Discoknits

Guest Room

2012-01-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

Remember Project Grellow? Our spare room was to be decorated as a guest bedroom. Well, I'm so proud of how it all turned out. Here's the room, all cleared out and ready to be painted and furnished.The grey went on the walls and the furniture was delivered and assembled.
Bedding next.
Artwork hung.
The butterfly sampler was made using this tutorial. It was so easy I could hardly believe it - DO check it out.
This is my only disappointing piece in the whole room. The fabric is still rumpled, even after ironing and mounting. I still like the embroidery though.
A basic granny square pillow. Random(ish) stripes grace one side....
while the other side is one round of each colour. Ravelry project page here.
My mom and her husband enjoyed the room when they were here for 10 days over Christmas. It now has another occupant, but that's a post for another day ......

Happy Birthday to me :0)

2012-01-02T07:47:00.001-08:00

I had to show you this cute picture the boys gave me for my birthday. It's perfect for above my office 'desk'.And that there 'book' is my new nook tablet, thanks to Santa for that :0) I've been reading the 2nd book in the Hunger Games series on it. Haven't got very far yet, what with all the partying and whatnot, but enjoying it as much as the 1st. It's great for carrying around knitting pattern pdf's too - no more printing for me!

Hubbs sent me this little glass token from England. "Friends for Life", that's us :0) Here's a linky if you like it. She always finds the cutest stuff.
Lastly, here's a treat for the kitty fans (that would be all of us then!). We are so lucky our next door neighbours have FOUR cats. You've met Oscar already, and now here's MamaKitty. She's recently taken a shine to meowing at our back door. Isn't she a beauty :0)
Now we're off to the movies to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. DH finished the book yesterday, so we're both raring to go.

Happy Monday y'all.

disco xo

A New Year, A New Sock

2012-01-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

I'm starting this New Year with a Mystery Sock. Everyone's favourite IrishGirlie has designed for the Sock Knitter's Anonymous group on Ravelry. The sock's name is Blathnat, which means "little flower" in Gaelic. Pronounce it Blaw-nit.

Wanting to use stash as much as possible this year, I chose one that was well marinated - Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Loden. A fresh green to go with the flowery theme.

Go to the name link above to download the 1st clue. Clue are posted on Jan 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd, and best of all, this pattern is FREE!!!

Happy New Year, y'all!

disco xo

2011 The Year of the Hat!

2011-12-31T08:54:00.001-08:00

I started this year with a goal in mind. A hat per month. Use up some stash and try some quick, fun projects. I made a strong start with Molly in January,Monkey Bones Super Slouch in February,
and Ripley in March.After that, things got kind of off track during the summer. I'd been waiting forever for Carrie to write up the pattern for the Uncle Frank hat and as soon as Dear Baby Francis came out, I was all over it. That's for a total of 4 so far.For Christmas, Hubbs asked for a Freestyle Snowboarder's hat to match her skiing coat, in brown and black. I haven't blogged this one, as it was finished over this busy Christmas period, but it's made with Debbie Bliss's Alpaca Silk Aran.Hubb's hubby needed a hat too. So I whipped him up a Fine Fella - same as the one I made my own hubby earlier this fall, for a total of 7. Phew, over halfway to 12.

I had forgotten about these two beauties until I was trawling through pictures for this post. They are two tiny baby hats I made for Teddy's teacher from 1st grade. She had her 2nd baby - a girl - and I whipped these up to keep her little head warm. Aaawww. I forget the yarns, but I think you can see the softness, right ;0)

My final unblogged and unphotographed completed hat, is Tiny Owl Knits' Orchids and Fairylights. I made it for my SIL's 40th birthday which was on 23rd December. Well, that'll explain that rush then! I'll get a photo of it one day....

There was one other hat, but that's in solitary confinement until I can work out/stop procrastinating on, what to do with it. It was Plicate by Hunter Hammersen. I used Toasted yarn from A Verb for Keeping Warm. Let's just say the yarn didn't work with this pattern and leave it at that.

So, that brings the total 2011 hats to 11. Not far off my goal, and mainly crammed into the last month of the year, but still, I had a lot of fun with them.

Tomorrow is another knitting year and I wonder what it will bring.......

Love Letters Socks

2011-12-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

This is the third time I've knit this pattern. I LOVE the result. The little V's that make the heart shapes. The pattern change on the leg, to give opposite socks. The swathes of stockinette.But, I especially like the squiggly back and forth cables. They are fun to knit and look great.

Right now, they're winging their way to Wales, along with these other beauties (Honey Badger and Breaking Hearts), gifts for my Aunts and Cousin. Do you think they'll like them? };0)

Pattern: Love Letters by Irishgirlieknits

Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight

Colourway: Rosebud

SNAP!

2011-12-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

I saw Zonda's Dear Baby Francis socks and thought I really should post pics of mine too.

Knit in Kollage Sock-a-Licious, the are squishy and stretchy. The cables make the socks look small, but of course, they also make them stretchy, so they should fit a little one for quite a few months. Behold, their cuteness.....

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In other "snap" news, that's what my nerves almost did when I realised I'd left my Christmas shopping late. I ordered some things from amazon on Sunday night and was given a delivery date estimate between 18th and 24th Dec. Cutting it close, or what! Since when did on-line ordering for Christmas delivery have to be done in November?! Oy! Now I have to go mall shopping }:0(

Happy Holidays peeps }:0)

Home-a-Rama Pillows

2011-12-03T02:03:00.000-08:00

I have a wonderful friend here in the Charlotte 'burbs, Michele, who's an awesome crafter and artist. She gives art & craft lessons to our local community and makes the most beautiful things for her home. Go see the loveliness she has for sale in her Etsy shop .

A couple of months ago, Michele was working on a room design project for a local builder's "Home-a-rama". She was to decorate a girl's bedroom and a 'jack and jill' bathroom. She made all the fabric soft furnishings, but wanted a bit of extra texture, so asked me to make a couple of pillows.

Here they are, in all their disco glory.
Michele chose the colours, and I whipped up this granny square beauty.Other side......Buttony closure. No need for button holes. The granny square has them built-in.

This next one was knit, but I crocheted the two sides together in the contrasting green - yes, I am loving the crochet right now ;0)

Buttons courtesy of Michele's vast volumes of vintage. Couldn't resist that bit of alliteration. Carry on! And some duplicate stitch stems in that contrasting green, to tie it all together."Patterns", as such, are as follows:

GRANNY SQUARE PILLOW

You'll need not quite 6 skeins of "kitchen cotton", a 5mm hook and as many buttons to fasten as you'd like.

Front: Make 17 rounds of "Granny Square" pattern. Here's a good tutorial from Purl Soho.

Back: Same as Front

To make-up: Crochet 3 sides of the pillow together. Sew on buttons.

This should give you a pillow size around 16" square.

STRIPED PILLOW

You'll need not quite 4 skeins of "kitchen cotton", a 5mm needle for the stockinette stitch stripes and a 4.5mm needle for the moss stitch. Use however many buttons to fasten as you'd like. Oh, and don't forget the crochet hook for making up.

Back of Pillow - Cast on 74 sts. Knit 39 stripes in stockinette stitch - 2 rows of each colour. Bind off.

Front of Pillow (Top) - Cast on 74 sts. Knit 26 stripes in stockinette stitch, then 8 rows of moss st. Bind off

Front of Pillow (Bottom) - Cast on 74 sts. Knit 8 stripes in stockinette stitch, then 3 rows of moss st. Insert button-holes at appropriate places on next row of moss st. Knit 4 more rows of moss st. Bind off.

To make-up - crochet the outside edges of the pillow together. Sew on buttons. Duplicate stitch the flower "stems". Sew on Flower buttons.

This should fit a 12"x16" pillow form. My gauge was around 4.5/5 sts per inch.

Stockinette Stitch: knit one row, purl the next.

Moss Stitch: knit one, purl one. On the following row, purl the knits and knit the purls.

Enjoy

Disco xo

Giving Thanks for New York City

2011-12-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

Well, December snuck up on me! And all the Thanksgiving traveling seriously cramped the blog-roll I was on. Oh well, it makes for a super long and picture-y post today :0)

All hail, the biggest Crayon in the world!!! As we drove up to New York City, we spotted signs for the Crayola factory and just about pee-ed our pants with excitement. We had to make the detour (it's not that far off the motorway), but were disappointed to find the factory doesn't do tours on Mondays. Of course! So we took this pic in the factory store instead. Next time, maybe.
Our first lunch in NYC is always at a Pret-a-Manger. It's a fantastic chain of ready-made sandwich shops, that started years and years ago in London, and so always reminds me of home. I pine for their Coronation Chicken sandwiches. I loved this knit-art on the wall :0)I took Teddy to the Guggenheim - Matthew complained of his feet, so he went shopping with Daddy instead 0.O

Teddy's looking like, "What the...?" right here. The artist on display in the Rotunda is Maurizio Cattelan. Apparently, he announced his retirement from the art world and this is a collective display of his works, suspended from the Rotunda ceiling. It was interesting in a "Huh?!" kind of a way. But I like that ;0) Teddy loved the building.No, this next photo is not "Occupy Wall Street". They were long gone, when we walked past Zuccoti Park. This is one of the campers, waiting to see Justin Beiber at the Today Show. I am partial to the little songster, but seriously?! It was cold. And wet. And did you see how he wore his jeans below his bottom, with his underpants all on display? I have no idea what's up with that, except I may be getting old. Whatevs!

We visited the World Trade Center Memorial. The reflection pools are beautiful and poignant. Pause for thought.

And rising, right next door to the memorial, is the new Freedom Tower. Quite the beauty :0)Returning to the happy, what's a Thanksgiving trip to NYC without a show at Radio City Music Hall? We took the boys to see the Rockette's Christmas Show. Never disappointing, the guys loved it as much as we did. I swear, there's not a bad seat in the house - we got the cheap seats and saw everything clearly.

It's such an elegant and beautiful space. Here's the Christmas-Tree-shaped chandelier in the foyer.And this is what holds it up. Yes, that is just one cable. Yikes!And the brothers. They love each other so :0)The last night of our trip, Tommy and I went to a friend's birthday party, while the grandparents looked after the boys. We stayed in a super-swanky hotel and I had to take a picture of the view from one side of our corner room. The other side, looked over the Library and down 42nd st. It was AWESOME!Now, let's end this travelogue with some more knitting. Spotted in the library of the New York Hall of Science in Queens. YarnBOMB!!!

What a trip!

Next up, Christmas }:0)

disco xo

Pillow Talk

2011-11-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your input on my UFO wips this week. It has been really helpful to get others thoughts. Even when you have the same thoughts yourself, it can be so hard to actually make a *gasp* decision!!!

So here's what I've come up with as an answer to the Entrelac pillow question. I'm going to make a stockinette back. Here it is started already (see how quickly these things can be done, once the decision has been made!).
I am even using stash yarn to finish this up. The big ball of brown is Cascade Eco-Wool, leftover from my Noro Blanket, and the Tonalita is obviously leftover from this pillow's front. I'm striping them, 2 rows each, and think there is enough of both to make the whole back, but if not I have this.......
...little ball of silk. The colour kind of works with some of the shades in the Tonalita. I'll use it to make the button-hole bands for the back. The back will be made of two parts (lengths to be determined) and they will fasten with buttons. I like to remove the pillow forms so I can wash the covers.
Here's a closer look at the knitting I've done so far.

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We are preparing for our Thanksgiving trip to NYC/CT today - we leave in the morning. Not sure if I'll get to blog on the road, which could upset my 'posting every day' this month. Oh well, we'll see.

Happy Saturday y'all ;0)

disco xo

Harry Potter

2011-11-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here's some Friday night fun for y'all.

Did you get your copy of the final Harry Potter movie yet? We got it release day and watched it right away - such an awesome movie. One of the things I LOVE about watching the Harry Potter films is seeing the British actors, some of them familiar faces from waaaaaaayyy long ago. I dug up video clips of some oldies, but goodies, for your enjoyment. OK, mainly my enjoyment, but you can join in too :0)

Mark Williams aka Arthur Weasley.

This is a clip from "The Fast Show" which was a HUGE comedy sketch show in the 90's. Added bonus: Johnny Depp. You're welcome ;0)

Dawn French aka The lady in the painting

Here's a classic sketch from Dawn French and her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, who you may know from another very popular show.

And last but not least, Emma Thompson aka Sybill Trelawney.

The Young Ones was a classic from the 80's. Aaaaahhhh, the 80's, the best of times.

Added bonus: erm, everyone else in the clip ;0)

Do you recognise any of these shows?

Happy weekend

Disco xo

WIP - Mission Falls Blanket

2011-11-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all your input on the Entrelac pillow yesterday. I think the consensus is a plain stockinette back. That would be my preference too - a bit of easy, mindless knitting and not too much of a yarn investment required. Decision made - phew! :0)

The next UFO, has also been waiting on a decision. I started this blanket (more than) a couple of years ago. It's a log cabin construction, made with Mission Falls cotton. The pic I have up on the Ravelry project page has a couple of positive comments/likes, so I guess it has something about it. And I do still like the colours.

