Decor8 Mood Board Contest Entry!

I was totally inspired by the latest Decor8 challenge - the Amy Butler Mood Board! Picking one of Amy's newest fabrics to design a room around - what a dream challenge! Admittedly my style is a bit more modern than hers, but I think the bright colors she's used pop wonderfully off interesting textures in neutrals (or pseudo-neutrals,) in both fabrics and wood. I hope you like my entry, and I really hope I do well, the prizes are awesome! Hehe. The items I've chosen do range from the very affordable to the very pricey, but I like the mix of serious and playful. I hope you do, too!

The title of my room is Lime Martini living room with a twist. The twist is the office, because who doesn't have real living to do in their living room?!?!?!? Bills, a laptop, sticky notes and pens - real living is so much messier than design magazines would lead us to believe! I didn't use actual paint chips, they vary so much from market to market, so I just went for color blocks instead. Also, the drapes are like my dream drapes... silver velvet casual pleat drapes with a wide band of turquoise silk dupioni at the bottom. I haven't been able to find them anywhere, much less the fabric to make them, but am still planning on sewing them up myself someday...

Here's my list of resources -

• Petrie Sofa Espresso - Crate & Barrel 1,459$
• Liege Desk Wenge - DWR 2,600$
• Elements Reversible Bookcase Epsresso (x2) - Crate & Barrel 179$ each
• Sakura Area Rug Light Blue/Gold - Home Decorators 69$-1,499$
• Parsons Storage Coffee Table White - West Elm 249$
  
• Eames Aluminum Side Chair Powder Blue - DWR 1,529.10$
• Windowpane Chair Green - CB2 79.95$
• Nelson Saucer Pendant Lamp - DWR 300$
• Ponzio Table Lamp - Crate & Barrel 149$
  
• Bauhaus Arc Lamp Olivine - CB2 199$
  
• Tessuto Throw Blanket Olivine - CB2 39.95$
• Cardigan Pillow Ivory - Crate & Barrel 24.95$
• Gallery Tray White - Crate & Barrel 19.95$

It was so much fun pulling together these items, and dreaming up the paint colors & drapes! I may have to do more design work soon, but it's so much harder when it's in your own house! Hahaha! I hope I do well, this is the first contest I've been interested in for a while!!!

There were a few accessories that didn't make it into the final room, I may post them if anyone is interested. (Cheaper, more room "fluff" than furniture.) Thanks for looking!

FO - Lilac Evening Shrug (in Bamboo!)

When I saw this shrug pattern in my RSS feeds (via Craft:'s blog,) I knew instantly I had to make one for myself. Bamboo is one of my favorite fibers, it's super soft and has this wonderful quality of keeping me warm in cool temperatures, and cool in warm temps. The hard part was trying to decide if I wanted to make it with SWTC Bamboo in Intensity, (variegated denim blue, teal and lilac) or Habu Bamboo in Lilac - both yarns I have plenty of in my stash.

Since I'd already worked with the SWTC Bamboo, I decided to go with the Habu. Plus, since it's a solid color, I think it'll look a bit fancier with a nice dress. I have another cruise coming up in the fall, and I always need something to keep my shoulders warm in the big dining room. On the last cruise, I forgot to bring a sweater one night and was f-f-f-freeeezing! Hehehe.

After I finished up a quickie Bernadette Scarf, I used my cast-on fever to motivate myself to finish up some chores before I actually cast on for it. A good tactic I'll definitely use again, I really hate folding laundry. What do you do to motivate yourself for chores you dislike?

I had a bear of a time starting this, I used a long tail cast-on, and had real problems joining the cast-on row. So, I knit a couple rows back and forth and then joined to work in the round. I also used Knit Picks metal dpn's, as my interchangeable circular set doesn't include a 12" cable (and honestly, I don't think I would've been able to join the round on a 12" circular anyway.) Once I got past the garter stitch beginning, I had to be careful not to leave a yo as the last stitch on any of the needles; but once I figured that out, things went a bit better.

