Pointless Nostalgic

And here is a little of what has been on the needles...

2012-01-13T14:46:00.001-08:00

9 months

2012-01-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

It has been almost 8 months since my last post... there is a reason for that.

I hope to be back in this space again soon- ish. Due date is February 6th... I'll let ya know.

Shelf Re-Do

2011-06-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I enjoy a good thrift store. It seems I don't often buy clothes, but usually stuff to decorate or organize our apartment. So when Claire and I were browsing around a shop in Fort Collins and I saw this I began to think about its bathroom potential.

Our bathroom doesn't have any extra storage it, besides the vanity, and there are somethings I prefer to leave out so I thought the $4 shelf might be a good investment. As you can tell from the photos is it s bit beat up, but I like the interesting detail of the front - I'm almost certain this shelf started out as shiny gold in the early '70's.

All of our bathroom stuff is a mis-match of bright colors so I decided that a sunny yellow would look quite nice. And after all, if I don't like it I'll just spray paint over it!

I wiped it down and hammered out some the dents and then did one coat of the spray paint. And voila! About $7 later I had this cute shelf hanging in my bathroom.

Mustachio

2011-05-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Finished these up awhile back, but never got them posted. They seemed to fit best in our guest bathroom... it was either that or the hallway. I suppose now when our guests trim their facial hair they will have various examples to choose from.

I picked these frames up in Illinois for $5 when we were home for Christmas . They came with some strange prints of angels and flowers in them, but I was able to get those out and just use the cute frames. I am super happy with how they turned out. This was my first venture into cross-stitch... I don't think I'll be doing it again any time soon, but I'm considering selling the PDF pattern for these 'staches in my Etsy shop.

Gifts for Baby Norah Grace

2011-05-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to make applique onesies for a long time now, and the new arrival of our friends' sweet little girl gave me the perfect excuse.

The whale and the "n" are my favorite!

Mexico City with iEmpathize

2011-04-10T22:33:00.001-07:00

I have been promising this post for over a month, uh make that two months (the date on this post is when I started writing it), to various people so I am finally getting this done! Having this post half done for so long has kept me from blogging many other things. This post is going to end up a bit long, but for the skimmers out there I promise a lot of photos. For the rest of you, grab a cup of tea and have a read.

As many of you know in March I took a trip down to Mexico City with iEmpathize. If you haven't heard of iEmpathize before now please take second to follow the link and read about who they are and what they are up to.

When I volunteered for the trip I really had not a clue what we would be doing, but I knew I wanted to get involved with this organization and I was feeling called to commit myself to the trip.

Our team, composed of 7 people - representing 7 local faith communities - came together, meeting as a group for the first time when we all arrived at the airport. We left the US on Monday, February 28th and returned on Sunday, March 6th. We spent some time getting to know each other on our way down to Mexico City and getting settled in at the hotel.

That first evening, Brad, the President/Founder of iEmpathize, shared with us the "plan" (in quotes because when one is traveling a plan is always tentative) for the week. We would be taking the iEmpathize multimedia exhibit to various locations through out the city and, on the side, trying to lay out some plans for upcoming summer trips.

The exhibit itself (shown above) is designed to provide information and a personal connection to human trafficking... to move people from sympathy to empathy. This is done by having striking photographs, artifacts from the lives of those who were trafficked, and an a video discussing the real issues. The video features the story of a rescued girl, and Mexican congress woman Rosi Orozco explaining hte current human trafficking issues in Mexico.

That first evening Brad also shared with us Psalm 10. It really helped my mind and heart come to a place where it could grasp that idea of what we were fighting for that week in the name of Christ's love and justice. Please take a moment to mediate on that passage, read it slowly, understand it.

Our first full day in the city we headed to the Mexican congress to set up the exhibit. iEmpathize works closely with Congresswoman Rosi Orozco, who started the safe home for girls rescued from sex trafficking, Camino a Casa. She was first an activist who decided she would be most effective in helping children by running for congress. This is the safe home that iEmpathize works to raise funds and awareness for in Mexico City.

It was important to share the exhibit at congress at this specific time because new laws were being proposed regarding sex trafficking. Rosi was working to pass laws that are more effective in prosecuting pimps and traffickers and keeping them in prison. The good news is the bill has passed their senate and moved on the house.

The exhibit was opened with a press conference and a ribbon cutting. Present was the First Lady of Cancun, the First Lady of Tijuana, the head of the Council for Tourism, Congresswoman Orozco, and one more person I am forgetting (sorry, that is why I shouldn't wait over a month to write this stuff up).

The iEmpathize exhibit was up for a day and half in the entry area of congress. We also sat in on a meeting where the former First Lady of Columbia explained how harsher human trafficking laws have taken effect in in Columbia and what that looks like now and how they are enforced.

We also spent a day at the Attorney General's Office. The Attorney General's Office works with the girls who want to prosecute their pimps and helps them fight their case.

I found the press conference that Congresswoman Orozco had at the Attorney General's Offices to be very interesting. She walked through the exhibit with the press explaining the stories behind nearly each artifact and photo.

The last two days our exhibit was up for the congregation from Casa Sobre La Roca to view. They had a conference that weekend and their weekly Sunday gathering. This organization works closely with Rosi and the safe home, but because it is so large it can be difficult to communicate to all the members. Seeing the exhibit helped to bring greater understanding and more information to this congregation.

During the week we also spent time with the girls from the safe home, ate wonderful food, and spent time getting to know the directors of the home. We worked on looking at hotels for next month's trips and did a little site seeing down town.

I feel the need to have a nice of wrap up for this post, but I don't have anything profound to say. Human trafficking is wrong, awful, and it DOES happen - more than most people are willing to recognize, and yes, even here in the US. You, reading this, have the ability to help fight it - whether with prayer, donating your time, donating your abilities, donating money, or educating others. Get the word out, we need to speak up for those whose voices are being silenced.

Sneak Peak: Facial Hair

2011-03-30T08:04:00.001-07:00

Just so I can say I actually posted in March, here's a peak at a project I am working on. Finished product and details to follow (soon, I hope!).

Mittens

2011-02-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

A knitter should not be without comfy mittens. At the beginning of the winter I was all set, but since that time I have worn through one pair and gifted another. So, to remedy this I knit up these mittens from some merino wool hand spun. The pattern is called "Emma's Mittens" so I simply titled these "Emmy's Mittens".

please graciously ignore the fact that the finger tips don't match. when things are for me I'm just not that picky.

Brewed, now bottled.

2011-02-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

Herringbone Cowl

2011-02-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

Since everyone around this country seems to be freezing their faces off I thought you all might like to see the snuggly knit I recently finished.

This is the Big Herringbone Cowl by The Purl Bee. As soon as I saw the this cowl I had to make it. And it just so happens that same day (as I went hunting for yarn) I found this amazing Baby Alpaca/Bamboo mix - Mirasol Qina - on clearance (follow that link because it still is on clearance)! The yarn is incredibly soft and warm, words cannot describe it.

The structure of this knit is simple but many people find the herringbone stitch to be obnoxious. I didn't mind doing the stitch, but I found that I didn't have has much freedom to correct my mistakes as I do with traditional knitting. I could tink (knit backwards) on a row, but I could not drop stitches down to fix a problem.

On my Ravelry page you can find my knitting notes, a few more photos, and links to other people's projects. So what do you think? Doesn't everyone need a cowl?

Saturday

2011-01-31T21:23:00.000-08:00

I dyed some yarn, fiber, and Amy's finished shawl. And ate kettle corn, apple pasteries, and enjoyed Arsenic and Old Lace. Thanks Annie and Joy for joining me!

Next post will be a finished project!

oh, and I got in a little mitten knitting...

Holiday Party for the Knitterly

2011-01-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read the title right - a holiday party. Our local knitting groups decided we would have our gift exchange in January this year. It makes sense since we all live around here why make the holiday times extra busy and it gives you something to look forward to once all the hustle and bussle of December is over.

Our exchange is a version of Yankee Swap, where you can choose to open a gift or steal an already opened gift when it is your turn. I was stolen from quite a few times, but I ended up with a beautiful skein of cashmere.

I think I'll be making myself a little lace scarf with this skein. I have never knit real lace, but I think cashmere is a good reason to give it a try. I am liking the Ginger Leaves Shawlette by Christina Wall (photo is from knitpicks or Ms. Wall).

I feel the need to point out that I probably won't wear this so much like kerchief - that may be understood, but anyhow... at the party there was opening of gifts...
.... there were attempts to hide yarn....

... there was stealing....

.... and there was a lot of knitting.

It was a lovely time. We also ate delicious food and sipped mimosas, just lovely. Thanks ladies!

What's Brewing?

2011-01-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal Stout! Okay cheesiness, I know, but David has been working on a home brew and I thought I share some photos. And Claire, I know you are lurking, how long do you let yours set after bottling? Oh and for those who didn't know, you can always click on the photos to make them larger.

Photo Update

2011-01-16T07:25:00.001-08:00

Time again for a photo update. The holidays were wonderful - with the exception of the flu (thanks for cleaning up Esther!), but it was short lived. I realized though that since I wasn't feeling up to par at the in-law's I didn't take any photos when we were down there!!!! Gah! So I apologize there aren't photos of our time in Arthur... but here are photos from the rest of our time in Illinois- be prepared for a lot of Zoe cuteness.

My fam ^

Zoe's Christmas hat ^

Z with her Great Grandma ^

And I just love this photo, I had to post it ^
(poor Z was teething so now and then there would be bursts of tears)

Handsome hubs ^

Tia and Zoe ^

Dad ^

Mom ^

Zoe modeling a sweater I made for her ^

Linds and Brad (pretending to be at prom) ^

Cousins <3>

Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon

2010-12-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

I have never had turnips so tasty as these (you know you can't go wrong with bacon)! This recipe uses a sweet vinegar mixture to help the veggies caramelize a bit and become oh so flavorful. I followed the recipe pretty closely, well, I thought I did. The only change that was significant is that I browned my turnips and potatoes in batches apart from the bacon mixture (in the vinegar mixture) because my skillet wasn't large enough. Also I had to use some dry parsley because I didn't have any fresh on hand and I used celery salt for a bit of an extra flavor boost.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces thick-cut bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 pounds white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Mix 1/4 cup water, vinegar, and sugar in small bowl and set aside.

Combine oil and bacon in heavy large skillet; sauté over medium-high heat until fat is rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is golden, about 5 minutes.

Add turnips and potatoes; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt and toss 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium/low, cover, and cook until vegetables are almost tender, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Push vegetables to 1 side of skillet. Pour vinegar mixture into cleared space. Toss vegetables with vinegar mixture. Spread vegetables in even layer in skillet; cook until golden and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn vegetables over; spread in even layer and cook until browned and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Continue to turn, spread, and cook vegetables until tender, golden, and crisp around edges, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Season with more sea salt and black pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.

You can also find the recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Skillet-Turnips-and-Potatoes-with-Bacon-361293#ixzz183czZJDM

Wreath How To

2010-12-09T13:48:00.001-08:00

Here's a link to the actual tutorial, but I'll show you my progress and outcome through pictures. It is such a fun and inexpensive project!

I just love how it turned out! I took a lot of hot glue, but it is holding up great!

