Me Made May 2014 - First 2 Weeks

I have an outfit recap for you from the first two weeks of Me Made May.  A few of these are unblogged, sorry!

Knit Featherweight cardigan

Papercut Coppelia Cardigan 

Blank Canvas Tee

Blank Canvas Tee and Miette skirt

Beignet skirt

Ship to Shore shawl

There were a few days that I couldn't snag someone to take my picture, but I assure you that I'm keeping up with my pledge!

Me Made May 2014

You guys!  It's Me Made May time again!  As I was getting ready to write this post, I realized that last year I was HORRIBLE about blogging Me Made May.  Let's face it, I'm a horrible blogger...two posts ago I promised more pictures and updates about the knitting cruise I went on.  I still haven't gotten around to it, sorry!  Anyways, this year, I promise to blog more regularly about Me Made May.

I decided to keep my pledge the same as last year since I had trouble wearing 3 me mades without looking like I was wearing the same thing every day.

I, Mary of lammiepiefibers.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14.  I endeavor to wear one me made or refashioned item 3 days a week for the duration of May 2014.

I plan to be posting my 3 me made outfits each week on instagram (My username is mlindstrom17) and here on the blog weekly.  

Are you participating in Me Made May?

Done in the Nick of Time

Hey guys!  I finally finished my Bunny Hoop embroidery project!  Isn't it adorable?!

I learned the lazy daisy stitch for this project and am completely smitten.  I love the ease of the stitch, yet it produces such a wonderful result.  I also love all the spring-like colors in the pattern.  Maybe it's because spring has been a little late this year that I feel like I need some color in my life. 

Next up, Say It With Flowers.

A Knitting Vacation

Last week Tori, our Mom, our Aunt and I went on a knitting cruise to Mexico!  Our Uncle is apart of the wonderful knitting community at A Good Yarn, in Sarasota, Florida, which put together the knitting cruise.  We booked the cruise about a year ago and registered for 3 of the many classes being taught on the cruise.  I registered for Elegant Beaded Scarf, Socks - 2 at a time, and Knitting with Silk Hankies.

In the Elegant Lace Scarf class, I learned how to add beads to my knitting!  How cool is that!?  The pattern we used is the Elegant Beaded Lace Stole by Anniken Allis.

Elegant Beaded Lace Stole

I splurged (actually my Mom splurged and bought it for me :) ) on some nice lace weight yarn for this project!  I got Anzula Wash My Lace yarn in the Claret colorway.

The second class I took was Socks - 2 at a time.  We used the Lucky 13 Bed Socks pattern by Julie Weisenberger.  I'm knitting these with my handspun yarn!

Lucky 13 Bed Socks

Last, but not least, I took the Knitting with Silk Hankies class.  For this class, we started knitting a simple cowl.  This is my first time knitting with silk hankies and I absolutely LOVE IT!  

I'll keep you posted on my progress with all three of these projects and will be back with more on the cruise!

Stripey Blank Canvas Tee

I have another finished garment for you!  This time it's a simple Blank Canvas Tee by Sewing Cake.  It's a free pattern and was so incredibly easy to sew...very much an instant gratification project.  I don't have too much to say about it since it fit well with no alterations.

I could have taken it in along the side seams, about a half inch on each seam, but I like my tops to fit loosely. 

This was my first attempt ever with trying to get stripes to match at the seams.  I think I did a pretty good job for my first time!

I used a cotton jersey that I bought a while ago from either Denver Fabrics or Fabric.com (I can't remember!)

I am definitely planning on making more of these shirts.  Steph, from Sewing Cake, has a bunch of different hacks and tutorials for this shirt.  I particularly love the Sailor Sweetheart shirt and the Tee with flutter sleeves!

Both pictures from here.

I've also been working on more embroidery lately!  I'm participating in the Bunny Hoop stitch along from Red Letter Day Stitches!

Image from Red Letter Day Stitches

Red Wool Skirt Refashion

This post is LOOOOONG overdue.  I finished this refashion months ago, but could never take any good pictures for the blog.  The only pictures I had were taken in my mirror at work and are shoddy at best.  This weekend I finally committed to learning and mastering my cameras timer function, aperture priority and focus.  Whew!  I conquered the techniques and finally have some decent pictures to show you.  Without further ado, here is the post I wrote months ago and today's pictures.

I am so excited to show you guys this refashion!  It is one that I am most proud of to date!  It may not look like it was very difficult or time consuming, but it turned out absolutely PERFECT (which is why I'm so pleased).

I bought the skirt at a local thrift shop.  Like I do with everything from thrift shops, I washed it in hot water, knowing full well it might felt.  The fabric felted slightly, just enough to make it thick and cozy.

The skirt originally was bigger than my normal size and had elastic in parts of the waist band.  I decided to only remove the waist band and lining.  I then made pleats in both the front and back of the skirt to reduce the waist measurement to my size.

The pleats are sewn flat for about 2 inches to reduce bulk around my waist.  I slapped the zipper and waistband back on....and BAM!  A skirt!

