In threes and out to sea

The kind of weird thing about having a blog is that you're not really sure if anyone's reading it - but they *might* be, so you just kind of have to assume they are. Especially when it comes to gifts. I've actually been sewing quite a bit recently, but everything has been gift sewing. I'm not sure the intended recipients actually look at my little ol' blog, but just in case they do, I've got to keep some stuff under wraps, until they have it in their hands. Fortunately last week I was able to go to my parents' house and spend time with my SIL and niece over my niece's birthday. Besides having a great time (especially since my son and niece mainly kept each other occupied), I was finally able to give her the gifts I've been working on:

 

Isn't this a cute outfit? I was actually only planning on knitting the sweater for her, but I decided she needed a whole outfit.

The pattern for the sweater is In Threes by Kelly Herdrich, which you can find here if you are on Ravelry. I used Knit Picks Swish Worsted in the Lotus colorway, because I knew it would need to be washable, and the color is soooo my niece.

This is a wonderful pattern for little girls, I think, just the right amount of detail and I enjoyed knitting it. Kids sweaters go so fast, and I'm nothing if not an impatient knitter. I love the buttons, but I'm afraid they're a little too small and will keep popping out of the buttonholes, but my SIL has the skillz (with a z) to fix it if she needs to.

The dress is the Music Box Jumper pattern from oliver and s, which you can find here. The pattern is one of their easiest ones, ranked one "scissor", but I have to admit I psyched myself out a bit having read a bunch of blog posts with complaints of difficulty. The pattern came together in an afternoon, was easy as pie. I decided to try out a few new techniques since it was going so well, including French seams. I attempted a blind hem, but it didn't really work out because of the special placket used in the pattern. The fabric is Anchors Away in navy from the out to Sea collection by Sarah Jane. The whole line is beautiful and the fabric itself feels especially wonderful, has a nicer drape than typical quilting cotton. I am trying to avoid buying the whole line, but I think I might fail in that.

I bought the buttons on the back at an antique store in town. That is by far the best place to find buttons - they're so cheap! Much better quality than what you could buy in a store. I used the buttonhole and button functions on my new machine - couldn't be easier!

I was able to see the sweater on my niece while we were there and it was adorable - of course, she's pretty adorable too, so that helps! I tried to get a picture of her in it, but you know how 3 year olds can be...

Now I have to find some other girls to make dresses for!