knitting duck

Pesto

2012-01-24T19:55:00.001-06:00

I think one of my all time favorite dishes ever in the history of the world is spaghetti wish pesto. And by pesto I mean basil, garlic, parmesan, olive oil and pine nuts - none of this water crest walnut stuff for me!

I'll go to Trader Joe's and buy two packages of the basil and a container for freshly grated parmesan cheese. Then head home to make my pesto

Get out the food processor and blend together the two packages of basil leaves (takeing the stems off and removing and bad looking leaves.) with about a 3/4 of a cup of parmesan, 1/4 cup of pine nuts and two cloves of garlic. I blitz that until it's well chopped then start to slowly add olive oil until it looks like a good consistency to me.

What I love about my recipe is that it's a little different every time. Sometimes there's more cheese sometimes there's more garlic but always it's super yummy. There's really no "right" way to do this except for trying it a few times to see just exactly what combo of the yummy ingredients work best for you.

However you might be thinking "that's great knitting duck but seriously I cant eat all of that yummy yummy pesto at once!"

You could cut the recipe in half OR you could do what I do.

Set out 5 or 6 plastic freezer bags with the tops folded back and spoon in two spoonfuls of pesto into each bag, un-curl the top, squeeze out the air and seal them shut. They are then ready for the freezer.

Then when ever you have the craving for pesto or something home-made with out all the work you just pull one out of the freezer and rest it in a bowl of warm water. And by the time your pasta is ready so is your pesto.

Yes, I am eating pesto right now. Why do you ask?

12 in 12

2012-01-17T21:24:00.000-06:00

Yeah you are probably seeing a lot of variations of 12 in 12 around the knitting/crocheting/crafting interwebs but the one I committed to is an intimidating one at least by my standards

I plan to design and/or publish twelve knitting patterns in 2012.

That's right! 12 designs in 2012. 12. TWELVE!

what was I thinking you ask? That's something I've been asking my self the past couple days but this is how it went down

See I saw all my friends over in the Amiras group talking about stash-busting for the year 2012. This is something I am VERY familiar with. Some years I'm great at it (2010) some years I suck at it (2011) but this year I figure it's time to get back on the wagon and knit down some stash!

Joining in the fun I started a new thread in the group just to talk about stash reducing. We all started with where we are at and how we are going to stash down. My good friend Jocelyn talked about all the groups she has joined such as 12 shawls in 12 and there were socks and projects and more knitting that I could ever commit to! But it got me to thinking - What would I want to knit 12 of. Well I would like to knit 12 of my own patterns!

So I quietly whispered (which is hard to do in text) that I was thinking about designing 12 in 12. Well the outpouring of encouragement from my friends was amazing. They were telling me I could do it and volunteering to test patterns! Patterns that don't even exist yet!

I couldn't very well back down then could I? Nope! So here I am. Gearing up to design 12 patterns in 2012

Here are my self imposed ground rules:

Any patterns in progress but not published yet are fair game - come on! It's 12 patterns in 12 months for the year 2012. I'm going to take a win where I can get one!
The patterns can be of any type (hats, gloves, blankets, sweaters, etc), size, or difficulty. Whateves as long as I knit it and write a pattern for it
All patterns will become available on Ravelry - some will be free some will not. That's just the way I roll.
The patterns will be available to the Amiras for testing - so if you want in on that go join the group (it doesn't matter if haven't ever, don't now or don't plan to live in UAE we like everyone!)
All patterns must be knit from stash. This is the whole point to the stash-down portion of the challenge
Did I miss anything?

Now let's get this party started!

FO: Portland Rain

2011-12-29T16:41:00.000-06:00

I love to knit for those I love. I makes me feel good to know that something I made with my hands will brighten their day.

This year I gave my step-mom the gift of hand knits for her birthday and sent her a card telling her I would be happy to knit something of her choice.

Imagine my surprise when she picked one of my very own designs!

I sent her some photos of yarn I had in my stash and she happened to pick the one I had been dying to knit with the most!

The scarf came out better than I had imagined and I hope that every time my step-mom wraps it around her shoulders she'll remember of just how much she means to me.

Pattern Details

Pattern: Desert Rain
Yarn: Grinning Gargoyle Dedo in Garnet
Needles: US Size 4
Mods: I used smaller needles than the pattern calls for to get a fabric I liked. I also made the body of the scarf larger and did a few extra rows on the lace boarder as well.

FO: Courtenay

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

My dear friend Preeti designed this beautiful tam hat and I couldn't wait to get it on and then off the needles.

It's a beautiful hat that just flies off the needles.

And it's perfect for keeping your head warm during all your travels.

Especially Paris!

If you want a quick, beautiful hat with an easy to read pattern the look no further

Pattern Notes:

Pattern: Courtenay by Preeti Verghese
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Sunset
Needles: US 6 & 8
Mods: None made

Paris!

2011-12-08T12:33:00.001-06:00

We went to paris!

It was beautiful

There just wasn't enough time to see everything

If I lived in Paris, I would get a pass so I could go to the Louvre everyday

We went to the top of the Arch De Triumph

The view was worth the hike

Champs Elysees

We even visited Euro Disney!

At the store the juices had little knit hats. I call that a WIN

One week was not enough time to see everything! I loved it there and can't wait to go back! (someday)

Find A Penny

2011-10-24T21:19:00.002-05:00

I designed this shawl, Find A Penny, because we knitters all have that one skein of yarn in our stash that we couldn't resist buying but now don't know what to make with it. These beautiful skeins call for a pattern that will enhance and showcase their beauty not hide it.

This skein of Seda DK by Grinning Gargoyle was just that skein for me. The color was so bright and rich and the fiber so shinny that it begged to be knit in something I could wrap around my neck on a crisp fall day in Chicago.

That the colorway of the yarn is called Shinny Penny makes it even more perfect. I felt like a little girl who happens upon a penny while walking down the street when I saw this yarn across the room.

I hope you enjoy knitting Find A Penny with your special skein of yarn as much as I did

Ravelry page - Find A Penny

Yarn - Grinning Gargoyle Seda DK in Shiny Penny (225 yds) - 1 skein
Needles - US size 7 (4.5 mm) circulars
Gauge - 41 stitches and 39 rows = 4 inches in stockinette Stitch
Finished Size - 50 inch span and is 7.5 inches deep
Designer Notes
This shawlett is constructed like most triangle shawls however I did it without the middle bit (standard cast on point) and started a few rows down to maximize the yardage while also giving it a more natural shape for around the neck.

I have also provided two cast-off methods for Find A Penny the first being the standard rolled edge pictured above and the second being a picot edging which you can see pictured over here at Rambling Roses' blog.

The size of Find A Penny is easy to adjust for more or less yardage and I'm always happy to answer any questions!

Photos by Colid FitzGerald
www.ColinFitzGeraldPhotography.com
www.AtlasCaptures.com

FROGGED

2011-09-15T01:06:00.003-05:00

Remember these knitted half-socks?

Where I talked about being stuck on the heel here?

Well it didn't end well

Nope. Not. At. All.

They weren't fitting right, there were too many mistakes and I was just plain mad at them.

So now they look like this again.

Maybe next time they will remember who the boss is around here.

FO: Ducky Feets!

2011-09-10T02:07:00.000-05:00

In the middle of my travels I had loads of knits to work on…

One being the cutest pair of little socks for the cutest little baby girl. My good friend and her husband are both fellow Ducks and graduated with me at the University of Oregon. She was expecting her first little baby - a girl! and I was hoping she would deliver before I made my scheduled trip to Portland so that I could meet her little duckling - I know, I'm so clever!

I knew I wanted to make something special for her baby as she is a very good friend to me and one of my oldest friends to boot (not in age but in length of friendship)! So as I was browsing patterns looking for something to jump out at me when I saw it.

Duck by Jenny Stainman

Serisouly can you get any more perfect than that? I immediately started daydreaming of their little girl going to her first Duck game wearing her little duck sockies

So I got out some yummy malabrigo in the perfect duckie feet color and got to knitting - in fact you might notice them in progress here

I was really impressed with how clever the construction of this pattern is and I learned a new technique! The turkish cast on. I LOVE IT. simple easy peasy cast on that looks fabulous once the knitting starts.

Pattern: Duck by Jeny Staiman

Needles: US size 2

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Ochre - less than half a skein

San Francisco

2011-08-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago the hubs and I met up LA and decided to drive up the coast to San Francisco to take in the California coast and meet up with my brother in San Francisco.

The sky was blue, the waves were crashing and the palm trees were swaying. I love Southern California!

We had dinner in Santa Barbara on the pier. I even walked in the sand!

We had a blast in San Francisco and saw as much of the city as we could...

…like the Golden Gate Bridge - that is one impressive bridge but boy was it crowded!

