So I have been slowly making them here and there.
I am getting a bit of a collection. Not sure where this is going, but I am enjoying the process!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
I'm on the granny bandwagon.
I couldn't help myself. Those cute little granny squares were tempting me, all over blog land.
So I have been slowly making them here and there.
I am getting a bit of a collection. Not sure where this is going, but I am enjoying the process!
So I have been slowly making them here and there.
I am getting a bit of a collection. Not sure where this is going, but I am enjoying the process!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
a fresh start.
Notice that things are looking a little different around here? I though it was time to get a new look. I loved the old blog design my friend Samantha had made for me in the fall of 2010......
...but it was starting to feel a bit cluttered with all of the added buttons and tutorials since then! Time for a little spring cleaning! I am liking the fresh and simple look of my new design. I hope you do, too! Thanks so much to Margi for her hard work to make it happen :)
...but it was starting to feel a bit cluttered with all of the added buttons and tutorials since then! Time for a little spring cleaning! I am liking the fresh and simple look of my new design. I hope you do, too! Thanks so much to Margi for her hard work to make it happen :)
Friday, February 24, 2012
Envy chevron cowl
Well, fourth time is a charm, and my cowl is complete! Aren't you green with envy?
I am really glad I took the time to re-knit this. Now, I love everything about it. I love the color- not normally one I gravitate to, but it is so bright and cheerful and makes me believe that spring is really just around the corner! The wool is so very soft. I love the pattern and the weight of it. The lacework makes it airy, and it is light around my neck, not too hot. I modified the pattern so the lacework changes direction, making a chevron/zig zag pattern. I love how it turned out.
I like that I can wear it long or short (though I prefer the short double wrapped version).
Mostly, I love that it is DONE. And not without further drama.....I added stitches as the last one was too short and strangling me a bit, and then this time ended up running out of yarn! Had to do some fancy pants stuff to pull it off....a couple less finishing rows on one end, and then I got to the last TWENTY stitches and ran out...so I used the yarn from the tiny tail from my starting point and k2tog to get this puppy done. With, literally, an INCH of yarn left!! So my finishing is a bit funny looking, but no worries, I keep that little bit hidden at the back ;)
I have been wearing this around non-stop the last few days :) My new favorite accessory!
(p.s. if you are wanting more details, you can find them on my Ravelry page, here)
I am really glad I took the time to re-knit this. Now, I love everything about it. I love the color- not normally one I gravitate to, but it is so bright and cheerful and makes me believe that spring is really just around the corner! The wool is so very soft. I love the pattern and the weight of it. The lacework makes it airy, and it is light around my neck, not too hot. I modified the pattern so the lacework changes direction, making a chevron/zig zag pattern. I love how it turned out.I like that I can wear it long or short (though I prefer the short double wrapped version).
Mostly, I love that it is DONE. And not without further drama.....I added stitches as the last one was too short and strangling me a bit, and then this time ended up running out of yarn! Had to do some fancy pants stuff to pull it off....a couple less finishing rows on one end, and then I got to the last TWENTY stitches and ran out...so I used the yarn from the tiny tail from my starting point and k2tog to get this puppy done. With, literally, an INCH of yarn left!! So my finishing is a bit funny looking, but no worries, I keep that little bit hidden at the back ;)
I have been wearing this around non-stop the last few days :) My new favorite accessory!
(p.s. if you are wanting more details, you can find them on my Ravelry page, here)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
finally, a bit of sewing!
It feels like I have not sewn anything since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Almost as long- since Christmas break! Where has the time gone?? So I went on strike this weekend and said I must, absolutely, definitely be allowed some ME time, or I was going to crack and go into full-out Quilting Withdrawal. And, thankfully, my evil plot worked.
Not HEAPS of sewing, but enough to wet my whistle. About 10 blocks (out of 30) for The Middle Child's Far Far Away 2+3 quilt, which will be twin sized for her bed. She is sure to point out REGULARLY how both her brother and sister have received a quilt by Mom, and not her....ah, life as the middle child! More for her to talk about with the therapist someday.
More importantly, I did some prep work. My time these days seems to come in little snippets, and I rarely feel it is enough to warrant hauling out all my sewing stuff for 30 minutes- easier to knit a few rows instead. But I miss quilting! So,what I did was go through all my scraps, iron them, and slice them into 2.5 inch pieces, and sort them into 2 bins- warm and cool colors. I also made some white squares. So, if I have a quick half hour I am all set to whip off a granny square block!
I also got everything prepped for the remaining 20 FFA2/3 blocks- same deal. I figure if I pick away at it bit by bit, eventually, it will be done, without needing an extended chunk of time. Problem, solution! Yippee!
