Empire Top as Maternity Dress and The DK Version

This is the reason why I have to ask my mother in law posed the Empire Top for me:


Yup, this is my "secret project" that I mention in my older post. I am pregnant! Another 2 months and Lauri got a little sister to play with.

As you can see in the photo, although originally I designed this top when I was not pregnant, however, in the end I am able to wear it. I think it’s because I knit this top using cotton yarn, and we are all know that cotton can stretch. The good thing about cotton is, once you wash, it shrinks back to the original size.

This is also the reason why it took 5 months to finish this top. I could not do anything on the first 4 months of pregnancy. I got bad morning sickness (I don’t understand why they call it morning sickness, when the reality is all day sickness) and just want to lie down and sleep.

Also you can see in the photo that I carried the flower button bag.

Below is the DK version of Empire Top (size L). Fernanda from FML Crochet tested the pattern for me. She is using Patons Classic Wool Merino (5 skeins). She decided not to knit the ruffles sleeve as it doesn’t suit her. Anyway, the empire top looks good on her. Although with the body like that, I think anything also looks nice on her.

Flower Button Small Bag

I finally managed to put the lining. I used recycled black fabric (it used to be Hubby’s slack). Also put a zipper. A Zipper is a must, since I don’t want all my things come out if I drop my bag. I want all my things are secured inside.

Here are the lists of things that I can put inside:
1. Name card holder
2. Key chain holder (also function as my wallet)
3. Tissue
4. Camera
5. Hand sanitizer
6. Lip gloss
7. Hand phone

Pattern: Flower Button Small Bag

Source: My Own

Materials: Karabella Vintage Cotton (100% cotton, pink), Honeysuckle Yarns by Elmore-Pisgah (100% cotton, white), Local thread (100% acrylic, black)
Hook: Tulip Crochet Hook size 7 (4 mm)

Total Cost: USD .50 for the zipper, the yarn is leftover, the lining and the button is recycled.

Start Date: 16 January 2007

Finish Date: 16 February 2007
All entry about this project

Took me 1 month to finish this project because I also did other project in between. Also I don’t really like single crochet. It bored me to death. I enjoyed attaching the button, the lining and the zipper, though.

Oh by the way, I forgot to mention that I made this bag because I admired Futuregirl’s bags so much. Before I did this bag, I think her price is in the expensive side, but after made it myself, I think her price is cheap :)

Failed Blanket and A Bag

Remember this granny square blanket project? I decided that I didn’t like the color and put it aside. Then I started another blanket. This time I used one color only. I used the yarn that I bought from Elmore Pisgah. It’s called Naturalee. The color is dusty rose. They used natural dyes. After made about 12 squares, I decided to wash one of the squares to see how it looks like after washing and blocking. To my horror, the color bleeds very badly! But, since I made the blanket only use one color, I supposed it didn’t matter.

But, after it dried, I notice the color faded unevenly. It looked awful! I didn’t even want to take photo of it. I have total 6 balls x 50 gram. I don’t know what I am going to do with them.

Anyway, I still have something to show you all. From the leftover yarn of my Empire top, I decided to make a matching bag. Since 1 ball was not enough to make a bag, I also mixed with white color (the leftover from the Babette blanket). The pink yarn is sport weight, and the white one is worsted weight, so I split the white yarn into two to make them the same weight.



However, there were still not enough yarns to finish the bag. In the end I just used black acrylic thread (double it). The result, the black seems too strong. To balance the whole thing, I just embroidered some flowers and attached some buttons.


Now, I just need to buy black zipper and line the bag before able to wear it.