Current Works

Within the last couple of days, I have started a new project as well as ripped out an old one. Remember my Celebrity Look-Alike Shawl? It has returned to its original form. I have every intention of going back and redoing this, but in a much smaller size. I only clear 5 feet by several inches, and the shawl was hanging down well below my knees! Not something I would ever wear, so it had to go. I am hoping to crochet one more to my size and perhaps add fringe this second time around. After all, what good is a finished project if it will never be used? The pattern is from Stitch Divas and the yarn is Katia Pisco from Elann.

As mentioned before, a new pair of socks is on the needles. I am doing Whitby from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. The yarn is Plymouth's Sockotta and is very reminiscent to me of sock monkeys. I really like the colors of the yarn (thanks Knittripps again!) but have yet to determine if this pattern will be the best choice. Thoughts? Sometimes it is a little hard to see the pattern come through until you work a few more inches.

Happy New Years everyone! Here's to a safe & festive night!

Knit Group

I have decided that cappuccino & knitting make BAM a frantic knitter on edge. Tonight was the start of sock knitting. I didn't get much done on mine, but we got Knittripps on her way with her first pair of socks!

Onigiri was there, working on her first project...a scarf. She is eager to get rolling on a hat, since she has pretty much mastered the garter stitch! Natalie had her newest little one along for our knitting...what a cutie!

Another nice evening ladies...always fun to knit in groups!

What a wonderful Christmas

Hubby & I had a wonderful Christmas full of time with family & feasting. It is nice to have Monday off to recover, rest, and clean. We didn't have any of the festivities at our condo this year, but it is in need of some real organization!

Especially after a Christmas surprise last night, when after we got home from our final holiday destination, our ceiling started leaking! It was in our kitchen and the water was dripping from our light. We rushed over and cleared off the counter, unscrewed the light bulb, got a bowl, and hurried over to our neighbors to find out what could be causing this. (Note: this is the 2nd instance of water leaking from this neighbor's unit, the first instance earlier this year had my closet out of commission for a good month). Sure enough, she had been running her dishwasher. Eventually the dripping stopped, but now we have another project to figure out what is causing this. Needless to say, we are not too pleased about this. Ahh, to be part of an association. I guess you have to take the bad with the good. But on Christmas? Geez.

Now since the recipients have received their gifts, I can share with you my holiday knitting! Hats were big this year. The red hat (for Hubby's Aunt) was done in Caron's Simply soft yarn with this pattern from Frugal Haus. The multi-colored hat (for my Mom) was done in Crystal Palace's Musique yarn from no particular hat pattern. The wheat colored hat for my Aunt was done in Plymouth Indiecita Alpaca (sooo soft, must buy more of this yarn) from Fruity Chick's Nora pattern. I really enjoyed this pattern, and plan to make more of these. The first scarf is a simple garter stitch done for my Grammie in some soft yarn (Paton's Divine) . The second scarf is Mimi VeryLong done in some Hand Painted Opal sock yarn. The final hat is Safi (for my sis), is from Rowan's Cotton Rope Collection. The yarn used here is Katia Pisco.








This was also a year of knitting gifts for me! I received some great things including a gift certificate to Purls. And as you can see, I have added a few new things to my collection, all from Knittripps (except Scarf Style which I got from Hubby's Aunt). Knittripp's and I are planning on some socks to start the New Year. This will be her first pair!

And finally, I will leave you with one of my favorite things from Christmas Eve....Luminaries!!

Let the Holiday Festivities Begin!

Yes, She is complete! Nordic Lights in all of her glory.

I am loving this capelet. I think the colors turned out well, and again I am very happy with the yarn from Elann. This is their Peruvian Collection Highland Wool in Aubergine, New Leaf, Sapphire, Freesia, Summer Fuschia, & Brilliant Blue. I ordered 2 balls of each color, but really only needed 2 balls of the Aubergine & New Leaf. I still have a full ball or so of the other colors. I really could have used 3 balls of the New Leaf, but altered the color sequence in the pattern a bit to accommodate. I think the color sequence turned out nicely though.

