Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sea Princess

...and how...isn't she! 

This was, by far, the most challenging and rewarding test knit I've ever done.  I really love how this little sweater turned out.  And I had a hard time parting with it.  This pattern gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  It comes in sizes 6 months to 14 years (depending on the yarn you choose)!  The pattern is very comprehensive so nothing is left to guessing. I finished this test knit back in October but waited to blog about it until it was gifted.  This was a late birthday gift for a friend's daughter.  It's a perfect fit and I couldn't be happier that she has it. 
Sea Princess_Collage
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed
Color: Angel Delight - 168

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Christmas Knitting...

Now that Thanksgiving is just one week away, I think most of us have lined up what we'll be knitting for gifts and started knitting or planning.  A friend of mine shared this with me this morning and I just had to share it with my fellow knitters.
Christmas Knitting

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Yo! Yo!

Our first accumulation of snow this morning.  Perfect timing for Ronan and Seamus's winter hats that I finished sewing the buttons on last night.  Every year it's a struggle to find a hat pattern that all of us (me, my husband, and the boys) like.  For me, it's a struggle finding a pattern that I really want to knit.  For my husband, it's finding a hat that won't look too crafty.  And for the boys, it's finding a hat that they will actually wear.  After (only) one evening of searching and deliberating, I settled on Stephen West's Piece Out hat pattern.  I always want to cross my arms in front of my chest and holla "Yo, yo!" when I say the pattern name.   :-)  Anyway....  This is my first project in Malabrigo Rios.  Heavenly!  It's really soft and the colors are so rich!  I have the same colors in the Malabrigo's Merino Worsted base and it's just not as vibrant.  Ha!  Not like that will get me to stop using it, though.
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Color: Paris Night - 52, Lettuce - 37

And on to other knitting news.  I'm really frustrated with the number of WIPs I've got going on right now.   I'm hoping to get two more finished up before the weekend starts...because I'm gonna be adding two more WIPs!  :-)  These hats were a nice reprieve from all the test knitting that I've been doing.  I do love test knitting...it gives me the opportunity to knit something I otherwise probably would not knit.  (How's that for sounding passive?)  :-)  But I do enjoy it...and hopefully, I'll be blogging more about those in the upcoming month.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!  Only one of my boys was able to trick or treat tonight because the other one is home sick with a fever and cough.  He's so sick he doesn't even care that he's missing out on trick or treating...poor guy.
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Ronan (Anakin Skywalker - Jedi) with his neighborhood buddies.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Anderson Farms - 2010

Fall is officially here.  Today was our annual trip to Anderson Farms with lots of friends.  But this year was different.  This year's trip included a new BFF from the boys' kindergarten class.
Anderson Farms - Collage

Mermaid Dreams

The pattern is live!  This was a test knit that I finished a few weeks back but didn't have a modeled pic of it until now.  I finally got around to shipping it off to the recipient and her mom took some beautiful pics of Pria and the top.  Speaking from a test knitter's point of view, there was a lot of hard work and consideration, by the designer, to make this a well fitting top.  Taking a look at the number of test knitted FOs is a testament to this.  In fact, I would say this tank fits better than any other child's top pattern I've ever seen.  As knit, this top should fit a child ranging from 6-8 years old and took less than 300 yards in a worsted weight yarn.  The pattern is quite comprehensive in that it offers sizing from newborn to 6 years, in three different yarn weights, several length options, and finally, many hem alternatives. 
Mermaid on Pria.Collage

Yarn: Stacy Charles - Mosaic
Color: Magenta

Doesn't Pria's mom, Lynna, take beautiful pictures?  I could never do this top justice.  And it fits Pria perfectly!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Testing, testing...

...yes, I've been doing a lot of test knitting.  All this test knitting has give me the opportunity to stock up on hand knits for my twenty year high school reunion fund raiser.  It's still undecided if I can go but it looks like it probably won't happen.  Not only is that disappointing in itself, but that gives me less knitting time as I need to account for shipping.

