The Mitten Situation

I have really been liking cables. I have really been liking mittens. It was only a matter of time that I cast on for a pair of Evangeline's. The original pattern is for fingerless gloves and they are great, but I really wanted another pair of mittens. I DO live in Minnesota ya know. While these won't be terribly warm, they WILL be terribly cute and that counts just as much.

Because of the wide spectrum of temperatures that range from 'it's kinda chilly' to 'my nostrils just froze closed', there's a need for a spectrum of mittens to cover all your hand warming needs. Seriously. Just ask around. I have something mid-range for now so there's a need to fill on the 'cooler' end of the spectrum. I will also need a pair of 'nice and toasty' mittens too, but seeing as though I'm writing that pattern myself, it'll take a bit longer seeing as though I'm a newbie and all and seeing as though I only have so many hours in a day. You know?

My yarn of choice is Spud & Chloe Sweater and is so very wonderful and so very soft and so very versatile and so very WASHABLE. Yes, washable! I do believe I have found a new favorite all-purpose yarn. Even the colors are practically edible. This color is Watermelon. Um, YuM.

So far, I have finished the first one, complete with a true thumb gusset (love) and I will be casting on the second after I finish a top secret test pattern for BSA. Work before pleasure and all that, although, working for BSA is quite pleasurable I must say!

What's your mitten situation? Do you even need them where you live? Share a fave pattern?
~traci :D

I've Decided

Ok, so I have been thinking long and hard and have talked with my husband and have decided to keep this my knitting/sewing blog and I will start a whole new blog that is 'everything else'. I really like 'theblondeknitter' but feel the scope is more narrow, BUT I also think now that I have a better perspective on things I can continue posting here AND at I'll Take Tea, my new blog. I am in the process of creating, rearranging and updating both of them.  I will start to have more content very, very soon and a post on THIS blog later today!

Thanks for your patience!
~traci  :D

Coming Up...

I have been knitting, a LOT actually. I have also been on holiday and we all know what that means. The After-Holiday clean-up and getting back into 'normal mode' has begun. I have actually remembered today is Monday...the whole day. It's making me think I may actually have a handle on things!

So, I will be getting organized, editing photos, thinking up amusing and insightful things to say and eventually that will culminate to an actual blog post. In between doing that I'll be cooking, cleaning, baking, parenting, homeschooling, working, writing, researching, FREEZING, make that trying NOT to freeze, knitting, working on getting my other blog up and running, reading, designing, eating, sleeping...you get the idea.

So til then, what's on your needles? What's your new fave project or recent FO? Do share!

~traci

My 'Raison D'Etre'

The French have this great way of expressing things in concise phrases. One of those phrases is 'raison d'etre' which literally translated means 'reason of to be'. I like that. It causes me to be pensive and searching, probing my heart to dissect my motives. As a human I'm inclined to 'encourage myself' into believing I'm A-OK. I've never killed anybody and I always try to be a nice person. RIGHT. As a Christian I have looked into the 'mirror of truth' only to find the dark reality of my 'wonderful efforts'. If I'm honest with myself, I have to admit there are holes, gaping at that, in my humanity. As much as I'd like to think I'm all that, I'm not. That's exactly why I ran to Jesus when He opened my eyes to see how awful my sins really were. My favorite part is the follow up. He then showed me His mercy by not allowing me to stay there, shackled to my guilty sentence of death. He stretched out His hand of forgiveness and offered His nail scarred, blood stained hands, and I accepted. Thus began my journey of reconciliation with my past, my present, the people in my life and most importantly, my God. And what a journey it has been! (I'M GRINNING EAR TO EAR NOW :D)
More on that later...

(down shift, fast forward)
As for now and this blog, I'm in major overhaul mode. I am still working out the visual changes as well as the content. I felt too creatively confined only posting about knitting. My life is SO MUCH MORE than that. As you can see, I'm not frequent in my posting and I think that was one of the major reasons. (Trust me, you'll come to see it is a truly rare occasion when I have nothing to say!) One of the other reasons is I was worried about sharing things from my faith and having that cause people to shy away and not visit. Honestly, I have no idea why that was even an issue as I'm not normally like that. I believe the discouragement came when I realized there are a LOT of knitters, nay, a TON of knitters out there who are liberal in their beliefs (or run from having any meaningful beliefs at all) who blog. I wasn't finding a whole lot of like-minded people. At first.

I'm now to the point where none of that matters. Even if only one person, or even NO ONE EVER reads this, I am content with that. Why? Because I am not blogging for anyone else. This is MY creative outlet and if anyone visits me and maybe even responds to something I've posted, well, that'll just put a big ol' grin on my face and a little squeal of excitement in my voice and it'll be great.