And I'm here to tell you it's true! those streets are very hilly. Wouldn't need to use a stair-master if you lived around there, that's for sure

The city was so much fun to see and wander around and the food! oooh the food!! It's as yummy and diverse as here in Chicago. Yum.

I just love how beautiful the west coast is

I'm Back!

2011-08-09T02:41:00.000-05:00

I have been embarrassingly bad at posting lately…. I don't have much excuse except that I have been traveling loads and have had lots of exciting and fun weekends. I'm hoping to fill you in on all of my adventures over the next week or so now that it looks like I'll finally have some down time.

But for now I will show you something about my knitting that I found interesting. It's not normal for me to work on multiple projects at a time. I usually like to dedicate my self to one project at a time and either make progress or put it down/finish it. But lately for one reason or another I have found my self with LOADS of WIPs - But I'll get to all those stories

But the other day my main WIPs were sitting on the couch together and I noticed a theme. I'll admit that I get into ruts or themes or just seem to favor one style or color but it has never been so apparent as it was in this photo.

Do you see what I see?

That's right; it's all shades of yellow to orange. I'm really diggin' the warmer colors right now and the dark penny copper color is something special for me that will really brighten up the dear winter days! I almost can't wait for winter! wait! no. I did not just say that. Winter is far far away. It will not snow for a long long time. No winter. No snow. Nope.

Anyhoo, two of these are finished now and the third is well on it's way to completion. Can't wait to show them too you!

Sock Saga

2011-06-15T22:46:00.000-05:00

Or should I say heel saga.

I signed up with a bunch of my friends to try to knit six pairs of socks during the year 2011. So far I have completed one pair. Considering we are on almost half way through that year that means I should be nearing the end of my third pair!

Here is the state of my other two pairs. Sigh.

The tan ones (Nutkins) are cuff down (oh and should have been finished back in APRIL!!!) The purple ones are toe up (Leyburns). Together they make a full pair of socks!

Absent the heels of course

I'm stuck on these dang heels. See, what happened is friends started saying they were having problems with the heels one the Nutkins. There were holes, it was too tight, etc. and I froze. Just sorta put the socks to the side and quietly worked on other things figuring (I guess, but really who knows!) that the heels would sort them selves out.

It wasn't long before it was time to cast on the third pair of socks, the Leyburns. I thought "oooh goody fresh start!" And got to knitting. It wasn't long before once again I heard back that the heels are too loose! So again there they sit, in a heap, right next to my Nutkins.

Obviously them sitting around isn't actually fixing the problem of how to knit the heels. I tried this theory thoroughly and let me tell you SO NOT WORKING!

And seeing these perfectly beautiful socks sitting half done has finally gotten to me. I must finish them! I must persevere through the heels!

Wish me luck!

Leni's 1st birthday!

2011-05-20T12:12:00.008-05:00

My niece had her first birthday not long ago. You may remember my over joyed excitement when she arrived just one short year ago.

To celebrate her first year I knew that she would need something special.

Special like cashmere and ruffles. Hey, you don't turn 1 every day!

I decided to knit Baby Kina again. I'm not always such a fan of knitting patterns twice only because I would rather try something new but Baby Kina is just too cute. I could imagine it on my niece perfectly.

So now that I knew the pattern I went to Loopy and told them I was looking for something special. I was quickly shown to the back of the store. I felt like I was being let in on a secret. Maybe it is a secret!!! If so disregard this post. But when I got there I found the most amazing blend of DK yarn in the most gorgeous colors.

Azula Cricket MCN.

That's 80% merino (the bulk because it's durable, warm, soft make it's easy to care for) , 10% cashmere (plenty to feel the softness) and 10% Nylon (helps it keep it's shape)

For those of you thinking to your selves "Cashmere for a 1 year old?" Well let me tell you I don't knit for anyone - at any age (unless specifically requested) with yarn that is hand wash only. This yarn can handle the gentle cold cycle (80% merino) and then dry flat. Cool huh?

The depth of color in these yarns is just gorgeous and as soon as I saw them I wanted to pull them off the wall, put them in a huge pile and roll around in them (I pretty sure it's some basic instinct for yarnies).

I gazed at the colors, trying to decide which was best. The pattern I chose was already pretty girly and with buttons I could even up that a little so I wanted a color that was a little different. I went with orange. Persimmon to be exact.

It seemed to be insanely hard to capture the true beauty of this color (The color in the pics with Leni are very close) so you'll just have to trust me it's not too bright and it's not too creamy. Not too yellow and not too red. It's just right. In fact I recommend you just buy some to cuddle, drool over and of course get an accurate idea of the color.

It took all my will power (and a lack of needles and pattern) not to cast on on the train ride home but I managed to wait. When I did finally get home I cast on right away and this little sweater seemed to fly off the needles (except for the part where I forgot a crucial increase row and had to to start over. That may have been due to knitter error but I blame the intoxicating softness of the yarn).

When the little sweater was done I gazed at it and thought it's a good thing that 1. it's WAY too small to fit me and that 2. it was going to my niece, otherwise I don't think I could have parted with it.

And after seeing this photo I would gladly knit her a dozen more.

There's something about seeing my family wear my hand knits that warms me from the inside. I would knit miles of yarn (especially cashmere!) just to see them surrounded in my knits.

Pattern Details:

Pattern: Baby Kina by Muriel Agator

Yarn: Azula Cricket MCN in persimmon and incase you haven't heard it has cashmere in it! YUM!

Needles: US 5

Modifications: I added two extra buttons and button holes. The buttons are from Loopy as well.

Kentucky Derby Day!

2011-05-17T16:12:00.008-05:00

I thought it was a bit funny that after living in Dubai for so long that it wasn't until I moved back to the US that I went to my first horse race.

As you may or may not know Dubai host the world's most expensive race (surprise surprise) which happens to be the Dubai World Cup for Horse Racing. They have some impressive camel races too but I digress.

My husband called me from work one day and said something along the lines of "Hey we're going to the Kentucky Derby in a couple weeks!"

My reply was something like "Ok cool!"

I'm use to these phone calls out of the blue from my husband. He is a bit spontaneous and I am always willing to go along for the ride.

so of course I got a hat

and I had to check out the paddocks...

...and the steeples!

There were a lot of statues of famous horses...

We could see the finish line! (at least until there were taller people than me in front)

The horses seemed to enjoy parading around and showing off almost as much as racing. But they should because they sure are beautiful

The horses are fast and really exciting to watch. Who knew there were so many races in the day!?!

The whole event is steeped in tradition from the dressed up ladies in their hats to the Mint Juleps being offered every few feet. The horses also have a whole set of events to do. They don't just run around a track but first they show off at the paddock then they parade in front of the spectators, they then race, then parade again and I think they go back to the paddocks.

Overall it was a fantastic way to spend the day and I would love to go again next year.

Good luck Animal kingdom on your next two races... Here's hoping you get the triple crown!!!

photo from here

But I can READ it!

2011-04-12T21:57:00.005-05:00

A couple weeks ago I called the eye doctor to make an appointment for the hubbs. Everything was going great until the lady on the phone asked a life changing question: "Would you like an appointment too? (ok I'm a little dramatic... but still)

Me: Welllllll how often should one's eyes be checked? Mine seem to be working just fine.

Her: How long has it been?

Me: Let's see I was in high school so umm forever ago?

Her: I'll set you up right now. It can't hurt right?

That should have been tall tale sign right there.... It's like in a scary movie when they say "Stay here I'll be right back" You know they aren't coming back. It's all over. Their fate was signed with those six little words.

So we head to the office and the hubbs goes first. I figure I'll go in and the doctor will be all "Wow these are the most amazing eyes I have ever seen! You're vision is off the charts!"

But no. I went in and the doctor (Who was super great) was like "read this line.... which looks lens looks better..... I'm going to stare into your eyeball... yadda yadda yadda" (Direct quoting there)

Then when she finishes she says "How long to do you spend on your computer?"

I reply "Gotta sleep sometimes right?"

Then she says (and here's the kicker) "Do you spend a lot of time focusing on things up close rather than further away?"

The hours I had just spent knitting a project flashed through my mind.

I look around the room and mumble "Like knitting while surfing the internet and watching tv?"

(Come on I can't be the only one who does this right??)

She gets a small smile and says "Just like knitting while surfing the internet and watching tv."

"Well perhaps a couple hours a night" I may have been a bit conservative in my estimate.

She assesses (quite quickly I might add) and says "Yeah I think you need glasses. You can see great now (woot woot! -that was me not the Dr.) but your eyes are working too hard and let's try to keep you out of bifocals later" There was some more sciency doctor talk in there about how this was such a great idea and I wouldn't regret it but I was dizzy from the idea of glasses.

I perked up though when I went out into the waiting area and saw the walls of stylish glasses all waiting for me to try on and then pick my most favorite to take home! Shopping!