The decision I have to make is whether to invest in more yarn to make it a viable project. The yarn is discontinued, but there is a good amount for sale/trade on Ravelry. I would have to buy 2 or 3 balls of the pale green to balance out the squares themselves, plus a good amount of a contrasting colour (dark gray?) to edge all the squares.

So, wise ones, should I invest in the extra yarn and finish the project? Or frog the whole thing and put the yarn up for sale on Rav?

WIP Wednesday - Entrelac Pillow

2011-11-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

Before the end of the month, I hope to post about a few long-term UFOs I have. Usually they are that way, waiting for a decision to be made. Please feel free to give opinions, to try to help with those decisions.

I think it was Stitches West 2009 that I took an Entrelac class with Margaret Fisher. It's one of those techniques that looks fancy and complicated, but with a clear set of instructions is actually a breeze. Isn't it like that with most things in knitting?

So, I came home, found this beautiful Trendsetter Yarns Tonalita yarn and set to making a pillow for our family room couch.
Fast forward more than 2 and a half years, and here we have the pillow, one side completed. Now, my problem is that I have neither the yarn, nor the will to make a second, matching side. So, what to do, what to do?
I searched my fabric stash for something that might work with the greens and browns, and this is the only thing that even comes close. It's a wood grain.
I have no idea how to even begin attaching knitting to fabric. Maybe I should knit a plain back to the pillow, in a complementary colour instead? Chocolate brown?

So, I see the options to choose from as:

1. Bite the bullet - search out more Tonalita and make a matching back. I have some paypal $ to do this, but no time til after Christmas to even start making the back.

2. Machine stitch the fabric to the knitting - possibly shop for different fabric, although I do kind of like the 70's woodgrain.

3. Knit a plain back to the pillow. This option leads to another decision: which yarn/colour.

Thoughts, anyone?

Lofty Scarf #2

2011-11-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

Here's the second scarf I recently completed in Kollage's Lofty yarn. The pattern is called "Megan's Hiking", again by Kathy Zimmerman. I used the same colour as the Shawl Collared Cowl from this post, a beautiful teal.The pattern has a zig-zaggy cable up the middle......
....and cabled edges. I like this design feature a lot - it doesn't curl like stockinette and is more interesting than garter.
The 3 skeins called for, give a nice long scarf that can be wrapped around the neck a couple of times - super warm. And pretty, huh? :0)

disco xo

BeeKeeper's Update

2011-11-14T17:13:00.001-08:00

Here's where we're at today. 19 "flowers" completed. I had to stop making the 'petals' and make some more colourful centres. It made a nice change to not be knitting yellow or grey. Not that I'm getting bored with the colour-scheme. I still heart it ;0)I've been contemplating how to arrange the two colours. Here they are striped - one row of yellow, one row of grey. What do you think of that arrangement? I think I need a lot more flowers before I'll be able to tell.
Some highlights of this past week or so's hexes are: these four, made with the Miss Babs Yummy Toes I showed you here;

and, these two made with Socks That Rock lightweight. Left is Hoofle Foofle and right is Festival of Lights.
Disco xo

My Boys' Current Favourite Song

2011-11-13T16:45:00.001-08:00

I kid you not, the boys ask for this every time we get in the car.

Deserves a quiet Sunday night.

zzzzzzzzz

disco xo

A Little Love Affair

2011-11-12T02:20:00.000-08:00

I have been having a little love affair this summer. With a guy called Erik Larson.

It started with his book "The Devil in the White City", a thrilling tale of construction, murder and deadlines in almost-turn-of-the-(19th)-century Chicago. Two stories run parallel - one chapter tells of a psychotic con-man who builds a deadly hotel. The following chapter will tell the trials and tribulations of construction of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. The murder story will creep you out - truly chilling evil, while the story of the building of the fair will entertain and inform you. You'll learn about new products introduced at the fair, some of which we still use today. One of the high-lights of the fair was the first ever Ferris Wheel. I could not put this book down, as they say, and got that sad feeling when you finish a book you've enjoyed.

I immediately bought another of his books "Isaac's Storm". The chronicle of the deadly hurricane which deluged and almost destroyed the town of Galveston, Texas in 1900. Isaac was the local weatherman, he's one story. The other story is the hurricane. When the two stories meet, the trouble starts. In this book, the author builds tension by describing how a storm starts and develops. He then goes on to describe warning signs for this big storm and how they were ignored, with deadly consequences. The descriptions of the storm hitting Galveston are incredible, sad and will keep you turning page after page.

The third of his books I read was "In The Garden of Beasts". This is the story of the American Ambassador to Germany, during the years leading up to WWII. Again, two stories intertwine - sensing a theme yet?. The story of the ambassador and his family and the story of the rise of Hitler's power. Again, an interesting read - we all know the subject matter, but the author shows us a smaller story, within that much bigger part of history.

The last book to be read was "Thunderstruck", finished in a fit of insomnia this morning. It should have been another quick read for me with two interesting subjects: Marconi "inventing" wireless communication, and Dr Crippen's murder of his wife. Marconi's invention helped in the pursuit and capture of Crippen. The book did seem to drag. There was a lot of, too much, discussion of Marconi's experiments - many of which were the same. However, a good bit of the action is set in London, in many streets and places I know - they even dine at a restaurant I've eaten in myself! So it wasn't a total bore. Altogether, I'm glad I read it.

So, I am done with Erik. I know he's working on a new book and wonder what his next 2 subjects will be. I'll be reading them, whatever.

Next up, Suzanne Collins and her Hunger Games.

The winds of change

2011-11-11T14:37:00.001-08:00

We have these trees throughout our neighbourhood and I take delight in them every day of fall. They have a deep colour that ranges from peach to scarlet, depending on the light. Sadly, they are mostly on the ground, after yesterday's rain. But change must happen, and look what comes next....This morning, I noticed these beauties, popped out just in time to replace the fall tree leaves. Can't you almost taste Christmas? :0)

In other news, I just bought this dress, in honour of Wovember. Boiled wool - and not an online exclusive, I got it in the mall. It is the coolest thing I've bought in forever, it fits great (all that running may be paying off after all) and I'm excited to wear it soon. Perhaps on our Thanksgiving trip to NYC - only 9 days til we leave :0)

I-Cord Friendship Bracelets

2011-11-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

I wonder if the "Treasure Box" is a peculiarity to the South Carolina elementary school system, or is used country/world-wide. My boys' classrooms both have these reward systems, which I would call an excellent concept, were they not filled with plastic rhinoceros, sticky balls and party bag slinkies. All destined to go in the junk box half an hour after arriving home.

In an effort to reduce said plastic-tat consumption, I made a ton of i-cord friendship bracelets. Hopefully they have a better chance of actually being used, and will disintegrate into the landfill they'll ultimately occupy, a couple of hundred years before their plastic compadres.

To make, you will need:

kitchen cotton yarn - the funkier the colours the better

2.25mm dpns, or size to suit your yarn - I found this size gave a nice tight fabric.

2.25mm crochet hook, or size to suit your yarn

a button

a darning needle

a small person to model

Cast on 3 stitches.

Make i-cord until it fits around your small person's wrist.

Cast off til you have only 1 stitch left on your needle.

From that 1 stitch, chain 8 stitches with crochet hook. Cut yarn & secure through last stitch.

Secure the crochet chain to the main bracelet, to form a loop.

Using the cast on tail, sew a button onto the cast on edge.

Darn in tails. After securing with a couple of stitches, you can hide the ends inside the i-cord tube.

Make more.

Send to school.

Here's a bunch I made. They were well received by both kids and teachers.

Enjoy!

Disco xo

Busy Day Chili

2011-11-09T11:19:00.001-08:00

It's a super-busy day for me here, and I'm looking forward to 6 o'clock when I can drive down to Charlotte for a solo dinner and knit night.

I had to rustle up a veggie chili this morning - we have a teacher appreciation luncheon each month where parents supply the food. This is my version:
The dish consists of the following ingredients:

FRESH: onion, mushrooms, carrots, garlic;

FROZEN: pepper strips, peas;

CANNED: chopped tomatoes (2 large cans), red kidney beans, pinto beans, corn.

And of course chili powder and a little olive oil. I swear I could eat this dish for lunch and dinner every day for a week.

What extra things do you put in your veggie chili that I'm missing out on?

Disco xo

Swatching! Lessons Learned

2011-11-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm swatching for Kirsten Kapur's Wood Hollow Vest. I don't usually swatch. Most of the things I make are small - socks, hats, scarves. Accessories, as it were. They are so small, they are almost swatches in themselves. Either gauge doesn't matter, or if they don't fit you, they become gifts :0)

But when you make actual garments. That have to fit your body. That's a whole lot of time investment to get gauge wrong. So swatch we must. Here are a few of the things I learned from my swatch.

1. I learned to read the pattern. Not just the written pattern, but the actual pattern in the fabric I was creating. I can tell just by looking at the fabric in the few rows before, which direction my next cable is going to travel. This means less time reading the written pattern.

I already knew how to read stitches, but this swatch was like a practice session for these particular cables/travelling stitches. When I cast on, I'll be hitting the floor running.

2. Having multiple, superfluous charts on a page is a distraction. Some patterns you can cut & paste on your computer. But not this one. So, I cut out the necessary charts and taped them to a clean sheet of paper. Crude, but it works. I now won't look at the "Large" chart, instead of the "Medium" chart and waste 30 minutes tinking back and trying to work out why my stitch count doesn't work. Again!

3. Spreadsheet the chart row numbers. This pattern has 3 different cable charts. None of which are numbered the same. So while I'm knitting row 16 of chart 1, I'm knitting row 4 of chart 2 (for the 4th time) and row 8 of chart 3 (for the 2nd time). Who can keep that straight in their head? Not me, so the spreadsheet was the answer.

4. I've really got to tighten up my transition between knit and purl stitches. There are ladders between these stitches, where the yarn is very loose. I came across this phenomenon when I was researching the TKGA Masters I did a couple of years ago, so this is no surprise. See the stitches on the right of this photo? Slightly bigger/looser than the stitches to their left.

5. Use small stitch markers. I think this one may have contributed to at least one of #4's ladders.

6. Washing and blocking really can help you achieve gauge. Before I washed this sucker, it was approx. a whole inch off the width for the stitch count. After washing, I blocked it out to the size I needed it to be to match that magic stitch count. I saw that the fabric stretched out and the stitches lost none of their integrity - still just as pretty, and the fabric is nice and drapy.

So, to cast on this evening. Wish me luck on this journey - I hope I remember to alternate balls of yarn!

Disco xo

Lofty Scarf #1

2011-11-07T15:26:00.001-08:00

I'm catching up on my FO's here. This little beauty is called Twist of Fate by Kathy Zimmermann. Love the ridges and the twisted stitches. They take a bit of manual dexterity, but are satisfyingly quick to perform. The scarf blocked out nicely, with no curling edges (don't you hate when a scarf curls?!).It works up super-quickly in the bulky Kollage Lofty yarn I used. This colour is called Tawny and is a neutral beige, perfect for pairing with all sorts of other colours.

I could see this pattern making a great infinity scarf too, although the bulky yarn would make it suitable to, maybe Alaska only. In a lighter weight it'd be pretty as a picture though :0)

Happy Monday y'all.

Disco xo

Stocking Stuffers?

2011-11-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

We're big fans of the crayons in this family. So I may just wander out and get some of these for Christmas...

Link to cool crayon idea

Is it really Sunday night already?

disco xo

Fitness 2011

2011-11-05T13:12:00.001-07:00

I posted in September about the (super-sprint) triathlon I'd completed. Well, I've also been working on other fitness issues this year.

I joined my boys at TaeKwonDo class and have been loving it. On Friday night, all three of us tested for our 'green' belt, that's the 4th belt. Here's a wee video of me breaking the wood at the end of the test with a "sliding side kick".

Full disclosure: I did edit out the first 3 kicks which saw me breaking more of the instructor's fingers than the wood. I tried to upload a video of the boys' kicks, but their video file wouldn't play, sorry. They are infinitely more amusing :0) I may try facebooking that video later.

No rest for the wicked, this morning I was up an at 'em, running a 5k in one of our more hilly neighbourhoods. Boy, was that a difficult course. Those golf cart paths almost killed me. I had to walk a bit, but still made a great (for me) time of 35m 20s and came in 79th out of 105.

When I posted about the triathlon, Bezzie had asked where I found the time to train. Well, I am a SAHM, so that's a good bit of the day to train in. During the school year.

I actually started training though, during the summer when the boys were out of school. I would get up super early (a benefit of my sometime insomnia) and go run then. The weather was cooler and the boys were either still asleep, or they are generally capable of amusing themselves now. Anyway, I'm not the only adult in the house capable of occupying the boys for 40 minutes.

