Just A Little Something I Threw Together

It's that time of year again. "What time?" you ask. Well, we already know it's the time of year when all the little stinging beasties come out to play. But, even more annoying than that (or fun, depending on your perspective) is the fact that kids seem to have all their birthday parties this time of year. Not so great for the budget.

I've decided, once again, that I can make nicer gifts than I can afford to buy, so that's what I'm doing. This afternoon, there's a party for a girl Lambchop #1's age. I had a pattern I'd yet to use (and it only goes up to size 6) and plenty of cute fabric, so I dove in the other night. I'm quite certain that I could have found something cheaper when you factor in the time I spent on this dress, but it wouldn't have been something quite so nice. I hate those stupid plastic toys people give little kids for their birthdays. They may not cost much, but then again, when they only last a week, you see why. Besides, if she's anything like my daughter, she has enough Barbies to last her through her next ten birthdays, so why add to the mess around the house? A nice dress could be more practical. And, all girlie-girls love a pretty dress.

We got Lambchop #1 to model it, and as you can see, she's already begging for her own (I guess we know what I'll be doing around her birthday). You can't really see the definition of the fabric print very well, but the top section is made of a lighter fabric than the bottom. In addition to being lighter, it also has sweet little flowers on it, whereas the darker is plain. The purse she's holding was meant to be pockets on the skirt, but I thought they were a bit much, so I made a little matching purse, instead. Notice the cord on that purse? That cord was brought to us by a little bit of Patons Grace and my Turkish Drop Spindle. It's the accessories that make the outfit, right?

And, because I promised myself I'd finish the center square of that baby shawl before starting any new projects, what do we have? Why, a new project, of course. I've realized that I have a problem with bland colored yarns. I may like the end product with a fancy stitch, but I've got wandering eyes. I have to have some color in my life, and when I'm working a fancy stitch on natural yarn, I crave stockinette on something vibrant. See? This is that Trekking that I showed in a previous post. I love the pastel quality it has while somehow still remaining very vibrant.