I'm still here, really I am

Sorry for the silence...I can't believe that it has been almost two months. October and November have turned out to be very full months.

October in Review:

• I hosted a surprise birthday party for Andy's b-day - he was actually surprised
• I started hosting weekly knitting nights - I then canceled weekly knitting nights - while they were totally fun I had to let something go - I over extended myself once again.
• Andy and I went to Mystic, CT for a small vacation and to be with our friend who got an award for virtuous living - still wondering about the meaning of this award. While in Mystic, Andy and I visited a charming little knitting store called Mystic River Yarns.
  
• Work, work, and more work.
• Knitting - I completed a scarf for a co-workers birthday and knitted up 3 or 4 can't remember baby hats.
• I joined Pinnacle Fitness - a local fitness club.

November in Review:

• Exercise, exercise and more exercise.
• Been eating a lot of crap - don't know why.
• Knitting of course...

More to come later

Completed Projects: Vintage Velvet Scarf and Felted Clutches

Knitting: I've noticed that I'm on a "vintage" kick these days. In a recent previous post I completed a "vintage car coat." In this post I'm showing off my completed "vintage velvet scarf." I absolutely adore this scarf. It is a birthday gift so I will have to part ways with this beauty of a scarf very soon. Here is a picture:




















Also, I've been working on some felted clutches over the summer. I've modified the pattern quite a bit and made it my own. A friend of mine is now selling them at her store in Madison - Lady Moxie. Here are a couple of pictures.







































Reading: I have no idea why this is stuck on underline - it is very annoying. Well I finally decided on the perfect books to read right now. One fiction one nonfiction. Fiction - The Posionwood Bible - I'm loving this so far. Nonfiction - A People's History of the US.

Running: I went running once last week - opps!

That is all for now.

Later, A

Eating, Knitting, Reading & Running

Eating: Before I start my knitting, reading and running rambles, I have some general venting to do. So, today (in the morning) I decided that I need (want) to lose 5 pounds by Christmas. I did pretty well wrt to eating all day - it went all downhill, however, after work. I met with some friends after work for a quick drink for a co-worker's 30th birthday. It was great at first - I was even nursing a tall glass of water for the majority of the evening. Then, I decided that I wanted an old fashioned (sweet of course) - a total calorie ladened choice of drinks. For some reason when I drink (even a half of glass of something alcoholic) may rational regarding eating responsibly is thrown completely out the door. After completing my old fashioned, I thought that it would be a good idea to get a dish called the "Green Bay Chili." (Just so you know, I rarely eat red meat, let alone ground beef - although I have been craving it quite a bit lately). The Green Bay Chili is a delicious meat and bean chili over spaghetti noodles. Not only did I get the Green Bay Chili (in a bowl rather than a cup) - I got it with the works (e.g. topped with cheddar cheese and sour cream). I don't know what came over me - while the food tasted very good, I feel totally disgusting now - not only is the food not agreeing with my stomach (double negative I know), I feel like a total glutton. Tomorrow is a new day - I'll start afresh with my loss weight plans in the morning.

Knitting: I'm still working on the Vintage Velvet scarf - it will most likely be completed by early next week - felting and all. After that I will begin another baby sweater - folks are having babies left and right these days - not complaining, just an observation. Knitting Night - Tomorrow, Thursday, is the start of the Fall Thursday knitting night with Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy. I can't wait to see all of you that plan on attending.

Reading: I finished Knitting Under the Influence. It was a quick enjoyable read - I totally loved it. I need to figure out what to read next. Here are some of the books that are my short list: (a) Eat, Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert; (b) Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes; (c) A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn; (d) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; (e) W.E.B. Du Bois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919-1963 By David Levering Lewis or (f) Giving by Bill Clinton. Any suggestions?

Running: This past Sunday I ran in the Zoo Run Run 5k. I need to sign up for another race as motivation. I'd like to do a race in October, November and December. I have not run since Sunday - I've got to go running tomorrow.

That is all for now. Later, A

Completed Project: Vintage Car Coat

Knitting: I finished the Sublime vintage car coat from the The Little Sublime hand knit book. This was a fairly easy project. I've been working on this on and off for a couple of months - if one were driven this could be completed in 1-2 weeks. This is a gift for a high school friend's newborn baby. What baby doesn't NEED a handknit merino wool sweater???

