I made this little cutie in a couple of hours… It was super easy and I love it so much. I found the pattern on Ravelry, but it is from Cornflower Blue a totally cute blog!

It’s done! I made the Short Row Sweater from the Purl Bee and I’m so so so excited. It was easy to make… the hardest part was staying patient. Knitting is like a really trying meditation in contentment and valuing the slow process. I never really got into knitting before because I wasn’t sure if after spending weeks on a shirt I would feel that if had been worth the time. But the joy of watching a ball of yarn turn into something special has consumed me and although I miss my sewing machine like crazy, knitting has definitely found a permanent place in my craft life.

The yarn is a soft cotton wool blend that I got at a shop here in Bariloche. I was having a really hard time choosing a color, so I just made it striped! I would definitely recommend this project, the instructions were clear and you end up with something totally adorable.

Also, this guy happens to be perfect for the insane sunburn I have on my back right now.

…what to do next?!?! Maybe something with cables.

I finished my cowl! This is my first completed knitting project and I am SO pleased with it. The only problem is that it’s summer here in the southern hemisphere and I don’t really see any opportunities to wear it in the near future. It’s ok, I’ll just stare at it lovingly until I find myself somewhere cold.

I found the bandana cowl pattern on ravelry.com, but it is originally from the Purlbee. The instructions were easy to follow (even for a novice like me). I got a little lost at one point but found my way after reading the comments on the post.

I got the yarn at an amazing shop called Lanas La Rueca in Bariloche. They have a great selection of regional patagonian yarns that you could stare at for hours. Their address is: P. Moreno 879 near Carrefour. Definitely go there if you are in Bariloche, the ladies there are so lovely and so patient…they put up with me for an hour as I “que es eso”-ed at every yarn in the shop. Also, if you need it one of them speaks english!

Now I’m working on the Short Row Sweater from Purlbee!

My job leaves all of my days free and being thousands of miles away from my sewing machine I had to find something for my busy hands. That’s where the knitting comes in, I found a couple awesome yarn (lana) shops in town and spent an obscene amount of time on Ravelry cruising projects.  In case you don´t know Ravelry.com is an online knit and crochet community with tons of patterns and inspiration.  I have settled on the Bandana Cowl from Purlbee (the cutest blog/shop in the world), and its going pretty well.

I have a sordid history with knitting and crocheting.  I´ll have a burst of inspiration and attempt a project thats way too hard for me, throw it away and swear to never knit again!  This time is different.  I am loving the process, taking it slow, I love how knitting shuts my brain off.

I accompanied my friend to a lovely Parilla (steak restaurant) in El Bolson. While there I saw the greatest wall hanging in the world! Its a patchwork picture if a young futbol (soccer) player made entirely out of different types of cow fur!!!!!! As you may know Argentines love their steak… I’m just glad to see that all parts of the cows are going to good use. I would have gotten better pictures… but in my defense its glory was hard to capture and the waiters were giving me weird looks.

Also, I tried steak. I don’t have much frame of reference, but it was pretty good.

El Bolson is a tiny little town nestled between gorgeous mountains creating awesome weather and happy people! On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday the town comes together for an amazing fair with crafts, awesome food and the BEST BEER EVER! I would have taken more pictures but I was distracted by all the beer and awesome vegetarian food! There was whole grain broccoli pizza, eggplant milanesas and alfajores galore!!!!

I have been really impressed with all of the artisan markets that I have been to in Argentina. The Feria de El Bolson has the typical flattened wine bottles and mate gourds but also tons of independent fashion designers, upcycled clothing and screenprinted shirts.

The atmosphere in El Bolson reminded me so much of Santa Cruz. Definitely a must if you are in the area!

I already packed away my machine, so I had to do all the sewing by hand.

It turned out loveably sloppy and just right.

Julia was behind the scenes taking pictures but here are some of her leather coin purses… 

]]> http://needlesthreadandlove.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/cute-dress-party/feed/ 1 chelseaavocado 6047860719_3887f073d7_z 6048413096_60e6c9c189_z 6047871819_674695bbb6_z http://needlesthreadandlove.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/oh-hey-blog-long-time-no-see/ http://needlesthreadandlove.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/oh-hey-blog-long-time-no-see/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:42:43 +0000 chelseaavocado http://needlesthreadandlove.wordpress.com/?p=252 ]]> In case you didn’t notice, it has been ages since I did any blogging, but I’m back!  There are lots of crafty and exciting things going on in my life right now:

1.I am organizing a Craftacular Wonder Fair for the fabric store where I work.   It is going to be an amazing smorgasbord of crafts, vendors, art and inspiration! Not to mention face painting, food and a fabric sale.  If you are anywhere near Santa Cruz, CA you should do whatever it takes to get here!  Here is a link to the Facebook event.

2. I am making a mini collection that I am selling at a booth with my awesome creative friend Megan (here is a link to her blog) Its the first time I’ve done something like this and I am feeling a little nervous/vulnerable/excited.  I’ll post pictures of this later.

3. Our local weekly newspaper, the Goodtimes, is doing an article on the Craftacular!  More on this later.

4. I have a one way plane ticket to Argentina and am leaving on September 20th!  This blog will temporarily be converted to an adventure traveling crafter blog so I can let you know about all the cool sewing and fabric related stuff I find.

The dress is essentially a circle skirt with two really long straps sewn onto the front.  You can wrap the straps around you in different ways to make a smorgasbord of dresses!  Heres a link to a tutorial and some strap wrapping inspiration.

The magazine shows you how to create a ton of different looks… it would be so perfect for traveling.  This girl made the same one and has some great tips to share.  Have fun sewing!