Merry Christmas!

It was a good morning - lots of beautiful gifts. I feel very fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends.

Merry Christmas everyone!

swing swing

Finally done with this sweater - the cables felt like they took forever! I'm really happy with it though - even the cap sleeves which at first I was a little skeptical about...Details on ravelry!

winter solstice

It's winter solstice and while it's cold, we didn't get slammed with the winter storm that hit the east coast last weekend. Nevertheless, the holidays are in the air - Right now I'm baking pork chops with apple stuffing and making butternut squash soup. Cinnamon and cloves hang in the air as does pine from the Christmas tree - gosh I love this time of the year.

fo's!

Sweater that I finished in July
Yarn: Brooks Farm
Pattern: Top Down Cardi Recipe



Yarn: Malabrigo
Pattern: Cowl - my own pattern for me!

stash enhancement

wips

Swing Swing





Textured Shawl Recipe (#2)




Xo Vest (this has been at 95% for ages! I just need to finish up the collar and can't bring myself to do it!)

favorite reads this year

Celestial asked about my favorite reads for the year - so far I've enjoyed Disquiet by Julia Leigh and House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubas. I need to reread Disquiet; there's a lot packed into that small book. House of Sand and Fog is brilliant yet very sad - it's amazing how things quickly unfold in the book and how lives can change in an instant.

reading

I've been reading instead of knitting - do you think my knitting will forgive me?

I'm catching up on that initial book list I created in January that I have been sadly neglecting.

Here are the latest reads:

> House of Sand and Fog - Andre Dubas
> Testimony - Anita Shreve
> Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald

knitting along...

Between unpacking and buying things for the new house, I've been able to do a little knitting here and there. I just finished up the Turn A Square hat from Jarod Flood. I made the hat out of some newly acquired stash from a place called Knitty City in NYC. I also started on a new sweater called Swing, Swing. I've frogged quite a bit so far, as the pattern is a little vague. The parts that are done look pretty :) I'll post photos for all of this in the coming week so check back! Sorry I've been a bad blogger lately, but more content will be coming soon. I promise! :)

i'm back

I have been moving, unpacking and settling into the new home! Oh, and also trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! That's another story. In the meantime, I did manage to get a bit of knitting done. I went back to my old standby - the Child's Rainbow Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I love this scarf and have made about 5 of them, but never one for myself. So, I went to Great Yarns in Raleigh, picked up some luxurious Malabrigo and knitted myself a scarf! It was fun and totally mindless knitting :)

Richmond

Since we moved to Richmond 5 1/2 years ago, I've had this love/hate relationship with the place. It is certainly full of history and gorgeous architecture, which has appealed to my art history background. However, there was something that didn't fit with my personality and I can't really pinpoint what it is...Nevertheless, I will miss some really great places and things that Richmond has to offer. So...here goes with 50 things I'll miss about you, Richmond, and many memories I had here (mostly food related!) :D

1. My house and my yard, where the hubby and I spend countless hours planting, digging and relaxing.
2. My friends.
3. Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, the place where I volunteer and spent numerous dinners at the tea house and countless walks through the garden. This place is truly a gem in Richmond and I will miss it terribly.
4. Kuba Kuba restaurant and their black coffee and Huevos rancheros with beans
5. Edo Squid restaurant
6. The sound of the Richmond speedway from my house (not!!)
7. Walking through the Fan
8. The holiday light festival (wow, is this amazing) at Lewis Ginter each year
9. Bryan Park
10. The Richmond vegetarian festival
11. VCU's wackiness
12. BBQ Tofu sandwiches at Harrison Street Coffee
13. Lunches at Little Mexico
14. Modlin Center, where we've seen some really amazing shows
15. The Yarn Lounge, the "Pottery Barn" of yarn in my opinion :)
16. Carytown
17. Almond lattes at Can Can Brasserie
18. Tree lined streets in my neighborhood
19. Monument Avenue
20. Karen's diner, who graciously served us free breakfast one Easter Sunday
21. Stir Crazy cafe, where the hubby and I walked to get coffee many mornings
22. Capital Ale House
23. Belmont Butchery
24. Comfort Restaurant
25. Being close to Charlottesville
26. Being close to Douthat State Park, another gem in Virginia
27. Philly cheesesteak samis at that hole in the wall, Mojos
28. The hubby's aikido parties
29. Dinner with Katherine & Jake and the boys
30. Sarah's dinner parties
31. Playing Rock Band with Jen, Jill, Mike and the hubby
32. Wine trips with crazy Bob from the wine shop
33. Wineries - Jefferson in particular with Brix sandwiches from across the street!
34. Fall in my neighborhood
35. Christmas in Richmond, which always seems rather magical
36. The Lewis Ginter plant sales
37. The Lewis Ginter winter greenery sale (where you can get some amazing greens for wreaths!)
38. The Maymont Herb Festival
39. Thai food (but not the Indian food here, which is not very good)
    
