Hello, all! I’ve been meaning to post a little blurb about some new 100% philistine made products that I’ve recently added to the shop . . . just for all you knitters! Somehow, time has really gotten away from me . . . so how delighted I was to see my products for knitters featured in the new Indie Spotlight section of the winter edition of knotions! I’m absolutely thrilled to be featured in knotions + many great big thank yous to Jodi for including me. And speaking of knotions, have you seen the newest patterns being served up? The winter edition is choc full of some incredible winter accessories that I want to make nownownow, including my personal faves, the Magic Mirror Mittens, the Lakeside Knee Highs, the Isotope Hat, and of course Kelly’s Hanging Vines Socks. I am itching to cast on ALL of them immediatelyNOW! So, after you’ve checked out all of the great new patterns in knotions, come back here and check out all of my fun + happy new fold-over knitting project pouches + notions pouches . . . for those who are like me and have eleventy million projects going simultaneously, there is no such thing as owning too many project pouches!

Speaking of eleventy million projects, startitis has hit me particularly hard recently, so I should have lots of new knits to show off very soon!

Happy Tuesday, all . . . stay warm!

18 November 2008 | new goods for sale, sewing | leave a comment

Hello, everyone! Still busy, busy sewing over here . . . I’ve also been busy falling head over heels for Heather Ross’ Mendocino fabrics. They’re adorable, for one thing, and they come in the best color combinations! I saw them + immediately was inspired to turn them into . . . bathmats! And I couldn’t be happier with the results! Aren’t they fantastic? The perfect amount of retro fun for adults + super-colorful fun for kids, alike!

I paired up the Mendocino fabrics with some other really great fabrics to create the patchwork top panel + then backed the top with super-squishy, 100% organic cotton terrycloth backing. This stuff is absolutely dreamy to the touch–and I even added some squares of the terrycloth into the patchwork top panel so that you step onto cushy softness when you hop out of the shower.

And, look! Another great color combination–pretty blush, orange + gold! You can find both of these super-hip, super-fun patchwork bathmats in my shop now!

And you didn’t think I could stop at bathmats, did you? I mean, really, what’s a super-awesome new bathmat without matching washcloths? You can find a handful of patchwork washcloths in my shop, too!

Enjoy! + Happy almost-Friday!

23 October 2008 | bathmats + washcloths, new goods for sale, sewing, shop talk | 13 comments, now leave your own

Fall is finally here, friends, and I couldn’t be happier! It is my favorite time of year and I have been wallowing in it already! So many beautiful sights + smells to enjoy this time of year. I wanted to share a few of the glimpses of fall that I’ve been able to capture–I hope you enjoy them.

And . . . and! I am always up for a good way to celebrate fall, be it apple-picking, playing in leaves, or sipping hot toddies . . . so I was inspired recently to devise little fall-themed goodie pouches to have a fun, on-the-go way to celebrate the season. These little pouches make perfect surprise gifts for friends or for yourself! Check them out now in the s h o p! I hope you all enjoy them + enjoy the season!

16 October 2008 | fall is the best season of all, new goods for sale, out + about, sewing, shop talk | 11 comments, now leave your own

Hi all . . . wow, I didn’t mean to be gone for so long after flaunting my new fall scarflet, but I’ve been a busy bee. I spent most all of this past week cranking out a great big pile of linen dish towel sets, and, I must say, I’m pretty twitterpated with how they’ve turned out! I had so much fun making color sets of the patchwork pincushions that I continued that theme and made up color sets of the linen dish towels, which you can check out for yourself because they’re now available in my s h o p.

The { r e d } set is my favorite of the bunch. Those sweet lil’ acorns? Perfect for infusing this most perfect season into your kitchen.

So go take a peek in the shop and get yourself or a good friend a handmade, sturdy, + eco-friendly gift for fall!

Happy weekend, everyone!

4 October 2008 | WIPs, colorful!, linen dish towels, linen sling totes, new goods for sale, sewing, shop talk, socks | 3 comments, now leave your own

I promised you I’d have something finished next time I posted, and I’d hate to disappoint, so here it is . . . a very finished (even blocked!) perfectly perfect scarflet for fall. My sock knitting mojo is certainly disappearing more + more quickly these days, and I’m newly obsessed with knitting any + all types of neck warmers. Shawls, scarves, cowls, they’re all good. This little scarf was a pleasure to knit . . . an easy, but engaging lace pattern + the most wonderful yarn in a gorgeous, verdant shade of fall. And it only took one skein of yarn to make a wonderful neck wrap, so it took no time at all to knit up! This little number is highly recommended + I can see myself knitting more of these scarflets in the future. The very near future.