The first sleeve worked up super fast, I had it done and split for the back the first day I really worked on it (the multiple cast-ons took me a few days to get over before I tried again.) I actually gave myself a little blister, probably trying to manage the dpn's... the bamboo seemed to stretch a lot though, and I ended up with ladders between where the needles met. No matter what I tried, I couldn't seem to even lessen them, they stretched out after I created them, in the round following; and I had no way of evening the adjoining stitches out to hide them.

I used a 3 needle bind off to finish it, and was very pleased. I only wish the edges didn't curl as much, it rides up in the back, and down in the front! I fudged my measurements a bit, because I knew the edge along my neck would need to be longer than the lower one; so I took them both, added them and then divided by 2, to get a total length from armpit to armpit of 19.5" (9 3/4" on each half of the body sections.)

I don't have a picture with me in it yet, but I love it! It's great for when the a/c kicks on in this humidity!

WIP Wed - Smokey Pearl Scarf

Not long after I started my Flutterby scarf, I found myself itching to cast on for something else. This seems to happen a lot when I'm working on one project at a time, so rather than fight it, I used it as an opportunity to de-stash and use yarn I'd already purchased.



Somehow or another, I ended up fixating on the Lace Ribbon Scarf from this spring's Knitty. The funny thing was, I decided it would be just perfect in Malabrigo lace. Haha! Yes, I decided to start another scarf from one skein of Malabrigo lace… so I have two going right now, one in a multi-colorway and one in a semi-solid. Grin. They're both for me. And I don't feel bad at all. I've had some issues as of late with family, inducing feelings of extreme exclusion; so I feel like it's time I stop pouting and start acting to change the way I feel. I can't change the people making me feel that way, after all… (even though I've tried. That's about as much as I feel comfortable sharing here.)

Anyhoo, if you can't tell yet (or are new here - Hello!) I LOVE MALABRIGO LACE*. It's just about the softest 100% wool I have ever laid hands on, (and I shop by sticking my hands on every sweater in a store,) it has great yardage per skein - 470yds! - and it's the perfect weight for a lace beginner. It's thin enough for lace projects, but it's thick enough that it's less frustrating for someone unfamiliar with really fine weight yarns. They dye it in so many colors, and you can also get un-dyed for those who dye their own (Kool-Aid is awesome for this, see my mini-skein experiment.)

Even though it's a 24 row repeat, I found this pattern very fast moving. (I have 13 repeats of the chart done!) I chose size 6 needles because I wanted 5's, but my other Malabrigo lace scarf is on them, so I went up one. I've always been on the tight side, tension wise, so I tend to go up in needle size regularly anyway. The repeat was also super easy to memorize. At first it looked like such a big chart, but it's really only 4 rows alternated in a certain sequence in those 24 rows.

I love the movement of this piece... normally I would've dismissed a zig-zag as "not my thing," but I'm so happy I didn't let that stop me. I seriously love this piece… the design is balanced but not boring, easy yet still somehow challenging and versatile. (Originally I wanted to add beads to this, but I wasn't sure I had enough, and wondered how well the thin one-ply of the lace would handle lots of beads sliding over it.)

*I've linked to Eat.Sleep.Knit for this yarn. There's plenty of places to buy it, but they ship fast (and they had the color I wanted - Molly. That's for another project! I'm currently crushing on Cuarenta. Hehehe.)

Ravelry MiniMart Goods (and more cake pops!)

I recently purchased some goodies from the Ravelry store, and thought I'd celebrate with another round of cake pops! There would be more here, but I took a bunch* over to my sister who just had her baby a couple weeks ago. Congratulations Jenn & Lance on their new baby, Elinor (all 9+ lbs of her!!!)

I was lucky enough to snag a tote (all sold out for now,) as well as a Bob sticker, pins and a plant fiber t-shirt. I had the "HELLO my name is..." button, as well as the two smaller ones, from the Beta round last year. I should've gotten an organic veggie bag, too - but I convinced myself I didn't need both bags, and now it's sold out... :(

They printed another round, but I think I managed to miss that, too! Ravelers are a ravenous bunch! Even though I tried to check the stock every day, it wasn't announced, so except for the fact that some people were posting how happy they were to get one, I would've never known they were ever back in stock! How bout them apples?