This test knit was for a fellow Malabrigo Junkie, Kristen Hanley Cardozo.  The Maple Leaf Rag Hat isn't published yet but I know a lot of people have been chomping at the bit for the pattern.  The hat can be knit in two different styles, cloche or slouchy.  The first time knitting this pattern I knit the slouchy version.  I fell in love with it...this hat will be hard to part with.  My only consolation is that it's such a fast and easy knit, I know I can whip out another one in no time.
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 Yarn: Dream in Color - Classy 
 
Since it was such a quick knit, I decided to work up the cloche version in a navy.
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Color: Paris Night - 52


And, oh my goodness...take a look at this little thing.  This test knit is not for the auction, instead will be gifted to a friend's daughter.  I just love this little top.  This can be knit in several styles as well.  I opted for the tank version.  This was a quick knit using a worsted weight yarn and can easily be knit up in just a few days (if you felt so inclined).  :-)
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Mermaid Dream by Anne McCrea
Yarn: Stacy Charles - Mosaic
Color: Magenta - 113
(pattern not yet published - I'll update links when available)

And...I can't forget to share a sample knit I finished up a little bit ago.  These samples are for Debbie O'Neill.  With the pattern being on the back of the leg only, these knit up really quick, too.  I just love how this colorway knit up.
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Cascading Leaves Socks by Debbie O'Neill

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Some lace...

I've recently finished some lace projects...not to be confused with lace weight.  I love lace patterns because they are so forgiving.  Lace stitch patterns tend to hide changes in my tension much better than garter stitch and and even more so than stockinette stitch.

I was fortunate enough to do another test knit for Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops.  The Snow Drops & Snap Peas patterns can be purchased individually or as an e-book set.  This set is a great gift giving knit because they're such quick and easy patterns.  I finished each mitt in one evening and the hat only took a few more.  I will be donating this set to the Salinas High School 20 year reunion's auction to benefit the Mr. Getris Scholarship Memorial Fund.
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Color: Blue Lagoon - VM160 

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Color: Blue Lagoon - VM160  
Ravelry


This next lace pattern was just something fun for me.  After a summer of test and sample knitting, I wanted to knit something just because and just for me.  This vest is perfect!  It will still be warm for more than a month so I'll get to enjoy it without long sleeves for a little longer and it will help keep me warm in the cold office at my new job!  :-)  Oh...and have I mentioned how wonderfully soft this madelinetosh yarn is...heavenly!  
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(Yes...another crummy self portrait, but look at that sky and those Rocky Mountains!)
Color: Rose
Ravelry 

Saturday, August 14, 2010

2010 Rockies Stitch 'n Pitch

Last night marked the annual Colorado Rockies Stitch 'n Pitch.  A group of us from a local knitting group carpooled down to participate in the festivities.  I didn't actually get much knitting done as I ended up messing it all up shortly after the game started.  All was well in the end...it just allowed me to watch more of the game.  The Rockies pulled thru with an exciting win! 
Rockies Stitch 'n Pitch
That's me (in the pink) working on Crystal.
Photo courtesy of Emmy
 

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Curatio!

When I say that in my head I feel like Harry Potter.  :-)

This is a test knit I did for Through the Loops - Kirsten Kapur.  It's a beautiful triangular shawl with such fantastic texture...the wrong side is just as beautiful as the right side.  My gauge, of course, was much smaller than the pattern.  I'm such a tight knitter and should know better but I always think I can block it out.  When will I ever learn that blocking is not a cure-all?  :-)  Anyway, regardless, this is still the largest shawl I've knit to date.  It's so beautiful!  I know I keep using that word but I can't think of a better adjective.  It's the pattern, the texture, the color, and of course...the yarn.  The yarn was so soft and wonderful to knit with and only increased exponentially after washing. 
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Ravelry: Curatio
Yarn: madelinetosh - Prairie
Color: Winter Wheat

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Not for lack of...

Though I haven't blogged in a bit, it's not for lack of knitting.  I've actually been pretty busy...most recently with test knitting...and sock knitting.  In this post I'll show off the socks that I test knit for Cookie A's upcoming book, Knit.Sock.Love.  The patterns I test knit had all been previously released but she wanted all the patterns test knit in the new book format.  Here they are in order of completion.
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Ravelry: Monkey
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A
Color: Arbol - 858

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Ravelry - Hedera
Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns - Classic Sock Yarn
Color: Split Pea

Lissajous collage
So these...are not done.  I've only completed one sock so far.
Pattern: Lissajous Socks by Cookie A
Color: Cloud Grey - 21

The Monkey and Hedera patterns were surprisingly easy and fast!  I loved knitting those patterns.  The Lissajous Stockings turned out beautiful...but they were hard.  Hard on my hands and hard to knit.  The heel flap has cable crosses on the right and wrong sides...not an easy feat for me.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Pink Dandelion - Samothrace Shawl

Last year, a couple of my friends, Kristi and Debbie, launched their own yarn line, Pink Dandelion Yarns.  I was lucky enough to snag a skein from their first release!  Pink Dandelion offers great colors and their Nylon Sock is a good value for an indie yarn at 420 yards per hank.  Mine actually had over 475 yards!