Hope y'all have at least gone for a stroll on this beautiful Saturday.

disco xo

One lump or two?

2011-11-04T05:46:00.001-07:00

All through this year, I've been reading about the controversy of whether to use one space or two after a full stop, or 'period', as it's called here in the US (a UK 'period' is a much crampier affair). I'm firmly in the two space camp. 'Cause that's what we were taught in typing class at school. So it MUST be right. Right?

Well today, I was listening to NPR - my new favourite radio station - and heard them refer to their facebook discussion on the subject. I hopped on over straight away, always eager to hear a discussion on the subject. That led me to a link to the NPR website (so much clicking, people!) where Farhad Manjoo, a writer for Slate magazine, and a person who seemed pretty reasonable, gave the following argument:

"Two spaces is wrong. ... The reason two spaces were put into practice was because of the manual typewriter. And there was a type of font on the manual typewriter called 'monospace font,' which means the space between every letter was the same, and the width of every letter was the same. So in that type of font, it looked slightly more readable to have two spaces between sentences than it did to have one space. But when we switched to computers, we went back to using the kinds of fonts called proportional fonts. With proportional fonts, every letter has a different width that corresponds to what it is used for. Because every letter has a different width, the space after a period has its appropriate width when you use just one [space after a period]. So that's how many you use. ... The two-space rule is really a holdover from typewriters. The reason you were taught it in school was because your teachers learned to type on typewriters, but we no longer type on typewriters."

Although the first statement made me feel defensive right away, his argument for one space is so reasonably explained, that it's almost undeniable. So here you have it, a blogpost with single spaces. Enjoy!

What's your stance on this subject?

Manly Virginia

2011-11-03T12:23:00.001-07:00

Today I give you..... the Virginia Cowl. Only this one is not so much cowl, as short scarf with button fastening. As soon as I saw the pattern, I wanted to make it, but those chunky cables spoke to me of man, not woman.

I had some perfect yarn in the stash, that I'd been meaning to make my husband a scarf with, so that was an easy choice. Mirasol Ushya is a chunky yarn that's plied with what looks like a crochet chain. It's a pretty cool construction, that I've never seen before - it makes the strand thick, but airy.
The buttons are another SAFF find. Very manly, eh!And here he is in all his wooly, manly, buttony glory. Should keep my husband warm this winter :0)This was a nice easy pattern to follow. Garter stitch and cables. You can't go wrong. Well, you could, but that's another story, right.

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I'm loving this rash of blog-posting everyone's doing for NaBloPoMo. It's so good to catch up with all the incidentals people post during this time.

Happy Day 3.

Disco xo

Shawl Collar Cowl

2011-11-02T08:50:00.001-07:00

Here's a little neckwarmer I couldn't resist. The Shawl Collar Cowl is a pattern from Never Not Knitting. It's a cowl, it's a scarf, it's a collar. All knit in cozy Kollage Lofty.

Mmmm, squishy garter stitch shawl collar.
I picked out the buttons at SAFF. They were made by Carol Parsons of Original ArtWorx. This was a quick project and took just over a skein of the bulky yarn to complete - stashbusting for Christmas gifts, anyone? The pattern was pretty easy to follow - the shawl collar is made with short rows. The body of the 'cowl' is subtly ribbed.

Happy Wednesday, peeps

Brooks Farm Yarn - Trio

2011-11-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

For your delectation and delight, here is some more of the prettiness I picked up at SAFF a couple of weekends ago. These beauties are Brooks Farm Yarns Trio, a worsted weight blend of wool (70%), baby alpaca (20%) and silk (10%). The skein is a generous 420yds.The yarn is wonderful to work with, very soft, springy and smooth.I'm making it up into a granny square pillow for the grellow room. This will likely be my first FO for that project. I love how the crochet goes so quick :0)

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And here's a quickie of my cuties in their 2011 halloween costumes. Getting their transatlantic on as "Big Ben" and the Empire State building. .

This may be our last year making our own costumes. Matthew fell, knocked the top off his Empire and declared "Next year, Mommy, I want to be a ninja. That's much easier."

Amen to that, Matt!

Miss Babs' flowers

2011-10-27T07:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the pretties I bought at SAFF last weekend. Miss Babs had NO full skeins of yellow sock yarn! She did have these wee mini-skeins though. They're called "Yummy Toes". And yummy they are.

At 82 yards, I figured I could get one flower out of each skein. And my calculation was correct. Here's the first and see, there's a little bit left. Probably enough for one more 'petal-puff'. Here's how it fits in with the flowers I have so far. 14 flowers down, 10,000 more to go.....

The yarn at the top of the picture was my delivery of Socks That Rock. Colours are Festival of Lights, Buttah, Overcast and Winter Solstice. Cannot wait to knit that little lot up.

Happy Thursday xo

To Dye For

2011-10-24T10:33:00.001-07:00

What a fabulous weekend! The boys were off school Friday for Teacher conference day. They are both exceeding grade level, although one has to work on his handwriting. Can't complain too much at that assessment :0)

We had a bunch of activities planned, some seasonal, some not, but all to die for.

First up, we dyed some yarn that Carrie sent me recently. It was very pale, almost no colour, and was crying out to be experimented on. So we donned our rubber gloves, got out the food dye and went crazy with the microwave.
I think the results are pretty stunning. The yellow is very golden, almost orange. Once it had been microwaved, no dye at all came out. Honestly, the water ran clear right away. And only a small amount of the green/blue dye came out of the second lot. This is the tutorial we used.

The yellow is already knit up into a "beekeeper's" flower, with the green/blue in the center. Pretty, huh! Love the green/blue, especially where it made some turquoise shades.
Also to die for, pumpkin soup. Not so popular with the small people, but mama loved it :0)

And the roasted pumpkin seeds. Butter, cinnamon and salt. Teddy helped with the measuring, which also included cookie dough, yet to be baked.......
...'Cause these cuties had to go on their Boy Scout "Gold Rush" camping trip. Are those bros not a-dorable?!
While they camped on Saturday, I went to my first fiber festival, the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, near Asheville, NC. Here's my favourite picture of the hundreds (not!) that I took. Teeny-weeny alpaca. Look at those eyes!!!

Happy Monday y'all.

Sneak Peak....

2011-10-01T02:32:00.001-07:00

...of a new baby hat I just test-knit. I've been waiting for this one for ages. Knit in Kollage Sock-a-licious, 'cause that's what I had on hand. It takes such a small amount of yarn to knit. And only a few yards for the contrast trim.
The cables decrease nicely on the crown. The hat looks tall and thin, but that's the cables - this sucker'll stretch nicely to stay on any little man's head.
The cuteness. Coming to a Ravelry store near you soon.

Up next, the adult version. But only after I run this morning's Susan Komen 5k.

Happy weekend, y'all.

disco xoxo

If at first you don't succeed.....

2011-09-26T07:59:00.001-07:00

Tri, tri, tri again :0)

Here I am on the home stretch of this weekend's Ramblin' Rose Charlotte triathlon. It was an absolutely fabulous day. I joined my 2 SILs and MIL and we all had a great time, cheering each other on.

I waited with MIL for almost 2 hours before it was our turn to get in the pool (there were c.1,100 competitors and we'd ranked ourselves low in swimming ability). That wait really ramped up the nervous energy and we were like coiled springs once it was our turn to get in the pool. Man, oh man, did the fun start then!

I almost choked on the very first lap! Not unexpectedly - hence ranking low swim ability. It was the shortest part of the tri and I admit to only practicing once, the week before, to time myself.

I did lose my noseclip case in the pool. I had not thought to leave it in the transition area, so tucked it between my ample bosoms, thinking it'd be safe in there. I guess I really did thrash around in the pool to lose that thing!!!

The bike part was where I really put all my energy. I was thinking 45 mins to do the 9 miles, but I did it in only 34 mins, using my highest gear most of the way (which I almost never use). I am super pleased at that time.

Though I think that did do me in for the run. My 2nd goal ('finishing' being my 1st), was to not stop on the run. I did the couch-to-5k program in preparation for this, and also ran after biking, as that transition seems to be the hardest. But to no avail. I couldn't even go 1 mile before stopping to walk for a wee bit, and I had given it my all to get that far. And I stopped a couple of times after that too. Oh well, always next time, eh!

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. The camaraderie of the all female competitors was heart-warming - 1,100 women, all cheering and encouraging each other on, brought a tear to my eye. And I am so proud of my MIL, who at 64 years young, completed her 1st triathlon. She says she'll do it again in another 64 years ;0)

Thanks to all who encouraged and supported me on this journey, especially Marcia, who gave me awesome advice following her 1st tri, earlier this summer. xoxo

Happy Monday :0)

disco xoxo

Teddy's Tribute

2011-09-11T07:21:00.001-07:00

Project Grellow

2011-09-06T07:02:00.001-07:00

Our spare bedroom is going to have a grey and yellow colour scheme. I've already made a start on the quilt/blanket for the bed, and an embroidery for the wall. Here are my paint colours to choose from. I'm having trouble deciding between the deeper, darker shades and the lighter ones, to keep the room bright.

Yesterday, as it rained outside, the boys and I sat with our pencils and crayons, colouring Matthew's new book. He gave me this pattern, which I thought I'd experiment on with the grellow. I think it turned out great, so I'll be looking for a frame for it.

Happy Tuesday! xo

A Birthday Scarf

2011-09-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been way too long! School is back in session and this year, I'm serving as Treasurer on our PTO. Let me tell you, I've had full-time jobs that weren't this much work! I have processed about 10 million checks for merchandise and ice-creams and coupon books and raffles (which we're not allowed to call raffles, 'cause that would be gambling and illegal!) and next week is our main fundraiser, so I'll have 100 million more checks to process!!! All for a good cause though ;0)

It's my mom's birthday today. After the never ending Mother's Day scarf, combined with a distinct contraction of knitting time, I made her this super quick and easy one skein scarf.The yarn is Kollage's Lofty, which is a bulky Merino wool. If you combined all three photos I took, you may come close to the actual colour, which is a kind of lavendary-pale pink. It's super soft, so I think Mam'll like it. I have some more of this yarn, in different colours, so expect more projects this fall.The stitch pattern is called a Roaming Rib. It was super easy to remember, which makes for great on-the-go knitting - a row here, a row there. And being a shorty, it needed something to close it round the neck. I chose this pretty square shawl pin. I like how the pin looks like a leaf. Happy Birthday Mam, may your neck never be cold :0)

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Here's something for the Lego fans. We were out and about at the Lego Store a wee while ago and I loved this creation that was hanging in the classroom. It's a world map (obviously), made with the tiny little one dot flat legos. Clever, or what! I took some close ups, in case the boys ever want to take on a project like this. A mom can live in hope, right?
Happy Friday! And yay for long weekends - we're travelling up to Virginia to watch some college football. Go Cavs!

Tower Bridge

2011-08-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

Teddy is pretty hooked on the Lego building. Aswell as a ton of Lego City sets, he has almost all the current Harry Potter sets and is now saving his pennies for Diagon Alley.

For his birthday he asked for the Tower of London. Here's a little slideshow of its building progress, which only took him 4 days.

I get the pleasure of displaying it in my craft room. At least it goes with the Monet ;0)

Queen Bee

2011-08-02T06:34:00.001-07:00

Check out this new pattern I found at the weekend - the beekeeper's quilt. If you are any kind of sock knitter, you must have a ton of little leftover balls of sock yarn. What a perfect project for them, right?

I couldn't wait to dig into my collection. Here's where I'm at already.

There is so much to love about this project:

- the satisfaction of the quick knit - one hex doesn't take long at all;

- can someone say FREE. Gotta love a stashbuster;

- rediscovering all the beautiful yarns I've worked with in the past few years;

- new blanket. Can you ever have too many blankets?

Visit with the Tiny Owl Knits group on Ravelry to join the KAL/hex swap, or for some cute charts to use to decorate plain hexes.

Enjoy

Disco xoxo

Happy Birthday Teddy

2011-07-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Today is Teddy's 8th birthday. To celebrate, here are some "Teddy" pics from our recent roadtrip. A happy accident, we found these bad boys in the children's department of the New York City public library. They are the original Pooh Bear and Friends.

How well loved is Piglet? Aaawww.

Today is for family and friends and Lego building. Tomorrow he'll be having a big boy "party" - movie, dinner and a sleepover with 3 of his besties. SO grown up!

Happy Birthday Teddy :0)

Malabrigo Marrowstone WIP

2011-07-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait for the FO to show off this project. It's the Marrowstone Shawl in Malabrigo Sock. I tell you I agonized, yes agonized, over which yarn to use for this. I wanted to make the larger size, which calls for over 400 yards, and most (make that all) sock yarn skeins I have are less than that. There was only one thing for it - buy more yarn.

Gasp!

I just happened to be in Charlotte Yarn when I looked at the Malabrigo Sock and saw it has a very generous 440 yards. That would explain why I have such large leftover balls of this yarn from the 2 other projects I've used it on - lightbulb moment!

