Stitches in Play

love my new kerchief

Just finished the Moody Kerchief and I absolutely love it.

Love the simple and well written pattern.  Love that it knit up in less than a week of evening knitting.  Love that it wears beautifully.  Love that the money I paid for the pattern goes to a family in need.




Ezra, my thirteen year old, took these photos of me and I had to post them all - I just love this small simple shawl from every angle!  It's soft and warm and looks great even without blocking.  But best of all it looks great paired with blue jeans and a tee!

Pattern: Moody Kerchief

Yarn:  The purple is Cascade Yarns Baby Alpapca Chunky in color 569; blue is Malabrigo worsted in continental (26),

Needles:  10 US

all we need is less

Living simply.  Cleaning house.  Decluttering surfaces.  Living with less.  Enjoying more. 

 

abby's new cardi

Abigail could not wait to reveal her new mama-made sweater.

First, she "styled" the look.  (Translation:  she refused to wear the shirt and pants that i had picked out.)

Next, she "choreographed" the photo shoot.  (Translation:  she figured that 'all those people who read your blog' would think that the sweater was 'boring' if she 'just stood there'  so she decided to show you all that 'you can do' while wearing this cardi.) 

Apparently the sweater is good for doing this...

And this...

And for looking directly at the sun.

It's also perfectly suited for pointing at passing brothers...

And for "giving yourself a hug."

Oh, and she thought you should see the back.

Bet you didn't know that my knits were this versatile!  Yours can be too if you let Miss Abby conduct a "photo shoot" for you.

Now for the pattern - or lack thereof.  I wanted to knit Leslie's Libby cardi (pattern in Leslie's sidebar).  But the pattern is a bit too large for my girly who wears size 6-8 so I made up my own using the top-down raglan formula.  This basic formula can be found in many books on top down knitting but my favorite web instructions are written by Laura of cosmicpluto knits. 

Here are my numbers for this size 8 cardi:

I used worsted weight wool (Jo Sharp Classic DK Wool in the colors Limoncello and Antique) and

US sz 8 needles.

CO 70 stitches.

k1p1 ribbing for 6 rows. (for the band around the neck)

Divide for yolk (RS): k5 for button band, pm, k10 for front, pm, k10 for sleeve, pm, k20 for back, pm, k10 for sleeve, pm, k10 for front, pm, k5 for button band

row 2 (WS): k5 for button band, purl to last 5 stitches (last marker), k5

row 3 (RS): *k to 2 sts before marker, kf&b, k1, sl m, k1, kf&b*, repeat from * to * three more times. Knit to the end of the round.

row 4 (WS): k5, purl to last 5 stitches (last marker), k5.

Repeat rows 3 & 4 sixteen times.  (or until you have 42 stitches between the sleeve markers.)

Slip the sleeve stitches onto scrap yarn and continue knitting the body of the sweater in stockinette stitch to desired length.

Work 14 rows garter stitch for the bottom band.  (knit every row)  Bind off.

Laura gives instructions for side shaping in her pattern.  I did not do any side shaping for a child's cardi but i highly recommend side shaping if you are knitting a cardi for yourself.

Slip sleeve stitches off scrap yarn and join stitches to work in the round (i love magic loop knitting method for sleeves) until sleeves are desired length.   Work 14 rows garter stitch.  Bind off.  Repeat for second sleeve. 

For the stripes I just switched between the two colors every 6, 8, 10 and 14 rows respectively.  See how the stripes become wider as the sweater progresses.  Have fun and make the stripes any width you like - just remember to do the same for the sleeves so that the stripes line up.

You can easily make this cardi larger by adding several more kf&b increases in the yoke before separating the sleeves.  Then knit the body and sleeves to desired length.

Hope you find these instructions helpful.  I know that wearing this cardi has helped my girly run faster through the woods, gather dozens of pine cones, and build a fort for all the imaginary students that she schools each day. 

it feels like monday or the winners are...

Oh my, I said I would announce the giveaway winners on Monday... but for some reason I keep on forgetting that with my kiddos home nearly every Monday, Tuesday has become my new Monday.  Thanks so much to all of you who entered - I really enjoyed reading all of your sweet and clever comments.  I couldn't choose just two winners so I chose three:

comment #5 - annri

comment #26 - miri

comment #32 Laura (no blog link)    Ladies, send me your addresses!

In the meantime:

We enjoyed a wonderful three-day weekend full of playing, house cleaning and organizing, and a trip here to see this.  Each of these will receive its own post sometime this week.  I'm off to read with some first graders and pick up a whole bunch of kiddo artwork from the art teacher that will be turned into mugs and totes for our next fundraiser - hoping to raise enough money so that we can have school on Mondays again!

On the home front:

Abigail's sweater is all done,

this quilt top is almost complete,

these ladies are enjoying their morning constitutional,

this kitty is in search of a warm and sunny perch,

and this girly is ready to reveal her new cardi.

Wishing you all a fabulous Tuesday!  (although it sure does feel like a Monday around here!)

 

the gift of time - and chocolates

I like to think it happened because Valentine's Day fell on a Monday. 

And because I have absolutely no sewing time on most weekends.  I play with the kiddos all weekend (and drive them around a lot) while my husband's at work.  He returns home minutes before they go to bed, helps out with a few chores, and then wants quality time for us.  Poor me, right?  People, my life is the best - just little time for making.

And it could have happened a little because I took on three big projects, planned my time poorly, and began my making way too late.  However I still think that it's that darn Monday that's to blame!

I did not finish my kiddos' gifts.

I wanted to make them quilts like Erin's but I only got this far...

And i only sewed the D - I - D for David...

And this is Abby's rabbit...

I was feeling defeated - and a bit sad - until I turned to my address book for some sound advice...

And then it came to me ...I would give my family the gift of my time, my undivided attention when they spoke, my help in crafting valentine's for their friends. I would give them the gift of a mama who breathed more deeply and time spent in the kitchen baking brownies.  I also gifted them each a small box of chocolates and a special love note.  Everyone was happy.  Thank goodness for wise quotes in address books.  (Wise address book available here.)

Ezra and David have birthdays coming up in March and April and their quilts will become birthday gifts.  And Abigail will receive her bunny rabbit just in time for spring solstice.  All is well again. 

This is the result of a a girly who grabbed a big pair of scissors and cut through a dozen 'pixy stix'  at once only to make a huge mess on the kitchen table.  When we gathered up all the sugary powder we found a heart.

Wishing that all good things will be yours today!

stream of consciousness

Since I was last here...

Everyone in our home is healthy once again.

My kiddos are back in school after a four day weekend (our county is saving money by closing down the schools resulting in many long weekends). 

I truly enjoy having my kiddos home the extra days.  This weekend we visited the space museum. We visited the library and read new books in our pj's.  We watched this visually stunning film - i just love streaming movies through netflix.

I have been knitting a bit.  A cardi for Abby.

I have been sewing a bit.  I'll be able to share soon.

I have been snacking a lot.  I like to eat my food directly off the cutting board.  It's fun and there are fewer dishes to wash. (that's goat cheese on the crackers - yum.)

I have been folding laundry while listening to the soundtrack from this wonderful movie.  I recommended this film a while ago but it's definitely worth repeating.  Watch Once first - you won't be disappointed.

I took a nature walk on a rainy morning.

 

 

Since I don't have any completed projects to share and nothing earth shattering (thank goodness) has transpired I thought I'd share some random things about me:

I love a long, hot shower.  I rarely take baths.

I drink a lot of this tea.  Often times I sneak in a second tea bag - this is my current favorite.

My favorite thing to eat with tea is almond biscotti.

For the past several weeks I've had the music of April Smith and Tarja Turunen in heavy rotation. 

My kiddos and I love listening to Vitamin String Quartet - they play some awesome Lady Gaga without any of the offensive lyrics.  Check out all their albums here.

In the past month I have slept in a white tee so that I could just throw on a coat when I drive Ezra to the bus stop at 7am.  I have also worn boots so that I wouldn't have to change mismatched socks.

I could live on brown rice, black beans and salsa...

With blueberry mango smoothies to wash it down. (I buy frozen blueberries and frozen mango chunks at Trader Joe's and blend them with a banana, vanilla yogurt and a bit of water)

For the past two weeks I have written grocery lists and forgotten them on the fridge.  Both weeks I managed to buy everything on them except for cinnamon.  I must admit that our french toast, granola and cookies have been lacking. 

I feel good when my hands and feet are moisturized. 

I think I may be growing my hair out.  Either that or i just haven't bothered to get it cut in a while.

I love to paint my toenails but I don't paint my fingernails.

I cannot hear myself think when the television is on - at least I hope I am still thinking.  I do not feel the same about watching movies.

I try to take my contact lenses out right after dinner - but I often forget.  My eyes do not thank me for this.

I feel truly thankful for my husband.  Not a day has gone by since March 1991 that he hasn't told me how much he loves me.  I know that he means it because he always looks me in the eyes and smiles when he tells me. 

Having too much stuff makes me nervous.  Each time I bring something new into the house I cannot help but think about how I will have to dust, wash, store or otherwise care for yet another thing.

I am happiest when the sun is shining - even if it's really cold out.

I feel blessed to have all our pets. (we have 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 guinea pigs and 9 chickens)  I talk to them when I have a problem to work out, I get exercise when they take me along on their walks, I breathe more deeply when I stroke the soft feathers of our hens.

Every morning for breakfast I eat eggs moments after they are laid by our hens.  They are the most delicious eggs I have ever tasted. 

Most nights I read for 30 minutes before going to bed.  I wish I could knit and read at the same time.  But I choose to read because knitting often involves watching television.

At times the computer makes me feel anxious.  On one hand I want to know what all my friends are up to and I want to share what I have been doing.  But I also want to spend that time making and knitting and reading. 

I received this book in the mail today and I cannot wait to read the ending to this amazing story.

I don't have an electronic reader.  My husband has one and has offered to download a book for me so that I can try it out.  But I am not ready yet. 

I purchase way too many books.  They take up a lot of room.  I think I will try the e-reader for my next selection. 

I think better, and feel more creative, when I put pen to paper.  I have started keeping all my making ideas in notebooks.  I also doodle little sketches in the margins.  Somehow typing just isn't the same. 

I feel best on the days I make it to the gym.  I have more energy, walk straighter, sleep better and stay healthier when I work out.   I wish I had the discipline to exercise at home but I don't.

I haven't gone to the gym as often as i like this winter because I have been "too busy."  But after reading this wonderful post I plan to slow down, take my time, and get more done!

Hope you take your time and get more done today!

 

about giving and making

With my kiddos home for the long weekend, spring fund raising in full swing at their school, and a taekwondo competition on the horizon I've had a full week. 

