Busy little bee.

2013 is already proving to be crazy busy.  My weekends are filling up with social obligations.  I have a wedding to plan.  We've had family sadness, though in the midst of that it was good to see family and feel a sense of closeness with them.  The school semester is starting in a matter of days and I hope I am ready for it.  We have plans to travel in the coming months.  I feel like my 2013 is already getting booked and we're only 17 days in!

I am sticking with my goals quite well.  The running has taken a back seat to the start of the semester, but when the days get lighter and things calm down, I will be running my little butt off. 

I've only had coffee ONCE since I started, and that was the day I had to go to my step-grandmother's funeral and I knew it'd be a long day.  This goal has been an easy one to kick.  Next year might be harder, as 2014 is going to be the year of kicking caffeine.

The vegetables are also going well.  Some days are a struggle to find a vegetable I ate so I'll try to make sure to have some carrots.  I think once the semester starts I'll be able to find time to eat healthily again.  We've been roasting a lot of brussel sprouts lately, which I love.  I also have a pinterest board of plenty of tasty vegetable entrees to cook up this winter.

The sweater.  That hasn't started yet.  I think I'll be working on it this Monday when I'm at home watching the Inauguration.  I need to find where I left off and my pattern directions again so I can pick it up.  What's annoying is that I am quite close to being done, and yet I keep putting it off with Christmas knits and a cowl for me.

As mentioned, the beginning of the year there was some sadness.  My stepgrandmother passed away suddenly.  We were heartbroken, as she was very kind and loving.  It was the first family loss Ricky and I experienced, and it's hard to think that she won't be at the wedding, just a mention in a program and a "oh Fran would have loved this!"  It was nice to see the cousins on all sides of the family, and I was glad to be there for all of my family.  January has proven to be sad and with loss two years in a row.

Wedding planning is going well, but no real plans to discuss or cool crafts to show off.  I think we're getting closer to bridesmaid wear, flowers, and food.  You know, the things people will talk about the next day when they're rehashing.

Reading for 50/50 is going really well.  I'll post more books soon to review.


That's it, really.  Just a life update for the three people who read this.

2013: Four Simple Goals

A blog I like to read called A Beautiful Mess blogged about the idea of Four Simple Goals.  Since 2013 will be nuts and the year of The Wedding, instead of writing a huge long list of things I want to accomplish I decided to keep it simple this year.  My goals are:

1.  Eat (at least) one vegetable a day.  I've been getting better about thinking about what I eat and trying to make better choices about what I eat.  I've lost a few pounds (hooray!) as a result, so something must be working.  I've been using an app where I can keep track of what I eat and what exercise I do, so it'll be easy to track this.

2.  Quit coffee.  I actually started this a few days ago, but the goal is to continue it into 2013.  I haven't had coffee since Wednesday.  So far so good!  I'm drinking black tea, which is better because it's less sugar and cream and less expensive since I can just get a tin of it instead of spending $10-15 a week on coffee.  The goal is to keep it going once work starts up again.  I'm allowing myself to cheat on weekends when there's a fun latte with crazy flavors involved (i.e., Starbucks, Gulu, Jaho)

3.  Finish my 5k goal and run the 5k outside in a race.  As I've noted, I've run several 5k's in the gym alone on a treadmill.  I'm also working on improving my time.  I'm at about 40-43 minutes right now, which is decent.  Once it's warmer and there's sunlight after work, I'm getting outside to keep it going and then I'll be signing up for a 5k in the spring or summer.  There's a breast cancer 5k I'm looking at or the Fiesta 5k in June.

4.  Finish the blue sweater and knit another fun sweater.  The blue sweater is about 60% done.  Maybe 70%.  But then all my friends made an unofficial pregnancy pact and had babies, and those babies needed hats.  So the blue sweater went into hiding in the closet.  Well now most people have had their babies, so it's time I finish it and wear it!  I also want to make another sweater for myself.  I might just do a plain thing, I'm not sure.  There are a few I'm eying and I have a ton of yarn asking to be used.