The only other modification to the pattern was on the neck. I tried the full 3 or so inches they recommended, but the neck rolled over too much of the pattern so I shortened it up a bit. As you can see, it fits nicely. (Oh, and I used my Denise Interchangeables which worked well for this pattern. The body was done on 6's and the neck on 4's).

It is warm and snuggly and perfect to wear around the house for a little extra warmth. I really like how a capelet fits compared to a shawl that needs to be readjusted as you sit and move around. According to Wrap Style, capelets fall above the elbows whereas ponchos drape over the shoulders and cover the upper body. This one is a little longer than a capelet on my petite frame by these standards.

My hair stylist calls them "toaster covers". They remind her of the little cloth covers one puts over their toaster. I thought she might have been referring to a particular body part being covered when she first said this. Hehe.

So, toaster covers it is. I am enjoying mine and am looking for another one to make for a project for the new year. I might do another one out of Wrap Style.

Again, Happy Holidays! Wishing you all the very best this holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!

Lovely Weekend

It is time to relax this evening after a busy and lovely weekend in Chicago. Hubby & I went with family to a very good family friend's wedding in downtown Chicago. It was a beautiful wedding, and it reminded me of how lucky we all are to have such good family & friends to share these memories with. A special I love you to my own dear husband. I am so happy for the bride & groom....wishing you the very best!

On the knitting front, mittens are in full swing. I can't say I have gotten very far, but the cuff is looking good right now.

As for Nordic Lights, I am nearing completion. All I have left to do is seam the shoulders, finish the neck, weave in the ends, and then lightly block. I am hoping to have this project done to wear on Christmas day to all of our festivities! Here are some pics, after a special request to see the back side (inside) of the work. I think I will have more color projects on the list for 2006!

It's a Wrap!

Has anyone else noticed the trend lately? Shawls, Shrugs, capelets, Ponchos..in lace, wool, alpaca...you name it and someone is knitting one! It seems as though everyone has gone crazy for these accessories, and who can blame them?

Knit and Tonic has a post recently referencing shawls and the excitement of knitting them and how useful they really are. Knittripps is planning a lovely shawl for her next project and has already done one beauty this year. I am in the midst of my Nordic Lights and am eyeing the next possible wrap to knit. It has really gotten me thinking. I never thought myself to be much of a "shawl lady", I tend to think sort of matronly thoughts when I hear the word shawl. But I am telling you, my perception is quickly changing when I see all of the neat things out there!

This year, I myself have done 3 that can fall into that category this year, and I am already on another wrap! Ok, I am addicted....easily admitted. Anyone else in this camp?

What has been your favorite wrap, shawl, poncho, etc. that you have loved to knit, could not live without, or are totally itching to make?

A little Progress

Nordic Lights is still in progress. I have probably done about 3.5 inches since the last pic I posted. I think I need to start another project so I have 2 in the mix again.

I am thinking about beginning a pair of mittens. These mittens are from Knitting Marvelous Mittens (Ethnic Designs from Russia) by Charlene Schurch. See the pic below for the mitten I have chosen and the colors I am going to use (charcoal, teal, & orange). The yarn pictured is Dale of Norway's Baby Ull, which is sooooo soft. I think the mittens are going to be luscious. They are my b-day knitting project, so I think I will enjoy knitting them.

Anyone have any tips for working a border like this? I usually hold both colors in my right hand when working 2 colors, but think I may have to move to one in each hand for the multi-color ribbing.


Time to get ready for our big holiday party of the season...should be fun!

Sometimes...

you just never know....ya know?

Ok ok, just let me be a little ambiguous from time to time.

The temps today are NORDIC

Wow is it cold here today. Too cold. Unusually cold for this early in December. It is definitely the type of weather that makes you want to curl up by the fire and relax. And of course knit! Yes, there has been a little knitting going on. Nordic Lights is in full swing and is probably about 30% finished. Diggin' the color combo so far. Whatcha think?

Already?

