I'm back...

Well after a loooooong break...I'm back.  To start things off right, after all this is a knitting blog, I have some knitting.

A friend of my husbands made us a beautiful wooden end table as a present so as a thank I decided to make him something.  The perfect project to work on if you live anywhere with record breaking temps like where I am....ugh.....already sick of it being hot and it isn't even officially summer.  Anyway I found the perfect pattern for a pair of masculine gloves.  I haven't made full gloves before, just fingerless mitts and mittens.  Fortunately the pattern is laid out very well with a ton of information on how to make the mitts fit perfectly. 

Don't judge the sizing based on this picture.  That is my hand in the glove and I made these for a man.  The pattern is the foxhall glove pattern and it was very easy to follow.  I made the cuff a bit longer then the pattern to ensure no gaps between coat sleeves and glove.  It was knit up in Cascade Yarns Venezia Sport (70% wool and 30% silk).  Warm and incredibly soft.  I have an extra skein waiting to be used for a project for myself.

The scarf was knit by just using the stitch pattern from the gloves.  I swatched and figured out roughly how wide and long I wanted it to be.  I used Cascade 220 for the yarn and the project calculator here.  A very handy tool for creating a project without a pattern to refer to.  I used up every last bit of yarn and although it is a bit scratchier then the gloves it is so squooshy and warm.

 

Too warm to use now but hopefully he will be grateful for them this winter.  I have missed this space and hopefully everyone hasn't given up on my returning ;)



 

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Summer Accessories?

Hats are not usually my knit of choice.  I have recently found out that I have quite a small head.  Despite having shared DNA with a brother who we nicknamed Charlie Brown, on account of his rather large noggin, I have a small head.  Maybe even 'circus' small.  My kids (who are 5 and 7) can almost share hats with me.  Maybe this is why I embraced the big curly hairstyles of the nineties with such gusto.  To create an optical illusion for my rather puny head.  Either way most hats seem to accentuate this problem instead of disguising it.  I am going out landsailing for the fourth of July and while during the day the temperature in the middle of a dry lakebed, in the middle of the desert, is sufficiently hot enough to want me to shave the aforementioned small head, the nights are frigid.  Tank tops and shorts are gratefully traded in for down parkas, wool gloves, and hats.  This makes the campfire that much more enjoyable because while you are cooking your s'more you are warming yourself as well.  Anyway....back to the hat.  The Hinagiku hat was just what I needed (a free Ravelry download).  Snug at the bottom with all that lovely slouchiness at the top to create the illusion of a proportionate head :).

I don't have the tags for this yarn....just something I had stashed.  I didn't knit the pattern up as written.  Instead of the daisy stitch for the crown I just did moss stitch.  K1P1 for two rows and then P1K1 for two rows.  It looks very close to the Daisy stitch but it is a lot simpler.  Other than that small alteration I knit it up just as written.

Now while taking these photos I realized that I have a bit of sun on my shoulders from a weekend at the lake.....and I'm wearing a sundress and hoping the wind will die down so we can go swimming later...let's pretend that its winter and I'm heading out for a sleigh ride with my new tres chic hat.  A hat that is warm and comfortable.  Now if you were blessed with a head that is just the ride size, lucky you, don't be put off my this hat.  I assure you it will look good on any size head....I had my kids try it on and they are of the "charlie brown head" camp.  :)

Happy summer knitting!

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Magic Wallets

This last weekend I made some magic wallets.  Ever heard of those? 

The wallets that magically move your money back and forth under the elastic inside.  I tried three different types of 'binding' inside the wallet to hold the money.  Elastic, ribbon, and elastic cording.  I found the cording was a little fragile and the wallet couldn't hold it's rectangular shape as well.  Here is 1/8 elastic.

Here is one with a pretty ribbon of the same width.

I thought these would make a fun way to give a gift card.  With Itunes, and Kindle books, and all of the other online shopping that goes on now I know gift cards can be a common present.  My niece wants gift cards for her birthday towards horse back riding lessons.  I hate giving kids gift cards (even when they want one) because it just seems so boring.  At least this way the opening is more fun...and they get a fun magic wallet to boot.

I used the tutorial from here.  She has a pdf to download as well as a video...easy peasy.  No sewing needed.  Just fabric, ribbon, mat board and glue.  I did change the size from the original tutorial.  I made these wallets 4" x 2 1/2 " and when I cut the fabric rectangles to cover the board I cut it 5" x 3 1/2".  I found the elastic had more give and also it seemed to hold whatever was placed inside a bit more.  If you don't want to give a gift card this size also held dollars folded up just as easy.

