have a great weekend!
2008 @ 9:57 am
Mj and me in our matching aprons (courtesy of my sister via sale at Anthropologie)
A Snowy Day
2008 @ 9:31 am
There was finally a play-worthy snowfall last week! Jason and MJ went out in the backyard while I stayed in and prepared hot chocolate. Complete with homemade whipped cream 
MJ packed the snow down for snowmen, but decided that eating it was the best way to enjoy the snow. I remember liking that too! I also remember my grandmother (raised in VT) telling us about pouring maple syrup over a tray of new snow. I’ve always wondered how that worked, wouldn’t hot syrup just melt the snow? Well, a quick search of The Daring Book for Girls reveals that the syrup must be heated to 230 degrees so that it pours out in ribbons over the snow. We may have to try this in lieu of hot chocolate next time!
Single Sock Spider Swap
2008 @ 8:05 am
WOOOOOOOOOOOW! This was hands down the best swap I have ever participated in. From soup to nuts, this one went according to plan for everyone involved. This was the very first Spider swap and it was an extreme success. Not only did everyone’s sock fit, they were all so beautiful! Everyone stepped up and knit gorgeous, fancy footwear. Perhaps there is something about wanting to impress your knitting comrade that pushed this one to the next level? Surprising a stranger is nice, surprising your friend is ever better…
I knit up a single Eleanora sock for Jess–it was completely addicting, but i am really happy not to knit another one. If for the size zero provisional cast-on and hem alone Pic to come when she posts–I didn’t want to stretch out the sock with my large and in charge feet!
And what did I receive? From Sandra, a gorgeous Twisted Flower Sock (Cookie A). The blue of this sock is beautiful and the pattern is enticing–I can’t wait to make the other. Check out that heel–super fancy! And not to get too sappy, but Sandra was one of my very first knitting friends–like pre-Spiders and everything–so it was pretty cool to reconnect this way
More details once I cast on!
Mr. Pitt’s Socks
2008 @ 9:14 pm
After a few people approached me on Ravelry, I decided to write up a pattern for the socks I knit my dad for Christmas. They are just so darned straight forward! The pattern is now available here in pdf version and html (click the PATTERNS link above).
On an episode of my father’s favorite show, Seinfeld, Elaine spends an exorbitant amount of time searching for the perfect socks for her picky boss, Mr. Pitt. My father has deemed these simple socks the solution to “Mr. Pitt’s paradox”. They are sized to fit a typical adult man.
on felting…
2008 @ 10:54 am
So, we’ve never discussed felting over here, have we? That’s really because i hven’t been that intrigued by it. I concede that i am a knitter, not a fiber artist. I did dabble into some machine wash felting last week though… terrible results. If you are down with the Street of Sesame, you know something is up with Bert and Ernie’s hairdos…
They needed to be washed in the machine–trust me. Unfortunately, MJ is now old enough to notice something has changed… she’s isn’t really upset, but every time we see them we have to discuss what happened. It hurts me more than her I think. “Mommy broke Ernie hair” 5 times a day is not music to my ears. She came up with the idea that I broke it all on her own–I just told her i did it by accident when they had a bath. This is just one of the ways MJ keeps me straight–the other morning she opened our pantry cabinet and turned to me and said, “ohhhhh messy!”. Hurray, a neat freak.
Yes, I’m still knitting over here~ Secret Sock is almost complete and i really want to keep it. I’ve also come over 12 inches on the Cobblestone Pullover–hopefully I can crank out the rest of the body and start a sleeve before winter’s over… I am definitely not touching this one over the summer!
Playdough!
2008 @ 8:05 pm
Good question, Virginia…
Homemade Playdough:
1 c flour
1/2 c salt
1 T oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 c water
food coloring of choice
Cook all together for 5 minutes and keep in fridge locked airtight. Be sure to let playdough cool before storing so it doesn’t grow any funky bacteria!
Thanks, Mom!
I’ve been busy…
2008 @ 8:45 pm
I just don’t seem to have anything to blog about lately… although when I loaded in some photos today it seems I have some things to share that aren’t yarn related. Oh, and a friend kindly pointed out that I may have forgotten to share the results of my 20 week sonogram–its another girl!
