FO: Traveling Beaumont

I have been wanting to knit Paper Dolls by Kate Davies (only with camels) for a while now but have been intimidated to test my color work skills on such a large project where it could have gone ALL WRONG! And seeing as it's worked from the bottom up I wouldn't even know it's was ALL WRONG until the project was nearly completed... and you all know how much I hate frogging knits that are almost done

So I decided to give color work a try on a smaller scale, like a hat. That way if it didn't work out then I wouldn't be out hours and hours and hours of work... I would only be out of just a few hours!

But it did work and I'm totally addicted. I love it and I just can't stop. I find it so gratifying and entertaining to watch the patterns emerge row by row until finally a picture begins to form. Also seeing colors paired together really adds a new beauty to my knitting that I just haven't experienced before.

Project Details

Pattern: Beaumont Tam by Jared Flood

Needles: knit using magic loop US size 3 and 6

Yarn: Hand & Hand in white and Handmaiden Cabash Sock in Amethyst

Mods: went down by one needle size in both the small and large needles after reading other's comments. I also cast on with the purple then switched to white instead of knitting the entire band in purple to ensure I would have enough purple to make it to the top!

I've already started my second color work project (details on this one later!) because I just can't get enough!

I'm now looking at my stash in a whole new way. Moving skeins around checking to see if they belong together. The possibilities are endless! Endless I tell you!

Library

I found the Chicago Public Library... and it's huge!

It also happens to be off the same stop as my favorite yarn shop

Now you know where to find me

Happy birthday to me!

It was my birthday longer ago than it feels like. Honestly it felt like it just flew by but I had an amazing day that I just have to share with you.

I know there are many people in my life who think of me and care about me and who try to go out of their way to make me smile but it's quite heart warming when all those people tell you on the same day that you are in their thoughts. I was truly touched that all of my friends and family, that are now spread all across this great little world, took the time to send me a little love.

About a week before my birthday, when I was checking my mail, I found a little slip that said I had a package. Huh... I thought I wonder what it is... I was pretty sure I hadn't ordered any yarn (I'm back on the yarn diet :::pout:::) so I went and collected the box and got excited when I saw it was from my dad and step mom. I ran up stairs and stared at it. Should I open it? Should I wait? My birthday wasn't for another week. A WEEK! I can't wait that long and I'm an adult. There are down sided to being an adult, one of them being paying an electric bill but there are upsides too. The upsides include having ice cream before dinner (let's be honest I've been doing that since I was like 15) wearing your new clothes as soon as you get them and opening presents whenever you feel like it! The hubbs was out of town so I wasn't going to wait for him to get home and I opened it right away.

Here is what I found:

A drop spindle, a HUGE ball of roving and a starbucks card. I nearly passed out with excitement and immediately called my dad and step mom to thank them profusely. I'll show you my spinning progress soon

About a day before my birthday I received another gift. From my mom. : D She knew that I had been umm rather addicted to Bed Bath & Beyond lately (hey when you live with out it and Target for 3 years then we'll talk) and had been hoarding my coupons and wanting some goodies so she sent me the means to get not only a new coffee maker (woot woot!) but also some of the new flexi baking dishes so I could make this lasagna.

This has to be the best lasagna I have made! Ok the only lasagna I ever made but it was pretty darn good!

The hubbs spoiled me as he does everyday. Although I specifically remember a steakhouse being involved. yum.

Then on my birthday it's self not only did my family call and sing to me but I my facebook and ravelry group blew up with messages of birthday wishes! Charmaine even sent me a knitting pattern from my wish list!!! I'm so excited to start it! Jocelyn left me sweet notes on every media site I'm on and Kundi (as always) made sure I knew I was on the top of her mind... (there was lots of purple involved). And Amanda! She gave me a tatting needle that her grandmother passed down to her. I only hope I conveyed to her how much that it means to me.

Thank you everyone for a wonderful birthday. I'm still smiling!

randomness

1- i'm finally getting over being sick. this time it came in waves. first the sick feeling, then the sick sounding, then the hacking (the loveliest part). i prefer to take it all on at once

2- now that i don't feel so sick i have been knitting. a lot

3- and cooking

4- and spinning

5- i've been busy

6- oh and i got a "proper" (by proper i mean a real) jacket that can handle whatever the weather here in chicago can dish out at us. at least that's what the guy said.