I'll keep this updated with how it's going.  I'm also still doing the 50/50 challenge, but that I'll keep separate from my goals.

The wedding cardigan

Photo credit:  LovelyGirls

My wedding is a long time away (as this is a public blog, I am not sharing the exact date here) and minimal plans have been made.  We've booked the venue, the DJ, and the photographer.  I have a loose idea of colors.  I realized it probably makes sense to forgo my dessert bar for just a cake (more on that later).  I have a bridal party and a good friend to officiate.  I know the men folk won't be renting tuxes and just wearing suits.  I have a first and last song.  I'm probably not tossing my bouquet.  And then it trails off.

The other thing I have realized I want is a wedding cardigan.  My friend Michnya has teased me for years (actually he's been teasing me about cardigans for a decade, I'm realizing, and feeling a little old and removed from college) that I own a ridiculous amount of cardigans.  Doing a quick count in my head... I have at least 10.  Maybe more.  I wear a cardigan at least 5 of the 7 days a week, including in the summertime when it's frigid in the AC.

Since I am getting married in a colder month, I've decided I want a cardigan. Originally I was thinking of knitting a wedding wrap for myself, and I may, but I'm also worried about running out of time with the other crafty projects I'm planning to do for the wedding.  So I may just resort to buying a wedding cardigan.

Yes, I get it.  You're thinking "what the hell is a wedding cardigan and why would you want to cover up that much on your wedding?"  First off, a wedding cardigan is a cardigan you wear at your wedding.  Duh.

A cardigan feels very me.  I like the practicality of knowing that if I get chilly I have something waiting for me to throw on.  I also like the modesty of something to throw on as well.  And it feels classic, like the color navy blue or a string of pearls.  I realize I'm making myself sound like a prude, but I promise that I am not.

I've found many photos online of beautiful brides in cardigans, and it makes me more sure of this.  The following article from LovelyGirls Weddings + Events shows many fine examples of this.  I've had the photo of the bride and groom lying together in the grass saved on my computer for quite some time*.  It's truly lovely.

Photo credit:  J Crew

The Jackie Cardigan from J Crew (pictured above) is great.  It's reasonably priced and comes in beautiful colors every season.  I am digging it in blue for my something blue, too.  How cute would it be to walk down the aisle wearing a sweet cardigan?!  It's also not as warm as cashmere, so I won't sweat during the ceremony.  And also, it's not almost $200 for a sweater like J Crew cashmere tends to be.

I'll keep browsing for a nice wedding cardigan as the months progress.  I also need to find a dress first so I know if a cardigan would look good or weird with it.  I will keep you posted!




*Full disclosure:  I've had it saved on my desktop at work months before Ricky and I were even engaged.  A girl can dream, right?!

MFT Day 3: mustard yellow sweaters (ideally from J Crew)

Photo credit:  What Would a Nerd Wear.  CHECK IT OUT!!

I'm a sucker for mustard yellow.  There have been times when my ongoing online J Crew shopping cart is filled with only two things:  Navy blue shirts and mustard yellow sweaters.  If I could, I would live in both.  It's a sometimes weird color, but one that I adore.  And I feel like it adds a muted pop of color during the dreary winter months.  I know other stores have mustard yellow sweaters, but there's just something about a mustard yellow sweater in the J Crew variety.  (I truly thing their strongest suits are sweaters and cords)

I recently made myself a cowl in mustard yellow, along with thrifted my very own J Crew cardigan in mustard cashmere.  There's also one at the thrift store around the corner from where I work that I've been eying and will probably snatch up today. 

