And 3 balls of this Queensland Sugar Rush, just because it's made of sugar cane fibers and I don't have anything in my stash made of sugar cane!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
lunchtime yarn binge
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Everybody needs to make these!
So it's just a basic shortbread cookie recipe (that's just butter, confectioners sugar, flour and almond or vanilla extract) and you roll pieces out into something kind of like a finger size, then just squeeze it a little in the middle for the knuckle and make little lines for wrinkles with a knife. Then take almonds (the recipe called for blanched almonds, but I only had the regular ones, and I kind of think that looks creepier anyway!) and press them in the end as fingernails. Bake them for something like 10 minutes or until they look done. The "nails" don't stay in the cookie on their own - they'll fall right out, so you just
mix up a little icing with a bit of confectioners sugar, water, and red food coloring, then take out the almond, run the back of it through the icing and press it back into the nailbed so that it sort of oozes out like blood. If anyone is going to a halloween party, you totally need to take these! Walk around with one hanging out of you mouth - it'll be both hilarious and delicious! (because really not much beats toasted almonds and shortbread in the delicious department!)
I love buttons
I got these

and these
and these
and these.
(I think I'm in the middle of a sparkle phase! I couldn't resist the rhinestones!)
and these
Guess I'd better start cranking out more cardigans, huh?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
I can't stop taking pictures of this
Despite my glut of Christmas knitting, I cast on for a scarf this week.
Maybe because I feel like I'm making pretty good progress on my Christmas stuff, or maybe because the mister so rarely asks for stuff, I decided it was ok. and I kinda needed an excuse to do something different for a minute anyway. He wants a black scarf and I nearly went out and bought something like wool ease for it, but then decided that it was ridiculous to have 800 yards of Adrienne Vitadini Trina in my stash and not just use that. Now you could also say it's ridiculous to use discontinued merino/cashmere on a guy who doesn't always take the best care of his stuff, but I figured it'd be nice for him to have something really soft around his neck, and even though I got the yarn with a project in mind, the chances of me getting to that project within the next 20 years is slim. seriously. Plus, it's nice to be able to knit with it - I mean isn't that half the reason we buy lovely stuff? It's seed stitch, which is simple but manly and if I'm making something for him, I don't just want to churn out a plain old garter scarf - even if he can't distinguish it from garter, he deserves more than that!
Friday, October 9, 2009
rockstars in Ohio!
I just signed up for a class with Cookie A. - I'm not sure I could be more excited! I'm not much of a class person, and what's even stranger is that this class is for designing socks from the top down and I assume that it's kind of an in-person version of the beginning of Sock Innovation where she goes through all that. and I do own the book so I could totally figure it out - but it's Cookie A. and I'll be in the same room with her. undoubtedly talking to her. i may well pass out. or worse yet, die right on the spot!
Friday, October 2, 2009
a different kind of needle, for a change...
Monday, August 24, 2009
The christmas knitting monkey...
...is on my back! Even though I told myself I wouldn't get crazy with Christmas knitting this year, I feel myself doing it already. I planned the Rowan sweater for my favorite uncle plenty early, got the yarn, and started it - then got derailed by an irresistable test knit for Carol Feller. It's nearly finished. And now there's another test knit that I absolutely can't turn down - it's colorwork (hello? love!) and it's for Hannah Ingalls, and I can't wait to do it! I know it's still August, but still, the sensible thing would be to pare down my plans for gifts, but this time of year I just start adding them on, and on, and on! I definitely want to knit for my mom because she's the one who appreciates it and deserves it more than anyone else. I'm going to make her some thrummed mittens because she's got perpetually cold hands. However, that just doesn't seem like enough, you know? I fear that I'll make some rash decision to start on something like a 2000 yd. lace shawl for her 2 weeks before Christmas! Then there's my father's birthday on December 1st, which always catches me off guard because my mind gets fixated on the 24th. I want to make him a pair of socks because I can't ever think of anything else to get him - no wait! it's the standing gift of date bars (my grandmother's recipe) for his birthday, then socks for Christmas - ok, I just got a month back! Oh, and have you seen that new kit from Knit Picks for the ornaments and garlands? It's adorable. and so cheap! I ordered it. I'm already envisioning a strand of knit lights on my mantle! and of course that's also going to lead to little knit ornaments for my mom and sister-in-law too! I told myself I would not knit for the nieces or nephews - it's all just going to end up in a dog's mouth or on the garage floor eventually anyway. Buuut, my oldest niece is getting an American Girl doll for her birthday in October (and I decided I'd sew some clothes for her - pattern is in hand, but when am I going to get around to that? a week before? probably) and there are some pretty cute American Girl knit patterns on Ravelry. How long could that possible take? Gaaaaa! It's August - this is only going to get worse!!
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