Goodies In The Mail

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My mom is not an internet shopper but she really wanted to purchase some knitting swag for me for Christmas. So we compromised….I agreed to act surprised at Christmas and she agreed to let me pick out my favorites.

The result?

A Chica Interchangeable Needles case in black and white….

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I should be able to fit my Knit Picks Options interchangeables and my Denise plastic interchangeables all in one case 🙂

Next up, a new to me yarn: Knit Picks Reverie in Gemstone. This is an alpaca/acrylic blend that has great halo and softness. I’m thinking a great cowl or pair of gloves?

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This color is just gorgeous and definitely in my wheel house. What’s a little more blue in my wardrobe right, lol?

And lastly, some cable connectors for my Knit Picks Options interchangeables. Just in case I go insane and decide to make a ginormous blanket again.

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Now I just have to wait until Christmas to use and play with these delightful goodies. Merry Christmas to me!!!

FO Friday: Purl Ridge Scarf

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This was such a quick knit!!! Just a few evenings this past week. So without further ado, I give you my Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West.

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I used Knit One Crochet Two Brea Tweed. This an amazingly soft yarn but the “tweed” bits got everywhere as I worked! I felt like I was pulling them off everything as I worked. I used 299.8 yards or 137 grams. I worked the pattern as written and had yarn left over. I probably could have done at least one more repeat of the purl ridge. But I didn’t want to run out of yarn!

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My finished object is 60 inches around (30 inches folded in half as shown above) and 7 inches tall. I can safely loop this around my neck twice for extra warmth or wear as a single loop for a more artistic approach. Blocking did wonders for this! It was a bit scrunched up coming off my needles.

Stephen West is a genius with design. This pattern is simple but gorgeous to look at!!

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This pattern would make a great quickly holiday knit and it’s free!! Christmas is almost here 🙂

Happy Knitting!

My Favorite Holiday Treat

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Now that we are past Thanksgiving I feel the need to dive head first into the holidays!

One of my favorite holiday rituals is an adult hot cocoa….

Step one mix up your favorite hot chocolate:

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Step two, add two shots of peppermint schnapps:

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Step three, mix and enjoy!!

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To me, this tastes like a liquid Thin Mint cookie….mmmmmm!

What’s your go to holiday beverage?

Bugs!!!!

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During the last warm snap I noticed a MOTH IN MY HOME!! The same home that houses my precious yarn stash and beautiful silk and wool knitted objects. To say I freaked is an understatement.

I proceeded to do the following:

A) kill the crap out of the moth

B) put all woolly WIPs and skeins of yarn that were out in the open into the deep freezer. Then rotating them in and out to kill any buggy babies!

C) order lavender and cedar sachets on amazon

I don’t think I have any damage, but time will tell. For now, I received these:

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And I have my mother on the hunt for am old fashioned cedar chest. I work way to hard to loose my fiber goodness to vermin!

Anyone else out there have any moth experience to share?

So Many Choices!

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I recently purchased this amazing pattern on Ravelry, Mackinac Mitts.

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(Photo credit to earthchick on the Mackinac Mitts ravelry page)

I have several women in my life who adore butterflies, including my SIL. This pattern calls for worsted weight yarn and look to be an easy and fun knit. I just can’t decide what yarn to use….so I’m asking the wisdom of the blogging world.

Option A – Berroco Vintage in blue

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Option B – Berroco Vintage in a tweedy green

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What’s a knitter to do?

Art Update

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My mom brought me some art to fill up the blank wall in our living room! She works at an antique shop a couple of days a week and found this tin stamped art piece.It had all the colors of our main living area: red, brown, tan, and green. I paired it with a rustic Live, Laugh, Love sign from Hobby Lobby. Not bad if I do say so myself!

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I was also recently in a Marshal’s looking for a few last Christmas presents for my in-laws and I found this…

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This now hangs in my office next to the closet where we keep our dog food and other puppy paraphernalia. It was SUPER cheap thanks to a few imperfections on the print. But I don’t care, it totally expresses how I feel about my fur children!

Happy Saturday! I’m off to the gym to work off my Thanksgiving dinner….ugh….

FO Friday: Nutmeg

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Just in time for some seriously wintry cold weather here in Kansas! I give you a finished Nutmeg!

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I knit this using Knit Picks Brava Bulky. Black may have been a poor choice as I spent 20 minutes with a lint roller getting this FO photo ready, lol. I have a white lab that sheds all year round! I used just under 7 skeins or about 922 yards of yarn. This sweater weighs about 680 grams and is seriously warm.

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I find that I like the open boat neck of the collar. I did opt however to knit the sleeve ends and hem in garter ribbing rather than the rolled hem to match the neck. I just don’t like the rolling. I like my garments to stay down over my tummy. And oh the sleeves….I highly recommend anyone knitting this sweater to omit the K2tbl and use a K2tog instead on the left sleeve.

_MG_0285This sweater is seriously warm!! The finished fabric turned out pretty dense. It was 30 degress (Fahrenheit) on the day we took these photos and I stayed pretty warm, even without a coat. God bless wool blends!!!

Would I make this pattern again….maybe, but only if someone requested it. There are soooo many other sweaters waiting in my queue. And this one was quite vanilla. I think some challenges are in order for my next project!

Happy Knitting!!!