Missoni Inspired Chevron Knitting Pattern

Yep, that's me wearing one of the Missoni sweaters from Target. Just to get everyone up to speed, Missoni created a line for Target. It was available for purchase September 13th, sold out the same day, and caused a little bit of craziness. But that's not really what this post is about so lets move on, shall we. When I was examining the sweater, I noticed that the chevron pattern was very similar to a blanket pattern from one of my very first knitting books. Now I know some of you are going to ask what the name of the book is and I don't really know (embarrassing). All I have left of it are loose pages (from wear) and no cover. All I know is the book is from the 70's and my Grandma gave it to me.

I decided to alter the chevron pattern from the book and make it similar to the pattern in my sweater. Use this pattern to make whatever you want. With the right choice of yarn, I think it would make one fabulous scarf.

Close Up of Missoni Sweater

Missoni Inspired Chevron Pattern

No Gauge

Cast on 44 sts

Row 1 - 3: K across
Row 4: k1, k 2 tog, k8, yo, k1, yo, k8, (k 2 tog) twice, k8, yo, k1, yo, k8, k 2 tog, k1
Row 5: P across

Repeat rows 4 & 5 to desired length

* To make stripes, add a new color on even rows. For a scarf, knit pattern to desired length, K across the last three rows and bind off.

Knit sample from above pattern.

On a side note, I've got to give props to all you fashion bloggers who take pictures of yourselves. I had so much trouble holding the camera at the right angle and not moving it. I think I took about 30 pictures just to get a decent shot. In most of the pictures I was either blurry, looked mad or part of me was chopped off. I almost wish I saved them, would have made one hilarious post!

Craft: Fabric Yo-Yo Coin Purse

I had this idea of making a fabric yo-yo purse for a while now. With the kids back in school, I finally got a chance to sit down and test it out and it worked! It's so nice when projects turn out the way you envision them, or even better, morph into something you never expected. Either way it's always nice to see a craft concept come to life, agree?

Okay on to the project, today I'm sharing how to make this fabric yo-yo purse. All you need are some basic sewing skills to whip this up in a day or less.

Supplies:
Coin purse frame set (pictured above) - I purchased this one at Daiso. You can also find them at fabric stores and online.
Fabric & matching tread
2 Buttons
E-6000 Glue
Scissors
Pliers

First you want to create two fabric yo-yo's. The size of your yo-yo's will depend on the size of your purse frame. Most frames come with a pattern which you can adjust the size of your yo-yo to. You can find the directions to make fabric yo-yo's here.

Hand sew wrong sides together with a whip stitch where you see the blue dots.

Cut raffia (will come with kit) to the length of your frame. Sew on the opening of both sides of the purse.

Add glue to inside of the frame. Push fabric into the inside of the frame. Crimp the frame closed with a pair of pliers. Cover frame with fabric when crimping to protect the frame.

*Usually a purse frame will come with instructions similar to this tutorial.

Book Review: Sewing with Oilcloth

Sewing with Oilcloth by Kelly McCants

Sewing with Oilcloth is a book filled with 20 projects to make with, you guessed it, oilcloth! The table of Contents includes: Tools Tips and Trims, For the House, For You, For Kids, and Pattern Pieces. The patterns are fresh, contemporary and vibrant. What I like about this book is that every project is practical. The book also appears to be well researched. For example, Kelly shares about what oilcloth can not be used for (coming in contact with food because it contains phthalates). It's the details like this that I really appreciate.

For those not familiar with Kelly McCants, she is the author of the blogs Oilcloth Addict and Modern June. She also has an Etsy store also called Modern June.

If there's one thing on my wish list to make, it's these little sandwich bags. I should also point out that these are made with laminated cotton instead of oilcloth.

Sandwich Wrapper

Messenger Bag
Don't you love the faux bois oilcloth?

Want to get a better feel for the projects in this book? Here are two free patterns to check out:

Oilcloth Table Runner
Farmers Market Tote

Kid Craft: Superhero Stuffed Animals

Just for fun, I decided to make some superhero eye masks and capes for my children's stuffed animals. My inspiration came from a how-to kid cape post I saw on Ohdeedoh. Just like in the Ohdeedoh post, I used old t-shirts to make the capes. They were simple to make and it only took about 5 minutes to whip up a set. After my kids saw the first set I made, a whole line of stuffed animals were waiting to be turned into cape crusaders.

Click on image for a larger view.

For the eye mask: if it's too loose, just cut the back of the mask down the center and tie around the head. I also found it was easier to cut out the eyes when the mask was on the stuffed animal to get it positioned just right.

For the cape: Look for old t-shirts that have interesting prints on them. Center the image in the center of the cape to cut. In the picture below you can see how I did this for the smaller stuffed animal. Other option, have your child decorate the capes with fabric markers.

Online Magazine: Styled

The newest issue of Styled is out. It's an online magazine dedicated to handmade entertaining, filled with crafts, recipes, and loveliness. The magazine is created by Victoria Hudgins, author of A Subtle Revelry. View the free online copy or buy the newest issue in print.

Below are a a couple photos from the newest issue.

Handmade wooden stamped tags

Fabric Balloon Parade