I just finished knitting the Chicknits’ Vonica sweater–and what a lovely design it is. I’m surprised at the sleeve length and am not sure what I think about it. Care to weigh in?

sorry for the terrible cell phone picture…

Last year, I joined Zoe and many other brave souls who pledged to wear clothes they had fashioned themselves for a whole month. Challenging myself to wear at least one homemade item a day was really difficult for me at the time. I didn’t have all that many things to throw into the mix; however, I took the lessons I learned from that experience to heart and started sewing more basic mix and match pieces. Now, there’s hardly a day when I step out the door without at least one “me-made” item on.

Not only was Me-Made May 2010 a good learning experience for me, it was hugely inspirational. I loved seeing what others had made and how they wore those items. I was particularly taken by the more colorful skirts and dresses and the quirkier stylings. I often felt drab in comparison.

Zoe, the leader of Me-Made May, hosted a couple of other challenges since then, but I didn’t participate because I was busy with other things. I missed out on some incredibly fun times! Naturally, when I heard that Me-Made June 2011 was in the works, I became very excited. I signed up the very first minute I could.

This time, I’m pledging to wear only homemade items during the month of June (with the exception of undergarments and shoes). I’m also challenging myself to make some more colorful and interesting pieces. I’m (mostly) done with making plain tops and pants.

Some of the things I’d like to make in preparation for Me-Made June:

• Skirts (preferably colorful ones!)
• A couple of blouses–not t-shirts
• A pair of capri pants
• A summer hat

Will you be playing along?

We returned a few days ago from a fun vacation in Montana, the treasure state. There’s a lot to enjoy about the place, primarily the glorious scenery.

The highlight for my kids was playing with my parent’s dogs, Mia & Taz, who are rather fun-loving Bergamascos (Italian Sheepdogs).

And there’s a lot about Montana that makes me cringe. It upsets my father when I tell him I couldn’t move back because the culture is too difficult for me to embrace wholeheartedly; however, that’s the case.

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