7- and boots which i could probably use to hike through the tundra of canada and still have toasty feet

8- yet i still feel ill prepared for winter. sigh. i think i'll just have to get through the first one

9- the auto timer on the dishwasher is amazing. it means it cleans while you sleep. unless you stay up too late. then it scares the crap out of you. like now

10- i think that's my cue to go to bed. night.

FO: Whipped Cream

So it's not secret that I am throughly in to yarn swaps. I love the whole process. Figuring out what someone would like and knitting for them is one of the very best parts

Recently I put together an angle package for an Ice Cream themed swap. An angle package means that someone, for whatever reason, flaked on sending out their swap package therefore someone who sent a perfectly well thought out and loved package to someone else didn't receive anything in return and thats where I came in.

I saw that there was someone who needed an ice cream themed swap and seeing as I worked at a Baskin Robins for 8 years I feel I practically have a PhD in the topic so I decided to go for it.

I put together a really cute box which had each part of the package making up a sundae. There was these super cute project bags my mom made.

The large bag was the "cone" for the sunday. There was some yarn which made up the "ice cream", then the little bag made up the "sprinkles", and a much desired book by my swappee made up the "cherry" on the cone. But I ask what kind of sundae doesn't have whipped cream?

So I included this shaw which I knit for her off her queue (a queue is the list of projects we knitters wish to make)

It's a super fast knit and it's knit in garter stitch rather than stockinet stitch which really speeds things up for me (see this post)

Project details:

Pattern: Vixen Shawl by Tori Gurbisz

Yarn: Posh Yarn - Laura in Garden Party.

Needles: US 6

Mods: I didn't modify this pattern at all However if I were to knit it again I would definitely up the needle size as it didn't come out anywhere near as big as pattern called for. Also the yarn is gorgeous and also has a little cashmere in it so it's super soft but it's also quite splitty.

Sick

I have been sick. It hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday. It's amazing how you can feel your body being consumed by a cold slowly but surly. Ever since it hit I haven't been able to knit a stitch! (I shake my fist at you sickness!) I just stare at all my projects and think I should be knitting and then I pick it up and put it down again. It's just too much work.

Now after sleeping for an entire 12 HOURS! (that's a lot even for me!) I'm laid out on the couch because apparently waking up and making coffee was just too much for my body to handle. But I thought I would update my blog before I head for the cough syrup because after a dose of that stuff I tend not to make much sense any more. I tried last night. Really I did. And after a half a sentence I gave up. It was just too hard. Anyone who can write while they are sick well you have my respect.

...uh oh.... the words are slipping away. ugh.

Oh right well I wanted to show you the yummy chicken noodle soup I made yesterday to get my self through this cold. It's made the way my mom makes it with extra black pepper. Yum.

The hubbs also went and picked up a bunch of goodies for me (english muffins and choc chip cookies top that list) isn't he sweet?

Ok off to have some more soup and then take a much needed nap

backwards

I've been teaching my self to knit backwards.

I really hate purling back on large stockinet WIPs. In fact I dislike it so much that I will avoid all stockinet pieces just so I don't have to purl back 100 stitches. But there are so many cute sweaters out there I have been wanting to knit so I have been teaching my self to knit backwards

At first it was like trying to write with the wrong hand. Awkward, sloppy and inefficient to say the least but after practicing i'm finally to the point where I don't have to look at every stitch and I'm about as fast at it as purling. I figure with a little more practice I'll be knitting up a storm in no time!

But let me tell you it uses muscles I didn't know I had

Blackhawks

Boy do I have a lot to catch up on. Things have been pretty busy and then I got sick. Sick means I loose all ability to form complete sentences. So before I dive into another dose of cough medicine I thought I would update my blog with at least a few of my happenings

First up

I went to my first Chicago Blackhawks game on Friday

Three things happened at this game

1. (and not surprisingly) the Hawks won!

2. I made some new friends

3. I'm addicted to hockey now! And I will go to every game where I can get my hands on some of those hot little tickets!