It's a bird...It's a plane...

No, it's a doggy sweater for my nephew's third birthday!



Here's the original inspiration:



All things considered, I'm proud of my replication of this design without a pattern. I would've bought the pattern, but it only came in French, so I thought I'd save myself the trouble. Heh. Here's hoping my version fits over the kid's head. My husband made the comment that, because of the coloring, the sleeves looked like the dog's ears. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but I can see it now and I think it's totally cute!

And, because I'm so proud of my finishing work, here are a few more gratuitous shots:


Intarsia all the way, bay-bee! Wouldn't the Rabbit would be proud?


The no-sew hem using a provisional cast on is my new favorite. Wow, that looks good!

Heck, since I'm on a roll, I might as well show another finished object:


Gryffindor!

Yup, finally done with that one... Originally this was intended to go with my Hermione Granger costume, but I think I'll just sell it on eBay instead. Unless of course, my brother *actually* wants it...

Well, that's all the photos I have to show this time! More coming soon of my progress on Convertible! Check the sidebar for updates!

Till next time,
Sarah

Curious...

When an unfashionable person tells you they like what you're wearing, should that be perceived as a fashion compliment, or red flag?

Till next time,
Sarah

PS - Go vote for my threadless slogans!

Sock Swap Sock Box!

Say that out loud, and see how fun it is!

Oh yes, it's here! Look at what I got in the mail:

What could it be?


Goodies, of course!

WOW!

Turns out Krista is the best pal EVER! She totally overloaded me with goodies, including not only the softest, best fitting sock ever knitted...



...but numerous other things as well, including a fabulous beachy-tote bag, oatmeal cream pies (my FAVEY!), handmade saltwater taffy (yum!), not one but TWO awesome magazines (Vogue Knitting and Cooking Light), stitch markers, the sweetest smelling water-free soap in existence (Bath & Body Works' Pink Grapefruit), a journal (for "blogging when the power's off"), Laura Ashley notecards, a flashlight (I needed that!), and much, much more. A huge, heartfelt THANK YOU!!!!! to my awesome pal, Krista. Also, a shout out to Christy for putting the whole thing together! I'm already looking forward to next year! : )

Till next time,
Sarah

The Show Must Go On

And it will go on, tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, to be precise. Yes, that's right kids, our favorite four Project Runway designers (that's right, I said four; however, only three will be competing to win) are showing their brand-new collections tomorrow morning at Bryant Park in New York. So, while we're all tucked into our nice, warm beds sleeping soundly, these lucky troopers will likely be pinning, hemming, and having a last-minute freak out session at some ungodly hour in the morning. Good luck to Michael, Uli, Laura and Jeffrey!

Oh, and for the real die-hards, Jay McCarroll (winner of PR Season 1) is having his debut the same day at 5:00 PM, also in Bryant Park. Good luck, Jay!

Till next time,
Sarah

More free patterns!

We all know the new Knitty is out, but have you visited Garnstudio lately? A seemingly little-known but fabulous design and yarn company based out of Norway, they have a lot to offer in the way of free patterns. Here, interesting design teams up with frequent new patterns to create a truly delightful spot to visit! Be sure to check out their newest patterns, as well as their extensive pattern archive when you visit.

The free Honey of a Hurricane sock pattern has been updated. Someone complained bitterly about my using "her" diagram for the figure eight cast-on, so all reference to the pattern giving inspiration for this design has been pulled. Play nice, I give you a good review and a link back to your site; play nasty, you get axed. There is now a handy-dandy link to Knitty's tutorial, for those of you who don't know how to do a figure eight cast-on. I will still be happy to provide credit where credit is due, so if you'd like to know where I got the original toe-up idea from, please let me know. Otherwise, we'll call it good. : )

Till next time,
Sarah

Episode 9

Okay, okay. Enough free patterns and knitting posts. Back to Project Runway!

For this episode the designers, still in Paris, are challenged to design an evening gown using classic couture methods for detailing and finishing (Read: by hand). They are given only TWO DAYS to complete this project. One designer poorly opted for Malan-style ruching of the bodice of his gown, and yet another sadly resorted to not a needle and thread to finish his hem, but a bottle of GLUE. No, no, no, no, no!

