Cleaning

One of my best friends, Vandra, is coming to visit this weekend!  Yay!  I'm so excited; we haven't been able to get together in years.  The only downside to it, is that it means I should clean our apt.  Some of it is easy... laundry, scrub down the tub, etc.  But I hate cleaning up the clutter.  So much clutter!!!  :op

I do admit, however, it does look nice for awhile and feels great while it's nice.  Guess I'd better get to that instead of blogging.  :o(  (or knitting)  

FO: Havelock Cowl

I am a process knitter... so when I get bored with something, it usually gets thrown in with the rest of the UFOs and is not seen for months (sometimes years!).  But every once in awhile I get around to actually finishing something.  :oD  Here's my Havelock Cowl:

Yarn:  StitchJones Eco Art Handpainted Eco Wool
Needles:  US 10 circs

It's a fun and simple pattern that comes out beautifully!  Also is a fairly quick knit for anyone looking for something for gifting.  This one is going to be a gift, actually.  Luckily, I don't believe that person checks my blog anyways.  ;o)

Consummate V's published!

You can now dl your own copy of my Consummate V's Hat pattern on Ravelry!  This hat is knitted in worsted weight using US 7 and 9 needles.  It is a quick and easy project, that I hope you enjoy knitting as much as I will enjoy seeing your projects!  :o)

Consummate V's Hat

I finally have my pattern edited and ready for publishing!  It will be going live tomorrow, if I can get the pictures inserted and whatnot.  The minute details of publishing a pattern is what takes me forever.  :o)  I hope you guys enjoy my first hat pattern!

My Queue

Is it just me, or does everyone have a humongous queue on Ravelry??  I will never be able to knit everything on it, and it doesn't even represent the patterns I want to make in books I own or the future patterns to come... Here are a few of the patterns in my queue:

Labyrinth Lullaby Socks

Foxy Dress

Multnomah

Ease

Birthday Month!

I love October.  Some of the best weather happens in October.  You finally get that transition from summer into fall during October.  Even in my birth state of California, the evenings and mornings start to get a coolness to them, while the days stay nice and sunny.  Here in Texas, I thought summer was never going to end... and yet now, I'm leaving for work in the morning and I'm feeling the crispness in the air.  The humidity is starting to quiet down and the evenings are perfect for walking.  Yes, it is still 80s and 90s during the day, but it's not the overbearing heat that makes you dread being outside anymore.  October really does bring fall into play.

The other reason I love October is because it's my birthday month!  To celebrate this awesome month, I'm going to be selling my patterns at 50% off!  All you need to do is use the coupon code "october" when checking out.  And, as an extra bonus, I will be releasing a free pattern in the middle of the month!

Marisol Cowl

Sockie Sock

Bohemian Cowl (knitted)

Newly released patterns I am dying to make!

Sometimes I spend too much time on Ravelry... and by sometimes, I think I mean I spend a crazy amount of time on Ravelry.  ;o)  Sometimes I like to browse the patterns and see newly released patterns because I think there is so much talent to be found on there.  So, here are a few patterns I love:

Amigurumi Whale/Narwhal

Dagmar Sweater

Waterfall Shawl

Backshore

What do you think?  Like any of these?  Or any other new patterns that any of you are really into?

Mamboberry

Yesterday, as I was about to head out the door from work, it began to pour.  While I was excited that we are going to get some water for our plant-life, I was disappointed that it had to start right before I left. When it rains here, it mainly pours for about 15-20 minutes, then it lightens up and disappears.  Well, this time, it didn't lighten up and so I ran, but I was soaked by the time I got to my car!  To cheer me up, I went to Mamboberry and got a frozen yogurt!  

It was tart yogurt with raspberry topping.  :oD  It was great!!  They also had lots of regular food also, and I am very interested in heading back to check it out.  

September already??

Well, apparently, working an extra day a week for about 2 months can really put a drain on your desire to do anything but get to work, eat, knit, and sleep.  Yes, I definitely still knit, even when drained.  Except I haven't actually finished a single project in ages.  I've got a bunch of stuff I'm working on, but I think I'll save those posts for later.  For now, I'd like to share this with you:

What is this disgusting thing, you ask?  Kombucha!  Or rather, homemade kombucha.  That gross thing that you think should not be in something you consume is a mushroom that is commonly referred to as a SCOBY.  This is the tea in it's first fermentation state.  It has since been transferred into a sun tea jar; it is much easier to decant just the liquid from there.

Here are the quick steps to kombucha:
- Put sweetened tea with SCOBY.
- Ferment for 5-7 days
- Decant tea into another container and add fruit or other flavor enhancers, let ferment another day or two.  Add new sweetened tea back with the SCOBY to start a new 1st fermentation batch.
- When 2nd fermentation is ready, decant through a coffee filter into your drinking vessels (we use either old glass drink bottles or mason jars).  Let the drink sit for another day to get some fizziness.
- Refrigerate
- Drink

It's turning out pretty good so far... Flavors we've tried are:  mango/ginger, peach/ginger (friend made this one), and blueberry in green tea (the others were in black tea).  We are currently flavoring a green tea with nectarine jam (just wanted to see how it would work), a black tea with strawberry/ginger, and a black tea with apple/honey.  This is a fun experiment!

Oh, and, I am done with working the extra days, so hopefully I can get my energy back and post a bit more of my projects up here.  :o)

Bootie Bootie Bootie Bootie Walkin' Everywhere!

Here is the pair I made for another co-worker.  This one is having a boy.  She seems to like them pretty well too.  :o)

Pattern:  Magic Slipper
Yarn:  fingering scraps

The most amazing time suck ever...

