Happy Birthdays!!

This week is birthday week for Sunflowerfairy and Archiknist. We had cakes for both of them. One of the cakes is an ice cream cake from Ashley's and one is vanilla cake with chocolate icing from Julia's. YUM. And as one of the birthday giveaways, Sunflowerfairy had a little drawing at SnB for her "Shut p and Knit" mug and I won! :)

And I started another shawl to keep p with 2klace as I am pretty behind on this whole knit lace 51% of the time thing.

This is beginning of the Woodland Shawl. I actually had quite a few repeats done earlier, but after consult with Archiknist, we both decided that the 89 stitches the pattern called for is too small for a shawl, it was more like a scarf. So I frogged it tonight and re-cast on for extra 4 repeats for total of 137 stitches. we'll see how this one goes. I'm using Schaefer Andrea again for this project as I have quite a few left overs and I really enjoy with the yarn. Plus the color is just gorgeous!

So David and I are going up to 1000 Islands this weekend to take care some wedding stuff, plus to see a house for potential vacation home. What are you doing for memorial long weekend???

Some Progress

So I suppose I should update the knitting first -

Let me present you... The Kiri blob! I figure I should keep going on the lace thing so I can keep up with 2klace! It's getting longer and longer to complete each row, but I suppose that's the trade back with an easy start right?

Next up, some knitting books!

I pre-ordered Shear Spirit awhile ago and it finally came on the day of the release. Gale and Joan did an awesome job with this book and I can't wait to see Gale to congratulate her! And in order to get the free shipping, I ordered the 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. I already flipped through this one before, but I really liked it so I couldn't live without it. The third book is Knitting from the British Islands by Alice Starmore and Anne Matheson. I swapped this book with three pair of sock yarn from Ravelry. It's an older book so it has some very interesting garment (if you can even call it that).

So now I'm done updating the knitting related topics, on to FOOD! :) I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa so I decided to try it:

I got the fresh noodles from the farmer's market. I also got a pint of chocolate milk, a parsley plant, and some bread. All I can say is YUM.

I started reading a new blog - Vanilla Garlic. I know, it's not knitting related. But who can say no to food? I found him in my search of cupcakes, and this one captured me. The only thing I needed was an orange to make it!!!! Tada!

I haven't try it yet, but I should go now to try it... I'll let you know in the next post!

Rusted Root and Some More

First, I want to say "THANK YOU" to all who commented on my MoonDance. I really enjoy knitting it. And the more I look at it, the prettier it gets! And if you are on Ravelry, and you like my MoonDance, would you please "heart" it?

The reason I was asking is because recently, I got this message in my Ravelry message box:

Request to use your photo: DSC01862
We’d like to feature your photo on the page for Pink Frosting by Elissa Sugishita

So if you are on Ravelry, and you search for Pink Frosting, MY Pink Frosting is the picture you are looking at!!!!!!! And currently there is no other picture listed for MoonDance besides the designer's original picture! So if you like it, "heart" it!!!

Now, without further ado:

Pattern - Rusted Root by Sarah and Rachel from Zephyr Style
Yarn Called For - 3 skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Sedona Red
Yarn Used - 4.5 balls of Kona Bay Cotton n Red
Needles - KnitPicks Harmony size 6 for body and size 4 for edging
Gauge - 5 sts per inch
Knit - March 31, 2008 to April 7, 2008
Modifications - I added increases towards the bottom of the tee to shape it even further.

This is a super fast knit, although the lace part is a little confusing because there is no chart, and it's not a even chart even when I made one. Though that should not discourage you to try to knit this tee. Another thing I would do different is to use a different cast on (I saw on Ravelry a lot of people did tubular cast on) so I don't have to pick up the edges later to finish it, although it really isn't hard. I wish there was more puff on the sleeves as you can tell it really isn't obvious.

Obviously I have to start something, and I decided to do another lace:

That's Kiri in Schaefer Andrea. So far, the yarn is to dye for! And the construction of the Kiri is really interesting. I'm thinking of doing a tutorial in case of people not understanding what the instruction meant.

