A Yarn for Marie Laurencin

Marie Laurencin is a French watercolor artist I have always loved. I love the women she paints in soft watery hues, with their dark doe eyes.

Here is a skein I called Aquarelle after her work, soft black, grey, muted pink, and aqua with a touch of more profound blue.

It has been so much fun to design new colorways for my Etsy shop. It feels so free. I just love to follow my color infatuation of the day. I hope you will like Aquarelle.

A Kimono for Tiny Betsy McCall

I had more fun sewing clothes for Betsy McCall last night. This time Betsy gets a Kimono!

I actually spent quite a bit of time looking at my own vintage kimono to understand the construction, then  simplified it a little. Betsy is only 8"!  I lined the sleeves , and made the obi out of organza.

I went all out this time and even made her shoes with cork and ribbon!
The final touch was the beaded millinery velvet flower.

I love the outfit so much that I started collecting the objects that will become part of a diorama!

Focused!

This morning I was straightening by bedroom, which lately has been colonized by mountains of fabric, sewing machines, and yarn. As I was arranging the books on my bedside table, I had to smile.

The titles of the books sum me up: knitting, domesticity, handspinning, and obsession, all that topped with a little bit of knitting, a sock in progress for Mr. SockPixie! Pretty focused, wouldn't you say?

Very Vogue!

What do you when you fall in love with a picture (Vogue 1963, I believe), because its colors are so perfect, so balanced, so retro, so classic? You create a colorway and you name it Ombrelles. These colors make me dream, ocean blues, reds, berry pinks, and peach.

                                                                  

I hand-painted 2 SW Merino sock weight skeins in the Ombrelles colorway, and a beautiful cashmere blend in a sock weight. I have just added them to my Etsy Store.

Can you imagine a pair of socks knit in this colorway? Real sunshine in winter!

It Feels Good to Knit Socks

I just could not concentrate on my knitting projects last night. It was not the heat, I was just tired maybe.

Mr. SockPixie was in need of a new pair of socks. Socks are the perfect mindless project for me. They are quickly finished, and follow a predictable path. The problem was I did not have enough yarn in any colorway to knit socks for him (he is a tiny size 13!) I dug in my craft room, feeling rather like an aecheologist looking for 2 matching bones, and I found a ball of Noro Silk garden Sock yarn, and a ball of no name black sock yarn.

I thought striped socks would be a lot of fun, in particular as the Noro colors would change.

The stripes started with apple green, then switched to practically black green, then grey, and now the blue is coming. I just can't stop knitting, hurrah for socks and Noro! My knitting mojo is back!
These are some wild socks though, and I hope not too wild for Mr. SockPixie...

A New Dress for Betsy

I started my Sunday full of good intensions. I was determined to finish my knitting project, but with each stitch, I found myself thinking more and more about a new dress I could make for Betsy. After a few rows, I gave up, put the knitting away, and fetched the fabrics that had triggered my dress reverie.

I had a piece of black cotton cloth, a piece of black fabric with miniature cherries on it, a little piece of black lace, and a piece of black ribbon.

The resut, a black dress with a little cherry apron on top. Betsy is also sporting a new hair color for the occasion, a rich auburn brown!

I used the lace at the neck, at the shoulders and at the hem of the simple black dress.

I really like the simple black dress. Though black is not a very Betsy color, I like the fact that it seems to bring another side of her personality forward. Maybe she reminds me of the little French children dressed like miniature adults, looking so serious and spotlessly clean in the playgrounds of the Jardin du Ranelagh. She reminds me of Sophie, a girl whose imaginary adventures and misfortunes were told by the Comtesse de Segur.

I have been dreaming of creating a world for her, something French, and slightly old-fashioned, A world in which like Sophie, she would have a beautiful wax doll she would forget in the sun...

There I go again, off on another reverie!

Handspun Finn Bonbon and Dollhouse Fun

Finn roving has to be my favorite fiber to spin. I find it the easiest to spin, and I love the resulting yarn. It is just beautiful, matt looking, and baby soft.

I named this skein Bonbon. Its colors were inspired by the bonbon colored dresses of Marie-Antoinette.
It is 110 yards. I can just see a Cerise Baby Sweater for a baby girl! I just added it to my Etsy Shop.

On the dollhouse front, I am almost there. Yesterday I received an adorable re-ment tea set. The detail is amazing! (I ordered it from Priscilla's Treasures.) And the color...emerald. It reminds me of the vintage Anchor forest green glass dish sets. Little Miss SockPixie will be so happy!

The dollhouse should be done tomorrow...