I know I'm not alone on this, because when you google "J Crew mustard yellow sweater" you get hundreds of different results.  In doing so, I also found a blog called What Would a Nerd Wear that I'm in love with and will now be following.  I think we may be clothing kindred spirits.  (that's where the picture for this post are from)

A hat

One of my goals for 2012 is to knit items that have been in my queue for a long time that I haven't gotten to yet, along with using up my yarn in my stash.  A perfect marriage of these two ideas came when I decided to make the #1 item in my queue since April 2008 with a random half skein that I've been holding onto for awhile.  Behold, my version of The Republic Hat.

I really like this pattern, especially since it was quick to whip up.  It took me about 24 hours to make the hat.  I started it Christmas morning and by the end of the following day, I was wearing it.  I like how the hat has the spirit of a curled brim hat knit in the round, but is a bit fancier with the garter edge and the button.  I used a bit of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky I had sitting around.  I'm not sure how much of a skein I had leftover, but I'd say half of one would do fine.  The button is from Windsor Button.

This hat is sooo warm.  I wore it yesterday when I was walking around Salem, and my head was perfectly warm.  I like slightly larger hats that can cover my ears, since I walk to the train and then to work and when it's freezing my head/ears need protection.  This will do nicely once it gets freezing and snowing in January.

I strongly recommend this pattern, since it's quick and easy to knit up and has some visual interest to it.  This would also make a great gift for someone.  I may make one for my mom or Ashley down the road.

Stash organized!

Thursday afternoon, and here's my to do list, with things done crossed off:

Grown Up Friend Date with Patti.
Clean my closet. 
Clean computer room. 
Get materials for Jess' ring pillows.
Knit something with quince yarn.  
Organize stash. 
Make shepherd's pie for Ricky for dinner.  Update:  make something in crock pot (thanks, Ricky's mom!)
Find shoes for Jess' wedding.
Donate things to good will.
Fix sewing machine tension.
Make ring pillows.
Another secret project for Jess' wedding and also for Erin's wedding

So so far, I'm doing quite well.  I haven't heard from Patti or Jess yet about hanging out or if she still wants ring pillows, respectively, so those may just be on hold.  The computer room is slowly being cleaned, bit by bit each day.  The bags of good will are by the door.  Basically the sewing machine is the only thing that hasn't been attempted.

The clean closet feels great.  It's easy to manage, and I feel better about it.  I was able to throw out a lot.  (note to self:  there's no need to keep the packaging and documents affiliated with a phone you haven't had in over 4 years)

The yarn stash was a bit daunting at first, but once I decided on a process, it went quickly.  I'm glad I emptied it all out in a big pile to sort, but dear lord did my heart skip a beat seeing that huge pile at first.  It's amazing how much yarn you can accrue over the years! 

Before... eeek!

I decided to have all the lace weight and sock yarn in the small tupperware, and then devote one big tupperware to all the yarn I have that I have a lot of (i.e., I could make a sweater out of) and then the other one to all the random one skeins I have that can be for smaller projects.  The basket is still what I had it for originally, which is the ends of skeins that I can use if I want a small amount of yarn for trim or whatever.  2012 is going to be a year of knitting through my stash, so I'm hoping that if I take a photo of these containers in a year, they won't be as stuffed.  I've already knit a hat out of some leftover yarn, so I think I'm on the right track.

After... muuuuch better.

I full acknowledge that this is perhaps the most boring post I've ever written.

Quince cowl

Two things have been checked off my list!  First, I made something with my Quince yarn, and secondly, I organized my stash.  The stash photos will come later in the week.  But first, I want to show off my cowl.

When Ricky and I went to Portland, I purchased two skeins of Quince.  At the time, the company was just starting out, and only had a handful of patterns.  Not thinking (I was on vacation, after all) I purchased a skein of honey and a skein of pomegranate.  They did not go together AT ALL.  So they've been languishing in my stash for awhile now.  I decided that for winter break, I needed to use it up.

Well after finishing my Christmas knitting, I got ambitious and decided to just knit something out of it for Christmas instead.  I found a simple seed stitch cowl on Ravelry, and then found an example of someone making it on a smaller scale in Quince.  I decided that this was the route I wanted to go.  I measured how long I wanted it on me and off I went.