So I joined 2klace in Ravelry awhile ago. It means that 50% of my work for 2008 has to be lace. And so far, Here is the list:

Irish Hiking Scarf
Honeycomb Socks
Cocoa Swap Piggy
Red Sox Socks
Square #1
Jacobean Socks
Undulating Waves Scarf Swatches (lace)
Wedding MoonDance (lace)
Rusted Root (lace)
Kiri - WIP (lace)
SotS WIP (lace)
Aspen Top Down Sweater

There are total of 12 items so far, and only 5 are lace and two are WIP!!!!! So I better go catch up! And you there, you should go heart my MoonDance ;)

Oh The Prettys

Or the Pretties? English is never my strong point, but then again, this is not about English. Let me present you with MoonDance:

Pattern - Moon Dance by Melanie Gibbons, aka Pink Lemon Twist
Yarn Called For - 1000 yards of lace weight yarn, JaggerSpun Zephyr used, Ebony
Yarn Used - 866.25 yards (2.75 oz) of JaggerSpun Zephyr in Vanilla
Beads - 95 Swarovski crystasl in Crystal Moonlight and Crystal AB, bicone, size 3
Needles - KnitPicks Harmony size 4
Gauge - N/A
Knit - January 9, 2008 to March 30, 2008
Blocked - March 30, 2008
Modifications - I added size 3 bicone crystals in crystal moonlight and AB effect, alternating between the pattern repeats.

Like I said from the last post, Melanie is a genius on this pattern. It is super easy and absolutely a fast knit for lace. I would said this could be a good first lace project for someone who is new to knitting lace. Here are some more shots of the pretty:

I started another pretty after Moon Dance:

This is Rusted Root from Zephyr Style. I am using Kona Bay Cotton in red. This is a fast knit and the yarn is super soft! I wish I have more of the Kona Bay Cotton. It seems to me this yarn is either being discontinued or just very hard to find because not many people carries it.

So Archiknist came visiting today. I haven't seen her for a few weeks. Partly because I don't usually go to the Wednesday SnB anymore due to schedule conflicts. We sat around knitting (big surprise?) and made dumplings. Yum. A good and relaxing fun was had by both.

So was your Saturday relaxing and fun? I sure hope so.

Until next time...

MoonDance Magic

So that Pink Lemon at Pink Lemon Twist - she is a genius when it comes to designing her stoles. Look at how this border is constructed:

Beginning

Finished

Yes, it's knitted perpendicular to the stole! Isn't that cool? And I unravel successfully on my first provisional cast on:

Beginning

Finished

And now it's resting:

Maybe I will be able to take a picture of in the sun tomorrow afternoon, after it dries. Until then, I leave you our (David's and my) favorite song lyrics:

Moondance by Van Morrison

Well it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
You know the night's magic
Seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight
Seems to shine in your blush...

Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a' you, my love?

Well I wanna make love to you tonight
I can't wait till the morning has come
And I know now the time is just right
And straight into my arms you will run
And when you come my heart will be waiting
To make sure that you're never alone
There and then all my dreams will come true dear
There and then I will make you my own
And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside
And I know how much you want me that, you can't hide...

Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a' you, my love?

Well it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
You know the night's magic
Seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight
Seems to shine in your blush...

One more moondance with you
In the moonlight
On a magic night
la, la, la, la, there's a moonlight
On a magic night
Can't I just have one more dance
With you my love?

Dumplings, Anyone? And More!

This past Saturday, CostumeChick, WifeMomKnitter and I went to Anphoe's for some knitting and chatting, and also for some dumplings!

Anphoe made the pork filling and I made the tofu one. They were YUMMY! After that, we knitted and played some Wii. Well, let me just put this out there first - I'm not big about playing video games, because 1) I'm not very good, 2) I'm not a good sport about losing. But this Wii thing... It's addicting! And so much fun! You can see pictures and video on Anphoe's blog.

So besides playing video games and eat, I did make some progress on the MoonDance:

Chart B is almost done!!! Which means this stole is almost done! :) You can't see the edging in the pictures, but I can assure you they are all there.

On the other news, I bought a scratch ticket and the result:

I won $25.00!!!!!!! The biggest one I've ever got!!! I think before that, the most money I won was ten bucks! Well, I'm one step towards winning big, right? ;) A lady I worked with won $200,000 on a scratch ticket not too long ago. Yeah, you read that right. Then shortly after, she won over $8,000 at Mohegan Sun... Only if I have her luck! But I think my risk taking level is too small to win that level. I guess that's why I'm an engineer.

So I bought couple of Alice Starmore books from amazon not too long ago and they finally arrived, along with Beyond Wool with a trade from Ravelry.

Only if I can find a copy of Aran Knitting, there are so many patterns I want to knit but I just can't afford the book! Too rare. ::sigh::

Speaking of books, I have a duplicate copy of this one:

I posted this on Destash book forum on Ravelry, but I figure I will offer this to my friends as well - I''m willing to part with it for $8.00 + actual shipping (if required).

Well, I'm off to go over the new books and complaint about no progress made on MoonDance to the dogs.

Catching Up

I've been busy. Busy with research. Research for what? You asked. Well, it's not definite yet, but David and I are looking into opening a yarn shop. YES, a Yarn Shop! We already have a name for it, but we are still in the planning stage. We've been going around to see some retail spaces and I've contacted several people for whole sale info and consignment info. I will be meeting with my friend this Thursday to go over some other details regarding in yarn. So far everything is looking promising and I am super happy about it. The shop will open on week nights and weekends, so I won't be quitting Schick any time soon - gotta make sure I survive first! Plus I always wanted to open the yarn shop during those hours anyways - because I don't know any shops that opens on Sundays and late on every week night.