Finished: Lace Leaf Scarflet
Pattern: Lace Leaf Scarf from Vogue Knitting (spring/summer ‘05)
Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two sock yarn in ‘Lichen’
Full details on Ravelry
More photos in the Gallery

And speaking of fall, I’ve been hard at work making some new little fall goodies for the s h o p to celebrate the most perfectly perfect time of year! They should be ready very soon + I’ll be sure to let you know when they are! Until then, you can sneak a peek here.

28 September 2008 | Uncategorized | 9 comments, now leave your own

Today I made pincushions. I had never made pincushions before, but I figured if I knew how to make pillows, I knew how to make pincushions. And–lo and behold–my pincushions look a lot like my pillows. Who knew how fun it was to make pincushions? Also, I am officially a firm believer that anyone who has a sewing machine can never have too many pretty pincushions laying in wait to receive pins.

This lil’ bunch of colorful patchwork pincushions are now available in the s h o p, so go and have a look. ‘Specially if you’re in the market for taming your pins + needles!

Next up: a finished knit thing! { hey, don’t look so surprised. }

22 September 2008 | new goods for sale, pincushions, sewing, sewing accessories, shop talk | 12 comments, now leave your own

Finally! The first batch of sling totes is up in the shop! I’m way excited about how they turned out, and if I didn’t think it were completely uncouth to do so, I’d probably admit that I want to keep them ALL for MYSELF! But, well, it might be more advantageous to sell them so’s I can pay rent + not have to become a bum.

I wanted to show off some shots of the sling totes modeled, so that you are able to get an accurate sense of scale. I designed these totes to be ROOMY. I really hate finding that perfect, cute tote in all the best colors and then find out that it is actually only large enough to fit a paperback book into. Not this tote. This ‘un will hold all your junk. and your lunch, to boot.

And the sling! The sling is my bestest friend. I love just about any bag that I can sling across my chest and go. It might have something to do with my overly rounded shoulders {do those exist? or is this all in my imagination?}. I am just no good at keeping U-handle straps to stay on my shoulder. But, I will say, that unless you are a round-shouldered freak like me, even my sling strapped tote will stay up on the shoulder and does not have to be slung to be worn comfortably + stylishly. Anyway, I digress.

So, there ya have it. Six sling totes { some linen, some canvas } are now up in the shop for your perusal. I sure hope you find one that you love, but if you don’t, you can always convo me or check out the listing in the shop for a custom tote.

16 September 2008 | canvas sling totes, linen sling totes, sewing, shop talk, shoulder bags + totes | 14 comments, now leave your own

Hello, all! Just a little note to let you know that I am slowly but surely making progress on the stack of linen + canvas sling totes I’m working on for the shop. But these guys are somewhat fiddly, and since I’m making 10 at once, they’re taking longer than expected. I thought I’d entice y’all with a little peek at how they’re coming along–i am REALLY happy with them! The only thing left to make are the straps–yay! Stay tuned . . .

15 September 2008 | canvas sling totes, linen sling totes, sewing, shop talk, shoulder bags + totes | 2 comments, now leave your own

fabric ( linen + canvas ) = finally.

All of the supplies I’ve been waiting on for weeks now arrived today. In one big, happy pile of boxes in the front hall of my apartment building. Magically {and miraculously!}, I don’t even have to schlep the 20 blocks to the post office like I usually do when packages come in the mail. Today is a very good day.

And you know what linen + canvas mean, yes? I can finally, FINALLY get some sling totes cranked out and stocked in the s h o p! I suspect there will be a whole slew of them ready for the swiping by Monday. I am also going to put a listing for a { custom } sling tote in the shop as well, since the average sling may not fit everyone’s chest span just right. And I do want to accommodate everyone. So, if you’re interested in a customized sling tote, just pop on over to the shop and get yerself one!

Know what else came today? A big, heaping pile of new fabrics in all of the perfect Fall colors from superbuzzy + reprodepot. So, friends, stay tuned for some handsewn goodness soon to make its way to the shop . . .

13 September 2008 | fabric stash, sewing, shop talk | 4 comments, now leave your own

Have y’all heard the latest? The new fashion trend for this fall is funky, handknit unmatching socks! Totally chic. Totally. { At least they’re color-coordinated? }

rococo sock knit using sundara sock yarn in ‘lilac’

‘Nother single sock can be added to the stack. I’m on my last two singles for my little Project Spectrum Elements project, which I’ve been working on for the past 6 months. I have two singlets left: one to represent BLACK + one to represent BLUE, both of which are on the needles. Project Spectrum concludes at the end of the month, and then… and THEN, friends, it will be all about knitting mates to each and every single sock. I have no idea what sort of system I’ll use to determine the order I knit mates. Maybe I’ll take suggestions? {Do you have any?} Maybe I’ll go in the order of most favorited on Ravelry. Maybe it’ll be random. Who can say? Socktober is my oyster . . .

11 September 2008 | WIPs, knitting, socks | 14 comments, now leave your own