And with Valentine's Day coming up in just a few short weeks I've been thinking a lot about 'giving' once again.  And of course with giving comes making - oh, how I love the making that proceeds the giving! 

Yesterday I was puttering about in my sewing space, gathering materials for my kiddos' Valentine's gifts when I spotted this gorgeous skein of Koigu wool that was gifted to me by Jennifer. 

At some point during this past Hanukkah/Christmas season I realized that I wasn't going to be able to complete a handmade gift for everyone on my list so I turned to my friends for help.  I was so excited to find that Jennifer included this yummy merino wool (just for me) along with the handmade goodness from her shop. 

And very quickly the wool became this.

Which I wore like this.

I love it so.   

Bracelet inspired by one I spotted in a knitting book on our last bookstore trip.

I jotted down: CO 55 stitches.  Seed stitch for 12 rows.  YO buttonhole.

If you know which book this is from please let me know.  I have many such notes that I jot down in the sweetest little notebook gifted to me by another great friend.

The best part is that I have plenty of yarn left for lots more making! Now all I need to do is find more time!

the tuva hat

Thanks so much for all the apron love on the last post.  And if I had known that you would've enjoyed my washer/dryer delivery story so I would have shared more details of this bizarre delivery.  Like the fact that they telephoned me from my driveway, repeatedly, to tell me that they were terrified of my pups.  And how at one point they ran back to the Sears truck so quickly to get away from my dog, who was busy sniffing their tires, that one of them twisted his ankle and complained about it for the entire time they were here!

But enough about that because it's time to move on.  And now that I have finally finished up the last 2010 holiday season gift I feel I can do just that. 

On December 18, after three years of taekwondo training, both of my boys earned their first degree black belts.  I actually wrote a post about this but never published it because the gloomy morning light and the fact that the entire belt presentation & tea ceremony is done with the lights off resulted in some less than attractive photos.

I did post about their Black Belt Recommended testing here.   After the testing I presented my boys with small gifts to let them know how very proud we are of them.  This prompted Shelby, who also earned her black belt that morning, to ask me to knit her a hat for Christmas.  She told me that she doesn't care what style I knit so long as it's black.  I must say that I don't like to knit hats for non-knitters because they don't know what to expect and are rarely happy with the results.  Plus Shelby, standing on the left between my guys, is an eighteen year old girl and a college freshman which places her in the most-difficult-to-please-with-a-knit category.   This is why I gifted  Shelby a very nice (store bought) scarf and an insulated mug for Christmas.  I didn't even attempt to knit a black hat for a teenage girl. 

Long story short, she opens the gift, immediately puts on the scarf and tells me she loves it.  Then she tells me that she really needed a new insulated cup and thanks me for it.  I assume i'm home free when she asks about the hat.  I explained that she may not like what I knit and that I didn't have time to get washable black wool with my kiddos home over winter break.  Shelby stood firm, told me that she really wanted me to knit her a hat and that she would love whatever I knit. 

So I went home and dug through my stash for the black/grey washable wool left over from my rusted root sweater.  And then I knit the Slouched Tuva Hat. 

Which, by the way, looks adorable on my six year old.

It's not truly black.  It's very slouchy.  And it may be a tad large...

But it is 'close' to black in color.  And it's 'kinda' fun in a teenage girl sorta way.

And it looks fabulous paired with pink polka dot boots!

Best of all, Abigail enjoyed modeling it - and didn't even try to take it off once!

 

I must go now.  It's time to feed my kiddos dinner #1.

Then off to taekwondo (where I will gift Shelby her hat). 

I will see you all back here around 8:30 tonight - after I have fed my kiddos dinner #2 and tucked them into bed.

the soup and a shawl and forty

Today I turn forty.  I am super excited. I am healthy, I have a wonderful family, the greatest friends, I feel joy in my heart and (on most days) a spring in my step.  Today I picked pajamas off the floor and thought how fabulous it is that my girly still can't seem to pick up after herself because this mama can use the extra squats to keep her backside in shape!  Delusional or not, I am happy to be my age and look forward to an awesome year...beginning with my cake!  (I wrote this on sunday and will post photos of me and my cake as soon as I eat some tomorrow.)

Now back to the busyness (I mean business) of serious blogging.

For those of you who showed interest in my mushroom soup recipe from Thanksgiving and patiently waited more than a fortnight for me to finally get around to posting I have the recipe - proceeded by a small disclaimer. 

  

Disclaimer: I make soup at least once a week (often twice) when the weather is chilly.  I rarely use a recipe as I have found a cooking "method" that works for me and that my family will eat.  No matter what type of soup I'm making I always begin the same way - by sauteing the veggies in olive oil and then adding broth and leftover chicken or meat or beans.  Thus, this is less of a mushroom soup "recipe" and more of a "method" for making whatever kind of soup you like.  I usually use trader joe's organic chicken broth for most of my soups but mushrooms go best with beef stock.

Mushroom Soup  - the Method

olive oil (enough to generously coat bottom of large soup pot)

1 large onion, diced

8 oz carton mushrooms, sliced

4 oz package mixed dried mushrooms (i got mine at trader joe's)

Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil on high heat for 5 minutes.

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

       2 cloves garlic, minced

1 turnip, sliced

Add above 4 ingredients and saute 5-7 minutes more. (this gives the soup a ton more flavor than simply tossing them into broth to boil). 

2 -32 oz. cartons beef stock/broth

3 cups water

5 small red potatoes, diced

Add beef stock, water and potatoes and simmer 15 minutes.

leftover chicken breast, shredded  (optional)

1 bunch rainbow chard, sliced

Add chicken (if using) and chard and simmer 5 more min.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy.

Note:  do not omit the dried mushrooms - they impart the most wonderful flavor and smell to this soup.  Also, there is no need to rehydrate dried mushrooms if you are using them in soups.

Soup Tip:  Leftover soup of any kind tastes great ladled over a bowl of pasta or steamed rice - and satisfies the needs of all the carb lovers at my house!

But wait; there's more. 

I knit this super simple, super cute shawlette.

This is the storm cloud shawlette pattern by ever green knits.  I knit the ruffled version shown in blue but modified the pattern a bit.  To create the ruffle I knit into the front and back of each stitch followed by 8 rows of garter stitch.  There are a lot of stitches here but this small shawl knits up quickly and it's a perfect beginner project - just knit stitches and yarn overs.

I used 2 skeins Noro Kureyon wool left over from this sweater and half a skein of Rowan Pure Wool for the ruffle. (about 300 yards total)

Pattern: storm cloud shawlette

Yarn: 2 skeins Noro Kureyon &  half a skein Rowan Pure Wool  (300 yards total)

Needles: US size 8

Mods: for ruffle I knit into the front and back of each stitch followed by 8 rows of garter stitch (not elongated garter like the pattern suggests).

Finally I learned that I am not the only one getting older around here.  My girly, who turned six in September, is a very big girl and requires a size 8-10 sweater.  And nothing will bring a knitting mama back to the reality of how big her kiddos are getting like ripping an entire sweater (i had been ripping for a while when i stopped to take this picture).  So this year I vow to live each day with purpose, to have joy in my heart, and to be present with my kiddos because the years are passing way too quickly.  I also vow to knit my girly more sweaters now - before she gets even bigger and her sweaters take longer to knit - or heaven forbid she asks to borrow mine!

"Happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you're lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love."  - Adela Rogers St. Johns

the sweater recipe

Thank you so much for all your kind comments about my latest knit.  I must admit that I love it too because it is so simple and versatile that I can wear it all the time.  In fact I'm wearing it right now.  It is super warm and the color is great for winter.  It also doesn't hurt that this jacket looks good with my mama uniform - jeans and white tee.

This sweater began it's life as the featherweight cardigan.  But by the time I got around to knitting it, cooler weather was coming so I decided to use a bulkier and warmer wool.  This is Peruvian Quick in color # 9137.

I cast on 48 stitches divided them 1 front (pm) 6 sleeve (pm) 34 back (pm) 6 sleeve (pm) 1 front and knit the top-down recipe in the pattern.  I increased at the markers until I had about 38 stitches between the sleeve markers, then separated the sleeves onto scrap yarn, and continued knitting to desired length.

I used a US 9 knitting needle which is smaller than the US 11 recommended for this yarn in order to get a tighter knit resulting in a sturdier jacket that doesn't stretch out too much.

The bottom edge and cuffs are done in a twisted knit stitch (just knit through the back loop).  I attempted a knit stitch collar but some things are better ripped and forgotten.  The tried and true 1x1 rib looks so much better.

I love top-down knitting because it allows me to try the sweater on and get the length of the sweater and the sleeves exactly where I want them. 

Pattern: Featherweight Cardigan

Yarn: Peruvian Quick, color 9137 (Plum)

Needles: US size 9

Size:  small, had to adjust guage for bulkier wool (see above)

Mods: added length, twisted knit for cuffs and bottom edge, long sleeves, 1x1 rib for collar

Abigail was sitting by me and reading while I was weaving in the ends.  As the snipped ends piled up she said, "Can I have these?  I can make something cool out of these."

She gathered the necessary supplies - which always include tons of glue and scissors - and worked her magic quickly.  No more than ten minutes later she was writing dialogue for this family of "sweater monsters."  The one on the right has a "weird face"  because it's the family pet, she explained.  In case you were wondering, Ezra built them a curtained stage out of a box and Abby's production was brought to life with the help of her brothers.  Things got very loud when the monsters got their lines wrong (most likely on purpose) and at one point the director stormed off stage and went to her room but we had a blast and making toys out of wool scraps was a wonderful way to spend our Black Friday.

I'm off to get some stuff ready for more Hannukah fun tonight - which will be celebrated early to make time for back to back Taekwondo classes.  We played so hard and had so much fun last night that it will be hard to beat.

See you back here soon with the mushroom soup recipe! 

May your day be full of joy.

thankful after thanksgiving

Today finds me busily putting together a few Hanukkah gifts  - the first night is tomorrow and I am not ready, many things that I had planned will not get done and I am just fine with that. 

I cannot help but think about how thankful I am that really and truly we already have everything we need.  But because I cannot wrap up hugs nor kisses nor giggles nor time playing or hiking outdoors, I wrap gifts that symbolize all of these to me.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of food, family and about a gazillion games of Apples to Apples Jr. (give or take a few).

Before I share a few images from our week, I'd like to thank all of you who come here and visit and share.  You all mean so much to me and I feel blessed to have you in my life and to call you my friends.  I wish you much joy and thanks giving - not just in this holiday season but throughout the coming year.

This past week we...

Enjoyed the yummiest, tiniest, and most fun brussel sprouts ever.  We roasted them with lots of olive oil, salt and pepper and everyone ate because everyone helped!

Arranged flowers for our table.