I did a lot of work on it in a coffee shop in Cambridge waiting for my old roommates to arrive in Harvard Square and have dinner with me, and also on the train.  I've definitely been enjoying whipping out smaller projects while commuting, since I've been getting a lot of satisfaction out of finishing them in only a matter of days.  I think 2012 will have a sweater project in it, but for now, I'm just focusing my energies on smaller projects to use up some yarn and make gifts for people.

This project was insanely easy.  It was done by December 23rd and I was wearing it all day on Christmas Eve.  It's not the warmest, but I like how it's more of a "I want to be kind of warm" or "I want to look cool" cowl.  I also love the color, though after seeing it on me, it makes me question my desire to knit myself a whole sweater out of this color.  Small projects against my hair and skin tone might be best, instead of a giant one all over me. 

BTW, because I got a crock pot from Ricky's mom for Christmas, Shepherd's Pie has changed to a stew or something I can make in a crock pot.  Very excited about that one!  I think today's projects will be starting the computer room, and maybe finding shoes.  We'll see.

Christmas knits: the boys' hats

A few years ago, I made my brothers fingerless mitts for Christmas.  While this was fun, it was perhaps a bit too ambitious to start them in December, since I was a slower knitter and barely finished them.  Or, if I recall correctly, I only finished one mitt for each and then made the other two while they were on winter break.  There we go, that's it.  This year, I decided to just stick with hats, particularly because they both lost a mitt (ugh) and also because I didn't have as much time to focus on something that small and detailed with all the other knitting projects I had to do this time of year.

I made a bit ago the Turn a Square hat by Jared Flood for Erin's boyfriend, Matt.  He liked it, and with the scrap yarn I made myself a hat.  Matt had requested another striped hat for Christmas, so I decided to make one for him out of whatever scrap yarn I had from Pete's hat. 

Because Pete's a redhead, I decided to go with browns and greens.  This is also the color of his winter coat.  Matt's looks similar to Pete's, except that his is more darker grey stripes and less brown and green.  Sam likes blue more, so I went with various colors of blue.  The skein of striping yarn for Sam also included some greys and whites, which helped not make it too blue, if that makes sense.  I really like how they turned out, and I think they both liked them.  I used Cascade 220 for both solid colors and then Noro Silk Garden for the self striping.  Noro's colors are lovely, and I like how Cascade both highlights and mellows it.  Also, it's a very warm hat, since I've been wearing mine a lot while walking to the train and then work.  Quite pleased with it.

Mum was so impressed by Sam's hat, that she's requested her own.  Fortunately, you can make two hats from a skein of Cascade 220 and a skein of Noro Silk Garden with this pattern, so I have all the materials already!  Hers will be a bit brighter of blue, but that's fine.  When I finish that hat, I'll post the photos of both that hat and Matt's hat. 

Again, here are Ricky and I modeling Christmas hats by the water.  (in case you were wondering, we went out for Breakfast, and then grabbed all the Christmas knits and took photos of them before wrapping them up)  Ricky's wearing Pete's hat, and I'm wearing Sam's. 

I can't post the rest of Christmas knitting right now since I haven't given it away yet, so I'll be posting some of the to do list accomplishments I've completed so far.  (hooray!)  My list may also have been too ambitious, because Ricky got me Price is Right for the wii and I am hoooooked.

Christmas knits: Beth's cowl

Now that Christmas is over and most of my Christmas knits have been distributed, I'm going to blog about them.  The first will be the cowl I gave Ricky's mom Beth.  Beth's had a hard few months, and she's always been very sweet to me, so I wanted to make her a nice hand knit this year.  And, since time was of the essence, I went with a cowl.

