Something other than gray

I've had a wonderful weekend exploring the colors and textures of Seattle.

Of course, when you're here with good friends (irishgirlieknits, cheekyattitude, and chairel) who also knit, what trip would not be complete without a visit to a yarn shop?  Hilltop Yarns was a great find.  An amazing selection and creative displays in a charming old house on Queen Anne Hill.

Next up, the ferry...

Loving them all

candy stall at La Boqueria Market, Barcelona

One of the things I've learned while studying color around me these past couple of weeks is that when you have the rainbows of color together, no matter the color or value, it's all beautiful.

Did someone say cupcake?

vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting

Happy almost Friday!

Eat your greens

Spinach sauteed with garlic and preserved Meyer lemons  

I love the color variation from the dark deep green of the spinach leaves to the subtle lighter shade of the stems.  And then punched by bits of bright yellow from the lemons.

Oh, and dinner was pretty tasty.  :)

Setting the mood...

So much color inspiration can be found along the Monterey Bay, like the mahogany brown on a glistening starfish.

The rich blacks, browns, and greys on the mussels.

Vibrant greens of plant life,

and found treasures.

Only seven more days until Camp KnittyHaHa...

It's official!

We've seen signs of it the last several weeks and it's finally here.  Spring!

I've been watching the tiny new leaves on the Japanese Maple get fuller each day.  The pale yellow green of the leaves and on all the little sprouts out there are spectacular!

Happy Friday!

Bon appétit!

I baked!  Well, yes, I baked, but I didn't "make".  But it was a tad more sophisticated than popping the dough out of a can.  (Okay, maybe not much more, but they look and taste like they're fresh from the patisserie.)

I've found that the Williams Sonoma croissants are the best ever.  These Trader Joe's minis come close and are more convenient to get.

Pull out the frozen dough (already rolled into individual croissants) and place them on a baking sheet right before bedtime.  They'll rise overnight.  In the morning, pop them in the oven.  

Warm, buttery, flaky...

(For fellow sock campers, I seem to have sea creatures on the brain.  Those croissants are looking like crab to me.)

What about blue?

l to r:  Wollmeise, Sundara, Squoosh

With the exception of certain navy blues, I'm completely out of my comfort zone with blue.  I appreciate the beauty of the color, but I don't gravitate toward it.

l to r:  Plucky Knitter, Sundara

There are a few blues in the yarn stash because I like to expand my color horizons, but other than the Mama Blue in colorway Ink, the blues could be destined for socks and/or gifts.  It's not a color I typically wear.

l to r:  Mama Blue (love, love, love!), Sundara

I wonder why I don't favor this cool icy color, and yet so many others do?   

Something to ponder as I spend the next two weeks studying and thinking about color in my world as part of an assignment for sock camp.

Inspiration from nature

The colorway on the Leyburn sock is Thistle, but it could have easily been inspired by Freesia.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Spring is near

saucer magnolia in bloom (Magnolia x soulangeana)

The coming of spring provides so much color inspiration.  

Orange

I haven't been able to get enough of this bright sunshiny color all week.  Maybe it's because it's a nice counterbalance to those feelings of doom and gloom I get when I hear or read yet another news report about our economic crisis.   (Note to self:  Ignorance is bliss.)

I got a cute collar for kitty (a.k.a yarn eater) thinking it would look lovely on her. It did for a few minutes.

 That's what she thought of it.

I'm loving this Embossed Leaves sock in colorway Apricot (yellow-orange...close enough).

Have a lucky Friday the 13th!

Blowout!

Warning!  An image in this post could be disturbing.

I knew the day would come, but I wasn't prepared.  I'm in mourning for one of my first knitted socks. One moment the heel was there, the next...gone.  

There were mistakes made along the way like the socks accidentally falling into the washing machine...and dryer. I know now to hand wash, always, and of course, air dry, always. My gauge is also much tighter on the heel.

The good news is that there are more socks on the needles to replace the ones that I'll lose along the way.

That's the Leyburn.  And, no, that's not the second sock.  Yes, I'm still working on the first one, but I've turned the heel and on the home stretch!  

Stash busting!

When you're having a not so great day, buy yourself some flowers.  

Cast on a new project with the brightest color you can find in your stash.  And it doesn't hurt that the brightest color is a Mama Blue Troika sock in Apricot.

Then store that bright new project in one of those super cute Pretty Cheap Project Bags you had lying around.

Anything else, you ask?  To make extra special sure that the day improves, pour yourself a glass of wine.  How about that Martinelli Chardonnay in DH's stash?

Cheers!

Surprise packages

Handmaiden Casbah sock in colorway Ocean Currents, merino/cashmere/nylon blend

It's so much fun to get packages in the mail, especially when they contain cashmere and other goodies.  My very first Loopy Ewe sock club shipment included a skein of Casbah sock, a sock pattern and lots of other great treats.

Zen Yarn Garden Serenity sock in colorway Gold Dynasty, merino/cashmere/nylon blend

The other package, and another first for me, was the Woolgirl sock club kit.  This one came with a skein of Zen Yarn Garden sock, a sock pattern, a scarf pattern, and so many other wonderful amazing goodies, too many to name.

I'm finding that these sock clubs are doing wonders for my yarn diet.  Less temptation (but I have fallen down on more than one occasion) knowing that I've got yarn coming every couple of months.  Now to figure out how to keep up with all the club knitting.

Button Down Wrap

The Button Down wrap is finished! I needed to have faith that blocking would do the trick to minimize the roll on the edges. (Thanks to everyone for their words of blocking encouragement.)

This wrap is inspired by one that my friend Marcia owns which was handknit in Thailand. As soon as I saw hers, I knew I had to knit one for myself. It's actually quite simple and I love how the button keeps the wrap in place.

