...And All That Jazz!

This dress is the bee's knees!

The 20's style flapper girl, just in time for Halloween! 

Pattern release date is scheduled for Friday October 4th, and there may just be a Pin It to Win It contest involved.....

Ladies Shrug CAL Progress

 I have been cruising along this week on my Ladies Shrug/Cardigan for the CAL, and I just can't wait to wear it!  The weather in New England has been very chilly this past week, so all the more reason to speed things up.

 The more rows I finish, the more I am LOVING these colors!  It's a tonal alpaca/wool/acrylic blend, so not only are the colors fabulous, but it will be super soft, warm, and lightweight.  What more could you want in a sweater?

The excitement of creating my very first sweater (well my first sweater for an adult) has me in full blown sweater mode.  I have been finding myself glued to pinterest and ravelry lately looking for more sweaters to create.  I have a vision of crocheting myself an entire fall wardrobe (never gonna happen.lol), and I am planning my next piece.

Can you believe the fabulousness (not a word? it should be) of this textured sweater?!  The colors are perfection too; utterly autumn :)
It is done in tunisian, which means that it's time for me to learn a new technique.  I have been wanting to try it for a while, and I think this sweater is the perfect motivation, don't you?

But before I attempt the tunisian sweater, this cute cabled v-neck is next on my agenda.  It is another great pattern from my favorite designer, Mon Petit Violon, and I'm hoping I have enough of my yarn leftover to make it for my daughter.
Perfect for boys and girls, I think I will have to make several of these this season for all the kiddos in the family.

So, are any of you taking part in the CAL?  I know several people had shown interest last month and purchased the pattern.  I would love to hear about your progress, and even better, see some pics!

Here is a progress pic from the ever so talented Lisa, over at I Crochet It!  Great job Lisa, and I look forward to seeing more!

Please feel free to comment below about your progress or any current fall weather projects you are working on.

Party Princess and CAL Progress

 I can't believe my little girl is already 3 years old!  It doesn't seem possible, and yet it is.  I spent the week leading up to her birthday in part preparing, but mostly just watching her and marveling at how she has grown.
I can see how her features have changed over the past year; she no longer has that baby/toddler face.  She is a big girl, and mommy has mixed feelings on the matter.

She has grown to love all things "princess" over the past year, and I figured a princess party was in order.  Her favorite (as was mine as a child) seems to be Cinderella.  So I set out to make her a Cinderella-esque dress (I know, not a real word) for the party.

 I had no real plan for the dress or pattern to follow; I kind of just made it up as I went.  I had serious doubts on whether it would be finished in time.  We plan on this doubling as her Halloween costume this year, and I knew it would be done by then, but by her birthday?  

Stayed up till 2am the day of the party, ran out of both colors of yarn, but somehow made it work.  I had plans for a white puff sleeve, but went with sparkly silver tulle instead, and I am loving the end result!

 As you can see, she loves it too!

And that's what it's all about.

 A pattern will be coming shortly; I just have to get it written down (I know, I should write it down as I go, but I never learn).  It is for about a 4T, but I will explain how to make it to fit whatever the measurements may be.

 Her party was at her favorite park and spent with family and friends.  She had a wonderful time playing with her cousins, opening presents, eating cookies and cake, and just being 3!

 She finally braved the tunnel and the bridge at the playground (unable to do them at age two, she's a big girl now, and big girls do those things. Heehee)

 A very rare event: a family picture!

It's so hard to get a good pic of the three of us together, and I love this one!

 My big girl on the "big girl" swing, because in case you didn't know, she's 3 now, which means no more baby swing.  Posing with her cousins for a photo op.  She had a blast with these two on the playground.  It's so nice to have family around, though we don't see them often enough.

 In other news, I am still making progress on my CAL sweater, albeit not much this past week.  Now that customs and party planning are over, I should have time to focus on the Ladies Shrug/Cardigan Crochet along.

I am loving the yarn that I ordered online!  It's soft and the colors are perfect!  They are so me and so autumn!  Are any of you working on the sweater too?  I would love to see progress pics and hear how things are coming along.  Please feel free to comment below and on my facebook page.

Prelude to a CAL: The Perfect Sweater!

My big crochet plans for the month though are for my very own sweater!  I have already purchased the pattern (Ladies Shrug/Cardigan from Mon Petit Violon), and now my yarn is on its way  has arrived from Turkey (it's a wonderful alpaca blend that will be oh so cozy).
Here's a little peek at it:

We awoke this morning to very cold temps here in New England, which means sweater season is rolling in!  Yay!
I began today in the car while running errands.  I opted for the medium size of the pattern, and attempted it with a size H hook, thinking the G would make it too small.  I was wrong, and stupidly didn't make a swatch.  I know, I know, big mistake!  I figured with the measurements that she offers after Row 2, it would be ok.  That's when I discovered that I should have gone with a G hook after all.
So, I have started over this evening, size Medium, with a G hook, and it is coming along quite nicely.  I am not sure how much progress I will make this evening, but I am excited to see how this turns out!

If you are planning on joining in on the CAL, I would love to hear about your progress and see pictures, which you may post here with links or on facebook.  I will post at least weekly on my progress, and while there is no deadline, I am hoping to be able to enjoy the sweater this fall.