Summer Sweater Knit Along - a postponement of sorts

we're almost there ladies!  the finish line is so close!!!!  it was originally going to be this week but after many emails and chats with you ladies i've decided to postpone the grand finale for 2 weeks.  so sept 14th let the prizes roll!  if you are done your KAL sweater make sure to get your pic uploaded to the luvinthemommyhood flickr page with the tag "KAL" so we can all see your lovelies and you are entered in to win one of the fab prizes!  then we will take a 2 week break and start up the next kal.  i'll be doing a post then to gear up for it where we can chat and vote on the theme and project ideas :)

here's my kal so far.  the dreaded border is all done.  phew...what an ordeal that was.  the neck/collar and front uppers were easy, it was the bottom sides that tricked me a bit.  still not sure if one side is correct but it's too late now :)  i've just got most of the last sleeve to finish.  silly thing is i picked up my sleeve stitches on the wrong side and now i have to purl every row!  i had already done it all when i realized what happened and i have to tell you after ripping out so many times with the border that i just want to get this puppy done.  this oopsie was all this tired momma's fault though.  so a purling i will go :)  let's just hope when it's done that it looks like this and not like a big heavy blanket on me...lol.

i still wish i had been able to afford to use the madeline tosh (mental note to splurge & do next garment with this).  the fabric is just so lovely.  i'm not sure mine is going to drape as nicely but here's hoping the magic of blocking will help those lovely stitches hang all nice and flowy.  i know blocking can be a scary thing for some so next week i'll be having a guest come on and give us all a little how to post on the behind the scenes business of blocking.  i can't wait...i definitely can use some help!  i've only ever blocked baby sweaters so i need some tips to do this one the right way.

Source: etsy.com via clare on Pinterest

so for now i'm gonna keep on knitting and try really hard not to get distracted by this lovely (a gift for a pal of mine) that i couldn't resist casting on for.........any guesses which pattern it is??

what do you think?  do you like it so far?  how are your guys sweaters coming along?  are you a blocking pro with tips to share?  did you make the effortless cardigan? 

and don't forget to show our lovely summer sweater knit along sponsors some love!!

the lovely elisaluvinthemommyhood readers 20% off in her gorgeous shop!! use code LTMH2011 at the checkout of her etsy shop.

*french press knits  *never not knitting  *jane richmond  *knitterella  *hilary smith callis  *rebecca danger  *magpie patterns  *fanciful belongings  *plum project studio  *nook  *marie madeline studio  
*aesthetic nest  *passionate design

moments in the mommyhood - last days of summer

ahhhhh...what a view

beach beauty

we've been trying to keep the munchkins busy for the last few weeks of summer before preschool starts up again.  we attempted the beach on numerous occasions and let me just say it's been hit and miss.  we've learned the kids have to be in the right mood or it's a disaster waiting to happen.  i may have mastered swimming at the pool with them on my own but the beach is still a work in progress.  i did manage to capture this pic though that captured a brief moment of calm during our latest beach excursion (and yes, we hang on a vintage snoopy sheet at the beach...we roll like that).

caught in the act - stealing tomatoes in the early morning daylight

harper has been full of personality lately.  she's picking up new words and is into all sorts of mischief.  she definitely has been keeping me on my toes and making finding sewing time quite tricky these days. i'm hoping once mackenzie is back in preschool her naps will get back to normal again and momma can craft a bit more :)

smile!

getting into mischief

hanging in our makeshift backyard :P

this is what happens to a tired momma - you pass out on the grass..haha

we live in a condo that we rent so the hubs and i are always trying to find what we like to call "makeshift backyards" to hang in.  we dream of one day having our own little patch of green space for the wee ones to play in so that every time they need to run it doesn't involve packing, dressing, driving, walking, well..more on my part than theirs but still....i dream of not having to get out of my cozy clothes and find the time to do my hair/face just to let them play outside for a bit.  one day, one day...i'm sure you mommas out there living in apartments can all relate.  life is just that much more tricky to keep kids entertained if you know what i mean and of course, there is more park time and you all know how much i detest hanging at the playground :P and yes, that is me passed out on the grass in the pic above, that's what happens to very tired mommas who don't feel so good in the sunshine..haha.