It took a while but after trying on about 40 different pairs I settled on these beauties. I love the colors and they are super light. The hubbs even says they make me look more astute

I guess I can get use to this after all

FO: A pair of pair of socks!

2011-03-30T15:33:00.006-05:00

I have had a long standing deal with my family. You send me yarn and I'll knit it for you. It's the best way to ensure a few things. One it's the yarn they like in the colors they like and two I get to knit with lots of different yarns.

My sister took me up on this offer and sent me two skeins of Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints

Two skeins = Two pairs of socks and after two years (what? there was not timeline!) they were done!

It totally helped that I joined a sock knitting group as they got my tush in gear to get the second pair of socks started and finished in just a month. They also helped motivate me to get the first pair, which had been sitting in WIP land for quite some time, done and dusted.

So here I show you the first pair:

Pattern: Lace and Cable Socks by Wendy D. Johnson

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints

Needles: US 2's

Style: Toe up

and the second pair:

Pattern: Shur'tugal by Alice Yu

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints

Needles: US 1 1/2

Style: Cuff down

Here are two pairs of socks on two pairs of very happy feets

and the best part is that each pair of feets liked the pattern of their socks best...

...that makes me one happy knitter!

FO: Kina & Booties

2011-03-19T15:52:00.005-05:00

A good friend of ours just announced the arrival of their little girl. And I've been itching to knit with pink. It's the perfect match

I couldn't resist the subtle ruffles around the yoke

It was a quick knit that was just begging to have matching shoes

And the Madelinetosh ToshDK really softened up after blocking... perfect for a little baby

Pattern Details

Cardi Pattern: Baby Kina by Muriel Agator

Booties Pattern: Mary Jane Booties by Lucie Sinkler

Needles: US 5

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Molly Ringwald

Mods: I used the super stretchy bind off for the cardi and ended up really liking the detail it added around the edge

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!

2011-03-17T18:11:00.002-05:00

I hope you are having a wonderfully lucky day!

Early Spring

2011-03-08T14:35:00.000-06:00

You have probably figured out there are a few knitters that I keep my eye on. I almost feel like a little sister in that I run around doing whatever knitterly (if it isn't a word yet it should be!) things I see them doing.

I love their yarn. I love their patterns. I love the yarn they use for their patterns.

As you have probably guessed Jocelyn is one of those knitters I like to copy... er umm... follow? yeah that's right. FOLLOW!

Well a few months ago I saw this post she wrote about Madelinetosh 80/10/10 in the Mansfeild's Garden Party colorway.

And even though I don't usually go for super colorful yarns this one was just too good. Ever since then I have had my eye on that colorway. Whenever I see an FO knit with the same yarn I stare at it and think "ooooooooohhhhhh pretty"

and when I found and INCREDIBLE deal on the last skein of Mandelinetosh Tosh Sock in the same colorway I knew I had to snag it.

And on this cold, sunless, dreary day these bright spring colors couldn't have arrived at a better time!

What happens in Vegas...

2011-03-05T00:47:00.006-06:00

.... get's posted right here on my blog!

My husband surprised me last weekend with a trip to Vegas! I was so surprised and beyond excited to get away from cold, dreary Chicago for a couple days. (I gotta say Chicago is not at it's prettiest as it tries to thaw out for spring)

So I landed in Vegas at night and my husband (who was patiently waiting for me) quickly got me settled in our room and then back out to go eat at Nove Italiano, an italian restaurant at Palms Casino Resort.

(Waiting for our table)

I nearly melted on to the floor when I took a bite of my steak - al forno style. OMGSH I don't know why I have never thought to put parmesan and steaks together before! But they are a match made for each other.

(The view from our table - each window had its own fireplace)

And their pizza was so paper thin and just the right level of crispy vs. chewy that it was almost like eating that rice paper that melts in your mouth. And you could clear out a whole pizza with out feeling even the beginning pangs of fullness.

After we waddled back to our hotel and passed out from jet lag and fullness we got up the next day to tour the strip and go to one of my all time favorite burger chains EVER. In N Out Burger!

After filling up on delicious burgers and fries we were on our way to the new Cosmopolitan hotel when we found this boat sculpture in front of the Vdara hotel!

We were surprised to find that Vdara is a non-gamebeling establishment... but it sure is beautiful inside as well as connected to all the MGM properties

When we finally made it to the Cosmopolitan I was overwhelmed with their stunning 3 story chandelier! This hotel must have stock in Swarovski!

That night we got to go to my very first Cirque Du Soleil show - KA! So much fun! The stage did things I have never seen a stage do before... And I'm pretty sure a vampire from Twilight was in there too but I regress.

The next day we went out to dinner with a good friend of my hubbs and then I got surprised with another show. Jabbawockeez!!!! They have a perm show at the Monte Carlo

Seriously if you haven't heard of their amazing skills you need to check them out. In fact check them out right here

Amazing right? and their show is incredible. It's funny, thought provoking and just pure entertainment.

Jabbawakeez was a great way to end a great weekend!

We headed back to Chicago the very next morning (Monday) after a nice sleep in...

...and on Tuesday ... it snowed.

Mid-East meets Midwest

2011-02-24T15:45:00.006-06:00

My husband and I were walking down the street one our way to Trader Joe's to get some of our favorite goodies when we walked past a building we have walked passed many times before.

But this time something caught my eye. I tugged on my husband's arm to get him to slow down and pointed to the main entrance. "Look!"

"Yeah Bloomingdales. We don't need anything" He replied as he started walking again.

"No. Look at the writing around the entrance. That's arabic. Look at the detail. It's all Arabesque. It's beautiful."

We stood in awe for a few minutes before the freezing weather forced us to be on our way.

On our walk home we let our imaginations run wild with all the possibilities of how that building got there. Who built it? Why here in the heart of the city? How did it become a Bloomingdales of all things?

After all our pondering and speculation I was surprised to find out the real history of the building. It was built by the local Shriners group in 1912 and was an auditorium that the circus would preform in.

I find that I smile to my self as happen past this building again and again. It seems to bring me memories of the sun and palm trees of the Middle East every time I walk by.

My little piece of the Middle East right here in Chicago

FO: button band hearts

2011-02-15T18:08:00.001-06:00

I used my own pattern to knit some button band gloves with heart buttons.

Knowing that my friend would ADORE (pink hearts!) them, I sent them her way.

As a knitter I'm not sure it gets much better than someone calling to gush about how much they love something you knit for them. It makes all the work completely worth it.

Pattern details:

Pattern: Button Band Fingerless Gloves of my own design

Needles: US 7's

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in SFO Sky

Mods: I used super cute pink heart buttons and I omitted the stripes as the yarn is stripy enough.

randomness

2011-02-14T21:48:00.004-06:00

1. Tt's 40 something degrees outside and the snow is melting

2. The snow melting means that my beautiful city has turned in to a drippy, slushy, dirty mess.

3. There are three (count them three!) tv shows out right now that take place in portland

- Portlandia being the most obvious (and best) stays the truest to the sites and feel of Portland

- Perfect Couples quietly takes place in Portland although you can tell their Portland is WAY too sunny to actually be filmed there

-Life Unexpected takes place in Portland but it's a bit too 90210/Dawson's Creek for me

4. Bonus! Leverage was also filmed in Portland! But I'm not sure if it still is or not

5. I love seeing Portland getting a little tv action. It's such a beautiful city that is under appreciated

6. I got my first skein of bugga! I have been wanting to get my hands on some of this yumminess for ages and boy was it worth the wait! SO SOFT! and the colors are so rich and have so much depth to them. Just beautiful

7. I have some more patterns a brewin in my head and on my needles so stay tuned!

Snowpocalypse

2011-02-08T12:57:00.009-06:00

Well I got my wish.

I wanted to be away from the sand storms. I wanted to be away from the heat. I wanted to be away from the relentless sunny skies (for an Oregonian it's just not natural for it to only rain 2 weeks a year!).

So what did a get? My very first blizzard.

I don't know what is in my blood that I seem to end up living the extreme of possible weathers. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where people get all fidgety if it's dry for too long (like three days in a row). Spent three years in Dubai where 90 degrees is often a relief from the heat and now living in Chicago where apparently it's normal to get 50'' of snow a year.

I happened to be in Detroit when The Great Blizzard of 2011 (imagine a movie announcer saying that) hit. Detroit didn't get hit nearly as badly (only 10" instead of the 20" Chicago go) but boy it's was kinda freaky. Wind so strong the snow was flying from left to right and it was howling. It's really hard to sleep when the wind is howling... it's just too creepy.

This is the courtyard in the Hotel before the storm hit

And here is after. And this is after a day of me not leaving the room! If there's a blizzard and food can be delivered I see no reason to leave

You can see the snow coming up past the windows

This is our windshield. The wind blew so strongly that the car didn't get buried just frozen.