Off to the sewing machine I go :)
Not HEAPS of sewing, but enough to wet my whistle. About 10 blocks (out of 30) for The Middle Child's Far Far Away 2+3 quilt, which will be twin sized for her bed. She is sure to point out REGULARLY how both her brother and sister have received a quilt by Mom, and not her....ah, life as the middle child! More for her to talk about with the therapist someday.
More importantly, I did some prep work. My time these days seems to come in little snippets, and I rarely feel it is enough to warrant hauling out all my sewing stuff for 30 minutes- easier to knit a few rows instead. But I miss quilting! So,what I did was go through all my scraps, iron them, and slice them into 2.5 inch pieces, and sort them into 2 bins- warm and cool colors. I also made some white squares. So, if I have a quick half hour I am all set to whip off a granny square block!
I also got everything prepped for the remaining 20 FFA2/3 blocks- same deal. I figure if I pick away at it bit by bit, eventually, it will be done, without needing an extended chunk of time. Problem, solution! Yippee!
Off to the sewing machine I go :)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Epic failure(s)
So let me let you in an a little fact. When I knit something, I knit it 3 times. I am not saying I knit 3 ITEMS......nope, generally I screw up and unravel until I have knit the damn thing 3 times over!
On the bright side.....I am grateful that yarn can be unraveled; fabric can not be "uncut"! So at least when I have one of my epic knitting failures, I CAN start all over again!
Case in point: my Golden Wheat Cardigan. I started it in November. Consulted a "real" knitter for advice (thanks, Linda). Knit my swatch. Got going....realized I did it backwards. Unravel. Knit again. A couple balls of yarn in, I thought, "this looks small....." Realized I had restarted on the WRONG sized needles- SIZE 6 instead of 6mm (size 10!)! Grrr....Unraveled again. Now am on my way (I hope??). Hope to finish it to enjoy this spring!
Another example: I was to make a cowl on the airplane to/from Disney. Did the knit/unravel dance 4 times and then finally finished it....but it seems a bit small, even though I had made it longer than the pattern. It is wearable, but I know it will drive me nuts and I love the yarn and pattern too much to waste it....so this one will be "frogged" and restarted yet again! But I LOVE the yarn feel and color, and the lacy pattern is nice and light weight so it will be the perfect accessory to enjoy from winter right into spring. Here is a sneak peak (from before I unraveled it!):
So, there you have it, the secret to my "success"! But, even with all the frustration, I still love knitting. What can I say? A glutton for punishment I guess!
And, much like quilting, one of my favorite parts of knitting is finding fabulous new yarn. Here is the next delicious pile I plan to mess up with! Tanis Fiber Arts Green label in Shadow. My "birthday" yarn ;) Gonna knit me up a sweater....maybe in time for NEXT year's birthday!?!
I am salivating over the hand-dyed greys with the hints of blue......
On the bright side.....I am grateful that yarn can be unraveled; fabric can not be "uncut"! So at least when I have one of my epic knitting failures, I CAN start all over again!
Case in point: my Golden Wheat Cardigan. I started it in November. Consulted a "real" knitter for advice (thanks, Linda). Knit my swatch. Got going....realized I did it backwards. Unravel. Knit again. A couple balls of yarn in, I thought, "this looks small....." Realized I had restarted on the WRONG sized needles- SIZE 6 instead of 6mm (size 10!)! Grrr....Unraveled again. Now am on my way (I hope??). Hope to finish it to enjoy this spring!
Another example: I was to make a cowl on the airplane to/from Disney. Did the knit/unravel dance 4 times and then finally finished it....but it seems a bit small, even though I had made it longer than the pattern. It is wearable, but I know it will drive me nuts and I love the yarn and pattern too much to waste it....so this one will be "frogged" and restarted yet again! But I LOVE the yarn feel and color, and the lacy pattern is nice and light weight so it will be the perfect accessory to enjoy from winter right into spring. Here is a sneak peak (from before I unraveled it!):
So, there you have it, the secret to my "success"! But, even with all the frustration, I still love knitting. What can I say? A glutton for punishment I guess!
And, much like quilting, one of my favorite parts of knitting is finding fabulous new yarn. Here is the next delicious pile I plan to mess up with! Tanis Fiber Arts Green label in Shadow. My "birthday" yarn ;) Gonna knit me up a sweater....maybe in time for NEXT year's birthday!?!
I am salivating over the hand-dyed greys with the hints of blue......