me and the hubs

bear attack!

we recently hit up victoria's fabulous royal bc museum to check out the IMAX theatre.  i had never been before and we went to see a cool movie called "whales" that we all loved.  the hubs used to be an ocean kayak guide while going to university for the summers so he has a soft spot for whales, orcas, etc.  i couldn't resist posting the pic of the bear cause if you are a friend of mine you know how bad my phobia of bears is.  seriously people, i have almost been killed by a bear about 4 times now.  it's always a close call and they find me....no matter....where....i am.  hate the bears...hate them.

goofing at the imax

in between these happy pics were piles and piles of laundry, dirty bathrooms, messy carpets, unwashed floors, piles of sewing to be done, books to be read, toys to be played with, paintings to be made, tantrums to be had, naps taken, cuddles enjoyed, laughs had and cries had, momma not feeling so hot and momma feeling better, hubby exhausted from studying/work, but all in all, we love each other and we get by just like the rest of you super mommas & daddies do.

i hope you all had a good weekend and this week is a good one for all of us with back to school starting (for some it has already begun), new babies to enjoy (congrats to those who recently had gorgeous babes) and a few more weeks of summer rays to soak in the fun!

what have you been up to?  are you scared of bears too?  what outing do you keep trying but just can't seem to get the hang of?  do you have tips for finding balance during the day?  let's sip our imaginary pumpkin spice lattes and have some girl chat ladies!

sewing with knits mondays - finale roundup

have you guys been having fun with sewing with knits mondays?  i have!  unfortunately though today is the last day :(  anna and i had only intended it to be for 4 mondays and we ended up having such a good time we extended it for a few weeks but the time has come for it to end....but not forever - maybe just until next year??  hint hint anna :P

i've been so inspired by sewing with knits mondays that i am going to keep going.  they may not be as regular as every monday but i do have a few more tutorials that are already in the works that i'll be bringing to you folks.  i've been working with some awesome organic sustainable knits that i can't wait to show you all as well!  so stay tuned!  the knits aren't gone, they are here to stay!  but in the meantime let's take a look at all the fab goodies that were made during "sewing with knits mondays" from anna of noodlehead, me, and our fabulous guests - katy of no big dill, jess of craftiness is not optional, sascha of piccoli piselli and abby of sew much ado plus our giveaways from lil blue boo and made!  what a month and a half! wowsa! so fun!

the quick tee tutorial by noodlehead

the awesome amy cardigan tutorial by luvinthemommyhood

racerback tank tutorial by noodlehead

jane with a pop top tutorial by luvinthemommyhood

quilt top by noodlehead

the poppy top: a mini tute by luvinthemommyhood

super speedy simple skirt by no big dill

soho maxi dress tutorial by sew much ado

stretch dress by piccoli piselli

tee by craftiness is not optional

have you been sewing with knits?  here's a few of my faves from our sewing with knits flickr group! make sure to add your pics too!

1. twincess 2. make it perfect 3. gwenny penny 4. made on maple

looking for some more inspiration?  check out anna's post today too for a fun roundup!  you can also see a roundup i did earlier in the year "sewing with knits: tips and tricks roundup" right here.  so my question to you all is...

readers faves:

what are your favorite tips and tricks for sewing with knits?  your favorite tutorials and patterns for knits?  what is your favorite place to buy knits?  please share in the comments below and i'll add them into the post for you all as a handy resource!

so get sharing, get sewing and let's embrace the knits!  it's so easy and fun!  trust me, you'll be addicted like anna and i are!  thanks to all of you for joining in on the fun!  i can't wait to hear from you! also a giant thank you to anna who is the best partner in crime! luv ya girl!

p.s. you can find all my sewing with knits posts here.  

weekend wishes

that coffee could cure my endo.