Recently, I saw Kristi knitting a prototype of a soon-to-be self published shawl pattern.  And every since then, I've been bugging her to let me test knit the shawl.  She was finally ready for me to start last week and this is the result!  I love it!  Don't you just love those points...so cool.
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Yarn: Pink Dandelion - Nylon Sock
Color: Money (That's What I Want)

 This is a great shawl for those that are either intimidated by lace or don't like lace shawls.  I also like this shawl because it is not just a plain garter stitch.    Believe it or not, this is an instant gratification shawl.  The stitch pattern is so quick and easy, paired with the garter stitch, it really makes for a speedy knit!

Estes Park Wool Market - 2010

This past weekend marked the 20th Annual Estes Park Wool Market.  Unfortunately, it was a wet and soggy weekend so I didn't take the time to see any animals or shows.  I did, however, shop the wool market!  Look at the pretties I found.
EstesPark2010
Lower left-hand corner: Creatively Dyed Yarn - Calypso - Gentle colorway
Remaining pics: Plain & Fancy - Sport - Banboo, Bamboo/Dk Brown, Brown

For the Plain & Fancy, I will be making the Colonnade Shawl by Stephen West.  And I've already started knitting a pair of socks out of the Creatively Dyed.  My first try at 2-at-a-time!
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(You'd never know they were coming from the same skein of yarn.)

 We've had a lot of precipitation this year and many of our bike paths and pedestrian bridges are flooded from all the rain fall and snow melt.  After the Wool Market, we all headed into town and warmed up at Kind Coffee.  The coffee shop has a little patio along the Big Thompson River (I believe) and it was running fast!  The picture really doesn't do it justice.  The little video clip I shot gives you a better idea of how fast it was running and how loud it was.  All in all, it was a great day, despite the weather, and fun to be in the company of knitters for a day.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Peony

Fresh cut from my yard.  So pretty.  In a house full of boys, I don't often get pretty.
Peonies


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Herbivore

Oooh...my latest knit!  And I love it.  I love the drape and weight of this shawl.  This yarn is a wool/silk blend that gives this shawl beautiful sheen and drape.  The weekend is going to cool off considerably around here so it will be the perfect occasion to wear it at the Estes Park Wool Market.  The colorway is a bit funky and typically not something I'd pick for myself.  But Mew Mew's was having their 4th Anniversary Sale and I was intrigued by it, I figured it would be a good time to try it.    This is my first Stephen West knit and I'm really happy with the result.  The design is interesting and classic...not to frilly or funky for me.  I've been dying to knit his Daybreak and Colonnade patterns, too.
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Ravelry: Herbivore

So far today...

This is where I've been sitting most of the morning, admiring the beautiful weather we've had the last couple of days.  It's so nice being outside before it gets so hot...and the boys love to be outside so it's much more peaceful for me.  :-)
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I have my knitting, my coffee, and my computer...bliss!

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The girls enjoying the outdoors with us.

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Our peony bush is in full bloom...it's beautiful.   

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The latest

Gosh...it seems like it's been forever since I've blogged.  I know what people mean about the summer getting so busy.  My niece graduated from high school last week so we've had two weekends in a row of functions in her honor.  And now that the birthday festivities are over and done with, I actually got some knitting done.

This is going to be Part II of my great unveiling since I had a Part I.  Though the shower was for three pregnant woman, you will notice that there are only two in the pictures.  That's because I didn't have any of Kristi's gifts done by the time the shower rolled around.  Alas, I still do not have any pics of her but I do have pics of the items that were gifted to her.  The first project is a WIP that was started back in January for Kristi who's baby shower was back in August and who's baby was born back in November.  So needless to say...this is a little belated.
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Colors: Flamingo Pie (VM410), Cinnamon Girl (VM11S), Good Luck Jade (VM410)

This sweater was finished shortly after the baby shower.  I had a hard time finding a pattern that I thought would do this yarn justice.  What so special about the yarn you ask?  It's Kristi's own handspun!
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Yarn: Handspun by Kristi
 Ok - now on to stuff for me.  :-)  