Last night I finished off one more of my Christmas knit gifts. I looked at my "gift stack" that I have been accumulating and realized....I am finished with all of my Christmas gifts! Of course, who's to say if I happen to see a quick knit that looks like a perfect gift (always a likely option) for someone on my list. I could always be back in the December last minute knit game!

OMG, Interweave ROCKS!

I just checked their website and they have their Winter Magazine for Knitting coming out soon. But even better, they have some great Staff projects on their website ready for free download and KNIT! I am totally feelin' the earflap love with their Cover Your Ears, and am eager to knit their Short Row Hat.

Yes, cold weather brings great knits to keep the head warm!

Ready for Stuffin'

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care.....

DONE!

This means I can get back to my other holiday knitting and perhaps the Nordic Wrap. I am happy with these stockings, the cheap-o TLC Essentials yarn worked out beautifully (a little less than 2 skeins for these). As you can see, our stockings are hung up next to our MEOW & WOOF stockings (store bought) for the pets. Glad hubby and I have our own stockings this year!

MEOW!

Christmas is in the Air

The tree is up and hubby's Christmas stocking has been completed!

One more stocking to go and our set is complete. This was a quick knit on size 13 needles. The only change I made to the pattern was on the trim. I decided not to do the cable cast on trim and went for a classic rib.

Today we will be decorating our tree and putting up Christmas lights outside. And who knows, I might even start on stocking #2!

A nice start to the holiday season

For me, Thanksgiving always is the start of the holiday season. Maybe it is because of the big family feast for Thanksgiving, or maybe it is because this is the weekend for every year since I can remember, that my family does our Christmas tree shopping. And today will be the same, my sis & brother-in-law, mom & dad, and hubby & I, will get in our cars and zip out to the tree farm to find a nice tree for each of our homes. Nothing beats the smell of a live tree in your home at Christmas, well, at least very few things rival it anyways.

Yesterday was another nice Thanksgiving. Lots of yummy things to eat, and too much eating as usual. That makes for an early evening most years and so last night I spent some time working on our Christmas stockings and then hubby & I dubbed the night "movie time" and popped in Old School. Per usual, I had a helper with my knitting. Silly Trowa!
As for the Christmas Stockings, I ousted Baroo from my picks. I worked on this pattern and found it to be somewhat poorly written. I was constantly flipping around trying to find out what was next and where I was. I considered re-writing it to be a little bit clearer to follow, but decided to move on instead. So, I picked up my Handiknit HOLIDAYS, and found that the Aran Stocking were just what I was looking for. Nothing fancy for the yarn here, just TLC essentials (held double stranded) in their Aran colorway. I think it will make for durable stockings in a classic design.

Yesterday, Ein mentioned to me that he wanted to try on his dog sweater this year since it is starting to get chilly. The armholes are a little snug for him, so he requested a new sweater to wear. Adding it to my list, dogger!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Gobble, gobble, Yarn Goblin'

I have been knitting very little this week, trying to spend time working on our Christmas Stockings. After all, we need something to put our goodies in. The kitties & dog have their stockings, but what about hubby & me? Time to kick it into high gear? As for holiday knits on the gift list, those are in progress and making some headway. No pics to share until the big day when they are unveiled to their recipients. Secret knits for now. BUT, I am sneaking in a little work on my Fair Isle Wrap from Wrap Style. As you can see, I have had a little help!

Gobble gobble, Yarn Goblin!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A special congratulations.....

to our friends Kyle & Julie! This week Julie gave birth to their first child, a baby girl! They named her Alexa Ann, how beautiful of a name is that?

Yes yes, she did get a little knitting for coming into this world. I knitted up a quick Umbilical Cord hat from Debbie Stoller's first Stitch N' Bitch book.

I didn't get a pic yet, sweet little Alexa needs to grow into it for a couple weeks I think. But knowing Kyle & Julie, there will be plenty of pictures of Alexa so I should be able to share one with the hat with all of you.

Remember the baby sweater? That was for Alexa too! She is going to be one stylin' baby, eh?
Congratulations again Kyle & Julie!