My friend (and new mom!) Crystal of Domesticated Human recently published a cowl pattern she made for a gift using one skein of Malabrigo.  I love Malabrigo merino worsted for it's soft squishiness, and thought that Beth would as well.  I had a skein of a light purple -- I thought I'd like the color when I purchased it, but no such luck -- that I decided to use, since it's a color she'd enjoy.

Knitting this up was a breeze.  It only took a few days of knitting on the train, and I was finished.  I decided to go up a needle size to make the drape looser and also because Beth is taller and her features are larger than Crystals.  (she's like 5'10")  I'm glad I did, since it did make it a lot looser.  I loved how the dropped stitches looked, and it made for an interesting pattern.


I modeled it by the ocean to take photos for ravelry and also here.  It was definitely warm and soft, so I'm glad I picked this yarn for the gift.  I gave it to her yesterday, and she LOVED it.  So much.  Ricky was even touching it and she joked with him not to, in case it got damaged (note:  it won't, it's quite sturdy).  I'm glad I made it for her, since she definitely appreciated it and will get a lot of use out of it.

Friendmas

We're going to my friend from high school holiday party tonight -- dubbed Friendmas -- and the cookies are all packed and ready to go.  Chocolate and peppermint and gingerbread with lemon icing.  I hope they are well received!

I always enjoy Friendmas, because it's a nice way to see old friends and catch up when not at a wedding.  We're all just there to hang out.And now that people are settling down and pairing off, it's also nice to have a big ol' party with spouses and what not.  There's also a lot of good food.  And it's in Beverly.  So a pretty winning combination.

The rest of the weekend will be quite busy, so it's good to have this party tonight.  Christmas Eve is devoted to Ricky's family, and Christmas day to mine.  A lot of running around and time in the car, but it'll be good.

I also finished all my Christmas knitting, and they are blocking.  Tomorrow will involving taking photos to document projects, and then I'll share them here.  I must say, I think they all turned out quite nicely. 

Winter Break Goals

It's like "mini resolutions".

One of the joys of working in education is that I have lots and lots of holidays off.  I also have the week between Christmas and New Years off, as the college closes.  This is, especially after years in the private sector, completely magical.  The whole school is off, and there's no pressure to check email or catch up.  I love it.

Many of my friends, however, do not have this time off, so I find myself with a week almost completely to myself.  This is okay with me, though, as I'm using it as a week to catch up on things.  A mini-GSD week, as it were.  I made a checklist, which I will update as that week progresses:

Grown Up Friend Date with Patti.  My friend/old roommate is a teacher, so we both have a week to ourselves.  We've resolved to grab lunch and catch up.

Clean my closet.  It's become a catch all for all my crap, and now I can't see the bottom of the floor or the crap I've thrown in there.  Time to tackle.

Clean computer room.  Not as bad as the closet.  This is the room where we put things that we don't want Lewis to eat.  But it needs some order of semblance.

Get materials for Jess' ring pillows.  I'm in a wedding in March, and I've been asked to make two ring pillows for it:  one is pink, and the other is the color of The Boston Bruins.  (I'll probably be leaving out gold or just have it as an accent)

Knit something with quince yarn.  I have a ball of this, that's been sitting in my stash since I purchased it in July of 2010.  I want to wear it.  Probably as a cowl.

Organize stash.  With all the Christmas knitting, there are balls of yarn everywhere.  And it's chaos.  I need to make it not be chaos.


Make shepherd's pie for Ricky for dinner.  I love a recipe I found for this that has ground turkey, lots of veggies, and no tomatoes.  I think it'll be a dinner one of the nights, since it is a bit time consuming.

Find shoes for Jess' wedding.  I need a pair of pewter heels.  I've been a giant failure to date in finding a pair that I like and don't hurt my feet.  This is the week to find those shoes.

Donate things to good will.  This will free up some closet floor space.

Fix sewing machine tension.  It's been wanky for a year now, time to fix it so I can use it!

Make ring pillows.  Photos will be posted of this, I am sure.

