SEWmuchKNITting

I had knitted up this sweet little infant kimono awhile back, and it was just waiting for the finishing touches and a baby to wear it. There will be a baby born in September to the sister of my daughter's friend, and so this cute little number has found a home! The pattern is from Mason Dixon Knitting (Book 1), knit with   Bernat Soy , a lovely natural-blend yarn that I loved knitting with. This kimono is so soft and squishy! Can't wait to see pictures of the baby wearing it :-)

Stardust  is finished, and I'm happy to say it fits my daughter perfectly! And...she likes it! Knit with Caron Simply Soft Lite, colorway Heavy Cream, on size 10.5 needles. Here is Stardust in pieces, ready for seaming and ready for knitting on the collar: and finished:             Thanks to Kristen for modeling the finished product so beautifully, and to her sister for taking such great pictures.           

This is the 4th time I've used this pattern,  Simplicity 3678 , so I guess now it's become a TNT (tried and true!) for me. This time I made View A, using an ITY knit from Gorgeous Fabrics  (I think it is sold out tho). This is another in what has become a 'theme' for me this summer of yellow, black and gray. I just *had* to have this print when Ann posted it in her online store, and I'm happy I went for it! There was a time when I could sew a pattern up without alterations, right out of the pattern envelope. But things have certainly changed with middle-age (sigh!), and it sure took me awhile to realize that making the necessary alterations isn't really difficult. It seems that I almost always need to add length to the bodice, an FBA, and raise the neckline. And I could be 3 different pattern sizes from shoulder to hem! It's rewarding to know that all of this isn't daunting anymore, and that has made my sewing more fun. I don't enjoy shop...

It's kind of difficult to get quality photos with a point & shoot digital camera in a hotel guest room, but I did want to share that I was able to finish my everyday wrap by CoCoKnits in time for my nephew's wedding.  I used Lion Brand Collection Silk Mohair gifted to me by my daughters for my birthday a couple of years ago. We had taken a trip to New York and visited the Lion Brand Studio, and my lovely daughters told me to "pick out some yarn that you like"......whoa, what fun THAT was! This wrap is light-as-a-feather to wear, but warm. It looked a little small to me at first (mine doesn't seem to have the drape that it shows on the pattern, but I blocked it to the schematics), but I think it served it's purpose well, and did keep my neck and shoulders warm in the air conditioning.

I am so pleased that I stuck with Simplicity 1803 and finished it in time for the wedding last weekend! It's not that this was a difficult project at all, it's just that I procrastinated and didn't use my time well. That meant that I was sewing the hem and attaching the trim on Friday at our daughter's place in Chicago before we drove up to Delafield, WI on Sat for the wedding that afternoon. Making the 3 muslins to fine tune the bodice paid off, as I think the fit was spot on. I am also pleased that I changed the waist gathers to pleats, both front and back. Pardon the wrinkles in back, this was taken after the ceremony and before the reception. One thing I really liked about this pattern was the scooped neckline in back. The pattern called for bodice facings (really?!), but I wanted this dress to be fully lined.  I went ahead and sewed the waist gathers in the lining, pressing them flat to avoid bulk. Love the clean finish...