I finished a test knit for a fellow Malabrigo Junkie, Tori Gurbisz.  I knitted my first shrug back in April and fell in love with them.  This shrug was knitted in lace weight and has such a great feel against my skin.  My first garment in lace weight and I can't wait to knit another.  I'm now on the hunt for a lace weight cardigan.
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Ravelry: Dulcet
Pattern: Dulcet by Tori Gurbisz
Yarn: Malabrigo - Lace
Color: Apple Green - 11 
I'm waiting for the pattern to start another test knit.  I can't wait!  In the mean time, I'm keeping myself busy knitting a shawl.   I was hoping to have it done by tonight...but I guess I can give myself a few more days to knit it.  :-)  Ta ta for now!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The grand finale!

This post is a little tardy...it took me a while to recover.  The last day of birthday celebrations was on Sunday.  We spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa's...probably the most relaxing of all the birthday festivities.  The boys opened up the last of their birthday gifts, from the family.  It seems the overwhelming favorite this year was anything Star Wars...and anything Star Wars with a light saber...and anything Playmobil came in as a close second.  Here they are anxiously waiting to open gifts.
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Yesterday they were playing outside wearing one of the gifts they received on Sunday, knight cape and helmet.
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According to the boys, they were showing their mean faces.

And now that the birthday festivities are over and done with, I can get back to knitting.  With all the season finales on t.v. right now, I have almost finished my log cabin blanket!  I'm hoping to have pics up over the weekend.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Day 3: Build-a-Bear

Day 3 of birthday festivities consisted of cupcakes in the mall food court followed by a Build-a-Bear party.  This year's birthday party was on a much smaller scale versus previous years.  We decided to invite just a few of the boys' schoolmates.  This was probably the most fun the boys have ever had at a birthday party.  It was really neat to see the kids interacting with each other, to see the excitement in their faces and eyes, the anticipation of each of them as they viewed each others' bear.  They were delighted!  Yes...it can get pricey.  But the joy that a child gets from making every decision to bring his/her bear to life is well worth it!  The store did a really great job with the kids and party, too.  I didn't get a picture of them with their final versions but here they are after the stuffing was added.  (BaB calls all of the animals bears.)
BAB_Collage

Why yes, that blossom covered bunny does look familiar.  Here...

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Day 2: Downtown Aquarium - Denver

Downtown Aquarium - Denver: We were treated to a day at the aquarium.  The boys had a great time.  I just love this place.  It's definitely worth the money if you've got the time.  We ran into some friends while we were there which made the experience even more fun for the boys.  Then...drama ensued!  At the end of the tour, there's a pool for viewing, petting, and feeding the sting rays.  My father-in-law was bit by one of the sting rays and bleeding pretty good!  He was escorted down to first-aid and his wound attended to by a medic.  Talk about excitement!  Word to the wise (aka - tip)...keep your hand against the wall when feeding the sting rays.  This prevents the sting ray from being able to wrap their body/mouth around your hand to get a better grip. A ton of pics and video on flickr!
Aquarium_Collage

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Let the festivities begin!

Day 1...typically marked by their actual birthday or school birthday party...depending on which comes first.  And depending on which day of the week their birthday falls, it could go on for almost a week.  I feel like it will this year, though it's only day one.  So the next few blogs will probably be full of birthday festivities.  Today, their actual birthday, started with a birthday party at school.  Then presents at home tonight, then almost two hours of assembling Playmobil, then dinner, then bed.  I'm tired...and it's only day one.  Along with a lot of birthday blogging, you're also going to get a lot of pictures of the boys.  (Can you blame me?)  :-)
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Eve

Today is the eve of Ronan and Seamus's five year birthday.
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Going to bed as four year olds for the last time.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Brothers?

Unequivocally.
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Seamus and Ronan - their new haircuts make them look so much alike!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Today...

You've seen this picture, or I should say, a picture of this spot many times this "Spring".  The forecast for Tuesday night, into Wednesday, is up to two feet of snow.  Seriously?  It's almost the middle of May!
May 10, 2010
Look...the trees are starting to bloom...the grass is green.  This is really going to wreak havoc on all of our plants! If this snow does happen, that will be my next post! 

Catch up...