Another secret project for Jess' wedding and also for Erin's wedding.  Secrets secrets.

Would this be a good gift?

After going to a bajillion seven weddings this year, I've begun to think about creative gifts to give that aren't just cash or a gift from Crate and Barrel.  I have some good ideas for the weddings of 2012, but I saw this cool pattern on the Purl website for something called the Eleventh Hour Blanket.  It's inspired by their pattern for a scarf that takes less than a day to finish up.

It looks so cozy and wonderful!  What a great throw this would be for a bedroom or living room.  And I think it'd be cute to do it in something that refers to their wedding colors.  It calls for big needles and knitting double, so it'd be a quick knit.

The yarn it calls for is wonderful (Cascade Magnum) and all the supplies total of about $160-180.  So it's a pricey blanket, but I feel like something homemade could be more meaningful than a check.  And... I can knit, so I sometimes feel like for all these events it'd be great if I could my powers for good.  And I know from experience that when I made my friend Jaime a baby blanket for her baby shower, she really appreciated it and it gets a lot of good use. 

But is it cheesy to make a blanket for someone?  Do people getting married just want money or something more practical like wine glasses? 

Almost forgot to blog

I've been deep in Christmas knitting tonight, so I almost forgot to blog.  I obviously can't show you or talk about Christmas knitting, so instead...

Here's a photo of a puppy and a kitten.  The puppy may be a Muppet, I can't tell for sure.

The Doctor is in

I recently listened to a TBTL episode that was a tribute to some of the best "I Love You, Chunk" spots.  The last one was about Doctor Who, the longtime British science fiction series.  I've been curious about Doctor Who for awhile now, probably since I saw the Freaks and Geeks where Bill dresses up as The Doctor after surviving eating a peanut.   My friend Jess also named her two cats after the show (Rose and The Doctor).  Ravelry also has tons of patterns on how to make that scarf pattern.  But hearing two people wax poetic about how great the series is -- that and having a Saturday night to myself to start working on Christmas knitting -- sealed the deal, and I rented the most recent series on Netflix.

I am hooooooooooked.

I've watched six episodes so far.  Right now I'm watching the 9th doctor, but I think in about five episodes David Tennant shows up.  I like how there's an overarching story and history to the series, but that each episode can also stand alone.  Ricky compared it to Quantum Leap a bit, which I can see.

I'm also a fan of all the jokes about his identity that travel from episode to episode right now.  Like what's his name and if he's an alien why does he have a Northern British accent (because every planet has a north).  I'm glad that I picked it up, and that I have something to watch while knitting.  I don't think I'll go back and watch the other series, only because that's a lot of programs to catch up on, but I'm fine with that.

I definitely recommend checking it out, especially since it's streaming on Netflix.  Also, here's some classic Doctor Who for some audio for this post.

Old school theme from Tom Baker-era (the doctor with the long scarf that Bill dresses as):



Who doesn't love that theme?  It's so retro feeling and also epic!

Thankful

While taking the train into work this morning, I began to make a list in my head of things I am thankful for in 2011.  I think 2011 has been, at times, even more emotionally trying than 2010, so I feel perhaps even more thankful than usual for these things:

Ricky
Lewis PizzaCat
Alva (still healthy and happy as a clam!)
My health and the health of my family
My friends
Having a reasonably priced apartment
My love of knitting
My job
The YMCA
Shopping local and the growing popularity of that concept
Friends being in love (but that being said, I am thankful that I don't have to go to another wedding for 4 months!)
Freshly baked goods
Hot tea
Tasty wine
My apartment appearing more and more like an adult lives there and not a college grad with a non-matching set of furniture
Millie
Foliage
Long weekends to Vermont
Farmer's Markets
Salem Restaurant Week
Warm wool socks
Mashed potatoes
The Landry brothers
Netflix
Comfy shoes
Blogs that post pretty things (looking at you, Apartment therapy)
Pinterest
Not moving in 2011
TBTL

More songs about buildings and hats

I will someday have a conversation about buildings and food, but today, we're talking about hats.