My Weekend in Photos

2010-11-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hosted Thanksgiving Dinner

Delicious spread, all guests contributing, ham, turkey, fresh green bean casserole, mashed sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, cranberry salad, tossed salad, and home made crescent rolls - and not pictured, but amazing, pumpkin cheesecake with maple pecan glaze

Test knit a super cute baby hat

Completed some Christmas presents

Headed to the mountains to cut a Christmas tree with friends

Finished up the weekend with some decorating and dinner with old friends.

Thankfulness

2010-11-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

When ranking holidays Thanksgiving rates right at the top for me. One of the reasons I like it is because, for me, it isn't about anything material or any one event. I don't associate it with football, turkey (I have a preference to ham), or the parade. And honestly, my pumpkin obsession starts in September and goes through December, not really centered on the holiday.

I like that we take time to celebrate our blessings. God has blessed my life in so many ways and I know I do not reflect on it enough.

For today, in this moment I am thankful for (in no particular order, of course)...

friendships that are growing and deepening.

a home where I can rest, create, and be hospitable.

a job where I am appreciated, provided for, and valued.

a God who is patient with me and wants me as I am.

a husband who hears me out, loves me, and even likes spending time with me.

There aren't may thanksgiving songs out there, but music is a huge emotional and spiritual connection for me so I tend to look for music when I am reflecting. So here are a few verses of a Thanksgiving Hymn to reflect on.

For The Beauty of The Earth, by Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1864

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies;
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child;
Friends on Earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy church that evermore,
Lifteth holy hands above;
Off'ring up on ev'ry shore,
Her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thyself, best Gift Divine,
To the world so freely given,
For that great, great love of Thine,
Peace on earth and joy in heaven.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

Birch Pillow

2010-10-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

It is finished and I love the result. yay! I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but here are the project notes.

Anniversary

2010-10-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on my post this week, but at least I have some photos to share!

Well, last Saturday (October 2nd) was our 5 year wedding anniversary. Time flies, but it has been so amazing. I could go on and on about how much I love my husband and what kind, loving and generous guy he is but you all know that and I don't think he reads this blog anyhow. :)

We haven't celebrated any of our anniversaries, save maybe going out to dinner. We decided we'd actually get out and have bit of fun. So here are some photos and links to places we went.

Started our morning with a tour of Boulder Ice Cream, tasty. Then head back to Louisville for lunch at Lucky Pie Pizza - I HIGHLY recommend this place, so g o o d . Then we strolled about Denver for a bit and took the Banjo Billy Bus Tour, fun and very educational!

Then we checked into our hotel, The Curtis. We would recommend it, nice folks, cute place, and we even ended up with a great view from our room - oh and free hot cookies when you check in!

We then enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Vesta Dipping Grill - I got the lamb, David enjoyed the Salmon. I love sauces and dips so I thoroughly enjoyed their food and the flavors were amazing. And actually, this was a bit reminiscent of our wedding buffet, which was various kinds of dip.

After dinner we walked around LoDo and took some photos.

Then we enjoyed an improv show at The Impulse Theater. So funny, we had a great time! We definitely plan to go back.

Sunday was pretty low key, we slept late, enjoyed the luxury of room service (for the first time ever!) and then decided to head over to Denver Botanic Gardens (do I have any good reason for wanting to call them Botanical Gardens?)

And that was our anniversary outing - more pictures here. Super fun, not exhausting and we had a lot of laughs together which is oh so important. So, here's to the next five years, may they be just as fun, full of love, included fewer moves, and be abundant in blessing.

Birch Trees

2010-09-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

Whenever I think of Birch Trees I think of the sandbox at the farm house where I grew up. It was the only birch tree on our property, it was taken down years later, but I always thought is was so cool. I would be playing in the sandbox (trying to avoid the cat poo surprises -ew) and would get distracted by the peeling bark of the birch and begin playing with bark or climbing around in the tree.

All that to say I have a fondness for birch trees and I am REALLY excited about this new knitting project - Birch Tree Pillow. The pattern is by Eva Katharina (ravelry link, sorry), if you're not on Ravelry you'll just have to wait and watch the pattern emerge as I knit this up.

I started spinning the yarn for this project in the early summer, I think. I have only spun half the wool I have, but I couldn't wait to cast on for this pillow - and honestly, I'm not even certain I'll need the other half of the wool so it may get designated to another project.

I find that whenever I do fair isle knitting I can't seem to put the project down! It is so fun to see the result emerge and I enjoy knitting with both hands - it make me feel more efficient or something.

I just finished this fair isle project - stirrup socks or yoga socks. I plan to wear them mostly with regular socks and ballet flats as an extra layer of warmth - since my gym doesn't offer classes (boo).

Anyhow, this pillow has me itching to keep knitting fair isle. This evening looks like it is shaping up to be an evening, at home, on the couch, with hubs and my knitting - lovely.

Book Review: 200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One Bowl

2010-09-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

I tend to be quite picky about my cookbooks. I enjoy chillin' on the couch looking through my cookbooks marking exciting new recipes, but I don't have the patience for a cookbook that just sit on my counter being uninspiring. Uninspiring cookbooks get booted.

Currently, I very much like all the cookbooks I have so I was hesitant to "invest" in a new one. But, I have had zero success making delicious bread. Every try has come out super dense - not chewy, not airy, and not flavorful as in my childhood memories.

So, discussed my failures with a dear friend who has all the bread making success in the world, and she chalked it up to this book "200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One Bowl".

Finally I bought the book and gave it a try this past weekend. All I can say is A M A Z I N G.

On Saturday I made a loaf if sun-dried tomato bread and couldn't help but try another recipe, whole wheat boule, before the weekend was over. Not only were the loafs beautiful, but they had great flavor and texture. Beyond all, they were simple.

A few piece of equipment are required for various recipes in the book. You need to own an instant read thermometer, a baking stone, and a broiler pan. Also, this book uses instant or bread machine yeast rather than active dry yeast.

I already had stone(s), but I picked up the thermometer at Target for about $14 and the broiler was sadly $25, but you could probably thrift one if you keep your eye out.

I'm plan to try another recipe this weekend and I'll let you know how it turns out, but my current conclusion is this - if you want to make awesome, tasty, fancy looking breads that are easy and have very little hands on time then this book is for you.

Check it out from your library to give it a try!

For those of you who come by here for knitting more than cooking/baking here's peak at what I'm working on.

Poached Eggs in Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce

2010-09-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

Sadly I do not have any photos of the delicious things I am about to share with you because I was too hungry, therefore I did not pause for a photo. Enjoy the photo above of some my canning adventures... now, on with the recipe.

A few weeks ago I was watching a cooking show and they poached some eggs in a tomato based sauce. I'm pretty sure I had to wipe the drool from my face.

So, last night when looking in the fridge I saw we had eggs, took out my favorite vegetarian cook book and looked through suggestions for eggs I was reminded of the cooking show and the drool.

I made a variation of the Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce and then poached some eggs in it. YUM. I even suggested to David that I could make some chicken in the left over sauce tomorrow, but he wanted more eggs instead. The man turned down meat - seriously, give this recipe a try.

Took me about 30 minutes from start to finish, and most of my adaptations were just because it is what I had one hand so you can be flexible with the ingredients.

Poached Eggs in Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce
adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"

In a dutch oven or pot (that has a lid, you'll need it later) over med high heat melt

4 tbsps butter

add

1 med. onion chopped finely

cook until the onion is translucent, then add

2 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped green chili

saute for another minute then add your spices

2 tsp curry pwd
1/2 tsp ancho chili pwd
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
large pinch of sugar
fresh ground salt and pepper

cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes and then add

1 - 28 ounce can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup whole milk or cream

bring to a gentle boil, sauce should be a normal marinara consistency, if not then cook off some more liquid before continuing.

add 1/2 cup water or stock to the sauce

return to a simmer, now it is time to add your eggs, I suggest 5 at the most for this amount of sauce

crack your egg into a small bowl or saucer and then slide it into the sauce
once all your eggs are in, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Enjoy!

I'd love to hear how it turns our for you, happy cooking!

Fall Knits

2010-09-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Now that the summer heat is subsiding and mornings are crisp I find myself with a growing list of things I'm ready to knit.

Some are going to be Christmas gifts, others are things I have wanted to make for a long time, and others are sweaters - now is optimal sweater knitting because it is cool enough to be motivated and the cold will still be around long enough to enjoy the result.

First completed Christmas gift for this year, Harriet. Since babies don't read the internet I thought it would be okay to post a photo of the dear hippo in all her pinkness. Since baby knits are so addictive I'm sure Zoe will get more than just Harriet... maybe some leg warmies too.

Wildfire

2010-09-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

Coming into work this morning I entered into the gray, fragrant haze. And as I sit at my desk there is a looming plume of smoke over Boulder.

If you have not heard about the wildfire in Left Hand Canyon here is a recent Denver Post article, but any Google search will give you all kinds of information at this point. Also, here are more photos of the situation from the Denver Post.

The photos above are David's, he went out to the hill in Louisville yesterday. I really don't have any words to add. This is just so sad and I pray they get the blaze under control soon!

September is here and so am I

2010-09-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Somewhere back in July I decided I'd give up on blogging again until September. I didn't let you all in on the plan, but now the time is here.

There is so much going on in the summer that there is tons to blog about, but no time to do it. So from time to time this fall and winter I might bring out a few pictures or projects from this summer and share those with you too.

To kick off this blogging season here are a few photos from my Golden Birthday party last Saturday. It was a murder mystery party the theme being set in a trailer park. (Golden birthday because I turned 28 on the 28th)

This is David, dressed as Big Hoss

Taylor trying to figure out who he suspects

Katy and Andrew just looking awesome

We all had a lot of laughs and after the mystery was solved we had some great times playing catch phrase.

Mmmm Pie

2010-07-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

Summer being in full swing I have been out and about and have been making more plans to be out and about. But I haven't forgotten to take some photos to share with you so new posts are on their way!

There has been some home making-over, some baking, some knitting, and some traveling. And there will be some more traveling, house-guests, and so on.

Today I want to share with you a recipe for all those blueberries that are on sale. This past weekend I made a pie and I am super happy with the result - not too sweet, and so tasty! On the recommendation of David's aunt, who makes a killer blueberry pie, I used this filling and my favorite crust. Happy baking!

This and That

2010-05-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, I hope the spring weather has officially landed where-ever you may be. We FINALLY seem to have spring here in Colorado. No more snow storms please. I'm not usually one to complain about the snow, but I guess May 15th is my limit.

With the weather warming up the calendar begins to fill with fun get-togethers, trip, and cook-outs. I'm very excited about all the trips and visitors we have planned for the upcoming months, but more details on that as they actually happen.

I have still been knitting even with the weather warming up. My main current project is this "Spring Skirt". I'm about 5 inches father along than that picture shows, but it still feels like I have a long way to go.

My most recent FO (finished object) is the above photoed "Hooters". Truly it is not yet finished, I need to add the elastic strap so I can actually use it, and I do believe I will move the eyes closer together so it looks better when I have it on. Not that is won't look strange no matter what, but heck, a fun eye mask for traveling is nice little plus.

And continuing with my obsession to knit baby things, we have Mary Janes and Simple Booties. I l o v e how the Mary Janes turned out, but I'm a little meh about the Simple Booties, thoughts anyone?

Garage Sales

2010-05-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

The husband and I went out early (ish) Saturday morning to see what cool things we could find at the local garage sales. We are pretty thrilled with our finds!

