Javajem's

Burp cloth tutorial

2012-01-03T16:17:00.003-05:00

Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a great start to 2012! I thought I'd share a sewing pattern that I whipped up for burp cloths. With a new baby in the house, you can never have enough of these! And, they make great gifts for new moms.

This is a wondering first sewing project for beginners because it's all straight lines.

Materials Needed to make 2 burp cloths:
- 1/2 yard of quilting cotton
- 1/2 yard of terry cloth
- Sewing thread to match fabric
- Rotary cutter
- Cutting mat
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Iron

Directions:

1. Cut out your fabrics using your rotary cutter and cutting mat – I cut 2 pieces 14 x 22 inches. I tend to cut out pieces two at a time to save time. If you fold your fabric in half you can get two pieces easily by cutting off the fold.

2. After cutting out your fabric – put one piece of cotton and one of terry cloth on top of each other with right sides facing. Pin around the outside to make sure it doesn’t move while you sew.

You are going to turn your sandwich inside out when you are done, so you have to leave about a 2 inch hole in order to do this. I like to put a green and red pin at the start and end of this hole so I know where I am. (sometimes I get carried away and forget to stop sewing at the hole! The red pin helps prevents this.)

3. Using your machine’s foot as a guide for the seam allowance, position your fabric on the machine so your foot is even with the edge. Start sewing at your green pin, but remember to remove the pins before you sew over them so you don't break a needle.

4. When you get to a corner, stop sewing with the needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot and rotate your fabric 90 degrees and put the presser foot back down. Continue sewing on the next side. This helps give you neat right angles at the corners.

5. Continue all the way around until you get to the red needle. At the red needle stop sewing and backstich a few stitches for extra strength since you will be turning your fabric at this point and putting extra stress on those stitches.

You are left with a two inch opening.

6. Clip the corners of your burp cloth to remove extra bulk.

7. Turn your cloth inside out.

8. Find the hole you left and turn the ends of the open fabric under to make a neat seam and pin closed.

9. Iron your cloth to remove any bumps.

10. Starting at one end of your hole, make a top stitch as close to the edge as you feel comfortable and stitch all the way around. Don’t forget to make your neat right angle corners by lifting the presser foot and turning your fabric before starting the next side.

11. Once you are finished with the top stitching, I like to add a few rows of quilting to the top. I ran 3 straight lines down the length of my cloth. This helps the cloth keep it’s shape. You could even get fancy and add some decorative quilting!

12. Trim all your loose threads and you are done! Go find a drooling baby to mop up!

This pattern is for personal use only.

Happy holidays!!

2011-12-30T20:36:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Hanukkah! It was a great first Christmas for me and my family!

Amelia got to see Santa for the first time...

It was great fun watching her tear open her gifts - well... we helped!! Here she is in her Christmas outfit:

We also did some crafting this holiday. We made this cute footprint reindeer!

I hope everyone had a great year - I know this has been a fabulous year for me!

Happy New year!!

Baby February Sweater

2011-10-26T17:11:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween week! I can't wait to dress up Amelia in her lady bug outfit later this week. She will be the cutest lady bug in town.

Until then - I finally finished knitting her a sweater I started in July! My knitting time is definitely not what it used to be! I guess having a baby will do that!

Here she is in her Baby February Sweater:

And I was so surprised to see my other "baby" - Hurley jump up to sit next to her. He rarely allows us to put him next to the baby so this is a special picture!

It was a fun sweater to knit - I will definitely make this again if I ever find the time! hehe

Stats:

Pattern: Baby February Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Classic Elite Four Seasons
Alternations: none - except I forgot to add buttonholes!

I can't wait to start my next knitting - I am getting the itch to knit a colorwork sweater, but at the rate I'm finishing projects it will be next year before it's done!

I've been busy!

2011-09-16T14:21:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time! But I'm back to say hello and give you a little update on me.

Since I've last posted I've had some major changes in my life! I got married and had a little girl! 2011 has so far been the most wonderful year for me - I am very blessed.

My little girl arrived early and was a petite little thing! She is growing up so fast! I can't believe how quickly she is changing.

I've been knitting a bit, but not nearly as much as I'd like to. I made her a little hat to wear home from the hospital.

It's made from handspun dyed by Cloverhill.

I will try to post more often and hopefully even have something I made to show you!
Thanks for all the kind words from those who wrote to me saying they missed my blog!!

A day at the beach

2010-09-13T13:24:00.003-05:00

I had the best weekend! The boys and I had a day at the beach. We went to Lewes DE and spent the day at Broadkill beach - a dog friendly beach that was mostly deserted and beautiful.

Hurley especially loved the beach! He got to run after his ball and jump in the waves. He is still mama's boy though and wasn't happy until he was sitting on my lap!

I guess it was the best vantage point to watch the people and dogs walk by.

Bailey had the entire beach blanket to himself. Although he didn't like the water as much as Hurley he still enjoyed sniffing the shells, sand, crabs, water, rocks, seagulls, seaweed,....

After the beach - a quick drive over to Rehobeth for dinner was followed up by a sunset walk on the boardwalk. It was a beautiful evening.

I'm so glad I got to go to the beach! I hope to make it back there again soon!

Garter Love!

2010-08-26T14:54:00.004-05:00

I just finished a new shawl!

It's the Multnomah shawl:

Stats:
Pattern: Multnomah by Kate Flagg
Yarn: fingering weight Louet base dyed by Sarah and I!
Needles: Size US 6
Mods: none

This is a awesome mindless knit - especially the garter stitch part because there's absolutely no purling! You don't really have to look at what you're doing until you reach the feather and fan section.

This was such a quick and easy knit - I may have to knit another one!

NOLA

2010-08-17T10:19:00.002-05:00

I'm back in New Orleans for work this week. It's hot and muggy and rainy and sunny all at the same time.

I just love the architecture and style of this city. I had the opportunity to take a co worker around the French quarter for the first time and see their reaction. It was like reliving my first trip.

Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

Handspun makes it better

2010-08-06T14:30:00.003-05:00

Long overdo knitting update! I haven't been knitting much but I have finished a few things lately. I think almost everything I've been knitting lately has been with handspun. Will I ever be able to knit with regular yarn again!?

Most recently I knit this hat:

Stats:
Pattern: Wurm by katushika
Yarn: Handspun dyed by Woolgatherings
Needles: Size 4 and 6 US
Mods: Knit 2 purl rows and 7 knit rows instead of 5 and 4 and only knit 6 repeats.

I also finished this shawl:

Stats:
Pattern: Annis by Suzanna IC
Yarn: My hand-dyed handspun yarn
Needles: Size 9 and 10 US
Mods: none

Earlier this year I knit these socks:

Stats:
Pattern: Plain socks
Yarn: Fat Cat hand spun
Needles: Size 2 US

The one non hand spun item I finished are these Trekking socks:

Stats:
Pattern: plain socks
Yarn: Trekking
Needles: Size 2 US

I'm thinking about designing a shawl for this contest. I guess I have to get spinning in order to be ready in time!

Eggplant and flowers

2010-07-13T11:02:00.002-05:00

But not at the same time!

I tried an amazingly good recipe the other day that I wanted to share with you. It's an eggplant parm recipe from Martha Stewart

I think it came out really well!

It's also relatively healthy since it's baked and not fried but still tastes just as yummy. "
I only used one eggplant instead of 2 and had MORE than enough to fill a 9x13" pan.

I couldn't resist taking some pics of my flowers too. They are all bursting at the moment!

Have a great week!!

Day trips

2010-07-08T08:20:00.007-05:00

It's been a while but I still wanted to share of the fun day trips I went on recently. My friend Nicol was in town for a visit and we went EVERYWHERE! After picking her up from the airport in DC - headed to Alexandria for dinner and ice cream.

We ate at the Fish Market and it was fun to sit up on their balcony and look over the activities on the street below. After dinner we drove home via DC and stopped at the monuments. It's always amazing to see the monuments at night all lit up! Please excuse the crappy cell phone pics!

The next day we headed to Philly!

We walked around South Street and I had a cheesesteak at Jim's - my favorite!

After South street - we headed to center city and saw the Liberty Bell and Independence hall.

Finally - we went to Manayunk for dinner - such a cute little town!

Next up was Baltimore - I took Nic to see my favorite parts of Baltimore - Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Camden, Hampden and everything in between!

Sunday was DC! We headed down early to get tickets for the DCDuck tour. We bummed around China town, saw a Nationals game and saw more monuments and landmarks.

It was a busy but fun filled weekend!

Hello!

2010-06-27T18:44:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I've posted! I've been busy! Went to Sheep and Wool, spent time with friends, worked, slept ate, etc etc etc.

Thanks for all the kind words about John. It was a long road. Watching him go through cancer for the last three years was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but it has made me stronger.

Meanwhile, life goes on...

I have been doing some running! I did two 5Ks last month! Can you believe it!?!

I ran the first one in 38 minutes and the second in 42. I was trying to take it easy on the second one since I kind of hurt my knee on the first one. I ran the second one with Jolene and she is doing so great! She joined a running club and everything!

My friends have been just awesome in general - I don't know what I would have done without them. My friend Sarah stayed at my place for two weeks and kept me laughing. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world for having such great friends. Sarah, Jolene, Erin and Coleen - you are my sisters for life!

John

2010-04-30T10:32:00.004-05:00

My husband John passed away on April 18th after battling cancer for almost 3 years. He was surrounded by friends and family and went very peacefully and without any pain. Thanks to everyone for all the love and support!

You will be missed!

John wanted donations to be made to Stand up to Cancer.

Project 365 - March!

2010-03-31T13:39:00.003-05:00

Third month of Project 365 down! I am enjoying this so much and am so thankful for all the wonderful photos I've taken as a result of this project.

Here are my photos for March:

There's no start or stop time for this project - if the mood strikes you - start taking pictures too! You can post to flickr or the 365 project website. I'm doing both!

I'm looking forward to more - I'm a quarter of the way to 365!

Simon's 1st birthday

2010-03-30T13:02:00.003-05:00

My nephew Simon turned 1 year old on Saturday! I can't believe how time flies! I knit him a birthday vest:

Stats:
Pattern: Merino 5 Baby - Toddler Vest by Crystal Palace Yarns
Yarn: Interlacements Dyers Choice - worsted weight
Needles: size 8
Mods: I only did 5 rows of ribbing on the neck and arms instead of 10.

I like the buttons on the shoulder for easy on/off on a wiggly toddler too!