Turn a Square 1:  This went to Matt

Over the summer, Erin asked if I could make Matt a hat for the winter.  He liked cool colors along with black and gray, and wanted something with slight visual interest.  I've been eying Jared Flood's pattern Turn a Square for awhile now, but when I suggested making it for Ricky he shied away from the "bright colors" and "crazy pattern".  But Matt was game for... subtle color changes and stripes.

I made this using Cascade 220 in Jet (Jet!) and Noro Silk Garden in Band on the Run (kidding).  I liked that it was more of a charcoal gray for the Cascade, and I looooooved the Noro per usual.  The pattern is insanely easy, and a good first project for colorwork, since it's a good way to get a knitter started on changing colors with stripes.  I also loved the crown shaping, and will probably borrow it for other projects, since I liked how it sat on my head better.

What's also great is that I could make two hats out of these two skeins.  I presented both to Matt -- one was blue and green, and one was a lot more subtle with blue and a lot of blacks and grays -- and he went with the blue and green one.  I decided to keep the blue and gray one for myself.  I'm thinking of making these hats for my brothers or even my brother and his girlfriend for Christmas.

Turn a Square 2:  I kept it for a nice big warm hat that covered my ears

Here I am modeling both versions during warmer and simpler times.  This is in August, which is why things look lush and green around me.  

It's cold, so let's talk about knitting.

The finished cowl at Sea Meadow Gift Shop.

I'm having a hard time determining when to give up my lighter fall coat for my heavier winter coat, especially since the temperature seems to rise quite a bit during my lunchtime walk.  And it seems like closing a chapter on warmer weather when you break out the winter coat full time.  Probably within a week or so, it'll be big green coat times.

Today, though, let's talk about a knit piece I made for Shana, since I feel like my knitting helps give my lighter coat a few extra days of wear since it keeps my head/neck/hands warm.  She had been asking me for a bit to make her a big cowl that she could wrap around her neck once, and could wear at work.  Knowing Shana well, though, I knew that she also would probably wearing this outdoors or on a boat, so I needed something sturdy and warm, too.  Her requests were for the following details:

--an olive green color
--soft

Modeling it wrapped around my neck twice.

--some sort of lace pattern that maybe had a zig zag quality
--can be wrapped around her neck twice so it can be worn both long and short

I found a pattern for a lace scarf that I was able to modify, which worked out perfectly.  It was a pattern inspired by ferns called Fern Lace Scarf.   The designer has it in a lace weight yarn, but I decided to do less repeats to make up for the larger yarn and needle size and added 3 stitches of garter stitch on either side for a finishing effect.  I had garter at the beginning and end of the project (which I kind of liked that effect that you could see it met in the middle) and grafted it together.  I felt quite clever.

The yarn is Malabrigo, which is perhaps my one true love when it comes to knitting.  I found a color named Olive, which screamed Shana.  It has a nice look when knit up, and it's also incredibly warm and easy to knit with, but also won't fall apart.  I've used this yarn on a lot of different gift projects.

I think I'd be more pleased with my efforts if I had accounted for one thing.  I only bought one skein of yarn... ROOKIE MISTAKE.  I should have bought 2 skeins so that they'd be the same dye lot.  Gahhhh.  I (of course) ran out of yarn and had to buy a new skein months later.  It was similar in color, and to the untrained eye you can't tell they're two different colors, but I can definitely see the differences in color.  Note to self:  always buy two skeins if it's a scarf.  Always.

Shana, however, couldn't tell.  Or she's too kind.  But she loved it.  I'm glad she liked it!  What inspired me to post this project is that she texted me that she's been wearing her cowl a lot, and it's been keeping her warm at work/has gotten some compliments.  So that's good.