My prayer is for the reader who stumbles across my blog. That they would find something that touches their heart that encourages them to walk a better walk, try a different recipe, hug their husband, snuggle with their blessings, read their Bible, knit a hat, take a great photo, move them toward something more than themselves or even have a quiet moment with the Lord. A scripture that comes to mind is Colossians 3:23-24, "And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ."
Sounds good to me. Real good.

So what's your "Raison D'Etre"? Why do YOU blog?

Mission In Progress: Bust This Stash!

Scarf Pattern: Scrunchable Scarf by Susan McConne (on Ravelry)

Earwarmer Pattern: Super Duper Ribbed Earwarmer by theblondeknitter (coming soon!)

Fiber: Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky in Orange(a D/C'd color) 

Needles: sz15 Boye circulars

I'm on a stash bustin' mission and these are my first FO's. It felt so good to use up this yarn that has been patiently waiting to be crafted into something fun and usable. The end result is what I'm calling them the Super Duper Xtra Long Scarf and the Super Duper Ribbed Earwarmer. Because the scarf is so long--a whopping 91 inches with the fringe--it did take a few nights to complete. The earwarmer is a pattern I designed on the fly and there will be a *FREE* PDF up for anyone to download ASAP. (I need to knit up another one and actually write down what I did!)

Well, there's plenty more stash to get through so I best skidaddle and CO another project...or several...

Imagine That!

I can do color work! WOO HOOOoooo!!!





Wednesday Hat by Kate Jackson
Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes
Chocolate, Red, Aqua, Ecru
sz7 Brittany dpn's

Campin' Up Nort Part 1

Camping at Schoolcraft State Park this August

Harebell: Campanula rotundifolia

anyone have a name for this?

the "Mighty Mississippi"

Large-leaved Aster: Eurybia macrophylla

some fungus among us

Good night sun

"Minnesota nice"

the "Big One"

His and Hers front row seats

A Busy Bee!

that is what i have been these last few months! i have been on a HUGE cleaning/decluttering/organizing kick and that has taken up a TON of my time (not to mention schooling, eating, sleeping and a wee bit o' knitting among other such frivolous activities). so, i will be posting a lot more in a little while.

i have been taking plenty of pics and will share them all when we get to the end of what this is all culminating into...a massive sale in my garage! yes. i said it. I, yours truly, the one and only, theblondeknitter, who goes to but never has garage sales, will be selling things from my garage!

my family is still full of skepticism, but the fruit will be bore very soon and with it (i HOPE) will a chunk of cashola! i freely admit i hope i make money at this because to me, it is not worth all the time and effort (and stress) only to make 20 dollars. (hence, the reason why i don't HAVE them)

so, i am alive. i am well. i shall return!

:D

Talk About Cowliscious!

I have had the Sherbrooke Cowl pattern in my Ravelry queue for quite some time now and have only recently managed to make it appear, in all it's yummyness, as an FO. I am in love with this cowl. I truly, seriously am. Lolly, my dear, thank you.

Yes, it probably has a lot to do with the scrumptious fiber I chose to create it with. After all, it IS Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted. It may also have to do with the oh-so-fab shade of aqua that goes surprisingly well with my coloring. It definately has something to do with the simplicity of the pattern that amazingly shows up as a beautiful interweaving of seemingly intricate detail.

For me, this is the 'whole package', as far as having all the necessary ingredients in making the 'perfect' knit object which are simplistic in and of themselves. The recipe? Pattern ease, great yarn, time needed. Together, they have culminated into such a warm, soft and very, very wearable piece of knitty goodness. (And I was a cowl sceptic~shhhhhh)

Match Maker, Match Maker, Make Me A Match...

I have been really getting into making matching winterwear objects. It just seems right. Think about how lonely a hat would be without a pair of mittens to keep it company. Think about a scarf, all alone, with no hat or mittens to play with. Just think of it! It's a travesty really. It should not be so! I have resolved to remedy that with my knitwear.

So far, I have made this scarf. It needed a pal, so I made this beret for it.

Great has been the joy of the scarf!

But i cannot stop there, oh no. I am in the process of deciding on a pair of mittens to make that will round out the items to make a sweet trio of handknits. And there will be more joy!

Now, back to the needles!

Happy 2009

so another year has sped by and i barely remember any of it. i was keeping up until about August and then it starts to blur. i'm hoping 2009 is a bit slower or that my memory will be improved. things have been getting better around here and i hope to keep the resolve i've got and to increase it this next year. so, if i stay on track, i'll have a 'perfect' life in several decades and i'll be able to retire. ;)

i'm glad for my life and i'm glad another year is about to end. i like new beginnings and i can't wait to get this new chapter started!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I Just Have To Say...

Can I just say, I love Ravelry?
Can I just say, I love swaps?
Can I just say, I love BSA yarn?
Can I just say, thank you to Jenna (thelostsock) my spoiler?
Can I just say, I love how Jenna spoiled me during the swap on Ravelry that gave me BSA yarn and all those other perfect goodies?

