Bring on Fall

"Yes, my Mother...loves to knit!"

Happy First Day of Autumn!

How cute is this photograph? 

I love this photograph of my father-in-law all "bundled up" in his little knit outfit. 

Bring on fall.  I'm ready for sweater weather only...

it will be awhile 'till it gets here in California. 

More Missoni!

 Missoni Style Stitches

I'm obsessed with Missoni zigzags!

The Missoni For Target line has really inspired me knit

my own Missoni "style" scarves.

 Missoni For Target

Yesterday I went to Target to return a few Missoni items

and look what I found...

the scarf I really wanted! 

I couldn't find this Missoni scarf the day
 Missoni premiered at Target. 

Much to my surprise, there were six of these scarves on the rack. 

 I'm figuring this inventory may not have made the actual
Missoni launch date
 or a shopper caught up in the "Missoni Madness" returned them.

So now I want to knit a Missoni style scarf like this one, too.  I really like its design.  I like how the chevron pattern in color is placed on the bottom of the scarf.

I'm not really sure when I will tackle this project. In the meantime, I'm going through stitch dictionaries, Ravelry and the Internet getting more inspired every day.

Here's why I love Missoni zigzags...

PS:  There is also a Missoni Ravelry Fan Club group on Ravelry

for more Missoni inspired knitting. 

Missoni Inspired!

 Knit a Missoni Scarf

Now that the "Missoni Madness" at Target is over...

I'm re-evaluating my Missoni For Target purchases. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad for Missoni style...

I'm just not that crazy about the Target quality and colors of the scarves.

So, what's a knitter to do but get her needles out and 

 knit her own Missoni style scarves!

Missoni For Target

I've wanted to knit a Missoni "inspired" scarf for about a year now. 

With all the Missoni madness going on, now seems like the perfect time to get one started. 

I've been planning on knitting Joelle Hoverson's Chevron Scarf

in her book Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  I even have the Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino

yarn already in my stash that I purchased last year from ImagiKnit in San Francisco for my scarf.

Then I had to go look on Ravelry...

 ZigZag Stripes Scarf

There are a lot of Missoni "inspired" patterns on Ravelry. 

A few of my favorite chevron scarf designs are:

Sock-It-To-Me in One Skein Wonders

Chevron Scarf by Jo Sharp

Ripple Scarf in Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders

Striped Scarf by Vogue Knitting

Zigzag Stripes by Debbie Bliss

Hmmm, now which one to knit?  I'll probably stay with my first choice in my Koigu yarns

but can't wait to try a few other patterns for more Missoni style!

I hope I've inspired you to knit up your own
Missoni-style scarf

in your favorite colors and yarns...

because you know you...
won't find that at Target!

Mad for Missoni

 Missoni for Target

Yes, I'm mad for Missoni! 

Evidently everyone else is,too. 

Today, marked the launch of  Missoni for Target.

The madness and frenzi for Missoni today
caused Target.com to crash and the

Missoni merchandise to fly off the shelves within just a few hours.  

Of course, I had to be there with all the excitement because

I love the designs of the

Italian Fashion House of Missoni. 

 As a knitter who loves fashion,  

I love their mix-and-match patterns and famous knitwear that they are famous for. Did you know, there are even Missoni knitwear patterns in Vogue Knitting magazines from the 1980's and 1990's.

Zig Zags

I am normally one of the first shoppers to hit Target when they have a big name designer collaboration.  Most of the time, the collections aren't even out yet so today I hit my local Target at 9:30AM instead of 8:00 AM when they opened.  No big deal right? 

Oh my gosh, what a mistake that was for me, a seasoned shopper.  I should have known better and I paid the price.  The Missoni merchandise was already pretty well picked over and I heard there was a line out front before they opened.

 Missoni Accessories

By the time I got to Target this morning the accessory items were just about sold out.

I was most excited to see the Missoni scarves.  There were only a few left at my local Target store. So I hit the road to other nearby Target stores and managed to find a few more scarves at each stop I made.  I also lucked out and found a cute cardigan and silk scarf in Missoni's trademark zig-zag print.

I must report that I was most impressed that the Missoni scarves were made of 100% silk and not polyester.  I know the Missoni family must have insisted on that. 

As for the knits...my cardigan is a rayon and cotton blend.  The fun knit scarves I picked up do have some acrylic content which I'm not that crazy about.  At Target prices though...I better not complain!

 The Missoni tags say:

Patterned After No One.

Priced For Everyone.

I feel pretty lucky today that I snagged some Missoni pieces!

Bound for Italy!

PS:  Don't you just love this 21" Spinner Suitcase?

Wouldn't it be perfect for a trip to Italy? 

