Tagged!

Still working on my Cotton Bamboo Smock Top...Just joined the front and back and am now working in the round...nice, easy knitting for hanging out in the shade at the pool today.  In the meantime, I got tagged by @CheekyTart & @Futterwackan to play the Eight Questions Game:


1- What's your staple meal (ie what meal do you cook most often when you can't be bothered to be adventurous)?

Hmmmm…if the question were what do you make for dinner most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous, I might have to say I like to make phone calls for carry-out. With two children always (or so it seems) at after school activities, carry-out is an easy habit to fall into. But lately, I’ve been on a cook ahead or 30 minute or less kick. On the table a lot recently, bow-tie pasta with olive oil, spinach, grape tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Sometimes, I add chicken. Sometimes, I sauté the spinach. Just depends on time and mood.

2- What do you want to be when you grow up?

Timely question since my son just got his learning permit and I’m sure the year ahead until he turns 16 and gets his license will pass way too quickly. Then, he will want to do all the driving and I will have significantly more free time than I now have. So what would I love to do? Open a yarn store, of course. Problems I’m facing: three new yarn stores have opened in the area in the past 12 months and, since my daughter is only 13 and dances 6-7 days per week, there is the issue of how to staff a yarn store full time.

3-What books are you reading at the moment?

Lately, my reading has had a knitting slant…mostly knitting magazines and knitting how-to books. Since we’re heading to the beach soon, I just picked up Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews.

4- How do you relax?

Knitting, playing tennis with friends and enjoying a glass of wine with my husband.

5- What color are the interior walls of your home?

A lot of the main areas of my house are a neutral dark tan color…a few different shades…who knew there could be so many different names for tan?!!! My dining room is sage green. My son’s room is olive green. My daughter’s room will soon be a light shade of aqua. (Anybody have a nice shade of aqua to recommend?) The master bedroom is a medium brown.

6- What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Shhh…I love to slip a nap in every now and then while I am waiting in carpool at the end of the school day. I usually wear my sunglasses and open a magazine but I occasionally get caught….

7- What time is bedtime and getting up time?

Bedtime is around midnite. I get up between 5:30 and 7am. (We have three dogs who are early risers!!)

8- How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?

I probably spend a couple hours a day reading Twitter updates, reading Twitter Knitter friends’ blogs and getting lost on Ravelry.

I would like to tag:

@Shanknitsnyc

@Sweatshopoflove

@VCFibers

P.S.  Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!  We were married 17 years ago today!  I love you!

Four Hats, an Ishbel and a Twitalong

I can’t believe that we are already two weeks into our summer break! We’ve just returned home from a wonderful family vacation. I knit four Turn a Square Hats by Jared Flood. A very easy knit for relaxing evenings watching movies with the family. No stress except for adjusting the size a bit. The instructions as written resulted in too large a hat for my husband and son…I hope the large one fits my father in law…I guess he will love that my daughter has a matching hat! Because the lovely Malabrigo yarn that I used for the first time yielded two hats per skein!! A quick length adjustment resulted in a nice hat for my husband and decreasing the number of stitches and shortening the length worked for my son’s and daughter’s hats. My adjustments are found here: Turn a Square for My Son

The next time I knit this hat, I’m going to follow the striping directions because it’s a very cool looking hat! Now, back to the Malabrigo merino worsted yarn - I love, love, love the softness of this yarn and its slightly felted quality. I can’t wait to knit something larger with this yarn. Definitely a sweater. For me. Maybe even an afghan.

And since I’ve last blogged, I finished my first Ishbel Shawl by Ysolda Teague. Ishbel was a huge challenge for me! It really tested my patience. I’m very thankful for that center stitch marker, letting me know that I was halfway through a row and letting me know that I was knitting a row correctly (or incorrectly as the case was several times!!) I used Shadow Tonal Lace Yarn in Queen Anne from KnitPicks.com . I love the peachy-pink color! I think if I were to start Ishbel again for the first time, I would use a fingering weight yarn. The lace weight yarn was so delicate that I lost track of stitches in counting and double checking resulting in numerous recounts.

I am most certain to tackle this project again. Probably in a fingering weight to get a heavier shawl. But before I knit another Ishbel, what am I knitting next?

I’m joining a Twitalong! So far, @Cheekytart, @Jbee42 (and hopefully @Killerlashes) and I are going to knit the Cotton Bamboo Smocked Top by Rebecca Hatcher. I’m going to knit this for my daughter using Shine Sports Yarn from KnitPicks.com in blush and cream. Who else wants to join the knitalong?!!

A Completed Ravelry Project!

Well, it’s been a pretty busy month around our house…the school year ends on Thursday so there’s been lots of school projects, exams, baseball playoffs, and ballet recitals for my kiddos. For me, all of their activities means lots of driving around and waiting. Which gives me ample time to knit! No complaints here! In the beginning of May, I started Vinelle by Kristin Alexandra. She’s probably better known to fellow twitter knitters as @Voolenvine. It’s the first project that I’ve knitted using a Ravelry Designer Pattern. I really like the vine pattern on the front sides of the cardigan and I found just the right yarn in my stash to knit this sweater for my daughter:

Cascade 220 Tweed in Spring Green!
I love the flecks of red, yellow and blue that are in this yarn…originally, I bought it to make another felted handbag, but if you’ve seen my Ravelry page, you know that I’ve probably knitted enough felted handbags for a while! I found some cute flower shaped buttons...perfect for a tween! For me, this sweater had some great challenges: the vine pattern and the raglan sleeves. I don’t think I’ve ever knitted a sweater with raglan sleeves before! I loved knitting them…and I think they look great! I’m looking forward to knitting this sweater for me!