Yarn Along - Happy 2014!

Happy New Year to you! I was sorting my holiday travel knitting back into the drawer this morning and then decided to keep this Omelet Shawl out as a finishing goal for this month. The shawl has been hanging around for a long time (started June, 2012) and a multi-row mistake that needs tinking has been giving me anxiety. Maybe the rest of break will give me a chance to get back on track. 

As you can see, I am also catching up on my reading this New Year's. A trip to Peru in July is setting my focus on ancient cultures and new landscapes. So very excited!

If you like to knit and read, check out what all the other crafty people are doing today on Ginny's site. Enjoy!

Ribby Ruffley Cowl Experiment

I fell in love with some Berroco Boboli yarn at the Orchardside Yarn Shop in Virginia on vacation last summer. However, I was too cheap (and busy) to invest in the necessary 3 skeins for the short-sleeve T I was drooling over. So instead I experimented with a little one-skein improvised cowl pattern starting in rib and then finishing with a little ruffle.

 It looks a little silly with no neck inside! More like a volcano or artistic vase. :-)

I made the Ruffle using THIS tutorial. 

Wearing it turns out to be fun with options.

Plain put it on and go look.

Folded down neck for added warmth on a windy day.

Folded look under a jacket in the cold.

The muffler; or is that a spy film I should be auditioning for?

Finally, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Who would have thought that 2014 could get here so quickly? For me, 2013 surely had some severe tribulations, but I did enjoy the second half much more and am gratefully counting my blessings. The BEST to all of you! Till next year and next time... :-)

Yarn Forest

This  exciting simple pattern inspired me to attempt to knit an Advent calendar's worth of little trees. Unfortunately, time ran out and I only managed to finish 18. Perhaps I will finish it for next year. And the following year 24 lucky friends will get these as wine bottle toppers. In the mean time, I will just enjoy arranging and rearranging my little forest.  Cheers!

Day 3

Day 5

Day 6: St Nicholas Day!

18 trees, you get the idea...

St. Nicholas could use a beard and a real face...

Bead ornament tree topper

Santa is hiking through the woods.

Gnome's - eye view of the forest

Ariel cut-away; stay tuned...

And Don't Forget to Wash Behind Your Ears...

A few special children in my life needed a little something to open for Christmas this year, so I decided to use up some impulse-purchase cotton yarn to knit washcloths. Add some novelty soaps from the dollar stocking stuffer bin at Walgreens and, violá, a useful and fun gift to keep them clean and smelling nice! The kids who got the tropical fish in a bag were especially fascinated by the idea of having to "free the fish" by bathing. Ha! 

One cloth was entirely garter stitch, while the other six had squares of alternating knit and purl squares with garter stitch borders. I used three skeins of Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn to make seven total washcloths.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Winter Festivities! Take a warm bath and enjoy!

Best Mother-In-Law Award

Stereotypes aside, making your mother-in-law happy should be a priority for any married person. Fortunately it is an easy task for me, as mine is 110% awesome, welcoming, and a great friend! 

Enjoying the company of amazing in-laws who adore hand-knit products is a particular pleasure of mine, which made knitting a sweater for my mother in law a great joy. She has been "in the sweater queue" for several years and this resulting Lamb's Lace Cardi by Christina Wall is the happy result. The wish for this pattern was inspired by the Hey Teach sweater I knit myself a few years ago. Lamb's Lace was so much easier to execute as a top-down raglan pattern and a relatively quick knit for those of your looking for a great pattern.

 I ended up crocheting the front together due to running out of yarn twice AND forgetting to set a buttonhole. The awesome Edelweiss button (found at JoAnn Fabrics) is just sewn on top as a finishing touch.

The sweater fit the recipient perfectly, thanks to a head start on knitting on a family vacation and then plenty of patience as the August birthday deadline came and went with the panic of running out of yarn and finding that perfect fit. I am glad I waited to finish it until this Thanksgiving holiday. Working out the finishing details together was a definite process not to be attempted long distance.

Three cheers for great family! 

Coming Up For Air

It's been a crazy few weeks, so today I took my camera outside to see if I could relax for a few minutes. In times of over-scheduled days, I miss the garden most. It's so peaceful out there, and fortunately also self-sufficient. Ripening fruits were waiting for me at every turn. As you can see, I worked on the tomatoes by putting them away as sauce. There is one more batch of sauce waiting to be put into jars. Let the fall eating commence! There may or may not be much of a Fall/Winter greens garden this year. Seeds I planted in August came up and went crazy while it was hot again this month. The rest of the seeds just went in today... Let's see if the weather holds.

Butternut squash

One of a dozen

Acorn squash

Ever bearing strawberries 

Mmm... Tomato sauce

Those of you waiting for knitting have to wait again... I ran out of yarn on my current project and am pondering the right way to finish. Till next time!

The Bountiful Garden

The summer is coming to a spectacular close. The mostly cool days have given way to an extra hot and muggy week, which the peppers and tomatoes enjoyed for the ripening process. I am also excited about the abundance of squash that suddenly appeared, especially since I did not put out seeds until the 2nd week of June. The rabbit eating my beans finally got a stomachache and left, giving me lots of beans to freeze for winter eating. And just in case I get a stomachache too, I will be making my own chamomile tea. Not pictured are massive amounts of cucumber, herbs, some buckwheat, new greens, broccoli and all of my finds at the farmers market. Here's to fresh eating... mmmmm!!!

Little salad peppers

Tomato heaven!

Chamomile for tea.

Butternut squash

Acorn squash

5 pounds of green beans