Below are pictures of the inside of the skirt.  Apparently I was good last year because Santa brought me a serger!!!!  Check out those gorgeous serged seams.

Just because I have them, here are the shoddy pictures I was talking about!  Yikes!

FO: Mini Bunny Loves & Sockhead Hat

I have two finished objects for you. today.  First up, the adorable Mini Bunny Loves by Susan Anderson!

Here it is almost finished...

These are the only pictures I have of the finished project.  I was so excited about how cute it turned out that I couldn't wait to give it to my cousin's baby!

Look at that pom pom tail!  So cute!!

This is the perfect project for using up leftover sock yarn, however, since I used leftovers I didn't have enough to knit the legs.  Oh well, next time!

Mini Bunny Loves

My second FO is a Sockhead hat by Kelly McClure.  I originally knit it to participate in Molly's, from A Homespun House Podcast, fingering weight knit-a-long.  I finished the hat in time, but never posted my pictures to the thread!  Whoops!

I've been running a lot lately, and this hat is perfect for running outside.  (Yes, I STILL need a hat to go outside) The fingering weight yarn makes it light enough so I don't get too hot, and it is big and slouchy enough to fit my hair.

Finished Object: Raise a Glass

I am SOOO behind on blogging!  Lately, I've been on a crazy finishing kick which I attribute to participating in knit-a-longs and stitch-a-longs.  I think maybe that is the key for me to actually finish things...it keeps me on a schedule and accountable.  It also keeps me from casting on too many things and never finishing them!

Anyways, first up is some embroidery!  I found this crazy cute company, Red Letter Day Stitches, which publishes holiday embroidery patterns.  I am in desperate need of holiday decorations, so  I thought it would be cute to have a spot on a wall where I rotate out different embroidery decorations, based on the season/holiday.  When I found the company, they had just released Raise a Glass, their St. Patrick's Day pattern.  I was totally on board!  Without further ado, here is my finished project!

Once I purchased the pattern, which was only $4, I received a pdf of the instructions and the design.  I think in order to get the picture sizing right, you are supposed to print it out, THEN trace it onto the fabric.  For some reason, I felt the need to skip that step and just traced it from my computer screen, ugh!  My picture ended up just a hair too big to fit nicely in a 6 inch hoop.  Whoops.

I participated in their stitch-a-long, which was nice because as I mentioned at the beginning of this post stitch-a-longs keep me on track.  Well, guess what!  I was wonderfully surprised because I ended up winning a pattern subscription!  How awesome is that?!

Next up is the Bunny Hoop, which was just released today.  Isn't it just too cute to handle?!!  I can't wait to get home to start it!!!!  This time, I'm going to PRINT the pdf first!

Ravellenic Games 2014

This year for the Ravellenic Games I thought I would REALLY try to challenge my knitting quota.  I feel like lately I haven't been finishing many things, so I thought this would be the perfect excuse to kick my knitting up a notch.  I entered into the Hat Halfpipe and WIPs Dancing.  The hat I knit for my husband for Christmas was so well received that I decided to knit him another for the Ravellenic Games.  I settled on Andi Satterlund's An Easy Beanie.  I finished the hat in only 10 days!

Here is the hat right after I finished it.  

...and after a few days of wear, it has stretched out nicely.

The second event I entered, WIPs Dancing, I wanted to finish the Peggy Sue sweater I've been working on. (Sidenote: I'm not sure if you can call it a true Peggy Sue sweater, since I made so many changes.  The only parts that resemble the Peggy Sue are the faux cabled ribbing and the moss stitch button band.  For the raglan construction, I followed Fringe Association's tutorial.)

 I really should have included sewing on grosgrain ribbon and the buttons in my Ravellenics goal, as those still aren't done. 

Here is a close up of the faux cabled ribbing.

I love love love this sweater so far!  I've worn it (sans buttons) a handful of times already.

Wardrobe Architect, Part 3

The past two weeks in the wardrobe architect have been all about color.  First, the assignment was to figure out your color palette.  What colors make you feel most comfortable and confident?  This week, we were assigned to categorize our color palette into neutrals, nearly neutrals and statement colors.

In order to figure out my color palette, I looked through pictures of myself noticing which colors emerge as a theme.  Well, yikes!  I discovered that I really only wear a handful of colors, and I went back through at least 6 years of pictures!  Here is what I came up with.

The neutral colors I usually wear are black, grey, navy blue and tan.  The statement colors I consistently wear are pink and red.  Rarely, I wear turquoise and blue.

On another note, you may have noticed that I just added a new page to the blog!  I have compiled the finished sewn and knit objects I've blogged about onto one page.  I'll be updating the page as I have new finished objects.  You can find the page at the top left, right under the "Lammie Pie" text.

Pom Poms!

I saw this video on Caitlin Ffrench's wonderful blog and just HAD to share!

Hilarious!!

Finished Object: Footies

It feels like it's been an eternity since I've had a finished object, let alone one for myself.  This weekend I decided that I needed to remedy that, STAT!  I knit a pair of footies!  They are a slipper pattern that my grandma always used to make and put in all of our Christmas stockings.  The last pair that I had my dog chewed a huuuuge hole in when she was a puppy.  Since she is almost 3, these are long past due!