I'm very happy with the end product. I'm also happy that I used yarn from my stash for this project.



































Project Specs
Yarn: Lily Chin Signature Collection “Gramercy” (100% extra fine superwash merino wool) in Moss
Needles: Bamboo sizes 6 and 3

Reading: Knitting under the influence is total chick-lit - but I love it.

Running: I finally ended my running hiatus tonight - I went for a run albeit short. I guess I just needed inspiration to get over my inertia and actually go running. My inspiration to actually go exercise was watching my friend, Erin, complete the Ironman on Sunday - she was absolutely amazing - if she could complete a 140.6 mile race (with a smile) surely I could run for 20 min right? Anyway, watching the Ironman was fantastic and gave me the proper activation energy I needed to exercise.

That is all for now.

Later, A

Knitting Under the Influence ...

Reading: Who knew that there was such a book titled, "Knitting Under the Influence." I saw this book at the library tonight and had to pick it up. I must admit that the book sounds very cheesy. However, since I have knitted "under the influence" a few too many times I thought that it may be interesting.

Knitting: I'm finishing up a sweater right now. I'm weaving in all the ends - this is the part of knitting that totally sucks. Finishing is one of the items that takes me forever - mostly because I keep putting it off since I despise doing the finishing.

Running: I have not been on a run in two weeks - terrible I know. I'm planning to go running this weekend for sure. One of my friends is participating in the IronMan Wisconsin this weekend - I'm so excited for her.

Later, A

New Look

I was getting tired of the old look blog-look. I'm still debating on whether I like this look or not. What do you think?

Regarding knitting, I'm almost finished with a baby sweater. I'll post some pix when it is completed.

Over the weekend I purchased 5 balls of Muench Touch Me yarn - this yarn feels so yummy and is appropriately named touch me. I'll be making a scarf our of the Scarf Style book with this yarn.

Later this week I will be taking a road trip with my parents and brother down to Shreveport, LA. I have not been on a road trip with the family in a very long time - I'm thinking at 15 years or so. This should be an interesting trip - I'm happy that I'll have my knitting with me.

That is all for now. Keep on knittin'

It has been way too long

All, It has been way to long. A lot has happened since I last posted.

Turning 30
Most importantly, I turned 30 - hooray!!! In case you were wondering, I had a spectacular birthday. My lovely husband, Andy, completely out did himself - and set the bar VERY high. He planned and executed a wonderful surprise party one Friday evening, then took me to a wonderful spa - Sundara - for the remainder of the weekend. While at Sundara we both received massages. A couple of hours after our massage, he surprised me with a bottle of 1996 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon - this was a wedding gift to us several years ago. We had been waiting a long time for the perfect moment to open this bottle - my 30th birthday was absolutely the perfect time. Thanks to all of you that made my birthday spectacular.

Buttons & Pins
This summer I have amassed a large button collection. My collection of buttons is beginning to rival my collection of yarn - very scary! Here are some pictures of a few of my favorite buttons and pins that I have added to my collection this summer.






































Knitting
I have been knitting - several baby items, a hemp ponchette (which I already gave away), and of course my favorite felted purses. Since my last post I have made at least an additional 4 purses. It is getting to be that time when I need to start planning my knitted Christmas gifts. I can't believe that it is almost already Fall.

That is all for now. Drop me a line sometime.

Happy knitting!

Inconsistent Blogger

I'm noticing that I have been a very inconsistent blogger. I'm still around and will have pictures of finished objects to post very soon - I'm blocking a hemp ponchette and have several more purses to show.

By the way I'm coming up on the big 30 on Sunday - I'm very excited!

I'll post some pix soon.

Completed Projects: More Felted Clutches

I can't believe that it is been so long since I've posted on my blog. I apologize for the month long absence I guess things just got a little busy. I have been knitting though - felted clutches of course. Here are some pix of more felted bags. I also have 4 more waiting to be felted.

Drop me a line on what you think about the clutches - I'd love to hear from you. Tell me which one is your favorite.

