Pocketful of Dreams

Just under six weeks until the big day... Which means it's possibly already past time for a wedding moodboard. However, never deterred by convention, this blogger will carry on anyway.

An out-of-doors wedding means casual is queen--beautifully tousled hair, flat shoes, and au naturel make-up become must-haves. And, of course, a liberal use of flowers is just that much more welcome. In the hands of the bride...

Or as decorations for tables...

...Or backdrops.

I'm planning to recreate this particular look by winding silver ribbons around branches interspersed with yellow roses or daisies.

I really love this combination--it's the perfect blend of the elegantly feminine and the cheerfully whimsical. Bold pops of color are perfect for mid-spring, and I will wholeheartedly embrace them every chance I get. Especially in the little details. I'm hoping to find some earrings like these incredibly darling ones, except with pearl drops instead of rhinestones, to match the triple stand I'll be wearing around my neck.

My grey & yellow obsession may have started with Ysolda. After all, she is looking lovely in her interpretation of this color pairing.

...But, I will never know for sure.

I'm just lucky that everyone else is hopping on the bandwagon, because my heart was set on wearing TOMS. The heels of your pumps getting stuck in the grass is so last year.

Now all I need to do is find and knit the perfect wrap to wear over my dress, in case of spring breezes...

Wish me luck. ♥

(All of these and more were found via Pinterest.)

Take 2

I finally got around to making another version of Otis, this time in a deep, gorgeous orange that makes me think of summer sunsets. FH and I took these shots of it in the park on a day that honestly felt like early summer. Spring is so close now, and it fills me with so much hope!

 

I really love any shawlette with side-to-side construction, and one of the best things about knitting them is how easily you can adapt it to a different gauge, like I did here. Now I really want one in really fine fingering weight as well, with a lace border. Something light and breezy to throw on over anything.

 

This one, however, I'll be throwing over countless sets of flower print dresses and tights all springtime long. Thank goodness the sun is shining and things are growing again.

♥

Pattern: Fantastic Mr Fox

February is a hard month, and this one's been especially hard on a lot of people here in the US. Sometimes you just need a little pick-me-up, something to make you feel fierce inside. Something to throw on and cheer you up and remind you that you're fantastic! This little fox hat is ready to add that touch of whimsy to your winter wardrobe, and keep you warm all the while.

This is a pretty quick knit, but do be aware that you'll need to do pick up some stitches and sew some seams, 'cause that's what gives the ears their foxy fox shape. If you're an advanced beginner and ready to try it out--I say go for it! Just be ready and have some chocolate handy. I really hate seaming, so that's my solution! 

Keep smiling, loves. Spring is almost here...

...But, until then it's pattern time!

Needle size: US 10, 4 DPNs

Yarns: Lion Brand Homespun for MC and CC, Sensations Dolcetto for ear lining 

(You'll need less than one skein of each!)

Gauge: 6 stitches & 8 rows in 2 sq inches of stockinette in LB Homespun

Notions: Yarn needle

♥ You can find more photos & fun on the Ravelry page! ♥

Of ice storms and froggings

Good grief, is it really February already?

It feels like winter is never going to end, but somehow the months are still flying by so fast! I keep hoping that everything will thaw out by the beginning of March, but there's no sign of that here yet. Instead, we've recently had a rather nasty bit of winter, covering everything in ice and then snow and then ice again. Absolutely treacherous to go out in, but so beautiful...

All the extra time spent indoors gave me some opportunities for a little more reflection, upon which I decided to frog everything in my WIP basket, except for my VK cardi. It's a new year--no time for uninspiring things on my to-do list! So I sat down, turned on a Bollywood flick (my ultimate guilty pleasure!), and frogged away. It felt good, if a little tiny bit discouraging. And what better to lift my spirits than a free Spillyjane pattern?

What you see above is the start to my very own pair of Camilla mittens, knit in Quince & Co's Lark. Is anyone sick of me raving about how much I love all their yarns yet? Because I feel like I could go on doing so a while longer. My other pair of mittens is knit in Quince & Co yarn, too--I'm so excited to see how snuggly my hands will be in Lark at such a tight gauge! 

Maybe it's a little late in the season for more mittens, but who cares? 

And, yes, that IS the new Knitscene! It's really, truly lovely.

Meanwhile, all is floating along as planned with wedding plans and moving. He's completely unpacked and organized, and this coming week I'm hoping to get some of my stuff in. We have this incredible basement that's perfect for a crafty studio space, so I want to start setting that up as soon as possible! Believe it or not, I have more crafty stuff than I have regular stuff. Some girls buy clothes. Some girls buy shoes. I just hoard yarns, fabrics, and beads. 

We celebrated the third anniversary of our very first date recently--by going out for Indian food.

Mmmmm, basmati rice. 

Here's to February and hoping everyone can dig themselves out of the snow soon!

♥

Habberdashery

There's a good chance I make more hats than anything else.

So far this month:

Pattern from here.

Project page here.

Mods: A few extra pattern repeats for more delicious slouch.

Improvised pattern, just to use up some lovely mystery wool.

Project page here.

Unsurprisingly, my current WIP is also a hat (with squirrels on it, nonetheless). I think this is a sickness. It could be fatal, but fortunately the cure is probably to cast on a pair of mittens. At least, that's the hunch I got after seeing Spillyjane's newest pattern...

