Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Just when I thought I was back...

I'm going to be gone for a little bit-well, until further notice to be exact. We are at the beginning stages of moving (!) to another state and I just don't think I'm going to have the chance to blog in between packing, throwing out, finishing up school stuff with the girls and yep, packing and unpacking my yarn stash. So, thank you for reading and I'll catch up with y'all sometime this summer!! Have a good one!!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Just.keep.knitting....

You know you hate repeating patterns but you also know you have two girls and they need sweaters for Easter b/c in NEPA, it's most likely going to be freezing on that holiday! So, quit procrastinating, stop daydreaming about the umpteen other projects you'd like to work on and just.keep.knitting....

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

So......

spring cleaning has begun!! It's a beautiful day outside and what am I doing??? Purging yarn I haven't touched in years~~ Yep, I'm filling up boxes to send (really hoping flat rate shipping is CHEAP!) to Interim House Inc. 333 West Upsal St. Philadelphia PA 19119. This is a great place where they use knitting/croceting to help women who are struggling with substance/alcohol abuse. I sent a box there last year and think that it's great to get rid of yarn and give it to others who will work it into something other than the pile on my shelf.

Do you have any yarn that you think these ladies might put to good use??

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Casting off...


By Nicole R. Dickson-best Knit Lit book I've read in awhile! Seriously, what a great read! Perfect for these bleary, cold, wintery nights! I found it on the shelf of my good friend's mother's Vt. house and since cracking it, I haven't been able to put it down. This book appealed to my knitting side, as well as my interest in history-art/craft history in particular and of course, the Irish are rich in their history. Here is the Barnes and Noble synopsis, in case you're looking for a new read:

"On a tiny island off the west coast of Ireland, the fishermen’s hand-made sweaters tell a story. Each is unique — feelings stitched into rows, memories into patterns.

It is here that Rebecca Moray comes to research a book on Irish knitting. With her daughter, Rowan, accompanying her, she hopes to lose herself in the history of the island and forget her own painful past. Soon, the townsfolk’s warm embrace wraps Rebecca and Rowan in a world of friendship, laughter, and love.

And it is here that young Rowan befriends Sean Morahan, a cantankerous old fisherman, despite his attempts to scare her off. As Rebecca watches her daughter interact with Morahan, she recognizes in his eyes a look that speaks of a dark knowledge not unlike her own. And when current storms threaten to resurrect old ones, Morahan and Rebecca find themselves on a collision course — with Rowan caught between them — each buffeted by waves of regret and recrimination. Only by walking headfirst into the winds will they find the faith to forgive without forgetting…and reach the shore. "

This book makes me want to go to this island, meet all of the people involved and take a long holiday, soaking up knitting history and beer along the way. If you are looking for a book to read when your knitting fingers need a break, this one is sure to captivate you. I loved it!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Lye-eee...


Yes, out of all the things I have knit for my daughters, this ratty, holey, yucky looking thing-she-calls-a-blanket is what my youngest loves. I had originally knit this blanket for my oldest when I was pregnant with her. I didn't know who I was having, boy or girl, hence the yellow color of the yarn. I wanted something soft and cushy and came upon this yarn at an LYS in Manchester, Vt. I loved the little bits of yarn on the strand and thought my baby would too. Well, I was right, but not right about which baby would love it. Baby #1 wanted nothing to do with it, but Baby #2 has yet to give it up, named "her" LYe-eeee, and refuses to go to sleep without her. She holds a really ratty corner of Lye-ee, in between her two fingers and thumb and sucks her other thumb. Rubbing this ratty corner while sucking her thumb is what gets her to sleep-it is so adorable to watch and warms my heart everytime I see her do it. At the age of 4, she refuses to give up Lye-ee and I have no intentions of making her do it. I figure when she's ready, she will and she's only going to be a child for so long so why should I force her out of this love???

