knit happens

new magenet for the fridge from my Secret Santa (who knows me better than I know them)....thank you, whoever you may be!!

Uma knits.....

because she is a cool chick, and cool chicks knit.

Free Ravelry pattern by Johanna Ziegler "Bluebell Lacy Wrist Warmers". I knit one on Friday and one on Saturday. Perfect special, last-minute gift. I made a pair for my niece (pictured in green below) and was amazed how differently they turned out by changing the yarn and needle size. This pair was made with size 7, compared with the size 3 on the green gloves. They were a lot of fun to make and feel amazing.

Happy Anniversary Tish and Craig!!!!

Happy 3rd anniversary to my favorite couple!! Hope it is a fabulous year for you both!!

so soft and warm

Bluebelle Fingerless Gloves

Knit from Misti 100% Baby Alpaca...nothing is softer. I made these for my dad's caregiver Peggy as a Christmas gift during my visit to Oregon over the weekend.

Finding a great caregiver proved to be difficult and they had some real frogs before Peggy came along. Some people were born to do this work and she is wonderful. She provides great care with a fantastic sense of humor, plus respite care for Vivian.

Guitar Gloves

Knit with Alchemy "Temple" 100% superfine marino wool, made in Sebastopol. These are teeny-tiny fingerless goves, made for someone who has teeny-tiny hands, who happens to play guitar.

Joan Dearest....famous knitter

Wicked fun

Tina, my sister Tish and myself at The Foreign Cinema restaurant in San Francisco in the Mission. A jewel in the midst of s---.
We followed up a fantastic meal by seeing Wicked the Musical. I loved this show. It really had everything.

We have known Tina since I was in 7th grade in Los Gatos. We fell out of touch for almost 15 years and reconnected via Facebook. I really thought I had lost her forever. Pretty amazing.

I had to black and white this photo...HATE my hair color (again). Looks orange, at least in this picture with the flash. Gotta love PhotoShop!

THANK YOU SISTA TISH FOR A FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY!!!!

All hail the Snugglie

This is up there with the lettuce spinner. At first you think WTF? Then you discover how practical. Note the attractive animal print and the bulky design. So flattering....so cougar.

peace

Made from Misti Alpaca sock yarn. So very soft. This is my first glove with digits. I started the second one and need to get her done. Will try and avoid SGS (second glove syndrome).

kids beenie

Made from Malabrigo worsted.

kids Thorpe hat

Made from Malabrigo worsted.

WiNtEr PaRtY HaT

Made with my favorite party girl in mind! Knit from Noro Iro silk & wool.

Central Park Hoodie 4 me

I decided against using this yarn for the Must Have Cardigan. I have 2000 yards and was not sure if I would have enough to make the MHC with all of it's cable work, which uses a lot of extra yarn, so I am doing a less complicated design with less cable work. I cannot get more of this great imported stuff in the same dye lot, so I need to make sure that I have enough to complete a project. It would be a huge bummer to be "just shy" of having enough. I hope to knit the MHC in Malabrigo worsted which is readily available and is my most-favorite yarn ever. In the meantime, I will enjoy making this cardigan. I may end up ditching the hood and putting a big, fat ribbed collar on it.

BYOB

BYOB made economically with CottonEase yarn. This will be a Christmas gift for Rose who enjoys walking from her home to downtown Sebastopol's farm market. This yarn is so tough that I cannot break it with my hands. She should be able to really get some practical use from her "green" bag.

Kozmo....my best pal.

Vintage Velvet Scarf

Knit with Muench "Touch Me" yarn (wool and rayon) on #8US needles, this Vintage Velvet Scarf is for me, me, me! I love this scarf and it's as close to real velvet as you can get. I am now ensconced in velvet!!

Smokey

Hello....I cannot help being handsome.

Wild Thing

As much as I hate to sew, I could not resist making this Halloween costume for my buddy Cheryl's son Max. Max had to be Max. This was a tiger pattern that I modified. Cheryl found the crown and fox tail. Too cute!

