What season is it again?

It seems that I am having a little season identity crisis.  Right after making my perfectly summery Satsuki top I have finished up a wintery scarf of perfection.  While I am enjoying summer a lot more than usual this year I am still hanging for winter. It's my favourite time of the year!

But back to the scarf.  This is the simplest knit in the world but it is also the coolest thing I have knit in a while.  Seriously, it has hot pink pom poms! What's not to love?!



The pom poms perfectly dress up what is essentially just a simple garter stitch scarf.  And they're hot pink! One of my most favourite colours.  I love how the pink stands out against the grey too.  This scarf was made using this pattern which I just made wider to accommodate an adult.  I would recommend this pattern to any beginner knitters as it is super quick!

Top 5 Hits of 2013

Well it is only fair that I balance out my failures of the year with my top 5 hits.  I cheated on a couple of points so there are actually more than 5 makes in here but let's keep that between you and me. So without further adieu here are my top 5 of 2013.

5. Peplum Tops

Peplum tops seem to be every where this year!  I quite like them but sometimes they can sit a bit funny on me and make my torso look really short.  When I found this pattern I thought it would be perfect to give the peplum look without cutting my torso in half.  Luckily I was right!  So far I have made two versions but I would love to make a few more.  The mustard version was made during Me Made May when I was dying for something new to wear.  As soon as I finished making it I started dreaming of a collared version and thus the comic print top was born.  While I love them both equally the comic print top is kind of special.  My sister has a skirt made of this same material and Imogen has a dress/top as well so it is a special material for me.

4. Mini Skirts

I think these three skirts (version 1, version 2, version 3) would have to be my most worn me mades of 2013.  And seeing as they were all made in the past three months that is really saying something.  As I mentioned in my misses post my style since having Imogen has become a lot more relaxed and casual.  Easy to throw together outfits have become my norm so it is no wonder that these are popular items.  I can definitely see more mini skirts being made in my future.  I am thinking a few embellishments are in order though to mix it up a bit!  

3. Boyfriend Cardigan

2013 was the year I finally managed to knit a garment for myself that I actually wear!  I have attempted cardigans and jumpers in the past but they have never turned out right.  This was due to a mix of wrong yarn, patterns that weren't my style and beginner mistakes.  This time I did a bit of research and decided to do something basic that I would get a lot of wear out of in decent yarn.  I am so glad I took that time because it turned out awesome!  The colour is fast becoming a favourite of mine and the basic style makes this super wearable.  I think I may have to make another next winter.  Full post here.

2. Red Lace Dress

My red lace dress was a labour of love! I made it to wear to a friends wedding during Me Made May and it has had many a wear since.  It is perfectly classy but also versatile.  I am really proud of this dress because it was my first time working with lace and I think it turned out great!  I went into it with a no fear approach and full of confidence and it paid off for me.  Usually my cockiness can get me into trouble in my sewing but not this time.  I am sure this dress will be seeing many more wears in the future!

1. Sew Bossy Dress

This dress is by far my most favourite thing that I have made this year! So a massive thank you must be made to the darling Marie who agreed to be my Sew Bossy partner.  She sent me the most amazing package of goodies and this dress would never have been without her.  For more info on this dress check out the full post here.

I am really proud of what I have made this year (misses included!).  At the start of the year I would have never have thought it possible for me to do so much while looking after a new baby.  I became exceptionally good at time management this year and I think my sanity thanks me for it.  Sewing and knitting are the perfect way for me to take some time out and get myself together.  Even if it does take me a little longer to finish projects now I think it just makes me appreciate them even more!

How did your sewing go this year? What is your favourite make of 2013?

Imogen's Ear Warmers

After Imogen's ear infections I decided she needed something to keep her ears warm.  She won't keep hats on but she seems to be okay with headbands (or so I thought).  So I knitted her up a few headbands.