So head over and whip one up...they go super fast, are very versatile, and I think whoever you give it to will love it!

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Our Fairies

After many months of no knitting....I'm back.  I have a few things finished and ready to show but I thought I would share this knit because it would make a great gift for Christmas.  I know it's only June and over here we are definitely gearing up for the beach but if you started now you could easily have a family of fairies knit up by December and ready for whatever children are in your life.

In April I knit up some fairies for my kids and a couple of their friends.  Unfortunately I did not take a single picture of all four fairies together so you will have to make do with the two that live here with us.  This is the fairy I made for Avery.  With all the fairies I chose the child's favorite color to match the flower case, the skirt/hat and a strand of their hair.  My kids both have blue eyes so their fairies match them. 

This is the fairy that I made for Jack.  My boy is partial to red so a red hat it is....

Here is the back of our girl fairy.....love those wings. 

This is the flower sack in which each fairy lives.  Jack couldn't find his flower, which is red, so here is the purple flower.  I made sure each fairies skirt/hat matched their flower....

Here is the flower all laid out.

So far this spring our fairies have been hanging from tree branches, and playing in the flower beds....

Here is the ravelry link to the magazine that the pattern was found in.  All four fairies are much loved and played with so cast on....

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Back

Whew....that was a long break.  I am tip-toeing my way back into the blogosphere.  I guess I needed a long break...no crafting, sewing, photography, and not much knitting.  Now I feel renewed and excited and ready to jump back in.  Since I'm still finding my footing and I'm not quite sure where to start I am going to cheat and use the "Woman's Day Book" to get started....

I am thinking....how much I missed the blog world.  I found out (from my timeout) that reading posts, writings posts, and working on creative projects helps me stay calm and focused

I am thankful for....my family's health.  A friend of our family has a two year old son who needs a bone marrow transplant.  It has been so hard the last two years watching this little boy suffer as his parents and doctors scrambled to diagnose him and help him heal.

From the kitchen....I am going to make this lemon-blueberry yogurt loaf for the kids for a sweet and tart afternoon snack.  I saw my cousin link to it on pinterest and it looked to good to pass up.

I am creating...I'm hoping to get some pictures of my last two knits to post here for you all.  My needles are empty but after reading, Amy Herzog's Fit to Flatter series, I am planning on casting on Azami this weekend. 

I am going...to soccer practice this afternoon and then tomorrow night my husband and I are going out to dinner with a friend I had growing up that I haven't seen since college.  So excited to catch up and meet her husband.

I am reading...The Game of Thrones series.  My brother loves the television series so I plan on netflixing it when I'm done reading.

I am hoping...to get back in the swing of blogging.

I am hearing....my kids zoom remote control cars around the living room.

Around the house...making lists for my son's fifth birthday party.  Planning an art project for the kids to make for their grandmothers for mother's day. 

Thanks for all the comments/emails and checking in with me while I took my very long sabbatical!  I hope this spring is treating you well and I'll see you again in a few days.

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The Best Laid Plans

I had planned on showing some finished pictures of Aidez but after incorrectly calculating stitches once I joined the sleeves and started on the yoke and having to rip it back twice I am finally on the home stretch.  Since the first day of Autumn has come and gone and I don't have a cardigan to show for it yet I thought I would share my knitting bag. 

Please don't judge me...I know it's awful.  I use it for its form and function not necessarily its beauty.  This is an old bag I think I used to tote around baby stuff at one point.  The reason I like it so much is that it is surrounded by pockets on the outside.  An easy way to divvy up my stuff and the kid crap that I am inevitably toting around.  The inside is a large main compartment that is divided by a zippered divider pocket.  It also has a small zippered bag that is attached by a hook.  I have all my various accessorises in the outside pockets and on the inside is where I keep my knitting.  I just got The Knit Kit in the mail so a little reorganizing of my bag was in order.  I had to the knit kit because I was buying some birthday presents and needed a little bump to get my free shipping... right?

All of those notions are packed away inside the little knit kit.  Up at the top of the knit kit you can't really see it but there is a stitch counter.  It has a tape measure, scissors, stitch markers, crochet hook, point protectors, and a needle.  The perfect knitting "first aid kit" I ordered mine off Amazon, best price, and highly recommend it.

The next thing I carry with me in my bag is my mp3 player.  I realize most people have smart phones but alas I have a 'dumb' phone.  It only makes phone calls.  I have music, movies, pod casts, and audio books.