I scored three old coffee tins of vintage buttons and a down puffy vest, but David really got the most deals.

He found two nice beer glasses, a 1937 Rand McNally Atlas, a Brook Swift bike seat, and good snow skis ($10!!!). Oh and we found this weird little solar charger for USB items.

Anyhow, we had lots of fun. Have you found any good deals lately?

Baby Knits - warning there is a lot of cuteness in this post

2010-04-27T09:08:00.001-07:00

I have been doing a lot of baby knitting. I have niece due late next month and I was commissioned for a few baby items.....and let's be honest, once you start knitting baby things it is really had to stop.

Last night I finished this braided ball (photo above) and then proceeded to play dodge ball with my husband. He thought is was a pretty cool baby toy. It squishes pretty easy and is super soft. I think I'm going to make a some more with other yarn leftovers. I was thinking it is a good toddler toy too because it can be thrown without hurting someone and it is easy for little hands to grab one of the single parts of the braid.

Okay, next baby item, well, items is a set that I think turned out super cute! This berry hat and baby legwarmies are knit from super yummy Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I was knitting these before church one Sunday and all the moms were freaking out about how awesome baby legwarmers are so I hope to knit some more of these for babies on the way.

Lastly, the two cute things I made for my soon-to-arrive niece. First this Blankie... which I am in love with. I seriously could have just kept it for my own lap blanket, I hope it becomes my niece's favorite blankie. This photo doesn't really do the colors justice so go ahead and click on the above link to see some more photos.

I also couldn't help but knit this cardigan. When I saw the Maile pattern awhile back I faved it, but didn't know when I'd get a chance to knit it. I think it turned out really great and I can't wait to see what it looks like on a baby, haha. The photo isn't great, but if I get an on baby shot I'll be sure to re-post a photo.

So have I inspired you to knit some baby items?

FO: Chocolate Jekylls

2010-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

This week I finally finished my Chocolate Jekyll Socks. I say "finally" because they have been on the needles since January, but I don't really mind that they took me so long. They were great purse knitting... on the bus, waiting for rides, and such. These also were set aside quite a bit... there was my sweater, a baby blanket, and a baby sweater that all took priority (see, I'm gonna be an aunt soon so I had to kick up the baby knitting).

This pattern, Jekyll & Hyde, was enjoyable. It was easy to memorize and it was still interesting to knit. I realize the actual texture of the sock is difficult to see, but I think it is best described as thermal looking.

I knit these socks because I was wanting some simple yet fun socks to wear with my ballet flats to work. These totally fit the bill. The yarn I used was Malabrigo Sock and it is wonderful! Super squishy and cozy. I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up since it is 100% superwash merino wool. I'll let you know!

Since I enjoyed having these socks as I side project I might just cast on another pair... not the same pattern, but again on my double points needles (dpns). For me, knitting socks on dpns is about enjoying the process of knitting a sock. When I cast socks on magic loop and two at a time it is generally cause I just can't wait to get them off the needles and on my feet!

Happy knitting all!

Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheddar Chowder

2010-04-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling veg deprived. In reality I haven't been, but with springy weather I just can't seem to get enough garden goodness (even though our local gardens aren't producing yet). I came across this Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheddar Chowder recipe on epicurious.com and thought it sounded like it was just what I needed. I did make some changes to the recipe so I thought I'd share my version with you - and I must note that although my husband doesn't like broccoli (unless it is raw and dipped in ranch) he gave me the go ahead to make this soup again!

A lot of my changes to recipe were just because that is what I had on hand so feel free to read through mine and the original and make your own changes - you could probably use milk in place of the half and half and cream cheese to reduce the fat even more.

3 small heads broccoli (1/2 pound)
3 new potatoes (1/2 pound)
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup neufchatel cheese (low fat cream cheese)
6 oz extra sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)

Cut the florets of the broccoli off, into about 1 inch florets. Cook florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain. Reserve 3 cups cooking water for chowder.

Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes - I leave the peal on. Cook potato, onion, bell pepper, broccoli stems, and garlic in butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and mustard and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in cream cheese,half and half, and cheddar cheese and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper.

Another job for your immersion blender here - remove pot from heat, insert immersion blender and puree until soup is partially pureed (use caution when blending hot liquids) or however smooth you want the soup. Add florets and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

The Lamb Shoppe

2010-04-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend Katy and I decided to check out a yarn shop in Denver that we had been hearing about, Lamb Shop pe. (photo snagged from their site)

It was very fun to browse around their shop. I took mental note of a few things... they have a wide selection of Cascade yarns (more than just 220), they have some Malabrigo, a few Zauberballs, and a selection of Rowan yarns as well.

I was most excited to find Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool. I have decided I am going to make Manu with this yarn, probably in the Dark Oak colorway. It is unique color, sort of gray, sort of brown, sort of plumb.

Overall this was a neat shop. It also has many drink choices and a coffee bar. There are a lot of tables and chairs so you can enjoy an afternoon of knitting without feeling like you are in the way. Katy and I sat and knit for at least an hour and never felt like we were being an imposition.

So if you are heading towards Denver and feel like taking a rest and a browse in a yarn shop I'd say check out Lamb Shoppe!

Lendrum Bag (and a bit of catch up)

2010-04-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have had quite a few blog posts written in my mind over the last month that haven't made it into type. I have completed quite a few baby projects this month. Some of them were for my niece, who is due to arrive next month (although more likely to be June). And some of the baby items have been for others to gift, which are fun just the same.

There has also been some crocheting. The hot-pad on the left was sent off for my cousin to enjoy.

Our Boulder Knitting Collective group had ourselves a crochet brunch workshop in March. At this workshop I attempted my first granny square and hot pad backing.

I have concluded that at this point my crochet likes are limited to baby blankets, afghans, and potholders. But in those three categories I do really enjoy the result. (hence the baby blanket for my niece - see link above)

Well, as the title of this point tells you I have new bag for my Lendrum spinning wheel! Hooray! The design and amazing construction of this bag was by SpinderellaBags. The owls (there is one on the back too) are my embroidery that was originally planned for a laptop bag that was an epic fail. I am so glad Lauren from Spinderella was able to save them from a much sadder fate.

I have more photos of my new bag on my flickr page, model shots and all.

I am very excited to have this bag, it makes my already portable wheel so much more portable. I am now able to pack up my wheel without worries of scratching or dining it as I take it to and from and in and out of the car. All that means I am much more likely to take it with me to knitting group/friend's houses and so on.

Currently spinning some silky angora and alpaca... soon to be made into some 3-ply amazingness.

FO: Oceanic Sweater

2010-03-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Tah dah!
So any of you who look at my Ravelry or my Flickr have already seen this finished sweater, but I thought I'd blog about it anyhow.

I am super happy with how this turned out. The original pattern from Madeli netosh is a cardigan called Tea Leaves. Cute enough cardigan, but the fit just wasn't for me.

After browsing through many finished cardigans I came across one finished sweater that was modified into a pullover, and I thought, that's it!
So I went about making my own modifications, which you can find on my project page. There was some frogging, but not too much. I actually has the sleeves already knit up from a sweater I started in October, but didn't really like.
The yarn is Berroco Ultral Alpac a. I am a fan of this yarn for its affordability and all the great colors.
So that is the low down on this new sweater. If you have any questions ask away!

Awards Ceremony

2010-03-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Last night at knit night we had our Ravelympics awards ceremony. Quite a few folks donated prizes for awards, so many in fact that we had extra and did some bonus drawing! (here's a refresher of my project) So here's what I scored...

1. I won our team category of "Best Use of Color" and my prize was this awesome necklaceI'm pretty excited about it cause I think it will be perfect and versatile for work. Even more importantly it was handmade by Kate, who you can find here at kstarr.etsy.com.

2. We also each got a participation prize - yeah, pretty sweet right? I received these two squishy skeins of Telemark 100% Peruvian Wool.With these two skeins I am envisioning some type of color work, cause navy and cream look awesome together - maybe a hat. But there is also the possibility of felting.

3. Lastly, I was SHOCKED to be drawn for one of the four "just cause" extra prizes. If you know me, you know that I NEVER win drawings, period. Let me just say this, I was once in a drawing for sock yarn. There were five other people, there were three prizes, and I did not win. So here was my extra prize of the night, Yarn Pirate Sock yarn.
This was a great prize because I was just saying that I wanted to make my next pair of socks dark blue! How perfect is that?

I am super stoked about all of my prizes, and we had a fun knit night too (of course). Up next, completed sweater awesomeness (I may be in love.).

The Sweater

2010-03-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

I have been sucked in by this sweater. Here is a progress photo from Sunday, things have changed since then. There is a chance I'll have it done this evening - I knit the sleeves back in the fall (for a different sweater) but I am going to be able to make them work for this one - yay! No time to type, must knit (well, actually work, but knitting will directly follow).

I have a Potholder

2010-03-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

Albeit a very large potholder, a potholder just the same.

I finished the last hexagon attachment on Sunday afternoon. I feel pretty good about my result. It is definitely larger than I anticipated, but not useless. It will be better for setting things on, rather then taking them out of the oven.

I did attempt to do some shrinking which got me down to 11 inches in diameter from 12 inches. Also, the washing revealed virtually every mistake I made, haha.

I have started another one, but this time I'm gonna leave out the third ring of the hexagon and see how much smaller that makes my potholder. I'd also like to try one with DK weight yarn. So the crochet adventures continue, but.....

... I am EXTREMELY excited about this beauty. I'm gonna go check my gauge for Manu, what project is getting you excited these days?

Hand-knits Wash Day

2010-02-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

It was time. They have endured a long winter.

Confessions of a Knitter

2010-02-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have knit with me know that I'm not so much into crochet. I have always thought that is has its place, but I never was excited about it.

I learned to crochet when I was approximately 7 years old. My grandma taught me - her kitchen scrubbies are well known in central Illinois. I didn't really do much with crochet, my cousin and I made chains long enough to go around the outside of the farmhouse and attempted a couple double crochet blankets. But.... I have been inspired.

This potholder on the right is by helloyarn. This is totally her photo, but there wasn't a post on her blog to the project and you all just HAD to see the beauty. This is the project page for this lovely potholder (and she has made others) and here is helloyarn's profile.

So yes, this inspired me, and my inspiration was a prefaced a bit by the fact that I have been subscribing to emma lamb's blog. She makes very cute crocheted things and this renewed my faith in the cuteness of some crocheted things. Although you'd think with this blanket on my couch I'd be inspired anyhow.

Thus began my latest endeavor, a hexagon potholder (the photo on the left - for those not on Rav). I have pulled out my old crochet knowledge and watched a couple videos to learn some new things and viola!

They aren't exactly right, but I'm learning and I'm happy with how they are turning out. I'll do my best to post a completed potholder when I have one.

At the end of the day I am still just a knitter, but now I am a knitter who can crochet. Have a great weekend!

Olympic Project Finished

2010-02-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Tah dah! I finished with a week to spare, but I decided against starting another project - I figure there is no need for knitting stress.

I finished binding-off on Sunday morning and got it blocking before heading off to church. I put a fan on it so I could wear it out in the evening.

I'm quite happy with how the colors came out, you never know what you'll get with self transitioning yarn. I'm not quite as happy with the size. It is definitely bigger than I anticipated. I think once I get used to it, I'll be a bigger fan. My husband said it looked good till I started striping it, ha!

