Remember Lauren?

Here is a close up of the stitch pattern for Lauren from Rowan's Linen Print Collection:

I am enjoying how quickly Size 17's seem to knit up, but I can only work with them for an hour or so before I get tired of them. Sort of like 1's, these take a little getting used to. Like all Rowan yarns that I have tried, I am enjoying Linen Print. It has a nice texture and I really like the coloring.

As for my French Market Bag, it is dry and I am waiting for a sunny day (definitely not today with our Tornado warnings, thunderstorms, & hail) to catch a good shot. Still loving felting. What a fun technique, soaks up any little imperfections.

Gettin' a Kick out of Memes

Piddleloop did this and I thought it was fun/enlightening! Give it a try if you like!
All you do is put your music player/iPod on shuffle and answer the questions as it shuffles away!

How does the world see me? Intergalactic- Beastie Boys
So, does that mean I am spacey? or OUT OF THIS WORLD :)
Will I have a happy life? It's True That We Love One Another- The White Stripes
Sounds good I think
What do my friends really think of me? Breaking the Habit- Linkin Park
Hmmmm.....will have to think this one over
Do people secretly lust after me? Sexxlaws- Beck
How can I make myself happy? Get Up Stand Up- Bob Marley
Guess it really is time to go back to Jamaica
What should I do with my life? Not Coming Home- Maroon 5
Uh oh, staying in Jamaica this time...haha
Will I ever have children? Hindi Sad Diamonds- Moulin Rouge
What is some good advice for me? Who's That Girl- Eve
How will I be remembered? Back in Black- ACDC
Classic BAM attire (from suits to dresses, to tops, I love black)
What is my signature dance song? Free Fallin'- Tom Petty
This song does make me feel good
What do I think my current theme song is? Brand New Retro- Tricky
What song will play at my funeral? Kiss Me- Kenny Chesney
What type of men do I like? Otherside- Red Hot Chili Peppers
What is my day going to be like? Can't you Hear Me Knockin'- Rolling Stones
Time to get the party started!

I enjoyed this meme. If you couldn't tell, I have a widespread music taste. What is on your player?

Uber Felt

After weaving in the ends, I couldn't resist running French Market through the wash. I consulted the Knitty archive for some felting tips, and away I went! I did 2 cycles (one normal, and one heavy), and Ta-Da! Felted goodness. I went ahead and blocked over a few mixing bowls to try to get a better shape. I can't wait for it to dry!

French Market Bag: Pre Felt

Let me start by saying that this is not how I envisioned my French Market Bag. I had intended to use only the dark blue (Sapphire) and fushia from my stash of Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool. I would have preferred a much more solid color to my bag, but when using one's stash, one has to be flexible. So, entre stripes.

This is how she looks pre-felt. I hope to get her felted in the next day or two. This will be my first REAL felt project (my little bunnies last year were to small to really count in my mind).

I am also hoping to get some better pics out in the daylight so the colors are more realistic. I darkened this shot up to get a better representation, but nothing beats natural light.

As for St. Patrick's Day, I was in the Windy City with a bunch of friends from college/sorority sis's. Fun was had by all (despite a little drama from time to time). It was a great weekend, and I wish I had taken more scenic pics to show of Chicago. And yes, the Magnificent Mile proved to have some good shopping...I scored 2 pairs of rockin' jeans and a couple of cute tees. And, stocked up again on my new favorite lotion.

Hope everyone had a great St. Paddy's!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This knitted Shamrock was done with an applique pattern from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments. I used some leftover yarn from Perfect Pie's edging.

Have a great weekend! Wear a little green for me!

Warm up those hands hubby!

Here they are, blocked and being modeled by my hubby. See....they really do fit him better than me! Oh well, I can knit myself another pair next fall.

I need to find more projects to use Dale of Norway's Baby Ull for. I really love the softness of this yarn!

Happy Birthday (month) BLOG!

Wow, I surpassed my blog's 1 year anniversary without even noticing....so I will celebrate the whole month of March!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Finished!

I decided to go for a spicy fringe on My So Called Scarf. This is a knotted fringe. I think it goes well with the zig-zag look of the scarf.

My first impression while working with Manos is that it is a fun texture to work with. I love the variation in color with hand dyes (although I could do without the smell). I avoided the suggestion of switching skeins every couple rows (I hate weaving in ends), and with my end result you can definitely see the difference between the right and left sides (skein 1 & skein 2). All in all I am happy with the result and I can see why this is Knittripps favorite yarn!

Sorta bohemian, eh?

It's Here!

Meet Lauren.This will be one of my next projects. It calls for size 19 needles, I think the closest I have are 17s so I might try those before picking up some 19s (I doubt I will use them for much else). Here is my project list for the next couple of months:

1. My So Called Scarf (to be finished this weekend with any luck)
2. Mittens (yes I am still weaving in ends on these, but hope to get some finished pics up soon)
3. Celebrity Look-Alike Shawl (Keep ripping out to get to the perfect size, but I will finish it again someday)
4. Lauren
5. French Market Bag (a BAM & Knittripps project before our first local Farmer's Market begins)
6. A couple of secret projects in the works....or on the brain

We are experiencing some lovely warm weather here in the Midwest....I am starting to think about light, spring knits!
And of course getting outside!

Elann.com kicks A$$

Yup, that's right....plugging my fav yarn site again. I have been eyeing Rowan's Linen Print Collection for a while now and TODAY Elann started offering the yarn. Score! Wow, waiting does pay off from time to time (I guess this yarn is on closeout now).

I quickly ordered the pattern book and 7 balls of Breeze to make the Shawl (Lauren). Yes, another wrap/shawl. Am I addicted or what?

10.5s

Kind of nice to work on size 10.5 every now and then.....
Still on skein 1....and not quite halfway done (but close)

To fringe or not to fringe....regular or something spicey?

Wildflowers

Or color 113.

I thought I could go a week without picking up the needles after the Olympic knitting, but alas, my fidgeting got the best of my and I started My So Called Scarf. I am using the fabulous Manos that Knittripps picked up for me on her trip to Oregon for watching their kitties.

After a few rows, I started eyeing the picture on the pattern and it looked very familiar.. After reading through the intro one more time and checking my yarn tag I realized that I am using the same color from the pattern! This has to be the first time EVER that I have done this! And what is funny is, Knittripps was mysteriously drawn to this colorway and I was mysteriously drawn to using this pattern for my new Manos! hehe!

As they say at Mickie D's
"I'm Lovin' It"