Thank you. I just had to say that.

Sample, Thy Name Is Aqua

I know I've mentioned how much I love knitting for Blue Sky Alpacas, but, it really is very true. These are the BEST yarns I've worked with. They have such FABULOUS colors. They keep turning out GREAT patterns. AND, I have yet to meet a yarn I didn't like from them. I am in deep smit over these fiber purveyors and I am proud to admit it. The only thing that is challenging is trying to choose which yarn to knit with next, and then, what color?! I guess I'll just have to find a way to get them all. Bummer. ;)

Two Button Hat Set in Worsted Hand Dyes (Aqua 2017) pattern by Sylvia Hager

Here's A Post

ok, here's something. An update of sorts, if you will. Buckle your seatbelt and pay attention now.

I have been knitting a sample for BSA and trying to stay on task for a church newsletter that I publish. I've been nursing myself back to health after what we're referring to as 'The Great Fall of '08' and trying to avoid getting a really bad cold although I do think the Singulair is working. Homeschooling is going well, as long as my Love stays on task. She's not fond of reports. I've found some new info on my family tree. My grandmother has cancer. We finished taking care of the other grandma's place and now have her old car so we can finally retire the very used 1992 Jeep. Cleaning the house has been going well and has been more consistant. I have 2 new teapots I'll share with you as well as some new tea. Menu planning has been going very well and I have actually stuck to 9/10ths of it this time. I just preserved (washed, dried, cut, measured and froze-hence the word 'preserved') about 35 red peppers (pics for that too) and really enjoyed it. I can feel my domesticness growing and I am totally embracing my inner-homemaker. LOVE IT! I've also gotten some vintage linens and a vintage apron from other grandma who passed away. I feel very blessed to have these items and it helps that I really liked these things already. I have recently taken up learning chess. I'm still trying to figure out why people play it and I like strategy games. I'm more of a Risk girl I guess. You know, the whole 'world domination' thing? Uh, yeah, it IS that addicting. (insert evil laugh here) But don't try it cause I already have a ton of competition and it would just annoy me to have to destroy you. Er, I mean, I think there's an intervention class I should take at the new 'Y'. Yeah, that's it....for now. Oh wait, and I am ordering some spices from Penzeys this weekend. Gotta try their salad dressing mixes and I want to learn how to make soup. mmmmm.

ok then. I can't afford the dinner that makes itself.
xoxo

Will Enter Contests for Yarn

(image from the Telegraph UK, cause i'm an invalid right now)

so my friend Ali (hello Lady!) over at skeinsherway is having a recipe contest in honor of Thanksgiving. The prize is Blue Sky Alpacas yarn. uh, YAH, sign me up! Go on over and check it out after you've checked out my entry.

Cranberry Amaretto Sauce (i know, seriously)
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 (12 ounces) package fresh cranberries

2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup amaretto

2 Tablespoons orange marmalade

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

Preparation:Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add cranberries, sugar, and lemon juice; stir well to combine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes or until cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat; stir in amaretto, marmalade, and lemon rind. Serve with pork or turkey.

Just for Fun:
and IF I ate sweet potatoes, I would try making them like this:
3-4 fresh sweet potatoes-sliced lengthwise
1/2 stick of butter-real
2-3 generous splashes of olive oil
S&P-light sprinkle salt, a bit more pepper
1-2 cloves of garlic-fresh; crush then mince or chop
1-2 dashes of clove-ground
1-2 dashes nutmeg-ground
(you could use fresh chopped/grated ginger instead of nutmeg)

Toss ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon complete mixture into baking dish w/lid (or, if you must-tinfoil). Bake @ 375/400 degrees for about an hour or so. Check them for preferred tenderness(or mushiness). Bake longer if necessary. In the last 15 minutes, uncover and place back in oven. Bring to table and serve. You could also coat w/mixture and lay them out on a baking stone to bake like fries.

Can you tell I'm very experimental when I cook? I do use recipes. Usually when I'm baking. You need a bit more accuracy with baking. I really enjoy making things up on the fly and testing them out and seeing what works. I'm also trying to learn more about foods, spices, etc so I can be a bit more accurate in complimentary flavorings. Combining opposites is always fun too. I like to awaken the taste buds and confuse them a bit. I'm very much an 'outside of the box' person. Not out of rebellion, but out of sincere curiosity. See, now I'm curious as to what my recipe would tast like. hmmmm, I sense a trip to the grocery store coming on...

Good Things Come...

to those who wait right? you see, I received my new toy yesterday, but on Tuesday night, I fell off a step stool at work and landed on my tailbone/lower back. It was a cement floor, I was on the second rung, I stepped down and missed the first one and went for a ride on the excrutiatingly painful express (still gripping the aluminum ladder). I'm sure it was quite comical to see. Most falls are. Although, I do hope it's not YouTube worthy...

