Bye for now

Off for a holiday.

See you again in two weeks :)

The six-year socks

If I say at the start that this is a little ridiculous, it makes it sort of less ridic, doesn't it?

I started these Fleece Artist socks six (ahem) years ago while on vacation in Hawaii.

(Side note: love love love Hawaii. I remember the exact moments when I snapped the top two pics -- very happy times indeed.)

I knit the sock on the left in 2006  -- only the third sock I'd ever knit. I think that explains the shallow stockinette (!) heel flap and the wonky toe that I'd just pulled tight. I also used size 0 plastic needles. Then, the lonely little sock sat in a sad little ziploc until a few weeks ago.

For the second sock, I bumped up the needle size (because let's get serious...), did a proper heel (though it's still too shallow but I had to make it somewhat matchy), and grafted the toes on both shut.

There, that feels better. And that completes all of my unfinished projects. (I just wanted to see what it felt like to type that sentence... It'll feel good someday).

I heart ... recipe edition

 :: Ever feel like making pizza about an hour before dinner and then remember about all of that rising and kneading and protocol and then decide that on second thought sandwiches are also pretty good too?  This pizza dough recipe is quick and and rolls out paper thin (see photo above -- super super thin!). (It calls for a cup of parmesan but I usually do 1/2 a cup of parmesan and make the rest up with flour).

:: My friend Jess suggested I try this Mark Bittman recipe: Roasted broccoli with lemon tahini sauce and it is truly delish!

:: And finally, a perfect match - Quinoa Pilaf with mushrooms

Winterwoods

This crafty ball of chaos is my new lunchtime project. The kit is so absolutely pretty and nice. Just looking at the little diagrams makes me happy.

But, I'm very much a newbie to this and so I'm alternating between moments of:

 'hey check me out! I'm making little x's'

and

 'ugh, cross stitch! Seriously, you're the meanest ever!'

(Like now for instance, I think the m i just made is too small and I'll have to rip it... Ugh, very unkind indeed!)

I expect Mr. Cross-Stitch and I will become friends and enemies several times more over the next few weeks.

i heart .... reading edition

The best place to be - not stuck at the start, fully attached to the characters, and with pages and pages to go...

:: This fascinating article on Your Brain on Fiction

:: This Q&A with David Sedaris on his reading habits 

:: Jumpa Lahiri on connecting with sentences - (isn't it thrilling when you happen across these gems?)

:: This amazing blog Letters of Note (Especially this moving letter from John Steinbeck to his son on the subject of love, this moving Henry James letter on sorrow, and this clever Robert Pirosh query)

Sweetness

I'm really pleased with how this little cardi came together.

The pattern: Baby Girl Fair Isle Cardigan from Purl Soho (I believe it is only available in the store or through mail order).

Modifications: The pattern calls for Blue Sky Royal Alpaca but I switched it up and went with Cascade Superwash sportweight. The pattern calls for four colours for the Fair Isle section up top but I used three. I bumped the needle size up to 3.5mm and followed the stitch count for the newborn size and the length directions for the 6-month size.

This project came together very quickly, knit over the weekend (granted, it was a long weekend and there was a fair bit of golf watching involved). I love the cool gray canvas, the happy splash of sunshine yellow and the tiny patch of bright blue.

Spring glovelies

Hasn't it been a nice long weekend? I think so too. 

I've been reading a terribly thrilling book, trying out a new baby sweater pattern (more on that later), and watching lots and lots of golf (which I can't say that I've ever done before.)

These little lovelies were made using not quite one ball of Drops Alpaca using a basic improvised pattern. I made a pair last year using Drops Delight and they turned out snuggly and sweet.

Here are the basic elements of the pattern... (bear with me, this is my first attempt at scratching together a pattern. Also, these were made for my smallish hands... If you're looking for something bigger, bump up the needle size, or try a sport weight yarn, or try casting on a few more stitches. What follows is basically the essence of a pattern...)

Needles: 2.5 mm double-pointed needles

Yarn: One skein of Drops Alpaca or Drops Delight

Cast on 56 stitches using the long-tail cast on. Join the round and work k2, p2 for five rounds.

Knit straight until piece measures 4 inches from cast-on edge.

Thumb gusset: Knit 4 stitches, place marker, knit 1, place marker, knit to end of round.

*Knit to marker, slip marker, make one left, knit one, make one right, slip marker, knit to end of the round. Knit one round straight.* Continue these two rows between the stars until you have 19 stitches between the markers.

Knit to marker (and remove the marker), place 19 stitches onto piece of waste yarn (remove the other marker) and knit to end of the round.

Continue knitting straight for 1.5 inches. 

Switch to ribbing and k2, p2 for five rows. Cast off loosely.

Pick up the stitches around the thumb and pick up 2 more stitches along the top. Knit in the round for 0.5 inches and then switch to k2, p2 ribbing for five rounds and then cast off loosely. Sew up any little gaps around the thumb.

Wear and enjoy!

Happy birthday dear D!

Happy birthday to my dear pal D - a crafty genius, a trueblue pal with a tremendous heart, and an excellent wearer of all things cowl.

Pattern: Churchmouse Bias Loop

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Angel (2 balls) -- (inspiration from my friend CraftedLandscape)

Needles: 5.5 mm

Here, there and everywhere

Top photos: new project (yahoo! love new projects! they're the best!).

Bottom photo: old old old old project that I rediscovered after I read my friend Lynn's blog about how some unfinished projects can linger so long they seemingly become part of the landscape. I read her post and then dug deep (and by dug deep I mean I just moved my eyes around the room. Friends, I was confronted by some truths. Seriously --  I just moved my eyes. I didn't even have to move my neck and I spied some purple socks, blue socks, purple shawl and a baby sweater.)

Yep, I sure do know a thing or two about here, there and everywhere.  If it were an Olympic sport, I would totally be representing.