When we finally did make it back to Chicago this is what we found (These pics aren't very pretty because let's face it snow isn't very pretty after the first day...)

Glad that wasn't my car!

This is the INSIDE of our parking garage. Snow is like sand and it gets EVERYWHERE!

There are still piles of snow like this all over the place. And dump trucks filled with snow driving down the roads. I think they just keep moving it from one place to another.

The path through the park by our house still had snow up to the knees

Fortunately Chicago does a great job of clearing the roads and for the most part it wasn't a problem just 2 days after the blizzard.

And it still wasn't a problem when it started snowing again

FO: Oregon Beaumont

2011-01-22T21:29:00.006-06:00

In the lead up to the Oregon vs. Auburn game I knew that I had to "represent" in a big way. What bigger way to do that than to knit a hat! In green and yellow no less!!!

It just so happened that I was traveling to St. Louis for the game and I was a tish worried that I would be the only duck there! (Boy was I wrong) So I packed every piece of oregon/green/yellow clothing I had and headed on my way

But my favorite piece was my new hat. It's modified from the Beaumont pattern which I have knit before but instead of the beautiful intricate hearts on the top I decided to knit the Oregon "O"s in their place

I had the perfect yellow yarn to use from Knitabulous Yarns in Loquat and went and grabbed some Cascade Heritage in a deep forest green as the main color.

It took a few tries and a LOT of graph paper but the end result was well worth the work

As we pulled into St Louis I just couldn't resist getting a picture of me wearing my new hat in front of the Arch

I really love the way this hat came out. Yes it screams Oregon Ducks but I love that about it! I also love the subtle variations in the yellow yarn. It adds a little something extra that only hand dyed yarns can add.

This will definitely be my new go-to "Go Ducks!" hat!

Project Details:

Pattern: Beaumont Tam by Jared Flood

Needles: knit using magic loop with US size 3 & 6

Yarn: Knitabulous Yarn Supertwist Marino in Loquat (yellow) and Cascade Heritage in Forest Green

Mods: the "O"s!!!

Da Bears

2011-01-22T21:12:00.006-06:00

Chicago is all a-buz with talk of the "big game" against the Green Bay Packers tomorrow...

The whole city is out showing it's support. There is blue and orange everywhere

Also I have been really careful not to sport my duck colors (sans duck) in case I might be mistaken for a :::gasp::: packer's fan! There's only room for one Green n Yellow team in my heart.

And seeing as Oregon has no NFL team to support I have decided to adopt Da Bears -

It opens up a whole new knitting world of blue and orange (not to be confused with black and orange - oh no) sqeee!

Go Bears!

2010 - where did it go?

2011-01-08T00:45:00.006-06:00

What a year 2010 was. It brought me so many changes that sometimes I can't believe it all happened in the course of 12 months.

2010 brought me and my husband to the US and then to Chicago. Talk about a dramatic change from the deserts of UAE

The year over all was wonderful. We're healthy, we're happy and we're staying afloat - can't ask for much more.

I have made some new amazing friends who have instantly invited me into their knitting world as if I had always been there. When I think of how much has happened this last year I wouldn't change a thing (except for the nasty colds that seem to be following me around... but I digress) but the part that still brings me sadness and grief are all the wonderful amazing friends I left behind. Emails and online chatter just doesn't seem to convey how much I miss them. But I know one day we will be together again, knitting in a cafe for hours, showing off our newest yarn acquisitions and our latest WIPs and FOs.

The year has also brought me great changes in my knitting

I published my first pattern

And I also published my first "for sale" pattern

I managed to complete over 40 knitted FOs

But I didn't meet many of my other knitting goals for 2010

I didn't knit with my own dyed yarn - but that's in the works for 2011 (more later)
I definitely bought yarn before June - Hey I was back in the states and all my yarn was in transit... I'm strong but not THAT strong
I didn't knit one stitch on that cabled purse. Not one
I made NO sweaters for my self - but that's another thing in the works for 2011 (more later)

But I'm not too worried about my lack of accomplishments because, first, I have knit more than I ever have before and, second, I have let this craft take me in new directions that I hadn't foreseen

I did colorwork! and I love it
I started designing my own patterns - this amazes me mostly because I was always so intimidated to even modify a pattern I was working on but now that I have started I just can't stop!
I knit for swaps! Loads of fun!

So here are my 2011 goals:

Write up the patterns that are waiting patiently to be shared with the world (currently three!)
Knit more socks. I love hand knit socks
Knit more sweaters. I need more sweaters cause Chicago has loads of "sweater" weather (or deathly chill with a side of frostbite weather)
NO YARN UNITL SOCK SUMMIT. Well, not counting next week. I'm going to the loopy ewe next week and I'm just not that strong. So after next week NO MORE YARN UNTIL SOCK SUMMIT!!!

But mostly I'm going to see where the year takes me. I hope it includes family, love and friends...

Oh and some red orange juice would be great if anyone knows how to get some.

Happy New Year Everyone! I hop this year is even better than the last...

The pictures are of some of my very favorite and most used FO's

Jimmy and the Duck

2011-01-07T20:05:00.002-06:00

This is CRAZY! I love love love it! Who knew Jimmy Fallon was such a big Duck fan... but then again I'm amazed when anyone isn't a duck fan.

only 3 days until the big game!

Oregon Ducks Power Ballad Music Video with Jimmy Fallon and Sabastian Bach

Some FO's

2010-12-28T18:30:00.012-06:00

I have a few FO's to report to you and no it's not cause I was waiting for the holiday to be over. In fact the only "holiday knitting" I did this year was the Winter Roses shawl. Nope I haven't reported these FO's to you purely because I have been lazy. Totally totally lazy. (I know, so out of character)

But these FO's deserve their day in the spotlight as do all my knits. That's why I have a blog after all

Fist up is a set I knit for the hubbs once the weather started to turn a tish colder. And by tish I mean BELOW freezing EVERY day!

The gloves are Knucks by Pamela Grossman

The hat is Turn A Square by Jared Flood

I love this set and my husband was pleasantly surprised with them. It was harder than I thought to try and hide something I'm working on from him but by the time I was working on the hat I was able to knit the whole thing in front of him with out him even noticing!

These have now become a staple in his daily outings. The hat is just long enough to cover the ears and the gloves leave your fingers free to check all necessary blackberry happenings.

I also knit this ADORABLE little barret/tam for my niece Lenni. It was a quick little knit that was so cute when it was done that it made me consider making one in my own size.

This is Baby Rollin' Beret by Woolly Wormhead

I used some Moda Dea Eclips yarn that has a subtle sheen to it. It knits up beautifully.

I was so worried that I would be too small for Lenni that I ended up making it too big (aak) but not to worry big sister Frieda is putting it to good use until Lenni grows into it.

Finally is a little knit just for me. I going to come out now and tell you that I heart Madelinetosh yarn. All of it. There is no bad tosh out there. The colors are just so vibrant and bold and the combinations are just right. So when I was wondering around my LYS trying to pick out some yarn for a super duper top secret project I noticed something oh so good and yet oh so bad. They started stocking tosh vintage.

After picking out my yarn for my super duper top secret project I noticed that I needed one skein fewer than I had planned. And clearly that is great! I'm saving money! Less yarn than I needed! So while I was smugly making my way to the check out I happened by the tosh. You know just to look. It's research really... That way I would know later when I needed some. Right? Well then I thought "WOW that blue is really gorgeous! I bet it would make a great hat.... and I did need one less skein of the other yarn..." and well I'm sure you know what happened from there.

So I give you crooked paths by Melissa LaBarre in Tosh Vintage in Norway Spruce - the pic of the yarn is pretty true to color. It's Ahh-MAZE-ing

I knit this hat in one night! I just didn't want to put it down. Between the pattern and the yarn it was a delight. This hat has also turned out to be one of my favorites and I wear it all the time.

There you go! See? Even though all I talk about around here seems to be cupcakes I'm still knitting. A lot. And I'll have some more FO's to report back to you soon!

Randomness

2010-12-17T16:15:00.003-06:00

1. It's cold. Really cold. Like single digits cold. This I have decided is exceedingly cold... and apparently it's only suppose to get worse

2. I have never lived somewhere where and expected precipitin was snow and only snow for months.

3. It snowed yesterday and it wasn't in the forecast. How can the weather people not see that coming? It's snow. SNOW!

4. I have decided that taxi drivers that drive between 11pm and 3am are especially patient in their dealings with both customers and crazy drunks walking on the street.

