The Girl was afflicted with a serious stomach virus over the weekend.  She’s still feeling weak and moving slow, but I think she’s on the mend…finally.  And I didn’t really pop in here to write about that (although it will explain my absence from this space over the last few days).  The silver lining on that dark, dark cloud is that the rest of us were miraculously spared, even after The Girl seems to have vomited on every couch, chair, and horizontal surface in the house.

The Daddy Monkey was wise when he said, “I think we should hold off on a new couch until both kids know to puke in the toilet.”

Well put.

In the midst of all of the chaos, I’ve been trying to remember to stay positive, to remember that this too shall pass.  That the one thing in life I can count on is that nothing is permanent and everything always changes.

So with that in mind, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to keep positive the past four days.  Remembering that I have a choice whether to be happy or to be miserable, even if I have puke in my hair and it’s not even mine.

I’ve been knitting a lot. Knitting in the lobby of The Boy’s dojo, while waiting alone for him, without The Girl (as I usually do).  Knitting in the bathroom, keeping The Girl company while she took a cool bath.  Knitting on the couch while she rested under her baby quilt because she simply insisted that I sit with her, even though she was sleeping.

All of this means that I am beginning to see the end of the enormous sweater I’ve been knitting for The Daddy Monkey since July.  I love knitting stripes but I do not love all of those ends to weave in.

I also selected yarn for my next project.  A yellow and blue striped sweater for The Boy.  His two favorite colors.  Can I say how much I love that his favorite color is yellow?  It is so him.

After all the times I offered him a sweater and he said no, he finally changed his mind.  Perhaps it was seeing everyone around him receive handknit sweaters.  Perhaps he just warmed up to the idea of stripes, or perhaps he just decided to cooperate finally. Who knows.

I do love yarn shopping in my stash though.  Slowly, slowly, I am chipping away at that huge stash.  Nothing better than having your thrifting habit and your knitting habit collide.

So I suppose that even though the temperature is rising at an alarming rate, I will be knitting.  As Elizabeth Zimmerman says in her book Knitting Without Tears, “Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crisis.”

What can I say?  My girl likes pink.  This yarn is a silk and cotton blend from The Infamous Stash, and the pattern is here.  This was a fun and incredibly easy pattern.  I plan on making lots more of these in wool for next winter.  I see it layered with a long sleeved top underneath.

I just never get tired of knitting for this girl.  She is so happy and grateful when I knit something for her.  It just melts this mama’s heart.

Really busy. I’ve got spring fever something fierce.

I’ve given my kitchen a makeover.

I’ve made progress on my Spring Wardrobe Project–two tops and one skirt finished.  (It is impossible to take photos of oneself without a tripod, I’ve discovered.)

I finished this sweater.

I whipped up some shorts for The Girl on Sunday.  Nothing better than a Sunday morning date with the Featherweight.   I remember purchasing that fabric years ago, knowing that someday I would make some clothes for my little girl.

When the shorts were finished, she told me that they needed a pocket.  Of course she said that after the shorts were done.  There may be a patch pocket in her future.

And here’s a preview of what I’m working on for the kitchen.

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated predominantly in Mexico and has evolved from an ancient Aztec festival.  Rather than being a somber occasion, it is a celebration of the lives of those who have come before us.  Traditionally, a feast is prepared, and an ofrenda, or altar, is built to honor the dead. It is believed that on this day, the spirits of the dead return to the earth for a visit! I believe it is important to remember the generations that have come before me, making my life possible.  And I hope someday someone will celebrate my life and memory on Dia de los Muertos!

As far as the party is concerned, I still have plenty to do.  Gather buffet supplies, get decorations ready, and finish the piñata and sugar skulls.  I’m in good shape now, and I just have a few last minute things to do. The paint on the piñata is drying as I type this, and the housecleaning will have to wait until tomorrow.  (And do I really need to clean the house before a party when it’s just going to get messed up anyway?)

I’ll be back next week to share images from the party, but for now I wanted to share the outfits I made for the kids to wear.  I had some scraps of muertos fabric from a skirt I made years ago, so I made a shirt for The Boy, and a skirt for The Girl.  I’m pleased to report that I had only tiny slivers of fabric remaining.  Love that fabric stash!

