My day in photos

Too tired to write a real post - so I'll show you what I've been up to today.


I got packages!! I love getting mail :)

First - some buttons I won on ebay for $5!!! I'm so happy/surprised that there are so many cool ones!





I love these:




And....some fabric from Reprodepot.com





I had to drive up to Towson to get a copy of my marriage liscense (a whole huge passport drama is unfolding - but more on that later) and on the way home I decided to stop by The Cloisters to take some pictures. I got married here almost 4 years ago and I needed a peak... I love this place :)







The windows are amazing!





Tomorrow - I'm off to Virginia for an Oracle conference. So have a great weekend!

Zoom Zoom!

No - not a Mazda commercial....


It's just Hurley running laps at the dog park!!





Since it was such a gorgeous day yesterday (80 degrees!!) Hubbo and I packed the "kids" in the car and headed out to the local dog park. Surprisingly, is was relatively empty. We had the whole little dog side to ourselves! Hurley got his nervous energy out by chasing tennis balls for about half an hour - and then we headed over to the "big dog" side to meet some of the other doggies. Let me tell ya - the tongues were out today!



(I love this dog's spotted tongue! He must be part Chow Chow!)







Not only were the tongues out today - but the flowers are finally popping out! I found these gorgeous crocuses in the woods near my house...




And our cherry tree is popping buds like crazy too. I recently got Photoshop Elements (a MUCH cheaper alternative to Photoshop Pro) and it lets me do such cool stuff. I love playing with the hues and saturations and shadows. Here's my cherry tree in quatro:



Enjoy the spring weather!

Sew...what a weekend...

It was a sewing filled weekend. Sarah came over Saturday afternoon and we had a ball shopping and lunching and sewing! She taught me how to install in zipper, how to take apart my sewing machine (after breaking several needles) and all kinds of other cool sewing tips ;)
We had a mission - we wanted to make some project bags. I have been lusting after one in particular....

It all started when I saw this.

This is Jolene at the AAY sit and knit with her collection of gifted bags:


The latest - was made bySarah from this pattern. I have been looking at this pattern for so long - but alas! I didn't know how to do zippers.... so.... I was smart and brought in reinforcement!

We went from this mess:



To this! Success!!




Here's the one I made:



I've had this Amy Bulter fabric for a while - I got it when I went on a yarn spree in New York City with my friend Tressa. Instead of yarn - I came home with fabric from Purl Soho's fabric shop. I just realized that the colors work for Project Spectrum !



Sarah also helped me finish my DPN needle case - I needed to fix the ribbons a bit.

After a fun filled sewing Saturday - what could I possible do on Sunday? Well the Hubbo went out with his car buddies to get the "race cars" ready for their track day next week, and as much fun as it would have been to tag along - I decided to stay home and make a shawl. Not a knitted shawl... because I have a deadline - but a fabric one...

I'm leaving for a cruise in about two weeks and I wanted a handmade shawl to wear on the formal nights... There is NO WAY I can get a shawl knit in two weeks - especially since the one I started is now frogged... so I decided to sew one. I bought some gorgeous green duponi silk fabric and some beaded fringe and voila!

Instant gratification!



I promise some better photos of this soon - when Hubbo can take some pics of me actually wearing it and when it's actually light outside - not dusk! So please forgive this photo.

I do like the beads.... and they are perfect for Project Spectrum too!




The dogs had fun too - barking their heads off at the utility guys working for HOURS ourside our house today. You'd think they were cats the way they balance themselves on the edge of the couch like this!

My knittin love is fickle...

I have been way too unfocused lately to finishe anything - but that doesn't mean I haven't had time to start anything new - no-siree-bob.

I have been a kniting fool lately - with all kinds of things on the needles at once. And I am working on all of them I swear! But I can't seem to focus on any one thing lately!

Here's what I should be working on:



My Central Park Hoodie is slowly coming together. The back, the left front panel and half of the right front panel are done. But I seem to have stalled out.... I need to get going before it gets too warm to wear it!

In the last month or so - I have also been working on a top down raglan sweater (in blues for Project Spectrum) some Anemoi mittens (also in Blue!) two different pairs of socks, the Tuscany Shawl:

(which I am going to rip - because I don't like the way it's coming out...)

and way too many sewing projects!
I made these up last weekend...





Not to mention that I keep seeing new things I want to make - practically daily. I just bought Simply Knitting magazine:



It came with a prize too - a magnetic needle case with needles and pins included. I love british mags for including these little things - it's like the toy suprise in cereal - except for grown ups!! But anyway - inside it has patterns for the cutest little barn yard animals!