Projects

It is definitely that time of year again. I have several projects on the needles, from Christmas presents, to a pair of mittens waiting in the wings, to the Nordic Lights wrap, and yesterday I just started our Christmas stockings. Seems like a lot is on the plate again. Doing a little knitting holiday multi-tasking, how about all of you?

Recently I used my Elann.com gift certificate to pick up some Denise needles. Anyone else think those sets are great? I will continue to use my bamboos for simple projects, but these Denise needles are already coming in handy on the Nordic Lights wrap. It is great to work in the round and when a needle change happens, you just have to click off one size to the next! For anyone who does much work in the round, I would say these are a staple! Thanks again Emily!

The Christmas stockings I am making are from my Knitting Pattern-A-Day calendar. The pattern is by Catherine Boucher, and you can see it on her website. I am working on Baroo, which is an Irish Holiday Stocking.

As for prioritizing what I am knitting, so far I am not having much luck. I need to keep pushing away on the holiday knits, but I am enjoying the colors of Nordic Lights so much I keep picking it up. Anyone else struggling with prioritizing? I think I will try and crank out the Christmas stockings and then continue on my holiday gifts. There is just so much I am looking forward to knitting!

Back to Reality

This pic was the view from my hotel room balcony. If you expand the picture, you can see the ocean off in the distance. This hotel was the Park Hyatt and was very nice...there were Lindsay Lohen, Tara Reid, and Kanye West sightings here...none however by me.

Here are a couple pics from Venice Beach......sooo beautiful. Lots of cyclists & marathoners (Marathon is in MARCH) training away while I was there.

View from my friend's apartment. Look at that, just a block from the beach...and a view of the ocean from their place. Who could ask for more?
This pic was on the way from Malibu to Hollywood going around through the canyon to the valley. This road passed right by Mulholland Drive. Any David Lynch fans out there?
But of course, the Hollywood sign. Ahhhh.

I had a great quickie to L.A.

Thursday and Friday were packed with work activities. Friday through Sunday were spent with my dear friends in the area. They gave me the tour and we went to Santa Monica (all the while humming Everclear), Malibu, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and of course Venice Beach. What a place. I don't know if I could ever live in L.A., but wow, they have something for everyone!

Ta Da!

Kyoto is finished! This was done in Pakucho Organic Cotton from Elann.com. I am pretty happy with the finished project, and have learned 3 things while working on this:


1. Sewing up projects is not fun (especially with soooo many pieces)
2. I do not really enjoy working with cotton (it shows EVERYTHING)
3. Knit-Alongs are fun!

Kyoto

Check out the Kyoto-Along 2005 for my progress on this sweater. It is getting there....really...it is. I have a step by step on there for attaching the sash for anyone working on this project!

O.A.R.

For those of you who aren't familiar with O.A.R. (Of a Revolution), they are best described as a jam band. Last night they played at CY Stephens auditorium and Ames and hubby and I went to the show. Stephens is probably the best place (if you ask me) in Iowa to see any show. The acoustics are wonderful and the venue is somewhat intimate. It was probably one of the best (if not THE best) shows I have been to. The crowd was feelin' it and the energy was great.

There were 2 opening acts: Toby Lightman & Michael Tolcher. Toby was great, she had a couple songs most would recognize. "Devils & Angels" is a song they play on the radio, and "Real Love" is a great rendition. Who sings the original, anyone remember? Her voice is pretty amazing. I would rate the crowds reaction to Toby as "feelin' it". Tolcher and had a good band and a decent voice, but didn't seem to be upbeat enough to get the crowd moving. I think everyone was entertained, but from a moving your body around to the music standpoint, I am going to have to say "not feelin' it".

O.A.R. was fab. They came out and everyone was up and moving. They played many of their great songs: "About Mr. Brown", "Hey Girl", and "I Feel Home" to name a few. For a jam band sounding group, they did manage to play a decent amount of reggae inspired beats. Can you say contact high? To be sure, there was something going on in Stephens last night. They played non-stop for a good hour and a half before breaking into the best song of the night (in my humble opinion), "That Was A Crazy Game of Poker". The crowd went NUTS! Everyone was singing along and dancing. It was incredible. Looooved it.