Marveled at how the blue eggs are blue on the inside too.

We took cooking breaks to venture outside and breathe the beautiful, crisp fall air.

We shot arrows at targets - or just into the woods.  This boy loves his archery and spends time each day perfecting his shot.

Then we made mushroom soup to accompany our turkey and all the trimmings.  The secret to this soup is definitely in the dried mushrooms.  (two stalks of celery and one turnip also went into the mix)

When it was all cooked, in went this gorgeous swiss chard.

Yum.

In fact, the mushroom soup was such a hit that only half the Thanksgiving feast was comsummed before the masses decided it was time for a walk in the woods.

We walked...

 We ran...

We played hide-and-seek.

And lots of cinnamon hot cocoa was consummed.

See.  I told you we already have everything we need.  But the presents will be wrapped (and unwrapped), the latkes will be fried, all the menorahs will be lit, and there will be lots of silly singing and dancing.

And all weekend long I wore this very warm little gift that I made for myself (finished more than a week ago).  More details as soon as I get the photos cropped.

I'm off pick up my kiddos and rush them to the dentist.  Why is it that I always forget to consult the calendar before scheduling that six month visit?  Winter break and holidays just seem so far off when the heat of June is messing with my last few brain cells!  At least I get to walk through my carpet of red maple leaves one extra time.  I am so very thankful that no one in this family takes the time to rake - these leaves are fabulous!

Be well, my friends!

celebrating each day

I did not mean to be away this long.  I have been busy with all that comes along with this holiday season, both at home and at my kiddos' school.  Seems like we just celebrated halloween and now Thanksgiving is only days away and Hanukkah is a week later on December 1st and all teacher's holiday gifts need to be wrapped and ready by december 16th.  I'm slowly working on several gifts that I'll share soon but mainly I've been unusually calm this year. I'm taking one day at a time and focusing on being present with my family. 

I especially love that Ezra arrives home an hour before his brother and sister this year - at 2:30 I drop everything so that I can spend this precious hour with him. We talk about his day while we walk the dogs, get the mail, check on our chickens and share a snack.  This has become our daily ritual and I cherish every moment that my pre-teen wants to share his concerns and his joys with his mama.

Abigail has been busy decorating our home for the holidays. 

We still had fall pumpkins and gourds on the table when we added bowls of halloween candy.  Over the weekend she placed Hanukkah "gelt" (chocolate coins) right over the leftover candy.  Just as it became nearly impossible to tell which holiday we were celebrating....

Abigail added this strawberry corn and declared us "ready for Thanksgiving!"  While I'm not sure which holiday we are prepared for, we are giggling a lot at all the silliness around here.

And for the past week all of our baked goods have been arranged in a giant latke platter that the girly insists sit in the center of our kitchen table.  This has resulted in nearly daily baking because a dozen muffins disappear quickly when stored in plain sight like this.  (These muffins were made from Trader Joe's Triple Berry Bran muffin mix - yummy and healthy.  I substitute buttermilk for the water and add vanilla extract and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I am not a purist when it comes to baking and often doctor up a boxed mix because my kids don't care - they just want baked goods that are warm out of the oven. Bonus - these muffins each have 7 grams of fiber.)

While we're keeping an eye on the calendar and all that needs to get done, we must not forget that our hens need tending each and every day. 

These girls haven't heard about Thanksgiving or Hanukkah or Christmas or New Year's.  They just provide us with the most delicious (and beautiful) eggs ever - each and every day.  The kiddos have named all of our hens and each time I present a baked good or an egg dish they ask which hen laid the eggs they are eating.   And it's not uncommon to hear,"I'll have one of Rusty's eggs - sunny side up."  I had no idea the joy and laughter and nourishment that these hens would bring us when I mail ordered day old chicks last May on a whim.

 

And while we're on the subject of staying calm and present during this holiday season I'll share that while I finished the jacket I was knitting - loosely based on the featherweight cardi - I could not figure out what possessed me to knit a garter stitch collar.  It is now ripped and i'm knitting a 1x1 rib instead.  I was watching this film when I made the dreaded decision to use garter stitch and so I am tempted to blame Coco Chanel for this atrocity - but just thinking about that makes me laugh out loud so I will assume all blame, savor the process, and re-knit the collar. 

The above photo was taken by Abigail who is six and it is not cropped at all.  After we finished reading her book I asked her to take a picture of my sweater - and she stood so close that she managed to frame it perfectly.  The wool used is Peruvia Quick by Berroco in shade #9137.

May you find a reason to celebrate today.

the long weekend

Today marks the end of a long, long weekend.  Due to Tuesday elections and countywide budget cuts the kiddos were home for a five day weekend.  We had a great time beginning with a huge taekwondo fundraiser for St. Jude chidlren's hospital in which our school broke 2,500 boards in three hours! (there were many soar arms and feet but nobody seemed to mind - or complain too much.)  The kids had a blast with all the excitement of breaking boards, moon walk bounce attractions, and a dunk-the- instructor tank - plus some much needed early Halloween candy.  On Sunday we played at a meet the new rabbi picnic followed by some trick or treating with friends in a new-to-us neighborhood.  For much of the remainder of our long, long weekend we stayed close to home and savored the fact that we did not have to be anywhere or do anything in particular.

The weather was gorgeous but chilly.  And although this mama usually opts to stay indoors and knit when the highs are in the 50's, we spend most of our days outside.  I often wish that I enjoyed being outdoors more than I do and I am immensely grateful for doggies, kiddos and (now) chickens that force me to get out and breathe in the fresh air!

We had time to revisit our veggie garden and collected its bounty.

Lots of new sweet peppers and ...

grape tomatoes.  Yum.

 Of course some knitting was done.  (more on this later in the week)

Pumpkins were painted.  (using paint markers)

 We were focused.

We were silly.

We were serious.  We had a blast.

 

Today, on the fifth and final day of our break, Abigail decided it was time to sew something out of her "favorite fabric."  We opted for a skirt because it's a quick project and simple enough where a six year old can actually help.  We used the super simple selvage method to sew the skirt.  (Simply sew desired length of fabric selvage to selvage and then make an elastic casing for the top edge and hem the bottom edge with ribbon. Done.)

This skirt took us thirty minutes to sew.  But I had the most fun following the girlie around for the next two hours as she twirled in her new skirt...

and picked flowers (weeds actually - but pretty weeds) in her new skirt...

 
and ran through the woods in her new skirt...

and engaged in conversations with her doggies in her new skirt.

I will honestly be sad to see them go off to school tomorrow.  Good thing the weekend is only two days away! 

 

the (it's almost summer) weekend update

I realize that Monday is nearly over but I spent the day cleaning the house and restocking supplies (read grocery shopping).

The Bad:  The weather was either hot and humid or pouring rain

The Good:  so much of the weekend was spent in the pool.

The Good:  Abigail floating in the pool without a care in the world

The Bad:  while the boy refills his super soaker water shooter. 

(I do have a photo of what transpired next but I like to keep this blog a happy space - that way when I read over it years from now all the screaming and fighting will appear to be just a figment of my imagination.)

 

Most Clever:  Here's Remmy lounging under a tree canopy where he's safe from both intense heat and pouring rain.
 

The Best Alternative Use: mason jars make beautiful chick waterers. 
 

The Girls:  I'm in love with these twelve-day-old girls who are now able to fly right out of their brooder.  They grow so fast! I only have sixteen left and I am going to have major trouble giving the last batch to their people.
 

The Verdict:  The only green part left of the smoothies around here are the straws.  The kiddos didn't care for the spinach and really it wasn't enough to make a difference.  I find that if I wilt it down with a bit of olive oil and garlic they'll eat a whole bowl full of greens so we're back to these banana, frozen strawberry, watermelon and yogurt smoothies - a definite hit.
 

The Making:  I started the spicy fitted tee from this book.  I'm not sure why I chose to knit a summer tee in black using a thick wool but the pattern is simple and interesting and at the rate I'm knitting it'll be fall by the time i'm done.  Maybe I should knit long sleeves...
 

The Shade:  I spent a bit of time knitting under our Mimosa tree which is flowering right now with these awesome silky pink flowers.  I love the lacy shade canopy that this tree provides but is can get messy once hundreds of these blooms fall to the ground.

We also ate a ton of food (mainly outdoors and using our fingers), read many books, and flew lots of paper airplanes.   Seven school days remaining but it definitely feels like summer.

had I not

This week sped by way too quickly. 

I met a friend for lunch and then tagged along to a nearby antiques/thrift store as she searched for a farmhouse table.  We saw some great pieces and I took lots of pictures.  But the prices were quite high and neither of us got anything.

 
    
 

Then on my way home I stopped by a local thrift store and spotted this 14 piece glass dish set for $15 and I had to get it.  It was so cheery and sparkly and well priced.  And absolutely perfect for summer ice cream sundae parties.   I don't think I would have wanted it so had I not spent time in the pricey antiques store, but things happen for a reason and I am so glad that these dishes came home with me.

 

I played around with a pattern for the hundred-or-so triangle blocks that I pieced.  And I would have been happy with this zigzag pattern had I not come across this fun configuration on flickr.  Which would you choose?
   
 

And had I not entered Imene's hand dyed wool giveaway I wouldn't have won this awesome skein of yarn and these lovely hand crafted stitch markers.   Thanks so much Imene - I love them!

 
And now for the most round about had-I-not of all...  The other day I met a real estate agent to view a house that, judging from online photos, seemed perfect for our family but was put off by the long and muddy dirt road that led to the property.  I came home a bit disappointed and began perusing decorating blogs for some inspiration on how to make our kitchen function better. (Reading blogs always makes me feel better)  I clicked on some links and ended up on this great blog.  Then I read this post on their family's awesome portable chicken coop.  I followed the link, showed my husband, and we immediately agreed that building the Catawba coop would be the perfect way to keep chickens on our property.   We cannot wait for the instructions to arrive so that we can begin building our coop - and order our chicks! 

If you are still reading this had I not gone to view the house I may never have found the home and harmony blog.  Had I not found the blog I might not have come across these portable coop instructions and had we not found the portable coop we would not have gotten chickens because we don't want to clean out a traditional coop and we have too many animals out here in the country to allow chickens to free range.  Bottom line is that my kiddos are so very excited.

Oh yeah, and had I not met my friend for lunch in the city I would not have been by Trader Joe's and we wouldn't have this big bowl of yummy organic fruits to munch on.  I also got organic frozen berries for smoothies, naan bread, strawberry kefir, and chocolate orange sticks and spicy dried mango.  Yum.

 
 

Have a wonderful weekend full of adventure...you never know where your path will lead!

textured circle shrug

After months of knitting - or rather not knitting - I finally finish the textured circle shrug by Stefanie Japel. 

