Yarn Along

Here we are, once again at the yarn along.  I love yarnin' along.  Knitting and reading.  It doesn't get much better.  If you love drooling over knitting or crochet projects, and love great book recommendations, you should check out others who yarn along.  We all hang out at Ginny's blog.

My reading isn't so literary this time.  I've been paging through my new Better Homes and Gardens that has recently come.  It has some great decorating tips in there this time.  Whenever I spend time with a magazine like this, I get impatient with how slowly our small projects around the house are coming along, so I try not to indulge too often.  However, sometimes it's the little umph I need to finish up something and make the house just a little prettier and pulled together.

As you see, I finished the "Jane" dress prototype, although I just threw it in the above picture, and it's a bit wonky as I haven't had a chance to block it yet.  Here's a better picture of it, although it's still not yet blocked:

It has a few mistakes, but I'm sure I'm the only one who knows about them.  It still needs a ribbon to go through the eyelets.  I'm debating between a brown or maybe a bright pink.  Although, seeing it against my green tablecloth, maybe I'd like a green ribbon.  Suggestions?  I intended for it to have long sleeves, but as I finished the body and it turned out a bit smaller than I intended, Solveig will probably wear it this summer instead of this next winter.  It's a super soft cotton/acrylic so I'm sure that will work.  I tried it on her, and I think it will do just fine as her Easter dress this year.  I just want to pet her when she's in it though, which isn't that big of a problem!

I'm working on a doll version of the dress in some spare Patons' wool I had lying around.  This will be a surprise for Silje, so shhhhh!  It should fit her doll "Jenny" pretty well.  I think this one will get long sleeves.  Also, instead of the eyelets for ribbon, I'm leaving it plain and will embroider some lazy daisies across the waist panel.

I'm planning on knitting a bit on vacation, and making some sweater versions of this pattern with matching longies to put in my store.  They may not sell until this fall, but I better get crackin' if I'm going to make a few sets.  That way I can go through all the sizes and make sure that my measurements are perfect before I send it out for testing.  I think I'll be ready for testing this pattern in about 2-3 weeks, so it will be a month or two before it will be close to distributing the pattern.  (This is not a call for testers.  If you offer, I'll forget because my brain is a bit full at the moment...)The release of the "Annie" pattern went so well that I'm so anxious to get this next one out!

I know this pattern is almost done, because my mind is already whirling for the next one.  The ladies at the yarn store begged me to make my next pattern for a boy, as so many patterns out there are girly or gender neutral.  So I'm working on a very boyish, masculine pattern next.  I've been sketching up a storm.   Someone must be taking notice, because I was handed this sketch from my 6 year old:

She told me that she thinks this should be my next sweater pattern.  (Matching sweaters for Jenny and her, of course.)  I'd say she's got the gift...but I could be biased.