Source: clarityandchaos.tumblr.com via Frau Leo on Pinterest

short weekend wishes today ladies.  mama's dealing with a bad endo day today (just in case you don't know i suffer from endometriosis for which there is no cure).  i'm getting by but just not in the shape to do a weekend wishes.  i have to admit when i have some bad endo days i'm just not in an "optimistic mood" and because i strive to keep things real in the mommyhood i share the good and the bad days with you all.  today is a bad day so my weekend wishes would prolly be ugly to look at..lol and maybe a tad fake cause i would try to make them look pretty for you all and one thing i'm not is fake. 

my house is a disaster.  like seriously a disaster.  i have now resorted to using my one of my kids toys to store my clean laundry in..haha.  i know, i know, but hey...it's clean right?  the carpet is horrible, but the thought of pushing the vacuum when you are in pain and not wanting to move doesn't appeal to me at the moment.  i just hope the baby doesn't eat too much food off of it..lol.  the kitchen floor is just ewww....and my bathroom...well, we'll just leave that one out of it..haha.  i'm sure there are some of you out there who can relate right?

Source: popartuk.com via Katherine on Pinterest

thing is i love a clean house.  i like my crafting area to be organized and tidy.  i think, work and create much better in a spick/span environment but every time i get it all cleaned up an hour goes by and i'm back at square one again :P  aiayayaya.  such is life right?  harper's cutting a whack of molars and her nose is a human faucet so she's cranky and not sleeping good and for some reason because she isn't mackenzie has decided she "is lonely" in her room and coming into ours every hour or two.  needless to say i'm about done with that.  i'll be nipping that in the bud this weekend.  kid is tricky.  i have to outwit her constantly.

today she was eating a snack that came in a little bag and she knows she's only allowed one so instead of getting one she got 2 (without me knowing) opened 1 and dumped it into the other bag so it looked like she only had 1 snack.  who does that at 4??? seriously??  she even hid the evidence and tried to deny it.  said it came like that..hahahaha.  oh man, kids.  i only wish it didn't hurt to laugh right now.

so this weekend i've got knit night tomorrow (to finish my KAL hopefully) and our modern sewing group at the fab "satin moon" on sunday! i'm so excited for that.  it's keeping me motivated right now so i can get a good chunk of my quilt done when i'm there.  i'm aiming to get all the quilting for the top done on sunday.  3 hours of kid free sewing bliss for mama.  yes please :)

i'm wishing you all a restful, happy, healthy and fun weekend!  what are you up to?  sounds like you have all been busy bees crafting on the FB page!  i love chatting with you all on there - so fun!  what things are you doing "for yourself" this weekend?  let's chat girls!

bring on the fall with...CELEBRATE COLOR!

i've got an announcement for you all today!  something fun to make that transition from summer to fall that much more enjoyable.  something crafty and filled with color and inspiration.  something for sewers, knitters, stitchers...and something with prizes too :)  rachel of the lovely blog "stitched in color" has lovingly organized a fabulous 3 month long celebration entitled "CELEBRATE COLOR" partnered alongside emma lamb, mollie of wild olive and myself.  woot woot!  you guys all know how i can't resist a celebration!  especially one that encompasses all of my favorite crafty things!  so get ready to embrace the fall!

Source: flickr.com via Silvia on Pinterest

here's some deets about celebrate color:

What is Celebrate Color?

{Inspiration}

Enjoy weekly doses of inspiration in projects, fiber round ups, pin boards and tutorials brought to you by Stitched in Color, our partners and special guest posters!  Browse the photo pools to immerse yourself in the colors of fall as seen through the eyes of fellow fiber artists. 

{Contest}

Submit your fall colored projects for a chance to win monthly prizes.  1st and 2nd place "Color me happy" winners will be chosen by popular vote each month from each category.  The 4 photo pool and contest categories are:

Fabric {Home Decor}: quilts, pillows, runners, etc.
Fabric {Wearables}:  clothing, bags, accessories.
Yarn:  anything knit or crocheted
Needlepoint:  with elements of embroidery, crewel, cross stitch, etc.