Time for a little catch up.  It seems that I've been lax in blogging since Malabrigo March, but really, it was just that I had a lot more to share during that month.  So, you may see a few posts from me today.

First and foremost, I have finally finished my Gansey Girl socks by Debbie O'Neill!  I've had these on the needles since December.  This was a test knit for the designer.  Lucky for me both socks were the same so I only needed to test the pattern for the first sock.  These were knit ShibuiKnits Sock, Wasabi colorway.  I don't know why these took me so long to finish...it's not like I didn't enjoy knitting them...second sock syndrome.  In fact, I finished the leg and foot of the second sock in less than 2 days.  I love this pattern but am really disappointed with how the yarn striped and pooled.  I totally expected this colorway to be semisolid but looking at Ravelry reviews, it seems to be the norm. Oh - and though the dye lots were the same, you can see that one sock is lighter than the other.
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Now my next FO was my first attempt at an all crochet project.  For the past two years I have knit my mother-in-law slippers for her birthday.  I didn't this year.  Not because she doesn't appreciate them...but quite the opposite.  She wears the out so quickly!  And it really disappointed me that the slippers that I've knit her have not held up well.  And with recent blow outs on my hand knit socks, I've become a bit disenchanted with hand knit foot wear.  (Note: I started the socks above before the aforementioned blow outs.)  What to do?  When I was browsing slipper patterns, I saw several crochet patterns that I really liked...but alas, I did not know how to crochet.  But the idea of crocheted slippers really excited me!  My rationale was that crocheted slippers would be thicker than knitted slippers and therefore last longer (?).  We'll see.  I found a pattern that consisted of single and double crochet stitches, only, and decided to give it go.  SO!  My first (real) crochet attempt, Mary Jane Slippers by Lisa Gutierrez knit in Shelridge Farm - Soft Touch W4, Wedgewood and Pink Lemonade colorways.  Granted they aren't exactly symmetrical but I think they turned out pretty cute, nonetheless.  These were gifted for Mother's Day and she loved them!
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Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's day among the Healy clan.
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Top: kelly (sil), shannon (sil), me, cathy (sil)
Bottom:  kelly, shannon, Grandma (mil), cathy, me

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Spring!!!

It's finally spring!  And it's finally feeling like it...lot's of rain and sunshine.   I love it!  I've had my eye on this shrug for a while but was waiting for my local yarn store to get the right color of Malabrigo Chunky in stock.  Finally!  It came in last week.  But once I got it home, I realized it was Worsted instead of Chunky.  Ugh!  I was dying to start this shrug...what was I going to do?    :-)   I broke down and decided to knit it in Malabrigo Twist.  I know I've said this (twice) before, but I LOVE this yarn!   It's so soft and I love the drape of everything I've knit with it.  Here it is, Quick Shawl-Collared Shrug by SweaterBabe
Quick Shawl-Collared Shrug_collage

For the next one I knit, I will do a provisional cast on to get rid of the seam in the back.  It doesn't really bother me but I'd rather pick out the provisional cast on than pick up stitches and make sure the pattern lines up correctly.  That's the only thing I would change about this pattern.  I really enjoyed knitting it and I absolutely LOVE the results.  The tank top I'm wearing under this shrug I purchased three years ago and have never worn because I just wasn't comfortable with all that skin showing.  But now, this shrug has changed all that.  Don't the two just look so cute together?  :-)  The ribbed stitch pattern makes the resulting fabric very stretchy so it's very comfortable to wear.  I don't understand why this pattern hasn't been knit by more people on Ravelry.  This is my first shrug and I am now in love with them!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Denver Roller Dolls

This posting is a little late as all of this happened on Saturday night. I'm a bit technically challenged when it comes to all this fancy "posting" stuff.  I didn't know I could send a pic from my phone to my email.  I just needed to push that little button that changed the type from symbol/numeric to alpha.  Anyway...I'm here now.  :-)

Denver Roller Dolls!  Awesome!  These women rock!  Roller derby is not for the faint of heart...at least not for participants.  But watching?  That's another story.  I thought roller derby would be totally hard core.  There are two things that really surprised me.  First, I totally expected these women to be out for blood!  Not true.  There are three teams in the Denver Roller Dolls league and they all practice and travel together so there's a strong camaraderie out there on the track.  It's actually pretty tame and very family friendly.  Though one woman blew out her knee and another, Disco, landed really hard on her face.  And yes, I saw her later that night, it did leave a mark.  Second...that track is small!  I thought it would be a lot bigger.  All those skaters have to whip around that track at a pretty high rpm.  All in all, it was a really fun night.  We arrivede early enough to get seats on the floor so we were pretty close to the action...but not close enough to smell sweat like the people on the floor in front of us.  People watching at the derby is almost as fun as watching the derby itself! 
Denver Roller Dolls