I just spent maybe 30 minutes on this.  I had to see if there was an end to the splitting of the circles.  Answer:  Yes.  Worth it?  I think so.

http://www.koalastothemax.com/

And the ending is different if you reload the page.  Yeah.  This is terrible.  Enjoy!

Kitchenaid Mixer

I've been doing a bit more baking and cooking at home lately... and so I'm really starting to wonder about a kitchenaid mixer.  I've heard people rave about them.  The most common thing I've heard is that they didn't know what they were missing till they got it, but now they can't live without it.

I've also been wondering about the different models and what sets them apart from each other.  We definitely want to get some attachments for ours (if we end up getting one).  One in particular is the ice cream maker!  Now this says it fits 5-6qt mixers, meaning the "classic" kitchenaid would be out because that appears to be a 4.5qt mixing bowl.  But after that, what is the difference between the Artisan and the Professional?  I wouldn't need the "Commercial" or anything like that.  And then, it appears the Artisan has a glass bowl option.  Which, basically, from research, just ensures that if you make breads this will ensure that the yeast keeps.  Hmmmm, so confusing.

The pasta making attachment is definitely intriguing also.  ;o)

But anyways, I'm just curious if it is a thing that I need, and if so, what direction I should take on models.  If anyone has any tips, let me know!  Thanks so much!!

Violet Booties

One of my co-workers is pregnant, and had her baby shower this past weekend.  I was unable to attend, but I did make her some baby booties!  She is naming her baby girl Violet, and so violet colored booties it had to be.  :o)

They were a big hit!  I'm glad they turned out well.  :o)  Sorry for the low quality photos, had to use my phone's camera because I finished them this morning right before giving them to her.  ;o)

Brea Purse

My friend and I are knitting this purse together.  It's kinda like a mini KAL of two people.  We live about 2000 miles apart, so this is one of those ways that we can sorta feel like we are still able to hang out.  Anyways, here is my WIP pic.

Pattern:  Brea Purse
Yarn:  Stitchjones Worsted in colorway October

I am loving the pattern!  So fast and easy.  The fabric is nice and dense.  I may still go ahead and line it, though.  If I had one critique about the pattern, it's that it has come out way smaller than expected, so I probably would go up a needle size or two for the next time I do this.  I'm thinking of doing a deep royal purple colored liner.  And I'm undecided if I want to just to a single button or what for the closure.  I typically like a more secure purse, but it is a small purse... and I'm not an experienced sewer at all.  But I have to finish knitting the pieces before I will make that decision anyways.  I've got both sides completed, just need to do the gusset.  :o)

One of the things keeping me busy...

Hi All.  It's been awhile since I last updated.  I've been working a lot, which wears me out such that when I get home, I just want to rest.  In addition, B and I have been cooking at home more.  Some meals that have worked out pretty well for us are ones that give us many meals... like curry, spaghetti casseroles, and tacos (where we make the filling ahead of time, then make the tacos when we actually are going to eat.)  I've been experimenting with making sourdough bread from scratch!  I've gotten to a point where the bread tastes good, but I'm not great at "shaping" it.  But that's exciting.  :o)  Anyways, here's one of the projects I've been working on that has kept me busy lately.

Front view

Back view

Side view

Pattern:  Principesa Dress
Yarns:  Anzula Breeze and Anzula Milkyway
As for colorway, I actually used the Au Naturel color (white) and dyed it myself.  It took 3 tries to get the color just as I wanted.  But the final result was better than I could have even imagined.  This dress was completed in almost exactly one month start to finish.  The dress was created to wear as my maid of honor dress in my good friend Sarah's wedding.  I love it!!

Anyways, I've got a few more projects to post, so I shall be back soon to share those with you.  :o)

Dyeing with food safe dyes

I'm no where near an expert on these things... In fact, I'm quite the opposite.  Just a beginner.  But I can say that it's a lot of fun!

The left one is my attempt to make a red yarn.  I had food coloring, and didn't want primary red colored yarn, so I ended up adding a random ratio of the other colors to the red.  I ended up with a bit more of a magenta/pink semi-solid, but I'm pretty happy with it.  I am also completely out of red food coloring.  Apparently, this could get more pricey than one may have originally thought.
The right one was my attempt at using kool aid to create a gradient yarn.  I used 5 different packs of kool aid and ended up having to use a bit of food coloring to finish it off.  It was a good trial run.  I discovered that you need way more kool aid than expected to get the desired color.  Guess it's always good to keep learning.

Needless to say, I quite enjoyed that, and plan on experimenting more.  I just hope my undyed yarn supply can keep up!  I think I only have one more undyed skein.  Maybe I should go ahead and purchase a bunch more.  Wonder what WEBS has in stock.  Hmmmmm!

New Spindle!

I recently re-discovered my love for spinning on a spindle.  Because of this, I have gone crazy over buying spindles.  My most recent purchase was off of etsy from Spinatude.  I heard of her resin spindles, but had never seen any before.  Then I discovered she was from Texas, and then I figured I should check out her shop.  Cause the only thing better than supporting an indie is supporting a local indie maker!  I was SO excited when I found this spindle:

Spinatude

And next thing I knew, it was in my cart and I had bought it.  It just arrived today, and it is everything I imagined.  It sparkles when spun, and does seem to spin remarkably well balanced.  I am searching for just the right sparkley fiber to start on it.  When I do, I'll take a pic to show everyone.  :oD

Hey Girl

Did you know that Ryan Gosling knits?  Read all about it here.

Fuck Yeah! Ryan Gosling

Only now I want it to read:  Hey Girl, Thanks for the compliment on my sweater.  I made it myself, would you like one too?

Happy New Year!!

Michelle Henry

Hope you all have/had a great one!!  :oD