These were the quickest easiest projects I have ever made.  You literally knit a rectangle.  The orange one I cast on 10 stitches and knit in garter stitch until it was big enough to fit her head.  I then knit another garter stitch rectangle for the bow.  After stitching them together I simply wrapped some yarn around the two to give the bow shape.



The mustard yellow one I did a bit different.  Because the orange one was quite stretchy and Imogen kept pulling on it I decided to make this one in stockinette.  I didn't want the edges to roll but so I did three rows of 2x2 rib on each side.  This time I cast on a heap of stitches to what I thought would be big enough to get around her head.  Then I did 3 rows of rib, 6 rows stockinette and another 3 rows rib and cast off.  Simple!  I then attached a flower I made ages with a pattern I can't seem to find at the moment.  Unfortunately, my thinking was wrong and Imogen keeps pulling these off her head too.  Oh well, at least they are cute for the 5 minutes she wears them!

I Love Winter!

Okay, you might think I am crazy by that post title but I really do love winter! It's my favourite time of year.  Curling up on the couch with some knitting and a cup of tea. What could be more perfect!
My latest knitting efforts were cast off last week.  Thankfully the rain cleared for a couple of days so I was able to block and photography my new jumper dress.  I am pretty stoked with how this turned out.  I used the I <3 Me pattern by Pickles. It was a fairly simple knit for the most part.  It's a basic jumper dress with hardly any shaping.  The hardest part is when you get to the colourwork.
This was my first time doing any sort of colourwork.  This think this is the main reason the project took me so long.  I was going gang busters until I hit the colourwork.  From that point progress slowed right down.  I found that this series from By Gum By Golly was a real help being a first time colourworker.  I even have plans to do a few more colourwork projects now.  If you haven't tried it before give it a go. It wasn't anywhere near as hard as I was expecting!

Are you a serial crafter?

WIP 1 - Scrap Picnic Blanket

Do you ever feel like you are always doing but never finishing?  I do!  And I know why too. I am a serial crafter. I have a serious case of starteritis.  At the moment I feel like I am doing so much but I haven't shared a finished project here in nearly 3 weeks.  I

WIP 2 - I <3 Winter Sweater

My problem is I never seem to be happy working on just one project at a time.  There are always so many ideas floating around in my head and I feel like I need to start them all before I forget them.  I usually have at least 2 yarn projects going at once plus some sewing.  I tag team all my projects so while things are being completed bit by bit nothing is really getting completely finished.

WIP 3 - Chuck Sweater

Sewing is a lot easier for me to do during the day when Imogen is napping.  The problem is during the day there are usually so many other things that need doing too.  Housework, cooking, showering etc etc.  And given that Imogen only has 2 naps a day I have to do things in order of importance so usually sewing gets put to the back.  Because of this my sewing projects take me a while to get completed.  Especially now winter is here and all I want to do is curl up on the lounge and knit.

WIP 4 - Vintage Floral Blouse

Do you do this?  Are you a serial or a monogamous crafter?

52 Weeks Happy (24/52)

Another Tuesday has rolled around way too fast! Where is this year going?

1 - I bought myself a basil plant at the start of last week.  I have always wanted a herb/vege garden but I suck at gardening.  So far so good with this little plant.  After a week he is still alive. Yay me!

2 - The first recipe made with my new basil plant was this zucchini lasagne that I have been wanting to try for ages.  It was delicious! Even Corey liked it and he isn't a fan of anything carb free. Winning!

3 - Corey ran out of mayo this week but instead of buying some he asked me if I could make me some. Total proud wife moment right there.  Of course I obliged and he is loving his homemade mayo.  Another kitchen win!

4 - Another work colleague asked me to make them a rainbow cake this past weekend.  I can't help but smile when making this cake.  Even if I have to repeat "Roy G Biv" repeatedly to make sure I don't mess up the order of the colours.

5 - Cake is my major weakness in my quest to cut down on carbs & sugar.  This week I tested out this canellini bean brownie recipe and it was the perfect solution to my craving.  They don't taste exactly like brownies but they are pretty good.