40. The Greek Festival
41. Libbie & Grove - such a cute area!
42. The stark contrast between University of Richmond and VCU, where I work
43. Snow!
44. Pope Avenue, which after Monument Avenue, just might be the most beautiful street in Richmond
45. Whole Foods at ShortPump, an amazing store
46. Malvern, another area that I love in Richmond
47. Sette pizza
48. Hermitage Grill
49. My vegetable garden
50. The renovated MovieLand theatre, with old movies and mimosas on Sunday!
    

start of a new chapter

Happy Friday!
In addition to the insanity of the hospital visit a few week's ago, we've also decided to move back to NC. Oh Richmond, there are things I will miss about you!

It's been a whirlwind of activity around here the past few weeks: selling our house here,buying a new house there, the hubby starting his new job - the list goes on. Needless to say not much knitting has been happening. I hope to get back to it this weekend and be able to show you the nifty little linen basket liner I'm making :)

baby soft cardigan

i messed up the sleeves so i just left them off - it's a little baby soft vest :)

for details ravel it

back in the game

The fall-like weather outside ( our high today is only 70! ) is making me long for knitting! I'm currently working on a baby sweater as an entree back into the craft. I also need to put the finishing touches on a sweater I completed before going into the hospital. Photos to come soon! In the meantime, happy Monday!

friday recipe

I just received this recipe from the hubby's mum. Looks delicious!
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomato_pie/.

thoughts

- I'm still around, but since my trip to the hospital, it's been difficult to knit. I'm not quite sure what's going on - I'm just going to roll with it though and hope that this knitting hiatus doesn't last for too long.

- I've been obsessed with salads the past few weeks - Spinach with fresh zucchini, squash and goat cheese is my new favorite dinner.

- The excessive heat in VA is making me long for winter - I just can't wait until things cool off.

- The garden has produced pounds of tomatoes this year - for that, I am grateful.

- The hubby is fascinated by the fact that I've never had fresh lima beans. I can't wait until they come in.

- I think I need to go see a love story in the theater - Maybe 500 days of summer will do the trick?

moving in slow motion

While I'm getting better and starting to recover from all the trials and tribulations of the week, I'm moving in slow motion on knitting. I haven't felt like doing much but sitting around and reading or watching Food Network. The one thing that the hospital stay did for me is made me feel very fortunate for the things I have and the things I have done. Everything looks different to me now. Before the stay, I was so busy trying to push out knitting projects that I'm not sure I really took the time to actually enjoy what I was doing. Now, I'm looking at that big stash of yarn and not feeling anxious; instead, I feel like the yarn will tell me what it wants to be and when. This is a lot less stressful to say the least.

details on blue

Thanks for the comments, ya'll! Blue skies was really easy
> Pattern: Laura Chau's Top Down Raglan Cardi
> Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers
> Mods: I added a seed stitch ladder wavy rib to the bottom - so much fun!

Thanks again!

blue skies

gardening in the city

what i'm thinking about - part ii

1. Finishing up the sweater I'm currently working on while I'm listening to Indigo Girls at Groovin in the Garden tonight.
2. Chocolate espresso beans.
3. How tired my brain has become today - not because it's been challenged, but because I'm bored.
4. Rhinebeck and how much fun it was last year.
5. Friday - hallelujah.
   
   

what i'm thinking about

• I have completed 90% of the XO vest I started a few weeks ago. I'm trying to talk myself into finishing the rest, but frankly, I really don't want to! I'm not enjoying it and really just want to start on a new shawl for the summer. Is it ok to not finish a sweater that's 90% of the way there?
• NC is on my mind today; the hubby and I are still considering moving back. I'm not sure what I'd do there, but the Phd program might be an option...I just wouldn't want school to get in the way of knitting :)
  
• Peppercorn Ranch Sun Chips are mighty tasty...
• I can't wait to get home today to start on a new knitting project (that is, if I can forgive myself for not finishing that vest I mentioned in bullet point 1!)

now you see it, now you don't

I've been ripping out more than I've been knitting lately. Here's the latest victim of frogging. Why I thought that thin cotton would look good in a skirt, I'm not quite sure. I tried it on last night and it looks just a wee bit tight on the bum (that's an understatement). Guess I should have figured that out before I got so far. That's a lot of sts folks! I think this yarn just doesn't want to be anything but a shawl, which is what it will be wrangled into next!