I ended up buying a complete outfit with a second vest - so I could put my vest on the outfit instead. I think it looks cute!

Simon had a fun birthday party too - here is eating his birthday cake.

Happy birthday Simon!

Olympic knitting done!

2010-03-10T15:53:00.002-05:00

I finally finished knitting my Olympic sweater! I wove in the ends on Saturday and didn't get a chance to take pictures until today. i love how it came out.

There's nothing like a handspun sweater!

Stats:
Pattern: Sweetgum Duncan by Meghan McFarlane
Yarn: My own Handspun from the following dyers:
-Pigeonroof Studios
-Dragonfly fibers
-Wool Gatherings
-Fat Cat
-Yarn Wench
-Hello Yarn
-Rhinebeck Mystery fiber
Needles: Size 9 US
Mods: I didn't knit the bottom ribbing the same way - instead I did about 4 inches

I especially love the neck of this sweater...

It was so much fun knitting with my own handspun and blending the colors. I'm thrilled with how it came out and can't wait to spin more!!!

Thank you!

2010-03-03T11:43:00.005-05:00

Thank you to everyone who voted for my pictures on the Ravelry site for the Homespun Yarn party!

My yarn photo came in 2nd place and will be made into a card and available at the event! Yay!! I hope to see you all there!

In other photo news - I finished the second month of my Project 365!

It is definitely getting harder to find things to take pictures of. I am so ready for spring and the flowers and the trees and the birds! ha! There's only so many things in my house I can photograph! Maybe winter wasn't the best choice of start dates! Oh well - at least the hardest part will be over! I just noticed that February was a very red/orange/yellow month for me... don't you think? It's cool to see all the photos together like this.

Also - to update you on my Olympic knitting - no I didn't finish my sweater! But I am very close. I have about half a sleeve to go. I blame not finishing on having to rip out about 4 inches of my sweater body due to the fact the yarn I was trying to add didn't match the weight of the previous yarn at all and looked BAD. That's what I get for trying to use yarn I've spun over the last two years! Consistency was not part of the equation when I stated spinning these skeins. Live and learn! But I am close and pictures will soon follow.

Homespun Yarn Party photo contest!

2010-02-22T08:32:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! I have some photos up for a vote for the Homespun Yarn party photo contest.

Take a peek and vote for your favs.... mine of course!

Click here to vote for the best yarn photo:

Click here to vote for the best fiber photo:

Click here to vote for the best Animal photo:

Thanks and hope to see you all there!

Olympic knitting update!

2010-02-19T12:35:00.003-05:00

I'm keeping up with my Olympics knitting so far! I'm so close to being done with the body. Out of 7 different handspun skeins I'm on number 6! I really hope I have enough - I don't want to have to spin more. I think I'll just make it!

Here it is so far:

In other knitting news - I participated in a sock swap on Sarah's blog. I got mine from Michelle and they are so great! She sent a sweet package of goodies too:

I was knitting for Jake - and here are the awesome socks I made for him:

Pattern: Guitar Man socks by Rebecca Mercier
Yarn: Happy Feet
Needles: Size 2US
Mods: I only did 5 repeats instead of 8 - because man these would have been huge!

It was also time for the doggies to get their haircuts! I love freshly cut doggies - and they are so exhausted after they get back from their haircuts they sleep the rest of the day! They both look kind of annoyed here because I woke them up to take their pictures!

As You Wish!

2010-02-13T18:24:00.003-05:00

So last night I went to my friend Jolene's shop (Cloverhill) for an Olympic knitting party! All was planned out - someone brought a TV and we planned to watch the Opening Ceremonies over the internet via steaming video. We all brought our yarn and needles and were posed to cast on as soon as the Opening Ceremonies began.

Right before it was supposed to start, the video feed crashes and there's nothing! The computer types tried for a while to get it back or to find another site that was streaming it to no avail. I even tried going online on a different computer to find one but there were none that weren't either shady or required money. Sigh...

So - instead of sitting and knitting with nothing to watch on our lovely TV/computer setup - I logged into my Netflix account and started looking for a movie to watch. I was hoping to find an Olympic themed movie like Cool Runnings or The Cutting Edge... but alas they were not available over the web. I just started reading off the names of the movies that were available and finally hit on an all around fav...

The Princess Bride.

Who doesn't love a good love story! So with the princess on the tele and knitting in our laps we all cast on for our projects.

I am knitting Sweetgum Duncan - a top down yoked sweater. It was actually a last minute decision! I had my math all figured out for a top down raglan, but then the more I thought about it - the more I wanted a yoke instead of a raglan - round vs square. Ravelry saved the day and after a quick search - I found just what I was looking for.

I cast on with my handspun and have been knitting on it ever since. Here's how it looked earlier today:

I have several different skeins that I plan to use for this sweater.

So far I've finished one and started the second. I hope I can keep up my pace! What are you knitting for the Olympics - anything?

Spinning in the snow!

2010-02-11T15:29:00.004-05:00

I've been climbing the walls during the last week - want to be anywhere but here! One of the many things I've been doing is spinning. I spun up 3 different rovings over the last few days.

This is Fat Cat roving:

262.0 yards of 2 ply light worsted

This is Creatively Dyed:

90 yards of Navajo 3Ply bulky
Cornwall colorway

And this is Hello Yarn:

I just love the colors!

190 yards of 2 ply worsted weight
Vibrant Colorway

There's also been knitting! I'm almost done - so I wont show you yet but I'm knitting Kernel from knitty.com

Hope you are staying warm where ever you are!

Blizzard of 2010!!

2010-02-06T18:06:00.002-05:00

WOW is all I can say. We got about 3 feet - YES 3 FEET!!! and it's just now stopped... What a crazy day!

Here's my neighborhood.

It was actually kind of fun today - I hung out with my neighbors and even got to go sledding!

The sun came out a little bit ago and I hope the snow is done for the day!

Hope you all are safe and warm wherever you are!

Knitting in the snow

2010-01-31T13:03:00.004-05:00

It snowed again yesterday and it snowed ALL DAY! I woke up to find a gentle dusting and it just kept going and going like the energizer bunny!

Luckily it was a dry snow and easy to shovel! We woke up this morning to find it melting and forming icicles on my bay window.

Just look at that blue sky today!

Hurley, as usual, thinks the entire outside has turned into his own personal snow cone and just eats and walks all around.

Bailey doesn't eat the snow - he actually tries to stay on the shoveled areas!

Since I was snowed in - I decided it was a perfect time to cast on for a new project! I grabbed some Handmaiden Sea Silk and cast on for Kernel from Knitty.

This is the first time I've ever put beads in my knitting and I have to say it's pretty cool! I may have to do this more often :)

This picture of my knitting is the last picure for January in my Project 365. I finished a complete month!!

I'm both excited and surprised that I was able to keep it up. I'm posting pictures on flickr and on this cool site called 365Project.

Garter Yoke Photoshoot

2010-01-26T22:25:00.002-05:00

Finished since November! I finally got around to blocking this sweater and having a photoshoot.

Pattern: #22 Garter Yoke Cardigan from Knit 1 Winter 2008
Yarn: my own handspun - top portion is Dragonfly fibers and bottom is from Serendipity Farms.
Needles: Size 9
Alterations: I made the yoke much more rounded than the pattern called for - I cast on fewer stitches and increased evenly around the yoke to create a round neck instead of a square neck.

I had quite a hard time finding the right buttons for this cardigan. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted - or what I thought I wanted. I was looking for a natural wood button. But when I got to Joann's (the only place I know that has a wide variety of buttons!) I was so dissapointed! Most of the buttons I liked only had around 4 available. I needed 9! I kept on looking around and happened on these amazing leather buttons. I held my breath as I counted how many there were - Yes!! There were just enough. I love their deep brown color against the yoke.

I love my first handspun sweater and will hopefully have another one after my Olympic knitting!

A rose by any other name....

2010-01-20T08:26:00.003-05:00

I knit a scarf for my friend Tara because she is awesome and gave me 4 skeins of Araucania Limari "just because" she saw it and thought of me :)

Pattern: Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau
Yarn: Araucania Limari
Needles: Size 11
Mods: I only cast on 150 stitches since I'm using a bulkier yarn than called for, I did 14 wraps, and knit half as many plain rows after increase.

I love how you can wear this as you would any scarf OR wrap it around a few more times and it's a lovely neckwarmer.

But perhaps my favorite way to show it off is all curled up like a rose:

I gave it to Tara last night at dinner and she didn't even want to uncurl it! She said she loved her rose! I had to force to her uncurl it and try it on. hehe

I took these pics using my new remote for my camera! I'm so excited that I can take pics of my finished objects now without having to ask anyone for help!

Spinning up a sweater

2010-01-18T22:59:00.004-05:00

I've been spinning up worsted weight yarns with an idea in mind... an idea to use them to knit a sweater. I wasn't quite sure what would work together but I just picked things I liked. I spun up about 2 pounds so far! Definitley enough for a sweater - now I just have to pick what kind of sweater. I'm thinking a basic top down raglan V neck.

Here's the yarn:

Click on the picture and go to Flickr for details on each of the yarns.

My favorites are definitely these three:

I recently spun up this Pigeonroof Studios

It was the first time I've ever spun Pigeonroof and I now know why so many people love it! It's a joy to spin and the colors are amazing!

I also had 4 oz of Hello Yarn's Turkey attack stashed away for a rainy day...

You may remember this as the same roving I used to spin and knit mittens last year.

Another fiber artist that I have fallen in love with in the course of this project is Wool Gatherings:
I found her on ebay and bought a braid - this one:

and after spinning it immediately went back online and bought a second one:

The before pics are quite interesting - the BFL fiber she used on these was two toned before she dyed it. It gives such depth to the colors.

I also spun up a bag of mystery fiber I bought at Rhinebeck. I really wish I knew what it was! I got a bag of pencil roving and there was no name or fiber content or anything on it! Of course I forgot to write down the name of the vendor - my bad! But it is beautiful:

I think this will be my Olympic knitting project. I can't wait to start!

Week 2 of Project 365

2010-01-13T11:07:00.002-05:00

I am still enjoying Project 365 on Flickr. Here are the last week's shots.

I have a feeling winter was not the best season to try to start this! I am running out of ideas already and the outside is not as inspiring as it usually is in the spring or summer. This is causing me to get creative though! I am taking a ton more than one picture a day and just picking my fav. I hope you like this installment.

More snow!

2010-01-08T09:39:00.003-05:00

But this time it's managable and beautiful!

