the worse luck with men's sock, but then I discovered the great Basic Ribbed Socks by Kate Atherley!  This is a simple but fun pattern to knit.  The socks came out beautiful and super stretchy, which is perfect for large feet.

I had just enough yarn to make a pair; I was getting very worried.  Thankfully I had just enough because I don't know what I would have done!  I used Fortissma Socka yarn, and it was perfect!

Did I tell you that I am addicted to sock knitting?  Yea, I wasn't joking! 

Stitches West 2015

It came and went.... I had a blast, again.  It was so nice to run into so many friends and to feel all the gorgeous yarns.  I stopped by my favorite booths and have a few new favorites.

I am really into socks and shawls this year.  Yoth was a super nice booth; they had beautiful earthy/taupe colors, which I love.  I am going to make the Lorene shawl/vest by Cocoknits with the fig color Yoth yarns I got.

The Yoth booth; it was so crowded!

I also got several different project bags.  The ones from Slipped Stitch Studio were super cute!  Have you seen these Needle Nooks?  They store everything I need when I am knitting socks on the go!  I don't know why it took folks this long to come up with this idea. 

 Some of my goodies from Stitches West.  Those two shawl buttons were from Yoth - just too cute!

I also got enough yarn to make the Iwo and Cameo shawl.  I may have purchased a few skeins of yarn from Miss Babs.

Now check out the two photos below, and tell me what you see....

One photo shows that you can buy a pair of premade socks for $15.  And the other photo shows that a ball of yarn to knit a pair of socks is also $15.  So.... what did I buy?  Two skeins of yarn, of course!  I thought that was really funny. 

Did you attend Stitches West?  If so, please tell me what you got!  I am curious what goodies you found!

In Love with NYC

I had a chance to spend a few hours in NYC, and I made sure I stopped by Purl Soho.  This shop has been on my "places to visit" for a long time.  It's conveniently located in Soho, so it was easy to stop by.  The store did not disappoint; everything inside was just beautifully displayed.  I wish I could spend more time there.  Below are some photos; see for yourself!

 Display by the window. 

 Yarn heaven!

 An entire wall dedicated to Liberty fabrics!

I also made sure I stopped by the Garment District.  It was really fun to walk down streets full of fabric stores.  Most of the stores were closed on Sunday (when I was there) and they carry a small collection of quilting fabrics.  The best part of my visit was meeting students who are studying fashion design at schools nearby. 

The City Quilter was a short walk from my hotel.  The shop was inviting and inspiring.  They had lots of nice quilting fabrics and many quilted on display.  The shop owners were super nice too. 

New York city was so fun but so cold.  I did not shop as much as I thought I would at these craft stores.  I guess I am saving up for Stitches West.  Are you planning to attend?  I can't hardly wait!  I am still super into knitting socks these days.  What about you? 

Socks, Socks, and More Socks!

I usually have a very hard time making socks because my gauge never seem to be right, and I just really don't want to make socks using size 00 needles!  I mean really!?  That's just crazy.

I found this Meilenweit 100 Fantasy sock yarn I had from years ago and just fell in love knitting socks!  I used size 1 needle (magic loop), and my gauge was perfect!  I really enjoy working with self striping yarn because they keep the project interesting.  The colors remind me of sorbet?  See for yourself.

It was so fun knitting this pair sock that I immediately casted on another pair!  I used Susan B Anderson's "How I make sock" free pattern.  64 stitches fit my feet perfect.  This yarn is TwistedLimone -- one word: LOVE.

I am almost done with the second one. 

I just realized how many sock yarns I have!  I guess I just always knew I had a thing for socks? :)

I see more handmade socks in the near future!

Do you enjoy knitting socks?  How do you wear them?