Silas

Madison and her blankie

Quick study

I love it!! Victoria told me today that she wanted to learn how to knit and picked it up in about 5 minutes. Her technique is already great. So cool!

Must Have Cardigan

This is a picture of the Must Have Cardigan pattern that I am going to designate my wonderful, beautiful imported Kilcarra Donagal Tweed yarn! I need to finish a dog sweater and a sock (2nd sock syndrome) before I can allow myself to cast on. This project will be part of my 2009 NHL KAL (knit-a-long). This photograph is teeny-weeny, but has fantastic Aran knit detail and boxy shape which should suit my boxy shape. I have been told that red is a great color on me, so hopefully I will be happy with the end result!! I plan to knit the body in one piece- fronts and back, then join arms to body and do raglan decreases instead of knitting entire sleeve and setting it in. I HATE seaming up and do not like the look- too bulky and I am a crappy seamstress.

Kilcarra Donegal Tweed

From Ireland... I can hardly wait to get started on my Must Have Cardigan. This yarn is as good as it gets!! It might take me all winter to knit, but it will be worth the work.

Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade

Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade

Sitcom Chic Cardigan

Color is totally off in this photograph. Will try again in better light. Love how this turned out, though. This will be a gift for Victoria for her birthday. Should look really cute on her. Made with some yarn from my stash- ball bands were missing, so no idea what yarn I used. Cotton-microfiber blend most likely. Very soft. This little cardigan took me less that two weeks to knit up and is a do-again in another yarn.

Vegetarian Curry Recipe

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
½ cup lentils, cooked in water according to package directions, then drain
1 white onion, diced
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs Madras curry powder
1 can light coconut milk
¼ tsp crushed red chili flake
¼ tsp salt
water

Saute onion in olive oil. Add curry powder and allow to cook on low heat for 3 minutes. Add all ingredients (except coconut milk) and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes. Add coconut milk and cook for and additional 5 minutes. Serve over jasmine rice.

Babette

One down, many to go on the vintage-funky style afghan. I am new to crochet, but thanks to the internet am figuring it out.

Baby Set for Sophia

"Tiffany" pattern by Lionbrand. Knit in Muench Tessin super-chunky yarn for my co-worker Priscilla who is expecting baby Sophia in November.

Baby Pullover for Ruben

This was a late-minute gift for a co-worker who adopted an infant baby boy. Made from my stash!

Pasta Ponza

I got this recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis' cooking show. It looks and tastes fantastic. Easy, too. The tomaotes taste similar to sundried...nice and rich. Figure friendly, too.

Pasta Ponza
Ingredients
Butter for greasing
2 cups (12 ounces) red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups (12 ounces) yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 cup Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs
1 pound ziti or other short tube-shaped pasta
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 ounces) Pecorino Romano cheese , grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.
Place the tomatoes, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the prepared baking dish. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the tomato mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 5 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
Place the pasta in a large serving bowl. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the pasta. Add the cheese and toss well. Thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

What to do with all of those tomatoes?

I am crossing my fingers and am waiting with anticipation for my tomatoes to grow up and bear fruit. I have planted tomato seeds that were started in the kitchen and will be ready for the great outdoors in a couple of weeks. I have decided to do a small garden in raised beds and was able to purchase some half wine barrels in hope to keep critters at bay (and peeing dogs).

Happy Easter!!

Knitters....

It never ceases to amaze me how cool knitters are. I was getting my nails done at my local manicurie at the end of a horrible day at work. A conversation begins with another woman sitting in the adjacent chair and somehow she mentions the "k" word. My ears perk up! She is new to the area (about three years) and is a knitter- does a lot of knitting on commuter flights! We simultaneously gush about Sebastopol's LYS "Balls and Skeins". All of a sudden, I begin to feel better. I mean, I felt like shit when I rolled in for my pre-Easter manicure and all of a sudden, I am feeling much better. We are both on fire for knitting. Had a wonderful chat about sock knitting. Showed off my latest WIP and my nifty Namaste bag. You have got to love it!

Hearts & Stars Blanket

She's getting there.

heavy sigh....