5. I got to ride on the Christmas Express. Here I am coming back from the library and this rolls up.

6. They gave out free candy canes when we got on board. It made my day.

7. The weather man just came on the news and said this weekend won't be "warm like last weekend". Last weekend it peaked at 32 degrees

8. My hubbs' coworker LOVED the winter roses shawl. She immediately put it on and wore it all day. She is officially knit worthy

9. Is the air always this dry in the winter? Ridiculous.

10. I joined a sock knit along where we will all knit 6 pairs of socks next year. I picked out my yarn and I have the patterns. I'm set to knit! And very excited to be knitting with my Amiras again

11. My hubbs surprised me today by taking me to my favorite store and letting me pick something out. He's my favorite.

12. I made bread and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.

13. I baked cherry tomatoes and garlic in the middle. It was so yummy.

14. Weather channel says it's suppose to snow tomorrow. Great.

FO: Winter Roses

2010-12-13T15:07:00.006-06:00

My husband has a coworker who has commented on every hand knit he's worn. Always inquiering to see if I had knit it and then mentioning the yarn, or how pretty the colors are, or lovely the pattern is. My husband relays these messages to me and always add that when ever she comments on a hat or scarf he tells her "You should see my wife's other knits. This is nothing in comparison" (isn't he sweet!)

This same coworker has gone out of her way a few times to help my husband get acclimated to the new team here in Chicago so I thought as a holiday/thank-you-for-all-your-help gift I would knit her a shawl.

I gave my husband the assignment to find out what her favorite color is confident that whatever she she loves I could stash dive and find it in my very :cough: modest :cough: stash

When my husband got home from work I said "so.... what's her favorite color?"

"You'll never guess" he replied

And after going through every color of the rainbow I ended with "Brown?"

"No"

"Black?"

"Nope"

I thought for a second... "WHITE!"

"Yes!" and then sadly said "but you don't have white"

I chuckled as I headed to my stash (wait I meant to say "modest" stash) and came back out with two different options. "I have plenty of white"

He picked his favorite and I started what is usually a lengthy search for a pattern but this time things came together quickly as I found Rosa by Kristen Hanley Cardozo right away. This is one of her newer patterns and after looking at it I knew it would look just fabulous knit up in white. I love that it has some design in the middle but also some stockinet that I could sail through to make up time as I wanted to get this shawl done fairly quickly...

It took me just over a week of knitting and Winter Roses was done. And I found it very appropriate that during most of my knitting it was snowing peacefully outside. As a knitter there isn't a whole lot better than having a good project to work on, a hot cup of coffee, a nice blanket to cuddle up with while it's snowing outside.

Pattern Details:

Pattern: Rosa by Kristen Hanley Cardozo

Needles: Size US4 KnitPicks Zyphers

Yarn: KNitPicks Bare - Merino Wool/Silk Fingering Weight. I had 4 grams left over.

Mods: None needed. This pattern is beautifully written with both charts and written instructions. I would definitely knit this pattern again! LOVELOVELOVE

Pendleton Blanket

2010-12-10T19:20:00.006-06:00

Right after Thanksgiving I decided to finally check the mail... I wasn't expecting anything and who wants to get bills over a holiday weekend. Right?

But I was surprised when I went to my box and there was a note saying I had a package! OOOh the excitement! A surprise!!!

I ran to grab the package and found a HUGE box from my dad and step mom!

Once I got upstairs I ripped off the paper (Let's pretend that I waited patiently for the hubbs to get home... I tried. I really did. For like five whole minutes) I got all excited when I saw the logo on the box. Pendleton. It's a PENDLETON box!!! (I guess for anyone from the Pacific Northwest this is like a 6 year old girl getting a princess barbie) wrapped in sparkles. Pendleton Woolen Mills makes gorgeous woolen goods that will keep you warm through just about anything and are passed down through generations.

I had to catch my breath and regroup as remembered that sometimes my parents like to reuse boxes, and sometimes they put yarn in those boxes. So a list of possibilities ran through my head before I lifted the lid on the box. I found, to my excitement, a perfectly folded Pendleton blanket. Our very own (and very first) Pendleton blanket!

I unfolded it from the box and laid it out so I could see the beautiful images that the blankets are so well known for. As you can see the blanket my parents picked out has a compass with four moons. It's perfect.

It immediately found the perfect home on our couch where it's always just a reach away

And I love that it's reversible! (I'm thinking it's double knit then felted? hmm something to ponder)

But let's be honest, this is how it usually looks... Especially as the temperature out side creeps closer and closer to the single digits.

It's perfect for snuggling under while knitting and watching the snow fall outside.

I love it!

Ok back to the food

2010-12-01T01:39:00.006-06:00

I know I know so much food talk around here but 'tis the season of eating loads of yummy food right?

So hubbs had a work thing and I decided that I needed to make cookies and cupcakes so that he could bring them and have something in hand. You know how it goes... ok ok maybe I had an anterior motive (Who me? ::looks around::)

I really wanted to make cupcakes and cookies because I was craving them. But I only need to eat one or two before I'm ready to move on to something salty... By making them for other people I don't have to worry about what to do with the 23 extra cupcakes sitting around

Anyhow back to the cookies. I decided to make these pumpkin and chocolate cookies that I found online. I made them before and they are amazing. You can taste the pumpkin with out the flavor being too strong. Also they aren't SUPER sweet cookies so I don't feel like I'm eating a sugar attack, in fact they almost have a cake like quality to them.

But most importantly they are so simple to make...

After baking the pumpkin cookies and letting them cool, I melted some chocolate chips over a double boiler and poured that chocolate in a piping bag (a zip lock baggie would work too) and cut off a little bit of the tip.

Then slowly drizzle the chocolate over the cookies. When you're done pop them in the fridge for a few minutes and the chocolate will harden up again and enjoy. Yum

After the cookies I decided make some chocolate cupcakes filled with caramel and with a caramel frosting on top.

Secretly I used a box to make the cupcakes but that's because honestly the boxed mixes taste amazing and stay moist plus when you add extra things like, say, caramel then no one will notice if the cake part is from scratch or not.

The carmel, on the other hand, I made from scratch. And I'll admit that I did buy some caramel sundae topping just in case I botched the whole thing. Here's my tip: When trying something new or something that can be temperamental (like caramel) always have a backup so that you aren't stressing that the desert wont turn out. Plus if you have a back up then for some reason everything turns out and you never seem to need the backup.

I had always heard that caramel was very difficult to make in that it can go wrong really quickly but perhaps because I was SO worried and wouldn't leave the stove I didn't have a problem. Some brown sugar melted down with baking powder and cream worked wonderfully. It didn't come out stiff enough to use as an icing on it's own so I took most of it and filled one piping bag for the cupcake filling. I had a round medium tip on the bag and just insert the tip into the cupcakes and squeezed out. Not wanting to over do it with the caramel I was kinda conservative in the amount I squeezed into the cupcakes.

Then to make the icing I took about a quarter cup of the caramel and a cup and half of powdered sugar with a half a stick of room temperature butter and whisked it together to make a nice light and fluffy buttercream caramel icing. If you wanted to make your own icing I would start with the powdered sugar and then slowly add the caramel and butter to get the consistency you like. A little of each will go a long way in powdered sugar.

I placed the icing in another star tipped piping bag and got to work

Before the icing could dry on the top I sprinkled some gold sugar on top and called the done!

They were fabulous although you can't really go wrong with caramel and chocolate

Tosh Vintage

2010-12-01T00:48:00.006-06:00

There's just so much to tell you about that I don't really know where to start so I guess we'll start with what's first

I got yarn.

And I feel this important to tell you because looking back there seems to be a lot of food talk going on around here. Not that anything is wrong with that we all love food (especially chocolate caramel cupcakes but I'll get to that later)

So back to the topic

I got yarn. This is a big deal because I have been limiting my yarn intake lately for a few reasons. One is money and two is space and three is guilt (am I the only knitter that feels guilty buying new yarn when I have perfectly good yarn sitting patiently, waiting it's turn to be knit up into something beautiful?)

But I justified this yarn because well it was on sale and I don't really have yarn in sweater quantities and my lovely friend Charmaine got me the pattern, Coraline by Ysolda Teague for my birthday that I have been itching to cast on.

So I splurged and got some Tosh Vintage by Madelinetosh in the Celadon colorway . I didn't expect the yarn to have as much of a green as it did but I was actually delighted that it did. This icy light green is one of the colors I am most obsessed with lately and I couldn't have picked a better color to knit Coraline in.

And the Tosh Vintage is just as yummy as everyone says it is. I have been drooling over this yarn ever since I heard the rave reviews from Jocelyn when she knit up this cute cardi . I really trust her opinions on yarn so if she says it's ohhh soo yummy then I'm hunting the interwebs for a good deal. As usual she didn't let me down... In fact it was yarn not to start purring and drooling all over the yarn as soon as it came out of the box.

I'll keep you posted on my cardi knitting. I can hardly wait!

