tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82441900339633279512024-03-08T05:06:40.526-07:00Insert creative title hereUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-14396522896004871372011-12-10T15:39:00.005-07:002011-12-11T11:54:47.425-07:00Shelly<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TkFTpB_VwII/TuPY2BAQPEI/AAAAAAAAAfo/qDKk4E8wg9o/s1600/PC102309.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TkFTpB_VwII/TuPY2BAQPEI/AAAAAAAAAfo/qDKk4E8wg9o/s400/PC102309.jpg" width="298" /></a> </div><br />
Hi all. Don't be mad... I've been gone for almost a year. So much has happened since the last post, but almost none of it crafting. It is, however, that time of the year again. And I thought my first post back here would be in style with a free pattern for you all. This is a cowl that I made for my Grandmother. It's made of alpaca local to my home back in Ohio. I wanted something simple and warm, but with just a bit of femininity and this cowl fits the bill. I was not originally planning on adding a border to this, however the 2 sts of garter on each side did not keep the edges from curling (you forget these kinds of things when you've been away for a while ;]). The perfect solution was a crocheted shell border.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-sx-CqVl6c/TuPaUayXHOI/AAAAAAAAAfw/Cc6en3-G2d8/s1600/PC102312.ORF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-sx-CqVl6c/TuPaUayXHOI/AAAAAAAAAfw/Cc6en3-G2d8/s400/PC102312.ORF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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This cowl is knit length wise, grafted together, and then the border is crocheted on. This one had a fairly small circumference (but then again my Grandma is about 98 lbs). But it fits me fine, it's close to the neck. Knit it longer for a looser fit, or you could even do a mobius if you knit it long enough and then add a twist before grafting. It's up to you.<br />
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In any case, enjoy. =)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Pattern Specs:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Yarn:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> Buckeye Alpaca Worsted</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Needles:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> Size 7 & Crochet hook size H/5mm</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Gauge:</b> 5.5 sts per inch</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Smooth scrap yarn (such as cotton)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Get the Pattern</b>: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shelly-3">Ravel it</a>! Not on Ravelry? Get it <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/75331391/Shelly">here</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/badges/redirect?p=shelly-3"><img src="http://api.ravelry.com/badges/projects?p=shelly-3&t=.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-13521104478350227332011-02-28T20:00:00.001-07:002011-02-28T20:50:31.660-07:00OverhaulHey all. Another month has gone by. It's amazing how much faster time goes when you're an adult. When you're a kid you just want time to hurry up, and when you're adult you just want it to slow down a little so you can catch up with it. Oh well, we always want what we don't have, right?<br />
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I'm sorry for my absence. The truth is that my life went topsy turvy a little bit. I ended my 4.5 year relationship just a couple of weeks ago. For more than one reason, but mostly because we're not right for each other anymore (this is where the distinction between loving someone and being <i>in</i> love with someone comes in). It was amicable and a mutual decision and I am doing well. Some days better than others. It is both harder and easier than I thought it would be. I will soon be moving in with some good friends so I think it will make things easier. For now, I have another three months to spend in my empty apartment. I think it will be good, albeit lonely, for me to be by myself for a while.<br />
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In light of all this my crafting mojo is in recession again, otherwise I'm sure the January sweater would be finished by now. I only have the back, button bands, and collar to knit.<br />
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I can't promise I'll be back soon, but I will be back.<br />
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TTFN.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-17933797337020306262011-01-29T14:24:00.000-07:002011-01-29T14:24:19.708-07:00JanuaryIt's almost the end of January, can you believe it? You know, January is usually a time for reflection throughout the blogosphere. For crafters they go over projects from the previous year and think about what they've learned, and in general there is reflection about the previous year and the events therein. Some big changes happened for me last year, the biggest that I moved to Arizona, half way across the country. I also lost my craft mojo for a while , but as I'm sure you noticed, it's been back for a while. I think it's just hard to knit when it's 110* outside.<br />
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And, lucky for you, that's about all I have for reflection. I'm more about the future, or at least living in the moment.<br />
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Now for the real reason that I started writing today, my January sweater. It is not, as the name may imply, finished, but I have gotten a big portion of it done. I'm very pleased with the progress, especially since it involved cabling pretty much every right side row. It's based on the <a href="http://eyeloveit.blogspot.com/2008/12/september-sweater-tutorial-complete.html">September sweater</a> tutorial [<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/september-4">Ravel it!</a>]. I've already made some big changes, but those are partially because of the significant size difference. The cable patterns that I'm using are different from the original sweater as well. The main cable (the encased cable) has a different number of knits/purls so that it flowed better with the 2x2 ribbing. I also used a braided cable pattern from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=The%20Complete%20Book%20of%20Traditional%20Aran%20Knitting" target="_blank">The Complete Book of Traditional Aran Knitting</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Shelagh Hollingworth. First printed in 1982 this version is probably from 1989. I picked it up for $6 at a Half Price Books. It has some great cable patterns in it as well as some great traditional aran sweaters.<br />
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I almost have the top half finished. =)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TUSDqkhG2VI/AAAAAAAAAaM/JH8rFgaoq68/s1600/DSCN3741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TUSDqkhG2VI/AAAAAAAAAaM/JH8rFgaoq68/s640/DSCN3741.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
This is the <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/rhinebeck-part-one-yarn.html">Briar Rose yarn I got a Rhinebeck</a> that was a <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2010/01/one-week-mittens.html">different failed project</a> a while back (almost a year ago exactly, huh). The color is really difficult to photograph, it always comes out too red. With a little tweaking I got this picture to be more or less the right color.<br />
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Also this month I finished a pair of worsted weight socks for my dad and I started <a href="http://www.grumperina.com/knitblog/archives/2010/11/new_scarf_patte_1.htm">Volna</a> by <a href="http://www.grumperina.com/knitblog/">Grumperina</a>. I knew as soon as I saw the pattern I wanted to knit it, and when my dad came to town earlier this month giving us a reason to drive to San Diego (also to visit my Aunt & Uncle where I turned my Aunt into a budding knitter and yarn snob ;-] ) I needed a more portable project. I'm making it out of Noro Kirameki in, incidently, the same colorway as Grumperina, although I didn't do it on purpose per-se. It just happened to match the Noro slouchy hat that I made!<br />
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Anyhow, that's all for now, folks. =)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-61248754086824727202011-01-06T17:22:00.000-07:002011-01-06T17:22:22.899-07:00Scrappy Make-Up BagI made this following <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/10/scrappy-make-up-pouch-tutorial_20.html">Anna's tutorial</a>. It was so easy! Sewing is awesome! I made this in an hour and a half! EEE! I love the way it turned out. I may have forced my boyfriend to look at it several times telling him intelligent things like "You can put stuff in it!"<br />
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Inside of this one is some bronzing face powder, a bronzer stick, and some lip gloss for my step sister. I think she'll like it a lot.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TSZb6ma7_QI/AAAAAAAAAaA/aLP7FCowVJg/s1600/DSCN3690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TSZb6ma7_QI/AAAAAAAAAaA/aLP7FCowVJg/s400/DSCN3690.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know why it looks all neony here. It's not neon, promise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The bottom is great because it really does help it stand up! It also has a nice body to it from the batting (I used fusible fleece because it's what I have). It's made with some quilting cotton, although the polka dot fabric is corduroy which is why the fuzzies were sticking to it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TSZcREcNexI/AAAAAAAAAaE/icup7CVD_SE/s1600/DSCN3691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TSZcREcNexI/AAAAAAAAAaE/icup7CVD_SE/s320/DSCN3691.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's more like this!</td></tr>