I will keep you all updated as the plan develops.

On the knitting front, I have done 3 repeats of the chart B on MoonDance and I also started the pig for my hot cocoa pal. It will be her "Beat the Winter Blahs Buddy!" I don't have any pictures as my camera is dead and I can't find the charger. Of course, I got Archiknist right at my disposal for questions so it is going smooth sailing. Speaking of Archiknist, click over to send her some love - She broke her arm and her chin while running (tripping is such a tricky thing!) so she will only have limited knitting time.

And one last thing, Cass is running her post #444 contest so click over and enter! Don't forget to tell her I send you over!

Moondance Progress

I finally had some time to make some progress on Moondance. And I'm loving it so far! It's actually a pretty easy pattern to memorize once I started. I finished Chart A today and am ready to tackle the next chart - it only needs 16 repeats!!!!

On other wedding news - I went to The White Dress By The Shore for a hair appointment, a mini trial with a hair consultant and try out hair pieces from the trunk show of Winters and Rain. And this is the do I came out of:

My money mirror shot


My do side way


The beautiful comb the stylist used on my hair

It's something close to what I want, but not completely. I like the curls, but there were too much. I do like the simplicity of the one bigger comb with little flowers in the hair though. So I'm definitely leaving this one on the books of possible hairdo.

Now I only need to work on the wedding invitations...

Provisional Cast On

... Kicked my butt!

I've never done it before and I heard about it all the time - what magic it would do with the toe for a sock or just want to have live stitches to knit the other half of the stole, etc.

Well, Moondance required a provisional cast on, so I decided to give it a try tonight. But it just wasn't working! It turns out that I was using the wrong yarn to start - I had this lace weight yarn Archiknist gave me to try so I was using that for the crochet chain. Instead, Archiknist suggested to use a thick yarn and Judy gave me some for use. An hour later after I started, I have this:

It's not much (only the cast on row and the first row) but I am feeling quite tired after squinting and finding the loops for cast on for an whole hour. I'm thinking I might have to break my own rules and cast on another project for mindless knitting... Just a thought.

Oh, and I think I want to learn Tatting. (Among spinning and dying and all the other fiber-y things I want to do).

An Afternoon of Yarn

Anyone who knows me knows I can't pass up a sale. So today after my training for Primerica, I went to Yarn Garden and met up with Anphoe there. The funny thing is, following me into the store immediately wasn't Anphoe, but it was costumchick! Speaking costumchick, she was mean and "made" me join yet another KAL. Go check it out and sign up!!

Anyways, so Yarn Garden had everything 40% off! EVERYTHING! When Denise hold a sale, she has a real sale! Here is what I got from the few hours of shopping:

A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swason, Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein, Noni Lattice Bag pattern and Sustermann Step (mit Aloe Vera und Jojoba Öl - with Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil)

I also got my friends some sock yarns and Christmas secret pal a pattern and some yarn and accessory, but I don't want to show it, in case they read my blog (in fact, I know they do). I'll reveal once the package is sent.

Afterwards, Anphoe and I went to Panera Bread to have some lunch and wind the lace yarn we got awhile ago. I actually bought a digital scale at LnT for pretty cheap for this purpose as well:

All the yarn!!


See the scale?

Anphoe and I had loads of fun! Now only if both of us knew that we were gonna join the Mystic Waters KAL, we would have also gotten some blue lace... Blue lace, anyone? anyone? Com'on costumechick!

Last Weekend in September

Where did September go? Time does fly when you are having fun! So let me recap on what happened this past weekend - I feel like I need another weekend just to recover from all the excitement!

The excitement really started Saturday afternoon after coming home from my morning training session. A picture is worth a 1000 words:

The beginning


The wing

Pattern - Swan Lake by Melanie Gibbons, aka Pink Lemon Twist
Yarn Called For - 780 yards of lace weight yarn, Zephyr used, black or white
Yarn Used - 1 skein of Skacel Merino Lace in pale pink
Beads - About 300 Swarovski crystal in Antique Rose, bicone, size 3
Needles - Crystal Palace bamboo circular size 2
Gauge - N/A
Knit - June 29, 2007 to September 24, 2007
Blocked - September 29, 2007
Modifications - None

SOOO PUUUUUURTY! The wing and where the cat's paws pattern in the center was hard to knit - it's not difficult, it's just boring! And adding beads just slows down the process. I also didn't use any stitch markers until the wing portion, and I only used one. But all the trouble is worth it at the end! And now I'm gonna send it to its merry way. Maybe I have enough yarn leftover to make another one for myself when I feel like it! Speaking of yarn, I forgot to showcase these awhile back when I received the order, along with quite a few of my fellow SnBers:

Pounds of Zephyr!!

