FO Friday - Yet Another Hemlock Ring Blanket

I can't believe I've got another Hemlock Ring to show off this week, as I wasn't planning on posting this one til next week, but such is life!

I really, really enjoyed knitting this blanket, both because I added the traditional garter ridge found in the feather & fan pattern (not found on the original Hemlock pattern,) and because this yarn was like butter to knit with! So soft, and just the right amount of stretch to it. I almost wish I'd made it bigger, but I hate blocking these buggers when they're done - it's always such a chore!

Specs - see this blanket on Ravelry!

• Yarn: Adrienne Vittadini Martina in Sand x8 400grams (actually purchased at Webs)
• Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood
• Needles: Knit Picks Nickel Plated Interchangeable needles, US size 8, 5.mm
• Cast on: December 1st, 2009
• Cast off: February 2010 (blocked at the end of Feb.)

Moleskine Notebooks & a Candle for moi!

Ever since I found ...love Maegan's blog, I'd been drooling over her designer clothing, purchased discount via Gilt.com. Now, I haven't found that many clothing items that work for me yet... but I happened to snag a set of these moleskine notebooks - one each month for the year, and color coordinated! They're so small, and I find myself actually recording more of my creative thoughts and ideas, instead of forgetting them forever like I used to! 

 

Gilt is a free membership retail site, with crazy insane deals on tons of luxury goods. They only keep they're steals up for 36 hours though, so you have to be pretty quick! 

I also just got an Ember candle from Jimmyjane (again, from Gilt) and I have to say, it's like a spa in a candle. Lychee and Lapsang tea, the scent is intoxicating, and I can't wait to try more from this brand in particular!

FO - Little Niece's Dress V2.0

I had to work a lot of math to size this up to 2-years, but I think it was worth it! I love the simplicity, it shows off the colors beautifully. My niece isn't really 2 yet, but I wanted to ensure this one fit her longer than the first version! Haha!

I think it will also work nicely in the coming colder months, as my sis can put her in a long-sleeved jumper/romper underneath. Then, it will hopefully still fit her in the spring! (I know, I know, a longshot - but we'll see!)



It's nice to have such a selection of washable wool on the market, especially at Knit Picks prices! (This yarn was a sale score! Yeay!) I wanted to make sure it was washable, as babies can get so messy!

I have to apologize to my sister, because I just took it over!!! Sorry, Jenn (and Elinor! I really didn't mean to take so long photographing it!!!)


Specs - see it on Ravelry!

• Pattern: Little Sister's Dress by Tora Frøseth Design
• Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in Martinique x4
• Needles: sz3 Addi Lace (magic loop for the beginning,) sz5 dpn for extra-stretchy cast off
• Cast on: September 4th, '09
• Cast off: September 30th, '09
• Completed: October 13th,'09
• Delivered: Dec 1st, '09
  

Cupcake Pops to match...

... my brand new stand mixer!!!

My mom was kind enough to send this to my husband and me, for our 4th wedding anniversary. Well... sort of. Hehe. Okay, so the story goes she sent the boysenberry color, and I had DH lug the huge heavy thing back to our local JC Penney; then we ordered the right color off the internet, (and hoped it'd end up the right color, not a single store in my area carries these colors in stock, so I could see it first! How lame!)

Anyhoo, I've wanted one for years, just hadn't decided if I wanted the Cuisinart version (it has a timed shut off, the KA doesn't.) Apparently the balloon whisk is awesome, but because of a surprise trip to Las Vegas, I haven't gotten the chance to use it yet.

I did get a chance to dip some cupcake pops to match my new mixer, though - how cute?!?!?!

Did I mention I'm headed to Las Vegas this week?!?! Any crafty tips? I'll have a little bit of crafty time, but I'm planning on staying on/near the strip. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Feature Friday - Pearl & Marmalade

Way back when, I posted about my first purchase from Pearl & Marmalade. I knew I'd be buying from them again, I just didn't have any clue it would take me so long!

I absolutely love their letterpress designs, and am so happy to finally have a set of their Honey Bees for myself. Actually, they're probably for you guys, because I love using letterpress notecards in swap and care packages! Haha! I think the color combination with yellow and grey is so current right now; it's not one I'd normally go for - but I love them. They feel trendy, but not overly so. I think the design elements balance the yellow & grey perfectly.

