Center Square

I have finally ventured into the world of colorwork! I made a good sized swatch to practice with first since I have never done any type of strading before. It still feels pretty awkward to knit with two hands but I think I will get better with time. I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I forgot to take a pic of the inside but I think I did pretty good at keeping the tension even....for my first time anyway. All in all, it just took me one afternoon and evening to practice and make the hat.

Pattern: Center Square by London Nelson

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish, two balls each of Ballerina and Truffle

Needlees: #10 1/2 dpns

Next up: Eunny's Endpaper Mitts! Have a great New Year everyone!!!

A good effort

Yes, I believe I have made a good effort on my intentions to finish Forecast. I blocked the body, knitted a few rounds on one sleeve, tried it on numerous times, contemplated the fit long and hard, thought about it, thought about it some more......and decided that I just don't think I want to finish this cardigan. I mean, I still like the sweater design okay, I just don't like MY sweater....I think it has a LOT to do with the yarn. It is super scratchy for me, even after having soaked in warm water. And even though it is worsted, I think it may be a more of a heavy worsted and too thick for this pattern and not smooth either (as opposed to the recommended Cascade 220). Don't get me wrong, I think the yarn is very beautiful, but for me, this yarn and this pattern just aren't working together. Goodbye for now, Forecast.

So, moving on to things that I really WANT to knit. Hello Sarcelle and Sea Silk!!! Not more than 10 minutes after receiving it in the mail, I wound up a skien and began knitting: I am really loving this pattern!! After only a few repeats of the lace, I had already memorized the stitch pattern. And the Sea Silk is truly a dream to knit with! I got the yarn from an ebay seller and let me tell you I couldn't believe how fast I got it during the Christmas shipping maddness and everything!

Good Times....

You know, I've never blogged about food before but I wanted to post a recipe that has become kind of a tradition to make around Christmas and New Years. It's a recipe that my mom started making years ago and she doesn't remember where she got it from. We don't even really know the name of it either.....we just call them "Bacon/Water Chestnuts Appetizer". Anyway, here's the process as I do it:

1)First, you start with a package of regular bacon, two cans of whole water chestnuts, and some toothpicks. Cut the package of bacon into thirds and wrap each piece of bacon around a whole water chestnut and secure with a toothpick.

2) Next, you broil them 'til the bacon is crispy. And you make a sauce with approximately 1 cup of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and stir until combined.

3)Lastly, you transfer all the bacon thingys (technical term) to a baking dish and drizzle the sauce liberally over them and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until everything is warmed and a little bubbling.

Now, if you're still with me, this sounds totally weird, I know, but trust me, it is crazy good....especially if you're a fan of bacon. :) It's just the perfect combo of salty, crunchy, sweet and vinegery!

So, it's Christmas evening now and we've had a great time with all our families and friends! I really love this time of year because it's one of the only times everyone can get together.
Here's a gift that I couldn't blog about for a while but now that it's been gifted here it is:
Pattern: Counterpane Accessories pouch from Handknit Holidays
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Cotton Fleece in Red, less than half a skein
Needles: #4
Notes: the knitting was really fun but the finishing is actually quite a bit of work. I did it far enough in advance though that I was able to just do a little bit at a time.


And as if there aren't enough pictures in this post already, I leave you with this very cute one of my cat on the perfect Christmas Eve day:

Merry Christmas everyone!

Naughty cats!

The casualties: Knit Picks circular #1 chewed in half.
1 skein of Claudia Hand Painted sock yarn tangled.

What happened is that I forgot to zip up my knitting bag last night and when we got home from work today we found out how much fun the kitties had been having all day! It could've been much worse! luckily, no actual knitting was destroyed. It was just a skein I had started a sock with the other day but then decided to rip it out. But the little buggers got it into quite a tangle and I can tell there are a few places where they used their razor sharp teeth to snip it up! Most of it should be salvageable but I haven't finished trying to untangle yet. And I can't believe they bit my circular needle in half.....in TWO different places. Little stinkers!

I love pink!

I have finished my pink socks!! I LOVE them!

Pattern: Aran-Braid Socks

Yarn: Yarn Pirate superwash merino sock in the Paris colorway

Needles: Knit Picks options circular #1

Mods: none!

This is a really great pattern! I actually never would have considered these unless I had seen the ones that Sheri made for the Mystery Sock KAL! I just love how the pattern is mostly stockingette stitch but with cables running down the sides for interest! And I also learned how to cable without a cable needle too. This really sped things up! I can't imagine trying to use a cable needle for all those tiny cables. Such a great technique.
I'm officially addicted to socks! I think I might cast on for another pair right now!

Done!....with two weeks to spare!

Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert

Yarn: Knit Picks Shimmer; doubled in Grape Hyacinth color; 2 1/2 skeins

Needles: #6 circs

Notes: Well, I can't hide my dissapointment on this one. I should have listened to my inner knitter when I first saw how badly the colors would pool. It's not that I don't like it, cause I do. I actually love everything about it except the color pooling. It's airy and lightwieght but very warm, not too big, not too small, and soft. It's just isn't what I had envisioned colorwise. But this is a Christmas gift for Grandma and I think she will like it. The good news is that the pooling is hardly noticable when you have it wrapped up like a scarf. And I really enjoyed the pattern, very easy and quick.

Back to work

Well, this was my first week back to work after my recovery. It was pretty tiring as expected. To make a tough week even tougher, I was rearended on my way home on Wednesday. Luckily the guy had good insurance and I've already dropped my car off at the body shop to have my bumper painted. Thankfully, no one was hurt and that's what really matters. Okay, that's enough of that yucky stuff....the weekend is here!! YAY!

I want some of this....very badly! two skeins to be exact. to be made into this. Ever since I saw the one that Anna from My Fashionable Life made I knew I wanted to use the Sea Silk.

So what I've decided to do is I'm going to employ a little incentive program for myself as I know some of you have to occasionally do as well. :)
Here are the things I need to FINISH before I can allow myself to splurge:

(1) Clapotis: very near to being done. I just need to wind up that last skein so I can start on the decrease section. Christmas gift for Grandma. DONE!!!!

(2) Forecast: loooooong neglected. I wonder if I can block the body with only half of a sleeve being done to make sure it's not going to be too small? I have the buttonbands and one and a half sleeves remaining on this poor cardigan.

That's it. Am I being too easy on myself?

And check it out:

Some Yarn Pirate 50-50 Merino/Tencel sock yarn in the Sadie colorway. I'm very curious how the Merino/Tencel blend will knit up as socks. It doesn't seem nearly as stretchy as pure Merino. And it is beautifully shiny and drapey.....but is drapey good for socks? I will find out soon.

Functional

In a fit of (very rare) organizational inspiration, I managed to finally make a needle case for all my double pointed needles. I just made a few measurements and found some scrap fabric and got down to work.

And here it is all wrapped up! It's nothing fancy but it's functional. And that is exactly what I wanted. Just imagine, all those needles mixed up in one big pile and everytime I needed a set I'd have to grab a handful and go through them one by one. Not any more!!! Just think of all the knitting time that will be gained....heheh!

Anyway, I've started a few new projects. Although I shouldn't have because I still need to finish Grandma's Clapotis. But here's a little sneek peek of the Aran Braid socks:

I have NOT been able to put these things down!! It's the Yarn Pirate sock yarn that I LOVE! I'm almost done with the first sock...will finish it tonight. :)