 

Now that it's done I have to admit that I really like it but I wouldn't have finished it if I wasn't knitting it along with Meg.  Check out Meg's awesome shrug.  Shortly after completing the back and first sleeve, I realized that this pattern was sized large and may not be as flattering as I had initially thought.  One night I even came close to ripping it and starting over but decided to just "make it work."  And now I'm glad I did.

I made two modifications to the pattern.  The first was to add twenty-five rows of 1x1 ribbing to the sleeves and the second was to eliminate all stitch increases in the shawl collar.  The pattern called for an increase of approximately fifty stitches and I made that second mod at the very last minute with the aid of a glass of wine and this great movie.  My only regret is that I couldn't share this mod with my friend Meg because she had already finished her shrug by that time.

It's still a bit 'saggy' in the back but I don't mind and I think I'll wear it often.

Pattern: Textured Circle Shrug

Yarn:  Cascade yarns 220 superwash, color 1918 (Shire)

Needles: US size 8 and 6

Size:  small

Mods: see above

All photo credits go to my eleven year old son. Here's my "pretending to be in a knitting magazine" shot...

But in reality I'm a huge dork who makes goofy faces when the kiddos are acting silly and can never remember to brush my hair.  Just keeping it real here in blogland.

And when uploading the photos onto my computer I found that Ezra had taken this shot of Abigail with my camera.  Hair uncombed, barefoot, with princess dress on backwards - that's how we roll out here in the country.

 

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

from the weekend

Another weekend flew by way too quickly. 

 

Third strawberry was picked from our garden.  This one is for the girly.

 

She took it into her fort and away from brothers, for "safe eating."

 

This brother tends to the garden each day.

This Saturday he led his team to victory in the state annual Great Computer Challenge.

Then he climbed a tree.  Congratulations my sweet boy.

On the crafty front, just two long seed stitch rows from finishing my shrug.   

See you back here soon with some crafty stuff.  It's been five whole days since I've seen my sewing machine... but first I need to spend some time cleaning up around here.  Have a wonderful Monday!

  

giveaway winner and some q & a

The random number generator said #16 so the winner of the giveaway is Dodi of the lovely new-to-me blog live, laugh, food, craft.  Congratulations Dodi and please email me your address so I can get the apron and wool out to you!   Thanks to everyone for playing along - I am truly touched by all the kind comments you left.

And Tracy of Bits of Everything please email me your address and I will send you something - not sure what yet but I was blown away by this comment you left on yesterday's post.  Tracy wrote:

"YEAH!!!! I was so excited when I saw this post. I have been working on this and wondered what the finished product would look like. Here is a pic of my strips. http://bellaandmolly.blogspot.com/2010/02/here-project-there-project-everywhere.html
I will have to let know when I get it done."

Yes, that's right, this woman trusted me enough to begin piecing even though I neglected to post what the finished quilt would actually look like until yesterday - how awesome is that!

And now for some answers to your questions...

1.  How do you prepare your chai tea?

First, it's important to use a good quality chai tea bag.  My favorite teas (that are available out here in the country) are Good Earth Chai, Tazo Chai, and Twinings Chai.  Fill cup 1/3-1/2 full of milk and microwave for one minute to warm.  Then place tea bag in the cup and fill to top with boiling water from kettle.  Let steep several minutes and sweeten with honey.  Enjoy!

2.  What fabric did you use for this apron?

This is a home decor weight Free Spirit fabric.  It's from the Prairie Gothic line by Jane Sassaman. 

 

What size is your deputy tote and will it fit standard sized notebooks?

Well, I totally forgot to mention that the finished size of this tote is about 13" x 13 inches and that it will fit numerous 8 1/2" x 11" notebooks. (see photo above)  I took this photo several weeks ago and since then I have finished reading the book Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson.  Nobody asked but just in case you were wondering it's a beautiful book and I really enjoyed it.

 

How do you get your sweaters to drape so well?

While the correct size is important, sweaters need to drape well in order to look good.  My favorite way to achieve drape is to use a thinner yarn paired with slightly larger than recommended needle size.  If gauge is too tight the resulting fabric will be stiff and even a perfectly fitting sweater will not drape well or look as good.  Having said that, I do the opposite for cardis.

Updated to answer yet another wonderful question I just received:  

- even though I use a one size larger needle, I still try to obtain stitch gauge so that the sweater fits.  But I do not worry about getting the row gauge perfect - mine is usually a bit bigger than stated in the pattern but I don't worry too much about this because I usually like my sweaters to be about 15 inches from the bottom to armhole shaping so I just knit until I get that length.  If I'm knitting top down, I just stop when I reach desired length.  If you are a very lose knitter you will not need to go up a needle size because then you may have holes in your sweater.

- I also usually go down one needle size for the ribbing.  This pulls the bottom, neckline and cuffs in a bit and creates a more tailored look. I did this with the Francis sweater above.

- another tip is to knit sweaters a bit shorter so that they don't drape way over the belly giving me that 'bump.'  Shorter sweaters visually "cut" the midsection in half making the not-so-flat-belly less noticeable.  If you do not know what I am talking about here - disregard this advice completely. 

 

Drape is not so good for a cardi because it causes the bottom corners to sag and pull.  For a cardi,especially this shalom cardi where the bottom edges are not supported by buttons, I achieved a tighter gauge by using thicker wool + thinner than recommended needles to get a thicker fabric with very little drape that kinda holds its own shape.  I use this as a general rule but remember there are exceptions to every rule - when in doubt, follow the pattern recommendations. 

 

What music do your kiddos like to make up dances to?

We listen to a lot of music but our favorite music to sing along with and make up silly dances to has been the Groove to the Music Backyardigans CD.  This disk covers all types of music including swing, jig, hip hop, salsa, country, zydeco and rock and is our family's favorite CD to dance to - silly or not.  Go take a listen for yourself.

Please remember that I am not a sewing, knitting, tea brewing, or silly dancing expert.  (hmmm,  well maybe I am a silly dancing expert!  I'll have to get back to you on that one.)  Anyhow this is just how I do things so take what you want and leave the rest - or better yet tell me how you do things differently.

Have a wonderful weekend!

making me happy

"I know well that happiness is in the little things..." John Ruskin

Some little things that are making me very happy today include...

 

receiving a package of goodness from here, in preparation for some Valentine's day making,

 gathering supplies for a very special card,

getting to knit this cardi alongside a friend,

and seeing my kiddos faces as they rush home.

What "little things" are making you happy today?

Edited to add:  Several hours after I wrote this post I saw these photos and read this post.  And they are making me very happy.  And being part of this community of brilliantly talented women is causing me to be seriously giddy.  Words cannot express how happy you all make me each day.  And for that I thank you.

apron - no seams exposed

I love to sew and wear aprons.  Most days I just wear jeans and a t-shirt and nothing brightens this 'mama uniform' like a colorful apron.  Plus it has the added benefit of giving others the impression that you spend your days baking, tidying up the house, and folding laundry! (I dare you to read that last sentence out loud without laughing.)

For a while now I've wanted to sew an apron without any exposed seams on the reverse side - mainly because I don't like the way the back looks after several washings.  I made a reversible apron a while ago but it was too thick for my liking.  Well, this week I finally took the time to figure out how to construct an apron with all the seams enclosed.  And should you be interested in making such an apron, I put together a little tutorial for you - you knew I would.

One caveat:  I miscalculated the length of the ties and they are too short to tie into a bow in front.  The instructions below include the modifications you will need to make if you would like the extra length.

See?  All the seams on the back are enclosed.  For some reason this makes me very happy.

Two rules to live by:  (or at least sew by):

1.  Always choose fabrics you love - and you will love the end result.

2.  Make sure all fabric is prewashed.  You wouldn't want to go through all the trouble of sewing a garment only to have it shrink unevenly and wrinkle after washing.

 

You will need:

26 x 18 inch rectangle for the apron

3 - 41 x 8 inch strips for the trim and sash.  Just cut 8 inch strips selvage to selvage. (4- 41 x 8 inch strips if you would like the extra length to make a bow in the front.)

 

Take your three (or four) 41 x 8 inch strips and iron each strip in half lengthwise.

Then open up each strip and iron in 1" on each of the long sides.  (see photo)

 

Lay one 41 x 8 inch strip along the 26 inch side of the apron rectangle.  Cut off a 26" length to sew along the bottom edge.  Reserve the rest of the strip for the ties. (If you are using 4 strips for the longer ties you will not need this extra piece.  Just save it for your next scrappy quilt.)

Open up the now 26" x 8" strip that you cut and align the apron fabric along the 1" fold of the trim.

Fold the trim around the apron fabric and pin in place.  Make sure you have pinned through both sides of the trim with the apron fabric sandwiched in the center.

Sew along the top edge with a 1/8" seam allowance - be sure you match your thread color to the trim fabric. 

Next, fold and press in 1" on each side of the apron body.  Then fold over and press another inch on each side to hide all exposed edges.  Pin along both sides.  (see photo)

Sew along both edges with a 1/8" seam allowance.

 

The front side will look like this.
 
 

Take the 2 - 41" x 8" strips you prepared earlier plus the piece of strip remaining from the bottom trim. (If you are making the longer ties, simply use the 3 remaining strips - do not use the short strip.)

 

Sew the three strips together like so, right sides together, with a 1/4" seam allowance.  For the shorter ties be sure the short strip is in the middle.  Press seam allowances open.  (For the longer ties, it won't matter which is in the center because all 3 strips will be the same size.)

 

The right side of the strip will look like this.

 

Re-fold the strips in half along the center.  It's a good idea to press again here to be sure that this long strip is flat and folded in half evenly.

Now tuck in the 2 short edges of the strip about 1" to conceal the raw edges.  Press.

 

You are now ready to attach the sash strip to the apron rectangle.  Stay with me here - we're almost done. 

Center the apron fabric on the sash strip.

Align the top of the apron fabric with the 1" fold in the strip.

 

Fold the strip in half with the apron fabric sandwich in between and pin.  Make sure you have pinned through both sides of the sash strip with the apron fabric sandwiched in the center.

 

Starting at one end (where the apron body fabric meets the sash) sew along the bottom edge with a 1/8" seam allowance. Continue sewing along the edge of the sash strip until you are 1/8" from the end.  Stop with the needle in the down position, pivot the fabric sash and sew along the 3" end edge.

Turn the apron to sew the other half of the sash strip closed.  Begin sewing exactly where you began the previous seam - this time sew in the opposite direction.  Sew along the length of the sash with a 1/8" seam allowance until you are 1/8" from the end.  Stop with the needle in the down position, pivot the fabric sash and sew along the 3" end edge.  All done!

 

Here's the back.  Notice the absence of any exposed seams.

