Off the needles

I'm trying to complete all the knitting projects I have going on right now before starting a new one. It's easy to loose interest in a project half way through and move on to something else, right? So instead I'm vowing to finish those projects. These fingerless mitts were easy. The sweater, not so much... but that's another post.
I've made these before using the Maine Morning Mitts pattern. They are easy to knit and fun to wear. The yarn I used was the leftover Malabrigo from my honey cowl.
I'd like to send these to one lucky winner. Follow my blog and leave a comment below for your chance to win these.

Thanks to my cute model!

Take two...plantain top

I liked this pattern so much I decided to make another. Plus, I had some extra fabric laying around.  I didn't have enough fabric to make the long sleeve version with the elbow patches (which I love) so I opted for short sleeves on this one. I love how easy it is to wear. I had a little trouble matching the stripes up since the fabric is so stretchy but overall I think it turned out pretty good.

Paired here with my favorite new accessory - Ruby!

Welcome Ruby!

We got a new puppy. Her name is Ruby. She is the sweetest thing ever. See for yourself.

See. I told you.

As some of you know, we lost our family dog, Taryn, to cancer right before Christmas. It was hard and sad for everyone. Life just isn't the same without a dog when you are used to having one around. We found this little girl and the breeder agreed to hold her for us until the weekend when we could drive out to get her. So we made a trip to Eastern Washington, picked her up and headed to the ranch to visit some friends. Ruby got some serious loving from everyone and fit right in immediately. She was a great rider in the car and she is learning fast!  We are happy to welcome Ruby to our family!

 If you've never seen my "ranch" posts before, know that going to the ranch is always a good time. It is basically Wyatt's dream world. He keeps asking us when we can have a farm... and since we have no intention of starting our own farm, visiting the ranch is the next best thing. Our friends raise cattle (darn I didn't get any pictures this time!), goats and sheep and also have lots of dogs, horses and an alpaca, cat and bird. Wheew. The kids had a blast riding the horses, chasing the goats, feeding the alpaca and playing with the dogs. Us adults had a great visit and enjoyed watching the kids have so much fun!

Sage on the miniature horse

Wyatt on the pony

Wyatt on Fred

Sage and I riding Fred

Beautiful snow covered trees.

Our friends run Promised Land Fibers where they raise their own lambs as well as spin and dye their own yarn. We have been buying lambs from them for the last two years and they are delicious!

The sheep

Remember that purple vest I knit for Sage? Well it is made from hand spun, hand dyed yarn from this alpaca.

The alpaca

 I leave you with this beautiful picture not only of the sheep but of the peaceful landscape. What a wonderful place to spend the weekend.

Plantain t-shirt

I'm on a selfish sewing spree! Yippee! I ran across this new and free pattern by Deer & Doe and was smitten. Who doesn't love a loose, flattering and cute t-shirt?? And those elbow patches, really??? I actually found some super cute knit fabric at JoAnn's. It is reversible - one side sparkly silver polka dots and the other sparkly silver stripes. It's a good thing I got to use both on this shirt because it was hard to decide which side to show. The fabric is super soft and a little bit thick which makes it nice and cozy for these chilly winter days.

As for the actual sewing part - the pattern was really straightforward and easy. I finished it after the kids went to bed one night and I'm super pleased with how it turned out. The fit is flattering, the elbow patches are fun and the neckline is perfect. I'm feeling more and more comfortable and confident sewing with knits, thanks to patterns like this.

Thanks to this little guy for making my photo shoot more fun!

-Vee

Penelope Peplum....for ME!

I've mostly shied away from sewing for myself because I'm super picky about the way clothes fit. It's hard to find patterns that I like and feel like I will actually wear. I've been wanting to sew more for myself and sew more with knits. A New Year's resolution of sorts.... Enter the Penelope Peplum. A pattern using knits and for me! (Which is, by the way, on sale until January 31st).  I couldn't wait to get started. After I got the pattern I visited the Hancock Fabrics in Tacoma and stumbled upon a whole table of garment remnants for $3.95/yard. All of the fabric on this table was better than anything I saw on the shelves and way less expensive. I was thrilled! So I picked out a few with this peplum top in mind, went home and got to work. I am loving the end result. I know I will be wearing these tops (in fact I wore the black one all day yesterday while sewing the cream one!) and I'm sure that I'll be making a few more quite possible after another trip to Hancock Fabrics.
Now - please excuse the bad photos. I'm realizing it would be super helpful to have a tripod and a remote for my camera. My husband had fun taking these pictures but he might have got a little annoyed at all my directions.

Black knit with a subtle herringbone pattern.

Cream knit with a teeny tiny black polka dot.

 If you like to sew and want to make something for yourself - I would highly recommend this pattern. Not only is it on sale right now at See Kate Sew but she is also doing a sew-along. She'll walk you through all the steps on sewing this patterns and soon you will have your very own Penelope Peplum.

What do you think?

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New Years at Great Wolf Lodge

 This year we surprised our kids with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge for New Years Eve. They were so excited when they found out a few days after Christmas. The excitement continued the whole time we were there - from the room with bunk beds they got to sleep in to the water park to the midnight balloon drop and dance party. I am grateful that we got to spend this time together as a family, having fun and enjoying each others company. And hanging out in the 85 degree water park for a couple days was not bad either!

Bunk Beds!

Ready to Party!

Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you a very happy and healthy 2014!