I went ahead and passed on it today but I did tell my husband that it would be pretty cool

to wear my new Missoni outfit in Italy...someday????

Crafty Biscuit Anyone?

 Mollie Makes Issue Four

There are plenty of tea time treats

in Mollie Makes Issue Four.

I just snagged Issue Four off the cart at Barnes & Noble

a few days ago before it even hit the shelves. 

There is not much knitting or crochet in this issue

but I'm still enjoying this British magazine all the same.

Here's a little look inside:

 A is for Apron

A is for apron and I adore this one!

Yes, it is made in Liberty of London fabric!

This is a sneak peak from Liberty's very first book on sewing called

The Liberty Book of Home Sewing Projects. 
(This adorable apron is featured on it's cover.)

 

Do I dare tell my husband, I already want to go back to London
for more Liberty prints?

 B is for Biscuit

B is for biscuit and this issue of Mollie Makes

is all about biscuits and tea time treats!

The cover's sweet biscuits are cute and crafty.  They are designed by Ouissi Gresty.

They are crafted out of felt scraps.  Just a few basic embroidery stitches and voila...

you've got adorable sweet biscuits (with no calories).

Ouissi has an adorable website (appropriately called)
British Cream Tea 

and is also the author of the book Felt Biscuits. 

 T is for Tea

T is for tea and since Mollie Makes is British...

there are always tea time treats and inspiration

on Mollie's pages.

I really like staying in the know

with the British craft and shopping scene

by reading through the pages of Mollie Makes.

Being a loyal fan of Mollie Makes,
really makes you want to take a trip across the Pond!

Teeny Tiny Purse

I love these Teeny Tiny Purses.  I think they would be fantastic made up in my favorite

Liberty of London prints to hold all my purse change. 

I'm not much of a sewer but there are very clear instructions and detailed diagrams
on how to make these fabric purses. 
I just may have to find the right purse clasp so I can give this sewing project a go! 

The Great British Biscuit

In the spirit of Mollie Makes...

I love supporting artists, crafters and small business.

While having tea in an adorable tea room in London this year,

I fell in love with a tea towel by British illustrator,

Jill Tytherleigh. 

I now have an adorable red The Great British Biscuit tea towel

in my American kitchen and used it for the photo styling in this post.

I hope one day Mollie Makes includes Jill in the magazine.  I love her work.

In the meantime...

visit her website or her cute Etsy store Jilltydrawings
and treat yourself to a tea towel.

Mollie would approve!

Bliss!

 Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine

Fall/Winter 2011

I'm ready for fall...

and Debbie Bliss' new fall magazine is enticing me
 to pick up my knitting needles
and start some fall and winter projects!

Here are a few of my favorites from Debbie's new issue:

 Fair Isle Cardigan

I'm a Fair Isle fan so I love Debbie's feature on Fair Isle knits called
The New Palette...The Bold Standard.

Debbie says it's time to "rev up your needles for a new approach to sweater weather." 

I love how she changed up traditional Fair Isle color work to a new palette of black and white.  Her Fair Isle designs are striking in this color palette and have a much more modern twist!

This snowflake crew-neck cardigan in varying shades of blacks, greys and silver is knit in Debbie's Baby Cashmerino.  I love how it is styled in the magazine with a black skirt. 

 Wristwarmers

I love small Fair Isle projects so I love these diamond pattern wristwarmers.

I'm not really a sweater knitter so this Fair Isle pattern is perfect for me and fellow knitters who want to tackle small Fair Isle projects.

They are also knit in Debbie's Baby Cashmerino. 

 Fair Isle Sweater

I love classic fashion

and this Fair Isle Cardigan is bound to become a classic!

With its snowflake motif....

I think it's perfect for hitting the slopes

or some apres ski parties!

It's knit in Debbie's Rialto 4-ply extra-fine merino.

 Basketweave Wrap

It's no secret that I love scarves.

I love to wear them and I love to knit them!

The cover Basketweave Wrap scarf is my favorite pattern in the magazine. 

It's knit in Debbie's new bulky (color changing) yarn Riva.

Admirers are asking "what's that color way on the cover."

# 02 Heather.  Now you know.

Debbie also has a new pattern book for fall called Riva
which was photographed in the British countryside. 

I can't wait to get my copy!

Party Girls!

Of course, the magazine wouldn't be Debbie Bliss
without some knit designs for "little cuties"!

There is an adorable feature called Party Girls
filled with "girlie" lacey party knits. 

This is another wonderful issue by Debbie and her team. 

I hope you find your copy soon...
and it inspires you,  like me,
to start up some fall knitting projects
and
make Debbie's daughter Nell's
Flapjacks recipe in the issue,too.