The next little bits I carry around are a pen, my notebook (not seen here), lip gloss, a hair clip, hand sanitizer, a calculator, lotion, eye drops, and the little polka dot flip-flop is a small nail kit.  These all tuck away nicely in the small outside pockets.  I usually have a pack of cards and a couple small toys to keep my kids busy (helps me get more knitting done)

Lastly I have a small knitting project in there.  This isn't my current knitting project it's a small one.  What if I run out of yarn in my current project??  The HORROR!  So in addition to whatever I'm working on I have this little number tucked in the bag.  A small zippered pencil case like you would find in a Trapper Keeper (do they even make those anymore?) holds the directions, extra needles, an extra stitch counter, and cable needle. 

My long term goal would be to either find a replacement bag that has all the same pocket appeal or sew my own.  Until then this little baby is usually close by to assist me, my MacGyver knitting bag.  What do you keep in your bag?

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My lazy tomato sauce

I am about to admit a disturbing truth about myself.....I hate tomatoes. This statement is terrible for a myriad of reasons the least of which being that I am 1/4 Italian. A sacrilege I know and one I have lived with my whole life. With this truth though is the knowledge that while I hate said fruit I also know they are extremely healthy. So in an effort to be healthy I have to hide tomatoes from myself. Yes, much like you would disguise healthy food for your children I find the need to do it to myself. So I faithfully grow tomato plants every summer and have a huge bounty. My kids eat them, I share with neighbors and friends. When those avenues of distribution have been exhausted then I make my lazy tomato sauce base.
Lazy Tomato Sauce
First get together a few pounds of tomatoes, and if you are fortunate to have some fresh basil and oregano handy then cut off some of that as well.

Wash and chop the above ingredients and add in a diced onion.  Throw them all in your crock pot and cook on low for a few hours

Turn off the crock-pot and let the mixture cool a bit. Then put the mixture through a food mill. Glop (when you are doing this with two kids running around you because they don't want the dragon to get them you are glopping, not gently funnelling, glopping) it all into jars, Tupperware, whatever you have and freeze. Now as the temperatures cool and more one-pot soups, stews, chili's, and casseroles make there way into our evening meals I will mix this little lazy sauce in. That way I can reap the summertime nutrients without having to actually "eat" them. Voila!


~Andrea

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My weekend....

Earlier this month Avery celebrated her seventh birthday.  Seven!!  I realize that in seven more years we will be wading thigh deep through teenage parenting.  I swear I was just a twenty-something yesterday with my biggest worry being if my clothes were clean for work and where I would be hanging out with my friends.  Now on my Saturdays I do things like hang a gagillion paper lanterns around my house and make a braid out of yellow streamers that covers the whole upstairs goes out the front door and ends at the curb.

We had a Tangled party A.K.A Rapunzel.  Complete with costumes (a wig for Avery) and enough 6 & 7 year old girls to ensure a princess quorum..

The costume and wig will be making a reappearance at Halloween....the wig was too heavy to wear for the whole party.  Kind of hard to play 'Rapunzel Says' with a 4 1/2 foot braid whipping around the room. 

After spending the whole day as the best mommy ever  :)  doing all Rapunzel party stuff all the time, I decided to take today off so to speak.  A day spent on the sofa.  Well mostly on the sofa...kind of hard to really pull this off with kids that can't reach the top half of the fridge or pantry....but it was close.  I relaxed on the sofa to work on Aidez while my husband watched football.  Now I don't care about football at all.  I know there are a lot of sports fans out there but for me football/baseball/soccer whatever are just a vehicle for me to sit and knit or surf the Internet and read blogs and plan for the holidays and well I'm sure you get it...just relax with myself, some knitting and my laptop.  My husband close by watching "insert sport" and talking with me and my kids playing nearby.

Truly blissful.  And I can feel even more virtuous about my mommy day off when I pull puzzles out for my kids to work on.....good for the brain right?   I love it when they do good things for their little brains and I can sit and knit and watch :).

I have some cooking to share and some tips for what to do with the last of your tomatoes but right now I'm going to soak up the last little bits of my Sunday.
Take care friends ~Andrea

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End of Summer

The end of summer for me is both the pulling the most out of the last days of summer and the push of full steam ahead into autumn.  One more trip to the mountains, one more day at the beach, one last night out with friends way past bedtime playing games and running through the warm summer air.  Well folks we managed to sneak all of that in this last month.  Before all the signs point to summer really being over we have snuck in, one last campfire session...