Enjoy! Happy knitting!

Brown Bag #1 w antique button













Brown Bag # 2 w antique buttons

















Red bag w plastic buttons















Light Blue bag w antique pin

Finished Object: Very Orange Clutch

So, I think that I'm officially obsessed with the whole felted clutch thing. I abosolutely love how this orange one turned out - I think that I'll name it - "orange obsession." Since making this - last week - I've knitted and felted three more - two in red one in a light aquamarine color.

Drop me a line if you like the bag.

That's all for now. Happy knitting!

Knitting Meme

I've seen this on many knitting blogs recently - I decided to do one myself. Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan (zippy hoodie)
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere (mmm, cashmere!)
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Completed Project: Mother's Day Gift

Happy mother's day to all of the fantastic moms of the world. Here is a picture of the gift that I made for my mom for mother's day. It is the "Clutch you'll never give up," from the One Skein book. It is truly one of my favorite projects.













In addition to knitting for my mother - who just happens to be one of my favorite people to knit for - I completed another pair of Sublime Mary Jane's for a friend's daughter. I gave the gift away before taking pictures - they are essentially the same Mary Jane's that I knit before - this time in green.

I've also been working on a going away gift for a friend that is moving to Chile. It is an eyelet wrap from the Vogue Winter 2003 magazine. Yet another quick and easy project - my favorite kind. I'm knitting this with the Schafer yarn that I purchased while in Kauai.




















The sleeves of my yoga wrap still need to be completed. Completing the yoga wrap is my knitting goal for the month of may.

That is all for now. Happy knitting!

Handmade Nation

In my past last post I mentioned how I wanted to see Handmade Nation. Here is a sneak peak of the film from you tube. Looks awesome!

Hello!

I have not been knitting very much recently. I am knitting some gifts - but I can't talk about them right now.

My brother was in town for a tennis tournament this weekend - I tried to knit during the tennis tournament but I kept losing count - oh well. Frogging projects isn't the worse thing in the world.

Since I don't have any knitting to show you, here are some pictures of Andy and I from this past Saturday. Can you believe it - we actually had a date night! I purchased some new shoes for this "historic" occasion (although I really don't need a reason to purchase new shoes - kinda like I don't need a reason to purchase yarn). By the end of the night my feet were so sore - very cute shoes though.







































I recently came across a documentary that I want to see - Handmade Nation. It is not supposed to come out for a while but you should totally check out the preview. It is about the rise of do it yourself arts, crafts and design - looks totally interesting.

That's all for now. Happy knitting!

Completed Project: Ruffles Scarf

I've completed the ruffles scarf! Okay will not completely done - I still to block it a little bit. Here are some pre-blocked pictures of the scarf. Enjoy!




















Pattern: Ruffles
Source: Scarf Style
Yarn: Can't remember - alpaca something or other
Needles: Size 6 bamboo

Happy knitting!

I'm still here

Even though I have not posted for a while, I'm still here. I've actually been quite busy. The weekend before the most recent one I actually cleaned out and organized my entire yarn stash. I should have taken a picture - but I was so motivated to organize the yarn I did not want to pause to take a picture. My husband's friend, and infamous neighbor, Rob, stopped by during this organizing process and saw almost my entire stash. He was absolutely horrified - he could not understand why anyone in their right mind would have so much yarn. For a very brief moment Rob was speechless -totally unheard of if you know Rob.

I ended up drastically reducing my stash by giving away a lot of yarn to a couple of neighbors. This felt great. I found yarn that I forgot that I had - malabrigo and alchemy - and finally have my yarn organized in a relatively logical manner.

Over the past couple of weeks I've returned to knttting the ruffles scarf for my friend Kelly that moved to DC in February. I was knitting it as a going away gift, of course I'm totally behind. My goal is to finish by the end of this week and have it in the mail by the beginning of next week. The scarf is turning out great - it will be an awesome accessory with a light summer dress.

Those of you who know me know that in addition to being very interested in knitting, I have a total weakness for tea and coffee. I tasted a new coffee this weekend that I absolutely love - New Mexico Pinon Coffee. This coffee has a fantastically smooth chocolately taste - soooo good.