You may submit up to 2 projects each month into any given category.  And, of course, you may be active in several categories!  Projects must be newly created/finished during our event.  More entry details to come!

{Prizes}

And what's a good party without prizes?  This contest is divided by category exactly so that you can win prizes fitting to your favorite fiber art.  We're making our lists and contacting folks now, so let us know if there's something you think would make the perfect prize.  Of course, I already have some great ones lined up!  Prizes for each category will be announced at the beginning of each month.

{Community}

Celebrate Color officially launches on September 1st when some of the partners and I will be sharing what "fall colors" means for each of us.  Remember, this is an interpretive event, so we want to know and see what inspires you as "fall".  Would you join us in posting on September 1st an inspiration board, fiber round up or just your musings on fall colors?  Rachel's post on "stitched in color" will include a linky so that you can add your post and we can enjoy a community full of inspiration.

rachel, emma, mollie & i will be posting again soon with buttons for you all to sport, contest details and more information about celebrate color.   i'm super excited about the whole thing and i hope you guys all join in!  it sounds fun right! i cannot wait to see what you guys come up with and what colors you are inspired by for fall.  i've even got a few tutorials in the works that will be part of celebrate color as well!  i can't wait to show you all.

Source: iamjenna.tumblr.com via Jenna on Pinterest

so get creative, get crafting, start thinking cozy fall and let's all celebrate color together!  are you excited about fall?  are you going to join in?  happy thursday!

want to sport a button?  grab one now!  woot woot!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.stitchedincolor.com/p/celebrate-color.html" title="Celebrate Color"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qOhkDUq1u1U/TlZf3yvm0QI/AAAAAAAAAVM/hTxCu7HAzD4/Celebrate%252520Color%252520bowl%252520150.jpg" alt="Celebrate Color" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.stitchedincolor.com/p/celebrate-color.html" title="Celebrate Color"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MybSYPxNptg/TlZf4LsF1xI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/lmGAEeGXD_M/Celebrate%252520Color%252520simple%252520photo%252520150.jpg" alt="Celebrate Color" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

summer sweater knit along - picking up the stitches

we're almost at the finish line for the summer sweater knit along ladies.  i'm not happy about it though.  i'm sad for the kal to end.  i've been having so much fun that i think we need to do another one :)  i'm also sad because my sweater has gone from something i enjoyed working on to a pain in the ass!  man, oh man.  who would have thought.  i'm at the point now that i just want to "get it done".

via one yarn after another

i worked for hours and i mean hours on one small section of picking up stitches for my border only to realize after the 5th time ripping it out that maybe i needed some help..haha.  i took that bad boy to knit night and my fairy knitting godmother helped me out.  there is no stitch count to pick up for my pattern which is fine.  i had tried to do the old rule of thumb - 2 sts for every 3 rows but it wasn't enough.  the sweater was massively curling and pulling inwards.  so instead we took to measuring and separating the border in half, marking it, and then halving the half and marking it again.  so 4 quadrants were left.  each quadrant requires i pick up a certain amount of stitches.  but seriously, it took me the about 2 hours of my knit night time to only get 3/4 of the 66sts i needed picked up.  wtf!!!!!!!!!!!!    i then went home and stayed up way too late trying to get the other ones done only to realize the next day that i had to rip them out too.  i tell ya, i almost chucked that sweater in a ball in my closet to leave in the dark carnivorous corner of wip's that will never see the light of day again but then i thought of all of you, and how much i want this sweater to turn out and instead persevered.

cartoon by morgan obrien

i got a bit more help to finish the picking up of that side and got to work on my ribbing.  that part is fast for me thankfully.  i was thinking about it last night and realized i was supposed to go from one sleeve to the other but i was bored of the sleeve so i started on the border and now i think fate is testing me from straying from the pattern...lol.  maybe i should just do the other sleeve..haha, cause you know what, i started picking up the other bottom border last night and am already on #3 rip out.  i'm getting pretty irritated now.  my numbers are always off and i think i separated my quadrants badly due to my lack of sleep and working on it in the middle of the night.  so today i will be ripping back again and crossing my fingers it will be the last time especially because i still have the whole upper and neck part to still pick up.  oh my.  at least i can take comfort in the fact that i'm picking them up right...or so i hope...lol....

