It’s been a strange year tinged with much sadness. I am very lucky my little family are all well and sitting around me as I type when I know others are not so lucky. There has been many positives and in particular I have really enjoyed the dressmaking course and meeting all the wonderful ladies in the sosew academy. I am looking forward to lots of new challenges in 2017 and lots of things made by me.
This year sees the first time all three of my gorgeous little babas (yes I’m biased it’s my job!) head to school. My eldest has started primary school and the other pair have started pre school. Primary school comes with a uniform but for pre school they wear their own clothes so an excuse to make a dress for my daughter.
I went with an Oliver + S pattern as I’ve used their patterns before and love them. The fabric is some of the gorgeous Japanese florals and I paired it with a purple for the leggings. The pattern for the leggings is one I have been working on over the summer to get a great fit for her as she is tall and slim and I find it hard to buy them.
They all skipped in on their first day with no tears (not even from me!) and while I really miss them about the house I am determined to use the time to work on projects – oh and housework of course I should say housework!
Because of course you can never have too many hats! When I was buying the Rios for my Eilonwy cardigan my oldest son feel in love with the ravelry red colour way and asked me to make him a hat. Well what mum can say no to a request like that. I made a Barley by Tin Can Kits and it actually includes some stitches knit by the man himself.
I followed it up with two more, one for his sister in english rose and one for his brother in Paris night. I love this pattern so easy and makes a great fitting hat.
Why making an aran weight cardigan of course!
I treated myself to some gorgeous Mal Rios back on knit in public day and with some Rico essentials it was destined to become a Eilonwy by Carol Feller. Such an easy knit and went so fast in the Rios. I really loved learning the new daisy stitch and will love wearing it as the days get colder.
I like to try anything new and when I saw the gorgeous pieces made in a workshop by Siobhan Daly designs at So Sew in Naas i was raging I had missed it. Rage was short lived as I discovered there would be a second one and kids sorted off I went.
I’m allergic to nickel so sometimes I find it hard to get unusual or special occasion neck pieces as this restricts me a lot (my budget sadly doesn’t stretch to wonderful large gold pieces 🙂 ) so this was the perfect solution. I had so much fun using the die cutter, rooting in the awesome fabric boxes they had in the class and watching a unique piece come together.
I went for Navy as it is a colour I wear a lot (see my last post!) and added the white and at the last minute the grey. I’m so pleased with my piece and it definitely won’t be the last one I make.
Edited to add 02-10-2016
I made a second one! We were going to a wedding in the gorgeous setting of Barcelona and so I made a black, silver and grey one. These are so much fun to make it definitely won’t be my last one.
Here is project No. 10. Very heavy on the knitting but it seems like such a night winter thing to be doing!
I was keen to make another poncho and really wanted to use some Wollmeise Blend in the Moses colour way. I had started one pattern but I just wasn’t happy with how it was working out so off to the frog pond and I cast on Wednesday’s Child instead.
I knit it with the blend held double and it is just the softest squishiest fabric. I knit up really fast and of course as soon as I was done out came the sun so the couch will model it for now and I look forward to wearing it when it gets colder (this is Ireland so that could be tomorrow)
I signed up for another one! Waiting for rain was chosen for the This is Knit Spring KAL. It was way out of my comfort zone but since I knew how lovely and helpful the staff there are I knew it was worth a shot.
I had so much trouble deciding the colour that I went with two so I could make the striped version. The reason it was so hard? The gorgeous colour ways in the just divine to work with Townhouse Yarns, Fade St. I finally decided on Burren 2 and Myst.
I couldn’t find much information on amounts used versus number of stripes so I kinda made it up as I went along. There are a few shall we say design errors in my lace section but as I say about my sewing it is how you know it’s handmade!
I can’t really get to a knit night or any regular meet up due to our family circumstances so when I saw the Dublin Knit Collective KAL for March was a hat using a pattern from Dublin Dye I knew what the gorgeous colour way Sundae I had from them wanted to be.
I really enjoyed seeing all the progress across social media and I really love the hat which is in regular rotation with my others. It was so nice to be part of the group even if I was knitting at home!
I have a store bought poncho I wear a lot and really fancied trying to knit one in the gorgeous Wollmeise DK in Meilenstein my Mum picked out when we were in the shop in December. I was really drawn to the Rodeo Drive poncho but having never knit cables before I wasn’t sure but you never know unless you try so cables it was!
I have gotten so much wear from it already. It’s just the nicest balance of warm without being too hot and casual but neat enough for someone who hates jackets with a passion. I think it may not be my last one.
So we had snow when we looked out the window this morning. Not much but enough to know the traffic chaos this causes here in Ireland meant we would be better of not going out. So I absolved myself of all the jobs I had to do and did the second section of my craftsy zipper class instead. My daughter has already claimed it but to be honest I’m not sure it is a size of shape I would use much anyway.
It’s a bit too big for keeping odds and ends in and a bit to small and the wrong shape for a project bag but it was fun to make and I will probably play around with the size for some notions pouches.
It will have to wait for another day though as House of Cards is calling and tomorrow will mea catching up on all the stuff I ignored today!
Mama likes to make 