Here's a close up - the colour is called Playa, which I think is Spanish for beach. Appropriate as the shawl idea was conceived on a beach, if I'm reading the pattern notes right. I don't know how I managed it, but the colour of this photo is pretty representative of the actual colours in the skein too :0)

And here's how the shawl pattern is knitting up. Boy do those short rows make it feel like the knitting is speeding up. Nice! I should be finished this weekend :0)

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In other news, Matthew loves having his picture taken. So here he is with his summer art camp creation - the 'stuffy' on the right. That inspired him to come home and make the stuffy in the middle, which I'm guessing is a cross between the art camp creation and his "lovey", which you can see on the left.

Our summer fun is over in only 3 short weeks. Sadness and happiness together on that day ;0)

Sublime Labyrinths

2011-07-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

I finished up these embroideries quite a while ago, but took my time working out how to mount them.

I bought some unfinished wood hoops from Hobby Lobby, (my new craft store of choice, btw) and painted them with leftovers from my craft room wall colour. Insert embroidery, running stitch round the back to cinche and three nails later, voila! Entryway decorated!Some close-ups.......

Although they may not be aligned exactly on the centre, I'm pretty pleased with how they look. And I'm so happy to be making decorations for my own home.

Pattern: Sublime Stitching's Labyrinths

What a great way to start this beautiful Friday. Happy weekend!

Disco xo

A couple of Irish Girlie Knits

2011-07-21T07:17:00.001-07:00

I have a couple of Irish Girlie projects completed recently. First up, the scarf/wrap which was supposed to be for Mother's Day this year. Better late than never.

The pattern is Le Petit Pont. I added extra garter stitches at the edges and a couple more repeats to make it wider, so it would be more like a wrap. I also added length. A lot of length. It ended up at a whopping 84" and felt like the never ending scarf - as these things tend to.
The colour is a very pretty seafoam green/blue and the yarn has a lovely sheen, which I just couldn't capture with my camera. I used Creamy by Kollage
Next up, a sample knit of the Summer Wind pattern. This should have been a super quick knit if I'd had the right length cable needle. Instead I just had a 40" which meant, instead of the stitches pushing themselves round, I had to hike them round the cable to be knit, wasting tons of time.
It's a pretty pattern though and, for me, the small size was just right to wrap twice round my neck to keep it cozy.
When Tommy saw me trying it on his response was "That makes SO much more sense than a scarf". Smart man!

Yarn used is Knitted Wit Peacock. Don't know the colour name (maybe peacock too?), but a combo of chartreuse, turquoise, minty green and purple kept me happy while I knit :0)

Happy Days!

Disco xo

Monday Excitement

2011-07-11T10:16:00.001-07:00

I know, that title's almost an oxymoron, right?! So why do I have such a spring in my step today? Let me count the ways.....

1. My boys are in camp this week. 8.30 in the morning til 4.30 in the afternoon. Be still my beating heart, whole days to myself. Well, Monday to Thursday anyway. Aah, what to do, what to do....

2. Go to some local stores for dinner ingredients. Tomatoes for pasta sauce - already cooking, and lunchboxes tomorrow. Bread for garlic bread tonight and with the strawberry preserve on sandwiches tomorrow. A bottle of North Carolina wine to relax with this evening. Peaches and nectarines for dessert. Did someone say Yum!

3. I signed up to do a triathlon. The Rambling Rose in September. I'm onto week 5 of the Couch to 5k program and loving it. No pain in my legs at all. Wednesday will be my hardest day yet as I move from running 8 consecutive minutes to 20 minutes. Of course, I've said that about each stage of the program though! At the weekend I easily made a 9 mile bike ride, put away the bike and tried to run round the block. Couldn't even make it halfway - it's probably not even 100yards. So I have quite some work to do, to string these exercises together.

4. I'm getting this spindle thing out again and giving it another go. Carrie will recognize it from our attempts last February. There shall be progress this week. And hairy clothes - this silk fiber sheds like a mother!

5. My 2011 year of hats is back in session. Here's Hunter Hammersen's Plicate hat, ready for some decreases.

6. I joined a fabric "club". A Verb for Keeping Warm's Pressed Seam. Here are the 1st 6 patterns. What to make with them?

7. Maybe something from this pile of bargain books, waiting on my doorstep when I returned from vacation? OK, maybe just from the top one.

8. Cooperative press is publishing a book of knitting patterns for boys. Yes, boys! Not a girl in sight! Go look. If that's not something to get excited about on a Monday, I don't know what is.

Hope your week is getting off to an awesome start too :0)

Disco xo

Road Trip

2011-06-30T15:45:00.001-07:00

We're on our summer hols. A roadtrip to some of the most important (depending on your perspective) U.S. historical sites.

Starting out in Charlottesville, VA at Mr Jefferson's home, Monticello. My DH is a former member of the University's "Jefferson Society", so this is a must visit for us.Then landing at the Declaration of Independence's signing place, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.

Where my youngest may have been recruited by the (re-enacted) Revolutionary Army. But only if he swore off that red shirt!Which he clearly did!And currently residing in a midtown Manhattan, not so historical, but definitely des.res., with a pair of socks, handknit on the way.

Not university colours. At least not yet ;0)

Hope your summer's shaping up to be a fabulous one too.

Disco xoxoxo

Sock Camp Creations

2011-06-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't been to Sock Camp - I wish! But I am blessed to know Carrie of Irishgirlieknits Designs, who attends every year. Since attending her first camp, she has made herself a wonderful and thriving design career - I don't think that's any coincidence.

One of her latest releases is a design for Kollage yarns - Seamus. I test knit one, and loved it so much, I couldn't resist making one for myself.The yarn is Kollage's Fantastic, which has a beautiful velvety feel whilst being knit and the pattern makes it into a squishy and warm fabric.
Carrie seems to have a knack at designing simple to knit and very wearable creations. Congratulations on another winning pattern Carrie.

Carrie's fellow Sock Camper, or should I say Sockateer? is Debbi Stone of Blue Moon Fiber Arts. She has also been designing some super patterns of late. Remember my Patricia jag earlier this year? Her latest is a cowl - yes, they're all the rage. I hope they still are by Christmas! Named Virginia, it calls for a bulky yarn. I don't have much of that in the stash, but I found this grey Mirasol Ushya and cast on. I think it will make a manly cowl, with the addition of a couple of chunky black toggles.The yarn has an interesting construction - it looks like a 3 stitch i-cord. However it's made, it's knitting up nicely - I don't think this'll take me long to finish at all.

Another sock camper is Marcy Vandale. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Marcy yet, but Carrie and Debbi talk about her all the time when we're at Stitches West together. She is also spreading her designing wings this year and I am trawling my stash desperately, to find one skein to make the large version of her Marrowstone Shawl. I love how this is a 'skinny' shawl, which can easily be scrunched up into a scarf for the neck. I'm also interested to try out the short row construction.

However you look at it, the "Sock Camp" seems to be a hotbed of creative talent. Any other campers' designs I should be looking at?

Disco xo

WIP Wannabe

2011-06-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

I just came across this cardigan/wrap/jackety thing on Ravelry:

Flag by Helene Magnusson

Is that not screaming my name?

Media Monday

2011-06-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

So, a couple of weeks ago, Bezzie followed up my book recommendation with one of her own: anything by Pat Barker.

I took myself to the library and picked up "Another World". It was the only one of Ms Barker's books in the library that didn't seem to be part of a series - our library is not that well stocked, honestly, the knitting book section is pitiful.

Anyhow, apart from being an engaging story of family disfunctionality - and who doesn't enjoy a story they can relate to, ahem - the story was set in familiar territory. Turns out the author is from the NorthEast of England, where I grew up and this book was set there too. She even writes with the dialect and accent in her dialogue.

I will be trying this author again, and thanks to Bezzie for her tip :0) I hope y'all will pick up the mantle and post more book reviews and recommendations on your blogs too - it can't be all knitting all the time can it?

Speaking of dialogue, we rented "The King's Speech" this weekend. I know, we must be the last in the world! It was fascinating and I learned a few things too.

This Friday we'll be first in line to see Cars The Movie II. You can't beat a bit of Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater. Enjoy the trailer.....

For Father's Day yesterday, I gave Tommy the 1st season of Modern Family. We only started watching this 2nd season, so we had missed out on the 1st one. LOVE this show, it makes me literally, LOL.

What are y'all watching and reading right now?

Happy Handmade Father's Day

2011-06-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

Embroidered coffee sleeve, by Matthew.

Happy Father's Day :0)

Disco

Lego Birthday Party

2011-06-17T02:53:00.001-07:00

It was Matthew's 6th birthday a few weeks ago (the time, it flies!). Here he is with his new bike - it has gears and everything!!! Don't you love how he combs his hair to make himself look smart? :0) And no, he wasn't allowed to ride it round the house.He wanted a Lego birthday party, so that's what we planned. Good for us, as Teddy had a Lego birthday party last year, so we already had ideas.

There was much Lego building involved - building the tallest tower, race cars and other crazy vehicles.We set up a race track, going from one room to another and raced the cars they'd made - furthest and fastest won.The cake was delivered by our very own Lego visitor (last year's halloween costume)

At the end of the party, each guest got a certificate of Lego achievement - race winner, most creative, tallest tower, tiniest car, etc. And of course, a Lego goody bag. The boys and I made the glass magnets, and I whipped up the 'friendship bracelets'.

If you want to make your own Lego man costume, we were inspired by these guys, but this tutorial is very close to how we made ours.

LEGO!!!!!

Baby Surprise Jacket

2011-06-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Matthew's teacher is having a baby girl over the summer holidays. So I whipped up this beauty, just in time for the last day of school.This might be my fourth, or fifth Baby Surprise Jacket. It's such a perfect pattern, when you finally make sense of the minimal instructions. The first time I knit it, I made myself a spreadsheet, which I now read along with the pattern instructions, marking off each row as I go. It has been invaluable and I Must. Not. Lose It!!!
The yarn is Vanna White's. It was Very Squeaky. Could have been because I made this to a tight gauge, wanting it to fit her for the fall/early winter. I think the sizing worked out well, so, mission accomplished.
Gratuitous garter stitch close-ups. I'm no Jared Flood, I know ;0)
The stripes are made by alternating, every other row. Simple as that. It did make for a few extra ends to weave in, but I think the effect is worth it. They will definitely be knit again.

Ravelry project page.

Disco :0)

The cast on of a million stitches....

2011-06-15T04:28:00.001-07:00

I came across this wonderful, easy provisional cast-on on Wendy Bernard's blog, Knit and Tonic. I'm not going to reinvent the wheel by describing it again here, go read the pdf, it'll take you 2 minutes.

It's also a great way to add a contrast colour edge to any garment or accessory - just don't unzip the cast-on edge. I also love it for casting on lots of stitches, for instance, for a cowl or infinity scarf - no running out of the tail-end of the yarn. Again, just don't unzip the cast-on.

Use either, two different balls of yarn to cast on, or, both ends of the same ball, cutting the 'tail' end once enough stitches have been cast on.

It does leave you with 2 extra yarn tails to weave in. But for me, I'd rather that than rip out 160 cast on stitches and do them all again.

Disco :0)

Cupcakes

2011-06-13T06:47:00.001-07:00

Did you see Carrie's cupcake photo today (scroll down)? It reminded me to post about the cupcakes I've been making lately that've gotten a bunch of compliments and requests for my recipe.

I don't really have a recipe per se, I just google "cupcake recipe" or "basic cupcake recipe" and choose the one at the top. As long as it has butter, sugar, eggs and flour in some combination, you can't go wrong. The last couple of times though, I've used this Martha Stewart creation for batter (leaving out the orange) and another Martha Stewart creation for buttercream frosting. I use these as proportion guides for the basic batter and frosting.

To flavour the cakes and frosting, I add in some mashed fruit, or peanut butter, or cocoa powder, or whatever flavour I want them to be.
So, here are Saturday's creations. The first cakes are black and blue berry cakes - mashed up blackberries and blueberries, just stir them into the batter and the frosting. The frosting is a wee bit wet and does well to be put in the fridge to set a little, once it's been spread on top of the cupcake.

The other is banana cake - mashed up super-ripe bananas (I keep them in the freezer when they're too squishy to eat, then defrost as needed). I threw in a few chocolate chips too. The frosting has a good tablespoon of peanut butter mixed in.

No fancy swirls or decorations, just plain old delicious.

I have dessert to make for a dinner on Thursday night. I'm thinking pineapple and coconut and some more black'n'blues.

Happy Monday :0)

Disco xo

A Memorial Day book recommendation for you.....

2011-05-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Is "Happy Memorial Day" an appropriate greeting?

Last night, I was watching CNN and there was a discussion about how difficult it is for soldiers returning from the front lines, to return to 'normal' life. These debates always bring to mind a book I read, almost 20 years ago, about a soldier in WWI.

