11.06.09
Phoncible
Last week, while perusing yarn stashes on Ravelry, I found two skeins of Noro for a new hat, Phoncible to be exact. I’m not really a hat wearing type of gal. I don’t look too great in hats except maybe a cowboy hat. No, really. I look great wearing cowboy hats. But there was something about the playful colors and striping that snared me. And having a wool hat for the cold weather wasn’t a bad reason to start this either, know what I mean? (Anything to justify casting on something new.)
So without further ado,
Phoncible by Presentsknits
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, 2 skeins (dye lot numbers 152 and 184)
Needles: US 7 (16″ circulars and DPN’s)
Mods: I cast on 112 instead of 100 (to fit a 23″ circumference). I also started decreasing over 110 sts instead of starting at 100. This makes for a roomier hat, especially if you have a big head or lots of hair.
Personally, I think Scout looks much cuter trying it on.
Then again I think she’s cute no matter what she does. Don’t you?
11.03.09
ROYGBIV
I’m pretty certain that the two skeins of STR accomplished my goal. It’s as much of a rainbow as one might see in the sky after the storm has passed and the sun shines through.
Every color is visible.
Every color has meaning.
Every color has it’s place.
All one hundred and one inches of it.
10.31.09
Happy Halloween
{Oooh, what’s that?}
{You’re funny!}
{Gimme candy!}
{Trick or Treat!}
{The little witch’s daddy.}
{Hallo!}
{The little witch’s mommy.}
{Scout’s view of mom.}
10.30.09
Ghosties and Goblins
I did a little creative carving the other night. It was a perfect night to start carving pumpkins. The night air was cold and crisp. The winds were gusting at 40 mph. We were watching “Turistas” (a great scary movie if you have the stomach for it). One might have thought it was Halloween had the date been the 31st and not the 28th.
{Boo!}
10.25.09
Pumpkin Patch
With Shawn home on Fridays we were able to attend the Lombardi Ranch Pumpkin Festival without having to brave the elbow to elbow crowds that flock on the weekend. It was a nice day for picking pumpkins. Unfortunately it was also a bad parenting day, weekend I should say. Jem is going through those wonky hormones mixed with ADD and ODD. But I count my blessings anyway. As frustrated as I was, as exhausted as I was, as bad as I wanted to throw my hands up and give up, we made a weekend out of what we could.
{We bought a few gourds for decoration. But when we got home and I really studied it, I asked Shawn, “What was God thinking when he created this thing? Really?” They are just one of the oddest creations.}
{Beautiful colors. Now I know why they call them Indian Corn. Beautiful Indian Summer colors.}
{Fields and fields, and a few more fields, of this shocking orange colored pumpkins. We saw quite a few green pumpkins too.}
{All the kids climbing in, out, and on top of this big pumpkin reminded me of when I was in kindergarten. We had a huge pumpkin that we’d like to play in, especially on a rainy day.}
{We told Scout this was where she would be if she wasn’t a good girl. And then she let out a sinister giggle.}
{Looking for the perfect stem on a pumpkin.}
{Stopping for a bried moment to hang out with Daddy.}
{Sitting down. For a split second.}
{Making creepy crawlies to decorate the house with.}
{A unique piece of artwork.}
{How I make use out of some construction paper, a ghost cookie cutter, some embroidery floss, and a Sharpie pen.}
10.23.09
A Remedy
Sage Remedy, that is.
I finished up my little sweater last night with less than desirable results. Don’t get me wrong, the sweater is absolutely gorgeous. It’s insanely soft. It’s lightweight, so it will be perfect for any type of weather Southern California can come up with. The color is both neutral and simple. But the fitting, well I found the pattern’s schematics to be a little off. Then again, I had problems with the pattern to begin with (I wasn’t sent the second, revised, pattern when I purchased it) so maybe I’m just a little disappointed with that to begin with.
However, I digress. I will wear this sweater. And if it doesn’t fit quite the way I want it to, well who cares? Really. And in the end I can always lose weight to make it fit, right? There’s looking at the sunny side of things!
{The back lace panel.}
{The front.}
{The Fan and Feather lace panel on the bodice.}
Would I knit this again? Absolutely. Would I make changes? You betchya. I would most definitely lengthen the sweater by at least two inches. (I’m 5′8″ and for me I like my sweaters to cover the waistbands on my pants/jeans.) I would have picked up more stitches for a larger sleeve as well. I would probably knit this on larger needles, should I use the same yarn. I would most definitely use the Invernal again. Mmm, angora and merino wool. You can’t go wrong.
