Happy Halloween!

Here are my cuties, when they were 6 (Charmeleon from Pokemon) and 2 1/2 (the dinosaur) in 2000.

The pattern is from Simplicity, I believe is discontinued because Pokemon characters are probably not as popular as they once were, but there are other dinosaurs patterns, they never go out of style.

They loved their costumes and my youngest was thrilled that he got to be part of his brother's first grade Halloween parade.

They still like to get dressed up for Halloween and having a mom that is willing to make up costumes to their design helps a lot ;-)

Liking Halloween seems to run in the family...

My husband, on the left and me, with a friend sometime in the 90s

Hoping everyone is safe after the storm. We were very, very lucky, for the first time ever we came through a storm with power, no flooding and no major tree branches down.

The Filati Cardigan

 Knitting from an European magazine is like sewing from Burda, the instructions can be sketchy but with simple designs you will probably be fine. One huge advantage is the designs are always timeless or fashion forward and the shaping is always good.

 This very simple cardigan has only the pretty lace detail on the sleeves

 The fit is pretty wonderful, in my opinion.

 Here is the link to Ravelry

 I added one inch to the length of the bodice, which I usually do.

 The cardigan is the only thing made by me.

One of my students told me she liked my outfit today, "it is very hip!" She made my day!

My wizard at work

Second time around it's a winner!

Checking in

Wow! I did not mean to go missing for so long! I have been very busy but I have not produced much to share.

I finished this scarf that had been my travel project for a couple of years. I blogged about this before

I also attached the sleeves to the Filati cardigan I have been knitting. I now need really long circular needles (47" long!) to pick up stitches along the front for the band.  I don't have the needles so until I find them  I went ahead and made a swatch for my new knitting project. It is from the book Amber by Kim Hargreaves

I'm making the cardigan called Ginny. I love the shape of the sleeves and the fitted bodice.

 I am using the yarn called for in the pattern, Rowan Felted tweed but in a different colorway

I have also been helping at my son's high school with costumes for the play. Nothing to make from scratch but finding the right pieces and altering those that are available but not quite fit. My 32 year old high school prom dress (made by my mom) will appear on stage as a wedding dress so I modified it to fit the actress/student.

Most of my time however has gone to prepare for the one class (Spanish 2) I am now teaching at the community college. All the teachers I talk to say the first one is the hardest because later you recycle the material. I also spend time helping my son with Geometry (can you say Proof?) and Spanish. And let's not forget I'm in the middle of painting my bedroom...

Sandra Betzina on Craftsy!

Sandra Betzina on Craftsy

I was so excited when I got the email about this class that I had to share!

I loved watching Sandra when she was on Home & Garden tv. Her enthusiasm empowered me to try so many new things, and a  lot of her techniques are the ones I still use in my garments.

There are a couple of things I would like to fix in the next pair of pants I make so I'm hoping to soon take this class.