The book is called "Birdsong", written by Sebastian Faulks. Buy it at BN.com or Amazon.com. Be sure to read the reviews posted on Amazon.

In one section of the book, the 'hero' returns home to London from the trenches of France. The author describes the sensation of not exactly belonging anymore, being disconnected from the people for whom you've been fighting. It gives a little insight into what the troops may be feeling right now.

I cannot recommend this book enough - bloody history, heart-breaking romance and excellent prose. Do let me know what you think, if you ever get to read it.

Em-boy-dery

2011-05-20T09:19:00.001-07:00

This weekend, Matthew finished his first embroidered picture. I hung it in a sunny spot next to the window in my craft room. It makes me smile :0)
Here are some old pics from last Christmas. Teddy and Matthew embroidered felt ornaments for family gifts. The motifs are based on some Sublime Stitching patterns, which I drew onto the felt.Inexpensive, simple, and loved by all recipients.This last one, Teddy made for Tommy, who's Alma Mater is the University of Virginia. He drew this himself before stitching it up.The felt wreaths in the background were made in an art lesson - one inch felt squares, punch a hole in the centre and thread onto wire. Add a ribbon for hanging and, voila, colourful tree ornament.

We've really been enjoying this stitching and I see a whole lot more in the future. Anyone else an embroiderer?

Disco xo

Happy happy joy joy

2011-05-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

Isn't it nice to read what others are thankful for sometimes? Gives you a little boost when you're not feeling at your best. Today's another grey day in the Fort, but I have plenty to be grateful for myself. Just a few......

1. This morning was Matthew's "field day" at school. I got to be 'chaperone' and walk the class from event to event. He's such a hugger that boy, and always wanting to hold my hand. Every day, I'm grateful for his smiling face.

2. Making my own home decorations. This set will soon be up on my living room wall.

3. My mother is coming to visit at Christmas.

4. Mother's Day flowers, still looking pretty.

5. Packages of pretty things in the mailbox.

6. Baby girl knitting. Not for me :0)7. Being a stay-at-home-mom. This hasn't always been easy for me, but right now I love being able to drop off and pick up my boys from school, help them with their homework, ferry them to activities and have spur-of-the-moment playdates. This is one of my biggest and most treasured blessings.

8. My awesomely crafty boys, who love to try anything from drawing and sewing, to making marble magnets and Andy Warhol-esque paint prints. Their creations are precious.

9. My new house. Containing only my family's dirt ;0)

10. My husband, who puts up with a lot of crap, without much complaining. And who also engaged a client this week. Yay for food on the table and craft supplies in the closets.

11. Friday

Disco xoxo

The Cuteness!

2011-05-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Look what the Easter Bunny brought the boys. Bunny Nuggets! He even brought me one ;0)See the cushy tushies....
This is a fabulous scrap-busting project, with a high adorability yield. Can't you see one right next to your computer, perhaps peeking round the screen. Altogether now, aaaawwww :0)

There are about a squillion of these on Ravelry, in all sorts of colours and cute/wacky interpretations. Go inspire your inner child.

Pattern: Bunny nuggets by Rebecca Danger

Yarns I used: Cascade 220 and Kollage Yarns Fantastic

:0) Disco :0)

The Funnies

2011-05-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

Meet our new neighbour, Oscar.Isn't he adorable? He's the lightest ginger I've ever seen and the tip of his tail is white. If we leave any door open, he's in our house. We love having him around though :0)

----------------------

In other news, I have been cracking up at this blog lately. Sharing is caring, as they say, so here it is for your amusement too. Enjoy! Shooting the Breeze

Happy Tuesday!

Disco xo

Sunday Broken Heart

2011-05-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

I finished these socks a whole week ago, but it took me that long to weave in the ends, or rather the beginnings, at the cuff. Part of the Ravelry Socks that Rawk!! group Q2 KAL. This seems to be the only group I can consistently join for a KAL. They always pick cool patterns.

I love this pattern so much. The broken hearts are so freakin' clever. They break, right where the heel breaks away from the leg. And continue down the heel. Patterned heels appear to be the new big thing, don't you think?. Another piece of clever design is the gusset decreases on the sole. Genius! I may do this on all socks from now on.And who doesn't love a twisted cuff? I know I do.So much so, here's a fuzzy close-up. So stretchy.

When I first received this skein of yarn, I thought it was all purpley, pinks. But once I opened it out and wound it, there was plenty of teal, blue and brown in their too. Almost Noro-esque ;0)

Pattern: Breaking Hearts by Cristi Brockway aka Turtlegirl76

Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight

Colour: Never on Sunday

Needle: 2.5mm

Ripley - March Hat

2011-03-24T05:29:00.001-07:00

The March hat is done, and boy, was it a quickie. This is Ripley, by Ysolda Teague. Knit in Baby Alpaca Grande.
I wasn't intending to make any 'slouchy' hats, but I really like this one. The 'slouch' is taken up by the pleats in the back, which are really easy to knit.A close up of the pleats....
Simple crown decreases are pretty enough.
I had read a ton of people on Rav say that the edge band was really tight, so I chose this bulky alpaca yarn, thinking it would stretch on blocking. It definitely needed that. Admittedly, I have a large noggin, but I could barely get the 'large' size that I knit, over my head. After blocking I can - just!

If I knit this again - and I most definitely will - I will knit more garter rows on the band, then do fewer increase stitches.

Pattern: Ripley by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande

Strawberry

2011-03-23T09:53:00.001-07:00

Look what I found in my (pot) garden today. I'm dying to get planting some 'crops'. Soon......

Stuff and Nonsense

2011-03-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

I am ridiculously happy to see that The Principles of Knitting is finally scheduled for reprint. I used to check this book out of the library all the time when I was doing the TKGA Level 1 Masters Course. The author is quite opinionated, and this puts some people off the book. It is though, the most comprehensive book of knitting techniques I've ever seen - 704 pages people! If you have $45 to spare, it is available for pre-order on Amazon. Click Here :0)

I'll be pre-ordering my own copy once we move house. Yes, we bought a new house. In the community we've been living in the past (almost) 2 years. Our scheduled closing date is 1st April. Don't know if that's some cosmic house-buying joke on us, considering our less than successful history with houses.

You know what a new house needs? This new pattern from the gals at Mason-Dixon Knitting? Be still my beating heart, Noro and log cabins. And I've always wanted to do a mitered square. And proceeds to Japan. Of course, I purchased the pattern right away. Now to work out how to pay for all that Noro.

Last year I made myself some ankle socks to go with my Birks. They fit my 5 year old better than they fit me (below left). Not because my gauge was *that* off, he just has big old feet. And if you make one child a pair of socks, the other has to have some too (below right). They've both been well worn this winter, like, as soon as they're washed, they're on the feet again.

Happy Sunday :0)

TTL Mystery sock

2011-03-11T08:48:00.001-08:00

Well, the mystery is why I haven't blogged these before now. This pattern is the Through The Loops Mystery sock 2011, which I knit, way back in October.They started off great, with a twisted, cabley cuff. Looked good and was fun to knit. Then the first portion of the leg pattern was a checkerboard kind of a pattern. I wasn't overly thrilled with the look of that. It sort of puffed out the sock. As it turns out, this is great. The sock is long on the leg and I need it to be a wee bit wider at that calf point.
The lower part of the leg, and the foot of the sock, was cabled and I think they look like wrapped sweeties :0)
The heels and toes have the 'ribs' continued onto them.
The yarn is The Plucky Knitter's MerinoCashmereNylon. Sooooo soft and wears similarly to the Malabrigo sock yarn, in that it makes for a very thin fabric, which it turns out I prefer.

I love the sock as a whole and enjoyed the week by week pattern postings. It didn't seem to take long at all to knit up each portion, two at a time.

Pattern: Through The Loops Mystery Sock 2011 by Kirsten Kapur

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter MerinoCashmereNylon Lite in Blue No.1 (very inventive name)

Uncle Franks for Harry

2011-03-08T06:25:00.001-08:00

Thanks for all the positive feedback on the monkey bones hat. It is being modeled on 'the head' until the March hat is made, then it will be put away for Christmas. With plenty of time to look at it, I think I love it just the way it is. I will make another though, too much yarn to waste in stash and the call of fair-isle is a loud one.

While I was knitting up the brim of the hat, Harry sent me this message on Facebook:

"disco
i would really love a pair of hand nitted socks as i cant stop wearing my mums so i would love it if you could make me some. my shoe size is 6. thank you"

Now, apart from the appalling spelling and grammar, doesn't that warm the cockles of your knitterly heart? A 13 year old boy who loves hand-knit socks. Be still my beating heart. Another message narrowed down his requirements to 'blue' with 'some sort of pattern'.

Well, the knitting Gods have been smiling down on me. I just happened to have on the needles already, a pair of Uncle Frank socks by Irishgirlieknits, in a lovely shaded blue colourway of STR Heavyweight. They had been conceived as a gift for my Taid in Wales, but I really think they need to be on bigger needles for his size feet. But they'd be perfect for Harry :0)

Here they are, all finished up within a week of the request. The pattern was easy to follow and pretty intuitive, especially if you can count rows past your previous cable.
This is such a great guy sock pattern. The ribs and cables are so manly. What's not to love?
And perfect boy colours. They're all blocked and looking pretty, so they'll go in the mail today.
I'll report back on Harry's reaction :0)

Pattern: Uncle Frank by Irishgirlieknits

Yarn: Socks That Rock Heavyweight (mill end?)

Monkey Bones February Hat

2011-03-08T05:44:00.001-08:00

The monkey bones hat is finished. I love this hat SO much. Last weekend it was almost an obsession to work on this. I hope monkey-mad-godson Harry will like it. It's nice and snug, as you can see on the model head. And a little bit poofy on top, so he can wear it with a little 'slouch', or pull it down around his ears for warmth against that cold, harsh, English wind :0)Speaking of the top, did you notice the cool decreases? They're kind of stripes, but they look like a star from the top. I'll take another picture after it's blocked (couldn't wait to show this off).
What do you think of the colour combo? I went with the sock monkey theme. Do you think the red stripe in the centre of the bones is too harsh? As you can see, I have plenty of leftovers to experiment with other combinations on this theme. And I think I will :0)
All in all, not a bad first fair-isle project :0)

Pattern: Monkey Bones Super Slouch Hat by Wendy Bernard

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport

February Hat - Monkey Bones

2011-03-01T08:24:00.001-08:00

My February Hat is Wendy Bernard's Monkey Bones Super Slouch. I loved this hat the moment I saw it. And I had someone in mind for it too. My 13 year old Godson in England has always been a fan of the monkeys and I've previously made him a Knitty Sock Monkey Hat.

One problem with this project, is that I had never knit fair-isle before, and this project is all about the fair-isle. I also wanted to make the hat in somewhat traditional sock-monkey colours.
What's a girl to do then, but take a class about colour and fair-isle. This I did at Stitches West, with the wonderful (and fellow Brit) Fiona Ellis. Here are my class swatches (not related to the hat), showing the difference the background colours make, when the same pattern colours are used. Quite a startling contrast, right.
And while I'm showing my Stitches swatches off, here's the one I made in Candace Eisner-Strick's "Traditions!" class. That's a latvian braid right in the middle, looking a bit like arrows, or birds' feet. She was also a wonderful, and very funny, teacher :0)
I digress, so, back to the hat. Not finished in Feb, but started in Feb. I ordered the yarn (Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport) as soon as I got home from Stitches ('cos there was, like, no yarn at Stitches!!!). I had to think really hard about which colours to choose. I only made one big mistake, selecting a colour that was too yellow to complement the tan colour for the monkey's bones. A quick search on Ravelry found me a much better match (I hope - it's on its way right now).

I did cast on for the ribbed brim though and managed to complete that in just one afternoon. Man, I'm impatient for the yarn to arrive so I can get on with this. I think I caught the colourwork bug bad. Watch this space.....

Solstice Slip

2011-02-28T10:06:00.001-08:00

These socks are the 2011 Q1 KAL with the Socks That Rawk! ravelry group. I made it with a whole month to spare :0) I was really loving how the yarn striped on the foot, then the stitch count changed for the leg, and the colours then pooled in a spiral.
I knit the pattern toe up. The toe is knit with short rows in garter stitch. I like how the garter ridges 'hide' the wraps. They look pretty neat and the garter stitch makes the toe really squishy and comfy.
Same with the heel, knit with short rows in garter st. Super comfy.
I used Judy's Stretchy bind-off for the first time. Easy peasy bind off and super stretchy as its name suggests :0)
I love toe-up socks as I can make them as long as the yarn allows. These are my tallest socks to date and I was only left with a few inches of yarn.
Pattern: Solstice Slip by J C Briar for Blue Moon Fiber Arts

Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight

Colour: Rocky Horror

Size: 65st on foot, 75 st on leg

Capitola Cliffs

2011-02-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

I am having the most wonderful time here in California. What a beautiful place, full of beautiful people. Stitches West was as wonderful as ever, I took some inspiring classes and am fired up with new techniques to practice. Carrie and I are spending this, my last day, relaxing in the pretty little seaside town of Capitola, before I must return to reality tonight.