The pattern is super simple:

Worsted weight with size 7 needles

CO 32
Knit in 2x2 rib for 30 rows
Knit garter stitch for 30 rows

Sew up the heel (garter stitch end).  Gather the ribbed end for the toe, then sew the ribbing together until you reach the garter stitch.

On another note the website Treehugger has posted a couple good articles about knitting and why it's important.  If you have a few spare minutes, they are great reads!

Why bother knitting a scarf?

Don't stop knitting! It keeps you healthy.

I'm Loving...A Homespun House Podcast

I recently found a new podcast (actually a videocast) that I TOTALLY love!  It's called a Homespun House.  The Ravelry group can be found here.  I love love love to listen to knitting podcasts while I knit and highly recommend this one!

I also am a huge fan of The Knitmore Girls Podcast and have been a regular listener for months, maybe even a year.

Do you listen to any knitting podcasts?  What are your favorites?  I' always open to suggestions!!

Wardrobe Architect Progress, Part 2

Have you been following along with Colette Patterns Wardrobe Architect?  This week we are working on defining our own core style.  I saw the title of the post "Defining a Core Style" and thought "Pffft!  This is easy!"  I soooooo already know my core style.  Every single day of my life (that I leave the house) I wear some version of the following: a skirt, tank top, and a cardigan.

I didn't have to dig too far to find just three examples of this.

One of the activities for the Wardrobe Architect was to list 3-5 words which describe your core style.  The words I came up with are:

Eco-friendly: I like to buy second hand pieces to keep them out of the dumpster and give them a new life!

Feminine: I wear a skirt allllll the time!

Hobbies: Both of my hobbies include making my own clothes (knitting and sewing)

Career: My style has definitely swung more towards the dressy side of the spectrum due to my career. 

The next activity was to find pictures to demonstrate our 3-5 words and parts of our core style.  I didn't actually find pictures for each of the words, but while I was searching I realized that I tend to gravitate more towards pictures of A line/full skirts.  I found this interesting, particularly because most of my wardrobe consists of straight skirts!

Below are some pictures I found which visually demonstrate what I think my core style is.

Grosgrain

Bloglovin

I can't wait for the next installment of the Wardrobe Architect!

First Skein of Cotton!

Yesterday morning I finished spinning my very first skein of cotton!  Woot Woot!

Spinning cotton definitely wasn't as difficult as I had thought it would be.  It was so much fun!  I think it's by far my favorite fiber to spin now!

Colette Pattern's Wardrobe Architect

As a knitter and sewist I tend to lean towards making more pieces for my wardrobe than anything else.  Lately I've been knitting sweaters and (attempting) sewing skirts and dresses.  The finished products don't always match with my current wardrobe and/or lifestyle which can be a huge downer... Enter the Colette Pattern Wardrobe Architect project!  When I saw the post on this project, I instantly knew that it was something that I wanted and NEEDED to participate in!  The Coletterie blog will be posting weekly on this topic helping us to take ownership of our own wardrobe and really make it what we want and need it to be.

Their blog post explains the process best:

"We’ll start with several posts on defining our own styles, and how it relates to who we are. We’ll then get into more pragmatic techniques, like creating uniforms and planning capsule wardrobes. Last, we’ll talk about editing and culling."
-excerpt from Coletterie

I'm so excited for it to get started and am planning on regularly blogging on my progress!  If nothing else, I am hoping that committing to regularly blogging on it will make me more accountable to stay on track.  Wish me luck!

Is anyone else planning on following along?

About That Hat...

So, about that hat I knit my husband for Christmas.  I mentioned before that I gave it to him and that he wore it everyday.  He loved it!  Leave it up to me to lose it.  UGH!  He had it for less than a week before I lost it somewhere in the house.  To top it off the temperature has been in the single digits the past few days.  Right now, it is 1 degree Fahrenheit and the wind chill is in the negative teens. What's a girl to do?  Well, I'll tell you...knit another hat, that's what!  Andi from Untangling Knots just released a new free men's beanie pattern.

An Easy Beanie by Andi Satterlund

Talk about perfect timing!

Christmas Knitting

Ahhh, Christmas knitting... A term that always seems to strike knitters with a bout of stress filled anxiety.  This year I finally wised up and limited my Christmas knitting to gifts for my husband.  This way, if I didn't finish them, eh oh well, he would totally understand!  I knit him the hat recipe by the Yarn Harlot from her book "Knitting Rules."

Me modeling the hat pre weaving in the ends

I also decided to finally finish the sweater I had knit for my husband.  Oh god, I just saw the date of my last post for this sweater...have I really been working on it THAT long!?

Sewing the half zip on Christmas Eve morning!

I am happy to report that I did in fact finish both projects in time and my husband loves them both!

On a completely unrelated note, can you believe that it's almost time for another Ravellenic Games?!  Will you be participating?  If so, what team are you planning on joining?