I posted some photos of me modeling the finished product before giving it to Shana.  I'd definitely make another big cowl out of Malabrigo again... just make sure I buy two skeins for the project.  The photo of me with the cowl long to the left, you can see the two colors.  This is because of the flash, I think, since in person it's a little less jarring in contrast.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself in my head.

Day 22 of the 30 Day Song Challenge

I'm happy I have an AC unit today. This makes me think of when I lived in my first Salem apartment on the 3rd floor (which I'll always miss, since it was a dream and pretty much what I compare all other apartments to) in the summertime. So very hot and gross. We had ceiling fans, but after awhile, A ceiling fan just blows hot air around.

Keep cool, everybody, and just get to Monday when it's supposed to cool down and possibly rain.

Today, Ricky and I are attending a wedding in Boston, so we're hoping it won't be too gross in Boston (hint: it will be very hot and gross in Boston, so this is futile).

Day 22: A song that you listen to when you’re sad

Perhaps because today is my anniversary, I'm in a Ricky's Mix CDs frame of mind. This song was near the end of a mix Ricky made me when I went to the Hudson River Valley with my knitting group, and it was waiting for me when I came home. This also has my favorite cover art from a Ricky mix, since it was him, Alva the fish, and my stuffed sheep that I grew up with welcoming me home. (Lewis wasn't in our lives yet, just the fish)

This song also kind of makes me sad, mainly because it's so haunting and beautiful. So when I'm feeling sad, I'll listen to this song because it just brings that sadness to a different, beautiful level.

A brief pause from the 30 Day Song Challenge

I have an idea of what I'll post for the following day, but I wanted to post a cute picture of Lewis trying to knit with his mitten paws.


This photo may or may not have been slightly staged by moving my knitting needles closer to his paws.



I mean, what?

A fun finished object

Wanted to show off my latest FO! I made my friend Jaime a baby blanket for her future kid and the shower was yesterday. I've known Jaime since 5th grade, so it's very exciting that she's having her first baby. I wanted something simple and gender neutral (she's going to be surprised as to what she's having) along with something that was a touch nicer than normal and machine washable. This brought me to my first love... Rowan.

I went with Rowan Cashsoft DK for two reasons: one, I love the colors. It has that softness for baby gear, but it's not a "baby" yarn where it's scant with color. It's bright but not too bright. The second is that it's machine washable. I try to make baby gear like blankets machine washable so it's not a pain for the mom.

I found on Ravelry a free pattern from the fine people at Rowan for a block blanket with trees. I've always loved the motif of The Tree of Life, so this was an easy choice. I also liked how most of the pattern was pretty easy (for time's sake) but that there was some visual interest for the tree squares. It could be a quick project but not a boring project.

The pattern said to make it in just one color, but I wanted to use different colors to make it interesting and to match any colors that were in the baby's room. My first choice was the spring green, then went with cream, and finally picked a light blue to tie them all together.

What's great is that this blanket was knit continuously and didn't involve sewing... just changing colors for the blocks. I also managed to figure out a way so you couldn't see a color change on the front of the blanket for the tree blocks by starting the green color for those sections on the last row of the prior block. It made it look a lot cleaner, I felt.

I gave Jaime her blanket yesterday and she liked it a lot! It's exciting to think that in 6 weeks, a little baby will be wrapped up in my blanket. It's also surreal and bittersweet that this project is over, since it took awhile to finish up and it means that Jaime's pregnancy is winding down.

Here are some pics of the finished blanket the night before, along with Jaime posing with it, and then me and my friend Amanda posing with the blankets we each made for the shower. Amanda's, which I find cool, is made from a collection of yarn that her grandmother had and left to her when Amanda was in high school.

All in all, I'm very pleased with how it turned out. While knitting it, I kept imaging Jaime wrapping her kid up in it when it was a little chilly, and then him/her hugging it while napping as a toddler, and growing up with it. It has that classic look that I hope that's what happens.