Right now I'm drinking one of my favorite teas, Bedtime by Yogi Tea. The taste of this tea is fantastic - very calming. I also like that yogi teas also have a good quote on the tea bag. Here is the quote on my tea bag right now, "your greatest strength is love." This quote is a great reminder for us all given today's tragic events at virginia tech.

Take care, be well, and most importantly remember to love.

Happy knitting! Angela

Mary Jane's for Josie

Pattern: Sublime Mary Jane's
Yarn: Lily Chin Grammercy Yarn, a 100% superwash merino wool
Needles: bamboo, size 5
Total knitting and finishing time: ~ 3 hrs
Would I recommend this pattern: absolutely - very quick, easy, and cute

Ventriloquists are bizarre

So, I guess that is a matter of opinion - but I really do think that ventriloquists are bizarre - and a little bit scary. So please, do not ever get me anything related to ventriloquists. I know, the title and introduction to this entry is a strange and random. I was just watching the letterman show and dave letterman had on a VERY annoying ventriloquist. Totally irritating! Ventriloquists really do give me the creeps. Watching ventriloquists has the same effect on me as hearing fingernails go down a chalkboard. [Sidebar: Do they even use chalkboards in classrooms anymore?]

Ok, now that I'm done venting, back to knitting. So, I finally found usb cord for the camera - stuffed into a give away bag - opps. So here are the pictures of the yarn that I purchased in Kauai as described in the previous post. The yarn is great. Any suggestions for this beautiful variegated nummy yarn??? I only purchased one skein. I'm thinking a scarf. Thoughts?































My buddy made a great suggestion for this yarn - make some socks. I guess that this would be a good yarn to make my first pair of socks.



I've made fantastic progress on the yoga wrap. Tonight I finished the body of the wrap - I need do the sleeves now. Take a look. All of the measurements match what the pattern calls for - but I am a bit concerned that the wrap may be too big for me. If it is too big I may have to give it away - which would be heartbreaking. The yoga wrap is the first item that I am knitting for myself - ever.

Ok, that's all for now. Happy Knitting!

Kauai - Yarn & Knitting

I can't find the cord that connects the camera to the computer - so I don't have any pictures in this post. I am notorious for losing things like that. It is somewhere in the house and I'm sure that it will turn up sooner or later. Per usual, I'm annoyed with myself for losing yet something else.

Had I been able to post pictures today, I would have posted pictures of the wonderful yarn that I purchase while in Kauai. On the north side of Kauai there is this funky music and knitting store called Hanalei Strings and Things. The store was fairly random but very cool. Great music selection and ok yarn selection. I was hoping for yarn made in Hawaii - I don't know if this even exists - but had no luck. I ended up purchasing beautiful hand painted yarn from Interlaken, New York made by the Schaefer Yarn Company. I've never heard of the company but the yarn seems fantastic. I purchased two different types of yarn: Anne (60% merino wool superwash; 25% mohair; 15% nylon; 4 oz/560 yds; and 7-8 stiches/inch) and Nancy (95% merino wool; 5% nylon; 8 oz/600 yds; and 4.5-6 stiches/inch). I have no clue what I'm going to make with the yarn - I'd love suggestions.

I'm making great progress on the yoga wrap - minus the sleeves I have the wrap about 75-80% completed. I knitted a ton while enroute to Kauai and while in Hawaii - it was fantastic.

That is all for now - Happy Knitting!

Kauai Vacation

Our trip to Kauai Hawaii was amazing. It is a complete and total luxury to have the opportunity to take such an wonderful vacation - esp with Andy. By the end of the trip we were totally relaxed and did not want to return to cold Wisconsin. We took a ton of pictures - here are a few of the 436 photos that we took. These pictures briefly outline the basics of our vacation. Enjoy.

Waimea

We stayed in the west part of Kauai in the historic town of Waimea. Waimea is on dry and sunny side of Kauai - that is one of the reasons we stayed there. Another reason we stayed there is that it was a minimum of 30 mins away from a large number of resorts and tourists. Historical note of interest: Captain James Cook landed in Waimea Kauai in 1778.