We woke up to this winter wonderful this morning!

The dogs had fun... Hurley thinks the entire outside is a giant ice cube - just for him!

Bailey just likes to root around and sniff - acheiving this lovely white beard :)

I love how my daisy pods looks covered in snow - just like little white hats!

Perfect weather to enjoy my new tea kettle!

I bought myself a new green tea kettle and I love it! I was hoping to get one for Christmas but I didn't - so I treated myself to one yesterday. Gotta love green tea! hehe

Seeing in new ways

2010-01-07T11:16:00.003-05:00

Doing Project 365 has been very inspiring to me so far. I am thinking about photography everywhere I go. I carry my little camera with me in my purse at all times (no - not my giant Nikon - my little Nikon Coolpix) just in case something cool appears.

As I wander through my day - I have been taking little snapshots of my surrounds. I ate lunch on Tuesday at this cute little Thai place and it resulted in these:

Yummy spicy soup!

And these cool statues on the wall:

Another day after work - I was leaving the building and looked up to see this amazing sky and light on the flags outside my building - a site I've probably walked by "unseeing" daily for 5 years!

I was eating gummy bears when I thought - hey! these would make a cool picture! So I took one:

And how can I not take a picture of my two best guys when they look so cute!

So - my eyes have been opened in a way to the beauty around me. It's been hard to pick just one photo a day for this project but even my "rejects" give me a smile.

Turkish Delight!

2010-01-06T13:21:00.003-05:00

I got wonderful mail today! I ordered a Turkish handwoven bath towel a few months ago and it got lost in the mail once, and then the wonderful vendor resent another one. I got it today! I am in love :)

She even sent a lovely bar of soap. I wish you could smell it throught the picture, it's wonderful!

AND I love the evil eye bead too! Did you know that in the Turkish and Greek culture these evil eyes are meant to ward off bad luck?

It was definitley worth the wait. I want to take another shower now!

If you too want this luxurious linen Peshtemal towel - you can buy it from Turkish Bath etsy shop.

Project 365

2010-01-05T13:47:00.003-05:00

With the new year comes reflections of the past and wishes for the future. This new year I have two goals.

1. Get healthy!! I joined a new gym in December that is VERY close to my house. I also signed up for a personal trainer once a week. I have found that when I have an appointment to keep I WILL show up. That means at least once a week I will have a tough workout. I hope to go 3 other times each week. That is my goal at least. I've been sick since my birthday - so I haven't made it that many times but hopefully once I feel better I will!!

2. Take a picture every day. I signed up for Project 365 on flickr. The group pool is here if you are interested in what everyone is up to. This is a group where you post a picture that you took every day for an entire year. I've been wantint to do this for a while, and I figured what better day to start than January 1! I will try to post once a week on this blog and share the pictures I took last week. I only have 4 to show so far - but I will try to keep it going all year. Hopefully this will improve my photography and make me more aware of my surroundings. One major challenge is the fact that I have to go to work and often get home when it's already dark! I may have to get creative with my homemade light booth! ... or gasp! Get up early and take some in the morning.

Here are my first 4 photographs of the year.

Happy new year!

2010-01-01T09:54:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone has a happy new year! To celebrate I thought I'd share a video of my crazy dog Hurley freaking out over a wind up robot toy.

Enjoy!

Hurley freak out
Originally uploaded by javajem

Happy end of 2009!

2009-12-31T20:40:00.004-05:00

I'm ending the year with a cold! I've been surprisingly healthy all year - I was definitely due... and it waited until my birthday to strike. Yes yesterday was my birthday! Even with my sniffles and cough I enjoyed my day. John planned a wonderful evening!

He took me out to Marcell's for a pre-theatre 3 course tasting dinner. I had the most amazing proscuitto wrapped monk fish followed by Lamb tenderloins wrapped in Phyllo with carmelized onions and Cumin Madeira sauce. For desert I had a souffle duo with gelati.

The souffles were amazing! One was chocolate and one was vanilla. Yum.

After dinner Marcell's had a car take us to the Kennedy Center for our show. We saw The Young Frankenstein. Here's the set before the show started.

It was a great night.

Since today is also New Year's Eve - I figured I'd look back at the year and see what all I've accomplished.

Here's a mosaic of the things I've knit this year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Christmas Musings

2009-12-29T10:11:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We had several Christmas celebrations with family and friends this year.

Christmas Eve was spent at our house with both sets of our parents. A few years ago we started a tradition of opening Christmas crackers with our meal - it's always a fun time! Inside each is a paper crown and a small prize. I got a skull and crossbones tattoo - score!

We opened gifts that evening and Santa's helpers were there to make sure it went smoothly :)

On Christmas morning - we headed over to John's sister's place to open gifts and have breakfast with Simon. He was decked out in his finest Christmas PJ's and had fun tearing the paper off the presents. John gave Simon the sock monkey he made a few weeks ago.

I knit Simon an R2D2 hat - I love how it came out!! The pattern is here and more details are on my Ravelry page here. His dad and uncle are huge Star Wars fans - so I thought this was only fitting!

I also knit Simon these cute mittens. I made up the pattern as I went along and will probably write up the directions if anyone wants to make a pair for the little one in their life.

After breakfast - we headed to our friends Tara and Tien's annual Christmas open house. We had fun catching up and eating more good food!

After the open house - it was off to our third stop that day - Christmas dinner at my sister in law's husband's parents house. We had yet another wonderful meal, opened more presents and were entertained by Simon playing the piano!

I gave William the hat I made for him while we were there too. I told him I made this three different ways. I couldn't find any roving to match the colors I wanted so I used Jolene's drum carder and made a batt, then spun it up with little coils and bumps and then knit it. I think it suits him!

How was your holiday? I hope you had fun with family and friends.

Hamden lights hon!

2009-12-20T20:14:00.004-05:00

Some friends and I went to Hamden in north Baltimore to see the famous 34th street lights. If you've never heard of Hamden of the lights - read this.

Thank goodness we went BEFORE the snow!

The entire street takes part in this tradition.

There's a Natty Bo themed house... can't get more B'more than that!

and a hub cap christmas tree!

Inside this house were even more crazy metal creations!

Yes - those are bras!

I had fun trying out some new photo techniques too!

Here's a holiday light bokeh... or two...

And some swirly pictures that I just love!

I got the idea for the swirly light effect from this article.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

December is here!

2009-12-19T16:20:00.003-05:00

December is here in full force!! We are being snowed in with a vengence today!

Here's the view from my front door...

The back door...

The snow has completely covered the cars!

This is the most snow I've seen since living in PA. I am so surprised.

I'm not quite sure when it's going to stop but it sure is pretty. I'm just glad I'm inside looking out!

To those of you on the east coast - happy snow day!

Monkey Business

2009-12-17T16:45:00.003-05:00

When I was a little girl, my grandmother made me a sock monkey. I'm sure many of you also had a sock monkey as a kid! He was my favorite toy - I slept with him every night. I kept him with me through many moves after I left home - he was a constant reminder of my childhood. Of course he moved with me to our latest home. He never made it out of a box unfortunately and as some of you may know - we had a fire in our house after a nearby tree was struck by lightening. This was just about 4 years ago now. Although there wasn't too much damaged by the actual fire - there was a great deal damaged by the water the firemen used to put out the flames. My sock monkey and most of my childhood memories were destroyed by the water. I was crushed!

By far the worste loss was my sock monkey. I swore I'd make myself a new one.

Well - I had the opportunity last weekend. John, our cousin William and I went to the American Visionary Arts Museum to make sock monkeys!

They were offering a free class and all you had to bring was your own pair of socks. We arrived to find a HUGE room of tables and supplies.

Each table had an array of embroidery floss, yarn and buttons to add to your monkey...

There were plenty of "Monkey helpers" around to help us on our way. Here's a step by step look at my monkey creation!

First I split the sock to form the legs and added stuffing to the body.

Next I added the tail...

On went his eyes...

and mouth...

I love his crooked smirk!

Next I added his arms...

At this point - we'd been at it for about 4 hours and sock monkey class was over... It took a surprisingly long time to hand sew these monkeys!!

John and Williams had fun too.

Here's William stitching up his awesome monkey!

And here's John working on his:

We didn't all finish our monkeys - but they still looked pretty cool sitting in a row!

I walked around when I was done and snapped a few pics of the other monkeys around - what a variety of awesomeness!

After we came out - we put the finishing touches on our monkeys and here they are - ready for snuggling!

Have a monkey of a good week!

A Slouchy hat for me!

2009-12-09T18:13:00.002-05:00

I needed a quick knit and this hat was just the thing.

Stats:
Pattern: Gwen Slouch by Lauren Nell Roy
Yarn: Ella Rae Bamboo Silk in Cyan
Needles: Sizes US 7 and 9
Mods: I cast on 84 stitches and then increased to 126 (14 pattern repeats total instead of 13).

I enjoyed knitting this hat - the pattern was easy to memorize and fun to knit.

The yarn was a bit slippery but SO worth it - the finished hat is soft and luxurious.

Harpers Ferry WV

2009-12-07T11:58:00.003-05:00

We stopped at Harpers Ferry, WV on Sunday after visiting with some friends who live nearby.

Harpers Ferry sits at the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and the Appalachian Trail passes right through the center of town. The entire town is built on a steep rock with steps carved right into the side. It's really pretty cool.

We got there right before sunset so the picture taking opportunities were limited - but I still had fun walking around.

Here's a little taste of the town...

This is St Peter's church:

This house caught my attention - it looks so thin sitting up on this high road.

The front of the building had these amazing doors.

You can just see the river in the distance from up on that high street.

Down in the lower part of town - there were lots of beautiful old buildings.
I loved the blue doors and windows on this one.

On many of the buildings - you can see the outline of other buildings that are no longer there.

If you find yourself in the area - it's definitely worth a peek!

Our nation's capitol

2009-11-23T13:27:00.003-05:00

My parents were down for a visit this weekend and I took them on a mini tour of Washington DC. We took the metro into town and got off at Union Station to begin our day.

We walked down 1st street passing the Supreme Court building on our way to the Library of Congress.

I've worked with the Library of Congress for a few years now as a consultant - doing their HR software - and I've been to the main building several times, even though I usually worked in the James Madison building across the street. It was nice to be able to show my parents some of the places I've worked.

The interior of the library is just gorgeous. There is color everywhere!

From the stained glass ceilings:

To the murals on the walls and ceilings...