Pattern

Yarn: Malabrigo, Merino worsted weight, 216 yds./skein

Color: Tortuga

Skeins: 2-1/3 (approximately 500 yds.)

Gauge: 4 stitches = 1"

Size: one size

Needle: US 10

Buttons: 3 large (preferably at least 2" in diameter)

Finished Dimensions: 15"w x 56"l

Cast on 55 stitches using the Crochet cast on so that the cast on and bind off edge look similar.

Row 1: slip 1st stitch, knit to the end (right side)

Row 2: slip 1st stitch, purl to the end (wrong side)

Continue in stockinette stitch (repeating rows 1 and 2), remembering to slip the first stitch of every row for a smoother edge.

When piece measures 48" in length, add a button hole starting 4" from the right side edge.

Continue stockinette stitch until piece measures 56". Bind off, weave in ends, and block.

Options: I started and ended the wrap with two inches of garter stitch. Or add cables, alternate 3" bands of stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch, or use other fancy stitches. The possibilities are endless!

ETA: The stockinette edges will roll, less after blocking, but still a little bit of roll. I like this look, but if you don't, I'd suggest doing a garter stitch border of perhaps four stitches at the beginning and end of each row.

To block or not to block

The Malabrigo wrap is all knitted up, but I'm daunted by the blocking ahead of me.  I forgot how stockinette stitch has a huuuuuge tendency to curl on the edges.  That should have been a photo of me in my new wrap, but sadly that's not to be until I get the courage to tackle this thing.  Wish me luck.  I'll need it!

And happy Friday!

Preserved Lemons

An ingredient found in Moroccan dishes such as lamb, chicken, or vegetable tagines/stews and couscous, the rind of preserved lemons adds a salty-sweet flavor that's more mellow than the flavor of fresh lemons.

The dwarf Meyer lemon tree (more like a small bush) in my yard had a couple of ripe ones, so I thought I'd give it a try.  All of the recipes I found for preserved lemons were all similar and involved the same simple ingredients: lemons (preferably Meyer), fresh lemon juice, and Kosher salt.  I ended up using the Epicurious.com quick five-day method.  

I made this jar yesterday, so I'll let it sit at room temperature for another four days before adding some olive oil to the jar and chilling.  So easy to make.  

Hoping it turns out well so I can then use them in a spinach dish (another quick easy one).  Saute spinach in butter with garlic and hot pepper flakes.  Add preserved lemons to warm.

Who am I?

I've been listening to Nirvana...and liking it.  

I came away from the Stitches market this past weekend with four skeins of yarn.  Yup...only four* skeins.  I even know what I'm knitting up with the yarn.  

What is up?  

top to bottom:  Pigeonroof superwash merino DK (2), Pigeonroof Siren Two sock, Blue Moon Seduction

The Blue Moon Seduction Rare Gems wants to be a gathered scarf.  The Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two in Persimmon is going to be a vanilla sock because a stitch pattern could get lost in all of that lovely variegation of color.  As for the Pigeonroof superwash merino DK in Black Walnut (love, love, love this colorway), it's destined to be a Lemongrass Bolero.  When do I ever have concrete plans for specific skeins of yarn?

I'm now considering learning how to use a drop spindle (I blame Tapmouse). 

Not to worry, I'll snap out of it soon. :)

*  Three skeins really since the one Seduction skein was almost free -- $12 for 400 yds. of a 50/50 merino tencel blend is considered *free* in the world according to irishgirlieknits. :)  

ETA:  I like her world.  And, she points out that it regularly retails for $34.

Cool Socks!

The wonderful thing about knitting socks is that there are so many different ways to knit them. Lucy Neatby's Cool Socks! class was an entire day filled with even more interesting and innovative ways to knit socks.  I took away two great techniques.  Obviously there were more things covered, but I'm only committing to remember two since that will be hard enough for me. :)

The Channel Islands cast on is my new favorite cast on method.  It's super stretchy and has a pretty, almost picot-like, edge.  Lucy told us that in order to remember anything new like this cast on method, one needs to practice every day for at least a week.  Going on day three and so far so good for me.

The second thing I loved was the garter stitch short row heel, durable and super cushy.  I've tried different ways to knit short row heels and, for whatever reason  (just like that darn Kitchener stitch), I inevitably get distracted, lose my place and can't figure out what's wrapped and what's not.  Lucy's tip for keeping track of those wrapped stitches is to place them on a separate needle, one on each side, after the stitch is wrapped.  Genius!

Ta da!  The heel looks kind of like a beak on this class swatch.  Trust me, it will be great on a sock!

Cables

Stitches West did not disappoint.  Learned lots, saw old friends, met new ones and got to fondle so much lovely yarn. :)  Fortunately, being in class limited my shopping time, so I came away with a few goodies and didn't overdo it on the stash enhancement.

Sample swatches from Cable Ready class taught by Melissa Leapman

I enjoyed Melissa Leapman's Cable Ready class.  I had done basic cables before, but I still came away with lots of new knowledge.  

I've been knitting for several years now, have even completed a fancy-pants fisherman-style sweater covered with cables and bobbles (never you mind that it took 7 years to complete), and all along the way, I've been reading knitting charts incorrectly.  Turns out I've been reading the even rows from right to left instead of left to right, and I've been knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches instead of the other way around on those even rows.  Somehow it all worked out for me without any unfortunate consequences, also because I think most of what I knit requiring charts is in the round.  Now I know...

The other cool thing was learning how to knit cables with two colors.  Hard to see with the photo above since I need to knit a few more rows on the swatch, but trust me, it looks awesome.  Especially since Melissa taught us that we can zoom through the rows if we throw with the yarn held on the right hand while knitting continental with the second yarn held on the left hand.   At last, knowing how to throw is an advantage...