Here is a picture of the 4 suite in where we stayed in Waimea - Inn Waimea. This place was PERFECT! 1/2 block from the black sand beach in Waimea and 1/2 from downtown Waimea. The Innkeeper Lorraine was fantastic. I would definitely recommend staying here if you plan a visit to Kauai.

Here is a picture of the black sand beach and the pier located 1/2 block away from where we were staying. This was a perfect location to watch the sunset. This beach was very secluded - we'd be on the beach for 3 hrs and not see another person - this was great.

Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park

Since we were staying in Waimea we had easy access to the Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park. We spent nearly a full day exploring the Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park.

The Waimea Canyon is beatiful. Mark Twain named this canyon, "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific." What do you think?

After exploring the canyon a bit we went hiking in the Kokee State Park. We hiked the Pihea Trail. This trail traverses the narrow ridge in the Na Pali Kona Forest Reserve between the Kalalau Valley, the largest valley along the Na Pali cliffs, and the Alakai Swamp. Andy accidently hiked this trail in his flip-flops - his feet were hurting for days. Needless to say, I highly recommend against hiking in flip flops.

The views from the trail were spectacular - take a look.

Poipu

We visted Poipu beach one day. The beach is actually pretty cool - but there were way too many people. This is the area that we decided not to stay in because it is resort land. The people on this beach were VERY annoying - I could not believe how many people were on the beach talking on the cell phone - who frickin' talks on the cell phone about outfits while on the beach in paradise????

The one redeeming quality about our visit to Poipu beach was seeing a monk seal resting on the beach.

Kilauea Lighthouse and Secret Beach

We spent two different days in the north shore area of Kauai. Our first day we visited the Kilauea Lighthouse and Secret Beach.

The Kilauea Lighthouse, built in 1913, is the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands. The area surrounding the lighthouse is gorgeous.

After visting the Kilauea Lighthouse area we went to Secret Beach. This was one of our favorite beaches. The ocean and sand were fantastic. Here is a quick glimpse. I'd show you more pictures of the beach - but it is a secret, remember.

Kalalau Trail and Hanakapi'ai Beach

On our second visit to the north shore we did 2 miles of the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi'ai Beach. The Kalalau Trail provides the only land access to this part of the rugged coast. The full trail is 11 miles and ends at Kalalau Beach. However, to hike anywhere past Hanakapi'ai Beach you must have a permit. I should have worn bug spray - I totally forgot to pack bug spray and got 15 mosquito bites on this hike - that was rather annoying.

The views from the trial an Hanakapi'ai Beach were incredible. From the trail you could see the Na Pali coast line very well.

Sunset over Ni'ihau from Kekeha Beach

Ni'ihau is another Hawaiian is island located eighteen miles southwest of Kaua'i. For over a century, access to Ni'ihau has been limited to those Hawaiian families who work on its privately owned cattle and sheep ranch.

Ni'ihau is visible from Kauai. Our last night on Kauai we watched the sunset over Ni'ihau from Kekaha beach. Even though the sun was a bit clouded over the sunset was still spectacular.

We left Kauai at 10:40 pm on Sunday Feb March 11; back in Madison 5:30 pm, on March 12; and back at work the morning of March 13.

Andy and I loved Kauai and developed great shared memories on this trip. We hope to visit Kauai together again soon.

Happy Knitting!

I'm Back

Hello All,

I'm now back from my two week vacation to Kauai. We had a fantastic time and I did indeed get a lot of knitting done. I'll share my progress on the Yoga Wrap in my next post. Also, in my next post I'll add some pictures of our trip.

In the meantime, Happy Knitting!!!

Knitting in Hawaii

Hello - I hope that you are doing well. I'm headed on vacation tomorrow evening. I'm so excited! Andy and I are going to Hawaii - away from the blizzards of Wisconsin to the tropics of Hawaii. What better way to get a reprieve from the Wisconsin winter ????

One of the most important parts of planning our trip this year was determining my vacation knitting project. Based upon the suggestion of the gals at the Knitting Tree, my vacation knitting project will be the Yoga Wrap from the Winter 2005/06 Vogue Knitting. Here is a picture of what I am knitting.

