For the Blue Moon Mystery KAL that starts on September 24th (yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, pattern from me!), swatching is not vitally important, gauge-wise. It’s just simply not. True, if your gauge differs greatly from the pattern’s stated gauge, you’ll end up with a smaller or a larger shawlette, and you’ll need less or more yarn, BUT the …
Shiny new possibilities
Is there anything more pleasing than the possibility of something new? Casting on a new project, opening a new book… I hear there are YouTube channels devoted to people opening CD cases, so I guess I’m not alone in this excitement. Maybe the only thing better than starting something new is finishing something. In that case, I’ve had a really …
Firsts
All Summer, I’ve been thinking about how different this Fall is going to be from any Fall I’ve ever had, and certainly different from any Fall my little family has experienced together. My big-little is starting real, actual school, and I’ve known this. My little-little starts preschool, which is but the precursor to real, actual school. I am finding, however, …
Mystery along!
Whether or not we’re ready, it’s Fall. Schools are starting back up all over, the air wants to be more crispy than sweltering, and I don’t know about you all, but I’m ready to get back into daily, obsessive knitting. To that end, Tina, the color goddess (and everything else) at Blue Moon Fiber Arts and I have partnered up …
I like big yarn and I cannot lie…
I have this thing for big yarn. There’s something so very satisfying about stitches that are 1/2″ wide. Big, ropey balls of fluffy goodness get my knitterly heart all a-flutter. So, when LJ from Knitted Wit asked me if I’d be interested in designing something with her brand-spanking-new Cotton Candy, there was no hesitation. At all. Winding the yarn into …
Making a mess
We’re getting some work done on our house this Fall – new siding and new windows. As excited as I am about the prospect of Astrid’s room and our room being a smooch-bit warmer due to the new windows, the big excitement is getting a new face on our house. A new color. Yeehaw! This morning, Stefan threw big tshirts …
Knit it: Textural Healing Cowl
The Textural Healing Cowl is the cowl-sister to my Textural Healing Shawlette, with the added bonus of using two colors. The picot bind-off makes it a plucky (ha!) little piece. I’m releasing it now in honor of Plucktember, the best excuse ever to bring a bit more Plucky Knitter into your life. And, it’s only $4! Yarn Requirements: Approximately 405 …
Saddles, and getting back into them
Today was a day for re-saddling myself. In my life. In my doing. After taking Astrid to preschool orientation, hitting the grocery store with Hazel, picking Astrid UP from preschool orientation (it’s only 2 hours this week), AND hitting Trader Joe’s with both girls, I decided to do.some.stuff today. What was on the docket? Red beans. Yellow Tomato Honey-sweetened Jam (although …
Letting go…
I’ve been thinking about letting go lately. Letting go of my need for clean-and-organized. Letting go of my babies as we get ready to start Preschool (for Astrid) and KINDERGARTEN (for Hazel). Letting go and letting them grow seem to go hand-in-hand. My girls are independent kids. They always have been, and, even though it’s tiring (oh, so tiring), hopefully, …
Knit it: Dashes and Dots Cowl
Here is my latest pattern design! Dashes and Dots Cowl is a cozy, squishy piece that can be made as a one-loop or two-loop cowl. Pick two contrasty colors of your favorite single-ply fingering (may I suggest Knitted Wit‘s Single Fingering?), and get to knitting. It’s in the round and goes fairly quickly and mindlessly. Yarn Requirements: Approximately 340 (750) …
Make it: Coconut Milk
I’ve had quite the love affair with smoothies these past few months. It all started when we got a real high-speed blender (as opposed to the old, beat-up thrift-shop blender that smelled like burning and leaked whenever we used it). I started exploring green smoothies, and I hit upon my perfect blend (which I’ll share in another post). Suffice it …
Jammin’
Last Summer, I was a stark-raving fool for jamming. I couldn’t get enough of it. I jammed multiple times a week, sometimes spending an entire weekend jamming and pickling and making. I would stop at the farm stand on my way home from work, and, after dinner, would start a batch of strawberry jam. Strawberry & balsamic. Strawberry & thyme. …