Dinner in Beirut

2010-11-23T20:03:00.004-06:00

I have been on a Lebanese food kick lately. Well more specifically a Beiruty food kick. As I have learned there is a difference in the food you'll find in Beirut vs up north, down south or in the mountains.

I have been scouring internet looking for some of the best (read: easy yet classic) recipes and I came up with three (well four but I don't want to talk about the fatayer - cheese or spinach filled pastry. I'm denying it ever happened)

So I started with Mdardara (I'm pretty sure it's pronounced mmmmdrdrdrdra) which is lentils and rice. This has to be one the easiest dishes ever but it looks complicated which is my favorite attribute in a dish. Mdardara is sauteed onions cooked with one part rice and one part soaked lentils and should be served with fresh plain yogurt.

Then came the Salat Al Patata or Lebanese Potato Salad. Now I'm not such a potato salad fan because I can't stand mayo but this potato salad (much like the german version) doesn't use any mayo. Instead it uses olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and salt. And can I just say YUM. This salad has potato, tomato, green bell pepper and pearl onions and it's both refreshing and filling at the same time. I can see this dish becoming a spring and summer staple around this house

Finally by request I made Fasulia Metable or White Bean Salad. It is another simple but tasty dish. One can of rinsed white beans, some onion, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and petter. Easy peasy and it seemed to disappear before my eyes!

Three wonderful, fresh dishes straight from the streets of Beirut

But I'll have to get back to you on the fatayer... I will attempt it again and I shall WIN!

Button Band Fingerless Gloves

2010-11-19T13:37:00.006-06:00

A few months ago I knit these gloves based on the gloves Penny wears in

Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog.

Today I offer you the pattern for free so that you can wear Penny's gloves too

download now(pdf format)

Ravelry Page

About the pattern:

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn in two colors - I used Knit Pick Wool of the Andes in black and sage

Needles: US size 7

Buttons: I used 18 but you'll need more or less depending on how long you make your gloves

Additional: These fingerless gloves are knit flat.

Skills needed: Make one, Knit, Purl, changing colors, over all a great pattern for a moderate/beginner knitter but interesting enough with the stripes for a more advanced knitter

Note: this pattern has not been test knit... please contact me for any questions or corrections

Tomatoes, feta and bread! Oh My!

2010-11-17T20:04:00.005-06:00

One of my very favorite quick and easy dinners in Abu Dhabi was cherry tomatoes with feta cheese, a little olive oil, cracked black pepper and arabic bread. The combination of flavors and textures was just right. Salty, peppery, cheesey and the oooh the juicy cherry tomatoes added a freshness and sweetness that balanced out the cheese.

The bread is what brought the whole dish together. It just doesn't taste the same with out it. While it seems insignificant it's one of the crucial elements of the dish (it's also the best way to get all the extra olive oil drips and feta crumbles at the end)

The corner store by our house would sell the flat bread fresh daily. All I had to do was roll up in my car and a man would come out with the bread which was usually still warm. I'd give him about $.40 and be on my way home.

Preparation was always fast. Crumble some feta cheese on a plate, wash and halve some cherry tomatoes (the really good ones are the cheap ones from Oman - you could get a whole container for under a dollar!). I would then get some lebanese olive oil to pour over the fetta and then crack loads of black pepper over the top. On top of the tomatoes I would add my own twist by sprinkling some Lawry's Seasoning Salt over the top and wha-la. Dinner was ready.

I would grab the plate, bread and a coke in a bottle and head in to the living room where I would sit to enjoy my meal. Ripping off pieces of bread and scooping up a little feta soaked in olive oil and a tomato half. Piece by piece I would finish my meal. Often my husband would come home to find me sitting on the floor, eating at the coffee table, watching BBC Food. He would always chuckle as he headed to go rustle up his own dinner.

Needless to say it's very easy to find all of those ingredients out here... except for the arabic bread. Grocery stores just don't carry the same kind of thin pocket bread that is just slightly sweet and dusted in flower. I had tried to make due with regular pocket bread but it's way to thick to try to scoop up little bits of feta and tomato. Tortilla, while it looks like it should work great, just doesn't even come close.

This is one of those dishes that if I can't have it right I don't really want it... so I have gone with out (I know life is hard!). That was until this weekend. I found my bread! And I sat down at my coffee table with a coke and plate of cherry tomatoes and feta cheese and enjoyed the yumminess

Road Trip!

2010-11-11T19:53:00.006-06:00

The hubbs and I decided to go on a road trip mostly for the reason that while he has been to every state in the Midwest I have been to nowhere (except Chicago but not sure if where you lives counts). So in our quest to see more of America we drove up to Kalamazoo MI and then down to Indianapolis IN

Kalamazoo was smaller than I anticipated for a college town but it was beautiful.

What an amazing place to see in the Fall

And my car had no problem finding the nearest Starbucks

After a little sight seeing and driving around I found the nearest yarn shop but sadly it had closed it's doors. So then we headed south to Indianapolis

One of the main reasons we decided Indianapolis

was a MUST see was that it is home to one of three Old Spaghetti Factory Restaurants in the Midwest. This is one of my all time favorite places to eat.

You get ice cream with every meal how can you not like that?

What was hilarious was that we swung by the hotel and I was putting the restaurant in to the search on my navigation. When it came up it said "Your destination is 0.0 mi away"

"huh" I thought and started looking around me. I couldn't see a restaurant anywere so I got out of the car and asked the valet who politely pointed directly across the street from where we were standing. "You see that OPEN sign" he said.

"huh" I thought again. I handed the valet my keys and ran across the street. Best hotel spot EVAH!!

The next day we wondered around the city, which is undergoing major construction and renovations for the upcoming Super Bowl in 2012 (I think), and taking in the sites. What a lovely little city

After a bit of wandering it was time to make the 3.5 hr drive home

There were a few times I thought we had made a wrong turn somewhere

but then we came across this... How amazingly beautiful are these wind farms?

Finally after hours we came home to our last of three tolls

And even though we had another half hour of traffic ahead of us, it felt great to be home...

Randomness

2010-11-08T13:24:00.004-06:00

1 - It's getting colder and colder. At night it's hovering around freezing and it's only November

2 - I used my Kitchen Aid!

3 - And made chocolate cookies

4 - They were some tasty cookies.

5 - I'm knitting a secret set of mitts for the hubbs. I hope he likes them

6 - I have realized (yet again) that I don't like knitting something for someone when I cant get them to try on said knit every few rows just to make sure it still fits.

7 - It's 6 pm and pitch black outside... explain to me again why we need daylight savings times?

8 - Although I guess that would have meant it would have been pitch black outside at 6 pm weeks ago

9 - Whatever, I'm still going to complain about it

10 - oooh I can turn my car on from my phone! SCORE!

p.s. I am purposely not talking about how amazingly well the ducks are doing...I figure if I don't acknowledge it then it can't go away

Irish wool

2010-11-04T15:44:00.000-05:00

My sister recently came back from her annual trip to Ireland and with her she brought me one of my very favorite things. Irish yarn, made from Irish sheep.

This time she sent me nine (9!!) skeins of Cushendale Woollen Mills worsted in the iris color way. I'm beyond excited. It's the perfect winter yarn and it makes me daydream of intricate cabled sweaters that are slightly scratchy but SO warm and cozy.

I love the feel of the yarn, the heathered blue purple color and knowing that it comes right from the sheep. In a way having a yarn that I know comes from so close to where the wool was sheared makes me feel closer to knitting. Touching & smelling the yarn brings images of emerald hills with little sheeps living happily, eating grass and sharing their warmth. People then taking that wool and turning it into roving, dying it and spinning it into something that I can knit with.

I love that.

One step closer

2010-11-03T20:58:00.004-05:00

Today I came one step closer to becoming a grown up

I got a Kitchen Aid...

... and I'm beyond excited.

It all started a few weeks ago when my mom called me and said "we need to talk". She had noticed all the baking I have been doing on my blog and other cooking adventures that I told her about in passing and realized that it was time for me to have my very first Kitchen Aid. "Baking will be so much faster and easier" she promised

I was reluctant. I mean they are big and they are expensive! and they take precious counter space. But mostly it just felt like a grown up thing I wasn't sure I was worthy of yet... What if i didn't use it? What if I broke it?

But my mom made one final point and I was sold... "It's dishwasher safe."

We talked about colors and engine sizes and finally settled on the 5.5L currently being sold at our favorite got to place, Costco. After too-ing and fro-ing between black, white or silver we agreed that silver would be the best bet for an appliance that should last the majority of my baking career.

So today, after my mom arranged for it to be waiting for me at my local Costco, I went and picked it up.

And I love it. And it's beautiful. And I can't stop starring at it. I feel so grown up!

And I can't wait to make some cookies!!

Thank you mom for a wonderful housewarming gift!

Fall

2010-11-01T15:18:00.003-05:00

I'm so happy to be back in America for fall... And I must say that Chicago in the fall is gorgeous.

