Autumnal Day in the Park

Knitting in the park! Ok... perhaps not really. I am still working on that hood, albeit pretty slowly. Me and Max were out in the park the other day, me teaching him how to knit (he asked! I swear!) so we were knitting manly cable stitches. I'm almost done with the first side.

I did notice that there are better ways to increase and decrease, but this is only my 2nd design of my own pattern EVER, so I think I'm allowed a few mistakes. I don't think anyone else will notice really but me. (Isn't that how it always is anyway?)

We found this weird thing in the park. What is this, prepping kids to know how to do log-rolling in the water? Max says it was pretty hard to do.

I haven't worn this sweater thing in quite some time. Mostly because I thought the cats would attack me from both sides because it's so swingy. They totally ignored it somehow which is amazing because we can't get them to ignore anything!

Extreme sliding... ?!

Max started directing (non) traffic for some reason. Hammin' it up.

It was actually a pretty nice day out for a walk today - glad we wandered around the neighborhood. I always forget how cool this neighborhood can be - there are tons and tons of bungalow-style houses around. It's almost akin to how the brownstones are all over 7th Ave. in Brooklyn.

But there are always houses around with some interesting architecture going on scattered throughout... like this one, with almost a castle-like quality!

There is even one around that looks seriously like a gingerbread house around (not pictured) and of course, my favorite one that I keep stalking nearby the park. This isn't the best photo of it, but I love this house.

And these storybook-ish houses - so cute!

It was an awesome day, and nice to get out!

Comments

Latch Hook Rug Update

A little under a month ago I received all of my supplies to take on one of the biggest long-term projects I have ever taken on - a self-designed latch hook rug. I don't know why, but I am clearly nuts. So beginning today I am posting photos each month, (preferably on the 1st of each month) progress of this gigantic shag rug. See how I started it here (scroll down past posting of my $10 dress). This is a photo of it today: Yes, I used the candelabra for scale. Haha. This rug is really soft and is fun to run your fingers through. It doesn't look like much was accomplished, but though the number of packages we have gone through of pre-cut latch hook rug yarn already I have calculated that we've used over 2500 strands for this ie.) 8 packages. I also just ordered 10 more packages of lime green since that's what I ran out of first and 6 more packages of straw yellow. There is still quite a bit to go, but you see the blue row squares? Each of th

DIY Trapeze Dress

I'm a pretty big fan of tent dresses (or trapeze dresses - call it what you want). They're simple, easy-to-make and you can have many variations of them. These are a fun style to wear for spring and summer! See this DIY from a Good Housekeeping Crafts book from 1971 - photos at the end of my own trapeze top from a while ago! (Bear with me on the photos here - this book is quite cumbersome and hard to scan.) Applique patterns, in case you wanted the dress to look EXACTLY like the photo. (But why?) How to cut the fabric efficiently. (This is actually pretty important cost-wise for you - especially with something this big.) Using pattern instructions from my patternmaking book from college, I created this swingy trapeze top a bit ago. I used sweater fabric from a thrift store find for the collar of this top. I also opened up the back on the pattern to have a diamond shape. It can easily be belted like in this photo fo

Shingo Sato and the Art of Transformational Reconstruction

So I got really excited on my break at work today when I got an email from Burda about a webinar they're doing on a pattern technique called "Transformational Reconstruction" developed by Japanese designer Shingo Sato. I hadn't even heard of Shingo Sato until today let alone his design technique but oddly, it's sort of the path I'm going down with my designs anyway as seen with the Sunrise Panel dress as well as the Petra Dress and the pattern making involved in those designs. What I did there is perhaps a "light" version of Sato's where the darts and shaping are hidden in the seam lines. If you've been reading this blog long enough, you know that my design aesthetic focuses largely on color blocking, unusual seam lines, and a love of anything psychedelic. Note: All photos stolen from the internet. Sorry! I'm super-excited. Let me know if it's yours and I'll take it down. Shingo Sato teaching. More designs using

Manic Pop