Sharing a newly finished quilt, and, in the spirit of Instagram realness, also sharing a glitch that happened while I was editing said quilt in photoshoppe 💙 this is the little village quilt, available on my website.

Hot Pockets! 😋 feeling mighty proud of this finally finished sweater. Pattern is my own (improvised). Yarn is @madelinetosh dk in forager + Noro Korori in color 3. Too bad summer in Los Angeles lasts through October. Maybe I’ll get to wear it out one night soon ish

Today is the day Gina Fama Röckenwagner finally became a Californian 🐻

Hot girl summer is a 🌸state of mind🌸

I ain’t single no more! 👯‍♀️

Just stopping by to post some green yarn to break up the wedding related content in the feed, and because I’m about to wind this perfectly precious yarn to cast on an earthen cardigan from @pompommag ’s latest issue eeeeeep!! Nerve wracking to wind such transcendent yarn. Here I go! 💚 wish me luck!

I waited until marriage... 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 to knit him a sweater. You see, I believe there’s some sense in the old wives tale that says they’ll leave you if you do it before you’re married. So I made him no sweaters, until our wedding night. Waiting until marriage made it so special, I’m glad I got to share it with him. The funniest thing is, he had no idea I was saving it for him! It was a nice surprise for our wedding night. I worked on it for four months right under his nose. Alex’s surprise gift to me was a film he made of our cats Pawses (RIP) and Paloma. 😭

Break the knitter net

✨overjoyed✨ I love you @a__lake #lakenwagner #ginasquince #ginasbatmitzvah

Agnes Pawses Lakenwagner 20??-2019 I didn’t want to get a cat. “But you’re going to be away so much now, I need love in this house while you’re gone. And they’re having a free adoption event this weekend. We should see if there’s a cat we can foster” Alex said. Begrudgingly, I went to Kitty Loft, the now defunct cat rescue operation on North 6th in Williamsburg. I looked at all the cats, I was only vaguely interested in a gray male named Casper. We would later learn I have a talent for picking assholes (exhibit A: Paloma). Alex said “I think Agnes is our cat”. Sitting in her cage quietly, I noticed her coloration looked like a hair do. We got the quick back story on her, she was about 2-3 years old, found in Red Hook after hurricane Sandy (pregnant), probably had several litters on the street (She’s a teen mom! They said), super shy but once you get her out of her shell she’ll be such a love! I put my hand up to her cage and she immediately started nuzzling my hand through the bars. On a subsequent visit to confirm Agnes was in fact our cat, I was holding a kitten who jumped out of my hands into Agnes’ cage. “Oh no, they’re going to fight,” I thought. Agnes jumped down and started cleaning the tiny kitten. I melted. They delivered Agnes to our apartment, with a strawberry box for a bed, while I was in Peru working. Alex had already chosen the name Pawses. From that point on she was our best bud. Super fond of “helping," she was totally content to sit quietly and watch us. She loved belly pets and laying out in the sun with her nips out. I remember the first time it snowed, the look on her face of sheer happiness to be inside and warm was unforgettable. She would wake me up every morning with sweet kisses and cuddle up next to me on the couch every night. Fiercely supportive of all my projects, she never messed with my yarn and always indicated approval of my quilts by napping on them.  I don’t want to talk too much about the end, but right before she died we learned she was probably much older than we thought she was, which means she lived in NYC longer than we did. I like to think we were the best retirement home she could have ever had. Continued below...

Things you never think about until you plan a wedding: napkins. 23 colors of dye and 75 yards of kona cotton later, I’d say we’ve thought on napkins pretty good INDEED. 🌈 major thanks to future hubsind @a__lake for ironing the dickens out of these

Happy Easter! It’s my favorite holiday! Yesterday was my Easter themed bridal shower of dreams with all my peeps (lol). Thanks to all who came to celebrate and sent their love. Big thanks to @marciaphrichison and @themarvista for hosting and all the wonderful trimmings. L👀k details: @beautybycarmell 👼🏼did my bridal make up test right before the shower. Dress: @trend_patterns TPC14//70’s dress. Fabric and trim from F&S fabrics. (Making this dress really made me glad I decided not to make my wedding dress! I worked on it all week non stop and literally finished as Carmell was walking in the door. If I was supposed to do something for you last week, I’m sorry because I definitely was sewing allllll week.) Shoes: @everlane

Throwing it back to this quilt because there’s not enough pink in my feed and I’m about to get on a red eye back home from Peru which makes me nervous but the thought of crinkle is calming to me 😬

A casual ~going to the farmers market~ L👀K. I’ve been experimenting with pants lately. Both making and wearing. I bought this fabric at @sew.together.stitching.lounge and I’ve been enjoying the crazy stares I get ever since I finished them! 📸: @withtwohandsknits

🎶She’s making hand dyes now🎶 my respirator bruised the bridge of my nose. Does that mean it’s too tight?

I’m just a girl, standing in front of a cactus, asking him to love her

Four hats for four kiddos, looking like mountains in the Denver sun. Hand dyed yarns as vibrant as the cute kids who will wear them! Pattern by me (winged it).

Frida Kahlo’s expression through her dress has long inspired my own way of dress. I feel so lucky to go to her house and see the beautiful clothes she tailor made to make her feel comfortable and draw the eye away from her lower body, which carried the marks of polio and a horrific accident. She was brilliant and talented beyond measure.

How to make a cat proof quilt. (The most hardy of “quilts,” able to withstand sharp toe nails and fur balls alike. 100% cheating, 0 award winning, every rule breaking, 100% practical, 0% precious “quilt”) 1. Go directly to Ikea. Buy the cheapest curtain that meets your aesthetic standards. Stay away from flimsy sheers, we want this thing as hard as the GMAT. These are sold in pairs. You can make 2 quilts from one pair of curtains. My curtains are 57”x98”. 2. Go to your local fabric store and buy a sturdy fabric for the backing. I used raw denim. Also buy batting. 3. Make your quilt sandwich and baste the layers together. 4. Quilt along the lines of your patterned ikea fabric, or quilt it how ever you like. Just don’t do it in fewer than 3 sittings because trust me, this thing is heavy. You will eff up your shoulder and be miserable for weeks. Or tie the damn thing while watching trashy tv. Whatever brings you joy. You won’t be graded on this. 5. Bind the edges. 6. Wash. Use to cover your couch or bed or take a nap under. Repeat step 6 until end.