I bought this Rare Gem skein of STR on the last day of Stitches. It had been calling my name all weekend, but with plenty (by my standards) of sock yarn already at home, I said that if it was left on Sunday, it would be fate. Funny how fate works.
I'm calling it Capitola Cliffs, because, look at the view from the window.....
If that's not a match made in heaven, I don't know what is :0)
A huge thank you to Carrie for putting me up during Stitches West, and to Terry for lending us her Capitola retreat :0) I have had a fabulous time and hope to see y'all, same time next year :0)

Purse v Purse

2011-02-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

I'm traveling to Stitches West in Santa Clara tomorrow. Pretty exciting, eh :0) So what's a girl to do, but finish up a couple of projects from previous Stitches?!

I wanted a shoulder bag, but not quite as big as the Celtic Tote, which I've made a couple of times now. I scoured my collection of stitch dictionaries and concluded that I need more cable patterns. I did see this one though, and it actually turned out the perfect size.

The yarn was some cream worsted I had been gifted a million years ago, nothing special. The handle is the real Stitches deal though. Purchased on my first Stitches trip in 2008. Talk about stash, right! It's just long enough to tuck the bag under my armpit, not too tight. The bag is just big enough for phone, purse, tissues, keys, etc.
And what do we put IN the bag? A purse of course. I don't want to be toting round my giant Vera Bradley purse, so made up this little set, purchased at Stitches '09.
Pics before felting.....And after. Is it just me, or does the circley one look very boobtastic? They are a great size for credit cards and a wad of cash for yarn buying :0)
Last, here's something for all you Gleeks. Which character does this sporty lass remind you of?My guys got lego people for Valentines and they came with a menu of other lego people. As soon as I saw this, I thought it looked like the coach from Glee :0)

Headband

2011-02-10T05:09:00.001-08:00

One of my friends here in the burbs has started giving art/craft lessons out of her home. She's super talented and a lot of fun too. My boys have been thoroughly enjoying their various sessions with her. I'll post pics of their masterpieces another time soon.

Before Christmas, she proposed a barter of my knitting for her lessons. Happy happy joy joy. Here's the headband I rustled up for her.
She trawled Ravelry for something you might see in her favourite shop, Anthropology, and chose this pattern, the Whitney Headband. The headband was mindless knitting, but the flower was more challenging as it was crocheted. I swallowed my fear though and pressed on, following the pattern step by step. I actually had to highlight the individual instructions as I completed them. Crochet's not so easy, but I made it. It may have one more petal than the pattern, but we'll call that a design modification :0)I used my beloved DB Alpaca Silk aran. Warmth was needed for a Christmas trip to PA, so that fitted the bill. Here's a quickly modelled shot. I can see why the short-rows of Calirometry are so popular - you don't get that rolled up bit at the back, but otherwise, I think this is a cute FO :0)

Headband pattern: The Whitney Headband by Jennifer DiMaria

Needle: 4.5mm

Flower pattern: Irish Rose by Lesley Stanfield

Hook: 4mm

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran

Charade

2011-02-10T04:46:00.001-08:00

I've never made a plain vanilla pair of stockinette socks. But this is my second time knitting the next closest thing. The "Charade" pattern is so simple it's almost like knitting stockinette.

It's a 4 stitch pattern every other round. Couldn't be easier to remember.

It gives a nice ribbed effect, without all the purling, and a wee slipped stitch mixes up the yarn a bit. I heart it so.

Pattern: Charade by Sandra Park

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet

Needle: 2.5mm

Don't go breakin' my heart

2011-02-08T07:46:00.001-08:00

I finally finished these socks, which I feel like I've been knitting for ages. I guess that's what becomes of distraction knitting all those cowls and Christmas hats.

But aren't they beauties? The yarn is Malabrigo sock in the Stonechat colourway. This is my second time using this yarn. It is so very thin. I think that contributes to my feeling like it takes forever to knit an inch. I felt like that the first time too. But I must say it's worth it. The socks are really light and thin and yet still very cushy.Cristi's pattern was great to knit too. The repeat is pretty simple and easy to memorise. The pattern stitches are easy to 'read' too. I like the pattern in this colourway. I think I'd also like to knit it in a crazier multicolour too - the slipped and garter stitches really mix up the colours.And here's where my heart broke in two. I got a wee hole on each side, as you can see below. I'm not feeling too bad about that though - I just started another pattern by a much more accomplished knitter than me, and the photos show holes in her sock too.Nice stripes.......Pattern: Breaking Hearts by Cristi Brockway

Yarn: Malabrigo sock in Stonechat

Needle: 2.5mm

January Hat

2011-01-31T07:31:00.001-08:00

I really liked the idea behind the Yarn Harlot's "self-imposed sock club" of 2010. But there's no way I'm going to commit myself to 12 pairs of socks. My recent knitting of hats though. Now there's a set of small projects I could commit to. Ooh, and stashbusting!

I'm not about to choose 12 patterns and 12 yarns to go with them. I'll admit to having issues with commitment (and procrastination and, and, and...). But, I have started to scout out hat patterns to put on my Ravelry 'favourite' list. At the beginning of each month, I'll see what I fancy making that month and choose a yarn to go with. The aim is to use stash only. Although I know of one hat pattern I will definitely be buying yarn for.

So, here's my January hat. Molly by Erin Ruth.
It's supposed to be a slouchy hat. The hats I knit this year will be Christmas 2011 gifts and I really don't know anyone who likes those type of hats. At least not that I've noticed them wearing slouchy hats. So I knit just over half the recommended repeats before I started the decreases.

Speaking of the decreases. Look how the cables get smaller. Love 'em.
The yarn is Rowan's RYC Silk Wool DK in a chocolatey colour called Nut Brown. It was nice and smooth and has produced a pretty sturdy fabric. I think the waffley/cable pattern will wear well.
Now, to decide the next hat. Suggestions anyone?

Can't. Stop. Patricia.

2011-01-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I'm a knitting fool for this pattern. After I finished the first one, I immediately cast on a second. My mom deserves a wee gift every now and then right? And I have the yarn in stash. So, here's a shot of her new navy blue cowl. That should warm her up in the long, cold, dark English winter.Oh, and what's this next one? Por moi? Well, I was sick of the dangly scarf, so what else was a girl to do?! Another raid on the stash and 24 hours later, my neck's as warm as anyone else's.Another excuse. I needed something to go with this hat I knit at the beginning of December. I needed a super quick knit one Saturday afternoon. I was going to my first ever (American) football game, here in Charlotte. Virginia Tech vs, erm, who cares? Anyway, it was cold. This pattern did the job - a mere two hours total.Not a perfect yarn match, but don't they look good together?
Cowl: Patricia, by Debbi Stone

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran

Hat: Really Warm Hat by Melissa LaBarre

Yarn: Knitglobal Chunkywool

:0)

Terrific Tote

2011-01-18T10:10:00.001-08:00

Two posts in two days. I've really got a lot to show, right?! This is the Terrific Tote. The pattern is part of Kollage Yarn's "Feed Your Creativity" program - a monthly set of classes designed to encourage the expansion of your knitting skills.

my sock yarn stash does NOT runneth over :0(

This is a market bag knit with their "Corntastic" yarn, made from, you guessed it, 100% corn. A bag for the vegan in all of us. Like most of the plant-based yarns, I found it to be quite splitty. I really had to watch while I was knitting to make sure I didn't split a strand (I know, disaster, right!). That said, it was velvety in my fingers as I was knitting it, so it was a pleasure to work with. These first 2 photos show the colour best. It's kind of a seafoam green/blue.I made only one modification to the pattern. Instead of casting off all stitches at the top except the 10 bag handle stitches on one side, I also left 10 stitches live on the opposite side. This made grafting the handle onto that side SO much easier than grafting into picked up stitches.

The pattern will make a great class for a newish knitter wanting to try out cables, simple lace stitches, picking up sts and grafting (kitchener). The cable can easily be worked without a cable needle - bonus!!! I memorized the pattern after only a couple of repeats and found it to be pretty intuitive. Altogether, a neat little project.

nice bottom!

Instant Patification

2011-01-17T16:50:00.001-08:00

Look what I knocked up in less than 24 hours.......Wow, I really am freckly and gap-toothed! Oy!
That's better. Get the glass head out.

The pattern is called "Patricia" and its by the wonderful knitting Goddess, Debbi Stone, alias Cockeyed of Blue Moon Fiber Arts fame.

OK, there are many things I love about this project. It's publication, just at the time I was looking for a gift to make for my friend Hubbs' upcoming ski trip. Super easy, bulky cables. Quick. Stashbuster.

I was thrilled to find that the gauge would work with my beloved Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran - the stash runneth over and it has marinated so long. And......
...if Hubbs gets a chilly head, she can wear it as a huge headband.

Thanks to Debbi for sharing this pattern for free on Ravelry. It was a pleasure to make :0)

Happy, happy snow day }:0)

2010-12-26T10:07:00.001-08:00

Hi! We're having a happy, snowy, Boxing Day here at chez disco. The snow started last night, so technically, South Carolina had its first 'white Christmas' since, like, the last ice-age. The boys are loving it, esp. the smallest. Here are the handsome fellas with their new hats, completed in the nick of time for Christmas giving.Matthew models the monkey hat, of which I have made many. Teddy models the man hat, of which I intend to make many more. Let me tell you, these boys have BIG noggins. I had to remake Matt's and add a good couple of inches. His head is at least as big as mine. He's 5, people, FIVE!!!

Aaaw, and see his gappy smile? He lost his first tooth earlier in the week. HUGE excitement for him, officially a big boy!

Our beautiful snowy home, before we used all the snow for snowballs/snowmen.
No, this next picture isn't my report of Britain's current foul weather. It's our community's very own fake British Pub, with genuine imported telephone booth. See, there has to be at least an inch of snow on the ground. Be still my beating heart.
And across the street, the Christmas tree in the park. Looking very Christmasy, I must say.And an artsy shot of berries on a bush. The snow looks like candy floss.We had a fabulous Christmas yesterday. Both boys said it was their best Christmas ever (I'd have to agree with them). I'd like to think that was because we had a very quiet one, staying home all day, playing, eating and enjoying each other's company. In reality it may have been all the Lego and wii games Santa brought. And then snow!!!

I hope that everyone has had as wonderful a holiday as we have here. Wrap up warm!

xo Disco ox

My heart is breaking

2010-11-11T08:33:00.001-08:00

Quick WIP post of my "Breaking Hearts" sock by Cristi. I bought the Malabrigo sock yarn in the Stone Chat colourway, on a recent trip up to Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill. Souvenir yarn :0)

The colours are spiralling beautifully. And showing off the broken ribs and the heart slipped stitches too. I'm loving the pattern - the 6 row repeat is easy-peasy to memorize. I had it after only the first time - miracles and all that!
The twisty-spirally cuff was a cinche. I have already used it on a knit flower, but Christi's instructions are very straightforward and easy to follow, if you aren't familiar.This is a most excellent pattern. I think it would be perfect for hand-dyed yarns. The broken ribs really mix the colours up and the slipped stitch hearts make them pop right out again. Congrats on a great job Cristi :0)

Babette's Blanket

2010-10-22T10:09:00.001-07:00

This has been almost 3 years in the planning and stash collecting, and 15 months in execution. In all its greeny goodness, I give you "Babette's Blanket".........

I fell in love with this blanket when I first saw it in Interweave Crochet, way back when. Shame I didn't crochet!!! (No idea why I was looking at a crochet mag, maybe it was on the cover.) A quick lesson at Joann's a couple of years back saw me right though.And a bit of moral support on the way. I don't want to think about how many ends I wove in. I eventually started crocheting over the ends - should've taken that advice at the start. We'll chalk that up to (in)experience :0)I hope these lovely colours aren't as muted on your screens as they are mine. They're all Socks that Rock Heavyweight, in shades of green, or have green in the skeins.Go to my Ravelry project page to see the deets, including the colours I used.I've no idea what the stitch is called that I used to crochet these together. Basically, I pulled a strand of the edging yarn through the edge of one square to make a loop, then pulled another strand through the other square AND that loop. Rinse and repeat til two edges become one :0)The pattern called for, I think, 3 edge rounds. I only had enough yarn left to make 1 round and I really didn't want to spend more on this than I already had (don't think about it). So 1 round will have to do.Another gratuitous edging shot...
Here's what's left of the 9 (gulp!) skeins I used.

This one's the money shot. I wanted to take a picture of Matthew, in the same pose as on the original pattern. But how could I resist the little fella, in this shot, exhausted after a tough day at Kindergarten.