My only regret is that I did not have enough fabric for a similar skirt for me.  Also, I might be about thirty years too old for a skirt like that.

Well, I’ve never seen Project Runway, but I can say now that I understand why they would shoot a tv show in that place.  I tried to come up with a way to describe the place without swearing, but it proved to be impossible.  Let’s just say that place is amazing.  What an experience it is.

So to get there, you wander down the sidewalk of the Garment District in Manhattan, trying hard to ignore all the shops with signs out front saying things like, “no trying on” and “wholesale only” and “samples–$5.” Then you stand there looking like a yahoo wondering, “where the hell is it?” because you are standing right at the correct address and Mood is nowhere to be seen. Then a very New Yorker doorman says, “You lookin’ for Mood?  Third Floor.”  So you take this ancient elevator up and when the doors open, the smell of fabric sizing and inspiration fills the air.

I snapped only a few photos because I was so busy running around admiring all the gorgeous fabric.  As someone whose only choice for apparel fabric is Joann, this place is my holy mecca.  With its three huge floors and over 40,000 square feet of floor space, you can find any kind of fabric you can imagine, from faux fur to the finest lace.  The staff is actually really helpful (kind of unusual in my experience of NYC).  There are lots of cute boys working there (What? Why are you looking so surprised?) who are being flirted with constantly (not by me).  Fashion students can be seen wandering the aisles with design sketches in one hand and fabric swatches in the other.

I felt like I was in a tv show, even if I wasn’t.

Pictured above are the leather hides.  I would have loved to purchase some leather to make a purse, but I was completely unprepared, and had no idea what I wanted to make and how much I would need.  It’s really expensive and sells by the square foot.  Someday.

All of the fabrics I purchased there, and I would say almost all of what they have there is 60″ wide, which is a real departure from the 45″ bolts I’m used to.  Also, they are very generous with their cuts, giving a few extra inches of fabric on every cut.

First off, I chose three cotton batistes.  Gorgeous lightweight and crisp cottons, perfect for summer tops.  I’ve already begun working on the one with the blue fruit shapes.  I also picked up a beautiful off-white cotton viole that I just couldn’t resist. Even though it is simple white, everything about it is perfect: the weight, the feel, and even the not-quite-white-and-not-quite-cream shade of off-white.  I can’t explain why I like it so much, but I really do. I’m thinking lightweight pajamas, or a simple strappy top.  These were all $10 a yard each.

Since I’ve never sewn with any silk charmeuse before, I couldn’t resist its shiny texture and slinky drape.  And for only $12 a yard, it felt like a steal.  Did I mention that eggplant purple is my absolute favorite color in the whole world? I know it’s kind of hard to tell the color from that photo above. I see a bias cut camisole and french knickers made of this.  Something like the Nutmeg pattern from Colette Patterns.  I’m a bit hesitant to purchase it though, because I think my girls need a bit more support than that.

And lastly, I picked up the very loud and colorful green and yellow print.  Also $10 a yard.  That’s one for the what-was-I-thinking file.  I really love the colors, and I even like the print, but I don’t know if it’s something I’d wear.  The Girl likes it, so I may make something for her out of it.

Enormous self control had to be used in this place.  I could have really gone crazy, but this is enough to keep me busy for a while.  But I felt the prices were really good, the staff was nice, and the experience is definitely very New York.

I dragged the entire family to Purl Soho for some glorious fiber love, and was it ever worth it.  That place is amazing.  Beautiful white walls, well-lit, and no music.  It was a quiet, peaceful little oasis in the midst of a crazy city.  The staff was so sweet and helpful.

All of their displays are simple and sweet.

Inspiration is everywhere.

How can one possibly choose?

And I didn’t even look at the wool felt, but it was gorgeous.

I finally settled on two yards of the Anna Maria viole (on the left), one yard of Liberty of London (on the right), and one skein of Cascade yarn for The Snail, who would have died and gone to heaven if she had been there with me.  The fabrics are all intended to be future tops for me.  The voiles are just as gorgeous as everyone says they are, and now I know what all the fuss is about.

Those sneaky girls put the Liberty right there next to the cutting counter, so you have no choice but to admire it while you wait.  And that stuff?  Gorgeously amazing.  Beautiful florals and paisleys in the most luscious colorways, all printed on crisp but lightweight cotton.  You can tell that no detail was overlooked in the production of this fabric.   How could I not splurge the $35 a yard for it?  I almost didn’t but then I remembered that I was on vacation.