Caffeinated

This is what I get to drink today while I sit knitting and talking with my best friend.

♥

Crave This! January

A little late, but here to make you smile nonetheless.

I think January is the longest month of the year. It drags on in long, grey days, unbroken by any celebration or milestones. It's still cold, it's still snowing, and everything else just seems so far away. What better way to fill a month like that than with lots of extra knitting?

So, for January, I'm filling this with nothing-but-knit. 

Lots to see, lots to envy, lots to inspire, lots to make.

-Knitting they did-

One of the darlingest and rarest winter creatures, this little guy is probably responsible for the tiny, odd footprints in the snow around your holly bushes.

I love every version of Kate Sonnick's Fake-A Gamo clutch purse. The stitch pattern reminds me of snowy Eskimo houses in the Arctic.

Double-stranded colorwork means double warmth. And doubly pretty, especially in this case.

Oh, and in this case.

So what if knitted jewelry hasn't taken over the runway yet? We can make it happen, people. 

I keep imagining a skirt like this with lacy tights and fur-trimmed boots.

This is one of the few times that I've seen a Wenlan Chia design look irresistibly wearable. Don't you just want to make one in every possible color?

It seems like faces are SO last winter. But that's okay when it lets pretty knits like this one shine.

This one's not bad either, now that you mention it.

-Knitting from patterns-

Scarf it up, baby.

Simple, sleek cables add dimension to quick mittens, mmm hmmm.

So does colorwork. 

Or mix things up with a seriously pom'd hat.

Ooodles of lace to keep anyone busy on a snowy night in. I love the structure.

Boots aren't just for outdoors--and the bobbles on these are simply too adorable.

Perfect cowl, perfect colorwork.

Another cowl, extra-chunky for extra-fast knitting. And it uses just one skein of Twinkle yarn.

-Good knitting things come in kit packages-

24$ from Sweatshop Of Love.

85$ from Wool And The Gang.

10$ from Leethal.

-Knitting to watch out for-

Stephen West keeps hinting on Twitter about Westknits Book Two.

Ditto Ysolda and her upcoming Little Red In The City.

This site is super-intriguing, and I really love the concept.

And that's it.

You know the routine--credit belongs to the lovely people who made this stuff originally.

♥ until next month.

Wandering On Through

I cannot believe how much time I've let slip away since my last post. We're halfway through January already, and I'm right in the middle of some serious winter blues. It's so hard for me to get anything done that isn't sleeping or eating or foaming milk. I know I'm behind on everything--hopefully this is my week to get caught back up. 

Sorry, guys. Bear with me?

Anyways. What's new? 

We got the little house we wanted to rent! We're old-fashioned though, so I don't move in until after the wedding in May, but I'm still terribly excited. There's so much decorating and things to do before then, and I have tons of dishes and other little things packed away for it. It's got loads of potential and even a little garden for planting roses in once spring gets here.

Someone even left these little porcelain knick-knacks behind in a corner of the flower bed. I think they're lucky, don't you?

Meanwhile, winter really has arrived with a vengeance. We had about two days of thawing after New Year's but I don't think it's stopped snowing since. That didn't stop the monthly arts festival downtown, however, and  it left a bunch of ice sculptures in its wake...

I had a birthday earlier this month and celebrated with vegan chocolate cake (so much better than you'd think!) and lots of homemade Chinese food. I got to pick out my own gifts for the most part this year, so I went a little crazy online. You'd think I'd have the sense to put myself on a yarn diet as one of my 2011 resolutions, but instead I ended up on the Quince & Co website. Again. 

Two darling shades of Puffin. I haven't knit with it yet, but by fondling alone it's my favorite of their yarns. Woolen and fuzzy and just perfect. I want everything I knit with to be so darn huggable. 

Speaking of knitting, I started this cardigan. I really hated the way they modelled it in VK, but Ravelry changed my mind about it. The stitch pattern is really lovely, but I'm hating having to use size 11 needles--I feel so clumsy using them rather than some nice 5's or 7's! Also, by the time I'm done with the rectangular panel that forms the body of the piece, it will be as long as I am tall. 

I think I'm probably still going to be working it by this time next winter.

A Very Crave This! Christmas

Ah, yes--the most wonderful time of the year. 

Snowflakes, twinkle lights, carols, stockings, stocking stuffers... Uh-oh. If you're feeling a little behind on your Christmas knitting, or on your Christmas list in general--you're not alone. In the spirit of the season, and in the spirit of getting me through the next week & a half with my sanity and my knitting needles intact, this edition of Crave This! is all about those little things. Stuff to make in a jiff, stuff to deck the halls with, stuff to keep us all smiling through our maze of winter wonderlands and holiday parties.

And if you're working on Christmas Eve, leave me a comment & tell me all about it. (You're not the only one there either; guess which blogger got stuck with an 11-hour barista shift? Oops!) If you include your Ravelry username, there might be a little something special in it for you. :)

Merry Christmas, with lots of love!

1-Decking The Halls & Everywhere Else

-get the idea here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

2-Knits For Gifting or For Wishing

-make it here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

3-Pretty Things For Pretty Parties

-buy it here-

-make it here-

-buy it here-

4-It's a Wrap!

 -cards for a good cause here-

-make it here-

-make it here-

-get the tutorial here-

Enjoy the season, lovies!