JCasa *handmade

a few good things

her sense of style

her sense of humor

their bond

daddy's influence on proper supergirl flying moves

other good (and great) things ::
all the neighborly love these past few weeks, my space being featured on modish, and my work featured on sewmamasew twice in the past week, and a few new + very exciting opportunities (and that's all i'll say about that).

also loving this scarf, all things tortillagirl, la fuji mama's nutella cookies, stefanie japel making t-shirt yarn, lucy and her gorgeous new design, gretelie's oh so pretty wool wristwarmers, wisecraft's brilliant removable quilt design wall, and halloween candy.  oh yes, let's share a piece with mama, please.

what's making you happy on this gorgeous first day of november?  xoxo

*with a twist

Neighborly is a simple vest sized for a child, intended to keep them warm at their core while not overheating them during all the running about that kiddos do.  but you know that already...

this variation - Neighborly *with a twist - is complemented by cables wrapping around the wide banded boatneck collar which appear to connect to more cables coiling down the front.  the shaping on this version is narrower than the original and would work well for a boy or girl.  click here to view some notes comparing the two.

Neighborly *with a twist will fit a child 4-6 years old when knit as written using 2 skeins of Peace Fleece Worsted (details are in my Ravelry notebook - JChandmade).  that said, you could easily resize it accordingly by knitting it in a heavier/lighter weight yarn using larger/smaller needles.  and like many of you, i'd kinda like one for myself - so that's probably not too far off in the future, ahem.

the pattern is available as a free PDF - just click here to download.  and as with the original, please consider being neighborly and make one to donate to your favorite charity.  how ever you make it, i hope you and the little ones in your world enjoy Neighborly! xoxo.

a neighborly giveaway!

thank you thank you for the warm reception you've given Neighborly - not only to the pattern, but more importantly for embracing the spirit of doing something neighborly as was my intention.  i love reading your emails/comments here and on ravelry and look forward to seeing where this leg of our journey leads us.

as a token of my appreciation for all the luminosity the craft-blog community has brought into my world these past 4+ years, i am giving away a chocolate brown Neighborly Kit:

yep, i popped into my lys and picked up everything you need to make your very own Neighborly - one skein each of Noro Kureyon and Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in the most delicious colors i could find.  seriously, how amazing are those browns and blues.

TO WIN this wooly bundle, just leave a comment on this post.  comments will be closed and a winner will be announced by 10am eastern - Monday, October 5, 2009.
enjoy your weekend!

::  edited to add - the winner is LARISSA!

i love it! do we get to chose whether we knit this neighborly or the cable version? decisions, decisions. 02 October 2009 at 10:33 PM

congratulations larissa - email me your address as soon as you can and i'll have the wooly goodness in the mail to you straight away. and thank you to everyone for participating! xoxo

being neighborly

we are blessed on so many levels, and i have been wanting to find a way to use the success of my pattern writing thing to help others.  i thought about selling a pattern and donating the proceeds to a charity, but then it becomes about money and the charity i choose and my shop... and that is so not what i am about.  what i've come up with is doing something i love, that then enables others to do something they love, that ultimately helps others.
say hello to Neighborly ::

Neighborly is a simple vest sized for a child, intended to keep them warm at their core while not overheating them during all the running about that kiddos do. interest is created by the wide boatneck collar knit in a contrasting yarn which is further accented by a large button. stitches are picked up around the collar’s edge and the piece is knit in the round from the top-down — there is no seaming whatsoever and only a bit of additional stitching at the hemline and weaving in the ends. this is a satisfying quick knit that is perfect for layering throughout the seasons.

the pattern is a free PDF download - just click here.  in return, i ask that you think about being Neighborly with it - here are a few ideas:

• if you would have been willing to spend a couple bucks for this pattern, use them to make a donation to the charity of your choice.  there's a lot happening in the world these days and everyone from the international red cross to your local foodbank would appreciate any penny you have to give!
• if you do not have a penny to spare, use your stash yarn to make one and then donate it to a local charity - having a new + handmade sweater will mean the world to someone in need!
• knit one, making modifications to the pattern - then post the mods on ravelry and share your creativity, continuing this cycle of giving for the sake of giving.
• link to this post from your own site with images of your finished pieces and your story, so that you may inspire others to be Neighborly as well!

what ever you do - and how ever you do it - i want you to enjoy this pattern as much as i have enjoyed creating it.  and please post images of your finished pieces to the flickr group so that you can inspire others!  xoxo

pet pal

it's pet week at preschool, and some of the kiddos are bringing their furry friends in to meet the class.  and while the girls would love to include our dear arthur, they recognize that he is not the most social cat, nor is he a fan of his carrying case (as in howling and other gross things i'd prefer not mention, ahem).
so we came up with a simple solution ::

 

+ a handsome photo of our furry feline
+ printable fabric (love that stuff)
+ orange backing fabric (because he's orange, mama)
+ stuffing
+ lentils (in the bottom to keep him upright)

everybody is happy - they get to bring him to school and he doesn't get stressed out.  and mama doesn't have to scrub out the carrier at the end of the day, either.  good deal.  xoxo

field day!

it's here : make it!

i love love love the look of vintage cheerleader uniforms and field hockey kilts – in fact, i think i loved wearing my field hockey skirt to junior high on game day even more than actually playing - all those pleats take me back to a simpler time. Field Day is a great little pleated skirt with an updated take on this design, featuring inverted box pleats in contrasting fabric and constructed with French seams for a clean tailored finish. **now don't go getting all "French Seams? I can't do that!" on me - this pattern will have Frenchy becoming your new best friend. the pleats drape and twirl – and everybody loves to twirl – while the top band of the skirt gathers with an elasticized waistband to fit your girly for years and years.

