Placemats for Herringbone Interiors

One of my oldest (in the we-went-to-nursery-school-toghether sort of way...), closest friends is not only an awesome, loyal, fun-loving person, but a talented entrepreneur who has an interior design business that is getting tons of acclaim!  Her blog is here - Herringbone Interiors.  She's, like...famous!  She recently had a show at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Binghamton, NY, and her design space came in third for the best interiors (I'm telling you, she's famous!).  She was kind enough to ask for some hand-knitted pieces to add to her decor and I was thrilled to oblige.  I thought for weeks about what to contribute - I mean, where would baby booties or a knitted cowl fit into a chic interior??  But in my search for inspiration, I stumbled on the idea of...(drum roll, please...) knitted placemats!  Consider it an 'Ah Ha' knitting moment!

I chose a washable yarn in a neutral shade that would not only funk up any table setting, but could be tossed into the washing machine when ketchup/red wine/spaghetti sauce needed removal.  I also sought out yarn at a price point that would keep the construction costs low - the pattern is made with a super bulky yarn, 2 strands held together...so these suckers use a lot of yarn.  I ended up going with Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Oatmeal and was very happy with the outcome.   Mine are 19" x 14" - which is what was recommended by the interior-designer-extraordinaire, but can be made any size.  It is a basic seed stitch - couldn't be simpler.  Give 'em a try!

Thanks JMM!!  You are the best.

xoxo.

Stitch DC

There are so many awesome things about traveling...seeing how other people live and work, eating at new restaurants, exploring cool neighborhoods, and maybe most importantly, stepping out of your own little bubble and realizing that there is so much out there to experience and enjoy.  It's refreshing to return home with new perspective, new ideas, and maybe even some new appreciation for what you have.   

A favorite part of my travels is looking up area yarn shops and seeing how the locals knit. I dream of one day being a yarn shop owner myself, so I really enjoy seeing the variation from shop to shop and tucking away little ideas for "some day".

A recent trip to our nations capital gave me the chance to visit Stitch DC - a lovely shop that was bursting with inspiration. Nestled in Capital Hill, Stitch DC resides in an historic row house on 8th Street SE and has some great neighbors - hip restaurants, trendy baby stores, organic markets, etc. 

Inside, I met Marie Connelly: shop-owner, pattern-designer, book-writer, knitting-blogger, you name it.  Master of all things knit, crocheted, and quilted.  And on top of it, a super nice person!  I was excited to hear about her recent book, The Expectant Knitter - a book that I can't wait to have on my bookshelf (they, unsurprisingly, had sold out at Stitch DC).  With all of the babies and new moms around me, this will soon be a bible in my knitting library.

Aside from a lovely, neat, organized selection of great yarns, this shop has a wall of quilting cotton which is a brilliant addition. Sure, it's handy for the quilting classes (one starts October 9th!), but how about all of the other uses for fabric in the fiber world? Who wants to make an extra stop at a giant chain craft store when all you need one yard of cute cotton to line a knitted handbag?  Not me!  It's like having to go to the grocery store - oversized, obnoxious, and full of old acquaintances who want to chat - for one last pesky ingredient after you've enjoyed a morning at the farmer's market collecting everything else.  So THANKS Stitch DC for believing in one-stop crafting!  Now will you just open a shop in Connecticut?

The shop also has a beautiful, cozy classroom in back, another super-cool feature...

My Stitch DC purchases included:

• a yard of mint green fabric with a pattern of cars, trucks, and traffic signs sketched about...sounds cute but chaotic?  You're right.  But I'm using it to line this Art Lace Bag by Teva Durham, and the pattern itself could easily be summed up with the same two words.  Perhaps so could the District of Columbia?
• two skeins of Spud and Chole Superwash Sweater yarn in Turtle - a perky emerald green that I couldn't live without.  I've been curious about Spud and Chloe but haven't knit with any of their yarns. Not sure what I'll do with my Turtle yet...maybe knit something from The Expectant Knitter?

Thanks, Marie and Stitch DC for adding a little lot! of inspiration to my trip.  Will be sure to stop by again next time I'm in Capitol Hill.

xoxo.

Birth Day Buddies

If I am blessed to have a kiddo of my own some day, I wonder if I'll take the plunge and learn the baby's sex at that second trimester ultrasound.  I've had friends who have done it and friends who haven't, and I'm sure a quick stroll through baby blogs would confirm my suspicion - there are pros and cons, ups and downs, pluses and minuses, to each side of the story. 

What I DO know is that knitting for a gender-yet-to-be-determined bambino takes some serious thought.  Little sweaters and booties are often quintessenially BOY or GIRL, even if you play with the colors.  And if you don't have the time to commit to a neutral throw or baby blanket, what's a girl to do??

I encountered this conundrum recently.  One of my most-specialist friends spent most of 2010 (and part of 2009) wondering if the little nugget in her belly was a boy or a girl.  We all waited with bated breath on the big day, pacing back and forth in our little corners of the world, awaiting the text or call or email with the news.  When little L. made his grand entrance, exactly 50% of us bragged, "I KNEW she was having a boy!".  Funny how those odds work out!  Now rewind several months, again to me pacing, but this time around my LYS...wondering what the heck to knit for this mysteriously gendered baby.  If I had only known then what I know now!  Every baby - boy, girl, big, small, premature or late-to-the-party - needs a snuggly little friend to enter this world beside.

