I could have sworn it was last week yesterday!

Since my last post, I've been doing a lot of knitting, crochet and designing some patterns.

Xandy's dress is done! It came out quite nice. I did something different with the ties since I wasn't overly impressed with a simple crochet chain knotted at each end as the pattern directed. So I designed my own ties for the dress. I used one strand of the main color, dark pink in this instance and made a chain about 48 inches long. I left a tail of about 10 inches on each end. I then took one strand of the accent color used on the frill, attached it to one end and slip stitched my way back to the other end of the chain. Make sure to leave about 10 inches on each end. Took a second piece of the accent yarn, attached it the same way I did the 2nd one and slip stitched my way back to the other end. Take the finished belt and thread it through the bottom row of basketweave on the dress. Once this is done, take some pretty beads, slide the larger bead onto the yarn first, then slide the smaller bead on to make sure the larger one doesn't fall off. Put an overhand knot at the end of the yarn, snip off leaving 1/2 inch to fuzz later on. Repeat this step for each end of yarn. Voila! A very pretty tie for a very pretty dress.

I also wanted to do something about the bare arms. Since I wanted to give her some choice, I decided a shrug crocheted from the same yarn used on the frill would be a nice accessory. Looked around for a nice pattern to show off the sheen of the Bernat Satin yarn and couldn't find anything I liked. The idea of downsizing an adult shrug to fit her didn't sit right with me. So I designed one. I'll be writing up the pattern once I've tested it on a few more shrugs to make sure I got the sizing right.I absolutely love the way the yarn pooled for the shrug. It actually made a trellis pattern.

I also cast on a sweater for my 5 year old nephew. Again, this is a sweater of my own design since there are specific things I look for in a child's sweater. Roominess to grow, to wear as a layer during cold winters and easy wash. I'm not using wool since there are allergies in the family so I opted for TLC Essentials ombre. The yarn is quite lovely and is knitting up beautifully. I especially love the pooling of the yarn. Very nice. The picture is of the back part of the sweater that I did in a couple of days. I've now moved on to the front piece were I'm including some simple textural patterning to not take away from the pretty colors but just to enhance them a bit. Unfortunately, this picture of the finished back doesn't do the yarn color any justice. The actual colors are rich and dark.

This is a cardi I made, it's supposed to be for my 8 year old niece, but somehow it looks more like it would fit a 12 year old. The pattern is Bebop Cardi from Lionbrand. It's a free pattern. It was fairly easy to crochet, just not liking how big it came out. I just may end up ripping it out and starting over again.


My 15 year old niece wanted a cap for summer wear. I wanted to give her the option of wearing it with or without the flower. Using a flat button on both sides of the flower made it an easy button off or on accessory.