Gymnastics: First Meet

My girls competed in their first gymnastics meet this weekend.  They both did very well remembering their routines and performing in front of so many people.  I was so proud of them!  Here are a few pictures that hubby snapped during the events. 

E. on the balance beam:

Both girls watching some of the other gymnasts compete:

A. during her floor routine:

A. on the bars:

More Sewing: Pants for my Boy

I’ll admit, I finished sewing these pants weeks ago.  I took pictures of them meaning to make a blog post about them, but didn’t get around to it right away.  So, even though these are old news, they’re too cute not to share.

These are the “pluto pants” from the winter 2008 issue of Ottobre magazine.  I used olive ripstop fabric from Jo-Ann’s and did contrasting topstitching in light blue thread. 

This pattern went together so well, I’ll definitely make it again.  All the little details – knee pleats, panel seams, cargo pockets – make these pants special.  E-boy much prefers pull-on pants, and I love the sporty look these have.  They are plenty baggy to wear over long johns if the weather is chilly, too.

Knitting in the New Year

Winter makes me feel like knitting.  Hats, scarves and mittens make sense in December.  Practically, I should start knitting for the coming winter when it’s August, but in August I feel like sewing shorts and swimsuits.  Luckily, I can knit these small projects rather quickly, so they can be in use soon after they’re begun.

I’m not a great knitter.  I enjoy it, and have learned a lot since I first picked up yarn and needles about a year ago.  I’ve found that when I don’t understand some direction in my pattern I can find what it means by a quick internet search.  Looking for a bit of a challenge, I decided to give fair isle knitting a try.  I started with this pattern, found on Ravelry.  I changed the fair isle pattern a tiny bit on the earflaps.  I wish I hadn’t positioned the earflaps according to the pattern directions, though.  As I was doing it, my gut instinct was to move them, but I resisted.  They don’t quite cover the ears as well as they should how the pattern is written.  Well, there’s always a next time.

And here’s the current work-in-progress, a cable-knit hat.  It is fun to see the pattern emerge as I add rows, one or two at a time as I pick it up.