Indigo socks

I seem to be on an indigo kick lately.  

These socks, made of sport-weight wool from the Sonoma coast (Bodega Pastures) that I dyed with indigo, took just over two months to complete.  See previous post for an explanation.  They are my own design which I made up on the fly, and I really do love them.  

These will keep my toes very warm in the upcoming colder months.  I worked them from the toe up, separately, until I reached the lace portion on the leg.  I then joined them, and worked them together on two long circular needles. 

Happy indigo toes!!!

An Alabama Chanin Handmade Wardrobe

My current obsession with creating all things Alabama Chanin has temporarily slowed down any  knitting progress.  I didn't see this obsession coming.  In fact, I bought a sewing machine recently, and right away bought a companion sewing book, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design.  I could have looked closer at the subtitle (A Guide to Hand-Sewing an Alabama Chanin Wardrobe) to realize that this book is all about sewing by hand, and there is nary a mention of a sewing machine anywhere among its beautiful pages.  Nonetheless, I picked up my needle and thread, dove straight in, and fell in love.
All of the patterns recommend using 100% Organic Jersey fabric which you can purchase from the Alabama Chanin store.  I need to hone my skills before cutting into something so special and pricey, and so I went to my local thrift store and bought several XXL men's t-shirts.  I used my seam ripper to cut them at the seams, and was able to harvest ample yardage to start on several small projects.  The first project is the Fitted Top, in navy blue jersey:
 

 

It was a joy to create.  The art of "slow sewing" is right up my alley.  

And the best part is, it fits!  And I love it!