6 - I completed the first row of hearts on my latest knitting project.  I was a bit worried that they weren't looking like hearts so I went to twitter and instagram for advice.  Luckily everyone else saw hearts!  I think I was just looking at them for way too long and my eyes were playing tricks on me.

7 & 8 - We had the chance to get out and enjoy the sunshine a few times last week.  The week prior was rainy and miserable so these days sitting in the sun did wonders for everyones moods.

9 - Isn't that the happiest pile of fabric you've ever seen?!  I have pulled out a bunch of fabric scraps to make myself a new picnic blanket.  I have been meaning to do this for quite some time.  After tidying my sewing room I realised how out of control my scraps are getting.  So now a few have been cleared and hopefully I will have a new quilt to share shortly.

So how has your week been? I hope there have been some happy moments for you all!  And don't forget if you are on instagram follow me @petticoatsandpeplums!

52 Weeks Happy (21/52)

Tuesday, tuesdays here again! May is nearly over and this year is just disappearing.  Before I know it I am going to be heading back to work. What the! Oh well, that just means I better make the most of my maternity leave while it still lasts.

1 - This past week I was a bit rundown so I spent a lot of time relaxing.  This afternoon with a new magazine, a cup of tea & a some raw vegan lemon bars was delightful.  It's really nice to take some time to relax and rejuvenate!

2 - I tried out some stranded colourwork this week.  This was a little test run for a project I am knitting at the moment.  I am up to the point of starting the colour work but haven't been game enough to start yet.  I think I need a decent block of quiet time to tackle it.

3 - Healthy eating has been a big focus for me this past week.  I have been starting my days with a nice big smoothie.  My favourite combo is apple, watermelon and ginger. Yum!

4 & 5 - I tried out a couple of new recipes this week.  The first was Roasted Capsicum Soup & Finnish Scones from Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar.  The second was a delicious pinterest find - Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad.  This salad was amazing!!! Seriously people, get on it.

6 - To compliment my healthy eating this week I headed to the farmers markets bright and early with my parents & sister to stock up on some fresh fruit & veggies.  I love the farmers markets but we don't go as often as we should.  We really need to start making it more or a Sunday ritual.

7 - On Sunday I was lucky enough to get to celebrate the engagement of one of my lovely work friends.  It was so nice to see everyone from work.  I have missed them all while being on maternity leave and it's always nice to catch up with them.  They are all so keen for me to come back to which is nice to hear.

8 - Have you tried acai? I gave it a try for the first time this week and I must say....yum! I made it into a smoothie with banana and almond milk.  I have been told by a reliable source that it is really nice blended with frozen banana and watermelon and eaten like ice cream.

9 - I couldn't resist putting this on instagram last night.  I stole this magazine from my sister on the weekend to read and when I went to read it I found Corey had snaked it from me.  Real men read Cosmo!

So what has been happening to make you happy this week?

A "Blah" Knit

So a while ago I decided to use up some stash yarn by knitting Imogen a little dress.  I started the Golden Child Dress but wasn't loving the pattern on the bodice.  I decided to skip the pattern and just knit it in plain stockinette.  I thought it could just be a cute little winter jumper dress for Imogen.  However, I forgot that without the lattice pattern being knit the top wouldn't have the same shape as it was meant to.  I finished the dress, blocked it and photographed it.  It was a bit boring and plain and just a bit blah.


So my question to you dear readers is do you have any suggestions of how I can jazz this knit up a bit? I am just not loving it at all.  It's not a big loss considering I just used cheap stash yarn but it did take a bit of time to make so I would prefer it not to be a total loss.  Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Navaho Hat

Over the past couple of weeks I had seen the lovely Casey from Plus Three Crochet make mention of the navaho knitting & crochet method on instagram.  I had never heard of it before so I was intrigued.  When Casey shared this video link on her blog I knew I had to give it a try.  I always find that when I am trying to find fast projects to use up my yarn stash they require bulky or super bulky yarn.  This is always an issue for me because most of my stash is 8 ply.  Using this method I was able to turn 8 ply yarn into super bulky yarn to make a quick and easy beanie for winter.

