It's that time of year again!  You may have noticed that I quite like taking part in the odd challenge and of all of them I think I enjoy the Outfit Along the most.  I think it's probably because it involves sewing and knitting and I end up with items of clothing that actually go together at the end.  Win, win and win!  I'll also add that the Untangling Knots Ravelry group which hosts all of the OAL chatter is a lovely place to hang out and it's great to see so many posts there every day.  People are so knowledgeable, encouraging and helpful and I'd really recommend diving in if you're on the fence.  The official patterns this year are Andi Satterlund's newest offering Zinone and Sewaholic's Hollyburn skirt.  Neither of these are up my street so I'll be doing my own thing.

So, recruitment attempt over, what am I planning on making this year?  I do have a couple of projects in mind although the second project isn't entirely decided yet.  I made two outfits last year and I'd like to do the same again, but I'm aware I may not manage to knit as much this year so we'll have to see.

If I get to a second outfit I think these will be my fabric and yarn.  The yarn will most likely be another Miette cardigan, but I'm not sure of the sewing pattern yet.

My first project, however is completely set in stone.  Good job really as I should be casting on around....now!

I'm going to use the fabric to have another go at the Deer and Doe Belladone dress.  I knew I wouldn't leave it long to make another and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to go for it.  This cotton fabric should hold the lovely shape of the dress and the pattern isn't so busy that it will take away from the details of the dress.  I've made a couple of adjustments to the pattern ready for the off, moving the bust darts down a little and adding just a smidge to the side seams.

I put a good long think into choosing a cardigan pattern to go with my dress.  After last year's clashing neckline disaster....

... I thought I'd better take a bit more care!  I eventually settled on a DROPS pattern that will hopefully complement my dress beautifully in navy blue.

I've also taken into account the fact the Outfit Along takes place in Summer and I want to be able to actually wear my outfit right away so this little short sleeved cardigan, knitted in cotton, should be really useful in the coming months.  It is knitted using a 4 ply, which is not usually my first choice because I'm lazy but I'm hoping it won't take me too long because it is quite little.  I've done my usual DROPS pattern prep work and rewritten the entire pattern out in bullet points so that I can actually follow it and I've even washed and blocked my swatch.  I'm good to go.  I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with.