The Garden

new items

I'm still waiting on my new computer; in the meantime I figured out that my camera is compatible with the hubby's computer. Finally, I'm downloading some photos of recent finished projects!

A little something for Michael, Andrew & Jude - the triplets. Mittens and a baby blanket I finished back in January.Ravel it





Circular shawl for no one in particular. Could be a shawlette or a baby blanket. Ravel it

Last, but not least, the garden is beginning to sprout. All the rain has turned certain parts of the yard into a jungle. The peony is just gorgeous this year. Should also be a good year for veggies. (The last photo is from Lewis Ginter, but I'm hoping that my Irises look like that next year!)

Sweater Reuse

I made this sweater for a friend's little boy about 3 years ago. Luckily, my friend was able to reuse the sweater for her new little girl! Isn't she cute!! So glad I made it in the great unisex color of green :)

photo monday

Yes, I'm sad I didn't go to MSW yesterday, but maybe next year. I have so much to knit out of the stash that I was worried I'd just buy more. In honor or MSW, here's an alpaca photo from last year! Happy Monday!

photo friday

my decorating style

No posts of knitting yet - My 'puter decided to die. This isn't the most ideal time to invest in a new one, but I'm not sure it ever is! In the meantime, I took this quiz linked from How About Orange. It's fun and quite accurate! My decorating style is a mix of 3 specific styles :

38% Arts and Crafts

38% Nantucket Style

24% Classic

Arts and Crafts:

You tend to prefer simple to ornate and natural materials over man-made. Warm tones found in wood and brass make you feel comfortable, and good craftsmanship excites you like nothing else.

You enjoy patterns that highlight our natural surroundings such as plants and trees. You prefer rectilinear forms and straight lines, however you love to find intricate details (ooooh, stained glass!) where you least expect it.

Nantucket Style:

Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house.

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. Things that remind you of the coast - surf boards or fishing boats - are found throughout the house. The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. The fabrics are natural, cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must.

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: white, light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass� but the key is white! Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back!

Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand, the better! And what do you do at the beach? Hang out with family and friends - and your home is just an extension of this play place. And though the space is filled with large white furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual

Classic:

What's old is new again! The beauty of Classic style is how well it takes all of the beautiful forms, colors and textures of the past and reinvents them in a way that feels both fresh and inspired.

The style itself is a mix of European influences and French, English and Italian antiques and replicas are often used together. Furniture is well proportioned and comfortable and the rooms give off an air of sophistication and grace. Oil paintings depicting still-life or nature scenes and emphasizing symmetry of pairs helps maintain the traditional nature of the room. Windows are often covered with opulent fabric shades and/or drapery.

Traditional rooms give off an air of history that seems to say "I was here long before you, and will remain long after you've gone." And yet, even with this level of sophistication, the rooms are soft and inviting.

fits and starts

I have been trying to go through my stash and use it up. That said, I think I've been frogging just as much as I've been knitting! Last year at the MSW festival, I bought some beautiful merino spun by the good folks at Brooks Farms in Lancaster Texas. I bought 1200 yards thinking I could get 5 sts to the inch and make a cardigan. I've started on 2 cardigans and ripped both out! I just don't seem to get gauge on this yarn. No matter what needle size I use, I end up with 6 sts to the inch. Sigh...

I also started theXOX Vest by Amy King using some Jo Sharp classic wool I acquired at Webs in Northhampton, Mass. This pattern is so cute, but the yarn I'm using just doesn't fit. I've started over twice. I'm not ready to rip this one out yet, but really, will I wear it?

So, I'm now stuck, wondering what to do with 1200 yards of Brooks Farm and ~1000 yards of Jo Sharp. Maybe I just move on to something else and come back to this?

Happy weekend knitting!

textured shawl recipe

Words cannot explain how much I love this shawl I've named Garden. It's incredibly soft, snuggly and just so simple it's beautiful.

Pattern: Textured Shawl Recipe - Ravel It
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino color: Garden (the hubs did a good job - he purchased this for Xmas!)

Last, but not least, here's the finished Owls sweater.