Please excuse the poor photo quality. I seem to have no patience for getting a great photo these days. Anyhow, I think I prefer to wear it more like the photo on the right. When wearing it like the photo above I TOTALLY felt like I was wearing a bib.

So over all, a thumbs up, but it will take some getting used to and figuring out. I did make a few notes here on my project page if you decide to make this project too.

For now I continue with spinning a bobbin of angora (to go with some awesome alpaca) and knitting my side project socks and my stressful thrummed mittens.

David's Photography and an Update

2010-02-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

Some if you may remember way back this fall when I did a give away for my Blogaversary. Since then David has expanded his Etsy shop quite a bit (I find it quite impressive, but I have a bit of bias), and today only is being featured on Wozofoto (with the photo above).

This is a website that chooses an indie photographer and sells one of their photos at a discount for 24 hours. Following that 24hours they make the photograph available in their archive at regular price.

So please, check out Wozofoto and also have a look around David's shop - there are quite a few new photos.

Olympic Update: I'm done. Hahaha. Yup, yesterday I finished, blocked, and wore my Olympic Dawn. I have a few things to say and some photos to share. All that just to build some anticipation for my next post - soon to come!

Finally in the Mail

2010-02-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

After being completed for a month dear LuLu has been sitting staring at me. Probably thinking, "When on earth will this lady send me off to the awesome baby that is going to be my mama?!?!". Okay, well, I suppose if knit dolls could think then that would be what she was thinking. So last night she was packaged and today she is on the move.

I just absolutely love knit toys. They are just so snugly and homey. I hope that LuLu is well loved and drug through all the messes of childhood.

Speaking of knit toys, I am not usually one to plug a knitting book. In fact, I own two knitting books, both of which were gifts so listen closely. Itty Bitty Toys is such a great book! It is a book I actually plan to invest in at some point and has a ridiculous amount of cute projects! So check it out!

Olympic Update: Photo to come this weekend. I am on stripe number 13 of the 16 (I think). There are many many more stitches then when I began, so these stripes take quite awhile to complete. More to come.

Happy weekend to all!

President's Day

2010-02-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

Crazy! Three posts in four days, unbelievable. Well, I thought I should keep these updates rolling and may as well update on what has been going on around here. This weekend a couple good friends came to town for the weekend and we spent Saturday out at about. In the evening we have a handful of friends over for some Trivia Pursuit (I'm a fan of this new version - ignore the "fast track") and pizza.

Sunday, I my cold took full force. I spent the entire day on the couch. I have no idea how many movies I watched - some included A Letter to Three Wives, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Masterpiece Theather's Emma. Then off to bed at 9:30pm.

So, as you might imagine, with that much movie watching there has been some serious knitting. My progress is slowing down as with each row I gain at least 2 stitches and some rows 6, but it is coming together lovely.

Today I do have the day off, which I was super excited about on Friday, but really I would have had to take a sick day anyhow - which kills the excitement a bit.

I'll be knitting more this evening, but right now I'm off to the supermarket for some soup and bananas (and probably another box of tissues).

Weekend Update

2010-02-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

Here is the progress I have made thus far. I haven't had a lot of knitting time just yet, but today and tomorrow I plan to make myself a pot of tea and get knitting.

I am really liking the way the colors flow.

The Ravelympics

2010-02-11T08:31:00.001-08:00

I just had to get my blog up and running again because tomorrow the Ravelympics begin. For me, these are about as equally exciting as the actual Olympics (which I suppose isn't overwhelming excitement, but still fun!). For those of you who are not on Ravelry (therefore cannot click on the above link) let me share with you a brief explanation of Ravelympics.

What will happen is tomorrow night when the torch is lit my ravelympic team (my local knitting group) and I will cast on (start) our knitting projects. These projects cannot be cast on before the torch is lit and the goal is to complete them before the torch is put out at the closing ceremonies. Everyone sets their own personal goal of what would be challenging for them to complete in 17 days - and really in the end the only reward from the Ravelympics is personal victory.

BUT our team is going to give out a few prizes within our group. We will award fiber related prizes for:
--Most Yardage
--Epic Fail/You Tried!
--Most Ambitious Project
--Biggest Come Back
--Best Use of Color/Cables

Now, you must be curious what I have decided to knit. I have decided to knit Stephen West's Daybreak Shawl. I know, I know, some of you are thinking, "a SHAWL? really? why? you'll never wear a shawl!". I used to think this too until I started seeing all these cute photos of small and medium sized shawls being worn as scarves. Now, scarves are something I wear almost ever single day, all day. So, I think I will use this.

My main inspiration came from another project on Raverly by huckcity. She used the same yarn that I will be using (the two skeins photoed above) and it turned out super cute. I'm sorry if you don't have rav account but I don't feel comfortable posting her face on my blog since it isn't mine to be posting. Instead of posting hers here on the left is a model shot of the Daybreak.

So I plan to be posting photos of my progress throughout the olympics and maybe some thoughts on the actual Vancouver events too! What are you planning to knit during the Olympics?

testing

2010-02-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

don't worry folks i'm still here a month later... new post to come this evening!

Sewing: Pillows

2010-01-07T11:19:00.001-08:00

I need to make these.

Gift Post #1

2010-01-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

As often happens in the blog world, my amazing post with all the gifts I made was lost in cyber space. Yup, an hour of photos and typing gone so... instead you are going to get a few consecutive gift posts - exciting right? ha!

Today we'll start with gifts made for the Roeschely side of my family.

Photoed here on the left is Brad. Brad is my cousin's new husband. When he heard that I knit he enthusiastically asked if I could made things from alpaca. This enthusiasm scored him a pair of hand-spun alpaca convertible mittens. Instead of my standard loop and button for securing the flap I sewed a snap on the back of the hand and mitt. For the record, its official, I hate sewing on snaps.

The other gifts made for my cousins didn't get photographed, my apologies. But I can give you links to the sewing patterns - hooray! They each received a box bag and a draw string bag. The idea was that these could be a sort of travel set - the box bag for toiletries and the draw string for laundry or shoes. I included some Burt's Bees bath salts and chap stick. I think they were well liked, it was fun choosing fabric for both of them.

Up next: gifts for my mom

Year in Review: Projects

2010-01-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

I may be a little late for the "Year in Review" blog train, but I'm hopping aboard the caboose. This past year there have been some significant changes in my world. I published my first patterns, I registered my business with the US government, I moved to a new town, and started a new job. That seems like a short list for a whole year, but those are the most significant changes, there, of course, have been many others.

Below I have made a mosaic of some of my favorite projects from 2009. They are in no particular order and I just realized they don't include all of my favorite spinning projects, or my fabulous wheel, but another time I suppose. Below the photos are the Ravelry links for each project.

1. Poppy Doll, 2. Convertible Mitts, 3. Saturday Sweater. 4. Barn Raising Blanket, 5. Sunglasses Sock Case, 6. Cozy Leg Warmers, 7. B.O.B. Sweater, 8. Linen Shetland Shopper, 9. Wedding Wraps, 10. Alpaca Socks, 11. French Press Slippers, 12. Slouch Hat, 13. Wedding Cardi, 14. Second Chance Hat, 15. Sedum Cardigan

Merry Late Christmas

2009-12-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are continuing to enjoy the weekend. David and I have safely made it north central Illinois as we sit and freeze in my parents' 65 degree house (yeah they keep it that cold on purpose).

So we made it through Kansas and Missouri on Christmas Eve. We spent the last couple days with my in-laws in south central Illinois - enjoying wonderful food and lovely company. Today we also stopped in at my grandma's on our way up to my folks through the snow.

I had a pretty photo of ornaments to share with you today, but yeah, forgot to upload it before leaving home - sorry.

The rest of the plan this weekend is pretty simple - tomorrow Roeschley family Christmas, then Monday chill with my folks till we catch the train home in the afternoon.

Be safe and enjoy your weekend!

Christmas Party!

2009-12-17T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last night my local knitting groups had a most wonderful Christmas party! We had a lot of fun and a TON of yummy food. I took a new dip that I am now adding to my recipe box, Chipotle Spinach Artichoke Dip. I think my only changes were to double the artichokes (because I love them) and use canned artichokes (because I couldn't find frozen).

We did a gift exchange, yarn/knitting based of course. I am excited that I came home with this Zauberball (photoed on the left)!

I also have one in the Burnt Almonds colorway so I am considering making Daybreak by Stephen West. I haven't decided which Zauberball I might use, but I do have some chocolate brown Malabrigo Sock yarn that would go wonderful with either of them. Or I could do what alobsiger on Ravelry did and use both Zauberballs I have.

So what is you vote? Or do you have an even better pattern for the yarn?

Just keep knitting, just keep knitting... what do we do we knit

2009-12-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Just trying to keep up with Christmas commitments, ah! 1.5 legwarms to go plus 75% of a color-work mitten and possibly a reading pillow. But I really want to make caramels this weekend so we'll see what happens.

Above is a reading pillow that my friend is giving in a Christmas exchange (we exchanged: my sewing for her yarn). And to the left are a pair of custom mitts I made for my Etsy.

Hope all your creative gifts are coming together!

Boot Liners

2009-12-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

I generally don't talk much about shopping but these I had to share.....

Target has some very cool galoshes for women and I was lucky enough to find a returned pair at the Target in Fort Wayne, Indiana two years ago for $8!! Needless to say I snatched them right up.

When we lived in the valley, being the desert that it is, I didn't wear them very often but I did where them when I could. Now that we are farther north and into a little more precipitation I have been wearing them much more.

I don't own winter boots. I own my galoshes and hiking boots. And although there are some super cute winter boots out there, I am cheap. My hiking boots work for snow shoeing, which is my only extended time in the snow (other than skiing which has its own boots). Because of that I just wear my galoshes to and from the bus etc. because they keep the snow out though they aren't that warm. Until now!

Browsing Target I came across these (photo above) boot liners for galoshes! How perfect. You are probably saying, "But Emmy, you are a knitter and you know people who are really good at felting, why not just make some?" Point taken, and I had considered it last fall, but I was always afraid they would be too thick and make my boots not fit - plus I didn't find the project to be very motivating when I could be making sweaters.

So for now I have picked up an ivory pair of these fleece boot liners for $10 and am perfectly happy.... maybe in a few years I'll tackle making some awesome knitted ones, but for now my toes are warm on the way to the gym.

Slippers, with much love

2009-12-03T15:01:00.001-08:00

We are just gonna pretend that I have been away for awhile making all kinds of secret Christmas things. :)

I have a new knit that I am in love with, these slippers. I wear them ALL the time. They are so warm and so gosh-darn-cute! The pattern is called French Press Felted Slippers and it has been all over Ravelry! They are called "French Press" because that is the name of Melynda Bernardi's Etsy shop.

They slippers are super quick to knit up on size 15 needles and even the felting went pretty quick, but the seaming slowed me down a little. I know, I know, it is hardly ANY seaming, but even so. And I should clarify, that even though I say "slowed me down" they were still done in two days, so yeah, not that daunting.

So if you are looking to treat yourself or for some awesome Christmas gifts - this is your pattern!

Something to Try Out this Weekend

2009-11-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

Bread without a timetable. I would say it was good. It was on the dense and heavy side, but that is usually fine for toast (my main habit). But it did mold quicker than most of my breads, could have been the bag it was in though. Anyhow, check it out.