I also picked up a couple gift cards for someone special, but I won't share those until they've arrived! :P

Gift Tag Tutorial

Lately I've been knitting a lot, so my other crafting has been left on the back-burner, so to speak. I've been focusing on smaller projects that take less time, that I can fit in a few minutes. Paper projects are great for this, because they don't take up too much space to work on, and because let's face it, you can get any color & texture paper you want. Those scrap-booking sections in the big craft retailers are huge!

So, I came up with this super fast and fun gift tag tutorial. It requires a couple sizes of paper punches, but they can be any shape you want (and really, you could do this with scissors & patience, too.) The hardest part here is deciding which shape and size punches look best together. I was slightly limited by the fact that I only own a handful, but I still think I picked the best coordinating pair.

Materials:

• Paper punches in two (or more,) sizes. Can be complimentary or contrasting shapes.
• Sticker machine, glue stick or double sided tape
• Hole punch (size is your preference)
• Coordinating ribbon or twine to attach to package
• Regular or decorative pens (for names, you can also use rub-on lettering, but I'm not that good with getting it lined up right!)

First, use the larger punch to create a base. I recommend simpler paper, if you're using the more decorative on top. But really, you can use any paper or card-stock that suits your taste. Here I used simple brown, light weight craft paper.

Next, use the smaller punch and a more interestingly patterned paper. It can be contrasting or complimentary, again anything that suits you! I like re-using gift wrap paper for this, I always hate to throw away pretty paper like this!

When piecing the two together, you can use a sticker machine* to add a thin layer of adhesive to the back of the top paper; or you can use double-sided tape to adhere them. If you're thinking of using glue for this - I'll caution you - don't use too much, or you might get rippling in one or both layers of your tag. You can also use a glue stick for this, it's probably easier to handle than regular glue, anyway!! *If you're using a sticker machine, I find slightly thicker paper works better than thinner. I've had some rippling issues, and who likes ripply-weird abnormal stickers?!? Hehe.

To finish, punch a hole through both layers of the tag, and use ribbon or twine to attach it to the package. Add your to: and from: names and you're done! Easy peasy! Here's a couple more examples, and I'd love to see how you use this tutorial!

FO - Elinor's Dress

...or tunic, I'm not really quite sure yet! Haha!

I only had a bit of finishing left on this for the Ravelympics, but it was kicking my butt! Thankfully it's all finished now, I just hope my new niece and her mom like it!

I used single crochet around just the opening, and for the button loops, but didn't carry it all the way around the edging. I just didn't think it needed it, (plus, it's easier to weave the ends in on the long tail cast on for me, at least!)

If you'd like more details you can see my previous post about it, or just ask! Yeay! I got my medal for it! Woo-hoo!

My 200th post, with prizes!

It's hard to believe I've been blogging for more than two years now. It's even harder to believe that this is my 200th post! I didn't start off really thinking too much about the writing, just sharing my crafts and ideas.

Now I realize just how much hard work goes into a great blog. It's so much more than what you see on the surface!!! Great writing is part of it, as well as photography, but even more important is to be yourself, and develop your own style. Your blog is the universe the way you see it, and your chance to express that. I feel so lucky to be a part of it, and to have found such great friends along the way!

So, enough with the chatter, what's up for grabs - you ask? It'll have to stay a mystery until after the 25th - because I've caught Ravelympic fever! Trust me though, the goods will be good. Seriously good. There will definitely be cupcake pops!

To win, leave a comment on this post (by Sep. 6th 2008,) and I'll use a random number generator (don't we love/hate those suckers?!?!?) to pick a handful of winners. The more comments I get, the more prizes will be shared, so feel free to share the linky-love with your friends. You can only enter once, though. Please play nice!

Stay tuned for prize updates - after the 25th! Also, I'm going to try and make sure all the winners get something that makes them happy, but I can't promise everyone will get the exact gifty they have their greedy green eyes on! Drool on!

Nearly FO - Little Niece's Dress

When I came across this pattern on Ravelry, I thought it was one of the cutest baby knits I had ever seen. So naturally, I had to make one for my new niece, Elinor. Then I saw that Knit Picks had a new sock yarn that's both superwash and super-soft, super-duper! Hahaha!