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I fully intend to make another one (Or 1,000,000).<br />
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Thanks for the great tutorial Anna!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-49632158251047522972011-01-03T12:00:00.009-07:002011-01-03T12:00:03.779-07:00A Tale of Two (Slouchy) HatsThere once was a spinner who made some great yarn.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TJv84qZEG1I/AAAAAAAAAUg/KfUmAQhRIA8/s1600/DSCN0606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TJv84qZEG1I/AAAAAAAAAUg/KfUmAQhRIA8/s400/DSCN0606.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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That spinner had a great boyfriend who really loved said yarn and told her "I want you to make me something out of this."<br />
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The spinner (also a knitter) said "Okay, what do you want?"<br />
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The boyfriend said "I don't know, a hat?"<br />
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The spinner said "But that will take a long time and I spent a lot of time making the yarn so there was a lot of yardage so I could make something interesting!"<br />
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The boyfriend said "Pleeeeease?"<br />
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And so the spinner agreed, although they didn't agree on a time frame or anything. So, in secret she knit (And knit and knit!). Keeping it a secret was no mean feat! For the boyfriend and the spinner dwell in the same place. And when she finished the requested object she almost burst at the seams, for this was exactly perfect. She wanted to give it to her boyfriend immediately, but soon the green eyed monster reared its head. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-8H9jDfzI/AAAAAAAAAZg/u09rKZjbBmw/s1600/DSCN3685-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-8H9jDfzI/AAAAAAAAAZg/u09rKZjbBmw/s400/DSCN3685-2.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><br />
Alas, being one to keep her promises, she wrapped the hat and put it under their tiny Christmas tree to be opened on Christmas and received with much glee! On Christmas morning the boyfriend was glad to have the hat that he requested not so long ago.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-7sks9gvI/AAAAAAAAAZc/0EuTDPHyT4U/s1600/DSCN3682-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-7sks9gvI/AAAAAAAAAZc/0EuTDPHyT4U/s400/DSCN3682-2.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><br />
He smiled and thanked the spinner, and in return she said, "Finally! Now I can make one for myself!" And she did. And they both were really happy. The end.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-6JA1NPUI/AAAAAAAAAZM/Er2Uq1WfEiM/s1600/DSCN3671-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-6JA1NPUI/AAAAAAAAAZM/Er2Uq1WfEiM/s400/DSCN3671-2.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-6smiymnI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/DnFkTCv9jJo/s1600/DSCN3672-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-6smiymnI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/DnFkTCv9jJo/s400/DSCN3672-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-7MHlX9cI/AAAAAAAAAZU/WlAtXBrE48U/s1600/DSCN3676-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-7MHlX9cI/AAAAAAAAAZU/WlAtXBrE48U/s400/DSCN3676-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-9lR2v6wI/AAAAAAAAAZo/sCnLX7EJMwQ/s1600/DSCN3677-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR-9lR2v6wI/AAAAAAAAAZo/sCnLX7EJMwQ/s400/DSCN3677-2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<b>Pattern Specs:</b><br />
<b>Yarn:</b> Hat 1- Handspun BFL Hat 2-Noro Silk Garden Sock (Seen also <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2009/01/ive-been-knitting.html">here</a>)<br />
<b>Needles:</b> Sizes 3 & 4 (Size 3 for the ribbing)<br />
<b>Pattern:</b> Felicity by <a href="http://sownbrooklyn.wordpress.com/">Wanett Clyde</a> [<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/felicity">Rav only</a>], the sock yarn version [<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Bluebutton/felicity">Rav only</a>] Mods by <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/Bluebutton">Bluebutton</a><br />
<b>Mods:</b> I knit about 2" of ribbing instead of a rolled brim. I used larger needles than the sock yarn version. I started the increases sooner, and I increased less with more rows inbetween the increases. 1st increase: *k12, m1*, to the last one which was *k18, m1*. I knit 4 or 5 rows inbetween increases. I also knit straight for a few rows before the decreases which I started out with at *k8, k2tog*.<br />
<b>Thoughts:</b> I really like the end results! If I were to make another hat, I think I would start the increases sooner, as now it kind of just folds in the back instead of slouching. I would also do more rows inbetween the increases to make up for the length. I would maybe also try some less slouchy decreases, just for fun.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-18372281281875450722010-12-31T12:50:00.001-07:002011-01-19T08:08:30.313-07:00Lex<span style="font-size: xx-small;">***Please see the erratum before starting the pattern.</span><br />
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Finally a pattern to share with you all! I knit these fingerless mitts for my brother. Initially, they were meant to be convertible mittens for my step dad but they ended up being too small. I started them the week my family was out here so my younger brother saw me making them. After I decided they were too small he asked if he could have them. How can you say no to that when he's not wanted me to knit him anything before? =) My BF took all of the pictures and I love all of them, especially this one:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR0RkBUC2fI/AAAAAAAAAYs/2O7inn8ZrqM/s1600/DSCN3636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR0RkBUC2fI/AAAAAAAAAYs/2O7inn8ZrqM/s400/DSCN3636.JPG" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lex is a pattern for fingerless mitts, with some cable detail. These were knit with guys in mind so this is great for a gift for any guy, but they'd be great for a quick knit with some leftover Mal for yourself or anything. Since these are fairly simple they'd look great in a range of yarns, kettle dyed, variegated, self striping, and solid. As long as it's soft enough for next to skin contact it would probably be great for these mitts! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR0Q39mJTdI/AAAAAAAAAYk/fsn90TcEye8/s1600/DSCN3632-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TR0Q39mJTdI/AAAAAAAAAYk/fsn90TcEye8/s400/DSCN3632-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The instructions are for a Women's L/Men's M. Since the ribbing is a 10 st repeat I'd suggest sizing with smaller needles, or a different yarn/needle combination. These are knit with Cascade 220 which I found to be a light worsted weight. For a Women's S you could probably use a DK weight, and for a Women's M I'd recommend going down a needle size. Upsizing should be easier as this is knit at a fairly sturdy gauge, just use a larger needle.</div><br />
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<b>Pattern Specs:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Yarn:</b> I used Cascade 220 Superwash, but any worsted should do<br />
<b>Needles:</b> Size 5<br />
<b>Gauge: </b>5.5 sts per inch<br />
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<b>Notions:</b><br />
Tapestry needle<br />
Scrap yarn<br />
Stitch markers<br />
Cable needle (optional)<br />
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Get the Pattern: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lex">Ravel it</a>! Not on Ravlery? Get it <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/46115820/Lex">here</a>.<br />
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***Erratum: You will need to decrease the 2 stitches you cast on after putting the thumb on waste yarn before starting the ribbing around the top.<br />
More Pictures!<br />
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I hope you enjoy, and please don't hesitates to contact me if you have any trouble. =)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-82385708111619250872010-12-22T18:53:00.000-07:002010-12-22T18:53:42.378-07:00Hump Day!Oooh, it's hump day! And 3 days to Christmas! I am actually very excited even though I ill be far from home. I even am planning an extravagant menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. (Not Christmas dinner, though because we are going to a friend's house and we are all bringing appetizers/snacky things). We're having <a href="http://homecooking.about.com/od/beefrecipes/r/blbeef77.htm">Steak au Poivre</a>, <a href="http://gratineeblog.com/2009/10/julia-childs-gratin-dauphinois/">Potatoes Gratin</a>, and some kind of salad that I haven't decided on for Christmas Eve dinner, with some kind of appetizer to snack on while I cook. Christmas breakfast will be a parmesan frittata with roasted tomatoes and probably some kind of fruit salad.<br />