We were able to peek into the "reading room" but alas no pictures were allowed. Here's a picture from the LOC website:

The next stop was the US Capitol building.

We walked through a tunnel to get to the Capitol building directly under 1st street from the Library of Congress. I hadn't been to the Capitol since I was in the Girls Scouts many many moons ago. Since that time - a new underground visitors center has been built. When you start your tour - you are shown a movie about the history of the building and the people who created this masterpiece. After the movie - a tour guide takes you to the famous Capitol Rotunda.

The painting in the dome is The Apotheosis of Washington by Brumidi.

Those of you who are Dan Brown fans may remember this as the location of the opening scene of The Lost Symbol where Langdon finds the severed hand on the floor pointing up at the painting. It was actually kind of funny how many people were pointing out that spot rather than looking at the art around them!

As we were leaving the capitol the sun was just starting to set behind the dome.

The Capitol building was backlit with a beautiful warm light.

I took advantage of a recent HDR class and snapped some shots using "bracketing" and then processed the pics using Photomatix software.

As we turned to leave we saw that the lovely warm light looked amazing on the Library of Congress too!

After a lovely dinner at McCormick and Schmicks we headed home exhausted after a busy day!

We're off to see the wizard...

2009-11-18T11:37:00.004-05:00

The wonderful Wizard of Oz!

Sunday was Jolene's birthday and as a special treat I took her and her girls to see the Wizard of Oz at the Lyric in Baltimore.

It was a great show and the girls loved every minute of it - as did I.

It was fun to keep the treat a secret from the girls. They had no idea where we were going! I couldn't resist making these bags for them and even when they opened them they still couldn't guess...

I made each girl a tote bag with this awesome Wizard of Oz fabric from the Seminole Sampler.

And I made Jolene a little wallet from the Ruby slippers fabric.

Mittens mittens mittens!

2009-11-16T15:14:00.004-05:00

I am so in love with these mittens! I was inspired to knit a pair after seeing these gorgeous mitts that were knit with handspun. I thought to myself - I have tons of handspun and I never seem to know what to make with just a single skein. Here is my solution!

Pattern: Classic Mittens - a simple free vintage knitting pattern on Ravelry here and online here
Yarn: Handspun dyed by Hello Yarn in the Turkey Attack colorway.
Needles: Size 8 DPNs
Mods: I just used the pattern as a guide and adjusted the fit as needed. That's the beauty of mittens - you can try them on as you go!

Here's the yarn before knitting it up:

Love these colors - they will go with my entire wardrobe.

I actually knit these in about 5 hours total - I just couldn't put them down!

A new hat!

2009-11-11T21:32:00.004-05:00

Everyone needs a new hat when the weather turns cold. I bought a skein of Madeline Tosh worsted weight yarn at Webs and after living with it for a while I decided it wanted to be a hat! It's a lovely orangey red shade and the color looks awesome with this pattern.

Pattern: Ballard Slouch hat by Felicia Lo
Yarn: Madeline Tosh worsted
Needles: Size 7 - 16 inch circ

I didn't do the extra repeat for "extra slouchiness" and I think if someone wanted a slouchy beret style hat they should do the extra repeat. I like how mine came out, but it's not as slouchy as I would have liked.

Everytime I go outside to take pictures - my dogs try to get in on the action... so here they are! Hurley and Bailey!

Before and After

2009-11-09T10:57:00.003-05:00

Before:

After:

I was knitting the Mad Color Weave socks pattern in this lovely yarn by Three Irish Girls, and I didn't like how the pattern was coming out. It was partially because of how the yarn was blending and partially because I just didn't like knitting this pattern. I love the finished pattern and all the socks I've seen but for some reason this pattern and yarn were just not meant to be.

So..... Riiiiiiiiippppp!!

This lovely yarn will hopefully be making another appearance soon!!

Orange you glad I knit more socks?

2009-11-06T13:34:00.004-05:00

I have yet another pair of socks to show you! These were finsihed in August but for some reason I never took a picture of them!

They are my Fireball socks knit with C*eye*ber Fiber yarn dyed by my friend Erin.

It's just a basic sock but I tried something new... an afterthought heel.

I didn't have any DPNs with me when I was knitting this - I was at the National Stitch and Pitch game - so instead I knit two rows on one side with scrap yarn, and kept on knitting! After finishing the toe, I went back and picked up the stitches on the scrap yarn and knit a second toe. I actually reall love how the heel came out and I may have to make more socks this way!

I have been experimenting with differnet sock heels lately. I forgot to mention that on the plain socks I knit from Rhinebeck I made a garter stitch heel:

A couple people have asked if this is a short row heel. It's not - it's actually just a heel flap that I knit in garter stich and then turned and picked up as normal. I love how squishy and flexible it is.

Happy Friday everyone!

Handspun sweater and 400 posts!

2009-11-04T14:08:00.005-05:00

This is my 400th post! Who knew that I when I started this blog back in 2005 that I would still be blogging.... about knitting! I certainly didn't.

But here I am knitting and now spinning too! Thanks everyone for reading and sticking with me all these years.

Speaking of spinning - I started a handspun sweater on the road trip to Rhinebeck. I had lots of great knitting time in the car on the way. Thanks for driving Sarah! I got a TON done and used up all the yarn I had with me for this sweater.

I'm losely basing the sweater on the #22 Garter Yoke Cardigan from Knit1. I say losely because I've changed the yoke to be more rounded instead of boat necked.

The top is knit with handspun dyed by the fabulous Dragonfly fibers.

And the bottom is roving from Seredipity Farms.

I actually got it at MD sheep and wool TWO years ago. I started spinning it two years ago when I was still a very novice spinner. Then I promptly put it aside and forgot about it for two years. I only had about 400 yards spun up and when I used up that yarn - I of course went to spin some more. I finished another 150 yards and starting knitting... BUT it wasn't the same gauge! Not even close.

My spinning has improved and I can't quite channel my inner "beginner spinner" to produce the thick and thin'ish yarn that I originally made. I'm on my third "sample" skein and I think I'm getting closer....

Wish me luck!

Mystery Socks Done!

2009-11-02T16:36:00.003-05:00

A day late... but still rock'n...
I finished the toe on November 1st - so I missed Socktober by one day - but I still love my Mystery Socks:

Looks like Hurley likes them too :)

Stats:
Pattern: Mystery Socks09 by Kristin Kapur of Through the Loops fame
Yarn: Socks that Rock in Beryl
Needles: Size 2 DPNs
Alterations: I only did 4 instead of 5 repeats on the leg.

I really enjoyed knitting these socks and looked forward to the new clue each week. I actually knit both socks at the same time so that I wouldn't be left with Second sock syndrome - for which I am very famous. I may have to do this for all my socks!

I knit quite a bit on these during the Rhinebeck roadtrips. The pattern was easy to memorize and they had just enough variety to keep up the interest. If you didn't knit these yet - I highly recommend them!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T13:45:00.004-05:00

It figures it's the very last day of October before I even get one pair of socks finished for Socktober!! I started three pairs but only finished one.

I do love them though! Sarah, Jolene and I each bought a skein of Socks that Rock at Rhinebeck. We all cast on and knit plain socks with our skeins.

And because it's Halloween, here's a creepy spooky spider for you!

I took this shot in Ellicot City where I had coffee this morning and a brief photo shoot. It may be one of the last last days with the Autumn leaves. They were really falling today and it was beautiful to be in the middle of of it all.

I got some great shots that I think will work up nicely in HDR. I took an amazing HDR photography class last weekend. I will post pictures soon of some of the things I learned.

Happy Halloween!

Historic Huguenot Street Photoessay

2009-10-23T12:26:00.006-05:00

The Monday after Rhinebeck we visited Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, New York. It was about 30 minutes north of Fishkill where we stayed.

Many of the original stone houses still remain from the 1700s. I love this house - it actually looks like a face to me. do you see how the chimney is the nose...

Jolene enjoyed peeping in all the windows:

There was this crazy contraption attached to a well... I wonder how it works:

I think the flowers were a bit confused!

Loved this fire hydrant...

Huguenot street was right on the Wallkill River:

I loved the old cemetary:

There were very old tombstones dating back to the 1700s

The leaves were amazing and we took full advantage of them for our pics :)

Here we are being silly...

After walking around the historical sections of New Paltz, we walked around the cute main street in town:

Rhinebeck Rocked!

2009-10-20T14:11:00.003-05:00

Even though I'm not home yet - I had to post pics from Rhinebeck!

I saw lots of friends, bought some cool stuff and had a grand time! Jolene and I flew up to RI to drive to Rhinebeck from Sarah's house. We had tons 'o knitting time in the car and I manged to knit half a sweater and finish clue 3 of the mystery socks! Pics of these items coming soon.

We stayed in Fishkill NY about 45 minutes south of Rhinebeck but it worked out perfectly. We went both saturday and sunday. Saturday was BEAUTIFUL!! I was so worried it was going to rain and or snow but it didnt. Here are some pics of the friends we saw....

They had these cool pumpkin carvings on display there...

And Jolene fell in love with these spinning wheels - especially the yellow one...

Sunday was much less crowded and a but rainy but we had a great time anyway because we got to see the things we missed on Saturday! And we watched the end of the sheep to shawl competition. Here's the winning team (at least they finished first). I loved their rainbow warp!

We also were somewhat restrained in buying... I only got three skeins of yarn - 2 socks that rock mill ends, a skein of angora sock yarn and a bag of merino roving.

Here's all three of our loot combined...

And best of all - I ran into a gal in the artichoke line wearing my Merletto mitts!! I had to take a pic!

After Rhinebeck we went to New Paltz NY to historic Huguenot Street. Pics of that soon!

Mystery Sock clue #2

2009-10-14T12:38:00.003-05:00

I finished the second clue in in the Through the Loop's Socktoberfest Mystery Sock '09.

I only did 4 repeats of the lace pattern instead of 5 since I'm a bit concerned that I will run out of yarn! The pattern calls for 400 yards and Socks that Rock typically have about 360 in their lightweight. So I'm trying to be frugal while I can :)

Guess where I am today! I'm at Sarah's house! We are road tripping to Rhinebeck later in the week. I'm so excited!!

Are you going? Let me know!!

Casting on!

2009-10-12T12:51:00.003-05:00

I think there must be something about that first hint of Fall in the air. I have an indescribable urge to cast on for new knitting! My queue on Ravelry has grown this week as I gaze at hats, and cardigans that I just have to cast on RIGHT NOW!!!