I need to make them! I showed it to my gals at knit nite and Coleen needed to make them too - go look at her cute cow!



Isn't it adorable!

Mmmm Bread.....

I was busy this weekend...

I decided to make my own bread. It all started on Friday night. I whipped up the dough and set it aside to rest and rise... It rested all night and part of the morning on Saturday - and then after a few more steps and a few more naps - it was ready for baking.

I am very proud to present - my first homemade bread!




Isn't it gorgeous!





It was tasty too - fresh and hot out of the oven - we ate it with butter and honey. Wow - I felt like I had died and gone to bread heaven!

Later we made bird's nests with it - oh so good!





and of course - we ate it with every meal!





(It was especially good with my last bottle of V Sattui Family Red - yum!)





Lately - I have been inspired by the amazing baking of my friend Jen and I couldn't resist trying to bake some bread for myself.

I was a little nervous about making this particular bread - it's the No Knead Bread recipe that has been sweeping the internet lately - because I didn't have a large covered pot to cook it in. So - I improvised....

I used my pizza stone and covered it with a large ceramic bowl (I made sure it was oven safe first!) This provided the natural steamy environment that the bread needed.





It worked like a charm and the bread come out looking just fabulous. I was so happy with the results - I immediately ran out to the bookstore to get a Bread book I have been eyeing...





So what's next? Bagels, Ciabatta, Naan, sourdough - you name it - I'm going to try them all! I'm addicted!

Jody is...

Bored...

So I did a little Meme to help fill up my day :) Play along if you want!
Directions: Google your name with is in quotes (like this - "Jody is") and see what you have been up to.
This was fun and very amusing! Especially since my name could also be a name for a guy!
Here are some good ones:


One of the most remarkable things about Jody is she still sounds "country"

Jody is a great guitarist, as he proves in many of the riffs. ...

Jody is the awesomest

Jody, is lonely and longs for a pet to care for

“Jody is pure hood lyricism at its finest,”

Jody is more of a target than a hero

JODY IS BACK

Jody is supposed to be a complicated, morally ambiguous urban Everyman

Jody is a conductor in the musical sign language system

Jody is sick

Jody is missing

Jody is in New Mexico. If you see her, say hi!

Jody is overjoyed and promises to take care of the pony and train it well

Jody is very social and loves to be around people. Jody always has a book

The deadline set by Jody's captors passes and Jody is to be executed. Fergus takes Jody into the woods to carry out the sentence, but cannot bring himself to kill him, and Jody is instead accidentally killed by British tanks when he attempts to flee.

Jody is fiercely resisting leaving the nest

Jody is a mama's boy

After Jody is killed in a freak accident...

Apparently, Jody is some kind of troubled student.

Jody is not married, has two different kids with two different women, ... Jody is a slacker

Jody is best described as a caring person whose favorite things are stars, and the Dukes of Hazzard.


Leave me a comment if you do this so I can laugh at you too!

Monkey business...

It was a beautiful weekend - the weather was warm and on Saturday I was sweating it out helping my sister and brother in law pack and move.

I did find some time to finish up my Monkey socks though! I think I may have a new favorite sock!



And - as an added bonus - they are another finished object using my hand dyed yarn!

I had some trouble naming this colorway. I asked around and everyone said it reminded them of flowers... so I ended up naming it "English Garden".

It definitely reminds me of the plentiful rose gardens in England - full of the rich vibrant pinks, yellows and oranges of the roses set against the green of the leaves and grass.

I also thought it would be kind of funny to imagine a Monkey loose in one of those formal English gardens!

Anyway - Here they are - my Monkey Socks in the English Garden colorway:





Yarn: Knit Picks fingering weight with my hand dyed coloring
Needles: size 2 DPNs.
Alterations to pattern: I did one less repeat of the pattern in the leg.
Pattern: Monkey from Knitty.com by Cookie A.

Even though the lace pattern has 11 lines in the chart - it is fairly easy to memorize. By the time I got to the second sock - I didn't have to look anymore :)

I love how the colors striped in this sock:





Unfortunately I was quite as lucky with the second - the colors didn't stripe in the same way - but I guess that's what makes them art... each one is unique!



I also got some sewing done this weekend...

Yes! More mini wallets! I love these. They are so quick and easy and I get a chance to use some cool fabrics I've had in my stash for a while. The pattern is based on this one from Splityarn - but I've played around with the sizes.





Check out some of the cool fabrics I got to use!








PS - I also would like to congratulate Eunny - she is the new Editor of Interweave Knits! Eunny - it's been a real pleasure getting to know you - you are such an impressive knitter, and designer and also a truly nice person. I am honored to know you and count you as a friend :)