Fabric Finds

I love my fabric shop, mostly because it's like searching for buried treasure. It is filled to the brim with all types of fabrics and the are constantly getting new stuff in. Because of this they have a huge dollar bin where you can sometimes find a yard of a hidden gem like the 60" wool cotton blend denim I found one day. (There is enough for me to make a pair of trouser jeans for the fall!) They also have barrels of fabric for $1.98 a yard, which yes has a bunch of crap in it, but also has a few bits of fabric gold it you just take the time to look and touch.

I usually make a trip here at least once a week, mostly because I need buttons (they have a whole wall of buttons) or elastic or trim or thread. Mostly I can manage to not over spend, but when they are having a $3.98 silk sale how can you pass up looking to see if there are any treasures up for grabs.

This is what happened a few weeks ago when I went in to buy elastic and I left with three and a half yards of fabric and elastic. The romper and the sundress i recently made were all fabric from that trip (the romper was in the $1.00 bin and the dress fabric was from the cotton prints section and was $4.25 a yard). But like I was describing above the shop was having a $3.98 silk sale and in the bin along with some upholstery silk and some taffeta in a horrid taupe color was this:
The photo doesn't do it justice, but I found 100% duponi silk in a beautiful navy blue and bronze. I immediatly snatched the bolt up and bolted for the cutting counter. I bought two yards, enough for something although I'm not sure what. I couldn't believe i just bought two yards of duponi silk for under ten dollars where everywhere I have seen it it's been $18 or more per yard. It's tucked away in my stash waiting for the perfect project.

This is not the end of my fabric finds. I had an unexpected day off from work on Monday and went to the fabric shop, just to look, (yeah right). They had all new 100% cotton jersey in in some wonderful summer colors. I had to have the turquoise, I also found some cotton print and a very special find in the $1.98 bin.

From the top down:
The cotton print, floral, of course! It has an interesting color combination of greens, red, orange and lavender.
Turquoise cotton jersey.
Cotton silk blend in an interesting color, the above picture does it no justice, its a deep forest green. It is 60" and was in the $1.98 bin. I wasn't exactly sure what it's fiber content was. I figured cotton and rayon. When I asked the woman cutting the fabric she said it was defiantly a cotton silk blend. I bought a yard, but I'm thinking of going back and buying some more. I want to make wide leg pants out of some of it, and I might get a yard or two for a dress or at least my stash.

I have already started a casual dress from the cotton print.

Here's a close up of the print.

I still haven't decided what the cotton jersey is going to be. I'm thinking a dress. After this I need to start thinking about what I am going to need for the fall.

The Tale of the Cotton Cardigan

I have been diligently working on my newest sweater project. It's a lovely cotton cardi in lavender and gold. I was hoping to have it completed by the end of this month, but I need to be realistic. There is no way (unless I quit my job and stay home all week and knit) that I will be able to finish this sweater in 4 days. However I plan on having it finished for June. So I have one more month to complete it. As you can see I am almost finished with one sleeve. Tonight at the knitting circle I plan on starting the second sleeve and I will be well on my way to finishing my lovely summer cardi.

On top of finishing my sweater I also have a design to knit and write up. My deadline is June 8th, and this is not a self imposed deadline. I love getting design work it makes me super giddy. When my design was accepted I did a little dance around my living room.

Photo Update

Here is a photo update of what I've been up to. Above is my current project a cotton cardigan that I might just base a wool cardigan on for the fall. It's piled in a big heap in this photo, but I swear I've finished all the increases for the sleeves and the body.

A BSJ for my little Niece in Oz. It will be getting cooler in the months to come in Australia, but not cool enough for wool this bsj is knit from Knit and Crochet Too's recycled cotton (75% recycled cotton, 25% acrylic). I actually knit this months ago in the preparation for the baby's arrival and just finished sewing up the shoulder seam and sewing on the buttons.

This piece is also for my niece and is a more current knit. This is the Hara Baby Dress knit in the 6 month size. I know some people despise pooling, but i don't mind and I think it is interesting with the linen stitch top and the stockinette skirt.

Here is the back of the dress with some pretty purple buttons on the back. What I liked about this dress is it was a quick knit and the straps have multiple button holes making the straps adjustable.

I had a lot of yarn left over from the baby dress so I looked up some soaker patterns on Ravelry.com and found one to knit to match the baby dress. I am almost done with this. It's a fast project. I started it yesterday and I am about 70% finished with it. I just need to finish the waist band, the leg edging and sew on some buttons.

On the sewing front I have finished two pairs of leggings and a dress, and am contemplating a few more tops and maybe a maxi dress out of some cotton rayon I saw at the fabric outlet. Pictures of all my finished items will be taken as soon as it stops raining and actually feels like spring. It's April 1st and I'm sitting in my apartment wearing a wool sweater and thinking about turning the heat on.

Fish Tails and Jasmine

I Just finished this hat. I love this lace pattern and this yarn, it looks beautiful all knit up with the eyelets. The lace pattern is fish tail lace and the yarn is Louisa Hardings Jasmine, which has been sitting in my stash for months and I still have more. This yarn is 48% cotton, 39% bamboo, 10% silk,and 3% polyester , which is the silver metalic that runs through this yarn. These pictures really do n't do this hat justice, but I couldn't wait to post it.

It's so yummy to work with and comes in many colors, the one i used is duck egg and I love it! I can't wait to wear it and I may consider making a few for my Etsy.

And that is a plate that the hat is blocking on. It's perfect for blocking tams.