Here's the winner:

By JeffreyWell, as Tim Gunn said, he certainly took more risk than the other designers. But...a yellow plaid cotton evening dress? With a slit up to there? It did seem very couture (certainly more so than the others), but I don't see this going anywhere except down a runway.

And the loser is:

VINCENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Finally! Need I really say more?

Here are the others:

By KayneI have to say that I loved this dress. The only possible explanation I can think of for the judges hatred of it is that the black boning must have looked really awful in person. When I first saw Kayne with a pile of stiff gold mesh on his worktable, I was concerned. However, I felt that this final result was beautiful, had great movement, and was very refined. At least, for Kayne. I say, gorgeous, dahling! Simply gorgeous! (Except for that weird assymetrical lacing up the back...that was just weird.)

By LauraUmmmm....Laura? I think the pregnancy is getting to you. Now, when I'm designing something personally, I will generally first ask myself, "What would you NOT do in this situation?" and then proceed to do exactly that, but really now. A long-sleeved WOOLEN evening gown? Why don't you just put some fuzzy slippers on her and send her to bed? Yeeps.

By MichaelFor those of you who watch the show, did you think the "bunny ears" looked quite as bad on the model in Paris as in the U.S.? I didn't. I thought they looked considerably worse in the States - possibly because the fit was way, way off.

What do you think? It would have helped had one of his models actually had breasts, yes? Overall, a huge misstep for Michael. But since it's his first one all season, we'll cut him some slack.

By UliIs it just me, or does this remind you of Santino's dress for Nicky Hilton last season? Here, decide for yourself:

Maybe it's just me, but other than the length and the distressed fabric, this is essentially the same gown. Even the color is close! Sorry, but that's all I could think of when I saw this dress.

Laura is definitely going to be showing at fashion week this year. People Magazine made an oopsy last week and stated that she is "currently at home on a break during taping," which means that she is working on her collection, otherwise she would just be off the show, not on a "break". As far as the other three go (remember the top four designers will most likely be showing, though only three will be eligible to win), at this point I'm still betting on Uli, Michael and Jeffrey. There seems to be a change of direction as the judge's favor goes, and I'm guessing that Jeffrey is going to be in the top three, and that either Uli or Laura will be the wildcard fourth designer. Unless of course, Laura just freaks out tonight designing for the mysterious "Olsen twins" and gets Auf'd instead of Kayne. Wouldn't that just be a surprise? ; )

Till next time,
Sarah

Free Pattern Day - Hurricane Socks!

Here it is guys, my Hurricane Sock, free to all! Please leave a comment if you have questions! Enjoy!

Honey of a Hurricane Socks


Download the PDF for free, here. Add it to your Ravelry queue, here.

Enjoy, guys! Remember to leave a comment if you have a question!

Till next time,
Sarah

Mission accomplished!

Well, for lack of any posts of my own with knitting content, go check out Laura's site today! She got her Hurricane Sock Swap box, and she likes it! And the sock even fits, and everything!


See?

Can I steal this as my own knitting post today? It does have something to do with me, after all...hehehe...

Till next time,
Sarah

Where's that new ride?

Yep, my brother and I had fun at Disney over Labor Day Weekend! We rode the new Pirates twice (those Johnny Depp animatronics are A-may-zing!!!) and also enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and of course the rest of Magic Kingdom. Fun was had by all!

In knitting news (that's right, I said knitting news!), look at what I picked up at Tuesday Morning last night for $3.00!



There is so much cute stuff in here! I might become a yarn snob after all, with all this gorgeous Debbie Bliss staring me in the face.

Someday I will have pictures of my other knitting FO's and WIP's....someday. Maybe even someday soon. For now, feel lucky that you're getting to read a post that's not about Project Runway. Check the sidebar for knitting updates in the meantime!

Till next time,
Sarah

PS - Everyone wish me a happy birthday today! 24! :)

Aye! Avast!

Off to spend the weekend at Disney World with my brother! Gonna get my fill of Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy? Y'all have a good Labor Day Weekend! Pics when I get back!

Till next time,
Sarah