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In the mean time I wanted to share with you my sewing FO! I have a few knitting ones, but I need to draft the patterns before they will be ready to share!<br />
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The table runner I just kind of winged. I made it 1/3 the width of the table and made the ends pointed like that. The buttons were my mom's idea. She also wanted tassels but I didn't think that was a good idea so I didn't add them... if she really wants them she can do it herself (she knows more about sewing than I do anyway! lol).<br />
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I didn't get a very good shot of it, but I backed everything in a blue denim. This is supposed to be summery and I thought denim suited it very well! After making the table runner there was a ton of fabric left over so I made a coaster set based on the one I saw on <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/">Anna's blog</a> (blog post <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/11/i-heart-linen-coaster-set.html">here</a>). I just kind of winged these too, going from memory of her blog post. I think everything turned out really well! It's definitely not perfect, but it's at least not embarrassing. ;-)<br />
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And a parting shot of our adorable little Christmas tree (it's fiber optic, not that you can see that in the daylight!):<br />
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-27043993893815769682010-12-19T14:58:00.000-07:002010-12-19T14:58:52.762-07:00Can you believe it's less than a week to Christmas?It's so crazy to think that Christmas is 6 days away. Tomorrow I'll be mailing out several Christmas gifts, although not all of them. Luckily my dad is coming out in January and we'll be exchanging gifts then. This week I'll be working (in secret) on BF's gifts and afterwards on my dad's.<br />
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Last weekend the BF and I drove up to South Mountain in part for a photo shoot and I got some great shots of my FOs. I'll start out with one that's long overdue, my Whisper Cardigan finished back in... October! Talk about lag. <br />
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</div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Specs:</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Yarn:</span> Malabrigo Lace in "Oceanos" generously gifted by Sara<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Needles:</span> Sizes 4, 6, and 7<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Pattern:</span> <a href="http://knitbot.com/2009/02/18/whisper-cardigan-a-closer-look/">Whisper</a> [<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/whisper-cardigan">Ravel it!</a>] by <a href="http://knitbot.com/">Hannah Fettig</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mods:</span> I used a smaller needle on the arms & body. I also knit the sleeves shorter and added ribbing to them to eliminate curling. I put ribbing along the bottom but not quite enough. I have enough yarn, I probably just should have continued knitting until I ran out but I was ready to be done!<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Thoughts:</span> Easy pattern, interesting construction.<br />
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As you can see in the last photo there I was also modeling the scarf I made for my aunt. The last time you saw it it looked like this... <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TEtnCtggiFI/AAAAAAAAASw/zoWueZxCsZ0/s640/DSCN0434.JPG" width="640" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">However I wasn't overly fond of that patterns and I really feel that there shouldn't be a "wrong side" to scarves since you're going to be seeing both sides, so I ripped it out and started Reversible Lace Ladders (Which I knit <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2008/11/lace.html">once before</a>, also as a gift! Last time it was a worsted weight yarn, though). It's a remarkably quick and easy knit, perfect for a gift. And it wasn't too much of a struggle to knit it long enough, which is saying something because I have knitting ADD. This time I added fringe for extra length!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Specs</strong>:<br />
<strong>Yarn</strong>: Cascade Yarns Heritage Solids (fingering weight)<br />
<strong>Needles</strong>: Size 5 <br />
<strong>Pattern:</strong> <a href="http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/a37D.shtm">Reversible Lace Ladders</a> [<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/reversible-lace-ladders">Ravel it!</a>] by <a href="http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/">Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer</a><br />
<strong>Mods:</strong> I added fringe, but that's it!<br />
<strong>Thoughts:</strong> As I said earlier it's easy and quite quick to knit. Even with the fringe I didn't use an entire skein of yarn and this scarf is as tall as I am (5' 7" w/o the fringe). Highly recommended! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have some more FOs to show you. One is even a sewing FO! Hopefully I can talk about ti sooner rather than later, but my internet connection continues to be spotty. I'm actually kind of amazed that it's stayed connected while I've been writing this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Until next time!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-60714030063427754992010-12-06T20:37:00.000-07:002010-12-06T20:37:00.775-07:00Patch it upHere is the second part of my little tutorial, this is how I've dealt with the holes left on the thumbs of mittens when you pick up the stitches (this is the thumb gusset version of a mitten).<br />
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So, when you start your thumb you will want to leave a fairly long tail so you will be able to do this. It's basically a duplicate stitch over the open space.<br />
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Thread the tail end of the yarn from the thumb through a tapestry needle. Starting with the needle/yarn on the inside of the mitten, pull the needle through the space under the last "ladder leg" before the hole. (If you pull columns of stitches apart the yarn in between looks like a ladder)<br />
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Skipping the row above where you just brought your needle through (you'll notice that the stitches directly above are a little loose) go under the left leg of the stitch on the right and the right leg of the stitch on the left, pull through.<br />
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Finally go back through the space that you came out of originally and pull through. <br />
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Ta da! You created a stitch to fill the space.<br />
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Weave over to the other side of the thumb and repeat (I usually just go through a couple of the purl bumps to get to where I'm going so there's not a float there).<br />
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I hope this is clear! Please let me know if you have any questions.<br />
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Also note that this isn't really a seamless solution, however if you are making the mittens for a nonknitting friend or if you don't mind it, it's a good solution. I'm sure with a little finagling you could get it to look more seamless.<br />
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Incidentally these mittens are for a nonknitter, my step dad. I'm certain he won't notice anything out of place. I started these on Saturday and I finished the first on Sunday. I have the cuff and most of the gusset knitted on the 2nd, although I did most of that yesterday. Today I was playing some Mario Galaxy. I got a hankering for some Mario after playing Mario Party at a friend's house on Sunday.<br />
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I also finished a pair of fingerless mitts for my little brother. I have yet to take photos because they were blocking Saturday night and Sunday I was out. The sun is setting close to 5:30p and I don't get off of work until 5 so there's not a lot of daylight for photos. They will have to wait until the weekend.<br />
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Until then!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-60240007575434799662010-12-05T12:08:00.000-07:002010-12-05T12:08:14.155-07:00Keeping the round roundThis year my gifts of choice are fingerless mitts and convertible mittens. While I've been knitting them up, I've developed a couple of tricks that I'd like to share with you all. I think in the end there might be a couple of patterns up as well (but not until after Christmas, much more Christmas crafting to go!).<br />
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I have 2 tips to share with you all. The first one is how to fix that kind of step you get after casting off in the round. You can see it here:<br />
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This happens because technically you don't knit in the round, you knit in a spiral so the stitch you're making is always going to be 1 stitch higher than the next stitch. This is why there are steps on your stripes on hats and mittens and the like.<br />
