I have finally completed my first knit FO of the year! Yes, it is only a hat, but it’s a step in the right direction. This step has led me to cast on for the Textured Circle Shrug from Stefanie Japel’s Glam Knits book. With the current state of the economy it’s probably wise to use a reasonably priced yarn and let the pattern stand for itself, so I’m opting for CottonEase. While I love the actual green color that is used in her book, I’m working on a cream colored version. This should give me lots of wear possibilities and will be a good addition to my wardrobe. 
Side Slip Cloche Hat Stats:
Needles: US Size 6 29” wooden circular
Yarn: 1 ½ skeins of Plymouth Yarn Royal Llama Silk (60% llama/40% silk) – this was from my Secret Pal Swap 10 partner. Yippee!
Overall, this was a good project for on-the-go knitting. I made this hat almost entirely during hockey games and one drive to Vegas! A worthwhile project for sure.
In sewing news – I messed up the top portion of McCall 5662, so I have to re-cut additional fabric for the top portion this evening. Instead of serging the top to the midsection, I’m going to use my Bernina and see if it goes more smoothly than my first go-around. I want this project out of the sweatshop, so I’ll see what I can do after knitting group at Starbucks (yup, now that I’m taking the Intermediate Sewing class on Tuesdays, I can go to the Infinite Knitters group on Mondays). I also want to cut out a pair of pants, since I’m putting my view sewed creations to overdrive with work wear. It’s time to add some to the line-up. I have some great material in my stash, so this will be a good project to work on during my Tuesday class.
This will be a heavy photo post and a possible roomie duplicate. Brandi and I had a blast last night with the Infinite Knitters group. While it usually meets on Monday nights at the Starbucks on Genesee, I have my sewing class – which I opted to skip for the meet-up. Well Brandi invited the group for an at home adventure chez nous. It was such a great time. Margaret brought her spinning wheel, Nancy brought her knitting machine, and Liz brought some Lonesome Stone Fibers yarn. The vibe was so warm and friendly. The cats were just as excited to see new faces and to attempt some yarn/roving fondling of their own….lol 
It was great to get a little more knitting progress done on my Boutique Knits hat. I have completed the headband and ruffle portion and am onto picking up the stitches for the slouchy hat. Of course I’m going to have to figure out how to sew a complimentary…something to go with this FO, once it’s complete.
In sewing news – I am failing miserably at my fiber diet. I am constantly buying fabric from multiple sources online as well as Yardage Town and Joann’s. Last week I made 3 trips to Yardage Town, 2 trips to Joann’s, and made an online purchase at Gorgeous Fabrics, Fabric.com, and an online store search for Ermenegildo Zegna fabric, as well. STOP THE MADNESS! I am going to attempt to make a nice pair of slacks tonight with one of my purchases. 
My 34th birthday was on Sunday (yup, Pearl Harbor Day). I had a nice, but low-key weekend. I was a bit in the dumps earlier in the week and was treated to a fab Christmas tree from my roomie. Brandi and I decorated it on Friday. It’s a 6 footer and smells great. It’s on our porch where Scofield is unable to get at it and knock it over. Lol. A wise compromise to not having a live tree at all.
I went for sashimi on Saturday & watched a local game with my roomie later that evening. Created a birthday top with one of my fabric finds (not my favorite FO, but cute enough to wear again to work), and finally gave my dress form a name…..Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood a household fav. My running joke is that a successful FO gets a “Sookie Sookie now”. 
That’s it for now. Back on my raw food before the holidays and feeling good about how it’s going so far. I’m already down one pattern size for my new projects. Here’s hoping to going down a few more.
I'm still here without any projects to show off...not the knitted variety or sewed kind! I've been having a horrible time with allergies. I've taken off from work, skipped my sewing classes, yet I'm still not feeling better and not having any projects finished. I am very close on two sewed items, a cotton dress for my Sister and a jersey knit dress for myself. I promise to try to have pics by the end of the weekend.
I purchased Custom Knits a few weeks back, in the hope of getting my knitting mojo back. No such luck, my friends. I did start on my custom dress form for Wendy's book at least. I'm going to get batting after work and stuff the inside. I also need to figure out a stand to add it to, since mine is lengthened to mid thigh.
As the saying goes: "if at first you don't succeed....". I have purchased two more knitting books; Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin and Glam Knits by Stefanie Japel. I think that a quick, smaller project will be a wise choice for me at this point. I really like the vintage style of the Boutique Knits projects and will try the hat on the cover, first.
I know the elections have been a hot topic, so I'll just add my two-cents by saying I was teary eyed all the way to the polls and am glad that change is possible. Despite any one's political views, I think it is safe to say that it is still obvious that this has been a monumental point in history for America and the world at large. My brother is 45 and in his lifetime there were still some segregated restaurants, which continued after the integration of schools. Now, people have a chance to see that truly anyone can be whatever they want, if they stand firm to their beliefs and keep moving forward. I toast the opportunity for change!
