With the cold comes time for knitting again. I've completed a couple more Koolhaas hats and I'm almost done with this chunky cabled throw from Lion Brand. I saw it in one of their magazines a couple of years ago. Of course, that's about how long it takes me to get started with most projects. I'm making it with the same yarn and color as the pattern, which can be found free here . It would have been way too expensive to use a better quality yarn. Even this was too pricey for me, so I have been buying one skein at a time at my local craft store with their 40% coupon. I know, kind of ridiculous, but it works. At the discount price of $5.00 skein x 9, that's $45.00, and I think I can finish it in 8. It's super easy and a great project to learn cabling on. The giant #13 needles are kind of fun to knit with too. (Photo from Lion Brand pattern). The yarn. The instructions in the pattern are quite clear, but I thought I would show how this is started...

From Little Things To Sew by oliver + s . I love this bag. Here it is in action at The City Library of the Year 2006 . It only took us about seven years to finally go see the new library. I made two of these for the kids and they use them all the time.  I chose light canvas for the outside because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it if I picked out some wonderful fabric only to see it dragged across the parking lot or filled with rocks.  I used the fun fabric on the inside.  And somewhere on this computer I think I have pictures of that but who knows where. I also added a little elastic hair band to the inside seem to hold their kids thermos.  It fits perfectly in there and stays upright.  I'd show a picture but ... Oh, and even though this is a very small thing, because the bag is a mucky canvas color, I added a bit of flair by using hot pink hardware on the strap.

...so fun.

This is an oliver + s free pattern, the  Popover Sundress , sewn for  Project HOPE Art  which will be given to a little girl at Nadine’s orphanage in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.  More information on this dress drive can be found at Art Projects For Kids .  I hope to make a couple more before the December deadline. The pattern is a free PDF download which prints out on about 11 pages, I think.  You cut out around the margins of the pattern pages, line up the lettered dots, tape together, and cut out the simple front and back dress piece.  There's only two other pattern pieces to cut.  The dress is really easy to assemble.  I made the size 6 and it was a bit big around the bodice for my small-almost-7-yo.  So, a smaller size with a longer dress skirt might be a good idea for slender girls. Monkey Pants is modelling the dress for pictures and it's a good thing because she really tested the pants off of it to m...

Not only have I finally made something, BUT ... I also attempted to join a sew-along ! Incredible. OK, so I bought this terrific book, Little Things To Sew by oliver + s for myself a while ago, for Mother's Day. It made me feel less guilty about it in case I didn't ever end up making anything. I could at least just look at it. Well, Monkey Pants needed a sun hat for school but it had to be khaki, navy, or hunter green to match the uniform so I went looking for some navy fabric with little dots (what is that called? I don't know) like in the book, but of course, couldn't find any. I found this one with more sparse dots and then decided to liven it up a bit on the inside. (I don't think she'll get expelled for that, right?) This is our first year of public school, we've been homeschooling which is why I haven't had time to make anything for a year!  But that's for another post ... if I ever get around to it. Since I haven't sewn anything fo...

I made this on a bit of a whim for Easter dinner: cornish hens, artichokes, and golden potatoes with steamed carrots. Yum.