I love the colors, the leaves turning, the crisp chill in the air. It makes me want to cook and knit and just enjoy as we head in to winter.

So while I have been making cupcakes as chicken soup I have also dug deep in my stash to find some orange Posh sock yarn.

I'm making a simple ribbed hat for the hubb. As it gets colder and colder, hats are a daily need these days and that means we need options. Orange is the perfect fall option

FO: Traveling Beaumont

2010-10-27T23:43:00.007-05:00

I have been wanting to knit Paper Dolls by Kate Davies (only with camels) for a while now but have been intimidated to test my color work skills on such a large project where it could have gone ALL WRONG! And seeing as it's worked from the bottom up I wouldn't even know it's was ALL WRONG until the project was nearly completed... and you all know how much I hate frogging knits that are almost done

So I decided to give color work a try on a smaller scale, like a hat. That way if it didn't work out then I wouldn't be out hours and hours and hours of work... I would only be out of just a few hours!

But it did work and I'm totally addicted. I love it and I just can't stop. I find it so gratifying and entertaining to watch the patterns emerge row by row until finally a picture begins to form. Also seeing colors paired together really adds a new beauty to my knitting that I just haven't experienced before.

Project Details

Pattern: Beaumont Tam by Jared Flood

Needles: knit using magic loop US size 3 and 6

Yarn: Hand & Hand in white and Handmaiden Cabash Sock in Amethyst

Mods: went down by one needle size in both the small and large needles after reading other's comments. I also cast on with the purple then switched to white instead of knitting the entire band in purple to ensure I would have enough purple to make it to the top!

I've already started my second color work project (details on this one later!) because I just can't get enough!

I'm now looking at my stash in a whole new way. Moving skeins around checking to see if they belong together. The possibilities are endless! Endless I tell you!

Library

2010-10-26T19:51:00.004-05:00

I found the Chicago Public Library... and it's huge!

It also happens to be off the same stop as my favorite yarn shop

Now you know where to find me

Happy birthday to me!

2010-10-19T19:23:00.007-05:00

It was my birthday longer ago than it feels like. Honestly it felt like it just flew by but I had an amazing day that I just have to share with you.

I know there are many people in my life who think of me and care about me and who try to go out of their way to make me smile but it's quite heart warming when all those people tell you on the same day that you are in their thoughts. I was truly touched that all of my friends and family, that are now spread all across this great little world, took the time to send me a little love.

About a week before my birthday, when I was checking my mail, I found a little slip that said I had a package. Huh... I thought I wonder what it is... I was pretty sure I hadn't ordered any yarn (I'm back on the yarn diet :::pout:::) so I went and collected the box and got excited when I saw it was from my dad and step mom. I ran up stairs and stared at it. Should I open it? Should I wait? My birthday wasn't for another week. A WEEK! I can't wait that long and I'm an adult. There are down sided to being an adult, one of them being paying an electric bill but there are upsides too. The upsides include having ice cream before dinner (let's be honest I've been doing that since I was like 15) wearing your new clothes as soon as you get them and opening presents whenever you feel like it! The hubbs was out of town so I wasn't going to wait for him to get home and I opened it right away.

Here is what I found:

A drop spindle, a HUGE ball of roving and a starbucks card. I nearly passed out with excitement and immediately called my dad and step mom to thank them profusely. I'll show you my spinning progress soon

About a day before my birthday I received another gift. From my mom. : D She knew that I had been umm rather addicted to Bed Bath & Beyond lately (hey when you live with out it and Target for 3 years then we'll talk) and had been hoarding my coupons and wanting some goodies so she sent me the means to get not only a new coffee maker (woot woot!) but also some of the new flexi baking dishes so I could make this lasagna.

This has to be the best lasagna I have made! Ok the only lasagna I ever made but it was pretty darn good!

The hubbs spoiled me as he does everyday. Although I specifically remember a steakhouse being involved. yum.

Then on my birthday it's self not only did my family call and sing to me but I my facebook and ravelry group blew up with messages of birthday wishes! Charmaine even sent me a knitting pattern from my wish list!!! I'm so excited to start it! Jocelyn left me sweet notes on every media site I'm on and Kundi (as always) made sure I knew I was on the top of her mind... (there was lots of purple involved). And Amanda! She gave me a tatting needle that her grandmother passed down to her. I only hope I conveyed to her how much that it means to me.

Thank you everyone for a wonderful birthday. I'm still smiling!

randomness

2010-10-14T00:23:00.004-05:00

1- i'm finally getting over being sick. this time it came in waves. first the sick feeling, then the sick sounding, then the hacking (the loveliest part). i prefer to take it all on at once

2- now that i don't feel so sick i have been knitting. a lot

3- and cooking

4- and spinning

5- i've been busy

6- oh and i got a "proper" (by proper i mean a real) jacket that can handle whatever the weather here in chicago can dish out at us. at least that's what the guy said.

7- and boots which i could probably use to hike through the tundra of canada and still have toasty feet

8- yet i still feel ill prepared for winter. sigh. i think i'll just have to get through the first one

9- the auto timer on the dishwasher is amazing. it means it cleans while you sleep. unless you stay up too late. then it scares the crap out of you. like now

10- i think that's my cue to go to bed. night.

FO: Whipped Cream

2010-10-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

So it's not secret that I am throughly in to yarn swaps. I love the whole process. Figuring out what someone would like and knitting for them is one of the very best parts

Recently I put together an angle package for an Ice Cream themed swap. An angle package means that someone, for whatever reason, flaked on sending out their swap package therefore someone who sent a perfectly well thought out and loved package to someone else didn't receive anything in return and thats where I came in.

I saw that there was someone who needed an ice cream themed swap and seeing as I worked at a Baskin Robins for 8 years I feel I practically have a PhD in the topic so I decided to go for it.

I put together a really cute box which had each part of the package making up a sundae. There was these super cute project bags my mom made.

The large bag was the "cone" for the sunday. There was some yarn which made up the "ice cream", then the little bag made up the "sprinkles", and a much desired book by my swappee made up the "cherry" on the cone. But I ask what kind of sundae doesn't have whipped cream?

So I included this shaw which I knit for her off her queue (a queue is the list of projects we knitters wish to make)

It's a super fast knit and it's knit in garter stitch rather than stockinet stitch which really speeds things up for me (see this post)

Project details:

Pattern: Vixen Shawl by Tori Gurbisz

Yarn: Posh Yarn - Laura in Garden Party.

Needles: US 6

Mods: I didn't modify this pattern at all However if I were to knit it again I would definitely up the needle size as it didn't come out anywhere near as big as pattern called for. Also the yarn is gorgeous and also has a little cashmere in it so it's super soft but it's also quite splitty.

Sick

2010-10-05T12:28:00.004-05:00

I have been sick. It hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday. It's amazing how you can feel your body being consumed by a cold slowly but surly. Ever since it hit I haven't been able to knit a stitch! (I shake my fist at you sickness!) I just stare at all my projects and think I should be knitting and then I pick it up and put it down again. It's just too much work.

Now after sleeping for an entire 12 HOURS! (that's a lot even for me!) I'm laid out on the couch because apparently waking up and making coffee was just too much for my body to handle. But I thought I would update my blog before I head for the cough syrup because after a dose of that stuff I tend not to make much sense any more. I tried last night. Really I did. And after a half a sentence I gave up. It was just too hard. Anyone who can write while they are sick well you have my respect.

...uh oh.... the words are slipping away. ugh.

Oh right well I wanted to show you the yummy chicken noodle soup I made yesterday to get my self through this cold. It's made the way my mom makes it with extra black pepper. Yum.

The hubbs also went and picked up a bunch of goodies for me (english muffins and choc chip cookies top that list) isn't he sweet?

Ok off to have some more soup and then take a much needed nap

backwards

2010-10-05T11:51:00.004-05:00

I've been teaching my self to knit backwards.

I really hate purling back on large stockinet WIPs. In fact I dislike it so much that I will avoid all stockinet pieces just so I don't have to purl back 100 stitches. But there are so many cute sweaters out there I have been wanting to knit so I have been teaching my self to knit backwards

At first it was like trying to write with the wrong hand. Awkward, sloppy and inefficient to say the least but after practicing i'm finally to the point where I don't have to look at every stitch and I'm about as fast at it as purling. I figure with a little more practice I'll be knitting up a storm in no time!

But let me tell you it uses muscles I didn't know I had

Blackhawks

2010-10-05T11:39:00.004-05:00

Boy do I have a lot to catch up on. Things have been pretty busy and then I got sick. Sick means I loose all ability to form complete sentences. So before I dive into another dose of cough medicine I thought I would update my blog with at least a few of my happenings

First up

I went to my first Chicago Blackhawks game on Friday

Three things happened at this game

1. (and not surprisingly) the Hawks won!

