makin'it in the mommyhood - dreaming & eye candy

All Amy Butler Lark Collection - 1. Charisma Midnight 2. Kasbah Midnight 3. Charisma Blush 4. Heirloom Blue Sky 5. Nanna Chic Cloud  All from www.stitchsimple.com

i got this lovely bundle in the mail the other day from my sponsor www.stitchsimple.com (all fabrics come pre-washed and pressed) and let me tell you...it's been killing me not to cut into it.  i've been sitting on the couch just staring at it's loveliness dreaming up ideas and patterns.  i can't bear to put it away.  i have to admit i wasn't sure about amy butler's new line "lark".  i hadn't seen it in person and i have to admit it's hard sometimes to shop online when you can't see or touch the fabrics.  but wow...i took a chance on some of my faves and i love each of them.  so bright, fresh and colorful i will be ordering more.

i love the flower pattern on these two charisma prints below...i'm addicted to them at the moment...

but my favorite print is by far the kasbah midnight....i LOVE this one!

i forsee some lovely little goodies made from both of the prints below.  i've got a thing for the doily/lace edging of nana chic cloud and i'm just giddy over heirloom blue sky.  oh how it's killing me not to sew....really.  this has been the longest i will have to go without sewing since i started.  it's torture!

i've also had to put on a hold an upcoming ladies dress tutorial for celebrate color.  this lovely voile (shown below) was sent to me from one of my fave online fabric shops - hawthorne threads (thanks you guys - you rock!) and is from the heirloom collection by joel dewberry.  it's super soft, silky and just plain gorgeous! i cannot wait to share the pattern with you all in the new year!  you can also win some for yourself too! simply make sure to enter your project into the "wearables" section of celebrate color for your chance to win this very fabric and many other fabulous goodies!  november is the last month for celebrate color so get your entries in for yarn, quilting and embroidery!

joel dewberry heirloom collection in voile 1. ornate floral in amethyst 2. opal in fuschia

in the meantime though i've been knitting to keep my mind off of my longing for poppy the pfaff.  i ordered some knitpicks stroll tonal yarn in colorway gypsy and boy do i love it!  this lovely yarn is only $9.99per skein (462yards) and is a hand painted superwash merino blend - an awesome deal! i took a leap of faith ordering this as i needed a fingering weight to make the "audrey" cardigan by jane richmond and couldn't afford to use the yarn that i really wanted. 

it's been awesome to knit (very soft) with and the tones are subtle and very pretty.  the cardigan has a lovely, squishy drape just perfect for this pattern!  i'm super addicted to the audrey at the moment and can't bear to put mine down :)  i'm using 3.5mm needles so it's a labor of love i tell you.  see those rubbery purple things on the end of my needles?  best couple bucks i've spent in a long time.  they are the knitting needle point protectors from knit picks.  love them!  i have some other point protectors but they never fit my needles right and always slide off. these ones are super tight and rubbery and come in two sizes.  two thumbs up in my book!

the lovely  jane richmond herself came over last week to visit my poor self and to wind a whole whack load of yarn for me...all of which funnily enough were for patterns of hers.  i've got ready to go "joe" for the hubby for xmas and also yarn (cascade 220 heathers) for an upcoming release of jane's that i cannot wait for you all to see!  lots of fun!  i'm also still knitting away on the turquoise xmas pressie i've got going and another xmas pressie for my sister-in-law as well.  busy busy.  if you can't sew you might as well knit...lol.  so pick up those needles, grab your hooks and dust off your sewing machines...just get creating and just make sure to what you're making :)

you can find all my knitting projects and other miscellany on ravelry under "luvinthemommyhood". are you on there too?  make sure to share what you're working on in the comments below or in our flickr group.  we all love to see pics of your handiwork!  it's so fun!  so.....whatcha been making?  c'mon....spill the beans.....