A sweater for sweetpea

Just before Thanksgiving I finished this adorable sweater for my little sweetpea. The pattern is "Helena" from Knitty. I used Patons ultra soft Silk-Bamboo yarn. I think the colorway is "Plum".

The sweater is a pretty quick knit. I modified the pattern to have only four repeats on the lace. I also wanted a short-sleeve, because a.) I thought it would look really cute and b.) I was afraid I might run out of yarn. I also added vintage brass buttons, instead of ties.

The only bummer is that, in my inexperience, I picked up too few stitches along the front and neck, so it has a bit of a pucker. Drat! I might try blocking to see if I can get it to lay flatter. Otherwise, I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

Wow, has it been a year (almost)?...

I can't believe how time flies! It was almost a year ago that I called it quits on the ol' blog and took a much needed break from crafting.

Around the first of the year last year I got pregnant with our second. The second pregnacy, in some ways, was much more difficult than the first. I was just sooo tired all of the time. Growing a little person and chasing around a two-year-old at the same time is hard work! On September 22 we welcomed our new baby girl Aya Olive. :-)

Now that the baby is here I seem to have so much more energy (believe it or not!). I've found it difficult NOT to craft. So, among other things, I've been working hard to restock the shop .

I finally formatted my "Dot Dolly" pattern:

And a the little "Buzzy B. and Berry Bear" crochet pattern that I started working on eons ago:

I've also found myself recently addicted to knitting socks (something I thought I'd never have the patience for). Here's my third pair, in progress:

I just LOVE how those nifty stripes and patterns magically appear! And, surprise, this sock yarn is now available at Michael's.

Here's another tiny one that I made for Aya (below). Only it's too tiny for even her itty bitty foot, so I guess it's going on the Christmas tree!