Then I found this: Knitted Toy Tales: Irresistible characters for all ages by Laura Long.  What a life saver!  It is full of patterns for lots of quirky little friends - a frog prince, three adorable babushkas, the owl and the pussycat.  I thought that baby L. would probably like a piglet and a teddy bear, so I set to work on my first attempt at knitted "toys".  I was pleasantly surprised to find how simple the knitting and construction was.  I chose baby-safe yarn and made sure to sew the seams securely, to prevent little hands from beheading or de-tailing his new pals.  Here's what was born:

I nestled these guys in a vintage-looking tub that can be used to store toys or laundry once unwrapped.  They were accompanied by a baby sling that I made using this tutorial, and an incredibly soft baby blanket I bought at Sprout Baby Boutique (if you are ever in Pacific Grove, CA - you must go!).

Piggy's head shot

I used scraps of funky quilting cotton for the paw pads and inner ear lining.  I hand-sewed them in place, and then finished off the facial details (and belly button) with embroidery floss.

Voila!

To little LMH, the newest little Schmicky - I love you and can't wait to meet you in September! 

xoxo.

Made by Mandi.

Thanks to my pal Ashley at LetterKissed, I'm working on some "business" cards.  Inspired by my bib-scribble from C.'s shower...

This...

...will become something like this...

...but much tidier.  The real thing should arrive any day.  Not sure who I'll give 'em to, but you never know!

Baby Uggs

They've been gifted, now they can be posted :)  For all the deets, see my "Pacific Grove" post...

Peaches is going to be the coolest chick on the block in these things!

xoxo.

Baby Sweet-Pea

Thanks to bekahknits, the Baby Moc-a-Socs have a girlfriend...

(Baby Sweet-Pea).

Despite the blackberry-quality photos, still quite cute, I think.

Knit in the same fashion as the Baby Moc-a-Socs...and with the same yarns, Baby Sweet-Pea can be adapted for different sized tootsies.  And since the inner sock has all of that ribbing, I'm hoping they'll stay put.  A wise friend recommends sewing a elastic inside the top edge of the sock to keep these anchored on little feet.  I forget sometimes that baby knits are made for real, live, squirmy infants.  You mean babies don't lay around all day sleeping soundly and looking angelic?  WTF!  Auntie Mands has a lot to learn...

xoxo.

Pacific Grove

Yikes!  I guess I've had Blogger's Block! A whole month with nothing to share??  One would have thought that May 2010 was a horribly boring, uncreative 31 days of my life.  But actually, it was quite the opposite.  I have been knitting up a storm, and have even taught myself to crochet (although that was technically a June event...more on why it's been classified as an "event" later). 

A highlight of my May was a trip to California to visit some very special friends and celebrate the upcoming delivery of a very special baby.  Here are the deets:

Pacific Grove, California - "PG" to the locals - is the hometown of my wonderful friend C. (who happens to have an *amazing* food blog).  I've been so lucky to have C. on the East coast for the past 7-or-so years - her friendship is a true blessing in my life.  I've also been lucky to have the opportunity to travel to "PG" once or twice to see her 'hood and celebrate some important events. If you've never been to PG or the Monterey peninsula, you should probably just stop reading right now and hop onto orbitz or travelocity or kayak.com or...something!  You are totally missing out.  It's beyond ridiculously gorgeous...blue water, rocky coastline, abundant succulents of all shapes and sizes.  And the people - creative, friendly, open-minded.  I mean seriously - take a look:

Heaven!

PG is also home to Monarch Knitting and Quilts, a great yarn shop nestled into downtown with a huge supply of cool stuff.  C. has asked me to knit/crochet her a pair of these, which she found on etsy (twist my arm!!) - they are baby versions of these knitted Uggs...and are so irresistable. Her little girl is going to look so freaking cute sporting these things!  I like the crocheted version MUCH better than the knit version (hence the crochet "event" that pretty much consumed my life last week) and have been committed to producing them with perfection since I was charged with the task.  I'm happy to say that after several botched attempts, and a few sleepless nights, I finally have a finished product and can now call myself a (beginner) crocheter!  (And certifiably OCD).  I will post the pics in a few weeks, after the mini-Uggs have been gifted to my dear C. (and baby Peaches).

C. and I spent some time together at Monarch the morning of her baby shower and she picked out the coolest yarn for these booties.  It is made by women in Bolivia and distributed by a non-profit called Frog Tree Yarns - a company which imports eco-friendly, fair trade, hand crafted items from South America, primarily Peru and Bolivia.  Their website tells their story - check it out, and ask your LYS if they carry their stuff.  If they don't, they should.  We found a blue-ish gray sport weight Alpaca which worked out perfectly.  C. also picked out some adorable buttons that give the booties a girlie twist but keep them funky. I can't wait to post the pics!!

The trip to Monarch was only one highlight of my California adventure. I got to spend lots of quality time with my friend P., who recently relocated from Boston to Santa Monica (and whom I miss dearly), and C.'s baby shower was beautiful, fun, and so darn creative!  Her friend A. hosted the event and is brilliantly creative - (check out her stationary company) so the shower was full of clever details.  So inspiring!  The icing on the cake is that I even got to make a pit stop in Chicago (thanks to an airline snafu) to see N. and baby Lilah!!!  What a treat!!!  I'm still buzzing...

I certainly didn't think that this blog would evolve into being all about baby knitting, but that's just where I'm at right now I guess (er...I mean where my friends are at! Don't get too excited yet Mom!!)

I'll leave you with this:

xoxo.