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My solution for this is basically inspired by the sewn bind off. I don't know if this tip is out there somewhere else, but I put together some photos anyway.<br />
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So, after you finish binding off (I always do it in the rib pattern even though it's a pain in the butt) pull the yarn through the last loop to finish. Thread your tapestry needle and go through the first little bump from the first stitch you bound off<br />
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Pull through. Next step is to go back to the last stitch you bound off and go through one of the legs of the stitch (this will be the stitch that was passed over the last one). I usually go through the inside leg.<br />
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Pull tight (you'll almost be pulling the first bound off stitch through the last bound off stitch).<br />
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Weave in ends as normal et voila!<br />
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Simple, but it works.<br />
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My next tutorial will be my method for the gaps around the base of the thumb where you pick up the stitches. Don't worry, I've already taken the photos so it should happen sooner rather than later. ;-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-56651786779994681762010-11-28T09:06:00.000-07:002010-11-28T09:06:31.490-07:00Giving ThanksI know this post is a little late, but I had my mom and younger brother with me here in AZ all week. We had such a great time! And I was thankful for them spending Thanksgiving with me. =)<br />
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While they were here we took a mini trip up to Sedona/Flagstaff/The Grand Canyon. Where you best believe it was COLD!<br />
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Sedona wasn't so cold. It was, however, gorgeous.<br />
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This one isn't anything special, but I thought it was neat! Pointy cactus!<br />
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It was snowing up at the Grand Canyon...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TPJ4lA_jWJI/AAAAAAAAAWY/S6p4cs-zrXE/s1600/102_3549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TPJ4lA_jWJI/AAAAAAAAAWY/S6p4cs-zrXE/s320/102_3549.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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So cold! I think it was around 20 degrees!<br />
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Now we're going to play spot the hand knits...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Photo 1 is my mom, my little brother (Aka <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Beaker">Beaker</a>), and me. I am wearing my <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/handspun-swirl.html">Icing Swirl Beret</a>, my mom is wearing <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2008/11/techincal-difficulties-yarn-and.html">Emerald</a>, and the <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2008/07/pictures-yay.html">very <strike>first</strike> second hat that I made</a> (which I ended up giving to her because it looks so cute on her), and my brother is wearing the <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2009/06/handspun-goodness.html">handspun hat that I made for my BF</a>. Now, this had was made specifically for him. I bought a subtle stripes kit from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/cosymakes">CosyMakes</a> and he picked out the order of the stripey yarn and everything. I would complain about him not wearing it in Ohio, but I didn't think much of it. Come to find out (!) he said the hat was too small for him! It made me so mad... lol. So, now it's mine, I suppose.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Photo 2 is BF and I. In this picture you can see my <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2010/01/one-week-mittens.html">Snapdragon Mittens</a> (made with Alpaca... I was the only one with warm hands!). BF is wearing his Christmas present from 2 years ago. I see that I never blogged about the finished hat so I just have this <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/beautyisntperfect/jacques-cousteau-hat">Rav Link</a> with a picture of the unfinished hat. I really have to say that this yarn (merino/alpaca- Plymouth Suri Merino) has held up really, really well. BF wore this had a lot (he likes that the top is pointy- I wanted to make the length shorter so it wouldn't do that and he wouldn't let me). It's also super soft and quite warm. I would definitely reccommend this yarn to anyone for hats, mittens, cowls, or scarves. Love it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last pic is just a cute one of the BF. Oh, you can see the crocheted fingerless mitts that I got from a friend for Christmas last year. Yes, hand knits really do come in handy! (ha)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I am sitting here, drinking my coffee (spiked with cinnamon) and eating leftover pecan pie for breakfast (NOM!) being thankful for great friends and family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving (or Thursday, for any non-americans).</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-25748281736909945752010-11-17T08:07:00.000-07:002010-11-17T08:07:17.482-07:00More projects than picturesHello there, blog. I'm sorry I haven't posted sooner. I really had a post planned out for the second week of November. My internet at home is decidedly not working. I keep getting a "good" signal but it only has local access. It's really, really frustrating. I'm currently at work. No matter, though. Last time I had working internets I uploaded a couple of project photos. <br />
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Sorry no knitting, though. It was my second sewing project (since I've made it, I've had 2 more classes, neither of which has resulted in finished products. As soon as I get my own sewing machine, I will be able to complete them!)<br />
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Actually, I can't share pictures with you. =( Work says that Photobucket is restricted and I'm not allowed to look at it (in the break room where we're allowed to use the internet for whatever, no less).<br />
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Sigh.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-53494732276503114722010-11-07T11:45:00.001-07:002010-11-07T11:46:18.701-07:00It's November!Can it really be November already? It's amazing how time can fly. Working full time and living for the weekends makes the work week seem long, but then all of a sudden another month has escaped. Where did it go? Did I do anything worthwhile? That's something we've been pondering over here in AZ. Did I do anything worthwhile? My life here is amazingly ordinary. It has been for a while and I don't much mind it, but it drives the BF crazy to go to work, come home, eat dinner, piddle around for a couple of hours, and do it all over again. He's in search of something, but he doesn't know what it is. It's mildly frustrating for me because I don't know what he wants (as he doesn't, either) so it's hard to help him feel anything but restless.<br />
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Mainly our remedies have been trying to do different things. Today we're going to South Mountain. You can drive straight up to the top and there's a great view of the city. The weather is starting to be mild, but the highs have still been in the mid 80s, Friday the high was 90*. Current temp, at 11:08am is 79*. It's odd. Yesterday I went swimming, and in Ohio it was snowing.<br />
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I'm not sure if I'm kosher with the lack of seasons here. It's something I've always said I wouldn't really like and it turns out that I'm pretty much right. While I enjoy that I am currently ( on November 7th) sitting here in pajama pants and a tank top with all of my windows open I still miss the fall. I miss the cool, crisp air. I miss the leaves changing, making driving from country to city beautiful with their reds, yellows, oranges, and browns.<br />
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I will also be missing the first snow. The way it blankets the ground and quiets even the city streets, making everything pristine (at least until the snow plow comes). I am certain, however, that I will not miss the first blizzard of the season, my car being covered with ice, or -15* mornings.<br />
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The BF made a trip over to Portland recently. He had a friend from Ohio that moved over there, and he had some extra vacation time so he spent 5 days there. He said it was beautiful. He got to visit Multnomah Falls. For which I am supremely jealous. Of course in my mind Multnomah is synonymous with the <a href="http://helloknitty.net/2009/08/13/multnomah/">shawlette </a>by <a href="http://helloknitty.net/">Hello Knitty</a>.<br />
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And it's GREEN! I also miss things being green. Oh, there are some green things out here (bushes, palm tress [LOVE the palm trees!]) but they aren't GREEN green.<br />