I found this pattern for a simple garter stitch beanie that seemed like the perfect way to try out a new knitting method.  I am really happy with how it turned out!  The only difference with using the navaho method is that the yarn isn't as soft and drapey as normal super bulky yarn would be.  Therefore the hat is a bit more stiff than it would be had I used super bulky yarn.  I don't mind though.  I think it still works well for this hat.  However, you probably wouldn't want to use this method for say a jumper.  I think it would be perfect for making a puff daddy ottoman.

I can definitely say that I will be using this method again.  I have a lot of yarn in my stash that needs to be used up and this has opened up a whole range of new opportunities.  But before I go can we all take a moment to check out the awesomeness of this giant pom pom.

Seriously, what is better than a giant pom pom!  This has got to be my favourite part of the hat.  I think I will be putting giant pom poms on everything now. I've been bitten by the pom pom bug!

Finally A Finished Cardigan!!!

If you can't tell by the title of my post I am pretty excited that this cardigan is finally finished!  You see I love to knit but all I seem to knit are hats, scarves, toys and household stuff.  The two times I have attempted to make things for myself to wear I have finished them but they have been far from perfect.  Therefore, I never wore them and they ended up getting frogged or being given away.

I was determined to make myself something I would actually wear.  I did a bit of searching online and finally settled on a simple pattern to start with.  I bought my yarn and then I let it sit in my sewing room for about 6 months.  You know just for fun!  I finally bit the bullet and jumped into this project at the end of January and finally it is finished.

Pattern: Shapely Boyfriend Cardigan by Knitty
Yarn: Moda Vera Snuggle
Needles: 5.5mm & 6.5mm circulars (I had to size up to get guage)
Start/End Date: 30th Jan 2013 - 18th March 2013

I am so happy with how this has turned out and I think I will definitely wear it.  It is so comfortable and warm.  The perfect cardigan for winter!  This cardigan has given me the confidence that I can actually make things for myself to wear.  I have already cast on my next project!  I think the reason I went wrong so many times before was I didn't do a gauge swatch.  For larger projects gauge swatches are so important so I will definitely be making sure I do them from now on.

Winter Woolies

So Autumn has arrived and the Gold Coast certainly is playing along. It was playing along well before Autumn arrived in fact.  The rain and wind has been hanging around for a few weeks now but I must say I actually enjoy it.  I love cooler weather. Winter is my favourite season! I love a chance to wear stockings and boots and this weather is certainly giving me a few.  This weather has me longing for nights curled up on the couch with some yarn so that is exactly what I have been doing.  I have plans for a few makes this Autumn/Winter season and hopefully I can get through them all.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

The first two I have actually already started.  The cardigan for myself I am making in a nice bright green and I am a third of the way through the second sleeve.  All that is left is to finish the sleeve, block and do the button & neck band.  The dress for Imogen I have only knit about 2" but hopefully it will be a quick make.

The next two I have already bought yarn for and I am just waiting to finish one of the other projects first before casting on.  I am making the heart sweater dress for myself in red with white hearts.  I am a little bit excited about it! Hopefully it doesn't take me too long to make.  Although my green cardigan has taken me about 6 weeks so far so I think it will take a while.  The blanket I am going to be making as a gift for my sister-in-law who is due to have her third baby in May.  So I have a little time to get that done so it is last on the list.  Hopefully she doesn't come early! Because we don't know what she is having I am making it in cream with a yellow ribbon.

The other makes will all have to wait until these 4 are complete so hopefully I can get them done at least before Winter starts.  The last blanket I am not too phased on as I am just using it to use up my scrap yarn.