Now put on your super-cute new apron and dance around the living room. (Or take pictures of yourself in the bedroom mirror) 

Be Warned:  Partaking in household activities such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry is not required in order to fully enjoy this apron. 

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

random thoughts

We had a great, although somewhat rainy, three day weekend.

We played dress-up and counted lollipops. Abigail came to me and said, "Mama, I can't remember if a poodle skirt means I'm a 40's girl or an 80's girl."  I took one look at her outfit and assured her she had both decades covered.

We baked these brownies and they were a hit.  Yummy, chocolaty, and low fat, plus a whole can of pumpkin.  I did add one egg to the brownie pumpkin mixture - just in case.

 

But this morning it was nice to see that there was still a kitchen table under all the craft projects and play dough.

  

And I may have found my next knitting project.  I say "may have" because I really want to knit Lucy's gorgeous Adeline coat but I'm trying to use up stash yarn and I really don't have enough of any one yarn.  I even thought about making it shorter because long coats aren't that flattering on me.  Either way, I must cast on for something soon.  I haven't had anything on the needles for a week and the indecision is making me anxious.

  

I did manage to steal an hour away to design a little pattern.  I will be sharing it later this week.

Tomorrow I have volunteering at school followed by orthodontist appointments in the big city and taekwondo in the afternoon but I hope to be back in this space on Thursday.

Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy your week!

My Francis!

Without further adieu, my Francis sweater. 

The brilliance of this pattern is that it is a simple top-down sweater that can be customized to fit anyone's shape or style.

I pretty much followed the pattern but I substituted 2 x 2 ribbing on the cuffs, hem and cowl rather than the seed stitch recommended in the pattern.  I did not do any increases in the cowl but I did go up one needle size for the final three inches.  And I knit long sleeves because 28 degrees is cold. 

Styling inspired by Katie over at Philigry who posted her version of the Francis sweater this morning.

Pattern: Francis

Yarn:  Queensland Collection Rustic Wool, Color 01 Sand (750 yards)

Needles:  US size 8 & 9

Mods:  long sleeves. 2x2 ribbing rather than seed stitch on sleeves, hem and cowl edging.  only 4 rows of 2x2 ribbing on cowl.  knit the cowl straight without the increases but I switched to sz 9 needle for the final three inches.

This is a great pattern.  Go ahead and knit one using your favorite yarn.  Just be sure you check your gauge first.

change of plans

I finished my first knitting project of 2010.   And I had every intention of sharing it here today but an unexpected eye doctor's appointment and a damp sweater had other plans.

I do not enjoy sewing up seams or weaving in ends.  The above photo is of the double strength tea - and second half of that cookie that I was only going to eat one half of - that was necessary to get me through it.  But I am the first to admit that desperate times call for desperate measures.  The good news is that the sweater is all blocked and ready to be photographed.

Then, on a whim, I decided to do the 365 photo a day on Flickr.  I didn't want to be five days behind so I cheated and put the only four photos I had in my camera (taken in the past two days) up on Flickr.  I choose to start this year off right and forgive myself that they were not actually taken on their numbered days - but I will not let this happen again.

This is not the most interesting or informative of posts so to make it up to you I will leave you with three very good films watched while knitting my Francis sweater:

Southbounders - watch this little hiking gem.  you will not be disappointed.

Last Chance Harvey

How About You

Enjoy!

I've been...

Making... Hanukkah 'gelt' coins out of semi-sweet chocolate and this. Yum.

Baking...this cherry cake.  I used a mixture of frozen cherries and blueberries and substituted whole wheat flour for the all purpose. 

Knitting... yet another Mustard scarf because they look great and only take about three hours to complete.

Sewing... reversible scarves for all the guys on my list out of this fabric.

Shopping...for this soft and wool-y scarf from  Sarah's shop over at smashing darling.  I bought this scarf for myself several months ago and wear it all the time - it's soft, warm, light and it matches everything.

I've missed this space - and all of your spaces - so much.  We have been super busy making, baking, celebrating Hanukkah, preparing for a Taekwondo tournament on Friday, and my husband's birthday tomorrow.  I'm also in charge of two of the kiddos' class holiday parties this Friday... 

But all is great - all the Hanukkah gifts have been made and gifted or mailed and nearly all the teachers' gifts are complete.  I'm almost done with gifts for my friends who are celebrating Christmas - although I did have a small panic attack last night when I realized that Friday may be too late to mail gifts in time for Christmas.  Then I remembered my motto for this holiday season was 'slow and steady wins the race' and went back to playing this game with my kiddos. 

Wishing you and yours a lovely Wednesday!

 

Just checking in...

Several hours after I wrote my last post about taking it easy this holiday season, I came down with an awful cold.  Just a cold - but the headache, runny nose, and coughing put a grinding halt on all making around here.  On Friday morning I had to drive to the city for my husband - to an office conveniently located just one block from JoAnn's fabrics and crafts.  I stopped in just to buy the two fabrics you see at the top of the stack for a gift I plan to make for Abigail, but ended up buying all those plaids and jersey fabrics because they were 50% off. 

I admit that I have a problem but... all these fabrics were $3.49/yd.... and I live an hour from JoAnn's so I don't get to go very often... and my judgment was adversely affected by the cold medicine I had taken... and those ladies cut fabric so slowly that I figured that if I bought more then I could justify standing in line for twenty minutes... I have no idea what these will become, but when I do come up with something you'll be the first to know.

On the holiday shopping front, I purchased some gorgeous hand dyed fabric (which will be transformed into a holiday gift) and camera strap (which is a holiday gift for me) from Malka Dubrawsky of A Stitch in Dye.   I am super excited because Malka's work is fabulous and she's an award winning quilt artist whose work I've been following for many years through Quilt National and various art quilt books - way before I discovered blogs.

 

Then on Sunday the five of us went to see Alegria.  The show was spectacular, we had great seats, and I managed to take enough medicine to enjoy it without blowing my nose every two minutes.  The best part is that all three kiddos loved it.

 

Last night I was exhausted, but not sleepy so I cast on for the Thorpe hat which I made great progress on this morning while waiting for the dealership to replace the faulty tire on my car.  Thank goodness for knitting because there is only so much ESPN a girl can endure.

 

Hope your week is off to a great start.  And that you find the time to enjoy some cinnamon hot chocolate with the ones you love.

the start of holiday making - and shopping

It's December 2nd and the holidays are fast approaching.  Hanukkah is only ten days away and there's lots to do and make.  I've come to the realization that I will not be able to complete all the holiday projects on my list because I would rather spend more of this special time with my family.  So I'm taking it slow, focusing mainly on quick, simple and useful gifts which I will be sharing my here. 

Today I made this pillow out of a thrifted wool sweater.  The sweater was already felted so I just ran it through the washer and dryer with my regular laundry. 

 

Felted sweaters are very easy to cut and sew using the sewing machine.  Two things that I leaned along the way:

1.  It's much easier to cut the wool using a rotary cutter (rather than scissors). AND

2.  The seams will lay straighter if you use a large seam allowance (1/2 inch seemed to work best) and then press all the seam allowances open.

Envelope closure on the back.

The best part is that I used only the front and sleeves so I can still make another gift out of the sweater back!

I'm knitting a simple seed stitch scarf using some yummy Malabrigo chunky wool.

Cast on 15 sts.

knit in seed stitch:  row 1:  K1 (P1, K1).  Repeat row 1 until scarf measures 55 inches. 

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I knit this very simple garter/stockinette stitch scarf out of Wool-ease chunky.

And because we all could use a little help over the holidays, I purchased these absolutely gorgeous gifts from Tonya at Natural Earth Farm.  Visit her family's etsy shop here.  I cannot say enough about the impeccable craftsmanship of these items.  The memory matching game comes in the coolest crocheted bag and the coasters are so beautiful my husband asked if we could keep them for ourselves.  We purchased our first branch pencil holder several months ago and we love it so much that I bought one for each of the kiddos' rooms. 

  

Happy making everyone!  And remember to practice moderation during this time of year - we're trying to keep decorations and gifts simple so that we can spend more time playing.

grown-up girl neighborly

The following is my pattern for Jennifer Casa's  neighborly sweater modified to fit us girls who are all grown-up.  Who said only the little ones should have all the cute clothes?

A few caveats before I begin:

1.  Because this sweater has positive ease and a A-line bodice, this pattern is for a size medium but is easily modifiable to fit a size small or large. ( all mods will be provided here)

2.  to make this sweater fit a size small better I knit both the neckline and the sleeve ribbing using a sz US 6 needle (rather then US 8).  I also finished up the blocking process by putting the damp sweater in the dryer for 6-8 minutes (it tightened up a bit and shrunk about one inch all around).

This photo is for those of you who asked what I look like - see how much I love and appreciate all you guys for stopping by my little space here!

This pattern fits ladies size small-medium  [sz large in brackets]

Yarn :  2 skeins Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted  - MC.
2 skeins Noro Kureyon - CC.
Needles : US 8  circulars and double pointed needles (sz US 6 dpn's or circulars for magic loop for ribbing)

Using MC yarn and size US 8 circular needle cast in 96 stitches.  Join for working in the round.

Set-up row:  k 36, pm, k 12, pm, k 36, pm, k 12, pm (this last marker should be a different color to indicate beginning of next round)

Next row:  Knit.

Row 1:  knit to one stitch before marker, kfb, slip marker (sm), kfb.  Do this 3 more times.

Row 2: Knit.

Repeat rows 1 & 2 fourteen [sixteen] more times.

Next round:  knit front stitches, place next 40 [44] sleeve stitches on scrap yarn, knit across the back stitches, place second 40 [44] sleeve stitches on scrap yarn. 

Work in stockinette for 14 rounds.

Next round:  (k3, kfb)* repeat* to last stitches -  about 156 [about 164] sts.

Knit 5 rounds.

Lower Bodice:  Note: do not break either yarn while striping, just carry it on the WS overlapping only when you switch from one color to another.

Knit 3 rounds with CC yarn.  Switch to MC and K 2 rounds.  Repeat 10 [12] times. 

Hemline:  Knit 10 rounds in garter stitch using CC.  (makes 5 garter ridges)  Bind off all stitches.

Armholes:  Transfer the 40 [44] sleeve sts from waste yarn to 3 US 8 dpn's (for size small - use sz US 6 dpn's).  PM and join for working in the round.  Work K1 P1 rib for 8 rounds.  BO in pattern.   Repeat for other armhole.

Neckline :  Using sz US 6 circular needle pick up 80 [90] stitches.  PM and join for working in the round.  Work K1 P1 rib for 8 rounds.  BO all sts in pattern.

Weave in ends and block.  That's it.