Approved!

2009-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

David's second chance hat has been approved!

Some of you may remember this hat which I knit for him in February. Well, that hat wasn't "warm enough","tight enough", or "thick enough". So that hat become this hat, which I love.

So that left David without a hat and left me with a challenge. I debated about what fiber to use.

Since he wanted it to be warmer I considered using either angora or alpaca, but I decided alpaca had more drape than I wanted and angora was just WAY too warm. Despite his claims for more warmth I also know that he is rarely super cold. So I chose to go with good old fashion wool. Targhee to be specific.

For the tightness I went with a smaller needle size - US 3, 3.25mm - and of course, casted on few stitches then I generally would have - total 110 stitches. I was using my own hand-spun/hand-dyed that was a worsted weight yarn (9 wraps per inch).

To make the hat thicker I decided to do a double layer. I looked at some patterns on Ravelry and sorta went by what they said for the initial couple increases, but in the end didn't really follow their pattern. What looks like a giant tampon over on the left is what the final product looked like. It measured 22 inches... if I had the patience I probably should have made it 23 inches, but I'll blame it on my calculations.

So those were my adventures in designing David's new hat. I am so glad he likes as much as I do - though he is quite as excited as I am, but that is how things generally go, ha ha.

Tomorrow my Etsy shop will be closed in the evening as I am taking everything to a local home show. If you are in the area and have handmade Christmas shopping to do please come by for wine, appetizers and shopping!

This show is in Broomfield, Colorado at 1646 Redwing Lane (near 136th and Sheridan) from 6pm- 9pm, tomorrow November 18th!

If you have any questions leave me a comment with your email address, thanks!

Tah-Dah!

2009-11-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

I had to try so hard not to post this until my friend received it, but then I dropped the ball and didn't post it at all! So here it is, may I present the wedding barn raising quilt!

The top photo has more correct color balance (the snow was reflecting a LOT of light into the living room). I am thrilled with how the blanket turned out. I did block it after seaming and it made all the difference in the world. Prior to blocking I was afraid it was going to be too small to be a good couch blanket, since I wasn't aiming for a lap blanket, but in the end I think it worked out well.

One fun thing about this blanket it includes some milestone yarns. The yarn from the recipients first pair of socks, yarn from a thrift store trip we took together to Taos, yarn from her lost water bottle cozy, some of my first hand-spun, and a square of yarn from the town she plans to move to next year. I think it is fun to have those squares with memories.

Stay warm ya all ~ we have some fresh wet snow on the ground!

Casting On

2009-11-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

These mittens will be for my sister-in-law for Christmas. No worries she knows they are coming. I decided to let her choose the pattern and colors because why just guess what someone would like.

The pattern is Citrus from Kris Patay of Kris Knits. It isn't a pattern I would have chosen for myself, but I think it will be fun to knit.

This orange, in real life, is actually much less red, but you get the idea, it's pretty.

The yarn is Digit - the orange was maize heathered (I dyed it) and the natural is their ecru solid. I inherited this yarn in a crafty swap and so far I am really enjoying knitting with it.

My only hesitation with this project is that I cast onto US 0 for this project. Yes, that is correct size 0 or metric 2 - I love how the knitting looks, the fabric look so fine and neat, but I hope I have the endurance. Honestly, this is probably good training for socks on my zeros because that is what I am really excited to knit on these beautiful rosewood zeros (thanks again Claire!).

I had better get back to work...

FO: Brainless Socks

2009-11-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

I was looking through my blog yesterday doing a little eval of topics I've posted about recently and there defiantly aren't enough Finshed Objects (FOs). So, I am going to try to remedy this, starting today.

These are my new brainless socks. I knitted them using the magic loop technique on size one needles. I have had this project on the needles since August. Originally I cast these on as a knitting distraction from my two larger wedding projects - wraps and blanket - and they did help a little bit.

The amazing yarn is hand dyed from the land down under. Hyena Petticoats is the artist, she has a blog and an online store. The color in the shot does not do justice to the awesome mustardy color so check out her websites.

As I mentioned the pattern is called "Brainless" and that is is in general. I had a knitting block when I got to turning the heel, but is because it had been awhile since I had knit toe up socks. The pattern can be found on Ravelry, for free, and the publisher is yarnissima.

I have yet to weave in the cuff ends, but I have already worn them a lot, just tucking in the ends - so LAZY! Okay, more to come on Christmas presents! Have a lovely Tuesday.

New Pattern - Convertible Fingerless Mitts

2009-11-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have known we awhile are probably thinking, "what? this isn't a new pattern, I thought you published this a long time ago." Uh, well, I'm a procrastinator so the pattern has been done, just not edited, since probably August, maybe earlier, who can remember. But the important thing is now it is up for sale.

This makes a total of four published patterns and they all can be found here in my Ravelry Shop. The three for sale can also be found in my Etsy shop - the free one you can find on the right column of this blog.

Happy knitting everyone!

The Shelf

2009-10-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

I purchased this plain off white shelf from Craigslist for $15 and spent some time trying to figure out what to do with it. My initial reason for the purchase was to use it in the kitchen for tea and such, but it was so deep it blocked my light above the sink.

When Claire was visiting we did some brainstorming. Tried it in both bathrooms and the dining room. The dining room won and we chose the paint colors - chocolate brown and type of robins egg/teal.

David and I happened to be near Home Depot one weekend so we stopped in and got the paint we needed. They now have those nifty sample sizes which are perfect for projects like this. The very unhappy paint mixing lady got us all set up and we were off to begin our project.

You may note this became "our" project. This is because David really likes to paint. Not only does he like to paint, he prefers tedious or detailed painting. This is yet another reason he completes me. I prefer a large flat surface to slather paint all over, no edging for me.

It took me a little while to figure out what to put on the shelf, but eventually I found a few things that I think come together nicely.
Sorry the above and some of the following photos are blurry and ill composed. It was late and I was being impatient with the camera.

The coffee pot on the top shelf is a Jebena from Ethiopia, it survived the journey home with David, surprisingly. The clay cup next to is one I picked up in Swaziland. The yellow basket is a very old sewing basket passed down to me from David's grandma Helmuth.

On the shelf are some books on dyeing yarn and tying climbing knots. The pipes on top of the book are also both from Africa. The hand blown glass sand timer is a gift from my mom ages ago. Then there are a couple of vintage cards and a photos of my brother and I from back in the 80's.

Oh and the pretty orchids on the table a generous gift from my boss, and so far I haven't killed them, hooray!

My Weekend

2009-10-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

This is what my weekend looked like. Lots of tea, knitting, and the dvd player remote. Most of my time was spent all snuggled in by a nice warm fire watching the snow fall and Agatha Christie mysteries (by the way, I am LOVING our wood burning stove).

I am determined to get Julia's sweater finished in the next 48 hours and I am definitely gaining ground. I have 2/3 of a sleeve and the collar to go. I do have buttons, but I'm not too keen on them so I plan to look for something better when I get the chance. And, actually, our knitting group it taking a jaunt down to Fancy Tiger tomorrow so maybe I will find something super cool down there.

What did you do this weekend?

The Winners!!!

2009-10-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

Now announcing the winners for the Blogaversary prizes! David randomly drew numbers and our winners are......Corvus, winning my hand-spun yarn, and scottishbunny2003, snagging David's sweet photo.

Thanks so much for joining in on this Blogaversary celebration. I have so enjoyed reading all of your comments, thank you so very much and keep them coming.

Don't forget to give David a little love over at his Etsy shop. And stay tuned, I'll be back next week with some knitting updates, Christmas present plans, and new recipes.

Up and Running

2009-10-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Alright ya all, your chance to enter the drawing ends tonight at midnight mountain standard time. I shall announce the winner tomorrow (cause hopefully I won't be up that late tonight).

Here's an exciting tid-bit of news, David's shop is up and running! Hoorah! Head on over there and show him some support - dhelmuth.etsy.com

A last look at the two loverly prizes....

Thursday Chance

2009-10-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

I'm a schmo and didn't get a chance to post yesterday so technically this is your Thursday opportunity to enter the drawing. On the bright side I made huge progress on a project, but it is a secret for now.

This Seasons New Hat

2009-10-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is my new slouch hat that I just love. David says it looks frumpy (shout out to Sammie ;) ), but I like it anyhow.

The pattern is Felicity and can be found on Ravelry as well. I followed the pattern , just adjusted my needle size. This yarn is my own hand spun, hand dyed. You may recognize it from this post and this post.

If you haven't checked out the give-aways for this week look at my blogaversary post!

Gray hat for a Grey Day

2009-10-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Two years blogging also means two years of having an Etsy shop. As I have said before, I hope to one day make Etsy my full time job, but for now I will enjoy the shop as it is.

I have been slow to add new items this fall - ya know, new job, new apartment, and custom orders have been keeping me occupied. But, for this week of Blogaverary celebration I wanted to be sure to add some new items to the shop.

Today started off sunny and warm, but has turned wintry, gray and cloudy - so, I thought I'd add a new Gray Wool Hat to my shop in light of the turn the day has taken. This hat is great because it is one of the few things in my shop that is truly a unisex gift. It can be so hard to buy the menfolk sometimes, but I like finding items like these cause then if the hubby doesn't like it I can wear it! ha.

If you haven't seen this week's give-aways be sure to click on the blogaverary link above.

Blogaversary!

2009-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

What a busy day. Lots of work at work, grocery shopping after work, and then I felt the need to be a foodie till my about 9:30pm. I made myself a pork chop with roasted asparagus and honey balsamic glazed carrots (yum). Following that I canned six jars of strawberry jam and made olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade. But believe it or not today's post isn't about food.... it is my blogaversary!

It has been two whole years of blogging, unbelievable. In honor of my two years typing I decided to have a sweet give away for all you faithful readers (and the newbies too).

Fun thing number 1 to Give Away:
Hand Spun, Hand Dyed Yarn

This lovey skein over here on the right is 320 yards of my personal spindle spun super wash wool. It is called Sapphire Rising.

Fun thing number 2 to Give Away:
The HDR Photo Above

In honor of my two years I'm gonna give my hubby a little boost as he prepares to open his Etsy shop this week (since there isn't anything there just yet have a look at his Flickr)! Some lucky winner will receive an 8x12 photo of the gorgeous fence and sunset shown above.

How do you win these exciting items you ask? Well, let me tell you.

Leave a comment with "Yarn!" or "Photo!" or both! The two winners will be posted on Friday.

I plan to post each day this week and with each additional post you can make another comment that will be entered in the drawing. So, that means you could have your name entered up to five times!

What are you waiting for my friend, post your comment and share the fun with your friends.

Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp

2009-10-13T13:47:00.001-07:00

Made this last night - it is perfect with plain yogurt! My only changes were to use pecans instead of almonds and I left the peel on my apples (mainly out of laziness), enjoy!

Weekend Update

2009-10-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, it is the end of another work day. And this one included a chimichanga at lunch so there are no complaints here.

My weekend had a long "to-do" list attached to it and I'd say I feel pretty good about my accomplishments. Although, I will admit that I added more projects to my list than I finished.

My Saturday morning was spent tidying the house (check that off the list), balancing our budget (check), and hanging pictures and such (check). These cuties photoed are in our bathroom, what do you think? David really doesn't like them. But they are so functional!