The blanket weighs around 4,000 tonnes and is just big enough for me to snuggle under on the sofa. Not stretched out, but with my feet tucked up a bit. It's been well used already and I can't wait to use it more this coming cool season :0)

If anyone's looking for a great way to use up their sock yarn scraps (or any scraps for that matter), this may be a long-term project, but it's easy as pie (and folds flat for storage :0p )

Happy weekend everyone :0)

Lyttelton Shrug

2010-10-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the holidays and the colder weather, here's a post about one of my summer knits. This knit was the perfect accompaniment to my "little flowery dress". That would be the summer equivalent of the "little black dress" :0)

Knit in Cotolino by Queensland Collection - the yarn is a Cotton/Linen blend. Ideal for the summer heat.
The pattern is Lyttelton by Kate Davies. I'm not sure if the cable part of the pattern makes the lace part pull in different directions, or vice versa. But I like the 'waves' it produces.
The fabric made is kind of thick, so this may also be great for the fall, or even this Carolina winter, which is really not THAT cold! We'll see if I can find a suitable long sleeved LBD to go with.

:0)

BTW, the dress I'm wearing was part of the bargainous Liberty range at Target this summer. I love it and hope to be wearing it for many summers to come :0)

Celtic Birthday Tote

2010-10-13T13:14:00.001-07:00

I wanted to make my mom something for her birthday, way back in September. So, naturally, I waited til the day before her birthday, and asked what she'd like. She set up a ravelry account for herself and started looking around. She chose the Celtic Tote, from Interweave Winter '07. I'd already made one a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. I also had the ideal yarn in stash, so the deal was sealed.

Two weeks later, the bag was completed and here she is....
It's a pretty easy cable pattern (if you follow it line by line), outlined in a darker colour to make it pop. Then you felt it, to make it look even prettier and fuzzier. Add a button from the stash, and Bob's your uncle. Or your husband, in my mom's case.
Only thing left to do is dive in the fabric stash and come up with a suitable lining for the bag. Get out the sewing machine, and 30 minutes later, you've got the finished tote.
Of course, she loves it. Ideal for winter, yes?!

Bellingrath

2010-10-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

It's all about the Irishgirlie these days. Or so it would seem :0) I knit up her Bellingrath shawl(ette) in a pretty beige/grey Sock-a-licious, called Chateau.First of all, the yarn. It has a little silk in it. Oh boy, does it feel smooth through your fingers as you're knitting it. I liked that very much.
The colours were muted. I wanted that, so I could wear this piece with as many things as possible. I've been wearing it over this white t-shirty/tunic and that little bit of extra warmth was very welcome on a couple of cooler days recently. I'll be wearing a lot more in the months to come (thank goodness the cooler weather is starting to be upon us!).
Now, the pattern. What I like about this one, is that the pattern is in a panel down the middle and there is a pretty large chunk of stockinette either side, to give your brain a wee rest. The lace is, once again, wavy and lacy (to my eye anyway). I don't know what your inspiration is for the waves and the lace lately Carrie, but I'm digging it.
I had read on Ravelry, that a couple of people had stopped the edge pattern at 5 repeats instead of the called for 6. I got pretty worried about it, but on Carrie's advice, weighed my yarn to make sure I had enough. There was actually plenty leftover, as you can see in this photo.

If you're looking for a small, one-skein project for maybe Christmas gifts, I would recommend this one for sure :0)

Happy Monday :0)

Wavy Lace Scarf with the mystery name

2010-10-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

I finished up the test knit for Carrie's new pattern in a record week(ish). It blocked out beautifully as you can see here. It's all wavy and lacy.I'd say this next pic was a much more accurate representation of the actual colour of the Kollage Creamy yarn used. I'm always amazed at how washed out the camera makes the colour. I've taken to making a shadow across whatever I'm photographing outside, to make up for that.
Blowing in the breeze.
Laid out blocking. See the wavy edges too :0)
All in all, a quick and easy knit. Drapes like nobody's business and is soft as a newborn kitten's teeny pink paws. I can see it being worn on a balmy evening during your Caribbean Christmas cruise. Or bunched up round your neck, against November's chilling wind. Either way, you'll look pretty as a peach.

Thanks for letting me test-knit, Carrie :0)

I gots me a new pastime.....

2010-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I've seen Jenny Hart around the web quite a lot, and also on the TV show "She's Crafty". Her work has always intrigued me. I've never been into embroidery, although a million moons ago, I did some cross-stitching.

When I was in London, last Christmas, I visited The Make Lounge, a store/workshop for all sorts of 'crafts'. I had been following their blog for a while - I do like to hear about what's going on 'at home' - so when the opportunity arose for me to have a day in London sans small people, I headed straight there.

They have a small but fine collection of yarns, fabrics, buttons and other crafting materials. I saw they stocked Jenny's embroidery transfers (Sublime Stitching) and bought the 'Garden Variety' packet, thinking I'd stitch something up for Hubbs to use in her allotment, maybe to carry home her potatoes or courgettes :0)

I found this little bag in Michaels for, like, $2 and thought that would be perfect. So here is the side with the Sublime Stitching designs......

Love this little beetle.....

Orange tree?

Fluffy bee, could've used a darker yellow....

After buying the Sublime Stitching transfers, I also bought a book by another embroiderer, Aimee Ray. I saw her book Doodle Stitching in Barnes & Noble and couldn't resist. I used her designs and drew them (no transfer necessary) on the other side of the bag........Cute toadstools.....A buzzy bee......A sunshine of french knots.......Let's hope Hubbs likes it :0)

And you know we have critters all round our house. Well, when it's not hornworms and snakes, it's praying mantis. Here's one on the rocking chair on our porch.

FOG

2010-10-01T08:36:00.001-07:00

Hizknits tweeted this video a few days ago. I have watched it several times since and thought maybe you'd like to share in its beauty, this fine weekend.

FOG

Testing, testing, 1,2,3

2010-10-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

I'm test-knitting Carrie's new pattern, a lacy scarf, knit with Kollage's new yarn Creamy.My photo's are a pretty poor representation of the colour. It is called Turquoise Sea, and is a beautiful seafoam-green-turquoise-blue. OK, my description is just as inadequate as my photo, so Click for a better picture.
Creamy is a great name for the yarn. It's made with 80% milk!!! The other 20% is cotton. It really does feel like a cotton, but, erm, creamier. It is not so harsh as cotton, softer definitely. But it does knit like cotton, as in, it doesn't stretch much.
The lace pattern is knitting up quickly and is pretty easy to memorise - for my depleted memory anyway - you'll have it memorised after the first rep, I'm sure. I'm almost done with the first of the two skeins the pattern calls for. It will be beautiful when blocked out. Very drapey. It suits the 'Turquoise Sea" colourway, with it's waves :0)

OK, now to knit on it some more :0) Happy Friday.

UK Trip

2010-09-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

In July, Teddy and I went on a trip to the UK. We had a wonderful time, visiting with family and friends, with a few daytrips here and there. Here's my big boy, right at the top of the London Eye, overlooking the Houses of Parliament. You can see Westminster Abbey, just behind Parliament. Did you know that the Abbey is 1,000 years old? I just LOVE London. Another day, we took a trip out to Legoland, near Windsor. It was perfect for this Lego crazy kid. Here's a pic for all you Harry Potter fans :0) We had a great day with my mom and her husband - it rained a wee bit, but only for a couple of short spurts. It kept us cool and no trip to England would be complete without it ;0)

Gratuitous kitty picture. This is Junior, the Tanns' kitten. She is the funniest thing alive and such a joy. I had forgotten how much fun these fur-babies are. She loved attacking our feet at night. Teddy spent all the time we were there, chasing her.

The reason for our trip was to attend my Dad's wedding. I made the bride and groom this pretty trippy blanket. Same 'design' as my Noro log cabin, it's made from Traditions yarn from JoAnn's (discontinued) for the squares and Debbie Stoller's Bamboo Ewe yarn for the borders.

Fun!!!

Ha'mama'lis

2010-09-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

I loved Cristi's test knit for Through the Loops' shawl design, Hamamelis. When Mother's Day came around, I decided to make it for my mom. I had the yarn, Purl Up & Dye, in this beautiful dark green with shades of gingery brown. There was enough to make the medium size shawl, with a small ball leftover.

The pattern was easy to follow and I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this shawl. My mom loves it too! I blocked it using some metal rods I got from Home Depot - such neat edges.

The horrible critters in my garden, were in fact "Hornworms". I swear, all the hairs on my arms are standing up from making that weblink. We (I should say DH) uprooted the whole plant they were on and disposed of it. I recently found another tiny one - I tore off the branch it was sitting on and disposed of that too. We've had a fair few tomatoes from these plants, although only 7 or 8 seem to be red at the same time. A small snack :0)

Love and WWYD?

2010-08-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

I can't quite believe I haven't posted since February. Time flies I guess, when you're having fun!!! I just checked my Ravelry page and I really haven't been knitting much this year, or so it would seem. Just a wee bit of catching up to do then.

So, the title isn't suggesting a warm and fuzzy or even heartsearching post. It's the colour name of the STR I used to knit up Irishgirlieknits pattern Dotty.

The colour striped almost perfectly throughout the whole sock, even on the heel. And another simple yet effective design from our very own knitting superstar Carrie :0) I knit these at the beginning of the summer (end of spring?) and had that gorgeous strawberry plant to accessorize. Isn't it pretty?

Speaking of the garden, I made myself a little tomato patch. Being renters, we're not supposed to do anything with the garden. It has a bunch of pine needles where a 'border' should be. I really wanted to grow some toms this year, so I just scooted a bunch of needles out of the way, dug in some topsoil and got planting.

I went out to this morning to take this picture of the beauties.....

....and discovered two of these beauties......

Not so small, these are at least as big as my middle finger. There are two of them out there munching away. I've been following their progress all day and they sure are enjoying a mighty big meal.

So. What would you do? Pick them off (or get the husband to) and take them across the street to the communal trees? Or, let them eat your plants, hope they leave some for you and also that when they turn into whatever they're going to turn into, that they stick around so you can enjoy them? And do you know what these are? I am kind of grossed out by them, but also morbidly fascinated.

Laters......

Babette Blanket

2010-02-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

Quickie of my Babette blanket. 8 skeins of Socks That Rock Heavyweight. I started crocheting the squares together last night with the 9th skein, The New Color of Love. It's a really, REALLY bright green and I think it makes the blanket pop.

Keepin' warm

2010-02-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

I never did show you pictures of my Noro Log Cabin blanket, did I. Well, excuse my self-indulgence, as I post a few pics.... I LOVE this blanket. The boys LOVE this blanket. They call it "Mommy's colourful blanket". It has pride of place on the back of the sofa, so I can see it when I'm in the kitchen :0)

I love it almost like my child. Only this thing took longer to gestate.

It's super warm and perfect for napping under.

Yarn - Noro Kureyon for the squares. Cascade Eco-wool for the border.

6 rows of 5 squares, or 5 rows of 6 for a total of 30 squares.

One ball of kureyon for each square. I think I made 3 full squares with the leftovers, so this blanket has 27 different balls of Kureyon. I only have 23 listed on my Ravelry project page, but that means little.
Finished Measurement: 67" x 60" roughly.

Pattern: I totally copied KathyMarie's instructions from her blogpost here.

I heartily recommend this project. Making the squares is like eating peanut M&M's - just one more.....

I have to admit to one thing I'd do differently. If you can't guess already. I wouldn't have included the 'natural' coloured kureyon skein. It sticks out like a sore thumb. I'm looking at it as an artistic statement ;0)

The Softest Feathers in the World......

2010-02-08T07:56:00.001-08:00

I feel like I've told this story before, so forgive me if you're hearing it again. I have these awesome friends in England, Danny and Lucia (we call her loose!). One time, Danny said, quite randomly and out of the blue, "Did you know that owls have the softest feathers in the world?"

We didn't quite know what to make of that statement and it's been a running joke ever since.

Loose's birthday is on Dec 31st. She asked if I would whip up a little something for her, my choice. I looked up owl patterns and couldn't resist this hat. Prepare your eyes for some more overexposed photos.... Being on this necessarily thrifty kick right now, I used some stash yarn. The colour is a nice mid-brown.

I only put eyes on the one owl, trying to make it stand out a bit more.

Pattern: Who? by Sara Amoroso

Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool

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Talking of owls, and I swear the connection will become clear eventually, I have been thinking of telling you about a couple of blogs I read that I really, really like (rather than just really like!) and don't know if you read them too.

Needled is written by Kate Davies, who works at Newcastle University. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is the biggest city near the town where I grew up, and home of the world famous Brown Ale :0) Kate writes about knitting, crafts, textiles, walking, history and a hundred other interesting subjects. If you wander over to her blog, you'll see another dimension was just added to her world too. Spend a little time reading back over her past posts, I'm sure you'll find something fascinating to engage your eyes and brain.

Oh, and that owl connection? She's the designer of the lovely owl jumper you can find here.

