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

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

*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

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

make it : 5-minute hairkerchief

hair can get in the way sometimes - which is why you'll find pony elastics on practically every doorknob in our house.  but sometimes you need more - perhaps you're headed out for a bike ride, or there's just been one too many blobs of yogurt in the little one's locks, or you'd simply like to ensure a clear sightline for climbing.  i needed a solution - and PRONTO.  like any good mama + maker, i took a look at the hairbands we had on hand and determined they needed a little pick-me-up.  i dug out a pattern i made a few years back and for a moment considered making a few of those for the girls, until i remembered that each one of them took about 1/2 an hour.  um, no.

enter the 5-minute hairkerchief :: fully reversible and as supercute as the people who will wear them.  and because we're using a full elastic hairband, it can fit children as well as adults.

ready, steady?  first you will need to make a pattern - mine is a triangle made by cutting a 7.5" square in half, but you can make it larger or smaller depending on the size of the intended's noggin.  i wrote "FOLD" on one of the short sides, so i can line up any desired motif on the fold before cutting ::

now gather your materials ::

• your pattern

• 2 fabrics the intended wearer will especially love
• one elastic hairband

use the pattern to cut out two triangles of fabric for the hairkerchief - remember, you are cutting a double layer of each fabric with the folded edge where the pattern indicates.  this is fully reversible, so try to make them complimentary ::

put the triangles RS together and using a 1/4" seam allowance, stitch all the way around the perimeter of the triangle - but leaving a 2"-3" opening along the long side.  (backstitch at both the beginning and end.)

trim the corners ::

now reach up inside that 2"-3" opening and turn the piece RS out.

find something interesting - such as a bone folder, chopstick, or hair stick - to push into the corners ::

once you have the triangle in its proper shape, press it with a hot iron.

using the hot iron again to press the bottom edge upwards about 5/8".

as i said, this hairkerchief is fully reversible, so when you do this step, consider which side you would like to have plain, and which you'd like the edge of fabric from the other side peeking over.

get the elastic hairband and head to the sewing machine to finish up ::

start at the one end with the elastic hairband tucked under that fold.  push the presser foot on top of the folded edge and against the hairband as close as possible, then move your needle as far to that side as possible for stitching.  backstitch at the beginning and then slowly stitch down that folded edge.

i did not pin this in place, because i didn't want the bunched up pins + fabric poking me while i was sewing.  just work slowly - you will gently tuck the hairband inside that fold as you go, and also stitch shut that opening you used to turn the whole thing RS out.   pretty cool  ::

once you get to the end, backstitch and you're done.  easy peasy, right?

all that in just 5 minutes - good stuff.  if you make some, please show off your hairkerchiefs by adding your images to the flickr pool - ENJOY!
xoxo

*** PERSONAL USE ONLY ***
make them for as many people as you like, but please do not sell these hairkerchiefs.  let's all just have fun and play fair. fair is good.

version 2.0

...because your Summer Crush will need washing.
and because everyone loves a two-fer.
and because i like you.  so there.

you guessed it, i've put together a little freebie supplement to my Summer Crush knitting pattern.  it was a matter of one-thing-leads-to-another, add in some yummy cotton and a few sunny days and there you have it.  this is a tank top variation on the original halter pattern which is available in the shop.  you will use that main pattern for the majority of the knitting, and then make changes accordingly.  the supplement is a free PDF download here (less than 1MB) - another thanks from me for all of your support and enthusiasm over the years!  xoxo

DIY :: Summer Crush

say hello to :: Summer Crush [a halter for girly]

i have a serious crush on pleats.  remember this?  i still can't get it off my mind.  knit them, sew them, turn them this way and that, i am smitten.  that's how Summer Crush came to be.  i absolutely love the idea of a piece that enters a girly's wardrobe as a dress/tunic and grows with her, evolving into a top.  it features a sideways-knit pleat, a seed stitch motif travelling up the front, adjustable straps and even an option for custom fitting the back to your little one.

ready to cast on? the pattern is available here.

this cute little number comes together quickly with just one seam and a bit of simple sewing - your girly will be running about collecting lightening bugs by week’s end. and you’ll most likely be casting on once again as you + girly are smitten with your Summer Crush. the pattern is available in my shop and i hope you enjoy it as much as i have enjoyed the creative process.  ENJOY!