I finally decided on the Garter Yoke Cardigan from knit 1 Fall 08.

It gives me a chance to use my handspun too!

The turquoise is Dragonfly Fibers Handspun and the brown I got at MD Sheep and Wool Festival two years ago from Serendipity Farms.

I only have two balls of the brown right now so I need to spin some more! I just love the brown and turquoise combo!

Can't wait to cast on!

Sotterley Plantation

2009-10-10T10:56:00.003-05:00

Last week I helped my friends at another wine festival. This time it was at Sotterley Plantation in St Mary's County.
This is definitely one of the prettiest locations for a wine festival I've seen in a while! (And I've been to a few now!)

I must be getting good at my "shpeel" now too because several people told me that I gave the best presentation they'd heard all day!

The festival was on the grounds behind the plantation house. I didn't take a single picture of the festival because after a while you've seen one wine fest - you've seen the all! But the plantation house was beautiful...

There were some gorgeous gardens too....

With Cosmos in full bloom...

Can you tell what time it is? It's actually right!

Until next time!! Cheers!

Grafton Batt Spinning

2009-10-06T13:14:00.004-05:00

I love Grafton batts! They are a joy to spin. I spun up my latest one last week:

I got this at MD Sheep and Wool from the Cloverhill booth.

It came out to be about 233 yards of worsted weight 2 ply. I'm not sure what it will become - maybe a hat?

This weekend was beautiful! I spent Sunday helping out at another wine festival for my friends. This one was in St Mary's county - so quite a haul. It was worth it though because my friend Kim came along to help and we went to her parents for dinner. They live down that way and it was nice to get a good home cooked meal.

The wine fest was held at Sotterley Plantation. I took some pics of the grounds that I haven't uploaded yet. Pics coming soon!

Mystery sock - clue #1

2009-10-03T07:57:00.004-05:00

Happy October everyone!! October is not just a time for the leaves changing color, Halloween and Rhinebck... it's also time for Socktoberfest! This year I decided to take part in Through the Loop's Socktoberfest Mystery Sock '09.

I cast on and knit the first clue over the past two days.

I'm using Socks that Rock in Beryl.

I'm knitting both socks at once so I'm not left with the dreaded second sock syndrome!

I can't wait for the next clue!

New orleans

2009-10-01T10:34:00.006-05:00

Happy Thursday everyone! I'm in New Orleans again this week for work. I've had a chance to eat some good food again this trip. Last night I went to a cute little restaurant called Dick and Jenny's.

I got the retaurant a bit before the people I was meeting and I was sitting at the bar looking around at the cool collection of plates on the walls. The walls are full of hand painted plates with people's names, drawings and everything in between.

I asked the bartender what the plates were for and the story was just wonderful. He said the owners, Dick and Jenny, were close to finishing the renovations of the restaurant, when a huge plumbing bill threatened to delay their opening night. The solution to their situation came in the form of "friendly investors." Dick & Jenny sold plates to their opening night dinner. For $100, people received a plate on the wall in their honor. The plumbing was fixed, the restaurant a hit, and the plates remain as a reminder of their beginning.

I also made sure to stop for some beignets at the world famous Cafe du Monde. Is there anything better than a sugary beignet? I don't think so....

The day before I left for New Orleans I finished knitting my Forestry sweater! I haven't blocked the collar and button band yet and they are a bit wonky so no modeled pics yet. But I just love the color and had to share. I hope it comes out good in the end!!

I look forward to wearing this baby in a few weeks in Rhinebeck.

National Book Festival

2009-09-27T16:38:00.003-05:00

Saturday was the National Book Festival on the mall in DC.

Despite an overcast morning the rain held off until about 2pm when I was safely inside a tent :)

I started out the morning with John Grisham. Here he is about to speak. He talked about his writing process and how he still has endless books left inside him waiting to come out. He's written 23 so far. Talk about prolific! I used to love his books, but I have to say they started to become somewhat the same after a while, so I stopped reading, but it was still interesting to hear him speak.

I left about half way though his talk because I had to get my place in line for JOHN IRVING!! I was so excited when I found out that he going to be there because he is one of my favorite authors. If you've never read a book my John Irving let me recommend A Prayer for Owen Meany as the first one you pick up. His latest book, Until I Find You is another one of my favorites. That was the book I chose to get signed. I've read all his books and eagerly await his next.

His new book is called Last Night in Twisted River. I don't want to wait until October!

I actually had a fun time waiting in line for his signature - even though it was about a 2 hour wait - I ended up talking to three lovely gals in line. They were all John Irving fans and we had a blast comparing favorite books and authors. It definitely made the time go by faster! We were not officially allowed to take any pictures of him, but I managed to "Kinnear" a pic of him signing and in the process lost my lens cap! Oh well.

The line next to mine was for Judy Blume. She is still so cute!

It was fun to watch all the little kids waiting for her signature. Two little girls were so excited - I watched them bubbling over with energy and jump up and down with glee after she signed their books. Very cute. I will always remember "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing", "Blubber" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" They were a big part of my childhood.

After getting John Irving signature - I waited around for Paula Dean to arrive. I wasn't about to wait in her line - it was HUGE!! But I did get to see her. She is something else! She gave a huge "Hey y'all!" when she arrived and was full of energy and so expresive!

John Irving also spoke at the Fiction tent - he was interviewed by a book reviewer from the Washington Post. Anyone who's read his books knows he's a huge wrestling fan. It was not hard to tell he's a wrestling coach and is most comfortable in that role. He showed up in a black and white warm up suit and rarely looked at the audience as he told his story.

I love his shirt! It's his last book "Until I find you" written in Spanish...

Log cabin pillows

2009-09-22T10:57:00.004-05:00

I sewed some log cabin scrappy pillows a few weeks ago using some stash fabric and some fabric from one of my grandmother's outfits. My grandmother loved to wear these 60s style polyester pant suits. One of her favorites was this brown houndstooth number. I can still see her in it!

My mom was going to donate all of her clothes but I asked for that outfit. I decided to make some pillows that incorporated some of the fabric from this outfit as a way to keep her memory close.

I made one for my mom and one for me.

I love how it came out! These are a wonderful quick stash buster project. I may have to make some more of these pillows as gifts - minus the polyester pants suit strips of course!!

MD Wine Festival

2009-09-21T08:17:00.001-05:00

Sunday was the Maryland Wine Festival in Westminster MD. We couldn't have asked for a better day. The sun was out and the crowds there en masse!

I was amazed to see so many people turn up for a festival in what seemed to me the middle of no where! We drove through some lovely countryside to get there.

I was there to help my friends and owners of the Far Eastern Shore Winery - Tara and Tien. I poured wine until I thought my arms were going to fall off!

If you have a chance to taste some of these wines - I highly recommend them! They are all fruity and delicious!

There were also lots of crafts and things for sale. There was even an alpaca farmer with yarn! I didn't buy any but was happy to pet the soft stuff non-the-less :)

I wish I were still there instead of back to work!

Happy WWSIP day

2009-09-19T16:55:00.002-05:00

Today is World Wide Spin in Public day! Several of us from my spinning group decided to go to Baltimore to celebrate the occasion. We met in Mt Vernon and sat outside in the perfect weather for a day of spinning.

At times - we gathered quite a crowd! We were apparently the attraction of the day.

Jen was wonderful at explaining the mechanics of spinning to everyone who came by with questions...

It was a lovely day to be outside! Just look at those blue skies!

I ended up with 200 yards of worsted weight Navajo 3 ply:

It was hand-dyed by Woolarina and I think I may make a top town raglan sweater with it.

What a great day!

Fungus Friday!

2009-09-18T08:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! It's been a loooong week here at casa Javajem. Work and meetings and other commitments have kept me busy! I'm very happy it's Friday!

Saturday is World Wide Spin in Public Day! So go out and sit and spin somewhere. I'll be in Baltimore with my spinning group. If anyone wants to joins us - we will be starting around 10am, in the park in Mt. Vernon, outside the Engineer's Club. The park is around the Washington Monument on Charles Street and has four "arms," one in each direction. We'll be in the "west" arm toward Cathedral Street.

Sunday I'll be pouring wine again for my friends at Far Eastern Shore Winery. The Maryland wine festival in Westminster MD this weekend - go check it out!

Now - on the fungus! hehe.... It may be because it's been so wet lately - but the woods next to my house have flowered with the most beautiful fungus! Here's a mosiac of the different types I found:

I think the top left looks like sea shells and the top right looks like a brain!

Spinning!

2009-09-17T09:52:00.002-05:00

I've been spinning a lot lately but I don't have too much to show for it! The reason I guess is that I've been obsessed with spinning the finest yarn possible!

Here are my latest two skeins:

The blue is roving dyed by Jolene. I spun it into extra fine singles and then Navajo plied them. My friend Larissa has been telling me about how she has been trying to acheive 400 yards of three ply out of 4 oz. It's her holy grail in spinning. She always came close but never quite got to 400. I thought - hey! I'll give it a try! Um... Larissa don't hate me - but I got 528 yards of three ply out this baby! It is a very light fingering - and will make wonderful socks. I love the subtle variation of blues greens and teals that this yarn ended up with.

The orange/yellow one is about 450 yards of 2 ply spun from a Grafton Fiber batt. I may not have initially gone for the batt myself because unspun it looked mostly yellow, and I'm not a huge yellow fan, but when I saw a fellow spinner's results at my Spinning group at Cloverhill I couldn't resist. It's like liquid gold! I love it.

I am not quite sure what it will become - maybe socks or maybe a scarf. I have my eye on this lovely scarf from the latest knitty patterns.

The color is almost identical and I immediately thought of my handspun when I saw the scarf on knitty.com. Any other ideas?

Long overdue Shetland Triangle Photoshoot

2009-09-16T13:52:00.003-05:00

I don't know what took me so long to get my act together to actually block this shawl and take pictures. But I finally did!!

I finished this shawl back in March and set it aside to be blocked and promptly forgot about it for months! Not sure why...

Stats:
Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark from Wrap Style
Yarn: I used about 400 yards of fingering weight handspun made from Corriedale roving I bought at Sheep Shack at Mountain View Farms booth at Rhinebeck last year.
Needles: Size 9
Alterations: None

I love how the yarn makes the stitches and pattern really stand out! I knit this shawl incredible fast too - I just couldn't put it down. It's a bit small to wear as a shawl, but I think I'll wear it as a neck warmer in the winter.