* Actually, the cake pops do last that long so long as you get them completely covered with candy melt so the cake & frosting on the inside doesn't go stale. Moisture loss seems to be the real enemy to these luscious treats! I only have 3 left as of today! Hehe.

WIP Wednesday - Flutterby Scarf

I can't wait until I get to the end ruffles! So feminine and lovely, I think.

I'd been looking for a pattern to make a scarf out of one skein of Malabrigo lace for kind of a while, when I recently stumbled across Miriam L. Felton's Flutter Scarf. Easy, and yet still an interesting project, I'm really liking the way this is working up. I'm just over halfway on the first half, so about 25% done in total (less in the picture.) The colorway is Brisa, a playful mix of lilac, pink and grey in variegated shades. I couldn't help but immediately buy it, even though I had no idea what I'd make with it. (That's not entirely true, I had a hunch it'd be a scarf. At 470 yds per skein, Malabrigo Lace is enough for a 60" scarf (approximately!)

The cast on row is provisional, (a heavier weight bamboo) and will be removed later. I picked it because it wouldn't "grab" the wool stitches I'll be ripping it out of. We'll see how well that works... hehehe.

My first fabric design - ever!

Wowsers! That was FAST! My first Spoonflower swatch arrived today! They warned it might take a while, so I wasn't expecting it so soon! I whipped it up the very first night I got the invite. (Actually, I worked up two designs... but couldn't get the repeats right on my other one.) It's a crappy picture, but I just have to share how cool this is!!!

Concept and reality - right next to each other!

I had to adjust the lighting on the fabric (right,) it wasn't reading quite right next to the laptop screen. It's also un-ironed here, I just couldn't wait to share it!!! I think it's so satisfying to design something, and have it show up at my door a week later. I can't put into words how good it felt, so great big THANKS! go out to the folks who run Spoonflower. You guys are awesome, and I can't wait to see what's coming next!

Hooray for ME!

I was so excited when Bakerella asked if she could include my Martha Stewart themed cake pops! Little did I know, just how many other people were having so much fun with them! All sorts of cupcake pops, from all over the country... seriously, if you love sweets like I do you should click over and watch her video composite (immediately!) I'm at 1:57 into it. Thanks for including me, Bakerella!

Another awesome surprise recently was my invite to Spoonflower finally came! AND - I already have my first fabric swatch on it's way! They have a video on their blog, too... and I was sooo stoked to see my fabric in it! Check it out! I designed this pattern! (I cut the repeats, too - so if it's not tiling properly I'll only have one person to blame! Me!!!)

Cardstock Calender

There was really no reason I put this project off for so long. (It's Patricia's template, available over at A Little Hut.) I bought it back last year, just before January, and only got about half-way through it before I put it down and let it languish. It wasn't hard, but I let it get buried under a few other things on my craft table, and didn't think about it again for a while.

Now that it's June, I thought to myself that it might be really nice if I actually finished it, and was able to enjoy it on my wall*! So, I finished the last bunch of cuts, punched holes at the tops of each page, and got to work on a hanger to mount it on the wall. I used a plain old dry cleaner hanger (which is weird, cuz I haven't gotten anything dry cleaned in recent memory!)

The only thing left to decide was what fabric or paper to use behind each month's "window." Of course that was easier said than done, but I narrowed it down to 4 fabric scraps - one in aqua wool gabardine, one in teal silk charmeuse, one in silver silk dupioni and one in purple minky. I really liked another blogger's version of this calender, although for the life of me I can't seem to dig up the link. She used a piece of orange wool felt the same size as the calender page, and I thought it was so simple and bold. I wish I could figure out where I saw it...

*I actually finished this last month, but didn't get the pictures taken and uploaded to Flickr until today. What can I say, I'm a lazy blogger!

