a lot of knitting.

I am completely smitten with the idea of wearing things that I knit.  Sweaters are on my mind lately.  It is cold here from October to April so sweaters and cardigans are a wardrobe staple.  I started my first sweater last week.  My friend Susannah and I are knitting the Classic Raglan Pullover together (more information here on my ravelry page), and I am a bit nervous about it.  I really don't know what I am doing!  I'm thankful that I have her and some very talented knitting friends online that are so helpful.  Let me tell you... I have a lot of questions.

I guess we'll see how it goes!  I have about a million sweaters/cardigans in my Ravelry favorites, so if this turns out you better believe there will be more.

I tried it on the other day and snapped this picture.  It was a little too big for my liking, so I ripped it back several inches and went down a size.  I think this will still be a bit large and comfy, but not too sloppy.  I'm about halfway done I'd say... still lots of knitting to do!

So tell me, do any of you knitters have a favorite sweater or cardigan pattern?  Or a favorite sweater yarn?  I'd love to hear all about it!
xo, Angela

Pillar.

I finished another pair of socks a little while back.  These are Pillar socks in lettuce Malabrigo sock yarn. This yarn is very soft, and the pattern is simple and fun to knit.  I can't get enough of sock knitting it seems.  Ravelled here.

When I was finished taking these pictures this morning, Finley decided to snag my knitting bag and try on my socks. That girl cracks me up.  I can't believe this sweet girl is two. Too. Fast.

xo, Ang

2012 Photo a Day - January through June

One of my goals for 2012 is to take a picture every single day.  I'm happy to say that we are 6 months into this year, and I have stuck with it!  It is a fun way to document life.  Since I am really into Instagram (@fussycut), I post the photos there first, choose my favorite from the day, and then upload them into the Project 365P Pro app on my iPad.  I haven't had much extra time on my hands this summer to sew/blog, so this project has been a great way to keep track of what we've been up to.

January 2012 - Lots of time indoors, it was a very snowy month.  I started to knit my first socks!

February 2012 - A big birthday month around here: Eli turned 4, Weston 6.  I reached the halfway point in my Farmer's Wife quilt and decided to take a break.

March 2012 - We had some unseasonably warm weather and spent the days outdoors enjoying the 70 degree weather.  I caught the sock knitting bug and knitted 2 pairs this month.

April 2012 - I went to a crafty retreat with friends, spent Easter with family, and knit more socks during the spring snowstorms.

May 2012 - Steve sold his Jeep and bought a truck.  He was voted the best chiropractor in town for the 7th year in a row.  Steve and I did some traveling without kiddos to see our favorite band in concert.

June 2012 - A very crafty month for me!  I made quilt, a pillow, a couple bags, Tova tanks, and started some new socks. 

Hard to believe that the year is halfway over already!

xo, A

books.

Back in my college days (you know, before the world of sewing blogs and tutorials) I taught myself how to sew and quilt from a book.  I started with templates and hand sewing, then moved on to rotary cutting and sewing machines.  Needless to say, I love quilting books!  During the past year of two, I've had the privilege to contribute projects and patterns to a few different sewing books.

Designing quilts for the Moda Bake Shop has been a blast, so when they asked me to come up with a couple of projects for their second book, I was thrilled! This new book is called Sweet Celebrations with the Moda Bake Shop Chefs.  I have three projects featured in it, and this was the first time that I worked strictly with their Bella solids.  They are wonderful!  While I can't show you the full projects yet, I can tell you that there is a sneak peak in one of the photos below... :)

I can't wait to share more of this book with you.  It is going to be a good one!!  I am very thankful to be included in this collaboration.  And please know that I am so grateful to all of you.  I appreciate every single comment and email, and you make blogging so much fun.  Your encouragement and support means the world to me.

with love,

Angela

habitat Tova tank

I fell hard for Jay McCarroll's Habitat when it came out awhile ago.  It was one of the few lines that I bought an entire fat quarter set of.  This prompted some thoughts on how I stash fabrics, and it was quickly cut and sewn into this bow tie quilt.  Out of all of the fabrics, my favorite is the birdseed dots, especially the gray.  This is one of those prints that I throw in so many different projects, and I was sad when I used it all up.  A few months back I finally came across some online, and I snapped up several yards with plans on making a Tova tank.

My feathery tank is still my favorite because that fabric is just the greatest, but this one is a close second.  I did the same adjustments as before, but this time I added some length and brought in the sides a bit more.  I also sewed the bottom of the placket closed so that I can wear it without a tank underneath. 

I am anxiously awaiting these two fabrics for more Tova tanks.  I'm thinking about playing around with the neckline, switching it up a little.  We'll see.

Hope that you had a nice 4th of July!  We had a fun time together, here are just a couple shots of our day.  We are celebrating Finley's second birthday next week, I can't even believe it!

xo, Angela