She's quite the little big'un, so I had to be careful not to make it too small. I'm glad most of the clothes I've given to my sister for her weren't newborn-sized, she'd have grown out of them nearly immediately!

Project Specifications - see it on Ravelry!

• Pattern - Little Sister's Dress by Tora Frøseth Design
• Yarn - Knit Picks Self Striping Felici Sock Yarn - Mixed Berries (2 balls)
• Needles - Knit Picks Metal DPN's sz3 (6",) Addi Lace circular sz3 (32",) Addi Turbo circulars sz3 (24" & 16")
• Notions - 3 lilac flower buttons (1/2") & 3 magenta cat's eye buttons (1/4")
  

One of the nicest features of this design is that it's totally seamless, which I love. I have enough problems procrastinating weaving in the ends, it's not that hard but I just don't enjoy it at all. I'm definitely planning on knitting more baby clothes from Tora Frøseth, her designs are simple but so lovely and fun, all at the same time. (I'm thinking it will be Magda, another cute baby top/dress.)

I'm not entirely sure how I ended up with the placket on the opposite side. I had to adjust the pattern so I knit the front section first, then bound off for an armhole. Next I knit the back, and then bound off for the second armhole. It wasn't too difficult to judge from the pictures what I should be doing, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what I screwed up! It wasn't too hard to deal with though, and I think it turned out just fine. Except for the opening being on the opposite side, you'd never know there was any difference from the written pattern, so I'm pleased I could work through my issues instead of letting them stop me. There's a bunch on Ravelry with the placket reversed like mine, so I feel a little bit better! :)

FO - Bernadette Rose Scarf

Knowing that Mother's Day was coming up, I picked up one gorgeous skein of Handmaiden's Lady Godiva yarn in Rose Garden (for my MIL.) I didn't know what I was going to make with that one skein though, and it can be really difficult to figure that out sometimes… especially when it's a gift for someone else!

So, I used Ravelry's experimental pattern search to find this lovely pattern - the Bernadette Scarf (see it here on Ravelry.) It's worsted weight, requires only one skein of yarn and even better, carries a traveling diamond pattern.* The pattern calls for beads, but with the variegated yarn I didn't think it needed them, (plus I was too lazy to thread and work with 35+ beads on each half.) The yarn called for size 6 needles to get 20 sts per inch, but I'm kind of a tight knitter, so I went up to size 7's (the pattern's recommended needle size.)

At first, I was concerned about my new way of doing SSK's; traditionally you'd slip 2 stitches knit-wise onto the right needle, one at a time, and then knit through the back legs of these two stitches together - forming a left leaning decrease. I however, have been knitting two stitches together through the back legs (effectively slipping two stitches purl-wise while I'm forming the next stitch.) I just learned this was "wrong" and am trying to get used to the new & improved ssk. Apparently, it mirrors the k2tog (most common right leaning decrease) better, and lays flatter when you slip one knit-wise, the next purl-wise and then knit them together through the back legs. All I know is that my ssk's look much neater, which is just fine by me. What did self-taught knitters do before Ravelry???



This scarf worked up super fast, I had the first half done in less than 2 days, although I left the yarn intact, instead of breaking it. I knit the second half from the outside strand, so I could lengthen both halves if I had enough yarn leftover. Nobody likes running out of yarn! I did end up with enough to lengthen both halves by 3 vertical repeats, and I'm glad I did. It's a fairly skinny scarf, and definitely needs to wrap around the neck at least once, (I think!)

I used a 3 needle bind off to join the two halves, and even though it left a seam, I was able to match the color pools (sort of,) and it finished really fast. It did need a good blocking, and of course that took me literally days to get around to... hehehe. The finished size after blocking was 3 3/4" wide by 76" long, and if I did it over again, I'd stretch it to 4" wide and hope that kept the length in check a bit better. The length really grew when I blocked it.

(*I also used a diamond pattern in another belated Mother's Day surprise, but I'm trying not to spoil it yet!)

If you're going to knit a Bernadette Scarf, please note I found these two errors -

Right side chart row 30 - first two stitches say knit, should be purl
Right side text row 7 - should be p2, k10, k2tog, yo, k7, p2 (p2, k11, yo, ssk, k6, p2 as written)