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)

FO - A Pair of Pachyderms, aka The E. Le Fante's

I'd like to introduce you to some new friends I made recently, Emma and Edmund La Fante. They're simply the sweetest friends anyone could have, and they never forget to bring their host a gift! They're the life of the social scene, both sparkling conversationalists. Themed parties are the current trend; although Edmund prefers more low key get-togethers, but always dresses up when his wife asks sweetly! Since it's her husband's favorite, Emma doesn't mind camping (too much!) and she's got quite the sweet tooth for s'mores. They both love taking long walks in the park under a full moon; *they're such a romantic pair!* Edmund loves picking up fresh flowers for Emma, and she adores him for his spontaneity.

I made these for my sister's baby shower, from Susan Anderson's pattern. I used Red Heart's Soft yarn in grey for Edmund and Lion Brand's Cotton Ease in berry for Emma; each was trimmed in contrast with the main color of it's opposite. I really like the pink I chose, it's a nice rosey pink and it goes very nicely with the grey.

This was my first successful DPN project… the legs worked up super fast, but I'll admit the bodies were more challenging. For whatever reason, I found it easier to knit two together than to knit into the front and back; so I ordered some new DPN's from Knit Picks. The new needles helped immensely. I used Eunny Jang's lighter circular beginning*, which worked out great. I didn't have to go back and thread the first bunch of stitches with a tapestry needle to close the bottom up, just give the tail end a good tug! Easy peasy!

I only wish the seaming was as easy, I procrastinated it until the last minute. It's not actually hard, but probably my least favorite part of knitting - so I try and avoid it as much as I can. At least I didn't have to weave in all of the ends, most of them were knotted off and then drawn through the bodies or heads of the elephants.

See Emma and Edmund on Ravelry! (Will only work for Ravelry members, but it's free!)

*It's at the end of the post, just scroll down until you see Lighter Circular Beginning.

More Cake Pops!

After weeks of worth, I must say I'm glad to have my sister's shower over with. I enjoyed working on it, but to be completely truthful, I should've given myself 3 days to prep and I only planned for 2. Two batches of chex mix, 2 1/2 dozen cake pops rolled, lollipopped, dipped, decorated and packaged, a store bought sheet cake (thank god!) and 2 dozen peach roses - it's all over. I even managed to not take pictures of my sister's present - a pair of pachyderms that also happened to be my first DPN project. Hopefully I'll be able to snap some pictures at her house of them!

Anyhoo, after it was all over, I had another 3 dozen cake pops to decorate for myself (as a bit of a reward.) Of course, I had to use my favorite combo of Tiffany blue and white for a few of them. I tried to do bows, but my candy melt was a bit too hot, and poured too messy to distinguish a nice bow from, oh well. I did also manage to decorate a few to match the ones I made for the shower* (although I'll admit I got lazy at 12:30AM the morning of the shower, and used only blue to decorate all of the 4 colors... instead of the awesome-color-coordination going on here.) You know, it's the blog world - of course I'm going to try and make it nicer. Don't we all? Now I'm paranoid it's just me!

*I used candy melts to match the colors in these Martha Stewart bags we used for the favors. Call it the perfectionist in me! Hehehehe.

Orchid Candy Cupcakes...

(... and more cake pops! Hahaha!)



Lately, I've been totally obsessed with desserts… although I'm mostly Norwegian, and my Mom always told me my sweet tooth came from "that side" of my family. (Hehehe, you must also understand that I'm a pretty picky eater, and have always preferred sweets over savory dishes.) Anyhoo, I know I was just bitching about how hard those cake pops were to make, but I let my husband have the last one, and then snap! I made another batch - just like that! Actually, the second batch was much easier, I knew what not to do this time around.

I've only made these cake pops in half batches (that is, I bake the cake and split it in two, and only use half the frosting to make a more manageable batch size for me.) Part of the reason for that is I really like the springy cake texture, and you sort of lose that in the pops. No biggie - I just make both! LOL So, this time I made cupcakes and frosted them with the leftover cream cheese frosting. Thinking them a smidge on the plain side, I decided to make some candy melt flowers to top them; and boy did they turn out nice! (Alice or Grace,) they're actually not chocolate but this fabulous sugar based candy coating that molds like a dream.