Calvin & Ripple

2010-02-08T07:37:00.001-08:00

I finished these late last year. A knitalong with the Socks that Rawk group on Ravelry. Designed by the wonderful Turtlegirl :0) and named after her gorgeous kitties. The yarn is a socks that rock rare gem in a brown, ginger, cream and green. I think it's a great cat-like colour for these kitty inspired socks.

Here's Calvin's slip-stitch pattern up close.... And Ripple's, erm, ripple stitch pattern......

And the two of them, side by side.

I won't say who my favourite is, but I do enjoy wearing them both a lot. And I love the matchy-and-yet-not concept.

Pattern: Calvin & Ripple socks by Cristi Brockway aka Turtlegirl

Yarn: Socks That Rock Mediumweight Rare Gem

Blackberry Brambles

2010-02-01T14:46:00.001-08:00

For the life of me, I couldn't get a good picture of the colour on these bad boys. Here they are in the "snow" we had last weekend - or is that the one before, by now. The yarn is malabrigo sock, which, for the life of me, I cannot find the colour name-tag for. Anyway, it's a sort of blackberry colour (appropriate), with a pale green running through it every now and then. The yarn is sooooooo thin. Combine that with a lace pattern and teeny needles and it took me a good while to knit these. Of course, throw in a good dozen other projects and that added time too.

I'm super pleased with the end results. The socks are very light indeed and fit great.

Pattern: Blackberry Brambles, by Irishgirlieknits

Yarn: Malabrigo sock

Another washed out pic, but see the pretty lace.

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I worked at "Books & Nooks" last night. It was pretty quiet. I got home just in time to see the Saints player make that last touchdown - wow, what a move! Now, if only the rest of the game could be so exciting, maybe I could get into this 'American' football more ;0)

Small things!

2010-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

My cousin-in-law Danit (if that's a real term - my husband's cousin's wife), asked me to make a baby gift for her friend who'd just had a boy. Well, I love the old standbys, so I whipped up a Baby Surprise Jacket and a pair of matching Christine's Booties with some sock yarn I'd had forever - Misty Mountain Farm Jubilee.

Knit on 4mm needles, it turned out a great size for maybe 3-6 months. My own baby-gauge is gone, now my own are ginormous, so that's a very rough guess. I'm pleased with how it turned out. The colours didn't pool, which is always my biggest worry with these yarns. I had already made Danit's baby a pair of these booties, so I know she likes them.

Love the garter stitch. And I already had these buttons, in a massive multi-pack from Joann's.

-----------------------------------------------

It was my birthday at the beginning of January. I didn't really get gifts from Tommy and the boys - y'all know we're trying to save, right. But I had some lovely gifts from family and friends. My mom gave me some money, which came in handy as I spotted yarn on sale during my trip to England.

Here are my favourite gifts. Two lovely friends gave me (among other things) these keyring fobs. First, my English BFF Hubbs gave me the Union Jack sparkler. Then my Knitster BFF Carrie sent me the teeny-weeny-stitch-picker-upper-crochet-hook-thingy. So exciting, I had just read about it that morning and thought what a neat idea. And doesn't its pink bead go well with the flag :0) Thank you ladies :0)

Just going to show that the best things can really be the smallest.

:0)

Still life, imitating art

2010-01-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a view of the Millenium Bridge in London, with St Paul's Cathedral in the background. The picture was taken from my favourite art gallery in London, the Tate Modern. The bridge is featured at the beginning of the Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince movie, which I watched on the flight to and from London.

The boys were very bored walking round, so decided a rest was in order on one of the benches. Here you have my very first art installation "Still life, imitating art", displayed for only 25 seconds on 27th December 2009. It was a rare and fine piece.

Then the security lady asked me to stop taking photographs!

Chasing the 'birds' already......

2010-01-19T03:11:00.000-08:00

On our previous family trip to England, Teddy was only 4. He was fascinated with all the sites of London: The Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Tower Bridge, etc, etc. He made the most wonderful scrapbook of our trip.

This trip, we got both he AND Matthew scrapbooks, Matthew being 4 now and able to appreciate the sites too.

And what did they want to do? Chase the pigeons. That's all!The boy's a blur, but you can still make out the smile of mischief.

And so to today's knitting content. I made the boys hats for Christmas (Santa got them all the good stuff). I'd been wanting to knit Koolhaas for the longest time. In fact since about a week after the magazine it was published in went off the shelves. I finally bought it on the Interweave website late last year.

I made one for Teddy's teacher for Christmas and then I made one for whichever of my boys it would fit. That would be Matthew.After finishing this sucker, I want it to be a REALLY long time before I tackle this pattern again. I managed without a cable needle for 2 of the 3(?) cables in the pattern, but I just couldn't get one of them and boy, does that slow you down.

So Teddy got this wonderfully plain ribbed hat instead.Again with the 'matchy and yet not'. While I was knitting them, I kept trying them on the boys and saying I was knitting them for other little boys - they're used to me not knitting for them, so didn't question that at all. They were so surprised and delighted with the hats when they opened their gifts at Christmas, it was really quite touching.

And just because I can, here's another pic of them both together.

The yarn used is Rowan's Cashmerino Aran. It's been in my stash forever, originally intended to make a sweater for one of the boys. Well, this is what you get for marinating boys sweater yarn while they grow so big - not enough for a sweater! I do have enough for a couple of scarves though - wide ribbed that is!

Happy Tuesday :0)

Zimmermann Babies

2010-01-18T04:52:00.000-08:00

We flew to England on Christmas night. Our first family trip there for 2 and a half years. Thank you generous in-laws :0)

We stayed through New Year and my birthday and had a jolly good time with our friends and family. My boys all flew back a couple days before me and narrowly missed 'the snow'. Which at the time, just looked like this.....Pretty, but can only be described as a smattering at best. I managed to get to London and back for some shopping/visiting that day (Tuesday) with no travel interruptions at all.

That evening though, the snow started in earnest (well, for England that is, anyway). And by next morning it was looking more like this.....

and this.......

and this......

and it snowed for the rest of the day, closing airports and disrupting trains, etc.

I had planned on visiting some old friends in SW London, but instead, I stayed home and watched the news and the interwebs all day, wondering if I was going to be able to fly home the next day.

I did get to sled down a couple of wee hills that day....
and help Harry build a snowman....

So all was not lost :0)

The next day, Thursday, I trudged across London, no small feat, let me tell you. Those Underground stations are killers with a heavy suitcase, no lifts and a million stairs each. I managed to get to Gatwick airport with no problems though (other than a sore shoulder from bouncing my suitcase up and down those stairs!). The flight was cancelled of course, but at least I'd made it there to find that out!!!

I got straight on the train back to London and called the airline to re-arrange another flight. Marco-the-booking-agent is my new best friend. He booked me on the next flight out of Heathrow and upgraded the trans-atlantic leg to business class. Which looks a bit like this.......

Yes, peeps, my outstretched legs are still about 2 feet from the seat in front of me!!!

Anyway, I do have knitting content involved in this story, aswell as gratuitous snow footage. The friends I couldn't see because of the snow Wednesday, I got to see Thursday and stayed the night with them. Mid-last-year, they had twins. And what does the knitter do when she knows she'll be visiting babies? Why she knits for them, of course :0)

So I present to you, the long awaited, Zimmermann babies, clad in the Baby Surprise Jacket and February Baby Sweater patterns.......
Photo provided by lovely mum, Charlotte. Aren't they gorgeous? The babies AND the sweaters, I mean ;0)

Made with Dream in Color Classy, color Midnight Derby. Matchy, and yet not.

Happy New Year to everyone :0)

February Lady....

2009-12-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been finished for a while now, but here are a few pics of my February Lady Sweater. Taken out back of our house, during an afternoon scooter session with Matthew :0) Close up shot......

Action shot.....

There's a great little slope down from our garage. Good for getting up just enough speed to take us over the lane and almost to the end of the opposite house. Not very lady-like, but FUN!

Yarn is Dream in Color Classy in Shiny Moss. Four skeins, all the same dyelot, but two definite different shades. Oh well, there was no way I was going to rip out that whole thing. I don't think you can tell, as I whizz by on my scooter anyway.

Thanks to Matthew and my iphone for photography :0)

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I've been SO busy lately. I started work at everyone's favourite bookstore. Just part-time during the holiday season, but that part-time is turning into 5-6 days a week.

And when I haven't been checking out your book purchases, I've been chained to my sewing machine, stocking my etsy shop with diaper bags for the little mommies of the world. I can say "of the world" now - I just got my first sale to Italy. And I passed the 50 sales mark - woot!

Check out Teddy's store too. After seeing it, his teacher commissioned some work from him, as did his Nanny. He'll be buying us dinner soon :0) He's so proud of himself for running his own business.

Happy Monday!

disco xxx

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T13:38:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from Chez Disco.

;0)

Welcome back

2009-10-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

It's been so long.

I just finished this hat, for our friend, Ollie, in England. Modelled by Matthew, both of these four year olds have big noggins, so it should fit Ollie just fine.

I love the decreases at the top of this hat. The pattern is Shedir from Knitty.com. It is rather complicated and you must pay attention to every other row - the ones with the cables. It went a little quicker once I'd worked out how to do ALL of the cabling without a needle. I had to tink back a couple of the cabling rows - pretty soul-destroying, but worth it.

The yarn is a test skein of the new Malabrigo yarn "Dos", in colourway "Pearl Ten". I picked that up from Stitches West earlier this year. I love the colour, but think I may be allergic to the yarn itself - every time I knit with it, my eyes would get itchy and watery.

In the interests of equality, here's a pic of Teddy, getting his first badge at cub scouts this week.

That wheelchair lady must've been going REALLY fast!

Covetting Cotty

2009-06-25T17:12:00.001-07:00

Hands up all those who like an easy pattern that gives really pretty results. I know I do, and I have loved making these Cotty socks the past couple of weeks. I started them just before we left Florida and knit on sock #1 during our journey up to our new home here in the Carolinas.

Congratulations to Carrie for writing a winning pattern :0)

So, here they are, completed in Socks That Rock Mediumweight - a rare gem, that I think is quite likely "Jade". Still with the cameraphone pics, so excuse the washed out colour look. Can you spot my 'deliberate' mistake?
This pair came out a tad small for my huge hoofs, so they'll be winging their way over to England pretty soon - Hubbs has a more delicate foot than me :0)

I loved this pattern so much, and had been reading about the merino/cashmere/nylon blends that others are, or will be, using that I just had to cast on right away with another yarn from my stash. The Yarn is the Pagewood Farms Alyeska I showed you a few months ago.

Do you like how I set the swift and winder up? My usual table is covered in crap, so I had to improvise. It's actually a pretty good solution for me, as I don't have to worry about the clamps scuffing the wood.
Blurry pic of the skein wound. You get the idea. It is mostly greeny, grey-y, but every now and then there is a little fleck of pink. Pretty.

So, this is my first experience with a cashmere blend sock yarn, and boy, do I like it. The yarn is so soft as it flows through your fingers while knitting. I think if Blue Moon made a MCN blend I would never need to buy from another dyer again. Tell me they don't, please!

Here's a progress shot, so you can see how it's knitting up.

Rockin in the Carolinas

2009-06-22T15:11:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all for your kind compliments on my Shurtagals, they really are a pretty sock, right.

And so, to end any confusion. We are in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It is about spitting distance from Charlotte, North Carolina. Both towns being close to the borders of their respective states.

We rented a house in a master planned community which has its own 'high street' (or market street, if you like ;0) ) with a bunch of shops and restaurants on it; along with a YMCA which we live across the street from, literally; a 'British' pub (yay), a community center with pool and playgrounds; and all sorts of entertainment for our delight and delectation.

This past Saturday evening was 'music in the park'. They had a Beatles cover band playing from 7-10pm. It was SO much fun, we all had a blast. The boys were up and dancing almost from the start.

As chance would have it, for the past few months we've been listening to the Sjt Pepper CD in the car. I'm trying to give the boys a musical education beyond whatever is being played on the radio right now. We've started with Sjt Pepper, Abba Gold and Janis Joplin. They like it all I'm pleased to say. I have a Bob Dylan CD to be added to the mix anytime soon.

I have tried to sing Yellow Submarine to them before, but I'm not much of a singer. So it was totally cool when the band asked all the kids to join them on 'stage' to sing it. My boys, I'm proud to say, were first in line at the mic.

Here's a shot looking down the 'village green' to show it was busier than the previous pics made it look. And to the right, can you see the huge slidey bounce house too.

It was an absolutely brilliant evening and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The boys lasted til almost 9.30, when Dad had to go get the car - yes, you could drive right up the side of the green to pick up - amazing.

And one thing I REALLY loved about the event? FREE. Yes, no money. The HOA organises it all. Well I guess we pay the HOA via our rent, but it feels free, so please don't rain on my parade ;0) The Carolinas are looking better and better.

And you know what else is looking better and better?

Matt's muscles. He's been taking part in kids fitness classes at the YMCA. They call the classes 'wee fit'. Too funny. Both boys are loving it. And it's great for me too - I get to work out while they do.

Happy Monday :0)