In the afternoon a friend and I head down to Denver. Our only real goal was to visit Fancy Tiger. Goal accomplished, as well as a couple hours of coffee house knitting. Fancy Tiger is a great craft boutique. Their fabric had me fondling and wide eyed. Not to mention the books, yarn, fiber, and needle point. It is a modest sized store, but there is a very lovely selection.

Sunday I worked on some more projects. Recipes to try this week (check), grocery list (check), paint mirror frame (more to come on this project - check), cut fabric from Christmas presents (check), and relax with hubby.

All in all a wonderful weekend. Oh and did I mention it snowed this weekend. Yup, the first snow of the season. It wasn't inches or anything, but it has stuck around. And it looks pretty lovely with the autumn colors.

Stay warm!

The Wedding

2009-10-07T15:42:00.001-07:00

No not my wedding that was four years ago - yeah FOUR, crazy! Actually we celebrated last week, our anniversary was October 2nd. But, the wedding I'm about to post was my dear cousin's in Virginia. I was her matron o' honor and David did some photography for the big day. Oh and did I mention I knit the wraps for the bridesmaids? - just thought I should throw that in. Anyhow, hope you enjoy the photos.

Yarn Crawl

2009-10-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

The last Saturday in September a car full of ladies from my new knitting group and myself headed north for a yarn crawl. If you haven't heard of a yarn crawl let me explain (if you have, you can skip to the next paragraph). A yarn crawl is a progressive shopping trip centered around yarn. Generally these trips are taken in groups and often they are to new or somewhat distant locations (meaning not just your local yarn shop).

Our trip was Fort Collins based, about an hour drive. The first stop was Lambspun. This shop had many varieties of yarn as well as a small, but quality, fiber selection. I didn't make any purchases at this shop, but I did enjoy looking around.

Next up on our stops was My Sister Knits. This shop also had a lot to offer. First, the setting of the shop is just beautiful! It in an old carriage house behind a gorgeous walk through garden area. The shop had many yarns that I use and look at often such as Cascade and Manos del Uruguay. At this shop I found a deal in their sale section. Four skeins of Harrisville Designs New England Shetland. These colors will make some wonderful mittens!

Our last traveling stop was at a shop in Loveland, CO, which is between Fort Collins and Louisville. The shop is called Woolen Treasures. If you ever get the chance to stop by this shop I highly recommend it. She has a great button selection and at the moment a lot of wonderful varieties of alpaca yarns. I picked up this beautiful ball of Schoppel-Wolle called Zauberball - it is going to make some pretty amazing socks.

Those are all of my latest finds. Following our yarn crawl I did manage to find some yarn perfect for my next sweater, more to come on that later.

Bloggers

2009-09-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

So yesterday David happened to notice that there was a book signing in Denver that he had been interested in and since one of our reasons for moving closer to a city was to actually attend events like this we decided to go.

The signing was at the Tattered Cover Bookstore. I had heard about this bookstore from reading The Yarn Harlot's blog (that is where she had her book signing) and it sounded like a cool place, and it definitely was. We had a nice time and some good laughs.

Anyhow, the book being signed was Cake Wrecks:When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong. The book originated from the Cake Wrecks blog. If you haven't seen the blog before you should check it out, there are some pretty funny mistakes out there.

I got quite a bit of sock knitting done at the book signing last night, that was a nice change. I am closing in on the Barn Raising Quilt! I have two squares left to knit and I have 1/4 of the seaming done! It looks pretty cool if I do say so myself - and I realized from looking at back at my blog posts I started this in February! It is no wonder I am antsy to finish it up. Photos to come!

Frogging

2009-09-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

I this summer I did some evaluating of projects which led to some ripping out.

First was the hat I had made for David our of my lovely hand dyed, hand spun merino. The photo on the left is of the yarn after frogging the hat, and the hat is pictured to the left.

He really liked the yarn and the look of the hat, but decided he would prefer something tighter knit and thicker. So my plan this winter is to make a double knit alpaca hat on smaller needles. I realized that hat was the only thing I had ever knit for him, and now it is frogged, ha.

My new plan for this yarn is to make the Felicity hat for myself. I hope I get to start on it soon, Wednesday's high was 45, but Monday's is 80 so we'll see.
Next we have my Razor Tank. It was frogged because each time I put it on this past summer I took it off right away. So no wearing means time to use the yarn for other things. I don't have anything specific in mind for this yarn. I have roughly 400 yards. At this point I'm leaning towards a scarf for my Etsy shop, but let me know if any of you have other bright ideas.

No worries, I haven't gone ripping out any of my sweaters just yet. Although, I haven't really been wearing my caplet or bolero. I think I might start wearing the caplet again with long sleeves. If I take apart the bolero I just don't know what I would do with that amount of hand spun cotton . But I'm open to discussing it. Thoughts?

Spinning Spinning

2009-09-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have shared the fruits of my spinning. I don't believe I have formally introduced you all to my new Lendrum wheel, but I still don't have pictures so instead you get to see the first fruits.

I purchased her in July when I got my current job. And I am so glad I did. I have very much enjoyed my two months spinning and look forward to many more skeins.

(click any of the photos to make huge)

The photo on the top left is of some hand dyed merino I purchased at S huttles, Spindles, and Skeins when I bought my wheel. I have not yet decided what to do with this smooshy yarn, but I'm leaning towards a hat and mitten set for the shop.

These brown and natural skeins on the right were spindle spun and then wheel plied. This means that I made two single strands by spinning on my spindle and then spun them together on the wheel. The fiber is Colorado fiber from the Taos Wool Festival last October (oh my gosh, that was almost a year ago! - the fest not the spinning).

Next is a single skein of 100% silk that I spun on the wheel I borrowed for a year, and then plied it on my new wheel. I spun the silk before I dyed it which got a bit boring, but I LOVE the end results.

Lastly, my most recent finished spinning project is this amazing silk and merino mix. I cannot describe how snuggly it is. The color is a mysterious lavender, silver, and blue. Again, I am uncertain what these two skeins may become, but I'm thinking something for the Etsy.
Well, I hope you enjoyed catching up on what I have been spinning. Please leave a lil' comment with which skein is your favorite, I'm always curious to know what other folks like.

Oatmeal Bread

2009-09-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Home made bread. There just doesn't seem to be anything quite as good, and I just love the way the smell fills the house. I hadn't been able to make bread for the past two years. Well, I guess that isn't true. Let's say I hadn't succeeded in making bread in the past two years living at 7,500 feet - though others definitely do have success. So now that I am at just over a mile high, around 5,800 feet, success is mine once again. Below I listed the recipe I used, as well as the alterations I made. The only thing not noted is that my white flour is high gluten flour, but lowlanders don't need to worry about that, ha ha. I plan to try some more bread or rolls this weekend because I have just received a hand-me-down kitchen aid mixer - hurrah! Happy baking!

Oatmeal Bread from More with Less

Combine in a large bowl:
1c. quick oats (I pulsed reg. oats in the food processor)
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. salt (I used less)
2 T. butter

Pour over:
2 c. boiling water

Stir to combine

Dissolve:
1 pkg. dry yeast in
1/2 c. warm water
When batter is cooled to lukewarm, add yeast.

Stir in:
5 cups white flour (I used 4 c. white flour and 1 c. wheat germ)
When dough is stiff enough to handle, turn onto floured board and knead for 5-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled. Punch down and let rise again. Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased 9x5x3" pans. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Cool on rack, brushing loaves with butter for a soft crust.

Time to Spare

2009-09-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here I am with 15 minutes of time to spare, access to the internet, but alas I do not have my flash drive with me (so no photos).

David and I have completed all of our travels for the month of September. It was lovely, but it will be nice to spend a little time being bored at home. We traveled to Missouri, Illinois, Washington DC, Virginia, and back again.

I have a blogging plan. At some point this weekend I will spend time at the library prepping posts with interesting photos and all. Then throughout the week I will actually post them. I know, I know... promises, promises you say, but this time I really mean it! I have the very best of intentions.

Tonight is the season premier of The Office - the only TV show I really pay attention to. A fellow knitter and I are getting together with our men folk to celebrate and watch (and eat cupcakes and popcorn).

All this to say you'll be hearing from soon. Now, time to go check out some furniture I found on Craigslist. Tah

The Kitchen Christening

2009-08-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

My weekend mostly consisted of Sunday. I don't really remember what happened on Saturday, but I'm sure something did. I vaguely remember the farmer's market, picking up a vacuum from freecycle, and going to the library. Oh, that's right, we went to a movie (Julie & Julia - we recommend it). That is what I did with my Saturday. But Sunday...

Sunday afternoon in its entirety was spent in the kitchen. The afternoon produced salsa, pickles, and bread. I am pleased as punch with all of them, except I want more pickles, which I believe I will make happen.

I promise to share the recipes for all three, and since they aren't with me today you will have to be held in suspense. But for you viewing pleasure here is the birthday cake that David made for me. I am sure he made it just as much for himself (because he loves cake), but I'll pretend it was all for me. I still can't put my finger on why I love yellow cake with chocolate frosting - somehow it has the perfect balance.

And here's a glimpse at my birthday flowers from my boss, yay.

Recipes and knitting to come!

A Happy Birthday Indeed

2009-08-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Good morning, I decided that since it is by birthday for my morning break I would read blogs and write a little note on mine.

Thanks for all the comments welcoming me back to internet life. It is always so nice to hear from you folks who stop in to read my ramblings.

My b-day has gone well so far, I received flowers and chocolate from one of my bosses, a friend is taking me out for lunch, and another dear friend is coming into town tonight. And I think last night was the last one for the air mattress - we bought a bed yesterday! Oh what a blessing is Craigslist for the thrifty.

In the knitting world... I have been attending the Boulder Knitter's group meeting the last two Wednesdays and it has been quite fun. Always nice to meet folks in the area with similar interests.

Our first meeting was in a shop that is going out of business, which meant serious bargains. I was able to get my hands on some Berroco NaturLin for this #12 skirt from Knit.1. The color I found doesn't do anything for my skin tone, it's call oats, but I plan to figure out something for dyeing it - maybe navy... any other good color ideas? I already have a great black skirt and brown skirt.

(Beautiful skirt photo ganked from mintyfresh's project - she has some great work, check out her projects)

Work beckons... hasta luego!

Coming Up for Air

2009-08-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all of my faithful 13 readers. Let the silence be broken. I am moved (for the most part, Illinois leg yet to be done) and will hopefully soon be able to start blogging again.

David and I have not yet signed up for internet at home. A pain yes, but the library is free. At this point any little internet break I take at work consists of looking at Craigslist for furniture. So far so good on that front. We have scored a love-seat with a pull out twin bed, and cute table with two chairs that is awaiting our refinishing efforts.

Work is going well - for those who can't quite recall I am working as a paralegal in two immigration lawyers' offices. It is nice to be busy at work. I am learning quite a lot, as one always does when starting a new job. Still need to add to my work wardrobe, but that will come in time (and moo-lah).

I have hopes of adding some new knitting to my shop, but not until these September weddings have gone by. So until the next post, which will hopefully have some photos, just imagine mustard colored sock (oh yes).