So, what is it exactly that makes her love this blanket? It started out as a 2X3 rectangle of crochet (I even forget how I did it-it was early on in crochet for me) and I don't even recall the name of the yarn. It was before the days of Ravelry, so I can't even look it up. It is really soft cotton though and right out of the wash, it smells wonderful...after a couple of nights of cuddles with my girl though, and that's another story. She impatiently stands by the washer when Lye-ee gets her bath and I have to pull it out for her when it's nap time. I always thought my firstborn would be my yarn-lover as she is the crafty one right now, but I think it just might be my Lye-ee lover instead...

Friday, February 19, 2010

Totally OT, but if you're from NEPA, you need to go here!


Ok...so today was pretty mundane-housecleaning, playing Memory game with 4 year old daughter, errands to run and whatnot...but in the back of my mind all day, I've thought about....pizza!!!! Nope, not the regular, italian plain slice, which for most of the time, suits me just fine (Basilico's in Dickson City-hands down, is the winner of the area)-oh no, today, I've been obsessing about Kay's Pizzeria in Lake Ariel-specifically, their hot wing pizza with bleu cheese dressing. Ok-seriously, this pizza is to.die.for.-no really. If you live in the area, you MUST try this pizza-my local friend, who grew up in Lake Ariel, brought it to a friend's house when we were having pizza and since then, I've been trying to recreate the hot wing sauce at home-to no avail. I can't figure it out, but I can tell you that each time I have this pizza, I love it more and more. I've heard of two other dishes that they serve at Kays with the sauce: The buffalo shrimp (OMG!!!) and buffalo wing hoagie-yep, that will be next week's menu choice...for sure....

The sauce is tangy, hot, sweet, and sort of grainy??? I'm originally thought bbq sauce was used in it somehow, but no longer-I'm thinking it's hot sauce, honey, butter, and maybe brown sugar?? It tends to be on the runny side (that's why I thought honey) but it takes all of my willpower not to lick the inside of the cardboard pizza box when we're through....and as I type this, I'm not even slightly embarrassed that I admitted this to cyberspace!?!

If anyone has tried this pizza and would like to weigh in on how you think the sauce is made, please do so...if I crack this recipe, I think I will be using it on everything!!!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Yarny things...


Just got back from some good 'ol fun in Vt and among other things, got to go to an indoor farmers market that had a whole lotta...yarn!!! There was even a woman spinning there-it was great. I wore my Ingenue sweater (thank God too b/c it's cold up in Vt!) and got to feel up some good local fiber-there was shetland wool and alpaca spun in various widths and hand-dyed in lovely colorways-esp. an oceany blue/green of 270 yards-that one really tempted me...BUT-I really must have more than enough yarn at home b/c I didn't.buy.a.thing. Can you believe it???

I knit away at my Dad's MIKEY Cap-a present for his birthday, and got a bit more on the debbie bliss 9 to 5 cardi. Then, I got stumped...You see, I've modified the DB pattern to be seamless at the sides but forgot what to do when I got to the armpits??? This stumped me-frustrated me, to the point that I had to rip out 4 rows of what I'd done and start all over. I even mulled it over in bed and woke up this morning, still trying to figure out what was the best thing to do. Well, I'm going to bind off 6 stitches at the armpits, put it away and start on the sleeves and once I finish the sleeves to the point where they need to be attached, I will reattach them to the body, and just keep knitting-should work right? Feel free to weigh in here...would love other ideas if you've got 'em...

I may even sneak in the hat while I bang away at the sleeves-who knows??

Now, to locate some nice dark brown silk for the lining of Dad's hat....maybe etsy??

Also on the back burner, desperately waiting to get cookin' is Trina....my Trina, to be done in Cascade's Sienna Quattro yarn in yellow....I can't wait to do this one but I've got a few projects before I can even CO for this-AND I want them all done by my birthday in April....Man, I think I've got knitting ADD.....I just can't focus on one project at a time....

Speaking of birthdays...Happy Birthday, Amber!!! If you haven't checked out her blog, she's great!-she's in my blog list that I read and she's also got a GREAT etsy shop that sells handmade soapy goodness and other lovely items...check her out!!

Ok-more knitting to do....

Sunday, January 31, 2010

My Ingenue....

is GREAT! Loved knitting this sweater and loved the FO! It's perfect (barring a good block to make it a tad longer). So what did I learn on this knitting journey???