O.A.R did a fair amount of speaking to the crowd (always important to me at a show) and told the crowd it was the best venue they have been to on this tour. It was apparent they were getting into the crowds approval and excitement for the band. Everyone was having a great night with O.A.R. I would go to another one of their shows in a heartbeat.

Concert Call (shows I have been to):
Smashing Pumpkins
Guns and Roses
Dave Matthews Band
Billy Joel
Phish
Tori Amos
Ani Difranco
B.B. King
Matchbox 20
Stevie Wonder
Pearl Jam
Jimmy Buffett
Kenny Chesney
Bob Dylan

Hmmm, I feel like there are more for the list. Can't remember this early in the morning I guess.

What about you? What has been your favorite show(s)?

In summary, could not have been a better way to spend my b-day night...thanks for putting up with my music taste honey!! (I saw you groovin' too) :)

BAMtastic

Well, I am officially another year older. The big 26.

Last night my dear hubby and I went out for dinner at the fabulous Cosi Cucina Italian Grille. I had one of their specials for the night, Ono Wahoo fish with a bed of mushroom risotto and a side of sundried tomatoes and Sautéed onions....yummy and the tomatoes had a great kick! I couldn't resist a pinot noir (my fav) and they brought me a nice dessert with a candle...no singing...what a classy place! Hubby had the Pork Scallopine Marsala with garlic mashed potatoes...it was fabulous as well.

My very fab husband spent some time in my favorite jewelry store (I think he is a regular there by now) and found a beautiful watch for me for my birthday...with a mother of pearl face and a few little diamond sparkles...loooove it! Thanks hubby, you always are so thoughtful. Unfortunately I couldn't get a pic to turn out for the blog.

Tonight is O.A.R. and tomorrow is the celebration with my family. Woohoo!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Happy Birthday to.....

ME! Well, tomorrow anyways. But I have already gotten a few knitworthy mentions! I received a Barnes & Noble gift certificate from one of our close family friends and so today when my partner told me to take the afternoon off...I hopped on over and scanned the knitting section. I came out with Melanie Falick's new book, handknit Holidays as well as a mitten book, Knitting Marvelous Mittens. I zipped on home excited to go through the books and tag my next to-dos.

And when I checked my email, I had the best surprise from my sis and her husband: a gift certificate to Elann. Thanks you two!! Now I can pick out some new goodies for my stash.

Plans for this weekend? Hubby time & family time. Going out to dinner tonight and tomorrow heading to Ames for the O.A.R. concert. Looks like it is going to be a good weekend!

Mimi Verylong....or sorta long

I have been working on a Mimi Verylong with some left-over Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. So far, I am enjoying the pattern and subtle bias created by the stitch pattern. I may modify the pattern to keep things interesting. I will only give you a little preview, as this in on the way to being a holiday piece...BAM '05 collection. :)

Great news! I am on my way to L.A. next week for a little bit of work, and a lot of fun with some of my favorite buddies that live in the area! Angela...I am so BAMMING excited too!

Weekends are Dope

This weekend has been filled with outdoor activities, knitting, and puppy time! Knittripps and her hubby just got a pup. Welcome to the family Shiloh! Ein has already been over to visit and they all came out to my hubby's race this morning. Cyclo Cross races are the best to watch, even despite a little rain today. Shiloh & Ein had fun romping around outdoors at the park as the racers zipped by. Way to go hubby! 3rd place! (although he really had 2nd, too bad the judge was blind...hehe)

And to top it off, I finished Veste Everest. I used Elann's Peruvian Collection Highland Wool in Mocha Heather, Size 5 Addi Turbos, and the pattern is from this Fall's current Interweave Knits. It was my first cable project. Cables are fun to knit and they look way more complicated than they really are. What do you think? Definitely a keeper!