2. I made some new friends

3. I'm addicted to hockey now! And I will go to every game where I can get my hands on some of those hot little tickets!

Food Love

2010-09-30T03:27:00.002-05:00

I'm a little food obsessed these days. I think there are a few contributing factors...

1. The weather is starting to turn colder which means I start to crave the comfort foods (gravy tops that list) and warm cozy foods which usually require loads of butter.

2. I was away from all my favorites for too long. Don't get me wrong there are some things I miss from Abu Dhabi but right now I'm enjoying all those things I had to do with out while we were in the Middle East.

3. My kitchen is fabulous. I couldn't have designed a better kitchen for an apartment. There's a gas stove, a dishwasher, a full size refrigerator AND I can see the TV. These things combined make me enjoy being in the kitchen and cooking all my faves

One of those faves.... Cornbread

All American Saturday

2010-09-29T19:58:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure if there's a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than watching a baseball game

and enjoying a hotdog

It's been so long since I have been able to enjoy a baseball game. I forgot how much fun they were (except that it was flippin' cold! and I imagine you'll be hearing that a lot from me in the coming months).

Oh and the Cubs won! woot woot!

A new taxi in Chicago - Red Bull NASCAR

2010-09-26T13:00:00.002-05:00

There's a new taxi driver is in town

That's Scott Speed (Is that not the most appropriate name ever!) from the NASCAR Red Bull Racing Team working as a taxi driver in downtown Chicago for a day!

Swap!

2010-09-22T00:39:00.007-05:00

I have been having loads of fun swapping lately. I love the whole process of it. I love looking for things I think someone will like and knitting them something special. This has pushed my knitting boundaries which I also love. Trying new techniques or just knitting something I wouldn't normally knit (like a Bad Horse and Unicorn).

The other fun part is seeing how people see me and what they think I will love. Oh and getting a surprise box of presents is always loads of fun...

So I joined the "spoiler's choice swap" where we listing themes that interested us and our spoiler got to choose which one (or all) of those themes to base the package on

My themes were: Mystery Books, Notecards, Relaxation, oh and Purple (surprise surprise)

This is the AMAZING package I received

Don't you just love looking at a pile of wrapped presents! It makes me SO giddy

For relaxation...

let me tell you that foot cream is AMAZING.

For my love of notecards...

I love notecards. I really love when they have interesting designs. I really love the design on these and look there's a matching pen! and other little stationary goodies. so much fun!

For mysteries...

Can you believe I received 4 (FOUR!) books!!! and all Mysteries and the main character is a knitter!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE.
And check out this book cover which was hand crocheted in PURPLE! LOVE!

Finally there was this gorgeous NORO. I love noro and can't wait to get my knitting needles working on this.

This was such a great package and I'm so impressed with how well my swapper "got" me. I loved everything! It makes me want to sign up for a hundred more swaps!

The mystery....

2010-09-20T11:33:00.003-05:00

... of the disappearing Willis Tower (a.k.a Sears Tower).

Now you see it

Now you don't

Seriously. Chicago has some crazy weather...

Randomness

2010-09-19T00:06:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed in my knitting. There's so much I want to knit right now and I just don't have enough time to knit everything

It's flippin' cold. It hit the mid 50's and that is just unacceptable

I'm going to attempt a yarn diet again

Perhaps I'll start the diet after yarn con

There's a package waiting for me and I don't know what it is. I can't get retrieve it until Monday. That's its own kind of torture

If it gets much colder (which I hear it will) I'm going to have to make some chicken noodle soup. Yum

And I'll finally get to wear all those hats and scarfs I knit in Dubai - I knew there was a reason for that

I think I'll shall leave you with some Malabrigo Sock

It's the little things....

2010-09-15T23:42:00.002-05:00

It's the little things that make me happy to be back in the US.

- Wonder Bread

- Salted Butter

- Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Tillamook Vintage White Cheddar to be exact)

They come together in glorious ways

The story of Bad Horse

2010-09-11T22:52:00.006-05:00

If you are a fan of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog then you now all about Bad Horse, the head of the ELE (Evil League of Evil), and probably no matter how bad or horrible you are you still do your best to steer clear of him. He is a horse to be reckoned with.

But if you are like me you also wondered what made Bad Horse so bad? What happened to him as a colt? What led him down this dark path?

Here my friends is the story....

When he was first born everyone one was surprised at Sparky's (that was his birth name) compassion, loyalty and kindness. He was always there to lend a helping hoof (shoe?) and to make sure that all was right in the herd and that no horse was left behind.

Then he met Unicorn the unicorn (her parents weren't very imaginative). He was galloping through the forest smelling the roses and tulips when he came upon a clearing and spotted a beautiful unicorn frolicking in a lavender field with the butterflies. It took just one look for Sparky to be smitten. He made his way into the clearing and the unicorn noticed him and beckoned him over. They started gamboling and playing together and by the end of the day Sparky knew he had found the unicorn of his dreams. He made Unicorn promise to meet him in the same field the next day.

When sparky went home he told his mom of the unicorn he met and how she had changed his life in one short afternoon. Him mom was so happy for him but encouraged him to remember that not everyone thinks it's ok for a horse and a unicorn to be together. Not everyone is so progressive in their thinking she reminded him... Sparky was sure this would not be a problem and went to sleep that night with

a smile on his face...

The next afternoon he went to the same clearing and even picked some tulips and roses for Unicorn on the way. He waited and waited until finally Unicorn came running into the field sobbing. Sparky begged her to tell him what was the matter. But Unicorn was reluctant. After much prodding finally Unicorn relented and told Sparky that her dad had forbid her from seeing Sparky again. "No unicorn of mine is going to date a horse!" he said. Unicorn was heart broken but would not go against her fathers wishes,

Sparky begged Unicorn to to run away with him but she refused. After all her father paid her cell phone bill and she had unlimited texting.

Sparky was outraged that Unicorn's father would not allow them to be together and that Unicorn wouldn't to stand up to him. He shook his hoof in the air and vowed never to love again. Never to let "the man" get him down.

Sparky changed his name to the worst thing he could think of, Bad, and he quickly started climbing the ranks in the world of Evil. He realized that evil came to him as easily as compassion and understand had before he ever knew Unicorn. Soon Bad Horse was at the top of his game running the ELE and striking fear in the hearts of humanity (especially "the man"). But on a quiet day when Bad Horse has had time to remember his dear Unicorn you can still smell the faint scent of lavender.

And that was day Sparky became Bad Horse - out to fight the status quo, because the status is not quo

Pattern Details

Bad Horse:

Pattern: Sea Horse by Barbara Prime

Yarn: Cascade 200 in Chocolate and Heathered Charcoal

Needles: US 6

Mod: Added a little pouch of lavender so that he smells pretty

Unicorn:

Pattern: Sea Horse by Barbara Prime

Yarn: Some rainbowy fingering weight yarn from Beirut - I held two together. And some pretty purple yarn from Abu Dhabi.

Needles: US 6

Mod: Added a little pouch of lavender so that she smells pretty

Recipe for a famous sock - KISS in Chicago!

2010-09-08T11:09:00.013-05:00

Here's what you need to make your sock (or in this case Amanda's sock) famous

2 good friends on an adventure - one has to be smart enough to think outside the knitting bag - in this case all credit goes to Amanda!

2 tickets to KISS & 2 surprise backstage passes

1 sock in progress

Add a dash of waiting in line and persistence in the backstage area and you get this:

KISS holding a SOCK in progress!

After picture enjoy the concert and let rest for a while in a cool dark room until mid-noon

Wake up, brush off Rock N Roll party dust and send photo to the Yarn Harlot

Watch Amanda's pink sock become famous!

Backstage at KISS and being on the Yarn Harlot's blog in less then a week... This is so exciting I might pass out.

Randomness

2010-08-30T01:34:00.003-05:00

I love having a dishwasher again. I don't use it very often but I have it and that makes me smile.
I love even more having a washer AND dryer and not one of those stupid 2in1 deals that NEVER work. Nope my washer will wash a load all at the same time my dryer is drying one! it's AMAZING!
Apparently it doesn't take much to amaze me.
I was a fool not to get an iPhone sooner. It's been a month and I don't remember what life was like before.
I'm afraid of the Chicago winter to come. It does not sound fun. I'll take 114 degrees over -15 any day!
I'm going to the KISS concert on Friday - more on that on Saturday (or let's be honest, Monday)
I came up with another design. Designing is kinda addictive. I can knit it how I want it.
The Blue Angles passed by for a quick visit the other day... aren't they thoughtful?

Lake Owassa

2010-08-29T10:47:00.002-05:00

I dare anyone to tell me New Jersey isn't beautiful.

and I dare anyone to tell me grape popsicles aren't fantastic!