Beat the Rush

I don't know about you but I really am not a "shopping in the mall" kind of person. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But I can't deal with crowds and I'm spectacularly impatient. (I'm flawed.) But knowing oneself leads to incredible other ways to get that Holiday gift giving completed. Here are a couple of cool websites I'd recommend to complete some of those holiday shopping requirements.

Turtle Girl and my friend Tiffany turned me on to Scentsy. It's a cool wax warmer that fills your house with delicious scents. She's having an online party here. Just click the link at the bottom to join her party. There are lots of cool warmers and wonderful holiday scents to get your home in the holiday spirit.

Another friend of mine has become an independent consultant for Stella and Dot jewelry. Super cute! I may have spent a little money here lately. Check it out here! My favorite are the initial and birth stone charms. Plus there are lots of really shiny things for holiday parties.

Kara Weaves towels, napkins, and aprons are so lovely. Handmade in India. Beautiful for daily use.

Finally, you can't go wrong with anything from my little sister's former employer, Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Michigan. My sister learned to love food and cooking while working at this deli. And let me tell you, the bread is to die for!

Hope this helps a little. Good luck at the mall!

My Annual Yarn Binge

Ever since I've been a part of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club, I place an annual order using my discount coupon. While I realize I'm not saving a huge amount, I really don't care. This one order satisfies my STR craving for the rest of the year. So without further adieu, I give you the 2001 STR Haul.



If the slide show isn't working for you, check out the link here.

Close Enough

The fourth socks from Toe Up Socks for Every Body are done. I think these might be my favorite so far.



Pattern: Crocus Socks from Toe Up Socks for Every Body
Needles: KP US size 1.5
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Lettuce
Date Started: March 26, 2011
Date Finished: September 26, 2011
Mods: None- But I did knit these two at a time on a magic loop. That's not why it took me 6 months between sock pairs. (You might remember a certain wedding shawl that took up a lot of time.) I might knit everything 2 at a time from now on. No more remembering how many repeats or how many cuff rows. And definitely no second sock syndrome!



The color in this photo is more true to life. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything closer in color to the Louet Goldenrod shown in the book. (Look here.) But it's OK, I really wanted to use up stash yarn.



Plus, this Malabrigo yarn practically glows. The color is incredible.




Makes me think I need a new camera. Hmmmmm....

Lily of the Valley and a Wedding

About 6 months ago, my sister asked me to knit her a shawl for her wedding. Even though I quickly agreed, fear gripped me. I'd never knit something so intricate, so fine. And it had to be perfect. I mean, it would be on her arm for her wedding. That's a lot of pressure. And I really only knit socks. A flurry of emails went between us. I would ask, "what style do you like?" "Surprise me!" she replied. "Would you like ivory or a color?" "Whatever you think." "Thanks for the input," I would think to myself. I settled on the Lily of the Valley Shawl from Lace Style. It's really beautiful and the pattern looked straightforward. On June 16, I finally got underway. As of August 23, it was blocked and drying on my guest bed. On August 27, my little sister was married while carrying it on her arm.



Isn't she gorgeous? That's our father, not her husband. (for the record!)



That's her new husband. But you came for the knitting, didn't you?



Pattern: Lily of the Valley Shawl (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Fino in Champagne- 1 skein
Needles: KP Options size US 6
Date Started: June 16, 2011
Date Finished: August 23, 2011
Mods: Are you kidding? I was just trying not to screw it up!



Edging details. That's the only time I felt like it would go haywire. I had to pick up eleventy million stitches!!!



Nupps! Don't be afraid! You only need loose knitting and sharp needles.



The alpaca has amazing drape. I couldn't be happier with how this came out. I may even knit more lace... someday. But for now, I'm back to my socks.

Dries Turns 2

Today is my nephew Dries's (rhymes with Peace) birthday party. He turns 2 tomorrow but Memorial Day is a better day to have the party than the day after Memorial Day.

Anyway...

A few weeks ago, Dries saw my phone that had a picture of a robot on it and started wanting the robot. He said, "Aunt Nell robot!" over and over. We taught him to dance the robot but I was thinking how he really should have his own robot.



Wouldn't you knit almost anything for this kid?