No, they are not all for me!! I am holding for Anphoe and a friend Anya.

After the MS3 dried, David and I went to the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration put out by Aiping Tai Chi & Wu Dang Kung Fu Academy. It had a huge variety of different performances, including students from the academy showcaseing what they learned, special guests from "Changing Face" master to Chinese Acrobatics. Here are some of the pictures I took during the celebration:

Lion dance!


Traditional Chinese folk music


"Changing Face"


Everyone who performed


The Chinese Acrobatics who is balancing THREE eggs on some stick!

Yeah! THREE eggs! He even cracked them to prove that he didn't cheat! I thought that was amazing! The show was definitely worth my money and we will be sure to come back for next year!

Sunday morning I woke up with these on top of me:

Mick and Bruno on the bed waking me up

See my arm? Yeah, Mick likes to cover my face for some reason - it's a good thing he just got groomed and is super fluffy and soft and smelly good :). I let them out and saw the beautiful Sunday sky:

Beautiful September sky

We woke up so early for Sunday, it's not even funny... 6AM!! Yes, you read it right, and for what? See below:

46 tires!!!

A truck full of tires - We had to go get it up in MA, near VT border. It was for David's race car, and they were free, so there we were, up so early to get them. After we got the tires, we drove back down to go here:

Yankee Candle Village

I haven't gone there for awhile now, and I always like going in there, one, to check out all the new scents, and two, to see all the Christmas decorations. Although, I completely forgot to take ANY pictures...

After Yankee Candles, we finally headed to the Big E. (Click if you don't know what a Big E is) The first vendor we went to sells linens. We found these beautiful doily type thing that has autumn leaves on it - perfect for our wedding! So we ended up buying 15 of them for the center pieces. We continued on and went into the State Buildings (Each of the New England State has its own building showcasing what is produced in that state). New Hampshire was the first. I got a Maple Sundae and turned around and found this:

Spinners in New Hampshire Building

Yup! You see that right! And she was wearing her handmade socks! :) Then we moved onto Connecticut. On the way in, we saw this new potato place that wasn't there couple of years ago:

Giant baked potato with butter, cheese and BBQ pull pork. YUM!

Now, what you need to know, is that Baked Potato is Maine's specialty - at least that's when people lined up all the way outside to get a Maine Baked Potato:

The looooong line in Maine Building waiting for baked potatoes!

So this year, we didn't wait at all! AND we got pull pork on top of it! We moved on through all the states and went out to the antique car show:

OOOOOLD car in display

There are actually quite a few cars out there and I wish I had them all... Old cars are just so much prettier than the newer ones. The next major thing we did was to go see the bears:

One of the bears we saw!

This time, there was no mama bear though. I hope mama bear was okay. There were about 6 or 7 bears in there total. They are actually quite cute and they nudged the guy who was IN the trailer with them who fed them to play! Can you imagine? In an enclosed space with 6 live bears? Yeah, me either.

The last place we went to was the barn that house all the live stocks. There was a little place for the fiber:

Fiber? Anyone??


Baaaaaaaah...

I went inside the fiber nook but I just missed it! They were all cleaning up! However, I did find a vendor who is not completely finished on cleaning and found a bunch of patterns. I went home with 3 Fiber Trend patterns for $5!!! Not to shabby if I do say so myself!

While we were there, there was a sheep show going on...

Sheep show

So here is the loot:

The Loot!

The green Marker vest usually runs about 80 bucks, but I got it for half off, along with the hot chili undershirt and long underwear - all for half off! I know it's hard to think of winter right now, but when they are at that price, I know it is a good idea to get them now. The yellow 400 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets - 20 bucks for the entire set! Great Pyrenees picture frame, key chain, tea cup ornament, and stickers - we NEVER find anything Great Pyrenees related so we had to get them! I put the key chain on my purse and I'm going to print some pictures of the dogs to put it in the frame. The autumn leaves doilies, Florian ratchet-cut pruning tool, a box of fudge, and the stuff from Yankee Candles - Tea and Honey candle, Maple leave cookie cutter and a little maple syrup for my Christmas Swapee :) It's secret, so no showing off her blog right now, in case somehow she finds me. But I am super excited about the swap though :).

We were so exhausted when we got home... My legs and butt still hurt when I woke up on Monday!! We took this right before we went to bed:

Vanilla waiting for us going to bed!

Yeah, my weekend was just a little busy...

ps. Just so you know, there are only 76 people in front of me in Ravelry!!!!