As time went on the pain intensified. I was able to get to the chiropractor and after a painful massage, he went to work. The adjustment was quite painful even though I can take a lot. My clavicals needed adjustment~ouch! I highly recommend being nice to your collar bones.

ETA: It's Monday now and I've been mostly a very sore invalid. As you can see, I'm just getting to posting this. I am going in again today for an adjustment and hope it will last longer. Please say a prayer for me? thanks.

ttfn,
traci

Goody Goody Gumdrops!!

i am SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited! really! but first, we should go back to the beginning of the story...*(queue funky flashback music a la Wayne's World: deedle-e doo, deedle-e doo)*

awhile ago, in a small, bustling town not far from the Mississippi River, a *thirty-something that looks like a twenty-something* girl sat at her desk working on her computer. (now, when i say 'sat' i mean to imply 'with pain'. you see, her desk chair is really cool looking but has no cushion. well, that is to say it has a cushion but the cushion wasn't working very well-at all.) oh how she longed for a comfortable place to put her ample bottom!
it was common to find her staring off somewhere, visualising what a wonderful sensation it would be to have a soft place for her derriere. all too quickly, however, she would be jolted back to reality by pains that shot up her back and the popping sounds of her joints going back into place as she repositioned herself.
now, here i should mention the previous discription is only *slightly* embellished to give the reader a keener sense of the agony our heroine was suffering. after all, one must properly give adequate detail to form a deep relation and compassion between the reader and the one being read about so as to keep the proper amount of attention. let's move on, shall we?
as i was saying, there i was with a pain in my bum due to the junky cushion i was sitting on when i worked on the computer. it was giving me serious back problems. so i asked my hubby about getting a laptop so i could at least sit on the couch. well, gas was 40$/gallon, milk 12$/gal and don't get me started on that tangent...in a nutshell, it wasn't budget busting worthy. drat!

*(fast forward to this week: schoomp)*
gas: $1.75/gal (WoO hOo!!)
milk: $3.50/gal
nutshells: unknown

our budget is back on track so my sweet, adorable honey says, "I think we can afford to get a laptop. We should order one."
*(pan across room to see theblondeknitter's reaction)*
*(husband rushes over to administer CPR to passed out theblondeknitter)*
*(theblondeknitter comes to and sweetly replies)* : sure.

ok, ok, i guess i should mention that in between there was a fair amount of begging, bargaining, complaining, grumbling, and the like to get my own way. BUT, i always stopped when honey said 'no'. sometimes he just waited longer to say it. and sometimes, it took longer to hear it.

so, all that to say, i'm getting a laptop and it will be here soon, and i will definitely post pics to show her off!!

p.s. i LoVe my wonderful, generous, sweet, kind, handsome, gentle, thoughtful, fabulous, stupendous, loving, tall, intillegent, i'm sure there's more husband!

For You Stash Voyeurs

Q: Isn't it nice when others share photos of their stash with people who will really appreciate it?
A: YES! so I am. or is it so am I? hmmmm...

these are the latest additions to my ever-growing stash pile (cheshire cat-like grin). meet my BSA worsted *NKOTB in green, purple, cranberry, chocolate, rusty and red. these colors are just fabulous. i had a hard time getting the color just right and i can tell they're still not perfect. they're very vibrant and man is this yarn soft! i have big plans for you, my new pretties...big plans...

*extra points if you read this and got it without thinking about it or needing to reread it!

Finished Fetchings

Blue Sky Alpacas recently came out with their Skinny Cotton so of course, I NEEDED some. I had been wanting to make a pair of fingerless gloves and cable work had already begun lulling me to her, so I figured Fetching by Cheryl Niamath would be a good place to jump in.

I cast on for the first and fell in very deep like. Easy cables, great yarn, perfect cherry red color...what more could a girl want? I admit, I got distracted (again) so these could have been done sooner. Life just seems to blow in and take over and alas, knitting seems to be a casualty.

I dare say I'll make another. I've received a lot of compliments on them already and my boss has even commissioned me for a pair~of course I'll oblige. In the meantime, I'll be working on a few other little goodies as the weather cools off more and more. brrrr...At least I'll know my close rellies will be warm this year!

Peek-A-Blue

I see you!

my last post reminded me of these pics I took of a one Mr. Bluejay who decided to come over and play. he was a bit shy at first, as you can see, but it didn't take long for him to get over that. he dove into the piles of leaves making crunching noises as he went. i'm pretty sure he had a good time, even if he's not showing it readily!

even though we live 'in town' we still get our fair share of 'wildlife' (other than the neighbors). as much as we want to get some land some day, I must admit I am having a great time while we're here!