The neighborly pattern, as well as the beautiful sentiment behind it, was written by Jennifer Casa of JCasa Handmade.  Go check out some more of her fabulous patterns here.

And I totally think I was channeling Jennifer as I was writing up this pattern - I made these beef cutlets for lunch yesterday - the russian jewish girl's version of meatballs.  I loved these when I was little and now my kiddos gobble them up faster than I can make them.  It's a good thing.

Have a great weekend everyone!

it was a busy day but typepad now offers 'quick compose'

Today I had one hour to myself.  I spent it finishing up the 'big girl' neighborly.  (be sure to check back in a few days for the pattern)  Then I decided I was not going to finish the francis revisited sweater, although I will probably knit it again in a much finer gauge.

 

When the kiddos came home, Abby and I stepped outside to photograph the sweaters.

And we spotted these lovely seedpods.

And David doing his homework at the dining table.

Happy Tuesday everyone.

That's all she wrote.

my take on neighborly + 2 inspiring films

Several of you asked about the modifications I made to the neighborly pattern.  The only true change was to convert the pattern to a simple top-down sweater, knit in the round.  This is only a knitting "recipe" so please refer to the original neighborly pattern for specifics as well as yardage, gauge and tips on knitting stripes.  So here goes:

This pattern fits girls size 4-7 [sz 8-12 in brackets]

Using size US 8 needle cast in 80 stitches.  Join for working in the round.

Set-up row:  k 30, pm, k 10, pm, k 30, pm, k 10, pm (this last marker should be a different color to indicate beginning of next round)

Next row:  Knit.

Row 1:  knit to one stitch before marker, kfb, slip marker (sm), kfb.  Do this 3 more times.

Row 2: Knit.

Repeat rows 1 & 2 eight [ten] more times.

Next round:  knit front stitches, place next 30 [34] sleeve stitches on scrap yarn, knit across the back stitches, place second 30 [34] sleeve stitches on scrap yarn.

Work in stockinette for 8 rounds.

Next round:  (k2, kfb)* repeat* to last stitches -  about 126 [about 148] sts.

Lower Bodice:  Knit 4 rounds with CC yarn.  Switch to MC and K 2 rounds.  Repeat 6 [9] times. 

Hemline:  Knit 8 rounds in garter stitch using CC.  (makes 4 garter ridges)  Bind off all stitches.

Armholes:  Transfer the 30 [34] sleeve sts from waster yarn to 3 dpn's (or use magic loop).  PM and join for working in the round.  Work K1 P1 rib for 6 rounds.  BO in pattern.   Repeat for other armhole.

Neckline :  Pick up 60 [70] stitches (pick up 3 sts for every 4 for the smaller sz).  PM and join for working in the round.  Work K1 P1 rib for 8 rounds.  BO all sts in pattern.  Secure a large decorative button to the neckline.

Weave in ends and block.  That's it.

The neighborly pattern, as well as the beautiful sentiment behind it, was written by Jennifer Casa of JCasa Handmade.  She is an all-around beautiful and gifted lady who has just received some tough news.  You're sure to be inspired by her strength.  Nothing can stop her now.

And speaking of beautiful and inspiring, I'd like to recommend two films that I was fortunate enough to re-watch this week (thank you Netflix).  Young at Heart and Valentino: The Last Emperor.  You will be inspired, uplifted, entertained and you will find yourself laughing and crying at the same time!  And if you're like me, when they are done you will want to watch them again.

Have a beautiful weekend!

tidbit tuesday

I'm quite aware that it's Wednesday but this mama forgot that this Tuesday I had to take three kiddos to vote, then for a run in the park followed by some much needed sweater shopping.  Then they insisted they were hungry and made me feed them.  And when we got home after taekwondo it was way too dark to take pictures - darn time change.  Enough excuses...

tidbit #1 - How I sew buttons on to knits.

1.  Thread needle with wool.  Double yarn but do not knot.

2.  Pull needle through from the back, leaving a long tail of yarn.

3.  Pull back through the second buttonhole.

4.  Knot the two ends. Twice.

5.  Snip ends.  That's it.

I like this very simple method better than the traditional way because it's fast, secure and doesn't require much stabbing into the knit sweater - allowing you to remove the button for washing or for when you want to switch it out for a new look.

tidbit #2 - piecing pieced strips without pinning.  These are for the Leslie quilt.

 

Before beginning to sew, align the first seams (not the the tops of the strips) because it's most important that the seams match.  Use sewing machine to sew just past this first intersection.  Stop with the needle in the down position and ...

 align the second intersection and sew over it.  Stop with the needle in the down position and align the next seam.  You will continue gently tugging the fabric to match the seams til you get to the end of the strip.  See finished blocks here.  I find this method to be much faster than pinning all 10 intersections before heading to the sewing machine. (I tried to take photos with the fabric in the sewing machine but they turned out way too dark - hope this makes sense)

 

This method works for all quilts patterns where two or more seams need to be matched - try it when sewing blocks together into a quilt top.

Hope you find a way to incorporate these tidbits into projects you're working on.

I'd like to thank everyone on all the neighborly love from the last post.  I will be posting the top down "recipe" for the mods I made to the original neighborly later this week.  I also ordered more of the same wool (because I love it so much Jennifer) to knit a 'big girl' neighborly and I will be sharing the pattern once I get it knit up.

Also, several weeks back I dvr'd Oprah to see the show with Stephanie Nielson  - that's one inspiring lady.  But apparently I don't know how to program my dvr because yesterday I realized that I have taped the last 16 Oprah shows.  So last night I browsed through a show on shoes and accessories from last week that featured this knit "infinity scarf' from the Limited.  Ladies, we can so save $40 and make this "must have" fashion accessory!  I'm thinking some:

size 13 circular needles,

250 yards of bulky yarn, and

120 stitches, joined in the round

in a 1x1 rib pattern. 

Easy peasy!  I'm going to start mine today.  Let me know if you decide to knit one.  After all, how can we enter the winter season without the "must have" accessory?

Have a fantastic rest of the day!

neighborly love

Abigail is so feeling neighborly.  I knitted this with the gorgeous yarn I won in Jennifer's giveaway.  These colors are amazing - Jennifer of JCasa handmade really has an eye for color and doesn't shy away from a sophisticated palate for girls.  In fact, my boys told Abigail that she looked like a beautiful chocolate cupcake.  And although she did chase them down the road while screaming "don't even think you can eat me!"  I know that she is in love with this sweater because...

It's perfect for posing...

and perfect for jumping in,

just right for a jog down the road,

ideal for serious conversations with big brothers,

 

excellent for a quiet stroll,

and the best ever for play!

And I am absolutely in love with Jennifer's sentiment behind the neighborly pattern.  In this spirit of giving and sharing, this Tuesday I will begin a series of posts entitled "tidbit tuesdays"  in which I will share a knitting or quilting tip each week - nothing earth shattering, but practical tips that may help make projects a bit easier.  I'll see you back here on Tuesday with the first tip.  Have a fantastic weekend!

ps.  Jennifer's neighborly with a twist (a variation on the neighborly pattern) is available for free here.  Go take a look.

'stay at home' mom?

It's after 2:00pm and I just walked through the door for the first time since I left at 8:20 this morning. 

Today I drove my kiddos to school and stayed to volunteer - I read with the first and second graders twice a week.  Then I pulled my three kiddos out to school and headed to the health department for H1N1 flu vaccines because none of the doctors around here have any.  To make a very long story short, we waited for 2 1/2 hours only to find out that they ran out of flu shots.  I then took my tired and hungry kiddos for fast food where a series of unfortunate events (yellow jacket invasion) created a situation where very little was eaten.  All three kiddos were happy to return to school and I stopped to pick up some groceries.  We will be doing all this again tomorrow morning when the next batch of flu shots arrives.  I want to be a stay at home mom who actually spends some time at home.  Really I just want some time to sew and knit - but you already knew that.

But it's not all flu shots and errands.  So many great things have been going on around here...

 

I've been knitting.  Thanks so much Jennifer, I love this wool.

  

'I've been decorating.  Lisa, you are so talented.  I love him!  Thank you so much.

I've been shopping.  I got all these yummy fabrics 50% off on sale from Pink Chalk Fabrics.  It's a great shop and Kathy Mack provides the best customer service! 

Plus, we had the best weekend.

We buried the kitty in a leaf pile.

He LOVED it!

Then we jumped in the pile ourselves. In our pajamas.

And no raking is complete without an impromptu game of quidditch.

We finished the morning off with corn for breakfast #2.

And we had just as much fun on Sunday. 

I feel so very blessed and I appreciate every single moment - "at home" or not!

tgif

I am so glad it's Friday!

This week I learned that one kiddo has a cavity, another needs braces, that Ezra's new glasses fly off during taekwondo, that I have high cholesterol, that I love helping to chaperone Abigail's field trip, that bringing two guinea pigs to David's class requires much preparation, that I hate it when my server goes down every time the wind blows, and that I miss this space (and checking in with all your spaces) so very much.  I am so glad to see this week come to an end and to spending a quiet weekend with my family.  I will also carve out a bit of time to see what you all have been up to - because reading your blogs never fails to put a smile on my face and always leaves me so inspired.

On a crafty note, I love my milkweed shawl and I have worn it everywhere for the past two days.  I love the way it looks, the color, and how soft it feels.  This may have something to do with the gorgeous yarn from Shivaya Naturals with which it is knit.  Thank you so much Heather.  Most of all I love how perfectly it stays on - I really don't have to fix or rearrange it for hours. Who knew this little shawl would become the perfect fall accessory? 

And last night I sewed two pillowcases for David's room because he's determined to sleep in a "pillow mom made" and has slept on this quilted sham for the past month.   I really don't like washing the quilted sham all the time and when I saw this pillowcase post on Lisa's blog I knew that mama made pillowcases were in order.  Thank you so much for the inspiration Lisa, because while I've sewn decorative shams for my kiddos' beds I have never sewn pillowcases because I always thought it was easier to buy them and that "no one would see the anyways."  But it took Lisa's beautiful words about her family sleeping on, and traveling with, pillows they'd made to help me realize that it's not what others see that's important.  What's important is that my guy wants to bury his little face in a pillow made just for him - by mom.  See what I mean when I say your blogs inspire me and make me better?

I made the pillowcases using an envelope back closure because I only had 1 yard of each of these 2 prints and I wanted to get 2 matching pillowcases.  I cut both yards in half and used the orange print for the back of the blue print fabric and the blue print for the back of the orange print fabric - making them kindda reversible. 

I still ran out of fabric so I had to add yet another fabric for the second flap.  I made this flap small because I didn't want it to become too busy with all the prints.  I think they look pretty good - now fingers crossed that the kiddo approves! 

