Rapunzel Cowl

Some of you may remember that last year for Christmas I recieved some gorgeous merino wool from my sweet and thoughtful in-laws.

After a couple trial runs with other wools on my drop spindle, I felt comfortable trying to turn it into yarn.

I came up with a 2-ply DK weight, and the colors in the yarn reminded me a lot of Rapunzel's dress in the movie Tangled.

After several more months of thinking about what the perfect crochet or knit project for this yarn might be, I finally settled on this modern re-telling of Rapunzel's outfit: a cowl in the shape of a thick braid like the one she sometimes wears in her hair!

I chose a button with a sun-like shape because the symbol of Rapunzel's kindom in the movie is the sun.

What do you think? Is is fit for a modern Princess?

-Assunta

PS- If you would like to knit a version of this cowl, the pattern is now available in my Etsy and Ravelry shops! 

Making a "Paper" Dress

A couple months ago a friend asked me to help teach her how to sew a dress. Of course, the first step was a shopping trip to pick out the best patterns and fabric for both of our projects! After several trips walking back and forth across the store to compare different fabrics, I finally settled on this one. I love it because it reminds me of printed paper but, being cotton, makes a much better dress material than real paper would.

I used the same pattern as for my black dress (see previous blog post) but this time chose a different option for the neckline. I also opted for a simple tie belt, instead of one with a buckle. I finally finished it a couple weeks ago, just a bit too late to enter it in the fair this year. I blame the fact that my sewing machine needed an emergency room visit the weekend before fair entries were due.

This summer has been off to such a busy start already, but my friend is still working on her dress and we both have more projects in mind for the future. It's likely we will both be sewing more very soon!

Stay cool!

-Assunta