About 2 months ago, CraftyPod held a giveaway for 2 copies of "Picture Perfect Knits". Til then, I hadn't won a single online contest... but this time..
I won!!! I want to say THANK YOU (again and again) for the book! It's got some awesome projects I want to tackle soon. I've got my eye on the cupcake pillow case and the argyle vest.
Sorry it took me so long to update about this book. I was hoping to actually start a project and report on how it was going but considering holiday knitting projects, that won't be happening soon... I give it a couple of months..
I've been working on this scarf for nearly a month now (has it been that long?!) It's a very simple pattern - I like how it's classic, clean and yet still stylish.
Pattern:
Yarn: Cascade 220 (100% wool yarn) Needles: Size 8 Dimensions of finished scarf: Appox 5' long and 6" wide.
Cast on 36 stitches.
Row 1&2: (K2, P2) 9x Row 3&4: (P2, K2) 9x
Repeat til happy with length of scarf.
Pretty simple, eh? It makes for some great train knitting while listening to music and/or podcasts.
P.S. Thank you to everyone out there who's been reading my blog this year. You guys definitely keep me writing - it's nice to know you're not writing into the ether...
I kind of fell off the knitting wagon for a while there. But I am back! And with full force.
A custom pair of wristwarmers in a two-tone fashion. These are made of 100% alpaca yarn with bronze buttons. They are definitely one of my favorite pairs of all time that I've made so far. *And* I knit them from my current stash.
This was an experiment using size 17 knitting needles with double strands of worsted yarn. It's acrylic but incredibly warm.
I've already gotten compliments on this!
I have a 3rd project I've finished but I can't show it since I know the gift recipient reads this blog ;)
Check out folduscandidate.com and make your own candidate. I find it to be a humorous way to grab people's attention about the upcoming election. If you make one, let me know! I may give it a go this weekend.
And don't forget to register and vote on November 4th. This is going to be, as Senator Joe Biden said at last night's VP debate, "the most important election you'll ever vote in your entire life".
Why does Merlin Mann absolutely rock? Because he does. Not to mention, he writes amazingly profound bits of advice such as the one above. It is concise, motivating while not being preachy, douchebaggy "motivational speak", funny and Twitter friendly - under 140 characters!
I feel like just the first and last bits "Find Your Obsession / Get better" are the perfect pair to apply to life in general. I'm currently working on being more efficient, getting my priorities straight and having things set to prepare myself for a good future and an enjoyable today that allows for the madness that everyday life brings.
Watch the entire talk he gives on "How to Blog". The man is quite the genius when it comes to getting things done.
A few months ago, my friend Kat returned from the Ukraine after visiting her family. As a souvenir, she gave me the most beautiful multi-colored skein of authentic Ukrainian mohair yarn. It was so soft and wispy and I had to come up with just the right project for it.
What could I come up with that would use up one skein? That would show off the yarn's details and colors just in the right way? At my local knitting group, I was patiently taught how to double and triple crochet and I quickly put the new skills to good use. This is using the same pattern as the previous scarf I posted. This scarf is using a 3c and 1c in rows whereas the other used it the long way to create columns. I actually finished this one first but photographed the other one quicker since I had to give it away and therefore had to get a photo-op in. This was a superfluous artsy shot. Isn't it purdy? I love how it looks as if you are walking in the clouds, looking up at the sky...
Hope you're all having a great beginning to the week! (Despite the economic turmoil lately..)
A few months ago, I decided to test Urban Dictionary and see if I could get "mellowbeing" added as a word to their database. The approval process takes longer than a couple of days so it sort of dropped from my immediate attention span. While doing a Google search today, I found out that the entry had been added! Talk about a double whammy on one day :)
So I went to check my Etsy shop this morning and noticed something odd..
The listing for the Olive Wristwarmers went from having 40 views to 347 views and 35 people favoriting it!!!
After asking around the Etsy forums, katrinbird told me that my wristwarmers had indeed made the front page and found a screenshot on Copabananas Flickr account. Whoo! I'm SO flattered :D
Bre Pettis from Etsy/Make has a new show pilot out:
"The pilot is all about Nikola Tesla and the war of the currents between Tesla and Edison. In the show I learn how to blow a neon tube, explore wireless electricity and build an AC generator from a bike. I also go to Boston to visit an MIT space lab to see how the principles that Tesla pioneered are being applied to space propulsion."
Sounds like an amazing show. Check it out tonight on the History Channel at 8pm and midnight.