Have a super weekend everybody!

this monday

This Monday I...

waited for my Milkweed Shawl to dry,

(I love all those garter ridges)

started a new sweater,

and played with color value.

I find arranging squares of yummy fabric on a batting-covered board to be meditative, creative and SO much fun.  Hope you find a bit of time to do something fun today!

wednesday update

knitting update:

I am knitting the milkweed shawl pattern by cosmicpluto knits.  I finally decided i had to knit something - anything really - with the gorgeous yarn I got from Heather of Shivaya Naturals.   And then I came across this photo on flickr the other night and I knew I had the perfect pairing of pattern and yarn. 

A few words about the pattern:  this pattern is every quick and easy (all the stitches are knit).  The pattern itself is beautifully written with 6 charts in addition to row by row written directions for each of the charts, making it super easy to follow. 

And it knits up super fast.  This bottom photo was taken yesterday!

sewing update:

I whipped this pillow up for Abigail for her birthday last week.

This was a quick (and late at night) project.   I was too tired to find a quilting pen so I stitched the '5' freehand.

 

And I couldn't go wrong with ric rac ribbon in pink.

 

Yay!  She loves it.

But now that she's five this kiddo has places to go, and books to read, and games to play - leaving very little time for impromptu photo shoots.  

Quilting this pillow gave me some much need free motion practice so today I began quilting my log cabin quilt.  More on that, and a fun quilting pattern surprise, coming soon.  Happy Wednesday everyone!

scoop pullover

The Scoop Pullover is all done.  

I like it.  Although it is a bit big on top.  I did go down to a size US 8 needle to obtain gauge.

 

I ran out of the purplish stash yarn so I used some of the same yarn in green to finish up the sleeves and I kinda like how it looks.  I just love a happy accident.

It's also about an inch shorter than recommended in the pattern - because well, I ran out of yarn - but I'm fine with the length.

 

Pattern: Scoop Pullover -

Yarn:  Classic Elite Yarns Bazic Wool superwash, color 2953 (magenta)  and 2912 (forest green)

Size:  small - 8 balls magenta & 1/2 ball green (550 yards total)

Needles:  US 8

 

Now I'm off to make basil and parmesan chicken for lunch - using the bouquet of basil that ezra picked this morning.  This kiddo is truly enjoying poking around the garden and coming up with recipe ideas.

 

Have a Happy Sunday, you all!

'mom's in a fret' or thank you so much Lisa

No crafting, no sewing - just cleaning house, packing backpacks, and lots of cooking! (plus we've lost power twice in the last 24 hours which means no shower for me since we're on well water and need electricity to power the pump.)

Mom's in a fret.

But the corn was so sweet and yummy!

And Lisa sent me this wonderful surprise gift - a "Shine stone' - that I admired on her blog.  Thank you so much friend.  I've placed it where the whole family can see it as we're getting into the car and heading out to school - i intend to point it out each morning and remind my kiddos to shine!  I LOVE my gift!

I did manage to run out of my stash yarn while knitting my scoop sweater - and I wasn't sure I wanted to order more yarn because the neckline remains questionable.  So green it is!

And we so enjoyed our time at the beach! I could so use a getaway like this once a month.

On the way home we stopped at the Children's Museum, where David told Abigail that she needed to jump from the letter 'B' to the letter 'Y' in oder to spell Abby.  Here she is trying to figure out how she's going to make that jump.  Of course, the letter 'I' (to spell Abigail) is right below her!

Shadow, the kitty, says, "Mom will see you all back here on Tuesday, when the kiddos are in school.  She'll probably still be in a fret, but at least she'll have a moment to herself!"

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!  and don't work too hard!

headed out

We're headed to the beach tomorrow morning.  One last hurrah before school begins next Tuesday. 

I've packed everything we could possibly need - and many things that we won't use at all. 

Then I took a minute to straighten my sewing space...

and found these vintage Bakelite buttons that I bought at a quilt show nearly two years ago.  I paid a whopping $30 for these so I wanted to 'save them' for the perfect project -  but I think the time has come to use and enjoy them.  I will try and find a fun cardi pattern in which to showcase these when I return.  Any suggestions?

I also dug up these spools of silk embroidery ribbon in various shades of green.  I can no longer recall what they were intended for when I bought them, but I cannot wait to finally try them out.  Any suggestions on how to stitch with these?

Next, I unearthed these fruit and veggie prints that I purchased several years ago - having every intention of sewing then into napkins.  Hmm, I'm not sure I like these any more.  What do you think?

Before saying good bye to my sewing space for the week I snapped this photo of a quick (read poor) sketch that I made the other day while drawing with my kiddos.  I absolutely love these Pitt pens and will definitely spend more time doodling in the coming months.  And if you never take the time to doodle, please purchase and read this book - I love this book (and his follow up book) so much that one year I gave a copy to everyone on my holiday list. 

I'm off to munch on this gorgeous pepper that my son picked for me this evening before climbing into bed - we have a full day planned for tomorrow.

I'll see you back in this space on Friday.  Have a great week!

rusted root in review

My rusted root is finally finished, blocked, and dried for the second time and ready for it's debut.

I lengthened this sweater twice and ended up with 13 lace pattern repeats instead of the recommended 10.  The bottom ribbing is not warped - it just appears that way because i'm wearing a belt underneath - silly, I know!

I have to say that I love this sweater.  It was an easy and quick knit and is totally wearable - and I wish I had the time to knit it in every color!  I knit the size small and then decreased every six rows for a total of six decreases at the waist (24 stitches decreased) which brought it to size extra small.  I then increased three times in the hip area (adding a total of 12 stitches).

For the ribbing around the neck and sleeves, I knit six rows of 2x1 ribbing instead of the recommended three.

I modified the neckline just a bit by knitting one row before beginning the pattern.  I did this in an attempt to stabilize the lace insert at the neckline a bit to keep the neckline from pulling.  When it came time to pick up stitches around the neck, I picked up them up on the second row rather than the first - I think this helped slightly but there is still some pulling.

Pattern:  rusted root
Yarn - Rustic Wool DK Queensland Collection, 6 skeins, color 207
Needles - US 6 and 5

And I'd like to thank my son Ezra for taking time out from his busy summer schedule to take these photos.  Taking these serene photos was harder than it looks due to the incessant growling, barking, jumping. and biting - but that's just how we roll around here!

'double oops' or 'I'd like to learn color theory'

Today I was planning on showing you my rusted root sweater but no such luck because:

Oops #1.  Even though I knit an extra repeat (10 rows) the sweater was still too short.  Obviously my gauge was way off.  So on Saturday night I unraveled the ribbing and knit an additional repeat (10 more rows).  On Sunday night I picked up the sweater with the intent of knitting the ribbing and binding off when I realized that...

Oops #2.  I accidentally knit the extra repeat using the US 5 needles that I used to pick up the stitches instead of the US 6 which I had originally used to knit the entire sweater.  How did I know this, you ask?  Well, because the new stitches were one-half the size of the old ones!  Tonight I will be unraveling and knitting yet again and I hope to have a finished sweater to show you on Friday.

But last night I felt the need to distance myself a bit from the rusted root - to take a deep breath and clear my head a bit and so I began knitting the Scoop Pullover - of course!  I have no idea how this neckline will look on me but with thick yarn and US 8 needles this is sure to be a quick knit.

And remember that fabric that I received from Sarah for the 12 Squared Quilting bee?  Well I just love the combo of lights and darks and reds and blues and tans and how amazingly they all play off one another. 

These are the blocks that I pieced for Sarah - she asked for a squares/log cabin-y look.

I love the way that the colors play off one another so much that I've decided that I need to learn more about color theory.

I'm currently reading these books and will post on what I learn.

Speaking of color theory, don't the colors of the tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden - which I used to make a yummy salad - compliment one another perfectly?

happy friday

We are crazy busy around here trying to squeeze in every last bit of playing, swimming, and visiting before school begins next month. 

But I did manage to finish my rusted root.  It's blocking now and photos will be coming soon.

And I pieced a pillow for Abigail. Can you see the zigzag pattern?  Ever since I made David's pillow she has been asking/begging for one.  Remember these blocks?  Well they have been waiting patiently for just the right project.   Not only will Abigail have her own 'special' pillow, but I will get a bit of practice with free motion quilting before I begin on the log cabin quilt.  I will be posting tips on free motion quilting - but nothing can replace practice and more practice.

I would have gotten lots more done if I didn't have to do this every two hours because my kiddos are hungry all day long.  But I don't mind because summer is the ideal time to cook and eat lots of yummy, healthy food.  There will be more than enough time for crafting once school begins.

Yesterday we had loads of fun at the Virginia Air and Space Museum.  Thanks for the inspiration Heather.

Happy Friday!

cooking and talking with you is so much fun

My ten year old has become interested in cooking this summer.  He asks to help with chores in the kitchen, browses through cookbooks, and uses his tv time to watch the food network.  Yesterday he peeled and sliced apples for pie.  When he was done we realized that...

the peaches were not looking so fresh so Ezra decided to cut those up for a peach pie.  Then he suggested that we throw in a stalk of rhubarb to "add some acidity."  Maybe he's been watching too much food network?   I don't think so because halfway though our slicing my son informed me that "cooking and talking with you is so much fun."  Just goes to show that cooking is all about spending time with family, whether it be making or eating.  So with the help of some store bought crusts, we baked off two yummy fruit pies.

And then we reaped the rewards.

And speaking of rewards, I received this package from the UK yesterday.  Last Monday was our 17th wedding anniversary and I may have mentioned that I have yet to knit a Hanne Falkenberg kit.  To make it seem more like a surprise gift, I let my hubbie place the order and choose from the three patterns I was interested in.  After very little consideration he picked the Mermaid jacket in this blue and white colorway.  I love it and can't can't wait to begin.

But first, I have a nature walk to finish - and super cool moth eggs to observe!

stitching amongst the play

We've been spinning...

and winning...

and bumping.

 And picking... Chinese eggplant from the garden!

And in the few 'free' moments I've finished piecing the back of the log cabin quilt.

Here it is pressed and taped to the floor and ready for sandwiching with the quilt top and batting. 

And a bit more knitting on my rusted root.  I love this sweater - and I'm trying to remain optimistic about the super large neck opening 

Happy Saturday and enjoy your weekend!

thinking small

After a weekend full of house guests, eating, swimming and amusement parks visits I am feeling the need to clean and regroup.  While my knitting has been moving along nicely, I find myself surrounded with too many large and unfinished projects in the sewing room.  When I began my quilting journey I worked on many small projects that I could finish quickly, teaching myself new methods and techniques along the way - mostly through trial and error.  Although I no longer want to make the kind of quilts I made years ago, I feel the need to "work smaller" once again so that I can try out all the new ideas floating around in my head.  I want to try out new color and fabric combinations, new piecing methods, some hand stitching, and new-to-me free motion quiting designs. 