One more, albeit a lot cooler than usual, afternoon by the water.....

One more "hike" in the woods....

One more craft outside....

One more golden raspberry from the yard...

The hope that we will get one watermelon from our volunteer plant

One more daily harvest of veggies before the frost comes....

One more glimpse of the sunflowers that have grown way over my head

And the sure sign that summer is almost over is the fall cardigan knitting progress.

I have been steadily working away on Aidez.  The house is still warm and the days are still longish but that snap in the air when I'm drinking my morning coffee on the deck and the few trees around me that have had the audacity to change color are all pointing the direction to fall.  How are your end of summer preparations going?

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My summer....

The last time I checked in here summer was just getting underway and the fourth of July was just around the corner.  Now I am speeding towards the final lap of August and looking towards fall.  While autumn is my absolute favorite time of year I am still working to soak up this last bit of summer.  A month from now both of my kids will be in school.  Avery in first grade and Jack in preschool.  For the first time in seven years I will have regularly scheduled alone time.  Granted it's only 6 hours a week but still.....what will I do?  I'm looking towards this next chapter with equal parts excitement and sadness.  Since I am still home with both kiddos I don't really have anything creative and earth shattering to share with you.  The pool, beach, mountains, and trails don't lend themselves to much crafting.  Baseball games for most would be a great time to take needles in hand and work on some small projects.  But for me baseball games are a healthy dose of family time, socializing with friends, and helping my kids with workbooks, color books, reading, and whatever projects I have managed to stuff into my bag of tricks to help us stay at least through the seventh inning stretch.  But with all the fall patterns books coming out and Halloween decorations creeping onto retail shelves I have a foot in each season and I have finally settled on my first cold weather pattern to work on.  Aidez.

I am going to rip out my swank cardigan.  It turned out just as the pattern promised and the yarn is incredibly soft and cozy but I just don't ever wear it.  Since Berroco Ultra Alpaca is pricey as well it seems a shame to have a cardigan languishing in my closet with no one to love it RIPPPP....I am going to cast on for Aidez.  A pattern I come back to again and again.  I think this one will be worn so my afternoon plans are going to be watching my kids play in the "pool" and wind yarn. 

Next my two reads this summer have not been novels but rather cookbooks.  Jamie at Home is quickly becoming a family favorite.  When I made the Guinness pie with puff pastry lid my husband nearly cried....it was that good.  Besides all of the amazing recipes from his show he also has gardening tips for all the vegetables showcased in the book.

Around my French Table.....what can I say except that everything looks delicious and the few things I have made did not disappoint.  I have made her recipe for sweet and spicy nuts multiple times this summer and have yet to have an event where I haven't given the recipe out.  I am looking forward to cooler weather when a roast chicken in my oven sounds a bit more attractive.

The one project that has taken up my time is putting together a family cookbook for us.  A girlfriend of mine started this little book for me to keep my recipes in and I am finally organizing all my clippings and notes and everything.  And my name is spelled Andrea, Andra was an inside joke at the time.  And the man at the grill is supposed to be my husband....he brings the red hair gene to our family :).
In one place will be our tried and true recipes.  A quick reference of the recipes I have stolen from cookbooks that I make again and again with my changes.  My goal is to put it all together and photograph my dishes as I make them...you know like a real cookbook :).  The next few weeks will be busy and lazy both so I'll be in and out but hopefully I'll get back in the creative swing and have more to share.  I hope you are all soaking up your summers as well!  XOXO Andrea

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A List and a little inspiration

My sister and I recently had a long conversation about hobbies and learning new things.  The fact of the matter is there aren't many people in my day to day existence that 'get it' when they see me knitting, or crafting with my kids, or staying up late when I am finishing a Halloween costume in time for a school party.  I usually get a polite smile a somewhat enthusiastic, "good for you" and "you know they are selling a costume for a princess at Target right now", or " Kohl's is having a sale on sweaters.  I know they mean well but they really don't get it.  Creating something with your own hands.  Always wanting to learn something new.  Do people hit adulthood and stop wanting to learn new things?  I hope that I never stop wanting to pick up a new hobby or learn something.  I have my own list of things I would like to either do better or learn.  Some of them are

get back into running::speak french::brush up on my very rudimentary Spanish::learn piano better::learn guitar::sew more than just a costume::practice yoga::paint::pottery::design a knitting pattern or two or three

Just a few things off the top of my head.  Here is a list of inspiring woman that I tore out of an magazine, can't remember which one.  Maybe this weekend we'll all be so lucky to learn something new or open up the door to something new for someone else.