cartoon by the panopticon

the only thing keeping me sane while knitting is that my knitpick interchangeable needles came last week!!!!!!!!  can we say LOVE!  i'll post more on those later.  in the meantime i thought i would round up some great posts on picking up those pesky stitches just in case i'm not the only one suffering from the "picking up blues".

image via knitting to stay sane

- beyoned the basics: picking up stitches from knitting simple magazine 

- knitty.com on picking up stitches 

- the stitch diva studios shows a great tutorial on how to pick up stitches 

- one of my fave sites knittinghelp.com shows a video on how to pick em up. 

- knitting daily on picking up stitches for a cast-on or bound off edge.

- great post from the crazy knitting lady with lots of pics.

- you could also find a gazillion helpful videos on youtube.com.  there are way too many for me to list here :)

cartoon via connie martin

so hopefully between these posts, knitting buddies, our ravelry group, the blog & fb we can all work out any issues we have with finishing.  it was also brought to my attention that a lot of you would like me to extend the deadline.  i'm open to that, and no, not just because i'm not done :P  the point of the kal was to get you all knitting so if enough of you all want the deadline moved then we can for sure do that.  if you would like to see that happen leave me a comment and let me know.  in the meantime, pick up your sticks and let's get clicking.  i can't wait to wear this bad boy.

are you stuck on a part of your summer sweater knit along project?  are you picking up stitches now?  have any tips or questions?  let's chat yarnies!

*all conversations about the KAL can be found in our luvinthemommyhood ravelry group thread here.  you can find all the previous KAL posts here.  it's never too late to join in!  you can also friend me on ravlery.com under luvinthemommyhood.  don't forget to email me if you blog about your KAL project, i love seeing how yours is going.

and don't forget to show our lovely summer sweater knit along sponsors some love!!

the lovely elisaluvinthemommyhood readers 20% off in her gorgeous shop!! use code LTMH2011 at the checkout of her etsy shop.

*french press knits  *never not knitting  *jane richmond  *knitterella  *hilary smith callis  *rebecca danger  *magpie patterns  *fanciful belongings  *plum project studio  *nook  *marie madeline studio  
*aesthetic nest  *passionate design

moments in the mommyhood - orchard of yarns (fibrations festival)

i got to spend some lovely time on sunday at the first "fibrations" festival here in victoria, bc.  the festival was held on the grounds of st. anne's academy in a lovely orchard.  the combination of sunny weather, orchard tress, beautiful grounds and yummy yarns was not to be missed.  the post took me a while to put together as i seriously had wayyyyy too many pics to choose from.  jane richmond and i hit up the festival and got the pleasure of seeing some fabulously talented yarnies, designers and got to hang on the grass knitting under an apple tree.  sighhhhh. 

come take a walk around the festival with me.  here's some of my faves:

say cheese!

rachel jo - lovely accessories & great booth!

Arika - knit night buddy & volunteer at Fibrations

love the look on this lovely ladies face

Kattikloo Fibre Studio - lovely jane admiring the rich reds.

everything old - fab yarns, awesome patterns & we got to meet the designer Emma Galati who's stella cowl pattern is one of my faves!

Sara - fellow knit night pal & one of the Fibrations organizers

Victoria Handweavers & Spinners Guild

apples in the orchard

roving in the trees

it was a great show and i can't tell you how nice it was to go sans kiddos.  i needed the break i tell ya.  so thank you to the hubs for taking the wee ones while mama got to go drool over the yarn.  to find out more about fibrations check out their website or facebook page.  if you were there and had a good time please go share your thoughts on their fb page.  i know all the organizers worked very hard and feedback is a reward in itself!  thanks to all of those who lovingly put this festival together - we can't wait for next year!

do you have a fibre festival you go to?  what is your fave local yarn supplier?  designer?  did you get a break from the kids on the weekend to do something special?