I used candy molds in the shapes of orchids and plumeria and purple candy melts to make these, and my new favorite tool - the candy melt squeeze bottle. You can melt chocolate or candy melts right inside it, either in the microwave - or a hot bowl of water*! (Heather Bailey's dubbed this the March of Tools and I couldn't help but share my newest find!) I tried to make the centers darker purple, and the outer petals lighter; but the effect turned out much more subtle than I'd hoped. It's okay, I think they're just lovely anyway! I was so happy to find the perfect color yarn leftover in my stash to tie these up. So pretty.



It's been hard not to get too distracted making sweet treats, I'm in the middle of moving my craft room from an upper bedroom to my dining room; and it's hard and not always as creatively satisfying as trying my hand at a new craft. Just keep painting, just keep painting... Grin.



*The fact that I could still decorate the first batch of cake pops, even though my microwave up and died on me - right in the middle of making them pretty - totally sold me.

Belated Second Blogiversary!

I can't believe I missed it! As of March 3rd, I've been blogging for two years now. I can hardly believe it! Last year was a much slower year, blog-wise than I'd planned. But, I'm hoping to make up for it this year and I've got a few big things planned. Stay tuned for more sweets this week, more knitting soon and a big contest in a couple months! Don't miss it, there's going to be tons of prizes!

And, a great big shout of Good Luck! to a very good blog buddy of mine, she just quit her job and will be crafting full time very soon! I don't know if it's public yet or not, so I won't name her - but you know who you are, lady! You rock!

I can has cake pops!

I tried Bakerella's cake pop recipe this week, as a test for my sister's upcoming baby shower. They turned out quite lovely, although were much more labor & time intensive than I'd originally thought. Not that they are that hard, but doing anything 50+ times is bound to be frustrating, if it's your first time! So, I decided they weren't right for the shower, but I had to post about them anyway!



If you want to try these for yourself, I have a few tips. The candy melts need a few minutes to set up, so after you've melted them - don't start dipping right away. Also, you'll need to keep these in the fridge or freezer, and only take out a few at a time to dip & dry. Once they warm up, they'll fall right through the lollipop sticks! Use a piece of styrofoam to stick the pops in to let them dry, although you'll need to keep them turning for a minute or so; otherwise you could end up with candy melting down your sticks! Any other questions? I'd be happy to answer them, this was a fun test!

FO - Malabrigo Montego Bay

I actually finished this a while ago, but wanted to wait to post about it since it was a surprise birthday gift for my MIL Robin. When I found the yarn for this, I knew I had to make her something out of it; the color was just perfect. It's Malabrigo Lace weight in Pink Frost, a lovely blend of dusty roses - lighter and darker shades without any of them being too bright or saturated - just the right tones.



I wanted my first foray with laceweight yarn to be fairly easy, so I decided to use Amy Singer's Montego Bay Scarf pattern with a few modifications. I increased the number of cast on stitches to 67, and used size 3 needles, although I switched a few rows in from regular Addi's to the lace ones. Thank goodness I did, they made the whole project so much more enjoyable and quick to finish. The right needles for the project make all of the difference, I tell you what!



The pattern itself was very simple, although towards the end I managed to need to rip back and add a forgotten yarn over about once a day for week! I think I was just trying to finish it too quickly… originally it was going to be her Mother's day gift, but I gave myself so much time that I had it done early enough for her birthday - yeay! Now I have to figure out what else I'm going to make!

If you haven't had a chance to touch this yarn (the Malabrigo laceweight,) you're seriously missing out! It is the softest wool I've ever laid my hands on, and I tend to be pretty picky about scratchy things on bare skin (wrists or neck, people! I know you guys have gutter-minds! LOL) The yarn, going back, has that wonderful sproingey-ness that makes you want to cuddle with it; lofty but not heavy, and substantial without feeling thick at all. Just right. Can you tell how much I like it when that happens?!?!? Hehehe.

Anyhoo, the scarf came up to 6.5"w by 54"l unblocked, from one skein. I was tempted for about a minute to block it, but the recipient lives in downtown Chicago; so I didn't think the lacey holes from all of the yarn-overs needed to get any bigger. It'll stretch if she needs it to, though - the pattern is awesomely stretchy. All in all, a very satisfying project - I hope it gets a lot of wear!