Nope, you can’t go wrong.
10.20.09
One Of Those Days
Today was just one of those days.
Where I woke up earlier than I desired, after a night of restless sleep. Where the weather was a little chillier than anticipated, yet not cold in the sense of the word. Where making lunch seemed quite futile and taxing.
Yes, it was one of those days.
But also a day where I can say I accomplished something.
Being ahead of schedule.
Being able to pat myself on the back.
Being able to get at least one thing done.
Just One Button Cardigan by Elinor Brown*
Yarn: Red Heart Eco Ways in Aquarium, approximately 1.75 skeins.
A very quick and easy knit. Something that I can see Scout wearing on her birthday, two months from tomorrow. When I was knitting this, I imagined her twirling around in a little white cotton dress. I imagine her being three. Two months and one day can make such a difference.
Now if I could just figure out what button to sew onto this little gem. Maybe choosing a button would make today not one of those days.
* Be sure to check errata on Elinor’s pattern page, I “accidentally” stumbled upon an error with the buttonhole. Nothing that you couldn’t figure out for yourselves.)
10.13.09
{rainy day}
Today is a rainy day.
One of those days when you lay in bed and you reminisce about those days when you went off to elementary school, lunchbox in hand. How you ran to your classroom trying not to get your Mary Jane’s wet. How recess was held inside. Games strewn over the double desks. Monopoly, Checkers, Old Maid. How you skipped in and out of the puddles on the way to the lunch room. How you watched the water drip, drip, drip. How there was a sweet scent of children, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and wet rain coats. How the YMCA counselors would open up the auditorium and all the kids would put on fake plays on the stage.
Those days are over, but they are lovely to remember. We hardly get much rain here in Southern California. Especially in the area we live in now. So when the sweet scent of water and asphalt mixed, I knew we were in for an old fashioned rain “storm”. It’s been raining all day today, so Scout and I had a rainy day inside.
I wonder. I wonder when she’s older, will she remember watching Scooby Doo with me on the couch under my comforter? Will she remember how we had “fair food”, (pizza rolls, soft pretzels with cheese, and cupcakes), and how we practiced our spelling out everything we ate? Will she remember the wonder in her eyes when she looked outside and didn’t really know why there was water falling from the sky? Will she remember the way the wind was so powerful that it shut our bedroom doors and bent the tree boughs right by the patio? Will she remember the sounds of the heavy cars splashing water onto the sidewalks? Yes, I wonder.
While side glancing a few episodes of Scooby Doo I finished up the shoulder warmer that I offered to make on Etsy. I’m happy to have it done. It wasn’t tedious. It wasn’t difficult. But it was time consuming and I am so behind on a few projects. I really need to catch up. And it seems like the rain just may allow it.
Pattern by Crocheteria
Yarn: Vanna’s Choice Solid, (Charcoal Gray), almost two skeins
Needles: US 8’s and Us 9’s for the ribbing
I still have a scarf and a pair of mittens for Etsy customers to make, but I’m nearly finished and I can’t wait. (Patience, anyone?)
In the midst of our rain and knitting, Scout and I stopped to have a little snack: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting,
and a little bit of reverie, (for me).
Yes. I think all of these memories are what justify my love for the rainy days we have.
10.12.09
Already Autumn
{Bringing out the Halloween decorations and lighting candles, day and night. Tahitian Vanilla, Apple Blossom, Strawberries.}
{Apples. A lot of apples. Apples for baking, apples for apple butter, apples for everything, really.}
{More knitting. Of course.}
10.08.09
Beginnings
Yes, beginnings.
A fresh new start.
Autumn is a new beginning. It’s the one season where I see the most changes. The cool Santa Ana’s whistling through the canyons. Waking up to Scout and Marley snuggled under three layers of blankets and quilts. Apple cider and hot cocoa, both a staple in our pantry. The crunchiness of the leaves.
It’s also a new beginning for knitting. I had a “revelation”, if you will. Something inside me that told me my knitting would be forever changed. I really don’t know how to explain it. There aren’t any words. The best way that I can explain it is that knitting is a life force. It’s comfort. It’s home.
My fingers are enveloped with the angora and wool. There is a constant click of metal against metal. Sometimes, when I open up the windows, the wind will rustle my notes. I embrace this. I embrace the Autumn. I embrace my knitting. I embrace my life.