Swedish Lemon Cake… yum. This recipe has only 3T of sugar for the entire cake (a loaf). The fat definitely comes in the form of sour cream and cream cheese, but I don’t care about fat, personally. Just sugar. It was a lovely cake that a friend and I baked and then enjoyed with fresh whipped cream. We whipped some fresh raspberries and vanilla extract (homemade by a cousin) in and it was unbelievable.
Recipe from Swedish Cooking by NGV. Good luck finding it, I got it at IKEA! Go Swedes.
Things have also been getting more fun around here for MJ and I. I’m sorta between work gigs right now so we get to spend a lot more time together doing stuff like painting, singalong, pretending to feed our stuffed animals, having tea parties, and playing with playdough. I had planned to make my own, but picked up some real stuff impulsively the other day. She loves making worms–I think every kid must!
When I broke out the camera she said, “SMILE!” Someone’s been working on her… hopefully she’ll figure out what that word means soon. This pic is better than most though!
resisting the urge
2008 @ 8:45 am
We’ve all been there… resisting the urge to cast on for a new project. I really want to finish MJ’s Twisted Tree Pullover before starting something new, but it’s tough. Really tough. I finished sleeve #1 last night and will cast on for #2 at my sonogram appointment today (it always takes AGES to get in to the photo booth). I think once I join these guys to the body the itch will subside. Sleeves bore me… anyone else?
At any rate, I have no excuse for casting on a new project. I have many many small things that finishing would bring great satisfaction. Not to mention a nice jaunt of FO posts.
- Herringbone Mitts
- Secret Sock
- Mittens & Hat for special little boy (my kick ass babysitter’s son)
- Snake scarf for another special little boy (this one has been languishing forever)
The two projects I want to get going on are sweaters. BIG sweaters. One long-overdue jumper for my husband and another long-overdue cardigan for my mom. I just want to get going already! It’s obvious that neither will be finished before next January so it doesn’t even make sense that I’m so hot to trot. I don’t even have yarn for The Big Guy… Mr. Sassy has declared his love for Cobblestone. I’m so happy we finally agree on a pattern–and I’ve wanted to knit something of Jared’s for a while. Now we just need to agree on a yarn. I’m torn between springing for something fantastic and falling back on something reliable and affordable. For example: I love the idea of Morehouse 3-Strand or Frog Tree merino, but just know that the sweater will pill. If I choose a commercial ply, Cascade or maybe even Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, the seater might last that much longer in perfect shape. I’ll settle for a heather or a tweed, but the yarn must not be itchy. And, I have to enjoy knitting with it.
Ah, something about writing this gave me an idea… does anyone have thoughts on Rowan Pure Wool Aran? It’s not tweed or heathered, but the colors are yummy. Particularly the slate gray…
2008
2008 @ 8:51 pm
Looking back, I appear not to have set any goals at all for 2007. Lucky me! I think I will set a list for 2008 though. Some simple things really:
1. Redo my craptacular craft area. (i.e., my desk). It’s a total mess all the time. Piles of paper, scraps of this, that and who knows what else. I am embarrassed to show you, but I think the shame will help:
A simple shelf above the desk would probably go a long way!
2. Complete a sweater for my mother. I’ve decided that the Tangled Yoke Cardigan I had planned for myself would make a splendid gift for my mom. She rarely reads and will have no idea what I’m talking about unless I put in a pic.
3. Sew something for myself to wear. Like, on my body. Since my body is on vacation until late 2008, I’ll have to focus energies on the first two!
I think that’s it! Seems reasonable enough, no?
Sprucing up…
2007 @ 8:31 am
You may have noticed that I’ve spruced up my feed a little bit. Now anyone who reads Sassy Stitchess through an aggregator (like Bloglines) will be able to click a little “Add Comment” link, Email posts to friends, or add a post to their favorites on del.icio.us. I did it all through FeedBurner, which is quite a lot of fun!
If you are reading a lot of blogs and haven’t signed on to something like Bloglines yet, what are you waiting for! It’s an unbelievable time saver and the easiest way to organize your favorite reads.
To subscribe to the feed for Sassy Stitchess, click here:
I’ve also cleaned up the Pattern Page a bit. I created a main page that then links to each pattern individually. I had them all on one unruly list and this is much neater. Eventually these will all be available in pdf format for easy printing. Lastly, I’m still working on my tutorials and hope to get them straightened out and added soon.