I am super excited about this project. I'm using my favorite yarn (malabrigo), favorite needles (dutch treats), a fun pattern, and finally knitting something for myself. Here are a couple of pictures of the yarn and the beginning of the project. Now that I know how to really purl I won't have any twisted stitches.

Also, over the weekend, I completed a "just because" gift to my neighbors Don and Mike - knitted dish towels and lavender mint dish soap.

Okay. That is all for now. I'll right again when I return to from vacation. Until then, happy knitting.

Confessions of a Twisted Stitcher

Today in my post I'm going to: (1) confess that I have been a twisted stitcher; (2) show you the completed sweater for my mom; and (3) show you a random knitting project that I started and completed over the weekend.

First things first. I am a twisted stitcher. I have been knitting for several years now and I just found out that I have been purling incorrectly. While at the The Knitting Tree this weekend asking questions about the sweater I've been working on, the owner, Jackie, ever so sweetly told me that my stitches were twisted. Of course I was totally confused and did not know what she was talking about. Then she showed me - on ever other row of the stockinette stitch the stitches were overlapping rather than laying flat. This in the entire sweater that I knit for my mother in Rowan Tapestry yarn! Take a look a the picture below ... you'll see what I mean. The stitches are totally overlapping - how irritating.

After discovering that my stitches were twisted Jackie taught me how to purl. A little embarrassing - but totally necessary. Apparently, this is a relatively common aliment among knitters. So, know I know how to purl - I love the folks at the Knitting Tree :)

Second, event though my stitches were totally twisted, I seamed up the sweater that I made for my mom (totally belated x-mas gift). I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Pattern: Lizzy

Source: Naturally Noro

Yarn: Rowan Tapestry (fantastic yarn)

Needles: Size 8, Dutch Treats, Handcrafted by Dutch Vanden Heuvel in Eau Claire, WI (by the way, I swear that these are some of the best circular needles EVER - so in Madison, exclusively at my favorite place - The Knitting Tree)

Here are some photos of the finished result:

I so happy that this project is completed. Over the weekend I decided that I wanted to make a felted purse - so I did just that. A quick, fun and super easy project. I very happy with the finished product. Now, I need to determine who will be the lucky recipient of the bag as a gift.

Pattern: Clutch You'll Never Give Up

Source: One Skein

Yarn: Aquarella Malabrigo (super chunky)

Needles: Size 15 Dutch Treats

Here are some photos of the finished project

That's all for now. Happy knitting!

Knitting Vocabulary & Ruffles Intermission

I've taken a break from ruffles to complete an unfinished object. Before I show you the pictures of the finished project I'm going to define some of the knitting acronyms that I use on makabaka.

Knitting Acronyms

FO - Finished Object

KAL - Knit-A-Long

KIP - Knitting In Public

LYS - Local Yarn Store

LYSO - Local Yarn Store Owner

SEX - Stash Enrichment eXpedition (aka going to the knitting store)

UFO - Unfinished Object

WIP - Work In Progress

I'm sure that knowing these acronyms will absolutely make you want to become a knitter, right? ;)

This past week I have been busy finishing a hat for a friends baby - the hat was supposed to be completed when the baby was born - 6 mos ago. But as you know, I'm always behind on my knitting. The pattern says that it can fit babies from 3 to 6 mos - so, maybe it will still fit.

Here is a pre-blocking picture.

Pattern: Simple Hat with Triangle Edging
Source: Debbie Bliss, Number One

Yarn: Baby Cashmerino, Debbie Bliss

Yarn Details: 55% merino wool; 33% microfiber; 12% cashmere

I'm very happy with how the project turned out. There are booties to match this hat - ones that I completed a long time ago - check out the knitting gallery. Also, in the knitting gallery you will see a similar project in light blue for the baby's twin brother - twin's names - lily and sam. How cute.

In addition to finishing this hat, I'm working on finishing my mom's Christmas gift - a sweater. All of the pieces are completed it just needs to be sewn up. This will be my first Adult sweater that I've ever completed. The pattern is a Naturally Noro pattern - instead of using Noro yarn I used Rowan Tapestry - which I love.

That is all for now - Happy Knitting!