In other news - last weekend I threw my parents a surprise party for their 40th anniversary! I'd been on pins and needles for months trying not to say anything that may give it away. It turns out someone told my Dad - I was so mad!!! But he was awesome and kept it a secret from my mom. So she was definitely surprised! I was afraid I was going to give her a heart attack! When we walked in and everyone yelled "surprise!" her heart was beating so hard I could see it in her neck!

There was also a second surprise - my brother and his wife had flown in from Minnesota - so that was awesome too! That was actually a surprise for them both. I'm so glad I was able to (almost) pull it off. It was a lovely day!

Cape cod and hotel Sarah

2009-09-08T11:31:00.008-05:00

In my last post - I showed you the beautiful wedding we attended for Jeanine and Robbie. I'm so very late in catching you up with the other wonderful things I did while on vacation at the Cape.

We stayed in a lovely little bed and breakfast in Falmouth - the Village Green Inn on Main st.

It was a perfect location because it was right on Main st - the main drag in Falmouth. On our first day - we walked around and took in the quaint town.

We got lucky and there was even a craft show going on!

Of course we had to check it out... I got a cute necklace charm made out of a scrabble tile.

In addition to the craft show - there was also a farmer's market across the street - bonus!

We got some wonderful fresh apples and a bag of homemade granola - yum!

There was a yarn shop on the main street too and of course I had to go in!

It was Sage Yarn shop and they had some great stuff. I ended up coming out with ONLY 1 skein of alpaca silk laceweight in a gorgeous robin's egg blue.

The next day was the wedding and we spent most of that day on the beach. We went to Old Silver beach - my fav beach at the cape. I got the worst sunburn! I was idiot and thought that if I stayed under the umbrella - I wouldn't get burned... not so much!

The water was very warm and I was happy to float around on the calm water.

After the wedding - we spent the next day on a lighthouse tour of the cape. I love lighthouses and we saw some really beautiful ones. My favorite is still Nobska Point Light Lighthouse - in Woods Hole (Falmouth)

The view from the lighthouse is gorgeous too:

Next we drove to Chatham to see the Chatham lighthouse. After driving through the cute town and to the point where our GPS said the lighthouse was - we couldn't find it! The fog was so thick we could barely see the road! I guess that is why they need light houses on the Cape in the first place!

So after that disappointment, we drove on to Eastham MA to see the Nauset lighthouse.

This light house was moved from Chatham in 1923 to replace the Three Sisters lighthouses. The upper portion of the beacon was painted red in 1940, to distinguish it from Highland and Chatham lights. The retired Three sisters lighthouses were a short walk away from the Nauset lighthouse.

The origin of the Three Sister is that they build three lights to distinguish the Nauset Station, a keeper's house and three small towers of brick were constructed 150 feet apart. This site marked the only station in the U.S. designated by three towers. These are no longer in operation and were relocated to this wooded area near the current Nauset lighthouse.

Our final stop was Highland lighthouse in Truro, MA.

Highland (or Cape Cod) Light was the first of the lighthouses of the Cape. It had to be moved back from the edge of the cliffs due to erosion. It now sits 570 feet from the cliff edge on a golf course.

This little fellow was only too happy to model for me while we were looking out over the water at Highland light.

During our drive around the cape we also found this beautiful Windmill

The Jonathan Young Windmill was built in the 1700s. In the 1800s it was moved to Orleans and then Hyannisport. In 1983, it was returned to Orleans, where it now sits in Cove Park

After our day of driving around the cape - we headed back to North Falmouth for dinner at Sarah's parents house. It was so sweet of them to invite us over. We had burgers, dogs and sausage and plenty of fun and conversation.

Here's a great picture of Sarah and her friend Staci - I finally got her to laugh!!

John went home on Sunday and Sarah and I had three whole days to enjoy on our own back at her house in Rhode Island. We crafted, we ate fried clams, we went to the beach and we had a great time with her pets. I got a great picture of us with her dog Murphy and Jeanine's dog Shamus. Shamus is better than an alarm clock in the mornings - he just jumps on you until you get up!!

Sarah is the best hostess ever and if you get the chance to go to Rhode island definitely show up at her house and ask for the Hotel Sarah treatment. It includes awesome foods like this straight from her garden and local CSA - yum!!!

Thanks for an awesome time Sarah!!

Wedding post!

2009-09-02T11:43:00.002-05:00

I went to Jeanine and Robbie's wedding two weeks ago. The wedding was in Cape Cod and it was perfect weather and a beautiful day.

I had the best time hanging out with Jeanine (who is Sarah's sister) and her family and friends.

Sarah and I even managed to do a mini photo shoot of her latest shawl - yes we are knitting nerds to the end!! It was a fun day and I was honored to be invited!

I'll miss you Grammy!

2009-08-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

My grandmother passed away today. She lived to be 93 years old and was healthy her whole life. She had a stroke last weekend and died this morning in her sleep.

I love you Grammy! Say hi to Grandpop for me :)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

2009-08-23T16:11:00.003-05:00

Today is my parents' 40th anniversary! I'm so lucky to have such great parents who have been happily married for 40 solid years.

Mom and Dad - you are the best!

I'm in Cape Cod and Rhode Island this week for Jeanine's wedding. It has been a great time! I'll post pictures soon!

New Orleans trip

2009-08-12T09:04:00.003-05:00

I'm in New Orleans for work this week! I am lucky to be staying at the W hotel... I love the rooms. They are very stylish...

I took a walk through the French quarter Monday evening enjoying the unique architecture and sights along the way:

I love that this building says "liver pills"

I love walking around Jackson square. Here is a sunset picture of St Louis Cathedral...

After a stroll around I stopped at Cafe du Mond for a dinner of cafe latte and beignets. I swear I think there is more powdered sugar than dough!

After that I walked along the river - and this walk is aparently called the "Moonwalk"...

In addition to the plethora of homeless people sitting on the banks of the river - there were beautiful statues and pieces of art like this angel:

The sunset over the Mississippi was beautiful:

Hopefully I'll have to time for more walks later this week!

More Weaving

2009-08-09T06:39:00.002-05:00

I had my second class yesterday with Carl Goss and I actually started weaving this time!

We finished setting up the loom first of course. I still had to slay the Reed:

And tie the warp on to the front apron stick

And weave some fabric to get everything evened up

And then it was time to weave!

My sides are a bit uneven, but I love how the fabric looks!

I'm off to New Orleans today for work, but I can't wait to come home and weave more at the next class!
Have good week!

Not another hobby!

2009-08-02T20:20:00.002-05:00

It's true! I've been bitten by yet another bug of the crafting variety. I'm taking a weaving class!

I'm taking my class at Carly Goss Studios in Baltimore. I love that I found an alternative to The Mannings full week weaving course. Although I would love a week of weaving - I just don't have the time off I need for that class. I opted for this one since it's on Saturdays. So for the next 6 weeks I'll be here on Saturday mornings:

I took a "pre-class" last Wednesday where I learned to make my warp (the legnthwise structure of a woven object). Saturday was spent learning how to get the warp on the loom. This is a process that is much more involved that I had expected! Take a look at some of my progress:

Next week we will finish threading the heddles, and maybe... just maybe start weaving!

I'm very excited to learn more!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T14:15:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July! Hope everyone has a beautiful day!

Sketch'n Part IX

2009-06-25T20:24:00.002-05:00

I did a series of watercolors recently that I wanted to share with you. The first is a series of birds. I gifted one to Sarah for her birthday.

Another is a series of octopi - I love these little guys!

Going back to the Sketchbook exchange I participate in - I finished my last sketchbook. I can't wait to get my own sketchbook back and see all the art that was done by the other 12 members of our swap.

In addition to several of the watercolors - I added these drawings to Peggy's sketchbook.

I made these Nesting Dolls run across the page - each with their own design. The mosaic cuts out two of the dolls in the middle - but you get the idea....

And finally - I also drew some yellow birds...

I'm just back from New Orleans today. I was there for several days for a business trip. It was sooooo hot there I couldn't believe it. With the heat index it was over 110!

I'm glad to be home with my boys again!

2009-06-21T20:14:00.003-05:00

Larissa and I saw Carlos Ruiz Zafon speak at Politics and Prose in DC. I could have listened to him talk all day - he has such a wonderful voice and tells the most amazing stories.

He was there promoting his new book "The Angels Game". I read his last book "Shadow of the Wind" and loved it. It's definitely one of those books that took over my life while I was reading it. I completely gave myself over to the world he created. I hope that this new book does the same.

One of the most intriguing things he said about his writing was that he also composes music to go with his characters and plot. You can actually download these pieces to listen to while you read. I am looking forward to doing this myself while I read his new book.

I can't wait to read my newly signed copy.

Sweet Brie

2009-06-05T10:04:00.003-05:00

I wanted to stop and remember my friend Brie today. She passed away on this day last year.

I never knew a sweeter girl or a better smile :)

Please keep her family in your thoughts today.

Miss you Brie!

Sowebo Fest

2009-05-27T11:41:00.004-05:00

I forgot to update you on my activities on Sunday! I went to Sowebo art fest (sowebo = south west baltimore). It's a street festival with art, jewelry, music, and people watching :)

I had a great time with the people watching especially. There was some very interesting sights including these lovely swans :)

I went with my friends Larissa, Zeke and William and we also enjoyed sampling the array of tasty treats! Watermelon/strawberry slushies, sausage and peppers, pizza, and lemonade were all sampled.

The music was great too - every area had it's own genre - folk, heavy metal, hip hop and even a marching band!

I was also lucky enough to run into an old friend! My friend Tim and I hadn't seen each other in over 4 years! How awesome is that!

I ended up buying a gorgeous handmade necklace (which I'm wearing in the above pic), and some homemade ginger hemp granola from Michele's Granola (yum!).

Stitch and Pitch!

2009-05-25T08:44:00.003-05:00

I made my second annual trek down to the National stadium on Saturday to see the Stitch and Pitch game. This year the Nationals were playing the Orioles in the Battle of the Beltways! I didn't care who won - but in the end the O's beat the Nats 2-1.

Here is my plain sock in progress:

I went with Coleen, Hollyanne, Theresa and Jen. I was an idiot and forgot my camera - so I am stealing Theresa's pics!

We had a ball - eating way too much good stuff including Bens' Chili bowl and the most amazing Gelati! Mmm - Mint Chip for me and Theresa and Lemon for the rest!

I also have some big news - I bought a new car on Saturday!!! I got a new 2009 Ford Escape to replace my old 2004 Ford Escape. Love it! It's Sangria Red and has a sunfood and leather seats and butt warmers and an Ipod hookup and cool lights inside - on my!