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He also saw Haystack Rock on the west coast. (I don't know that I've ever set foot in the Pacific before)<br />
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Beautiful, no? Also I was jealous of his trip to Portland because it's a knitterific city, home to the likes of <a href="http://pdxknitterati.com/">PDXKnitterati</a>'s Michele and <a href="http://marniemaclean.com/words/index.html">Marnie Maclean</a>, as well as knitting events like the <a href="http://www.socksummit.com/">Sock Summit</a>. The BF said he was lots of people knitting in public in Oregon as well.<br />
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If you've been reading my blog for a while then you'll probably remember <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/search?q=portland">my considering Portland</a> nearly 2 years ago (Oh my goodness, was it really 2 years ago??).<br />
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Portland's back in the mix. Why? Why not. AZ is pretty OK, but I'm not sure it's the place for me (Someone at work said they'd like to see Sarah Palin as president in 2012......). We'll see.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-75879418236144310312010-10-06T18:03:00.000-07:002010-10-06T18:03:42.293-07:00Sewing sewing sewing...My sewing class was this past Monday! I had a really good time and I enjoyed the sewing process. I think this is something that I will really come to enjoy. We made a small bag for our first project. Truthfully, I think that our second project, a pillow, would have been an easier first project but it was kind of nice to just dive right in. This project included inserting a zipper, using fusible interfacing & fusible fleece, quilting, and sewing on a curve. All in all I think my little bag turned out pretty well, even if it's not perfect (Really not perfect!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TK0VMeb7ogI/AAAAAAAAAVU/hdul6ESLrpk/s1600/DSCN0621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TK0VMeb7ogI/AAAAAAAAAVU/hdul6ESLrpk/s400/DSCN0621.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The color is truest in the top photo. I don't know why my camera has such a hard time capturing colors correctly. *sigh* </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I must confess the ribbon isn't really supposed to be there. I accidentally cut the zipper fabric to 11" instead of 12" (my brain must have skipped a beat) so I needed some extra length, hence the ribbon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next class isn't until the 18th. I can't wait!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-21982593882932327632010-09-28T18:16:00.000-07:002010-09-28T18:16:45.306-07:00Nessie<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNAHQGhZI/AAAAAAAAAU8/kV2FpOzmzok/s1600/DSCN0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNAHQGhZI/AAAAAAAAAU8/kV2FpOzmzok/s320/DSCN0612.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNOfrl0wI/AAAAAAAAAVA/-YvXHvrQq5A/s1600/DSCN0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNOfrl0wI/AAAAAAAAAVA/-YvXHvrQq5A/s320/DSCN0614.JPG" width="320" /></a>I have another FO to share with you! This one was knitted over the weekend, with one flipper and the finishing done last night. I'd like to introduce Nessie, the Lochness Monster! I don't know if I've mentioned this on my blog, but I have mentioned it here and there; I signed up for a sewing class at a local sewing shop. I'm so excited about it! I've wanted to learn how to sew for years, I've always been interested in making my own clothes. So, what finally tipped my hand? <a href="http://www.groupon.com/">Groupon</a>. If you're not familiar with it, Groupon has different specials every day. They have deals like buy a $40 gift card to a restaurant for $20. This is what they had for the <a href="http://www.berninaconnection.com/">Bernina Connection</a> in Scottsdale, AZ. The groupon<br />
was for any of the classes offered at the Bernina Connection, so I decided to go all in and take the beginner's series, <a href="http://www.berninaconnection.com/module/class.htm?quiltClassId=321">Sew Fundamental</a>. I actually signed up in about the middle of August, and the class was supposed to start on September 13th. However, probably b/c of the groupon, the class was full up and they had to add another class starting on October 4th. That's the one that I made it into. So I've been impatiently waiting for the past 6 or so weeks for this class to start. You may have noticed that I've added many sewing blogs to my blog roll over there. I particularly love <a href="http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/">Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing</a> and <a href="http://quirkyprettycute.blogspot.com/">QuirkyPrettyCute</a>. They both have fantastic tips that I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of. So, the class is finally here (even though fall refuses to start)! It starts in 6 days! I am pumped!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNdkinPUI/AAAAAAAAAVE/icHZtx2C4s8/s1600/DSCN0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNdkinPUI/AAAAAAAAAVE/icHZtx2C4s8/s320/DSCN0615.JPG" width="320" /></a>Okay, so you're thinking "What does that have to do with Nessie!?" One of the class materials that I need is a pin cushion. I didn't want just anything as a pin cushion and I knew that I'd rather make one than buy one. This was a perfect opportunity to use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amigurumi-Knits-Patterns-Cute-Mini/dp/1589234359?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Amigurumi Knits</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1589234359" style="border: medium none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />! This book is amazing. Even if you don't have any kids to knit for, I'd recommend it. The details on the animals are amazing, so well thought out and executed. Even the increases and decreases are perfect. At least go have a look at the book. If you don't fall in love with at least a couple of the creatures in it then, well, I don't know how much hope there is for you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNsyQsnWI/AAAAAAAAAVI/UALMRY8nPUw/s1600/DSCN0616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TKKNsyQsnWI/AAAAAAAAAVI/UALMRY8nPUw/s400/DSCN0616.JPG" width="400" /></a>I made this with malabrigo leftover from my <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/search?q=vine+yoke">Vine Yoke Cardigan</a> (In Simply Taupe) and <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/search?q=clapotis">Clapotis scarf</a> (in Stone Chat) projects. I decided to use size 3 needles because I wanted it to be night and tight, and also smaller than it was supposed to be. Picking up stitches was a pain in my butt! But that was probably mostly because of the tight gauge. I also added some weight to Nessie by putting some decorative rocks in her tummy. I figure if I'm going to be pulling pins in and out of it, I want it to have a bit of stability.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Doesn't she have the cutest flippers??<br />
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Also, I got a request from Amy to see a picture of my spinning wheel. I'm lazy, so I'm just going to recycle pictures I took of it back in October after I bought it at Rhinebeck (Sigh, Rhinebeck!)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My wheel is a Kromski Sonata, and I love it! It's a traveling wheel, so it folds up and has its own case.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-26823671933998495782010-09-23T19:00:00.000-07:002010-09-23T19:00:29.919-07:00A Spinning FO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Last night was very productive. I finished plying the Yamdrok BFL & I also finished the ribbing on my Whisper Cardigan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TJv84qZEG1I/AAAAAAAAAUg/KfUmAQhRIA8/s1600/DSCN0606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TJv84qZEG1I/AAAAAAAAAUg/KfUmAQhRIA8/s640/DSCN0606.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://illusiveweb.com/wp/">Candice </a>identified my method for diving the fiber as <a href="http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art63506.asp">Fractal Spinning</a>. I was doing it unintentionally! I really like how the yarn turned out. =)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TJv9HhQNHuI/AAAAAAAAAUk/afzBhvXxMRM/s1600/DSCN0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TJv9HhQNHuI/AAAAAAAAAUk/afzBhvXxMRM/s400/DSCN0609.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I also managed to spin it quite thin. All in all I'm very proud of this yarn! I also have to say that my camera didn't capture the shade of blue properly, it's much more saturated/bold than the way it looks in the pictures.<br />
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Like I said I also finished the ribbing on my Whisper.<br />