Field Day is available for purchase in my shop as a PDF which is sent to you via email, so you could be making something she'll wear tomorrow (like i did, the night before pre-K)! and it is totally do-able, even for beginners, with 5 pages of easy to follow step-by-step instructions, full color images to demonstrate pattern specifics, and complete sewing instructions for sizes 2-12!

if you have ever followed one of my patterns/tutorials, you know that they are non-traditional in their format, a sort of hybrid combining what i love about both knitting and sewing patterns. there aren’t pattern pieces, per se - just directions for cutting and sewing straight lines, simplifying the process as much as possible.

and if you think this design looks familiar... you're right!

like many people, i sew and i knit.  and add to the mix that i design and write patterns... it's been a natural evolution.  i dream up something - an accessory or garment or whatever - and then i think about whether to knit it or sew it.  and when i can figure out a way to do both that really truly works and isn't just whimsical, well then i am over the moon!  Field Day is the sewn version of old skool - so for those of you who like old skool but don't knit, here you go.  and for those of you who both knit + sew... well it looks like girly has a new wardrobe coming.

i hope you + yours enjoy field day as much as we do.  xoxo

old skool

yippee skippy!

i am excited to share that i have a knitting pattern in the Fall 2009 issue of Petite Purls.  the piece i designed is old skool, a pleated skirt inspired by vintage cheerleader uniforms and kilts.  it is a deceptively simple knit, juxtaposing the direction of the knitting to not only create visual interest, but make life easier on the knitter.  i knit the two you see pictured above less than a week, really!  if you are a knitter with a girly who likes to twirl, this project is the for you - imagine the possibilities for color combinations... how about a white one with different colors inside each pleat!

this project has been a true pleasure, from submitting my original design to feverishly working up two finished garments, to the photoshoot with my girlys at an old schoolhouse in town, and even the tech-editing.  and it is so nice to finally share one of the things i've been so tight-lipped about lately.

 

you can read the entire issue here, and do check out their archives - a lovely group of mamas each put their heart and soul into creating a magazine specializing in knitting patterns for babies + children and i wish them all the very best!  xoxo

first day

after a week of extra reminders that mama will always love them - in the form of ever so many snuggles and stories and swinging and singing and face painting and even purple polish on my toenails - i am confident they are both reassured that mama will always be there, because off they went to pre-K.  scampered, actually.

and having something mamamade couldn't hurt, so last night after completing all my other post-bedtime household tasks - somewhere around 9pm, to be precise - i set out to whip up these skirts.  one with many little smiling friends and a tiny bit of purple for my animal lover, and a super twirly skirt for my girly-girl complete with stripes and waves and polka dots.

today was my first day, as well : getting up before dawn to let that grizzly bear chase me on the treadmill for 3 miles.  and i was done before 7am, who knew?
do come back tomorrow, as i have a little surprise for you.  xoxo

a better picnic

the picnic tunic completed its kiddo-testing and performed quite well... except for one detail.  back to the drawing board, as they say.

it was funny, the hub did one of those, "you made that?  wow!  that's pretty good!" coming off as genuinely impressed while simultaneously trying not to sound surprised.  so when i asked for his feedback, he said precisely what i was thinking... the neckline was too high.  it began as a boatneck, but when i gathered it with the elastic thread - well, even though it felt loose to wear, it looked tight.  or maybe a better word is "uptight".  no bother.

i find that i am able to think through sewing while knitting.  sounds funny, but the time it takes to knit is very meditative and well, it works for me.  enter one ball of malabrigo and i figure out a new approach to the neckline.  girly has a new hat - i thoroughly enjoyed knitting a mini version of anemoon by {a black pepper} - i have made a few simple mods to the pattern so it fits a child.  details in my ravelry notebook. 

oh, how i enjoy the creative process.  and how cool that my littles enjoy their mamamade goodies.  more on the tunic tomorrow.  xoxo

a picnic

i decided to take the plunge and give elastic thread a try.

i like it.  a.  lot.

i love when clothes for little ones are not so much cute as they are stylish while still maintaining an age appropriateness to them.  this little number came together this morning, and while it is still in the prototype phase, i am quite happy with the direction we're headed.  after a few hiccups, it seems to be working - the concept, the shape, the fit - oh how i love when one piece can fit for years and evolve with the wearer.  but the challenge is to make it work for a range of ages without looking ill-fitting.  i'm still trying to get a good grasp on that, but with practice i seem to slowly be wrapping my head around things.  i do think this one is on the right track here, and i'm especially smitten with how gathering the waist so simply makes the vertical lines of the gingham pop.  she'll try it out at a picnic tomorrow and see how it fares when put to the kiddo-test.  bon weekend, everyone!  xoxo