Happy Halloween!!

Mmm mm cupcakes! I used a cocoa devil's food recipe from the Joy of Cooking (my bible) and a magnolia buttercream icing. Delish!

bulky yarn, or bulky with yarn?

I need to go on a yarn diet.

I don't like that word (or two words rather) because I don't really have much of a stash, and I don't intend to get one. I almost always buy yarn with a project in mind, and start once I have purchased the yarn, so it gets used right away. But lately, I've had too many projects in mind. Once I've purchased the yarn, I just don't have time to start the project and it starts to build up. Plus, I've been gifted some yarn lately, the latest being a skein of laceweight silk, from my parents - Alchemy Silken Straw:It is very cool, 100% silk and ribbon like, and I can't wait to knit something up in it, but when will I find the time! So many projects spinning around my head! Still trying to finish my FLS, need to make a hat for T to match the mittens, I want to finish my big grey monster sweater (that's another goal to set), and my whisper, plus I've got the yarn all ready for a pair of 2-at-a-time toe up socks and oh so much more!! In my head, I have a mitten design, fair isle mittens, a cowl, more socks, another sweater, and another lace shawl, and a lace wrap .. I could go on ... And ALSO, I sold a "custom" pair of mittens at a charity auction at work - a friend ended up buying it, and he has requested a substitute for a pair of slippers for his girlfriend. This is actually a good thing, since I've been wanting to make slippers for myself for a while, so it will be good practice. But it will take time! That will take priority over other projects.

Speaking of the charity auction, I also sold a test copy of my cupcake mittlets, they only went for 10$ :( I realize it is the wrong market for this, a bunch of engineers don't appreciate hand crafts! Oh well, it is for charity, so I shouldn't complain.

So the plan is to finish these WIPs - even that evil grey sweater! I'll have to rip out the sleeves I think and start again but I am a much better knitter now than I was when I started it 2 (3?) years ago, so hopefully it will go quicker this time! So, no more new yarn! No more pretty sock yarn! No more lace! None! Until I finish all my WIPs! Well, maybe just a few. Or one. One is good, right ... ?

:)

gingerbread

I just wanted to post a few pics of some baking I did for a charity bake sale ... it took 3 days to make these suckers! I used a chatelaine gingerbread recipe and they turned out delicious. I make my gingerbread a little soft so they are nice and chewy, but maybe next time I'll try to make them a little crunchier. And I think I'll omit the allspice and try it with masala spice instead. Yummy! Fall/winter baking is so fabulous, that's one of the best parts of the season!!

lace race

I completed my swallowtail shawl, hurrah! It was a great little project, I started it while on the plane to and from L.A. Two 3 hours flights got me about half way through the shawl. Then I worked on it exclusively in order to finish it, and in the end it only took me about two weeks, which has got to be a record for me, even with it being a small shawl (shawlette, if you will). The pattern was simple, even the nupps were not too much trouble. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this. Some photos pre-blocking, and post-blocking.I used the knitpicks shimmer yarn, which is so lovely. It is much finer than the gloss, which I did my fountain pen in. It makes a much more lightweight, finer shawl. T says it "looks like a doily", which I suppose it kind of does. I think that was a compliment. I'm going with compliment.

I also knit up some quick mitts for T, have to still make a matching hat.Winter pounced on us so quickly, +30 one week, and -15 and snow the next. Our patio furniture never even made it inside, the hammock is quickly collecting snow and will stay that way until it warms up (hopefully next week). I'm going to get back to my february lady sweater again. I only have a few inches left on the body to complete so hopefully I can get going on that and have a new sweater before it gets TOO cold!!

I'm still not wanting to get back to my whisper, I suppose I just have to pick it up at some point and force myself to knit it. But there are so many other things I want to start too! Oh well, I'm not doing any Christmas knitting this year (due to it being the year of knitting for me still) so I should have plenty of time ... :)

yummy new yarn!

More new yarn, received in the mail today! The red is knitpicks shimmer (Alpaca/silk and sooo soft), it is actually more of a burgundy than the picture shows. I plan to use if for the swallowtail shawl. The black is knitpicks shadow (merino and still soooo soft). I plan to use it for a black lace stole (to complement any outfit!) Can you tell I love knitpicks???

what woman can pass up a sale?

I couldn't resist. Knitpicks was having a 33% off sale on lace yarn! My new favorite obsession is lace yarn. All other yarns just seem so big and bulky. So I picked up a few skeins. And what a deal! For 20$, I got one skein of hand dyed alpaca/silk and two skeins of kettle dyed merino, including shipping! So cheap, and yet so nice. I have yet to be disappointed with knitpicks. Of course, it doesn't compare to a malabrigo, but it's still a pretty good yarn! I'm thinking of making the Swallowtail shawl with the alpaca/silk. I'll just do the shawlette as I want a shawl that is a little smaller than my fountain pen one.

I've been working on my february lady sweater lately, it's a nice easy knit. I was excited when I was able to memorize the gull lace pattern on the first repetition, but now, I have to say it's pretty boring! Not stimulating my mind at all ... Good TV knitting ... Because it is knit from the top down, I'm able to try it on as I'm going, so I know that once again it's way too small! Fortunately, my swatch grew 25% when I blocked it so I'm hoping that transfers to the actual sweater. Otherwise I'll have yet another too small sweater!Also working on some mittens for T. Have been using a cabled mitten pattern from astroknits, but I don't think I have the right yarn for it, it's knitting up far too small. I like the look of the pattern, but I think I'll just do a basic mitten without the cables so I can get them done quickly and in time for winter. Seems so far away though since it is 30 degrees today! Whee!

Also, my puppy got a funny hair cut ... :)

bootie licious

Some cute booties I made recently ...Saartje's Booties found here. A nice quick knit!