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(Please ignore my foot) I tried it on and I'm really liking the way it looks! However, I had to modify the sleeves because I have thick upper arms and I did way less decreases than called for. This caused me to knit more stitched across the back of the sweater making it wider than it's supposed to be. What all of that means is that the collar flips back on the top of the sweater. It's really not a big deal, I'll probably tack it down with some yarn so I don't have to worry about it, though. I didn't do this on my <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2008/08/picturesfos.html">Ribbed Lace Bolero</a>, and it annoys me to fiddle with the collar while I'm wearing it. (Also this is the one knitted item that I made that I wear often! It's great over tanks at work)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-45365653891083360592010-09-19T16:06:00.000-07:002010-09-19T16:06:04.734-07:00Yamdrok<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been spinning my BFL all week, and really enjoying it. I told you I was trying to spin thin and I'm achieving that goal. It's nice to get back into crafting. Maybe it's the time of year? It's getting down into the 70s at night, so it's not quite as hot all the time (it's still been in the 100s all week during the day). My original plan for the fiber was to navajo ply it, but then I decided that the yarn would be too heavy if I did that, so I amended my plan while spinning the first half.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Since my original plan was navajo plying, I wanted long color repeats so I broke up the fiber by color blocks.<br />
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Think a block of blue, a block of gold, and a block of the inbetween colors. I then divided that in half and the halves by thirds. It worked pretty well. Most of the reason that I decided not to do a navajo ply was because I didn't want long sections of the inbetween colors. So, with the second half, I'm dividing the fiber like I normally do, into strips (in half, and then the halves into thirds [usually I just divide it in halves twice but in an effort to spin a thinner single I divided the halves into thirds-it's working!]). So the theory is that one ply will have long color repeats and the other will have shorter ones, so hopefully each of the colors on the 2nd ply will show up during 1 color repeat of the first. Who knows if that's actually how it will work.<br />
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I've also been knitting. I've got 2 inches of the ribbing done on the <a href="http://www.interweaveknits.com/galleries/bonus/spiring-2009/Whisper-Cardigan.asp">Whisper cardigan</a> [<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/whisper-cardigan">Ravlink</a>]. I really love the construction. I've been thinking up a shrug to make with the Madeline Tosh Light that I bought a while ago, and I may use a similar method. I want to do some crochet lace on the back in a panel (I've seen a lot of cardigans with a lace panel on the back and I really like them) so if I did some kind of decrease while knitting across the back I might be able to crochet the lace straight onto it instead of seaming it together. I'm not sure. It will be interesting since crochet isn't my main craft.<br />
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Anyhow, Happy Sunday! I hope you've enjoyed yours as much as I've enjoyed mine. =)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-53097985905166332792010-09-13T20:30:00.000-07:002010-09-13T20:30:57.675-07:00Bet you weren't expecting another one so soon!So Sunday I happened to feel like spinning, so I did. I'd already spun about half of the Merino/Tencel that <a href="http://knottygnome.blogspot.com/">Sara</a> gave me back <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2010/07/when-it-comes-i-wanna-wail.html">when I first got it</a>. I finished it Sunday night. I decided before I began that I wanted it to be in singles so I could get the most yardage out of it I could. It's once again not as thin as I'd like it to be, but I really like the way it turned out.<br />
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It soft and shiny, as you'd expect from something blended with tencel. The dye job made a heathered teal/gray which I wasn't exactly sure about at first but it's definitely growing on me. =) If I had to guess at the weight (which I am abysmally bad at) I'd say it's fingering-sport weight. I'd also approximate around 260 yds, if my calculations are correct.<br />
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I would really like to spin more thinly so I broke out the BFL that <a href="http://beautyisntperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/rhinebeck-part-2-fiber.html">I bought at Rhinebeck</a> (the Yamdrok electric blue/gold from <a href="http://intothewhirled.com/blog/">Into the Whirled</a>). I changed how I prepped the fiber and it's pretty smooth sailing. I always kind of felt like it was cheating to tear the fiber into really thin strips to spin a thin yarn, but it's really not. I guess I was the only one holding me back from my fibery dreams... lol! I tore the fiber in half and then divided it into threes. I'm also doing the color repeats differently... I'll explain more later with pictures, hopefully.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-79782222269108430262010-09-12T10:04:00.000-07:002010-09-12T10:04:00.482-07:00Knitting!I meant to update with pictures a while ago but I guess life (and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fable-II-Xbox-360/dp/B000FRVAD4?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Fable II</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000FRVAD4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Queen-Black-Jewels-Novel/dp/0451462866?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Anne</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462866" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Made-Flesh-Black-Jewels/dp/0451460707?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Bishop</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451460707" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />) go in the way. Last weekend the BF and I went to Flagstaff, AZ for a mini vacation. It was really nice. We saw a meteor crater<br />
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We went to an arboretum and saw the San Francisco Peaks.<br />
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On the drive home we went through Sedona and saw plent of Red Rock. We plan on going back to see the Red Rock Park.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was about a 2.5- 3 hour drive to Flagstaff. The meteor crater was another 45 minutes from Flagstaff so that was quite a drive! I did get a lot of knitting done. I finished the sleeves/back of the Whisper Cardigan I started with the yarn I got from the Sara at the <a href="http://knottygnome.blogspot.com/">Knottygnome Knits</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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I also started Pomatomus, which I've been wanting to knit for a while. I wanted an excuse to use the Koliage square needles that I bought. So far I like them a lot. It make sense that the square needles are easier to hold on to since they sit in the bend of your ring/middle fingers (at least that's where mine sit).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TI0HcJHa6JI/AAAAAAAAATw/jPXmJZjdugU/s1600/DSCN0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TI0HcJHa6JI/AAAAAAAAATw/jPXmJZjdugU/s400/DSCN0596.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>The yarn is ShiBui. It was a birthday gift from a dear friend. =) The color is a bit off in both of the knitting photos. For some reason my camera has a hard time capturing color. The socks are a bit more plummy and less burgundy. ShiBui is a wonderful yarn. it's smooshy and has an amazing twist. I will definitely be using it again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-78818044004242455612010-08-04T19:44:00.001-07:002010-08-04T19:45:17.030-07:00Two thingsFirst order of business is that I totally meant to link Sarah's design in my last post so I'm going to do it here and now. Sara's blog is <a href="http://knottygnome.blogspot.com/">The Knottygnome Knits</a> where she knits and spins and makes all sorts of awesome things at break neck speeds. The shawl is called <a href="http://knottygnome.blogspot.com/p/crochet-patterns-for-sale.html">Walden</a> [<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/walden-2">Ravlink</a>] and it a crochet pattern. There are some great photos of the shawl there. You can also get to her <a href="http://knottygnome.blogspot.com/p/knottygnome-designs-for-sale.html">knit patterns</a> through her blog. She sells most of them thorugh Ravelry a hat and mitt set are available at <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Pangloss_Hat__D10156220.html">Knit Picks</a>. She also has a couple of free patterns thrown in there.<br />
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Okay so this I think is a post about blogger prowess because I also want to talk about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_%28food%29">Pavlova</a> that I made on Saturday. First of all, it was omgdelish. Second of all, I almost went into a sugar coma after I ate it. It all began with <a href="http://2besatisfied.blogspot.com/2010/07/almond-pavlova-with-summer-fruit-and.html">this post</a> from chef <a href="http://2besatisfied.blogspot.com/">Loise Mellor</a>. I was reading her post and thinking about how I've seen Ina Garden make Pavlova on The Barefoot Contessa a few times. It always looks so delicious. Light, ethereal, baked meringue crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle, smothered in berries, whipped cream, and raspberry sauce. I also clicked her link to <a href="http://havethecake.blogspot.com/">Have the Cake</a> a shared effort of bloggers who make the same recipe every month. Which this month it was, of course, Pavlova. This is where I saw Dawn's "<a href="http://havethecake.blogspot.com/2010/07/lemon-curd-eggy-pavlova.html">Eggy Pavlova</a>" which, as odd as the name sounds (I like her idea of "Swan's Egg" better but that may just be me) was an awesome idea. She made lemon curd to go in the pavlova (the yellow yolk to the egg white of the meringue Pavlova). This to me was not only a tasty solution put a perfect match with the Pavlova since the Pavlova uses 4 egg whites and the lemon curd uses 4 egg yolks.<br />