I'll have to take some pictures and show you!

Sketch'n Part VII and VIII

2009-05-21T22:17:00.002-05:00

Another double edition of Sketch'n!

The latest two rounds of the Sketchbook swap I participate in have caught me in an extremely busy time! I only had time for three drawings in each book. Here they are:

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!! Be safe!

Wine in the Woods

2009-05-17T07:52:00.006-05:00

I helped out at the Far Eastern Shore Winery at Wine in the Woods. My good friends Tien and Tara are the owners.

To quote from their website:
"Far Eastern Shore Winery is a family-owned, boutique micro-winery located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in the historic town of Easton.

We produce less than 200 cases of each of our wines annually, so we hand-fill and label each and every bottle!

While we would enjoy your company in touring our facility, our zoning does not currently permit us to do this. Right now, you can only sample our wines at the Maryland Wine Festivals!

We are in the process of expanding both our production capacity as well as our wine selection, so be sure to visit our website frequently to check up on our progress!"

I highly recommend checking them out!

It was a very successful busy day!

This was the only picture I got to take before I dove in to start working. The crowds were out in force.

Here's Tien looking at the day's tally...

And here's Tara (in black) after the crowds were gone.

It was a busy day and everyone loved the wine. I may have to go back today and actually walk around!

How does your garden grow?

2009-05-15T10:31:00.003-05:00

Happy Spring everyone!!

It's gorgeous outside today and I'm so excited for tomorrow! I'll be heading to Wine in the Woods. If you live in Maryland - stop by the Far Eastern Shore booth. I'll be working there from 3-6 pouring their wines. The owners are good friends of mine - so come out and give them a taste!

All the rain leading up to the past few nice days have caused my flowers to pop!! I couldn't resist taking a few pictures.

Here's some Friday eye candy from my yard.

Have a great weekend!

MD Sheep and Wool loot!

2009-05-11T11:04:00.003-05:00

I finally got a chance to take some pictures of my Maryland Sheep and Wool loot!!

I got a sweater's worth of yarn from Peace Fleece!
Oh how I love this color...

I already did up a swatch.

I'm thinking of doing this sweater: Forestry (Old Penny Cardigan) I never would have thought about this pattern based on the picture in the magazine - but there are some great ones on ravelry.

The only other yarn I got was this beautiful sock yarn from Three Irish Girls:

I'm knitting the Mad Color Weave socks with it and I love how it's coming out so far.

This was definitely a year for roving and fiber.
I got this gorgeous assortment of fiber and I can't wait to spin it up.

There is some Woolarina, Grafton Fibers and Cloverhill in there from the cloverhill booth, a giant ball of Spinner's Hill roving and some Barletyarns roving in there.

Here are some closeups:

I also got some goodies from Sarah! She not only made me that gorgeous skirt in yesterday's post - she also sewed this cute pin cushion!

AND she let me borrow her hand carders and combs to try!

I can't wait to wash some fleece and give these a whirl.

In non fibery purchases - I bought Karida's new book and a lovely walnut niddy noddy:

And I also got this antique bobbin:

I plan to make a lamp out of it.

Stay tuned for more in progres pics!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T16:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

We took out my mother in law for lunch today to King's Contrivance restaurant.

We had a lovely meal - I had an eggplant and pine nut fritter for my appetizer and veal parmigiana for my meal. John and I shared the most decadent chocolate torte for desert.

It was also the perfect opportunity to wear the new skirt Sarah made for me!

It fits perfectly!!

Thanks Sarah!!

Modeled Sweater

2009-05-06T15:55:00.004-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! My sister in law sent me some pics of Simon in his new sweater!

I think it fits him perfectly!

Have a great week!

Maryland Sheep and Wool!!!

2009-05-02T19:52:00.003-05:00

What started out as a rainy icky day - turned into a great one!
The first day of Maryland Sheep Wool for me was actually yesterday - I helped Jolene setup the Cloverhill booth. We worked from 9-5 and man were we tired! But it was all worth it - just look at these crowds!!

Of course - the best part of MDSW is seeing all the friends!

It was a great day - I can't wait until tomorrow!

Back to School!

2009-04-25T23:34:00.004-05:00

Another weekend in my hometown is making me very nostalgic! I can't believe how much I actually miss this place. When I lived here I couldn't wait to leave - get out of the small town and into a bigger, "more happening" city. But coming back now years later - it's so nice to be in a smaller, slower paced town.

If you remember from last weekend - my high school is replaying a game that ended in a tie over 15 years ago. This was band practise #2, followed by a dinner and then a bonfire!

SO much has changed at my high school - including this new statue. I couldn't resist a picture of our mascot - the Easton Red Rover:

The band practised our field show today too - and we were running around for over a hour. When I say running - I mean running! At top speed. We have to run on the field into our spots to form the letter "E" for Easton. Crazy. I'll make sure someone takes pictures tomorrow of the real thing!

And there were even more old friends to see at the dinner following our band practise.

After the dinner - it was on to the bonfire!

Now - this may seem odd - but in my school - it's a tradition to build the hugest most amazing bonfire the night before the big Thanksgiving day game. Seniors gather wood for an entire week, build this massive bonfire and the night before the big game we light it and party around it for most of the night. It's seriously bigger than most houses. Well - we made one this time too - only it was at the Riverside Bar and Grill - where the football players, cheerleaders and band members (along with most of the rest of Easton) gathered to celebrate the Replay game.

Check out the football players - 15 years after their prime! I see lots of potbellies and bald heads!

And the band alumni:

After the intros and speeches - it was time to light the fire!

They must have thrown in an entire can of gasoline - because the thing ignited with a bang!

And soon grew to this enormous inferno. It was so hot - we had to move back like 100 yards to keep from getting fried!

It was so great. And what beats being able to get drunk (legally) with your high school friends!

I can't wait for tomorrow (well today... it's after midnight!) for the big game.

Go Rovers!!! Beat P-Burg!

Simon's Stipey Sweater

2009-04-22T11:17:00.002-05:00

I think my sister in law should have recieved the sweater I knit for my new nephew Simon by now - so it's safe to post the pictures!

I knit this stripey sweater for Simon - I hope he likes it!

Stats:
Pattern: Little Coffee Bean Cardigan by Elizabth Smith
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Wildflower D.K.
Needles: Addi Size 5s
Mods: I made the sleeves a bit longer and added 4 button holes.

What's next? Maybe a vest?

This one time at band camp....

2009-04-20T09:46:00.004-05:00

Yup - I was in the band in high school. We all got back together this weekend to practise for the Redemption game. What is the redemption game you ask?

Check this out...

Mission G

My high school football team is replaying my senior year Thanksgiving day game with our rival school - from Phillipsburg NJ. The original game ended in a 7-7 tie. Yes these guys are now 31-33 years old and will suit up and play "real" football again!

And what's a football game without the band!? We will also be taking the stage and attempting to spell out an "E" for Easton on the field. We will also be playing in the stands during the game.

It was so amazing to see my old friends!

Here are my fellow flutes!

And here are some pics from the rest of the practise...

About 30 of us came back for practise on Saturday and hopefully even more will come back next week. Many people are actually flying in from places around the country and as far away as Japan! They can obviously only be there for one weekend - so next week will be even more fun!

I can't wait to see how good (or bad) we all do!

Simon update!

2009-04-13T10:58:00.003-05:00

I just got some new pictures of Simon! John's mom went out to visit last week and took some great shots. He's such a cutie!!

I'm knitting him a sweater right now - I was hoping to get it done for today since John's parents are going out to Boise today, but alas - I'm still not done. Just the button bands to go! I'll be mailing it soon and I'll take pictures before I do. They promised to take pics of Simon modeling the sweater for me too :)

Monkey Socks... finally!

2009-04-10T10:20:00.003-05:00

I started these socks in June 2007 and just finished them a few days ago. That has got to be some kind of record for longest UFO! I knit the first sock and then put it aside because the way the colors pooled didn't thrill me. But I dug them out again one day when I was looking for a portable project and finally finsihed them off.

Stats:
Pattern: Monkey socks by Cookie A
Needles: Size 2 Addis
Yarn: Socks that Rock medium weight - in Metomorphosis colorway
Mods: I did one less repeat than the pattern called for. I think I would have run out of yarn if I hadn't!

I'm still not 100% happy with the way the colors blended, but I am glad they are finally done!

What do you think? Wearable?

Weekend fun - catchup post!

2009-04-09T09:35:00.005-05:00

I've been slack about posting about my last couple weekend outings. Three weeks ago I was actually in Raleigh NC visiting one of my best friends from high school, Marc.

The best part of visiting - was spending time with his animals! Here they are:

Brit, Mia, Gizmo and Rex the cat. They each have such different personalities! Brit is a bundle of energy and a snuggler and has the coolest eyes ever - one blue and one brown, Mia is the shyest dog you will ever meet, but sweet once she warms up, Gizmo is a belly scratch hore, and Rex the cat is more like a dog - loving people and attention.

I was there the weekend after St Patricks day - but due to rain their St Patty's day parade and Irish festival were delayed a week - so I got to see the festivities! They really know how to do a parade - it went on for over an hour! After the parade - we hit the Irish festival - we saw bagpipers and Irish Wolf Hounds everywhere!

It was a fun event. After the parade - we checked out the rest of Raleigh's cultural events - town hall and their musuem.

At city hall - there was actually a rally going on - I was joking around and called out "Go Obama!" to the anti Obama rally... Marc got all nervous - he told me I was in the south and had to keep it down - someone was likely to shoot me! Can you believe it!

Once safely inside - we looked around at the beautiful architecture...

After the town hall - we went to the art museum:

Here we are with an Indian princess!

We had a great weekend - thanks Marc!!

Last weekend - I went out to a coworker's party. His weeping cherry tree was blooming and he wanted to celebrate spring.

Just look at that beautiful tree!

His wife is quite an artist and one of her specialities is mosaics. Just look at this awesome dragon:

And I couldn't resist this cool birdhouse:

Unfortunately I have no pics from my recent trip to New Orleans for work - I was too busy!! Maybe next time!

Homespun Yarn Party

2009-04-07T21:11:00.003-05:00

Better late than never! Here are the few pictures I took from the Homespun Yarn Party last month:

It was so great to see friends old and new - I even got to see a preview of Karida's new book Pints and Purls! It's awesome by the way. I bought one skein of yarn and three skeins of fiber. I already spun up two of them - and I am excited to start the third!