1777 Teenager Sybil Ludington rides all night long through a storm to alert the 400 men in her father's militia that the redcoats are coming.  She's called the female Paul Revere-but Paul rode with two of his buddies.  And he was captured by the British.

1805 Sacagawea joins Lewis and Clark as their expedition's interpreter, traveling thousands of miles across the Rockies with her newborn babe strapped to her back

1906 Mada C.J. Walker hawks shampoos and serums door-to-door.  The orphaned daughter of former slaves, she becomes one of America's wealthiest businesswomen.

1938 Anna Mary Robertson Moses sells her first paintings, at age 78.  Known as "Grandma" Moses she continues to paint for 23 years, becoming one of the century's most renowned folk artists.

1960 At the Rome Olympics, Wilma Rudolph-once partially paralyzed by polio-earns three gold medals in track-and-field, the first American woman to do so.

1967 Kathrine Switzer dares to run the all-male Boston Marathon, while an irate race official chases her

1985 Just 175 miles from the Iditarod finish line, Libby Riddles heads into a blizzard when other mushers opt to stay in camp; this gives her a six-hour lead and ultimately, the win.

Just a few of the many on the list.  Sometimes a little inspiration is needed.  Have a lovely weekend!!

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Seeds Hat

Awhile back I won a giveaway that Chris had on her blog and by awhile I mean six months ago, eek this year is flying by.    She gave away one of her patterns (they are all gorgeous) and the yarn to complete it.  In the last few months I have totally lost my knitting energy and in an effort to reclaim it I grabbed my winnings and cast on.

It was so nice to pick up some knitting and know that it would all work out beautifully because the author of the pattern sent you everything in order to complete it.  My fingers got quite the workout....along with my brain because I am not a practised color work knitter.  Isn't the top gorgeous? 

I also did my first hem with this piece.  The brim starts with plain stockinette and after a bit you switch to the color pattern and then when that is long enough you hem it as you knit.  So neat and finished looking I love it.  Not to mention that it tucks in all the loose ends from the start and so you have hardly any finishing when it is done. 

This was just the thing I needed to get my knitting desire back.  Something small that was easy to tote around with me and quickly finished.  Perfect!  Thank you Chris for the pattern, I loved it!

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The mountains

We had a great night up in the mountains this weekend.  With such a late start to summer here we haven't had a chance to get up there and prep.  Tables need to be put out and hammocks hung.  As always I am making lists of things for the kids to do in their downtime.  Running around the forest, playing in the fort, and swimming are the favorites but in the evenings the kids usually need a playtime break and a chance to just relax.  I know you are thinking that a good book and some knitting would be just the ticket but since my kids are only 4 and 6 we went with t-shirts and puffy paint.

Here's a little tip from me.....great project for a six year old....messy with a four year old....

Of course their was too much food.  We did a shrimp boil with corn on the cob.

Jack says camping is his favorite thing to do.  I'll let you in on a little secret.....when my son says camping is his favorite he really means s'mores.  He would have them morning, noon, and night if I let him....but then I guess who wouldn't?

After all the stickiness was washed clean and the kids were sleeping a sugar induced coma I got to have a little grown up time with my husband by the campfire...

No knitting this weekend but I am almost done with my Seeds hat.  How was your weekend?

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Maine Morning Mitts

A few years ago I loosely followed along with Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter Almanac and May was for mitts.  I really intended to make a whole slew of mitts this last May but only one pair was finished.  The Maine Morning Mitts. 

It is hard to get a 'catch your eye' photo of black mitts knit in a rib pattern so how about you check out my manicure, or at least what is left of my manicure :)

Last Friday night I went out with some girlfriends for a belated birthday celebration and we got manis and pedis and margaritas.  You know you are having a good time when one conversation (at least what seems like one conversation) lasts two hours. 

This next shot shows that the mitts aren't too long and that the nail polish is coming off the tips of my nails....hence the reason I rarely get manicures, the polish is off within days.

And last we have the modeled shot by my four year old son complete with airplane pajamas.  I swear the mitts have thumbs.

These are a fast and easy knit, as most mitts are, and definitely masculine enough to hand off to the nearest man.  Very comfortable and the pattern is free.  Perfect thing to work on if summer has hit your neck of the woods and the temperature is climbing.  We are heading out of town to the mountains this weekend to cool off.  I'll be back on Monday!

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