neck and neck

The past year and a half has been one filled with learning and never having enough time to finish anything...until now! Here are images of a cowl I started for myself in April...yes, it's taken me 4 months to knit what's essentially a neck-sized tube. But I DID knit it, which is really the point, and doing so has truly done wonders for my confidence and for establishing an identity separate from being a Mama. Plus, the delicious earthy tones of the Manos Del Uruguay's Maxima yarn match my chocolate brown winter parka.

Detail of custom stitch pattern. Click image for link to my Ravelry page.

Below is a picture of the infinity scarf I sewed in about 1 hour, based on this tutorial. When I set out to make this I had no idea how these scarves were taking the world by storm, but I guess this is what can happen when you have a baby! My lovely friend Rita agreed to model it for me, and as you can imagine its neutral tones and sheer volume have me wishing the cold weather would hurry up and arrive already. Combining shades of grey, yellow and cream has been inspiring me lately, I think thanks to this fabric by designer Naomi Ito at Nani Iro Design. My fiance bought two yards of this for me at Miss Matatabi's shop on Etsy. I'd love to know what colour palettes protagonist readers are thinking about these days?

a little weekend sewing

With the holidays fast approaching, I've been beavering away at some TOP SECRET x-mas prezzies - the only clue I'll give it that the pattern I'm using comes from Heather Ross' fantabulous book Weekend Sewing, which she designed and illustrated with her unique and lovely style. I love this book! Stay posted for more X-mas prezzie updates...

Euro-Canadian Sewing Summit, 2009

Earlier in October my friend's mother, who is an accomplished costume designer for the (big T) Theatre, came all the way from Malta and ran a one day skirt-making workshop in my livingroom. Based on my waist, hip and waist-to-knee measurements, I made a tailored skirt in 2 hours. I know, it was amazing! And with Elvia's instruction it was amazingly easy to make too. Made out of a 1970's bedsheet, I think she's a real beaut.

september in a nutshell

It's harvest time, when all our hard work is rewarded by tomatoes, carrots, beans and herbs! It's the time of year for morning walks with thermos coffee, new knitting and sewing projects and thoughts of how we're going to get through the long Quebec winter ahead. In the meantime we'll just enjoy the fall colours (namely red) and hoard root vegetables for roasted dinners...