Cocoon Dress No. 2

Cocoon dress no. 2. I had more ambitious plans for this fabric, my sewing time, and December in general. This dress is so easy it kind of made itself, and I just let it happen. L wears her quilted heart version all the time. It is a sweatshirt, it is a dress, it is an effortless outfit all in one simple piece. In December when holidays and everything associated with them  just sort of suck you in, it is good to keep something simple. This dress is simple.

I wish I could remember where I got this fabric. It is probably from a local discount store, but I'm not sure. It is a cotton french terry. It's my first time sewing with french terry and it is much more delicate than sweatshirt fleece, but seems a bit nicer to wear. I went with the same long sleeve and banded neck modifications as last time. I will certainly make this pattern as directed at some point, but I am happy with this snugger version for now. It's made even snugger by L's instance on wearing her heartwarmer (and sometimes all 3 of them at once) as a scarf like a big kid. I promise you it was not that cold on the day we took these photos, but a little extra hand knit never hurt anyone.

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Credits:

Dress Pattern: Cocoon Dress by Groovy Baby and Mama

Dress Fabric: Cotton French Terry

Dress Accent: Jersey Knit

Scarf Pattern: Bless Your Heartwarmer by SweetKM

Scarf Yarn: Creative Focus in Lavender Heather by Rowan Yarn

STYLO : Gretel's Knits

My STYLO looks were inspired by these two knit pieces. The Pixie Bonnet and Heartwarmer are themes I keep coming back to. I love that they look a little vintage and homespun. Not including knits would have been like not inviting my favorite kid to the party. Here are the details:

Heartwarmer Pattern : Bless Your Heartwarmer by SweetKM 

Heartwarmer Yarn : Palette Yarn in Brindle Heather by Knit Picks 

I'm a sucker for a little girl in a heartwarmer. I tend to make brightly colored ones for L, she loves to wear them, but they rarely go with the rest of her outfit leaving us looking a little bit homeless when we're tooling around town. I love this Brindle Heather from Knit Picks. It all wool, reads as a neutral but is still firmly in the yellow family. Knit Picks Palette yarn is a fingerling weight, but this was made as a worsted weight by knitting with two strands at once. Its a technique I've been using a lot to mix my own custom colors, or create my own bulky weight yarn. My Stylo heartwarmer is a slight variation on the Bless Your Heartwarmer Pattern. To get the articulated spine down the middle I slipped the middle stitch on the right side and purled it on the wrong side. I also substituted twisted strings for the fabric ones for a more traditional look. 

Bonnet Pattern : Big Kid Bonnet (Similar pattern HERE, or buy your own ready made HERE)
Bonnet Yarn : Brava Worsted in Paprika by Knit Picks

Normally, I only knit with natural fibers (with the exception of these guys). I made an exception for this bonnet for the color. The rusty red color took the look out of the christmas card photo and into the autumn woods. Its the pop of color the makes the more neutral tones of the rest of the outfit work. This is my favorite bonnet to make at the moment. The front half is folded over on itself making a double layer of cozy knit around the ears.

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First and last photos are by my husband (who has a name but would rather I not use it).

Listed : Bless Your Heartwarmer

I should know better than to make promises just before the Holidays, but the Bless Your Heartwarmer knitting pattern is now listed for sale.

Hooray! Let's get knitting.

Purple Heartwarmer

What can I say L is partial to purple. While I love more neutral knitting, she chose this heather purple, with tiny hints of pink and white, for the latest version of the Bless Your Heartwarmer. I'm not in love with this yarn's workability, but am reasonably happy with the finished result. I finished this one with a button loop at one of the ends and a vintage button at the other, anchored with a felt heart.

Yarn: Rowan Creative Focus in Lavender Heather
Pattern: My Own

Works as a mommy scarf, too.

Now that L has a heartwarmer she adores, we're listing the Bless Your Heartwarmer in the shop!

Bless Your Heartwarmer

Bless Your Heartwarmer Now Available For Sale.

I have a big ol' pile of half finished projects, that were stymied by my indecision, then by holiday orders. As it is Kids Clothes Week, I was hoping to finish a few projects AND make a dress for L. No promises, let's take it one day at a time. Exhibit A is a sweet little heartwarmer, knit (knit, and re-knit) while watching PBS costume dramas. I've got a few other fastening techniques in the works that will appeal to knitters and sewers alike. This pattern is so versatile, I've got a version that Mamma can wear, too!

Pattern to follow, stay tuned.

And if you haven't...Vote for SweetKM!