So do you craft by season? Do you yearn for knitting and crochet when the cooler months set in?

52 Weeks Happy (4/52)

This week has been a really creative week for me.  There has been a lot of knitting, crocheting, sewing and baking which has made me really happy.  I am always in my element when being creative!  It's my favourite way to spend my days.  Here are a few peeks at what has made me happy this week.

1 - Organisation makes me happy! At the start of the week I cleaned out my sewing room and reorganised everything.  It is so fresh and clean now it just makes me want to get in there and create something.

2 - Imogen makes me happy! We had Imogen's first swimming lesson last week and she did so well.  We have been practicing getting her used to water over her head every night in the bath and she is doing really well.  I am so excited to see how she grows in these classes through the year.

3 - Spotlight makes me happy! I took a quick trip to Spotlight last week and there was some gorgeous new fabrics.  It inspired me to get home and sew the fabrics I already have so I can go out and buy more.  I always try to knock off the projects in my list before buying more fabric.

4 - Knitting makes me happy! I knit my first ever swatch this week.  I am hoping to knit myself a cardigan that I will actually wear.  I have knit myself a couple of cardigans before but they never turn out right and end up getting thrown out.  Fingers crossed this is the one that works out!

5 - Pink makes me happy!  Especially since we are quite close to February the month of love.  It is getting me all excited for Valentine's Day.

6 - Finishing projects makes me happy!  This project I started a few days before Christmas and I am so happy it is all finished.  Now that the rain is all gone I should be able to get some photos to share this with you this week.

7 - Finishing long dreamt about projects for the house makes me happy!  I shared this lattice frame and a couple of other finished projects yesterday.

8 - Floral dresses make me happy! Bright dresses and cardigans are the best way to make a rainy day sunny and happy.

9 - Helping others makes me happy!  Yesterday I whipped up some gingernut cookies and chocolate slice and dropped them into our local SES station for the volunteers helping out with the floods.  This is all a party of baked relief.  If you want to take part you can find more information here.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I don't know if I mentioned it on here but the house we rent was recently sold.  It sold just before Christmas and we were told the new owners would like us to stay.  Last week we signed a new lease and now that it is definite we are going to be here for at least another 12 months I feel a bit more comfortable making more projects to turn our house into a home.  I think in the past year this house has really started to reflect out style and feel more homely but there is still a lot more I would like to do.  So today I thought I would share with you the last three projects I made for the house.



First up is this adorable bobble crochet holder that I made to add to our cluster wall in the kitchen.  It is yet to be hung as I need to get some more 3m strips but it'll be up shortly.  I have never crocheted bobbles before and they are so much easier than I expected.  Plus the end result is super cute!  I used this pattern and yarn from the stash.  The best part of this is you need such a small amount of each colour that it is the perfect way to use up all those leftover bits of yarn.

The second project I made was a quick knit lattice frame to hold my brooch collection.  It has been a while since I have knit anything since crochet has taken over my life so it was nice to pick up the needles again.  This project has been in my ravelry queue since July 2011 so I am happy that I finally got around to making it.  This lattice pattern is another one that looks harder than it really easy.  The pattern repeat is quite easy once you have done a couple so you can just sit and pump it out while watching tv.  The pattern can be found here.  Oh and this is not my whole brooch collection I just didn't want to hide the entire lattice pattern before I took pictures.

And last but certainly not least is these framed prints that I made to hang over our bed.  I am so over the blank wall above our bed and have had this idea for a while but only just executed it.  The line that I have framed is from my most favourite movie Grease.  The only bad thing about it is every time I look at it I start singing the song.  So the song has been stuck in my head basically for a week straight.  But I am so happy with how these look above our bed that I am willing to sacrifice a little of my sanity!

I have so many more ideas for our little house and I can't wait to see how much the house changes in the next 12 months.  Oh and excuse the dodgy photos.  The weather here has been rather gloomy and rainy.