I Won Lovell Designs Earrings!

I discovered the well to do, you blog just in time for Suz's Dress to Impress project. For the project, Suz wore the same dress every day for 30 days using different accessories for a variety of looks. The project benefited Dress for Success® of Southern Maine. Very cool project, and very cool blog.

At the beginning of February, well to do, you hosted a giveaway with Lovell Designs... and guess what?! I won!

This lovely box arrived in the mail...

which contained this lovely pair of earrings...

I love them! Thank you well to do, you and Lovell Designs!

My Custom-Fit Raglan In Progress

In knitting related news, I finished up a couple of quick cowls in the past two weeks that I cannot wait to show you. I hope to have time for photos this weekend, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I cast on for a custom-fit raglan sweater. For my Butterfly Capelet, I used Pamela Costello's Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan guide to get the general size and shape. Since I already have those calculations, and I have more of the same yarn (in a different color), I thought I would try to use the guide to complete a whole sweater. Here are the beginnings...

It is coming along!

Happy Fourth Birthday, HipDroppedStitches!

This blog is four years old today! When I first re-read the third birthday post, where I wrote that I hoped "to do a lot more sewing this year" and dreamed of filling "my closet with comfortable, fashionable, and well-fitting skirts and dresses" made by me, I felt a little disappointed. I do not yet have a closet full of me-made clothing that I love. Then I began looking back at the past year's posts, and discovered that I completed more than I thought I had!

My closet is not yet full of me-made clothing, but I did make several pieces that became wardrobe staples. I wear the first Anda dress I made quite often (and receive many compliments on it). It became my go-to dress for when I was traveling by air for work this year. It is comfortable enough to sit on a plane for hours (and it does not wrinkle), and I always feel put together upon arrival to my destination. I wear those lounge pants, and that refashioned sweater all the time, too. So comfortable! And each of those skirts (here, here, and here) were worn numerous times this spring, summer, and fall. The infinity dresses were a bit of a flop (here and here), but my shoe sugar projects were a success (here and here)! And for gifts, the baby blankets were well received (here and here), as were the hand warmers. Mr. HipDroppedStitches wears his lounge pants and his hat, too. Oh, and there are at least three dance costumes and a dress in progress that have yet to be featured here.

Considering that this year also included our wedding, honeymoon, wedding celebration, a trip to Mexico for a friend's wedding, and several business trips, I am a little surprised I completed as much as I did! And honestly, I am a little glad my closet is not already full of me-made clothing... I have so many ideas and need space for them! I think year five is going to be a very good year.

Vite Cowl In Progress

Mr. HipDroppedStitches and I joined family in a trip to the Berkshires this past weekend. We had a great time... a perfect mixture of fun and relaxation. While some in our party were planning to ski and snowboard, I planned to hit the pool, relax in the hot tub, and knit!

Here I am in the pool with my nieces...

And here is my knitting going for a little swim once we got home...

I cast on for the Vite Cowl by Kristi Johnson on the drive there, knit a bit here and there, and cast off on the drive home. It is currently blocking on the dining room table (and hopefully not becoming a cat bed for the day). Stay tuned for more details and finished photos!

Merry Christmas to Me

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season this year. Believe it or not, it is not yet over for me. We had our next to last holiday party this past weekend, and have one more in a week and a half. I feel like the new year is not really beginning until February.

I did receive a few great gifts that I thought you might like to see. First, this beautiful yarn from my SIL and her family.

I cannot wait to knit something up with it!

Then, from Mr. HipDroppedStitches...

... pattern weights! I am looking forward to pulling these out of my sewing cabinet rather than gathering our heaviest kitchen items in the future.

The gift I am most excited about, however, is this...

... new fabric shears from Mr. HipDroppedStitches! Are they not stunning? They are insanely sharp and actually have a serrated edge in order to grip the fabric as they cut. I love them. I cannot wait to start a new project and put them to use!

Turning a Heel for the First Time

I started knitting these socks (my first pair!) in March 2010. They, like my other recent knitting FOs, sat untouched for some time. I am delighted to be making progress on them again. In fact, I just turned a heel for the first time!

In this stage, I think they look like two little sock monsters. Do you see it? The markers look like eyes to me, and the opening like mouths. Very silly. I'm excited to finish these up (hopefully) soon!

Moody Trim

One of my very best girlfriends recently spent a weekend in NYC. When she returned, she presented me with a very thoughtful and generous gift...

... a beautiful sparkly velvety trim from Mood!!!!

I hope, hope, hope to visit Mood, myself, someday. Until then, I have this lovely trim as evidence that someone who was there was thinking of me. So special. Thank you, Dear Friend!!!