1. Modifications are always good. I knit 10 more rounds to the body to make it longer for me-thank God I did b/c even with that, it will still need blocking to be perfect for me. I also added a repeat of the bottom ridge stitch pattern for length to the body and sleeves...love it. I single crocheted the collar down on the inside making a nice, clean inside edge that won't bother me one bit when I wear it. Collar sits perfectly....

2. I also learned that I should've tried it on with what I was going to wear it with (t-shirts), b/c I could've done more shaping in the body to make a better fit. It is a bit boxy but that is the design of the sweater...next time...Guess I'm not so big as I think I am. I knit this in a large and while it could use some length still, it's a bit big everywhere else. Gauge was spot on...

3. Good yarn = good sweater
I will have this sweater forever b/c it is a classic style knit up with REALLY GOOD yarn. Can't say enough about Berroco's peruvia-it's just good, yummy yarn. I wet-spliced the ends of balls together so I didn't have any ends to weave in-worked perfectly. This yarn is one of my faves! Will definitely use it again. Sooooo soft and warm!!

And now for pic:



So what's next?
1. Last-minute mittens for the girls and me for Vt. and Debbie Bliss 9 to 5 sweater and hat sets for the girls...should be a good time-I'm using 1824 Mission Falls-what could be better??

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

I think I might be back???

Yep-been thinking about the blog, and actually, how I've ignored it for so long....oops. I guess life just got in the way...seems like that happens a lot to me...especially b/c my girls are getting older and more busy with activities...

But-I'm back to report about my yarny findings on new patterns, yarns, LYs's that I visit, etc....To catch up, on the needles right now is my Ingenue by Wendy Bernard-seriously, the most gratifying, easy, stress-free knitting I've done in awhile. Maybe b/c I know it's for me and there is no deadline really except that I'd love to wear it for Valentine's Day (it's red) or maybe b/c it's seamless, fun knitting? I'm not sure-maybe it's just that Berroco's Peruvia yarn is to.die.for??? Yep-if you get the chance to fondle this yarn-you will buy it for sure~! 100% peruvian highland wool-at it's best...so soft and the colorway that I have is perfect...for me. Pics to post when I get the moment...

I also visited an LYS in NJ recently-Yarn Depot, in Augusta, NJ to be precise. Lovely yarn shop-great selection and no one working there, following me around the shop. I met my friend (who lives in NJ) there and it was fun to go around with her and show her just how great shopping at an LYS is-she usually frequents big box craft stores for the convenience...The shop holds a great selection of basic stocks-Plymouth Galway, in great color choices-great variety, ella rae SUPERWASH, in again, GREAT COLORS, and nice choices in chunky yarns, like Sirdar click...All in all, a great variety, including Berroco, Debbie Bliss, Classic Elite, Plymouth, Sirdar, Ella Rae-definitely will be there to visit again or just to meet my NJ friend. The shop also holds classes and I'm waiting for a class schedule. It would be fun to go with my NJ friend as I don't get to see her too often...

I have also been to Electric City Yarns in Scranton, PA-GREAT selection of yarns also-especially MALABRIGO!!!!! I would visit this shop just to get that-really. Nice group of women in the morning sit-n-knit and nice cafe across the street too. I loved that the women didn't flinch when I came with daughter #2 in tow and of course, she was an angel....She just sat and colored....while Mommy fondled yarn and knit away with new friends...

But-I've got to say, that Jill Deal yarns in Milford PA is still my fav...here's why. Jill Deal is full of yarny knowledge(no question in pattern or stitch ever throws her), her shop is GORGEOUS and her yarn choices in stock cannot be beat. She always has something that I need and if not, can get it lickety-split for me. My hubby stops in often to pick up stuff as he is lucky enough to pass by EVERY DAY. Jill hosts wonderful classes held at the Hotel Fauchere and you are guaranteed a great day of knitting and food when you sign up for one of these classes. So, yep. Still my fav...

So, while I have been absent on the blog for awhile, I have been busy knitting. Check out my projects on Ravelry chriss1099 I've also updated my etsy shop www.yarnygirl.etsy.com I've been busy....I'm not lyin'....:0)


It's good to be back