JCasa *handmade

you too?

please tell me i'm not the only one still whipping up a few [cough cough last minute] handmade gifts.  what are you working on?  xoxo

wannabe cozy?

a few weeks back, and after an admirable while of controlling my spending, i gave into woolly handspun temptation and purchased this most lovely skein of organic merino 2-ply yarn made by the talented amanda, a.k.a. wannabe.

it took me exactly no time to wind it up and cast on, knowing full well i wanted to make a cowl - because i love a good cowl - to show off the twists and feel that ever so cozy merino next to my skin.

it's a simple 2x1 seeded rib and i love it.  and i'm not the only one.  you see, the best thing is that it doubles as a cozy fitted little shrug/capelet thing for the girls. never ever did i think we'd share a garment!

and...
since i know you'll ask...
because you know i'll share...
here you go : a little freebie pattern you'll have committed to memory faster than it will take you to run to your yarn stash.

MAKE IT : easy peasy!

you need : about 200 yds of your chosen yarn + circular needles in whatever size is approriate for your yarn - i used 6s for this DK weight handspun

:: first, figure out your gauge (i was getting about 4.5 sts/1")

:: next you need to figure out how big around you'd like it (i wanted it loose but not too loose, and ended up figuring that a 25" circumference would be right for me)

:: do the math + cast on, but it needs to be a multiple of 3 for this 2x1 seeded rib (for me that translated into 114 sts)

:: PM and join to work in the round

:: this is a 2 round repeat (how easy is that?!)  ready. set. memorize.

round 1 = knit 2, purl 1 (repeat to end of round)
round 2 = knit

:: now just keep going with these 2 rounds over and over until it is the desired size OR you run out of yarn, leaving just enough to BO in patt.

enjoy!  i'll link to the pattern on ravelry, too.  and if you knit one, go on + add it to the flickr pool.  xoxo

p.s.  if you have a better name than "cozy fitted little shrug/capelet thing", be sure to let me know!

highlights

sunshine + big chess + knitting + white linen way way after labor day + best friends

improving vision + sewing + saturday NPR + re-opening the shop + superfun holiday fabrics + special goodies to share very soon

sorting through all the piles + twirling with my girlys to the brandenburg concertos + going for a quiet pedicure + meal planning for the entire week + grocery shopping coming in $7 under budget + baking a last minute tart with mascarpone, apples and blackberries + talking music and basslines with the hub by a crackling fire

and the best part is taking a few moments to think back fondly on all of it once again.  i hope your weekend was filled with highlights, as well - do tell!  xoxo

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

a knitting bag

after lugging my knitting in basically any old tote i could get my hands on whilst running out the door, or more frequently alongside all the kid stuff in my moop bag, i decided i needed + deserved a dedicated knitting bag.  so i turned to my Granny pattern because A) i know it by heart, meaning little to no thinking is involved; and B) i've made what seems like a bazillion of them over the years and have always been thrilled with the results.

there were a few slight modifications to lengthen + widen the base, plus i added an extra skein of the main color to create the generous size i was after.  then there was the improvised yardage of kureyon during the BO, woopsie.  and what do you know, in a few days i had knit + felted myself a new knitting bag.

i love that i can fit an entire project in there, along with the other necessary bits that are always anywhere except where i need them to be - i can just grab it and go.  even if going is only into the next room.  xoxo

tidy

i couldn't help myself, everything looked so pretty.

reframing and arranging favorite prints, photos, textiles and ceramics. and placing much needed tools at my fingertips.

a new configuration of inspiration boards in the form of ikea cutting boards + a shimandsons pinstrip.  inspired by rachel to use something non-traditional.

removing completed projects from my bulletin board, in turn creating space for what is yet to come.  me thinks cleaning out a creative space is a good thing.

:

i have a few things to wrap up this month - that quilt up there tops the list - so i'll be popping in and out with photos of our days along the way. and of course, a good recipe or two. and maybe a craft project here and there. and some very cool news. wait a minute, how is that stepping back from blogging for a short while?
enjoy your days!  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.

happiness is...

xoxo

found

what are those blobs running toward the house?

while looking through the closet for something cozy yesterday afternoon, i came upon two rather large sweaters i knit a while back.  as in i cannot remember exactly when, but i am guessing over 15 years ago when my 20-something self embraced the whole oversized sweater + leggings thing.  now, not so much - it's a cute look, but i now recognize that on me, those sweaters have me looking more like the woman who hid a dozen children under her petticoat.

i am beyond pleased that both sweaters are in excellent condition and am thrilled to have found them.  more than likely, i had tucked them away to pass down to my own children someday far off in the future.  but i rather think they would do more good by passing them on right now to keep someone else warm this winter - and so, into the bag they go for Easter Seals pickup next week, along with the results of our toy purge this afternoon.  i quite like the idea of tucking these gems in there and a happy thrifter may come upon them and gasp.  

as for my kiddos, i am thrilled to have been witness to them scampering around the backyard in these sweaters - so very happy to have this memory in my mind's eye as well as photos for posterity.  there is plenty of mamamade knitting (and sewing) being done for them right now, and i highly doubt they'll hold this one against me in a few decades.  if mama raises them right, not only will they understand the concept of sharing good things, but they will also gasp when they come upon hidden thrifting treasures as well.  xoxo

le sigh

just when i had deluded myself into believing things were going so well, i got my wits about me and did the right thing.

making mods to an already simple pattern isn't as simple as it may seem.  sometimes my mind works in 3 dimensions, and other times not so much.  even as i was binding off last night at soccer practice, i knew it was too good to be true.  and too wide.  and too short.  but i was so intoxicated by the being-doneness and did it anyway.  but eventually, sometime around the elimination round of top chef, i came to and frogged it all the way back to the armhole BOs.  le sigh, indeed.

and then this morning, before anyone was awake, i decided to get a few rows going on the front again, this time with no increases.  but it seems someone hadn't yet had enough coffee and forgot to work the cable into the mix.  yep, had to frog the vertical cable back about 4 rows and am now in the process of reworking it.  there are now two dpns, two straights, a cable needle plus one circ all working their mischief magic right now.  le sigh, again.

silver lining?  of course - you know me, there has to be a silver lining in there somewhere other than my failsafe "lesson learned".  the good part is that this wool - peace fleece worsted - is the wooliest of wools, so whether you have to rip back a few stitches or a few dozen rows, the live stitches just stand there at attention waiting for you to slip them back onto a needle and jump back into things.  xoxo