Honey Carmel Peach Pie

2009-08-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

>>>>> I just found this post saved in my drafts. I supposed I never posted it because I never took photos of the pie. But it was really good so you should check out the recipe and just ignore my unfinished typing. >>>>>>>>>>>>

Here in Colorado the peaches are ripe and all over the markets. I very much enjoy peaches, but generally not as a hand fruit. I like them in milkshakes and smoothies, on ice cream, and in pie. As I was reading my July issue of Gourmet (thanks again Esther) I was flagging things that sounded yummy and this Honey Carmel Peach Pie was one of those things.

SLV Folk Art and Fiber Festival

2009-07-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

It looks like I'm becoming a once a week blogger. I was looking through my photos and I realized I never shared our local fiber fest with you. Don't worry though, I'm still planning to share my fiber surprise with you, I just haven't gotten the chance to take photos of the beauty yet.

So the fiber festival was July 10th-12th (which now seems like months ago). I was able to go for a bit in the morning on the 11th. Claire and I meandered around the park peeking in booths. It seemed there were many more vendors than last year.

I didn't buy anything, but I did complete a trade with a friend of mine. I had knit her some fair isle mits and in exchange she gave me 6 ounces of polworth fleece as well as fine targhee fleece. So I went home very happy.

Our lys owner was at the fest with her wonderful booth. I'm excited for the Yarn Gallery grand opening townards the end of August!

Speaking of the end of August... we got the two bedroom apartment in Louisville! We are very excited. I have been busy with all the transition details, but soon we'll be trasitioning. I move up about a week and a half before David and then we don't actually move our things in until another two weeks so this will be a long process. Hopefully I'll have some interesting photos and projects along the way.

Current wedding wrap status: 12 of 17 inches into wrap number 4 of 5 required (but maybe 6)

text only update

2009-07-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks no exciting photos, but I thought I'd give you a brief update on all the transitions.

I officially will be working in south Boulder, CO as of August 12th. I am very excited. I have accepted a two paralegal positions working part time for two lawyers (in the same office) which equals a full time position. I have so very much to learn!

David and I made a whirlwind trip looking for apartments this weekend. I am exhausted, but we found a place in Louisville that we are excited about. We have our application in and we are hoping to hear soon about getting the place. If we get it then I'll pass on further stats.

Lastly, I have a surprise for you fiber lovers. While we were in Boulder we went to Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins, and I happened to pick up special something. Details and photos in the next post, so stay tuned.

Wedding Wraps for a Distraction

2009-07-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

So I have been knitting furiously to keep myself from going nuts waiting to hear about the job for which I interviewed. I will admit my focus is better this week than waiting hear last week. Last Friday I found out I was in the top two and I am supposed to find out today one way or another, but it is nearly five and no news. It's alright, I'll lean on the "no news is good news" phrase and keep my patience growing.

In all this waiting I have completed the second bridesmaid wrap and have 4 more inches to go on the third. I have also found that I very much prefer twisting the fringe to braiding it. Braiding takes about 4 hours and twisting takes more like 2 hours - if I remember right.

The pattern is the Phiaro Scarf from Interweave and here is the Ravelry link. For these wraps I am knitting the bamboo satin on US 5 needles. I am casting on 180 stitches using the long tail method and knitting until the fabric measures 17 inches.

We will be wearing the wraps with these great dresses from Target.

If I keep knitting at this rate I should be able to get them done before we move on from the valley.

Please excuse the bra straps in the back photo and my odd expression in the other. It was late and I just wanted to show you all how great it looks across the shoulders.

Mail!

2009-07-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the mail was very exciting!

First of all we received a beautiful wedding invitation. Lovely handmade paper and earth tones.

Also we received a sweet birth announcement of a college friend.

And lastly, I got this fabulous skein of sock yarn. I claimed it on Ravelry and offered some of my handspun up in exchange. It is just the color I was hoping it would be and it finally arrived all the way from Australia.

Of course, I can't cast of for socks until I make some more wrap progress (update later).

This weekend is the SLV Folk Art and Fiber Festival it should be a lovely time, have a good one!

I have returned.... and made pizza

2009-07-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

I have returned from my journey to Ohio and back. Overall it was a very nice trip. Rather exhausting work, but we really enjoyed seeing family and friends - and being back in the lush mid-west. Good news, the van's air conditioning didn't stop working until we go back to Colorado, thankfully.

I left my flash drive at home so I can't share any knitting updates so instead I'll share with you the amazing pizza I made last night. My usual pizza making involves honey wheat crust with pesto sauce. This is all well and good, but sometimes you just need some tomato saucy white crust pizza.

Start by getting the dough rising. I used Smitten Kitchen's Stand-by Crust. I'll admit I was afraid it wasn't going to rise for me, but it was just testing my patience. I had to wait the full hour as instructed.

Once you have the crust rising then get started on the homemade sauce. I have shared that recipe before, but now I can personally recommend it. I barely even tweeked it. I just added a little extra garlic. So easy and so good. If a bit spicy isn't your thing then you might want to reduce the red pepper flakes. Also, I had a pint of sauce left over from making one pizza.

While the sauce simmers and the dough rises you can prep your toppings. I used a poblano pepper, hard salami, kalmata olives, and fresh mozzarella.

Seriously, wonderful. It definately hit the spot for me, and David kept cutting one piece after another so... give it a try.

Side note: while I was picking up my pizza toppings at the store I came across lychees!!!! This was my absolute favorite fruit when I spent time in Mozambique and I have never been able to find fresh ones in States, until now. The ones I found were at Safeway and are a product of Mexico, but I bet Meijer would have them as well. If you've never tried them go get a few - enjoy!

Weekend Treats

2009-06-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend my kitchen and I had some bonding time. Dishes and treats made this weekend include: pasta salad, nectarine jam, waffles, and chocolate layer cake.

The pasta salad was your run-of-the-mill type salad. The pasta used was orzo and I tossed it with feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomato, and homemade Greek dressing.

Now let's talk jam. I work/live in a non-for-profit and we are often given expired or expiring food. These nectarines fit that description so we decided to whip up some jam.

This was the first time I used "natural pectin" by cooking tart apples and lemons. I am fairly happy with the result. The jam is definately less solid than jams I have made using store bought pectin, but not watery.

The flavor of this jam is very fresh and the color is beautiful! Yet another happy canning experience.

We'll skip over most of the waffle details since they are generally uninteresting. But this is the first time I made waffles using the recipe my mom always used from my ABC Gold Medal Flour Cookbook. The most interesting difference is beating the egg whites to stiff peak state.

Moving on to chocolate layer cake. Today is a dear friend's birthday and so I decided she must have cake. Her choice was chocolate chocolate, that is always David's choice too. Since I am a high altitude baker I picked up my copy of The Joy of Cooking to find the right recipe.

I decided on chocolate fudge cake - but I didn't make the recommend frosting. I used all of their altitude corrects except I forgot to sour my milk. I'm glad to say my forgetfulness did not make a difference.

For frosting I made your standard powdered sugar, butter, cocoa, and vanilla frosting.

I am now going to go share a piece with my friend because the work day is over, hooray! And on a side note, please send up your prayers for me tomorrow. I will be driving some and interviewing for a paralegal position that I think I really want! Thanks!

New Etsy Item

2009-06-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd share with you the latest addition to my Etsy shop. I know it seems odd to add alpaca mitts to my shop in June, but hey, it is winter somewhere, right?

I designed these mitts quite awhile back, but just recently wrote out the pattern.

I plan to offer the pattern for sale at some point this summer so you can gear up for the fall.

Featherweight Cardigan Saga

2009-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Before you ask, no. I didn't accomplish yesterday's goal to finish one mitt so we are just going to move on...

The Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig and published on knitbot. This is the beauty that I knit twice. Grab a cup of tea and sit back to hear the tale of the twice knit.

In early May I decided I would knit a white(ish) cardigan for a wedding we were attending the first weekend in June. Not only would it be cute, but it would make about three more of my "dressy" outfits more versatile.

I knew it would take awhile because it is for summer so I wanted to knit it with a finer yarn. I scouted out my local yarn shop and found some squishy merino silk mix in lace weight that was perfect for this project. I decided to get one skein since I wasn't sure how far using a double strand on size 6 needles would get me.

I followed the pattern pretty much to the letter, except for the part where you are supposed to check you gauge. I mean, I looked at it a little, but not in depth. I just kept knitting away. At one point I thought, "Sheesh, these arm holes are rather large." But when I would try it on I'd convince myself that somehow it was going to look just fine.

This knitting in uncertainty continued till the end of May. I started to realize my deadline for finishing this cardigan, it was a Thursday. I needed to pack it on the following Tuesday night so I needed to finish it by that Sunday night (so it would have time to dry from being blocked).

Because of this realization I decided I better knit fast and it looked I was going to need another skein for the last inch of the collar. So I headed over to the yarn shop.

For reasons beyond the control of the actual yarn shop owner, the people watching the shop had decided to close early. I thought no problem, I'll just come back tomorrow (Friday) and get my skein - I looked through the window to be sure it was there and it was.

Well, I had forgotten about the Pagosa Spring Fiber Festival that was starting on Friday night and going through the weekend. When I got to the shop on Friday I realized my error as quite a bit of yarn that was there the night before was taken out of the shop for the fest - including the skein I needed.

I knew that if I pulled out the entire cardigan and reknit it so that it wasn't too big I would probably have exactly enough yarn to finish it, but I thought "there is NO way I have time for that, I'm leaving in 4 days!".

What to do? I thought just maybe they yarn hadn't yet been taken to over the mountain just yet. So I got out the phone book (first time in years) and looked up the home number of my lys owner. From there I got her cell and caught her on the road.

Let's just say she is AMAZING! She stopped by my office on her way through town and we opened up every bag of yarn on her truck till we found the skein I needed! Seriously. She saved my knitting!

With my new skein in hand I was ready to finish my cardigan over the weekend. And I did! I stayed up till midnight on Sunday finishing the collar (why did I do a sewn bind off?!?!). I tried it on and didn't like it at all. It didn't fit right - the arms were way to big and it was really wide.

In my infinite wisdom I decided to check the gauge now that the project was complete. Yeah. As you wiser knitters know my row gauge was off by a few as were my stitches. Simply, I had knit about 18 too many rows for the arms.

This meant I needed to rip out the collar, the sleeves, and the body all the way back to where my sleeves should have ended. I went to bed then debating this ripping out - should I just wear it big for the wedding? Could I really re-knit it in time for the wedding? I laid there for an hour then got up and ripped it all out till about 2:30am.

Monday I knit the body. Tuesday I knit the collar. Wednesday (at the airport) I knit the arms. Thursday night I blocked it and Friday I wore it. Mission accomplished.

Now I have an entire skein left so I can knit another one or a similar cardigan and since it is white I can dye it whatever color I want! I do really like how this fits and I really like the texture of the yarn. It falls open a bit with tank tops, but over all it is a fabulous design!

Spinning Distractions

2009-06-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

I thought this might happen... I got burned out on my knitting projects. Yup - I know that seems hard to believe. I knit three pairs of baby socks in two days and re-knit an entire cardigan (double lace weight) in three and half days and that was all within a week so that has left me with three projects on needles.

The first one that is still on the needles is Juls' sweater which is coming along nicely. I put on the button bands last night so that leaves the collar and sleeves. I'm not feeling at a stand still on this projects, actually it is currently my most intriguing knit.

The second project still on the needles are some fingerless mitts that I am doing for a fabulous fiber trade. I'm knitting up a friends black and green hand spun in trade from some very nice wool. This is motivating because I am currently on a huge spinning kick, but at the same time the mitts aren't getting much attention.