Navajo Plying

2009-04-07T16:44:00.003-05:00

I finished Navajo plying half of the BFL I’ve been working on the past few days. I was planning to spin this into thin singles for a three ply fit for socks. I think I may have been a little too thick - because I ended up with 136 yards for 2 ounces. I’m still going to finish the second half and I will still knit socks with it, but I will have to use another yarn for the cuff, heel and toes. I think a nice solid blue or green will set it off nicely.

Here's a mosaic of the life cycle this yarn went through: Roving, singles, and Navajo plied:

This is Three Irish Girls roving - purchased at the Homespun yarn party. Speaking of the Homespun yarn party! I just remembered I never posted pics of the fun! I think it's probably because I took my "small" camera. I have to hunt down the cord and upload those soon!

6 years!

2009-04-06T17:58:00.002-05:00

I survived 6 years of being married today :)

I came home from work to the scent of flowers...

Happy Anniversary to me!

Need a little sunshine...

2009-04-02T18:55:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting in the Birmingham airport... waiting for my plane which is an hour delayed. I originally had a 1 and half hour layover - and now it's 2 and half hours! I spent the last few days in New Orleans for work. It rained or drizzled or fogged the entire time I was there. And now a huge storm is delaying me more! Ack!

I could definitely go for a little sunshine. - So I thought I'd share some of the Spring that has been popping up around my house... before all this rain of course!

My neighborhood cherry trees are blooming!

The hyacinths are popping out...

And the daffodils are blooming...

And another little piece of sunshine... I bought these daffodils from Trader Joes to brighten up my table... aren't they gorgeous!

Actual Knitting!

2009-03-29T16:04:00.002-05:00

Don't faint! I know it's been a while - but I actually have knitting to show you!

I dyed this yarn with Sarah two summers ago and I knit the socks in February, but I'm just getting around to showing you now:

These are just plain jane socks - basic top down and comfy.

Stats:
Pattern: Basic top down sock
Yarn: Hand dyed Louet base yarn
Needles: size US 2

I am still not sure if I will get to keep these - my mom had her eyes on them the last time she was over!

But she doesn't have cutes shoes to show them off!!

I'm an Auntie!

2009-03-27T14:06:00.006-05:00

My sister in law (John's sister) had a baby boy today!

He arrived this morning at 2:02am. He is 6 lbs. 14oz, and 16 inches long. Here he is on the scale.

He doesn't have a name yet - but he sure is cute!
Both he and Mom are doing great!

Stay tuned for more pictures and a name!

***Updated! His name is Simon :)

Tap tap... this thing on?

2009-03-24T19:06:00.003-05:00

It's been a month since I've last posted! I can't believe how quickly time has gotten away from me. All I can say is - I've been working long hours. It's no excuse - but it's all I've got.

John has also started chemo again - he's done 2 rounds and has 8 more to go. He's been extremely tired and it's very frustrating to watch him go through this again. Those of you who read his blog know the details - but in a nutshell - there is still some cancer in his liver. Luckily his colon and entire digestive track is still clear. We just have to get the little suckers still in his liver.

So anyway - I'm doing ok other than my frustrations that I can't do anything to help John feel better. I have been keeping busy - working maybe a little too much though!!

I've been doing some knitting here and there also. Right now I am working on the Shetland triangle. I'm knitting it with the orange handspun I just finished. I'm loving it! I have one more repeat to go before the border. Pictures soon!

I also have new drawings to share! These are my latest sketches for the sketchbook swap.

Giraffes...

Light as a Feather...

Just Hanging Around...

Birds on a Wire...

Coi pond...

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Homespun Yarn party

2009-02-24T12:45:00.002-05:00

Did you hear that there is going to be a Yarn Party on March 14? It looks like it will be a fun time! Lots of indie artists and great stuff to drool over. Check out their blog for more info!

I'll be there - so let me know if you're going - I'd love to meet up!

Sketch'n Part V and VI

2009-02-18T12:05:00.002-05:00

I'm a month behind in showing you my sketches for the Sketchbook swap. I just finished up a book this week and am mailing it off to the next person today.

Here are the latest sketches:

And here are the ones I did last month:

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

More spinning

2009-02-11T13:07:00.002-05:00

I've been spinning more and more lately! I just finished almost 600 yards of a lovely orange tweedy yarn - pics coming soon. But right before that one - I spun up a braid of Funky Carolina. It was my first time spinning her stuff and I loved it!

I got many comments on Flickr and Ravelry about how different the roving and the finished yarn look.

Here's the roving:

And here's the yarn.

You can definitely see the colors are the same - but they are much more evened out and blended in the finished yarn. I'm really happy with how it came out! I have about 120 yards of two-ply in worsted weight.

I was going to make this part of the handspun shawl I am planning, but the colors don't seem to fit with the rest I have already spun. So - what to make with this one? Any ideas?

In knitting news - I had been in a bit of a slump - started a sweater - ripped it back out, knit one mitten - haven't started the second... but last night - I finally finished a sock I had been working on for ages.

It's knit out of this:

It's yarn that I dyed with Sarah two years ago. I really love the color and so does everyone who sees it! I have already gotten requests from my mom, my husband and a couple friends for a pair in the same yarn. It's one of a kind I said! (Well - actually 1 of 2 - since Sarah and I each have a skein... Guard it well Sarah!!)

Now I just have to start the second one and I may eventually have something to show you!!

Until then - have a great week!

A burst of color

2009-01-29T21:59:00.002-05:00

I forced some tulip bulbs this winter. It's been so nice to have a burst of some friendly yellow flowers in the middle of the winter!

Check out the roots...

Beautiful!

Don't let the freezing ice and snow get you down!

Memories!

2009-01-27T21:49:00.003-05:00

It's been a while! I wish I had some knitting to show to you - but I got nothin'!

So instead - I am going to share some crazy pictures I found!

Take a look at these!

My 3rd grade, my dance class from when I was around 6 or 7, a church youth group trip to VA beach and backpacking in Europe after college.

I found a stash of old pictures this weekend and posted a bunch of facebook. Have you gone on there? It's a crazy place where you find all your old friends! I can't believe the connections I've made!

One of the "meme's" going around Facebook lately is 25 things. I'd thought I'd share it with you all too:

Rules:

1. I have played the flute, piccolo, piano and giutar in my lifetime. The only one I still occassionally pick up is my giutar. Sadly it sat untouched for years until I took lessons just a few years ago!

2. I love to travel and I have visited 19 countries: Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, Luxemborg, France, Spain, Belgium, England, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Greece, Turkey, Japan, Mexio, Aruba, and Canada. I am still kicking myself for not jumping a boat to Africa when I was in Spain! I could see it from the top of the Rock of Gibralter!

3. I studied abroad in England for a semester and saw 25 plays for my theatre class. One of my favorites was actually called "Shopping and F*cking". I was in the 2nd row maybe a little too close to the action! Minnie Driver was also in the audience and I had a better seat! Gotta love the student ID.

4. I kissed a Hairy Coo in Scotland. It was slimy.

5. I stole my first pint glass with Aimee Ferris in Luxemborg in 1998. I thought for sure the police would come after us and lock us away in some scary prison. Turns out - It was the first of many - and today I have a rather large collection of stolen pint glasses! Each with their own story.

6. I was an English major in college and still can't believe I now work with a computer software. I always said being an English major was a major in the art of bullshit - I can talk my way into anything!

7. I still love to read and admit to being a book snob - my favorite book in the world in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. I dream of finding the next book that will affect me in the same way.

8. I backpacked through Europe after college and during a night train trip from Vienna to Budapest a strange Tunisian man proposed to me and offered 8 camels for my hand in marriage.

9. I love all things crafty - knitting, sewing, painting, drawing, quilting - there just isn't enough time in the day!

10. I have made some wonderful friends online through my blog - they everywhere from Africa to Albuquerque. I even got to meet some of them while working in Albuquerque. What did we do before the internet!

11. I love green chilies and think everyone should go have some Santa Fe cakes right now! (A Santa Fe cake is a pancake with green chilies, pine nuts and blue corn - yum!)

12. When I was little I wanted to be a Solid Gold Dancer. Didn't everyone?

13. I grew up and lived in the same house in Easton PA for 18 years - until leaving for college. A few years later my parents moved to my grandparent's house up the street. Even though it's only a few blocks away - I still miss "my house!" I still drive by and visit it when I'm home.

14. The first concert I ever want to was Milli Vanilli - and it wasn't even real! I still like that song "Blame it on the Rain"

15. I once sang backup for a band called Phaser. We performed at the Black Cat in DC. Singing on stage had been a dream of mine since childhood. I was so nervous! The one time was enough :)

16. I know someone named Jenny (well Jen) who's real phone number was 867-5309. (sing it if you don't know what I'm talking about)

17. I worked in Washington DC for years and can get anywhere using the Metro. I have never once drove there and would be completely lost if I tried.

18. I used to work for the Smithsonian as a trainer and everyone thought it was so cool that I got see "behind the scenes" The truth of the matter is the "behind the scenes" was not very glamerous. My "training rooms" often consisted of folding tables and lots of junk in dark basement rooms. Still - it was fun to take my lunch hour looking at dinosaurs or First ladies! One of my training sites was literally in the Bat cave at the National Zoo. Dispite the dank smelly locale - it was next to the lion den and it made my day every morning to hear the lions roar.

19. I always have a song stuck in my head - usually the last song I hear. I have to mute the TV when ever a commercial comes on for Empire carpets or Free Credit Report.com - those songs will haunt me for hours! Rright now it's the Price is Right theme song - cheesy 70's theme music. Ack! My friends call me "Jukebox Jody" because I can whip out a song for any situation.

20. I have to sleep on the right side of the bed.

21. I once wrote a novel in a month for NaNoWriMo. It sucked!!

22. When I was little I used to eat Peanut Butter, ketchup and pickle sandwiches.

23. Whenever I sit down on a chair - I have to sit on one of my legs. I'm just not comfortable otherwise! Sometimes I pull up both and sit "yoga" style.

24. I like to put Peanut butter in my chilli. My husband gets really insulted when I do this to his chili - so I sometimes have to go on a stealth peanut butter mission. The dogs always give me away though since Peanut butter is their favorite thing ever.

25. I am absolutely blessed to be back in touch with so many old friends!

I'm not going to tag anyone - but if you want to share 25 things - please leave me a comment so I can ready yours!