WIP it

I am working hard at giving you a photo illustrated instructions for the trivet. I should be able to post it tomorrow as a Sunday treat.

My goal for today's post was to put up some of my Works In Progress.

The first: I am hiding what is truly spiffy about this sweater out of Noro Kureyon. For awhile it has been nestled in my stash waiting for something that didn't scream horizontal stripes. (I know it doesn't look like I accomplished that from your vantage point, but I will appreciate your trust. I am hiding because I am hoping that this will be the item having the magic combination that gets me to a major goal - being published in Knitty. The magic combo is unique design plus done in time for the deadline.)



The Second: This monkey is way behind schedule. Well, really only a week. It is Tucker the Monkey from Tracy Chapman's "toys to knit" and it was intended to be in my son's easter basket. It will be his finished buddy soon. (I do love knitting for him...he is truly proud of my skill and glows with pride to show off his knitted possessions. He is so kind to his mother's ego.) ;) I am using a boucle from Michaels that is giving the monkey a nice coat of fur. If you knit this too, I chose to work the contrasting hands and feet attached to the whole leg or arm piece rather than as separte bits, as indicated by the pattern. Just saving on seams.

The third: I thought this sweater/shrug will be lovely for the spring. If it gets here. It has been blazing hot or cold (for a born and bred southern cali girl). I found it on PeonyKnits. I am using some of my millions of skeins of white Jaime.


The fourth: This scarf is some deliciousness from alchemy yarns (green synchronisity and yellow furry kindness). This may end up being the most expensive knit item that I will own when completed. One day I went on a quick jaunt to Black Sheep Knittery where I was lured by their St. Patrick's day sale on green yarns. My favorite holiday and color. I could not resist.

The last thing I want to mention are these purchases from the Yarn Garden in Portland, OR. I dunno what the Koigu will be, but I think that the Crystal Palace Cotton Chenielle will be the flower washcloth from "weekend knits" or the washcloths from the Mason-Dixon ladies.

Finally I have pictures

They are shabby pictures, but they do their job. I took what follows on my sidekick and emailed them to myself; that will have to be the way until I get my card reader up and running. (When I get there, I have so many OR pictures to share from our trip.)

First I want to share some baking that I did just before we left. I had an intense desire for cupcakes the night before our flight and I found the recipe for Magnolia cupcakes (which I hoped that my dear fan of SNL's "Lazy Sunday" would be excited about...I am giving this very sterile link to the clip because I think the definitions are rich and you can link to the video near the bottom ;)). So they were a pretty classic recipe and very easy to make and crazy delicious.

They also come in the wedding color trifecta.

So as promised to the yahoo SnB, I am posting pics of the crocheted patterns that I figured out this weekend while up north.

The first is unique to my fiance's grandmother. I used Encore.



The second is one that I my grandma was famous for making but I never could figure hers out because the ombre made the moves a bit confusing. My mom often suggested that I take one apart, but I couldn't bear it. So, my fiance's grandma had made a striped one out of a light color and it suddenly became blaringly obvious. (I'll share how soon ;)...maybe tomorrow ;).) These in the picture are going to be thank you gifts for my future in-law's hospitality. For this, I used Lily Cotton from Michael's. I am going to try to stay away from 100% acrylic only because I think that one of my other hurtles in figuring it out was that the older ones had melted a little through many years of use.


Anywho, they may seem homely but I think they are glorious. Did anyone else's grandmothers make these? What would you say your grandma or mother was famous for making ;)?

thinking of packing

We are heading up to Portland this coming Wednesday. I am hoping for a few things. The number one hope is to finish certain knitted goods: two sweaters, a monkey, and gloves. Next hope is that it is cold and dreary so that the wished for sweaters are appropriate. The final hope contradicts the afore metnioned....please no rain for our departures and arrivals. Could you please aim the appropriate energy toward LAX and PDX?

sanity fairy jumps out of the bushes

Wedding developments: we went looking on Saturday at some really lovely family farm houses that were built in the early 1900's as locations for the reception. They are called McCormick Ranch and McGrath Ranch...owned by cousin families. They really appealed to me because they reminded me of my grandparents house in Huntington Beach from about the same genre of SoCal farmhouse. But it turns out that we could rent a ballroom at CSU Channel Islands for $400; there are a few kinks to work out in that brilliant deal but it sounds more and more attractive. (Even though my daydream of an outdoor affair keeps fading, I am still pleased with the course that planning is taking thus far.)

I found something mildly amazing at the 99cents only store. Loads of white Lion Brand Jaime yarn of which I purchased 200 skeins after falling in love with the idea of an outdoor reception near the sea in late June. I was imagining copying a wedding idea where they had a basket of shawls labeled "take a shawl and cozy up", which translated to me also imagining whipping out as many shawls as I could in the next 410-ish days. (Here is where the sanity fairy completes a covert operation to save me from myself and give my fiance a better idea.) However, if the festivities are now likely to be mainly indoors, then my mind is having a party about what to do with so much yarn while the "you-need-to-make-a return" police are knocking at the door for me to turn the music down.

boo daylight savings

I hate this day. Get up earlier if you want more sunshine in your day. There was a study done about people' s circadian rhythms where they took away all light cues. The circadian rhythm, or natural rhythm, actually are 25 hrs long. Therefore, I already feel cheated out of one hour each day of my entire life...where does the government get off withholding today's hour. It is a game that they will never win. The earth is changing and the magnetic north is moving. The tilt will change and some day alaska's crazy light could be florida's problem....(do not quote this prediction). However, humanity will win in the end...(perhaps a million years from here), because the earth's rotation is also elongating so days are getting longer...