Lastly, the third project that will be in continuous progress for awhile are the bridesmaid wraps/shawls I'm working on. I'll give some more details and photos on them later, but I'll just say there are five of them that need to be done by September 12th. I'm about a quarter of the way through the first one - uh yeah I need to focus a little.

So, as I mentioned I'm on a spinning kick. I have been spinning some local Colorado wool and am near that highly gratifying plying stage. The above photo is of some hand dyed super wash wool that I spun and plied by spindle - it took me awhile to get through the plying on my Navajo spindle but I did it! T

he other reason I am pretty excited about spinning right now is that I realized that my wheel savings are over the half way mark! So I feel much closer to getting my own wheel (photo link is a pretty one ganked from flickr)! Only $200 more to go!

Okay... my goal today: finish one fingerless mitt before the softball game!

Dyeing Day

2009-06-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks fam and friends for giving a little shout out - it's good to know you're still around (and the lurkers too (cough, Claire)).

At the Fiber Guild meeting in May there was a dyeing workshop of sorts. I didn't actually do any dyeing myself, but I enjoyed seeing people excited with their results and trying it for the first time.

Wanda opened up her garage and provided a lovely set up for those who brought yarn and fiber.

There were Kool-aid dyes to try as well as natural dyes such as onion skins and others. Yup, that's right, Kool-aid can dye wool (example), how does that make you feel about drinking it?

I have done quite a bit of dyeing at home, but must admit I don't have much patience for natural dyeing. I really like the idea of it, but the chemicals and various steps involved have kept me from taking it on.

Instead I use acid dyes, which use vinegar to set the dye. These are by no means completely non toxic, but they are much easier for me to use and I very much like deep colors I am able to accomplish with them.

It has been quite awhile since I have done much dyeing and this post is getting my psyched up for it again so maybe you'll get to see some new projects in the coming weeks.

Let me leave you with a delicious recipe. I recently tried a snickerdoodle muffin recipe and so far it has gotten high praise. Here's the recipe.

Hello.

2009-06-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

So I am hoping there are still some of you out there reading this blog...hello? anyone? Leave me a little comment, let me know you're still around and what you've been up to.

Since my last post I have been doing a lot of driving, a little flying and mostly just having a good time.

In late May my volunteer unit took a trip to RMMC for our national MVS retreat. That trip mainly consisted of a lot of pinochle and euchre (if you don't know how to play either of those card games you definately need to learn!). And from there we spent an extended weekend in Boulder with friends.

Last week David and I flew to Indy, stayed with my cousin, and then drove with my folks and uncle out to Washington Boro, PA, joining up with my brother and sister-in-law part way. Let me just say that is a lot of traveling for two days of wedding festivities, but it was definately worth it.

I had a fabulous time with my family. As I have said before, that is the hardest thing about living all the way out here in Colorado, when the rest of my family is east of the Mississippi. So, trips like this are important to me.

Now we are home and things are still busy. There are a lot of visitors coming through the volunteer house and we had a new volunteer arrival the day before we left for PA. But, the next few weeks we'll be here, looking for jobs, and trying not to focus too much on our August transition.

I had better get back to sending out resumes, but there are lots of blog posts ahead... sweater story, stole making, spinning minis, family photos, some recipes and more.

The New Bag

2009-05-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Do you ever just decide, "heck, I deserve something nice!". Well, that was my conclusion about mid-April. So I shot my our lys owner an email since they carry Namaste products. It just so happened she was putting in an order so my special request for a Laguna bag could be tagged on.

I had a little trouble deciding between peacock blue and the olive green. I decided to go with the olive because somehow I felt like it might be a little more timeless.

I have had this bag for about two weeks now and I must say it doesn't disappoint.

I can fit just about anything inside with room to spare. When I first got it I was finishing my Sedum sweater and was able to fit the whole thing inside (with all my purse stuff).

This is definately not a shopping purse (too heavy), but it I am really liking it for travel. When we were in Estes Park I really liked having my knitting, purse stuff, journal, and snacks all handy (yes, snacks, sometimes I'm like a toddler, ha).

I have also made two project bags to go inside and I love them. I plan to take some photos for you very soon and link the tutorial.

I am glad I treated myself, but there shall be no more nice things for quite awhile. With treating myself to this lovely bag, a trip to Santa Fe, a trip to Estes Park, and still yet another trip to Springs next week (oh and trip to PA in June) there shall be no more knitting treats until the funds replenish. That said, there are some days I almost hug my new bag.

Cozy Leg Warmer Pattern

2009-05-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here it is, just as promised, pattern number 3.

Today I published this pdf pattern on Ravlery so it is now available for download - you can see the pattern page here.

This evening I am teaching a session for a community course about online selling and durning that session I will also list this pattern in my Etsy shop. (It is going to be my demo listing.)

That's really all the excitement for today. Although, I am reading Cita con la Muerte by Agatha Christie and that has me on the edge of my seat! I'm mainly reading it to further my Spanish, but I think it would be a good one in English too.

FO: Sedum Sweater

2009-05-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

As I typing about this finished sweater I realized I had accidentally kept it a secret. It was kept a secret because I never remembered to get any photos of it. So now, the great unveiling! Tah dah!

Sedum by Jane Richmond. Knit with Cascade Ecological Wool, I thought the color was "coffee" but now I don't know for sure (I'll get back to you on that), on size 10US needles.

It is a very simple knit. I enjoyed doing the seed stitch, it kept me attentive. I did make a it a little larger around the bust than the original pattern, but I'm not sure I would have needed to (now that all is said and done).

Let me just say this wool is amazing! So so light and soft and a bargin! Also I like that it doesn't look extremely bulky. I mean I really love bob, but he is bulky.

It took me awhile to find buttons for this cutie. Well, actually it took me many locations. There weren't any I liked here in town (not really a shock), and I also looked in three or four shops on our trip up to Estes Park but no luck. I did find a shop on Etsy that is fabulous, but then we went to Shuttles, Spindles, & Skeins Inc. and finally I found some! I still feel they could be a bit larger, but I am definately not unhappy with them.

I'm planning to cast on another one of these for my friend, Julia, but I need to get to my local yarn shop and see if they have some more brown. I'll probably get started knitting this weekend!

Breaking the Blog Silence

2009-05-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I have many things to share since my last post so let's start with what's on the needles. I continue to be addicted to sweater knitting so my current project is a light weight cardigan for an up coming June wedding.

I'm using a double strand of lace weight yarn to knit the Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig (it is on Ravelry here) .

I just completed putting the arms on waste yarn and am knitting the body of the sweater. I'm surprised at how "quickly" it is knitting up - I've been working on it about a week. I am bit concerned about how large the arms seem to be, but in the end I may be surprised.

In other news, last weekend David had the annual Colorado Habitat for Humanity conference in Estes Park and (like last year) I got to tag along for some R&R. I spent some time knitting at the local yarn shop, reading in a local coffee shop, doing a little mountain biking, a little shopping, and some snow shoeing.

Yes, that's right. It may be spring where the rest of you live, but our mountains still have snow. To be fair the weather has been a lot warmer lately, mid to upper 60's, but some of the mountains do have a fair bit of snow. (That orange spec in the photo on the right is me.)

Also this weekend we spent some time with old friends visiting Boulder. It was a great day spent catching up on life, eating delicious food, and relaxing.
Oh, and I stopped in at Shuttles, Spindles, & Skeins Inc. to try out the Lendrum DT (the spinning wheel I am saving for). Good news, my saving has not been in vain. The wheel was just as wonderful and beautiful as I had imagined! I'm half way to getting it!

Champions!

2009-04-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ha! We did it, somehow. Last night our (recreational) volleyball team won the league championship. I can't say I contributed much - I was pretty off my game until the final match, but hey we did it. Sorry no photos to share, but you can imagine my nasty floor burned and bruised knee.

Frozen Zapata Falls

2009-04-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend David and I had the pleasure of having some friends come for a weekend visit. As we do with most of our visitors we drove up to Zapata Falls.

We hadn't remembered that the falls would probably still be frozen till we got there. This isn't an issue since they are still beautiful frozen, it just had slipped our minds. But my gosh were they gorgeous!

I'll just share with you a few of the
awesome photos we got.

^ it sounded really cool to hear the water running behind the ice

^ we got of few really interesting shots of the cracks. This is one of those instances where David's photography skills and my eye for a good shot worked together in perfect harmony.

^ I'm not sure how many different angles I took of this hole - I just liked it. I'm pretty sure it was left behind from some ice climbers a few months back.

Finished and for Sale

2009-04-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today's finished object is fingerless mitts - photo on the right. Granted, this photo is of them in progress, but I have plans to shoot finished photos this afternoon. Wait till you see their cute green button, you'll fall in love.

I'm feeling good with how this mitts pattern has turned out. I'll be excited to offer it to you all once it has been knit one more time, straight from the pattern, and not by me.

The for sale item mentioned in the title is some new roving I listed in my Etsy shop.

You may feel as though I am on an Etsy kick lately, and well, you are probably right. I realized I greatly neglected my shop in April.

I did a lot of focusing on it in March and then April came and I got new yarn and the rest of the world melted away. It is sometimes nice how new yarn can do that.

Anyhow, so now I am trying to be a little more shop responsible. So here is the listing for my new lovely, super wash wool roving.

Pointless Nostalgic

And here is a little of what has been on the needles...

9 months

Shelf Re-Do

Mustachio

Gifts for Baby Norah Grace

Mexico City with iEmpathize

Sneak Peak: Facial Hair

Mittens

Brewed, now bottled.

Herringbone Cowl

Saturday

Holiday Party for the Knitterly

What's Brewing?

Photo Update

Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon

Wreath How To

My Weekend in Photos

Thankfulness

For the beauty of the earth,For the glory of the skies;For the love which from our birth,Over and around us lies;Lord of all, to Thee we raiseThis, our hymn of grateful praise.

Birch Pillow

Anniversary

Birch Trees

Book Review: 200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One Bowl

Poached Eggs in Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce

Fall Knits

Wildfire

September is here and so am I

Mmmm Pie

This and That

Garage Sales

Baby Knits - warning there is a lot of cuteness in this post

FO: Chocolate Jekylls

Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheddar Chowder

The Lamb Shoppe

Lendrum Bag (and a bit of catch up)

FO: Oceanic Sweater

Awards Ceremony

The Sweater

I have a Potholder

Hand-knits Wash Day

Confessions of a Knitter

Olympic Project Finished

David's Photography and an Update

Finally in the Mail

President's Day

Weekend Update

The Ravelympics

testing

Sewing: Pillows

Gift Post #1

Year in Review: Projects

Merry Late Christmas

Christmas Party!

Just keep knitting, just keep knitting... what do we do we knit

Boot Liners

Slippers, with much love

Something to Try Out this Weekend

Approved!

Tah-Dah!

Casting On

FO: Brainless Socks

New Pattern - Convertible Fingerless Mitts

The Shelf

My Weekend

The Winners!!!

Up and Running

Thursday Chance

This Seasons New Hat

Gray hat for a Grey Day

Blogaversary!

Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp

Weekend Update

The Wedding

Yarn Crawl

Bloggers

Frogging

Spinning Spinning

Oatmeal Bread

Time to Spare

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies;
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.