All this brings up the age old question of what to do with numerous small quilts that inevitably end up resembling place mats.  I think I may turn some into pillows or totes or place mats even, but the rest will simply serve their purpose in helping overcome boundaries that I have unintentionally set for myself because of the fear of "ruining" a large quilt.  I look forward to sharing what I learn along the way - both my successes and failures.  But before I embark, I will be completing my log cabin quilt and posting notes on how I sandwich, pin, quilt and bind it.  Completing this quilt first will help me feel better about having finished a large project as well as free up some much needed space in my sewing area.

On the knitting front, I've been working on the rusted root - mainly in the car as this has turned out to be the summer of driving...

and thinking...

and discovering new treasures in the garden.

I am so grateful to summertime for providing me with the opportunity to think and discover and just "be."

 

completed cavern cardi

I finished my cavern cardi several days ago and spent that time washing and blocking it - twice.  I somehow managed to stretch out the inseam so I will most likely be blocking it a third time.   But I couldn't wait to post it so here goes:

Once I realized how warm this wool is I decided to make the cardigan suitable for wear in the winter.  To ensure that the sweater would overlap at the center I picked up six stitches on each side at the underarm, after separating the sleeves.

Then, because I had neglected to make any buttonholes, I had to figure out a way to close the sweater.  I spent several hours knitting a belt before I realized that the sweater is way too short to look good belted.

So I did the next best thing.  I sewed the sweater shut with three buttons.

I also added a small button to the inside flap but as you can see in this photo it creates a buckle in the fabric so I am going to have to redo it.  There's nothing like photographing one's knitting to expose each and every imperfection!

So there you have it - a real honest to goodness completed knit!

Pattern:  Cavern Cardigan by Cosmicpluto Knits
Yarn:  Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran in color 136 
Yards:  520 yards
Needles:  US sz 8
Mods:  I followed the pattern exactly but then picked up an additional twelve stitches (six at each underarm) after separating the sleeves.  I also knit three inches of seed stitch for the bottom edge and sleeves rather than the one inch called for in the pattern.

I would also like to thank Heather of the always inspiring blog Shivaya Naturals for awarding my blog with the Honest Scrap Award.  I feel so honored and am already jotting down ten "honest things" about myself to divulge!  Stay tuned.

Happy Wednesday everybody and don't forget to play - I'm off to join the kiddos for a game of Blokus.

the days go by quickly

I only had time to knit one cabbage rose.

Cast on 10 sts.
row 1:  Knit
row 2 and all even rows: Purl
row 3:  kfb of each st.  repeat to end - 20 sts
row 5:  kfb of each st.  repeat to end - 40 sts
row 7:  kfb of each st.  repeat to end - 80 sts
row 8:  purl
bind off.

Because this week has been very busy.

Banana berry smoothies after breakfast to give us...

Energy for swim team practice.

And swim lessons.

Then home for lunch.  Bagel and avocado with tomato for mom and homemade pizza for the kiddos.

Then outside to paint.

And play with guinea pigs.

And worms...

But not if they prove "too slimy!"

In the afternoon we drive to taekwondo.  Here we practice kicking...

And more kicking...

And even more kicking.

We also learn forms...

and weapons.

And then we head home and make dinner, eat, bathe, brush, read until mom says no more reading, and go to bed. 

Blog friends, I'm here reading your blogs and trying to find a bit of time to make something in order to stay sane, but our summer days are packed and the kiddos want me "present" all the time.  But I have to admit that my kiddos say the darnest things and are such a pleasure to be with that I don't mind all the driving, non-stop talking, and incessant crafts.    Who was it that said:  With kids the days go by slowly, but the years pass by quickly.

Highlighted in yellow

Years ago, while browsing in the bookstore, I spotted this little book.  Highlighted in Yellow, a short course in living wisely and choosing well is a book made up of inspiring quotations and short stories on the key points of living a good life.  I loved this book so that I sent it to friends and family and I still keep my tattered copy in the nightstand and refer to it often - who doesn't need an book of fun and uplifting quotes nearby? 

This week has been nutty with awards assemblies, parties, a science fair, an emergency tooth extraction for the 10 year old, and numerous taekwondo sessions in preparation for tonight's color belt testing. 

But today is the first official day of summer vacation and this quote from Highlighted in Yellow jumped out at me as I was flipping through:

"It is a gift to be able to paint a particular picture or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look.  To affect the quality of the day - that is the highest of the arts."   
                                                 Henry David Thoreau

I know that if I choose to be positive and enthusiastic each day that, with the kiddos older and more independent, these ten weeks will be the best ever!

With that in mind, we flew remote controlled planes as the sun came out early this morning.

I have most of my log cabin blocks pieced and will soon be sharing a tutorial on various ways of sewing the blocks together into a quilt.  With all these primary colors this quilt is going to be bright - but the 8 year old loves it and that's all that matters.

And I will soon revisit my abandoned rusted root sweater because I received these in the mail yesterday.  Thanks for the tip Lisa.

May you choose to partake in the art of affecting the quality of your day this Friday!

Modifications

See where I am with my cavern cardi?  Well I was at this exact same spot (sort of ) last Friday night - only I had to frog about 14 rows and thousands of stitches because I made a poor decision on impulse. I'm sharing this tale of woe in the hopes that you learn from my mistake so that this won't happen to you.  So here goes:

Last Friday night just minutes before the kiddos are tucked in their beds (sugar plums dancing and the whole bit) a passing lightening storm caused our power to go out.  So I quickly give the "thunderstorms are not frightening but necessary to give the trees and animals a drink so that they can live happily in the woods" speech.  After I glossed over the part where it also means mom can go another day without standing out in the heat to water our veggie/herb garden I ran to turn off my computer which was ever so conveniently open to a Ravelry link that I followed from a blog.  Somehow - and this part is very hazy - I end up looking at cavern cardigan's knit by other ravelry members.  Immediately I spotted this cute tee created by joining the cardi at the bottom of the neck opening and knitting in the round.  Very smart mod, I thought to myself as I powered down my computer.

Right then, as I was about to grab my flashlight and make my way to my warm and cozy bed so that I could sleep on the impulse decision to transform my little jacket into a tee, the power came back on.  The next five minutes, too, are hazy but I somehow ended up on the couch, knitting in hand, harebrained idea in head, and this netflix movie in the DVD player.   

After a quick calculation to center the neck opening and a few stitch decreases, I proceeded to transform my cardi into a tee by knitting in the round for the next 2 1/2 hours.  I neglected to consider that my nubby yarn wouldn't drape like the one on ravelry but would stand up in an unflattering tent shape or that I had not decreased nearly enough stitches so as to make the tee fit properly.

On Saturday morning I awoke knowing that frogging thousands of stitches was to occupy a portion of my day.  So here I am  - hours of frogging, picking up stitches and knitting later - at the same spot I had knitted to on Friday night.  Only now it is the cardigan that it was intended to be - and I love it - and when it is completed I will wear it out in public.

I hope that you recall this tale the next time that you consider making a rash knitting decision late on a stormy night.   But then again knitting, modifying, ripping, re-knitting - isn't that what it's all about?

More weekend modifications:

Several not-so-fresh bell peppers modified by roasting them in the oven.  Peel and add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  yum.

A long neglected flower bed modified into an herb garden.

And the addition of four noodles to the pool modified the manner in which the kiddos played and/or whacked one another on the head.

Hope you find something to modify (for the better) this Tuesday!

knitting update or blog friends are the kindest, most generous people

We had a busy weekend with beautiful weather.  My cavern cardi   is coming along nicely, albeit slowly.  However I did get to sit in this chair and knit for a full half hour before heading out to a birthday party across town.  And just as predicted, the kiddos ran around screaming and throwing paper airplanes at one another while my two doggies lounged by my side.

Last week I ordered this absolutely gorgeous yarn from Heather at Shivaya Naturals.  840 soft and yummy yards of superwash DK merino in Evijan.

But when I opened the package, this is what I found inside:

In addition to my order Heather included one skein each of  Peruvian alpaca in poplar, merino laceweight in antique rose,  DK superwash merino in evangeline and alpaca fine lace in iris.

Thank you Heather for sending me this amazing gift.  And thank you for inspiring me with your posts on knitting, homeschooling, your gluten free diet, and all that you are able to accomplish while raising kiddos and running a business.

This yarn is so beautifully dyed and the colors are so rich - my photograph does not even begin to do them justice.  And just hours before this package arrived I was rummaging through my stash trying to find yarn with which to knit Lucy's new mitts - now I can combine two gifts from two super talented blog friends and have mitts that are not only beautiful but remind me of the gifts of blogging. 

And while I'm on the topic of kind and generous blog friends I'd like to thank each one of you for welcoming me into your community.  Thank you for stopping by and leaving the kindest comments, for  linking to my blog and for giving my patterns a try.  Thank you for your emails and gifts, and for inviting me to join a quilting bee.  I've been quietly knitting and sewing for years -  and to be honest, I was just fine with that.  "Making" fulfills, relaxes, and energizes me all at the same time and I cannot imagine my life without knitting and sewing.  But blogging - writing, photographing and sharing - is now a regular part of my life that I cannot wait to get to.  I love reading all of your blogs to see what you are making, how you are bettering your lives and homes, and the joys that you share with your kiddos and families.  Blog friends - I thank you.

I will be back very soon with a tutorial on strip piecing a simple log cabin quilt.  Really, I'm making a quilt and I will be taking photos as I go along and posting them.  But you already knew that because that's what blogging is all about - right? 

tgif

It's Friday! 

And time to reflect upon the week...

I began a new cardi that I think I may actually wear.

I opened the last jar of freezer jam - and this weekend I have plans to make lots more.

I ate a yummy summer salad.

papaya
avocado
grapefruit
lots of freshly squeezed lime juice
salt

I took the kiddos to the library and found these for 25 cents each.

I had never heard of these or the knitting guild association that publishes them.  Have you seen these before?  Do you know anyone who belongs to the guild?  I will be conducting a google search tonight.

Each magazine contains about fifteen patterns - many of which are not my style... but I will be knitting this cute shrug.

I enjoyed watching my mother's day roses bud and bloom.

I could not bring myself to pull and toss the last of the pansies - especially since I so love watching the blooms unfold each morning.

I watched Remy bask in the sunshine with that huge smile on his face.

Pure joy.

While Sally likes to chew on a stick in the shade.

TGIF and whether you love to bask in the sun or relax in the shade (sans stick, of course) I wish you a lovely weekend. 
As for me, I'll be knitting in the shade with screaming and chasing kiddos all around and Sally at my feet.  Pure joy.