No Words . . .

❖ Alabama Chanin ❖
Check out Natalie Chanin on Creativebug

ⓧⓞⓥ

kiss!hug!stitch!
sorry, i'm clearly obsessed!

Cover Girl !

{Just saw this on Melanie Falick Books!}

I've gushed before about my love for Natalie Chanin

and all things Alabama Chanin, so you know my dream girl.

You may have heard me whining on Instagram (@alabamachanin) 

about not participating in her workshops at The Penland School of Crafts.

Her talent sends me to the moon and I've always

said that I want to be her in my next life!

Don't miss this issue of American Craft Magazine!

Off to purchase my copy, cut out the article

and pin it up around me everywhere.

Inspiration at it's BEST!

Who Wears Short Shorts ?

~ image ~

I have fought it long enough.

I fell in love with these silly knitted shorts long ago

and the time has come to put them next on my knit list.

I think I'll finish the Emily Season Bachelorette Sweater before the second episode,

so I think I need these! Any yarn suggestions? I think I want worsted.

Maybe good old fashioned Creme'n Sugar Cotton. Inexpensive and washable!

I've got a great old vintage "camp" belt & buckle I'll custom fit the waistband to. 

Silly? Yes, but they are irresistible...every knitter needs a pair!

If only to sleep in...

Someone Asked . . .

Today, someone asked me, "What's on your needles?"

Now, you know I couldn't give just one answer, because

I think every needle has something on it. 

It's a little problem I have, so...

I said, "You mean which needles currently have my hands on them?"

...That would be my 3's...

And this is what's on them.

Manos del Uruguay Serena

Kettle Dyed 60% Baby Alpaca, 40% Pima Cotton

Solid: Color #2318, Multi: Color #7325

It looks like Sea Glass to me!

And no, as usual, I have no idea what the finished

garment will look like, but it's a top-down animal graph.

I'm sure, being on size 3's, that it will take me through the

upcoming Bachelorette season, so we'll just call it Emily for now.

If you follow my knitting adventures, you know I knit at least

one project during the Bachelor/Bachelorette season.

This season was filmed here in Charlotte!

Watch and knit something with me!

What's on your needles?

A Closer Look . . .

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{Coral & Tusk}

are they cute or what?!!

"Designer and founder Stephanie Housley is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design. She has been living and working in New York as a textile designer, specializing in woven fabrics. Stephanie spends several months out of the year in India, designing textile collections. Her experiences with textiles and crafts in her travels have inspired her unique and sensitive handling of color and surfaces. Stephanie started Coral & Tusk in 2007 with her husband Chris Lacinak." ~ from their website ~

{images from Coral & Tusk by Kate Lacey}

Look closely...

they're all hand-stitched on linen!

Closer... see the whale in the pocket... the little crab!

SO wonderful!

These amazing pocket pillows are by Coral & Tusk and 

I discovered them in Selvedge Dry Goods.

When I saw this feather one...yep,

 the to-do list just took a hit!

I'm smitten with the feathers on Selvedge,

but when I hit Google and landed on Coral & Tusk's website, 

there was so much more to love!

THE OYSTER PILLOW! NEED!

The Pirate Patch kills me!!! LOVE! 

Every little boy needs a Pirate's Patch!

From the Lucky White Elephant handtowel to the sparklers, 

I am totally smitten!

Click over to their website and make a wish list!

I don't think we can have his sweatshirt,

but this hedgehog scarf might make it into my cart!

(Guilty as charged... just checked out and sitting by my mailbox!)

I think I should have ordered a pirate patch too, oh no!

I borrowed all of the images for my collages from their website.

If you borrow them, please link to Coral & Tusk as well.

Note to people: My scarf arrived and I'm thinkin' I'm pretty cute! I mean the scarf is...you know. FYI, it's a little darker color than it appears online. Kind of a dark khaki/tanish color. I will sport this year-round like a necklace! Love my hedgehog!

Another Southern Crush !

{if you are an email subscriber, your video may not show up, please visit the blog to see the video}

I teared up when I watched this video!

It's an overwhelming feeling when you watch

a video on someone who is EXACTLY who your dream ME is.

I love how Natalie Chanin is putting people back to work.

I love how it is producing things that are handmade.
I love EVERYTHING about this line!

I've gushed over them before, HERE and HERE.

but I just had to share this video from Etsy's Handmade Portraits.

Natalie, YOU'VE BEEN CRUSHED...AGAIN!

I recently ordered the color cards for their organic cotton.

My needle will be in this soon... Maybe I can figure out a way to

get to a workshop and actually meet her! 

Anybody wanna go with me?

Just Got Pushed . . .

I was right at the edge of starting another needlepoint project.

I was going to start another cuff and then I saw this bag.

I was pushed over the edge, gonna paint this as a 

needlepoint canvas and start a bag ASAP!