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So, I bought the ingredients and charged ahead with Lousie's Pavlova base (minus the almond extract and almonds) and Dawn's lemon curd. I also made some home made whipped cream and garnished with raspberries. It was the most time I've spent on a dessert in a very long time. Probably since baking for Christmas.<br />
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The results were not only pretty but delicious. This came after a delectable dinner of marinated grilled chicken, grilled veggies, and home made grilled flat bread. It was a truly great summer meal.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-14508224817516432092010-07-31T16:02:00.004-07:002010-07-31T22:27:24.955-07:00When it comes I wanna wail... MAAAAIIIIILLLL!<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I got awesome things in the mail today!! First off, I got a package in the mail from Sarah over at <a href="http://knottygnome.blogspot.com/">Knotty Gnome Knits</a> I entered her birthday contest and won. How awesome is she to give things to <i>other</i> people on her birthday? ^_~<br />
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<center></center><center><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/?action=view&current=DSCN0437.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0437.jpg" /></a></center><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0438.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>My package included some specially dyed merino/tencel fiber which is GORGEOUS.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0439.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Some Malabrigo lace, and who <i>doesn't</i> love Malabrigo?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0440.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
And- SURPRISE!- she made me an apron. How adorable is that?? This is me wearing it in my kitchen. I put it on almost immediately. I'm making pavlova for dessert tonight (more on that later) inspired by Louise over at <a href="http://2besatisfied.blogspot.com/">Satisfied</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/?action=view&current=DSCN0436.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0436.jpg" /></a><br />
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As you can see from the first picture there is also a hand crocheted shawl in the package. It's in Malabrigo Sock "Stone Chat" it is Sarah's original pattern, Walden. I didn't take a close up of it because she took some great photos of it already that can be seen here. It's lovely and if it wasn't like 80% humidity outside I might be wearing it around the house... hehe. And last but not least, a bar of organic chocolate- always a welcome addition!<br />
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Also in the mail something almost as fun but not quite, a package from the <a href="http://www.loopyewe.com/">Loopy Ewe</a>. I saw on <a href="http://www.theloopyewe.com/sheri/">Sheri's blog</a> that there was some new Madeline Tosh in the store and it looked so awesome in the pictures that I had to snag some for myself. I bought 2 skeins in "Victorian Gothic" to make a shrug to wear at the office. I have to say I really love the little touches in the package, likeza handwritten note from Sheri and some small samples of other yarns. Very nice, Loopy Ewe! =)<br />
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I also bought some square needles just to try out. I hope they live up to what they say they are!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/Knitting/DSCN0442.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Whew! That was a lot of stuff. Today is a good day. =)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-13647937184217864462010-07-24T15:23:00.000-07:002010-07-24T15:23:39.341-07:00Knitting?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TEtnCtggiFI/AAAAAAAAASw/zoWueZxCsZ0/s1600/DSCN0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mv1y5RBhPhQ/TEtnCtggiFI/AAAAAAAAASw/zoWueZxCsZ0/s400/DSCN0434.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I told you if I thought of it I'd share some actual knitting. This is aabout 40% of a lace scarf I'm making for someone special (no one who reads this blog, I'm sure).<br />
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When I finish it it'll be mailed to Ohio to enjoy use in colder weather.<br />
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It's odd, here in AZ hibernation time is summer because most people don't want to be outside, while in OH it's the winter. People being indoors means germs are easily spread and I've managed to capture some of them. I'm not especially ill, but I do indeed sound like a man rather than a woman and it's a little disconcerting.<br />
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Any matter, I hope there's more knitting content to share with you sooner rather than later.<br />
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Ciao.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-67932816787084754462010-07-21T08:07:00.000-07:002010-07-21T08:07:24.275-07:00Reading reading reading reading....I know I've been rather silent but it's mostly because I haven't done a whole lot of knitting lately. It's quite hot as I'm sure you can imagine so I've been hiding inside and reading. Reading reading reading. In the past 2.5 weeks I've read 5 books, mostly the Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop. These are not short books, they're around 500 pages each. So like I said I've just been hibernating and reading. Also, these books are addicting. It's like I can't stop reading them. I keep thinking "Okay I'll stop at the next break" "Okay I'll stop at the next chapter" but it just keeps going. Addicting! Like reading crack or something. Anyway, feast your eyes on my reading prowess (haha)... <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Blood-Black-Jewels-Book/dp/0451461487?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Daughter of the Blood (Black Jewels, Book 1)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451461487&tag=inscretither-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451461487" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Shadows-Black-Jewels-ebook/dp/B000UWAEWC?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Heir to the Shadows (Black Jewels, Book 2)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000UWAEWC&tag=inscretither-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000UWAEWC" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Darkness-Black-Jewels-Book/dp/0451456734?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Queen of the Darkness (Black Jewels, Book 3)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451456734&tag=inscretither-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451456734" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Ring-Black-Jewels-Book/dp/0451462068?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Invisible Ring (Black Jewels, Book 4)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451462068&tag=inscretither-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462068" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sebastian-Ephemera-Book-Anne-Bishop/dp/0451460960?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Sebastian (Ephemera, Book 1)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451460960&tag=inscretither-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451460960" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Despite how it may look, none of them are trashy romance-y novels. They're all really good, although Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, and The Queen of Darkness have some very dark aspects in them, they're not really for the faint of heart.<br />
<br />
Sebastian is the first book of the Ephemera series and I read it right after Daughter of the Blood. Actually I didn't even realize at first that it was by the same author because they'd both been in my Amazon wish list so long. It's funny how you can see an author write almost the same main characters in different series. It's good as well and I have the second one, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Belladonna-Ephemera-Book-Anne-Bishop/dp/0451461541?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Belladonna</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451461541" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> sitting at home for me. But for now I think I need to read something different, so I'm working on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Santa-Olivia-Jacqueline-Carey/dp/B003P2VDHY?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Santa Olivia</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003P2VDHY" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Jaqueline Carey, one of my favorite authors. I also purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Naamahs-Kushiel-Legacy-Jacqueline-Carey/dp/0446198048?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Naamah's Kiss</a> finally, now that it's out on paperback. That will be a good read, although I'm not sure how long it will take since it's around 900 pages. (Much like the debut of the Kushiel Series, <span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kushiels-Dart-Jacqueline-Carey/dp/0765342987?ie=UTF8&tag=inscretither-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Kushiel's Dart</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inscretither-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0765342987" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />)</span><br />