I asked the girl at the cutting counter, “how do you ever cut into the stuff?  It must be so nerve racking.”

To which she replied, “Once you use it, you’ll never go back.”

This could be bad. Really bad.

I thought I might finish this dress this weekend because I had some alone sewing time.  All I wanted was a classic summer sun dress.  And I really love that fabric.  I’m starting to wonder about pattern envelopes that show sketches rather than photographs of the finished clothes…

This pattern got pretty good reviews (it’s Butterick 5351), but it turns out I had the same problem fitting the bust as I did on the silk dress.  My bosoms just ain’t what they used to be, I guess.  I tried and tried and tried to make the top of this dress fit, but I just can’t get it to work.  So frustrating, and so disappointing.  So as I do with misbehaving knitting, I sent it away.  Officially.  You win some, you lose some.  I’ve made plenty of dresses in my day, but I cannot for the life of me find the pattern I used to sew.  I cannot believe I would have gotten rid of it, but I can’t find it anywhere.  Sigh.

I sulked for a while yesterday, so aggravated at that dress.  Mad at myself for not getting it to work.  Then I decided to switch gears, and do some knitting.  And I managed to finish The Girl’s sweater, and I recaptured my Crafting Mojo.

This will always in my head be thought of as The New York Sweater because I made it to bring with us on our trip this summer.  It’s Lion Brand Yarn’s Eyelet Yoke Sweater.  It’s a nice lightweight cotton.  Perfect for air-conditioned museums and cool evenings. (It hasn’t been washed and blocked yet, so it’s still a bit wonky.)

I put the ultra-girly flower button on it because I knew The Girl would love it, and I thought it had a slight vintage feel to it that went well with the sweater. And the best part is that the yarn, the knitting needles, and the button were all from my stash.  Awesome.

I know I’m way late on this, but I am totally in love with Natalie Chanin, and her company, Alabama Chanin.  The Daddy Monkey gave me The Alabama Stitch Book for my birthday, and it is such a beautiful and inspiring book.  I love the fact that she left New York City, and then Europe, to bring her business to her home town of Florence, Alabama, which was struggling after the post-NAFTA switch to overseas manufacturing.  At her company, Alabama Chanin, stitchers create all hand-sewn garments from recycled materials and American-made organic cottons.

Just look at this skirt!

I would love to support such a beautiful and noble endeavour, but it’s a bit out of my price range, so now I have the instructions to create my own.

The book and Miss Natalie herself are just oozing with charm.  What’s not to love about this video blog, wherein Miss Natalie shows us how to “love” our thread, literally and figuratively?  She writes in the book, ” ‘Loving’ your thread infuses the work with kind intentions, but it’s also a very practical step that removes excess thread tension and prevents pesky knotting.”

The book is gorgeous, the projects are beautiful, and the story is so uplifting and inspiring.  I practically ran to my local thrift shop to buy this stack of old t-shirts to make the Reverse-Applique Corset.  A pre-cut stencil is even included in the book.

Looks like a lot of hand stitching, but lately, I’ve come to really love hand-sewing.  As good for the soul as knitting, I do believe.  And apparently so does Miss Natalie.

I am really in love with it, and can’t wait to start living in it at the beach this summer. The Daddy Monkey asked if I was going to model it for the blog, but no.  I don’t think I am brave enough to put photos of myself online in my swimsuit, no matter how healthy my self-image is.

The bottom is from my own pattern, and the top is from McCall’s 2772, which is out of print, I believe.  The only thing I have to say about sewing this lycra stuff is: don’t mess up.  The seams are a bugger to remove.  I used the stretch stitch function on my sewing machine for the first time ever, and it worked great although a) the stretch stitch takes a long time to sew on, and b) uses a lot of thread.  I had two half-used spools in my stash that I used to sew this, and in the end, I had only this left:

I have tons of the navy lycra leftover, and The Girl has been asking for a special suit too, but of course she wants pink.  (I am really loving the suits Amy made for her girls.)

The top is almost done.  I just have to sew the straps and put the hook on the back.  I haven’t started on the bottom yet, and I wanted to have it done by this weekend, but I am sick.  Again.