The Hunger Games

Today is the day! Well, really, it was last night. The Hunger Games movie is showing. My daughter began reading these books a few months ago so I decided to read them also. Very interesting books. The most disturbing books that I could not put down. It's just fiction.....It's just fiction....

Anyway, I'm going to the afternoon showing today with my daughter. None of that midnight stuff for me. I want to be awake and alert so that I don't miss anything.

This is the Katniss outfit that my daughter put together to wear today. She has been counting down the days.

I digitized the mockingjay pin that Katniss wears during the Hunger Games. I embroidered it onto black wool felt and made it into a pin rather than embroidering it directly on something. She might not always be as excited to wear a mockingjay as she is today!

Simplicity 2599

I found this pretty fabric at Hancock's a few weeks ago and decided that it would make the perfect spring top. I don't usually like 100% polyester fabrics but this one is a little different. It has a slight crinkled texture making it more comfortable to wear because it has a little "give". I have used Simplicity 2599 several times for my daughters in the sleeveless versions. This is the first time I have tried it for myself. It's a great basic wardrobe builder pattern which I plan to use many more times in the future. It was voted one of the top 10 patterns of 2010 on Patternreview.

 
 I decided not to add the elastic because I thought it would be harder to put on and take off. I added a skinny belt instead.

I found these cute buttons in my button box for the back. I made thread loops for the closure. I love these thread loops and love making them! You can see the crinkled texture better in this picture.

I like the cut of the sleeves which are a little shorter than normal with a curved hemline.

These are the other versions of Simplicity 2599. Have you tried it out yet?

One Row Lace Scarf

Once in a while, I get a little worried that I am buying yarn and fiber faster than I am using it. When this happens, I pull out a skein of yarn and go to Ravelry to find a pattern which will work with my yarn weight and yardage. I bought this Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace a couple of years ago at Blueball Mountain Spindle and Needleworks in Elizabethtown, Ky. I loved the colors in it and thought it would be nice to wear in the fall. I tried several different scarf and shawl patterns before deciding on a simple pattern which I had knitted once before. I always end up with a simple, classic pattern but always have to go through the elimination process.

Ravelry link

The pattern is called One Row Lace Scarf because every row is knitted exactly the same, making it easy to memorize. The free pattern can be found here. It can be knit in many yarn weights just by adjusting the needle size. I double stranded the lace weight yarn and used a size 7 needle. It was a somewhat slow project to knit but it was worth the effort. I love the scarf!

What are your favorite tried and true patterns for destashing?