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Malabrigo March: FO #10

It's done!  My final Malabrigo March project is done!  I finally went by my LYS and picked out some buttons.  It feels so good to have this in the FO bucket and out of the WIPs category!  I really do love this cardigan.  It's the Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane.  I made quite a few modifications to my version.  For starters, I knit mine in a worsted weight yarn versus the pattern's chunky.  All my notes are on my Ravelry project page.  This is knit in Malabrigo Twist, Terron colorway.  I mentioned in an earlier post that Twist is my new favorite base for Malabrigo and this cardigan only reinforces that sentiment.  I don't have a great picture as I had my four year old taking shots of me again.  :-) (Oh!  I had mentioned in an earlier post that this would be my 7th sweater of the year but I was mistaken...it's only my 6th.)
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Saturday, April 10, 2010

I'm new at this...

I'm not a big fan of cooking blogs and I don't typically enjoy reading about cooking.  Maybe because I don't cook and I'm not good at it.  But since my recent unemployed status, I've been testing the waters.  My first attempt was pretty mediocre, not even worthy enough to mention.  My second attempt the week before last was a big hit.  Tonight, I decided to try a little something that I read on JCasa *handmade.  My local market didn't have yukon golds so I went with new potatoes.  I think I would have liked the yukon golds better but the new potatoes worked out just fine.  Don't they look almost as pretty as Jennifer's?  Oh!  Jennifer's tip to rest the potato on a wooden spoon before slicing...genius!!  Works like a charm.
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

::sigh::

It snowed again last night and this morning.  Nothing major...just a dusting...but enough to make the start of our day very unwelcoming.  Hopefully that will be it for spring snow.  ::sigh::

I wanted to post a pic of the boys from Easter morning.  We went to Build a Bear for the first time over the weekend.  It was quite a treat for all of us.  Fun to see the boys choosing their pets and then the accessories.  Seamus went with a floral covered bunny and named her Blossom.  Ronan went with an owl and name him Moon Flash.  Quite original...I'm actually very proud of the name Ronan chose because it means he knows that owls are nocturnal and often times seen as a silhouette against the moon.  He is my deep one.  The kicker!  The outfits/costumes.  Seamus - for his Blossom...Obi-Wan-Kenobi.  Ronan - Darth Vader for his owl.  :-)  Very cute!
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I can (almost) finally breath a sigh of relief.  ::sigh::  Malabrigo March is now over and I think I churned out more FOs in one month, ever!  I have yet to post my 10th but I'm hoping I can get that done this week.  And my 10th FO will also mark my seventh (!) sweater of the year.  I know!  I'm really excited about that.  I'm having a hard time storing all these sweaters (yet another reminder that I need to go through my closets and purge).  I have one more deadline and then I can dive in to my Apres Surf Hoodie that I'm working on with the Boulder Knitting Collective KAL.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Aaahhh...this is the life!

Spring is finally here...
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Malabrigo March: FO #8 & #9

After I finished the shawl I was going through Malabrigo March withdrawals.  I needed a Mal March project on the needles.  With three more days left I had to knit something!

I had been planning to knit another Phoebe Hat and had yarn for it but I just wasn't sure about the colorway.  In my moment of need I caved...wound the yarn and started knitting.  This is The Phoebe Hat by Terri Kruse using Malabrigo Worsted in the Noviembre colorway.  Here's a picture as knitted.  This hat is shallow so I think I'm going to frog down to below the first garter section and add one more four row bee stitch pattern repeat to each section.
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My next project came out of sheer desperation to have Mal March project on the needles.  I decided to browse my Ravelry favorites and found Sweaters for Purse Sized Tissue Packets by kmkat.  This is a really quick project and uses up all those sock yarn remnants.  I knitted mine from leftover Malabrigo Sock yarn that I had from my War of the Roses Shawl.  And...I think I may have enough to knit a second one!
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My Shalom is done and I think it's big.  ::sigh::  I do still need to find buttons for it.  I think I'm just gonna sew on buttons and suck it up.