Not sure what shape...maybe a tiny-tiny date night one... but I'm sold on the animal print, but maybe zebra or giraffe? Page, you with me? Mom? Ridgley? Elizabeth? How 'bout you Woozie? Jump off the knitting wagon for a spring project!? PrettyStuff????!!!! Come on P, wish you would.

Old School Crush !

(isn't he adorable)

Well, looks like I'm right on target for fall.

I started playing with Brooklyn Tweed's LOFT a few weeks ago.

I purchased this yarn for another project that got frogged,

and now I wish I had a completely different color palate.

But, as you know, these greys will fit perfectly in my closet.

Always inspired by my surroundings, our old rugs inspired this shrug.

I'll have it off the needles for the Bachelor's final rose.

Surely he doesn't pick turtle lips?! 

"See ya, Wouldn't want to be ya?"

Who says that?!

It's not like she doesn't have a clue she's on TV?!

runway images via nymag

Inspiration Found . . .

...Elsa Mora...The Dress...

I am nearly speachless.

I have spent my morning coffee in a new Blog Find.

I am over the moon inspired by Elsita's work and

this dress is now my screensaver to inspire me DAILY! 

I am SMITTEN! 

Her story is beautiful too...go browse through her site.

Elsita is now on my list of "Bloggers I'd like to have lunch with."

Precious Little Cowlhat . . .

Look at those little eyelashes.

Isn't she precious?

Oh yeah, I just saw this adorable crocheted

"Cowlhat" on Annekata, one of my new favorite blog visits.

Go check it out! I could spend hours in this blog!

Pretty Stuff for PrettyStuff . . .

My sweet daughter has finally come around.

It took 23 years, but twice in the month of December 2011,

she has asked me for a handknit!

She started small with a winter white cowl to match her sweet new little car, but um... she is not one for baby steps! She went from "I don't really like handknits." (kill me now, just who's daughter is she anyway?) to chunky oversized $1710 Christian Dior "Mom can you make this?" All in a matter of 3 weeks...and I could not be more thrilled to make this for her!!!!!

Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande? Cascade Magnum might be too heavy?

Rowan Cocoon? Double Strand something with Rowan Kid Silk Haze?

...time for swatching...

Pssst: Next I'll get her to wear a color!

(#willneverhappen)

Felting Friends . . .

Page's gianormous felted bag got a little fixin' up!

More pics and what I did to save the "samsonite" HERE

...on to the next item on the endless to-do list...

We're Gonna Huff & Puff !

~ this is TinyOwl's pic ~

Ok, I showed you this amazing knitting project, ~ The Beekeeper Quilt, ~

the other day and now we're gonna HUFF and PUFF and

blow ~ Amelies Bakery ~ into a fiber hexifit!

(I wish I had a link to a hexifit video!)

A Beekeeper Quilt KAL!

Won't you join us?

Visit ~ ReeveKnits ~ to get the scoop!

1st Wednesdays @ Amelies and it looks like ~ Tiny Owl Knits, ~

the designer, is moving back across the pond and is going to join us!

SCORE!

All Together Now . . .

Let's knock off ~ Gucci! ~ Seriously, how easy is this?

The description says there's a zipper somewhere, but there's no view of it. This cape is an Alpaca/Wool blend and probably about $40 vs $1,095 if you can knit. Let's one-up Gucci and make this out of ~ Ellie's Reclaimed Cashmere! ~ I'm headed to ~ In The Loop ~ before I go back to NC, guess what's on my shopping list!? Sorry ~ Neiman Marcus,~ this time you lose...

Bug Off . . .

"This moth is made from a rescued tapestry all hand stitched.

Flaws and odd stitching are celebrated and are to be expected."

...soft sculpture beetle with engraved wing case...

...soft sculpture beetle made from vintage tablecloth...

...moth made from vintage table cloth...

(click to visit etsy)

or his fascinating 

~ Website ~

This Is What I'm Thinking . . .

Most people think starched, perfectly pressed, white shirt

when they think of ~ Carolina Herrera. ~ 

Me? I can not get ~ this jacket ~ out of my head!

Looks simple enough to make if you have a fur collar.

I've got a few I've gotten at vintage shops so...I won't be headed 

to Neiman's with this on my list of things to try on...

but maybe these...

  

~ Marc Jacobs Swimsuits ~ are so adorable!

Charlotte Knit Buddies: Not sure if she still carries it, but Tangles in Waxhaw use to have the real fur for knitting and trim! Would be perfect on top of some Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande, Rowan Lima!, or maybe some yummy Malabrigo Merino?! (While gathering these links, I ran across Plymouth's new Baby Alpaca Ultimo! Do any of my girls carry this? Sammie Jo? Debbie? Cheryl? Remi? Elizabeth? Y'all, Do I need some? Reminds me of a little version of their discontinued Alpaca Loop...or my dog Rush :( 

Almost finished with ~ SimplyMel's ~ Boathouse Row! ~

It's charcoal grey in ~ Baby Alpaca Grande! ~

She's so sweet, I think it will have to get a little

embellishment before it goes in the mail!