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Winner, and gallery of embarassing photos revealed
So, for a giveaway entry I had asked you to guess which of the Epcot countries I had visited in real life for a chance to win an Oliver and S layer cake. The options were:
Well, there is no fooling you people. I HAVE been to Italy, for our ten year anniversary (2010):
We had actually also visited Venice on a backpacking trip in 1999, and I had gone with my sister to Venice, Rome, Florence, Pisa on a tour in 1995! One of my favorite countries :)
Also:
United Kingdom- England, Scotland and Wales, anyhow (1995). I didn't have a single good photo of myself there (well, there was one of me in front of a rock wearing a tank top and jean overall shorts. Seriously? Even I didn't have the guts to share that!), so here is one of my little sister in Edinburgh :)
France (1995, 1999). Paris (shown here) and Nice, mostly. Did some para-sailing in Nice and survived a bomb threat in the Paris train station!
Japan (1992, on a Rotary exchange trip- check out those bangs, baby! I was 3 inches taller back then!):
I stayed in a small town in northern Japan, and they treated me like royalty. I met the mayor, was in the local newspaper more than once, and they even put me in their parade! I was the only blond and a good foot taller than everyone else :)
Germany (1995, 1999). Here I am in Berlin in front of Brandenburg Gate. Also spent some time slugging beer in Munich and toured a couple of the German concentration camps.
Mexico (1997, 1999 and 2000 with the U of M Dentistry Class of 2000!). Nothing says Mexico like an iguana wearing a sombrero!
But NOT in Mexico for our honeymoon! Oh no. For that, we went to....Morocco! And southern Spain , too :)
Among many other adventures there, yes, we DID ride a camel! Took an excursion out on the Sahara on camel-back and then spent a night camping out on the dunes under the stars. Magical!
So lots of right answers, and only a few who got the bonus honeymoon question right- good for you! I feel really lucky to have had the chance to visit so many amazing places, and it was fun reminiscing as I sorted through some photos to share with you here! Can't wait to someday add to "my list"!
That puts it at 52 correct answers entered!
So, without further ado (or embarrassment), the winner is.....
SassyCathy! I have emailed you to let you know. Thanks for playing, everyone!
Canada
United Kingdom
France
Morocco
Japan
USA
Italy
Germany
China
Norway
Mexico
And a bonus entry for those who could guess where we spent our honeymoon!
And a bonus entry for those who could guess where we spent our honeymoon!
Well, there is no fooling you people. I HAVE been to Italy, for our ten year anniversary (2010):
We had actually also visited Venice on a backpacking trip in 1999, and I had gone with my sister to Venice, Rome, Florence, Pisa on a tour in 1995! One of my favorite countries :)
Also:
United Kingdom- England, Scotland and Wales, anyhow (1995). I didn't have a single good photo of myself there (well, there was one of me in front of a rock wearing a tank top and jean overall shorts. Seriously? Even I didn't have the guts to share that!), so here is one of my little sister in Edinburgh :)
France (1995, 1999). Paris (shown here) and Nice, mostly. Did some para-sailing in Nice and survived a bomb threat in the Paris train station!
Japan (1992, on a Rotary exchange trip- check out those bangs, baby! I was 3 inches taller back then!):
I stayed in a small town in northern Japan, and they treated me like royalty. I met the mayor, was in the local newspaper more than once, and they even put me in their parade! I was the only blond and a good foot taller than everyone else :)
Germany (1995, 1999). Here I am in Berlin in front of Brandenburg Gate. Also spent some time slugging beer in Munich and toured a couple of the German concentration camps.
Mexico (1997, 1999 and 2000 with the U of M Dentistry Class of 2000!). Nothing says Mexico like an iguana wearing a sombrero!
But NOT in Mexico for our honeymoon! Oh no. For that, we went to....Morocco! And southern Spain , too :)
Among many other adventures there, yes, we DID ride a camel! Took an excursion out on the Sahara on camel-back and then spent a night camping out on the dunes under the stars. Magical!
So lots of right answers, and only a few who got the bonus honeymoon question right- good for you! I feel really lucky to have had the chance to visit so many amazing places, and it was fun reminiscing as I sorted through some photos to share with you here! Can't wait to someday add to "my list"!
That puts it at 52 correct answers entered!
So, without further ado (or embarrassment), the winner is.....
SassyCathy! I have emailed you to let you know. Thanks for playing, everyone!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Featured today
Just wanted to let you know that AnneMarie has featured me on her Follower Friday segment over at Gen X Quilters today! I had the pleasure of meeting AnneMarie at Sewing Summit this past fall, and she is just the sweetest :) Feel free to hop on over and give it a read if you want to learn a bit more about what makes me tick ;)
Just a reminder, there is one day left to enter my giveaway for a layer cake from the latest Oliver & S line, Cape Ann. I will give you another hint- the honeymoon was NOT in Mexico, people!!
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