Vintage Cyclone

Oh yeah, here we go. Earflaps? Check. Cardinal & Gold? Check (well, Oxblood & Freesia). Here we go! It is definitely a little more hubby-sized than BAM-sized, but oh well....it still rocks. Still in progress, Veste Everest (near completion) & Kyoto (mid-seaming). Today is absolutely beautiful out...70 degrees! Time to go enjoy the weather!

Today Rocks

I got to come home for a quick lunch today and found that my Elann yarn for Nordic Lights had arrived. YAY! And, on top of that? Tonight is Knitting Class and we will begin seaming our sweaters! With this cool, rainy weather, I know I will be inspired to work on lots of projects this weekend. Holiday knitting is on hold for now....too many projects to distract me!
Yarn chosen for Nordic Lights (the pattern on the cover):
Peruvian Highland Wool
(from left) Aubergine, Summer Fuschia, Brilliant Blue, New Leaf, Sapphire, & Freesia
Now I just need to decide which colors for which part of the pattern!!

Knit Worthy

Tonight I had the urge to go to Barnes and Noble and check out some of the new books I have been seeing lately. Nancy Bush has a new book, Vintage Socks. Since I have been thinking about socks lately, I thought it might be a good one to add to the collection. I was a little disappointed to see that the majority of the patterns are gentleman's and children's socks. Oh well, I guess they need cute knitted socks as well. This one is off the purchase list for now anyways. I also checked out Sally Melville's new book on Color. I just skimmed this one, but found the patterns to be nothing I would wear...at least at first glimpse. Her lessons are great however, so I am sure it would be a good resource for color work. I went ahead and purchased Wrap Style by Pam Allen & Ann Budd. I am diggin' several patterns in this book. I like the cover (Nordic Lights), Twisty Turns, Shadow Dance, and for lace...Shetland Triangle. Not sure what I will try first. Maybe Nordic Lights, but I do have the yarn for the Shetland Triangle. Maybe that can be a lace project for me and Knittripps to do together! This books is mostly capelets, ponchos, and tubes. I don't know if this is a style I will be sporting for the long run, after-all, I have yet to really wear the mistake rib poncho I made. Oh well, if we can't be intrigued by our knitting, what is the point?

I of course needed to have a Starbuck's cappuccino on the way out, nothing says good sleeping like a load of caffeine, eh? I am sure the dreams will be strange tonight. Oh well, warm drinks on a cool night are fab.

Oh by the way, check out the Knitty Fall surprises...the pumpkins are kinda cute!

Hats On/Hats Off

After spending the evening chatting it up with one of my best girl friends, I got to thinking about knitted hats. She has been all excited about a pink one, and I asked her about ear flaps. She hadn't thought about that, but after a minute agreed yes...they are rockin'. I have been thinking about working on one of these hats from Joelle Hoverson's Last Minute Knitted Gifts. This pic is from the book and these are Kim's Hats. A basic pattern that can be adapted for many color changes and style changes. What do you think...pink or good ol' classic Cyclone colors?? I think BOTH!

Vacation!

We just got back from a weeklong vacation to Telluride, Colorado. What a nice relaxing trip and enjoyed during my favorite time of the year...FALL! Below I have posted some of the pics from our trip. Hubby and I had a fabulous time!

And time for knitting? Well, of course! I finished my 2nd Super Mitten and also the front piece of Veste Everest. We even saw some sheep on our drives by the ranches!!

Colorado? 2 times in 1 year!! Welcome to Telluride

This is a picture of the view from Mountain Village where we stayed... Here are the Gondolas we rode from Mountain Village down to Telluride....
Here is the band playing at Oktoberfest.....cool outfits, eh?
The Alta Lakes, one of our off-road adventures!
Aspens on the trail....ahhh
Here is Ouray, a very interesting little town...called the Switzerland of America
A view from one of our hikes...this one was to Bear Creek Falls
Ralph Lauren's view from his ranch near Ouray/Telluride....absolutely amazing....
This is the Painted wall from the Black Canyons of Gunnison...

As you can see, the south-western side of Colorado is spectacular...especially with the fall colors. These are just a few of the pictures from the 250+ that we took!