bloomers

I made these little bloomers for the 2 year old daughter of a friend. I love this Kaffee Fassett fabric!

Pattern: Britches and Bloomers by Jackie Clarke

Fabric: Kaffee Fassett

custom knitting labels

These are my new custom knitting labels. I got the idea from the Knitting School Dropout blog (see link to the left), and I love them. Go to the name maker website (see link to the left) if you want some of your own. They'd be great for many handmade gifts or as gifts for your favorite knitter or sewer.

baby surprise jacket

This is a great little baby jacket. I used one of my favorite yarns and the pattern is great. It was a bit confusing at first, because Elizabeth is not the most detailed pattern writer, but once you get the hang of it it's simple. I haven't sewn the clasp on yet, as I'm not sure if this is the perfect one for this jacket.

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Rooster (one hank)

It's a Boy!

This is a baby boy blanket that took me forever only because I procrastinated because I'd never tied a blanket before. However, once I got down to it, it was easy peasy. The pattern suggests using small satin stitches instead of ties, but I couldn't figure out how to make my sewing machine do that. By the way, this pattern has an error in the book - the order of the fabric layers are wrong. Comment with your email address if you want me to send you the correct order.

Pattern: Super Quick and Simple Baby Quilt
Book: Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
Fabric: green minky on the back and a Michael Miller cotton on the front

ribbed jacket

This is another recent baby knitting project. It was fairly quick and knit all in one piece. The most challenging part is finding an appropriate closure for it. A woman in my knitting group found this pin at a craft shop in Paris, and I think it works great with the sweater.

Pattern: Ribbed Jacket

Book: Special Knits by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

best chocolate cupcakes

We made cupcakes for a coworker's birthday the other day, and I was reminded how they're the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever had. And, they're not that difficult. Try them out! Don't forget to use a good quality chocolate throughout, like Callebaut (my favorite), Valrhona, ScharffenBerger or Ghiradelli. Enjoy!

Cupcake recipe: Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cake
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=7f3f428e3ea0f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=one%20bowl%20chocolate%20cake&rsc=header_1
Frosting recipe: Martha Stewart's Chocolate Buttercream (however, I use mostly salted butter, and I at least double the melted chocolate to 6oz+)
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-buttercream?autonomy_kw=chocolate%20buttercream&rsc=header_5

baby quilt in process

This is a baby quilt in process for a friend that is having a baby girl in August. Check back later for the finished product!

Pattern: Pink Lemonade

Book: Sweet and Simple Baby Quilts

Fabric: Various red, white and yellow cottons

six year sweater

This is what I call my six year sweater. It was probably my 5th knitting project, before I knew that knitting patterns regularly contain errors. Why don't they hire editors??? Anyway, I knit about 2/3 of the project before I realized that the pieces weren't going to go together properly. So, I put it in a bag and stashed it away for a few years. Once I got back into knitting and realized that one is supposed to download pattern corrections from the internet, I took the sweater to my next open knitting class, got some expert help and fixed it all up! Six years later, a lovely little baby sweater for a friend's new baby boy. Here's to never giving up!

Pattern: Raglan Cardigan with Fully Fashioned Shaping

Book: Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Debbie Bliss merino aran

Buttons: mother of pearl