Pattern: Robbie the Radiant Robot (my Rav Page)
Yarn: KP Wool of the Andes in Calypso Heather, Caution, and White
Needles: KP Zephyr Needles in US size 6
Date Started: May 8, 2011
Date Finished: May 27, 2011
Mods: I sewed the antennae onto his head. The pattern says you only need to attach it with a pipe cleaner but it didn't feel 2-year-old-proof to me.
Comments: I really love the way his eyes slant toward each other. It was unintentional but makes him look mad.



Toy knitting is notoriously fiddly. There are too many parts and too much sewing. This project has the same issues but I really love the results. I might knit one for myself. Mostly, I hope Dries likes him as much as I do.

Happy Birthday, Dries!

A Sweater So Cute

Today I finished the Tiny Tea Leaves Cardigan. This sweater is so cute I almost want to have a baby girl so she could wear it someday. Brian even mentioned (jokingly) that we should have a baby just to wear the sweater.



Pattern: Tiny Tea Leaves Cardigan (my ravelry page)
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Vintage in Grapefruit
Needles: KP Harmony Needles US size 8 and 9
Date Started: March 21, 2011
Date Finished: May 29, 2011
Mods: None
Comments: Oops #1- I thought this was a baby sweater. But I cast on and quickly realized it is made for Child's size 2. I was planning this as a baby shower gift. I need a new plan for that one. Oops #2- I was happily knitting along and when all I had left was the button band, I ran out of yarn. This cardi would have taken a lot less time if I had ordered 1 more skein from the get go. I ordered new yarn on 4/1/11 but I think I was a little mad and didn't take the hour I needed to do the button bands until a couple of days ago. Oops #3- I blocked it today. And it appears to have grown some in the bath. I didn't bother with a gauge swatch because it was supposed to be a baby present. Maybe I need to find a 4 year old girl instead of a 2 year old girl to wear it.

All the oopses aside, it really is an adorable knit.



There are two things I love the most on this knit. The color and the buttons. We all know Madelinetosh yarn is gorgeous and wonderful to knit with but this color just blows me away. Sometimes it's orange. Sometimes it's pink. It's the perfect fun, playful color for a kid's sweater. And look at the stitch definition. Just love this yarn.



The buttons are from Hancock fabric in Napa. They don't have a huge selection but the whole time I was knitting this, I was thinking of some kind of flower buttons. It's the color, again. The color feels happy, bright, and springy. Daisy buttons really work perfectly.

Truth be told, I was knitting this as a precursor to knitting the adult version for myself. I have the yarn picked and the gauge swatch knit. Just need to cast on. But WAIT! There are a couple more things in the queue that have serious deadlines. First, a super secret baby shower gift for a friend. Second, my sister asked me to knit her a wedding shawl. I'm thinking this one. Even though it really scares me, I'm going to give it a try. If you have any advice on the lace knitting, let me know. I really am a little scared. In any case, no time for socks or sweaters for me for the next couple of months.

New Landscaping

When we moved into this house, the yard on the north side was a jungle. You couldn't access that area without boots and a machete.



See? And this is early Spring. In high summer, it was a wall of green.



The stepping stones were messed up and the sprinkler system valves were an eyesore. We have a small yard and didn't want to waste this much valuable space.

About 6 months ago, we pulled everything out. Well, we hired someone to pull everything out leaving a blank space to design a new patio and path. While we were at it, the front garden had become completely overgrown. So we cleared that out too. The house went from this...



to this...



What a difference! You could actually see the house. I felt bad that we took out the big tree in front. But it was really messy and the roots were starting the shift the driveway, so it had to go.

Today, the landscapers finished the job. Here's the new front of our house.



There's a whole new garden!



Now you don't have to walk up the driveway to get to our front door.



Then, the path curves around to the side gate.





Through the gate we added a path to a patio extension. They were even able to hide those hideous sprinkler valves!



The plants will eventually fill in and up. Plus, there are already lots of bees visiting the new flowers!



What a huge change! Usable space!



You can see where the concrete meets the pavers. Eventually we'd like to tile the old concrete patio and the front porch to look a little more cohesive. (Although, power washing made a HUGE difference!) Every project we do on the house makes me want to do 15 more things. We still need a new gate and now I'd like to extend the paver path around the entire house. Someday. Someday.



We will be outside a LOT more this summer now that we have so much more space.