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<span>I have been knitting a bit and if I get around to photographing I'll be posting it here, but we'll see.</span><br />
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<span>TTFN. =)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-77646104727733152212010-06-13T11:47:00.008-07:002010-06-20T09:21:41.640-07:00Food Blogger? (A Recipe for peanut butter pancakes)No, not quite. But I have been cooking a hell of a lot more than I've been doing anything fiber related. The last thing I knit was that snail, and I haven't really touched the needles since. I just haven't felt like it. I guess I shouldn't really feel bad. It is <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> hobby after all. It's not like anyone else is counting on me to do it.<br />
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In addition to cooking I've been reading a heck of a lot. This week I finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/GODS-BEHAVING-BADLY-Marie-Phillips/dp/0316067636/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276455221&sr=8-5">Gods Behaving Badly</a> by Marie Phillips and I reread <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eclipse-Stephenie-Meyer/dp/0316027650/ref=pd_sim_b_1">Eclipse</a> by Stephanie Meyer. I'm working on rereading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Wife-Audrey-Niffenegger/dp/015602943X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1">The Time Traveler's Wife</a> by Audrey Niffenegger. It's a really amazing book, but so very sad at the end. The first time I read it (the summer before the movie came out - I'd never even heard of it before a friend let me borrow it) I remember thinking it would be a good reread because you'd probably pick up on a lot more during the second read than the first. It's a bit of a confusing book due to the time travel. It's a little odd to think about. I prefer to think of all time existing at once which is why the conundrums in the book are possible, but it's still a bit mind boggling.<br />
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Okay, so now for the real reason for this post. Peanut butter pancakes. I whipped these up this morning. I put bananas in a few and none in the others. I didn't actually like the slices of banana in the pancakes, but I think sliced bananas would make an excellent topping. They were a huge hit both ways with the boyfriend, who is a peanut butter addict. =)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/?action=view&current=DSCN0389.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/DSCN0389.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients:</span><br />
1 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour (you can use all purpose flour if you don't have it, or 1/2 all purpose, 1/2 whole wheat)<br />
1 1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1/4 c. sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
3/4 c. sour cream or plain yogurt<br />
1 c. milk<br />
1/4 c. peanut butter (I used freshly ground peanut butter, there's a station for that at my local grocery)<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions:</span><br />
In a small bowl whisk together the egg, sour cream, milk, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined.<br />
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In a large bowl mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick, but if it's too thick you can add a bit of milk.<br />
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Preheat a skillet to medium heat. Spray the skillet w/ spray oil or melt a bit of butter into the bottom. I would use maybe 1/2 c. batter per pancake. The pancakes are very filling so you'll eat a little less than you'd think.<br />
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Cook on the 1st side until you see bubbles and then flip and cook the other side for another couple of minutes.<br />
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Serve with pure maple syrup and sliced bananas. You could also garnish them with some whipped cream and cinnamon if you wanted to be really decadent!<br />
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Serves approx 4 people.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8244190033963327951.post-63445253598837343762010-06-01T10:00:00.003-07:002010-06-01T10:00:00.836-07:00FocacciaYesterday I also made Focaccia bread for dinner. After reading about <a href="http://pinchmysalt.com/the-bba-challenge/">The Bread Baker's Apprentice challenge/book</a> on <a href="http://pinchmysalt.com/">Pinch My Salt</a> for months, I finally broke down and bought the book before the move. I made sure to put it in an easily accessible bag so I wouldn't have to dig for it once I got here. Peter talks about the importance of good flour in the book and I ended up buying three different types, all King Arthur brand. I originally bought all purpose flour because I thought that was what I needed for focaccia, but it calls for bread flour so on my second trip to the grocery I picked up that and also some white whole wheat for some wheat bread later on! I'm so excited to have a kitchen again where I get to make the meals. It's so absolutely satisfying to eat a great meal you'd made from scratch.<br /><br />I kind of started in the middle of the book, but that's okay. I'm also not saying that I'm doing the challenge per se, just that I was inspired by all the magnificent breads that she was making. I was jealous! So, focaccia. It's a bit of a process to make, but it's not difficult. I made the dough on Sunday night and left it in the refrigerator over night, as per the instructions in the book.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/?action=view&current=DSCN0357.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/DSCN0357.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Pre-proof w/ toppings.</span><br /></div><br />I am so excited to be making focaccia! It takes me straight back to Italy, because more often than not, this is the type of 'pizza' that you will see there. It's everywhere. It's a great to-go snack or meal and the toppings range from potatoes to olives to tomatoes or whatever. I decided to go all out for this pizza style foccacia, and my toppings are sun dried tomatoes, fresh roasted garlic, caramelized onions, capers (only on one, as the boyfriend doesn't like them), and feta cheese. All of these toppings except for the feta are the pre-proof variety, meaning that they go on the focaccia right after it comes out of the refrigerator, before it rises. The feta goes on right before baking.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/?action=view&current=DSCN0359.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/starlitshadows/DSCN0359.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Pre-bake, w/ Feta</span><br /><br /></div>***Okay, so I was writing this post before I baked the focaccia. I took pictures of it, added the feta cheese, preheated the oven and put it in there. I was smelling something burning but I thought it might just be the parchment paper on the sides (I trimmed them, but apparently not enough). So, what actually happened was that the bottom of the focaccia were burned. I mean like black. Not the "Okay, so it's a little dark" burned. BURNED. My day and a half of prep as well as roasting the garlic, caramelizing the onions, and making the herb oil was done! The bread wasn't even finished! I ended up taking it out and doubling the pan to give it some protection and putting it in the oven one at a time.<br /><br />THEN I went to go take a swig of my red wine and, you guessed it, I spilled it on the brand new table cloth and 2 of the brand new placemats. ARGH!<br /><br />THEN... when I was putting the first focaccia on the countertop so I could finish baking the second, I DROPPED IT ON THE FLOOR.<br /><br />All of these things happened in the space of about 10 minutes and I said a few very choice words. We had salad and the non-floor focaccia for dinner. I had to cut off the burnt bottom.<br /><br />The focaccia would have been EXCELLENT if not for the burning. It was tender and the crust would have been crisp. *sigh*<br /><br />So, there is no photo of the finished focaccia because it pissed me off.<br /><br />I think I figured out the problem was that the pans were touching the sides of the oven because I had them on the same rack (the middle rack). This happened last night when I was roasting sweet potatoes for my sweet potato enchiladas too. *sigh* At least now I know. The oven runs a little hot, and never EVER let the pans touch the sides of the oven. Got it. Tomorrow I will try again to roast vegetables. If this is also thwarted, I will be contacting the rental office about fixing or replacing the oven (it's ancient).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0