making charts

I started a new summer shawl just before I left on my trip to CO two weeks ago. Despite being a fairly simple project, the lack of a chart was driving me nuts. So I decided to chart the lace pattern. I wrote it up on graph paper as I was knitting along, and today I transferred it to my computer. It was kind of a huge project! I need to figure out how to save it as a pdf, and when I do, I'll post it here.
The shawl is coming along rather slowly. I had a pretty major false start. My yarn (malabrigo sock yarn) is finer than the yarn called for, so I knitted a swatch on 9's instead of 10's and liked how it looked--in stockinette, that is. It was slightly under gauge, but I figure I could just knit more rows and increases. But as the lace pattern progressed, it looked TOO open to me. So I ripped out (about 25 rows in, which was sort of a lot) and switched to no 7's. Now I'm happy with how it looks, but it's coming kind of slowly. Here she is:
Inspired by my friend Jenny, I've decided to finish up the old project on my loom (coasters) and start something new. I spent about an hour weaving tonight and finished 2 coasters. Hopefully just one or two more and then I'm done! Pictures of that (perhaps!) next time.

back to sewing!

After not sewing or knitting a stitch for more than a week, I had a very productive day yesterday. I made a couple more purses.And I made an ipod case for myself, without a pattern. This was challenging. I wrote down what I did and have many things I'd do differently on the next one. This one looks really sloppy. Still, it's something.
I also pieced some batting together for my baby quilt. Love being thrifty!

matching dresses

Since my mendocino sundress is practically the same pattern as the one from Weekend Sewing (also by Heather Ross) that I made for Eloise, I thought we should take some pictures together. So here they are. My dress looks country, as usual. Why does everything I sew look like it should be worn by Laura Ingalls Wilder? I thought using a batik print fabric could not possibly result in this, but it did. I might shorten it to just above the knee. But I've seen lots of versions online of this longer hemline where it looked perfectly normal. Oh well. i guess I'm a country girl and I should just accept it.

fruit tart

This is the only thing I've made in the last week or so. (It looked better than it tasted, I think. The crust was too shortbready and crisp for my taste.) But I did get some new fabric to start the mendocino sundress for myself. It's a blue-ish/purple batik...I'm hoping it will not be too bold in a dress.