A Tale of Two Sweaters

A cardigan and a guinea pig sweater are what's OTN (on the needles, tehe... I feel clever). Anyway, yeah. I started a guinea pig sweater. No pattern, just making it up as I go! I should have it done soon. It's my instant gratification project for now. The other sweater now, I actually haven't knit a stitch on it since I was sick a couple weeks ago. I have to be in the right mood for it, and have a good lineup of shows on Hulu to catch up on. That way, I can knit while watching "TV" and have the pattern right in front of me too... 'cause the pattern is on my computer you see and not on paper ... being green and all that jazz. Or maybe my printer might just be refusing to work.

Speaking of being green - Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!! Oh, and my basil and thyme are growing!! Not as fast as I'd like them to. Of course if I was uber serious about growing anything, I'd have flats lined out with dozens of little seedlings and a heat lamp over them like my daddy does. And it would drive my roommates nuts. Plus, I'm definitely not one to be any kind of efficient about anything I do.

Also, one more thing - I would like to introduce you to my latest singer/songwriter obsession - Rosi Golan. Some of her music has banjos in it. It makes my heart super happy. Hope you enjoy too!!

So, who knits red mittens just in time for Spring??

This girl, right here. To be fair, I did start them just before Valentine's day - although, I don't really think that was on my mind when I started these. Nor was it that I needed a pair of mittens. On the other hand, they will come in quite handy when we get our late March snow storm. (I am quite certain this WILL happen). I do believe it was because I had just wound up the gorgeous red Madelinetosh Tosh Merino and it was sitting in my yarn cubby, taunting me. It told me that it deserved to be knitted and that it should be a pair of mittens... who can argue with that?? Anyway, I finished them today. I used the pattern for Family Fun Mittens, found on Ravelry, except I decided to forgo the waffle stitch and knit it in plain stockinette throughout... oh and I used size 5 DPN's instead of size 6. Now my size 5 DPN's are free for other things like.... a guinea pig sweater! Yep, my friend David has a pretty swank little guinea pig named Mac. I had the pleasure of meeting this little dude last night and I agree, he needs a sweater. It'll be a fun little project I'm sure :)

Busy weekend .... well, not so much

It was supposed to be busy, but I seem to have succumb to the illness making it's way across my office, so I slept instead. Last weekend was supposed to be busy too, but I was held up by a freak snowstorm! Nevertheless, it feels good to get a little R&R. Worked a little on the second of my pair of red mittens. Also, I got caught up on a little photo editing from my first ever newborn shoot and photos I took on a much needed weekend getaway with my mom. We drove down to Eugene, OR, over to Florence, up the coast to Cannon Beach then back over to Portland, completing the loop and headed home.
We visited four yarn stores along the way! ~  Soft Horizon Fibre in Eugene; Happy Kamper Yarn Barn in Florence; T-Spot Yarn, Gifts and Chocolates in Manzanita; Coastal Yarns in Cannon Beach.
Here is our yarn loot:

And some pretty pictures of the ocean:

Also, wanted to share a little somethin' somethin' from my first newborn shoot, celebrating the newest addition to the Soloria family: Little Keoni

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!

... Or "Let's Knit Something Red or Pink Day" ... or if you prefer: "Single's Awareness Day"... I also heard somewhere: "Half-priced Chocolates Day Eve" ... or even better: "Target Date to Get my Crush to Fall in Love with Me Day".
This year, I chose to celebrate St. Valentine's Day, I believe, to the fullest extent to which it is intended. One might ask... "How?" since I, ahem, definitely DON'T have a significant other - no husband, boyfriend, not even a secret admirer, nor a crush. Instead, I spent the day practically daydreaming about God's lavish LOVE - His LOVE for me, His LOVE for those I care about, His LOVE for the lost. And the amazing price He paid for all of us. My prayer is for God to touch each one of His children with His Divine LOVE today.
I did this without chocolate or flowers or stuffed animals - just a simple celebration of my roommate's birthday this morning, a simple dinner, and a lil' knittin' time this evening. While I was making my dinner of grilled chicken, cucumber slices (cut into little hearts) and strawberries, I had a terribly romantic crazy off-the-wall idea. Just of how much I was loving myself by foregoing all the indulgences of the day - and my future husband, whomever that may be <3 Cause I believe happy hearts are the number one cause of awesome amazing marriages.

Also, brought this little song to mind: one of the most beautiful love songs in the whole wide world. It makes me want to sing, play my violin, dance, throw pottery, paint & knit ALL at the same time.

To Whom It May Concern, by The Civil Wars

Bedtime Snack

Apple slices ... Sleepytime Tea ... gorgeous red yarn ... 'nuf said

It's now time to find a mitten pattern for this lovely yarn.

Monkey {fingerless} Mitts!

They are finished! And have been documented.
For more details on this pattern, see http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/monkey-fingerless-mitts on Ravelry!

I used an alpaca/silk blend 3 ply, worsted from Alpaca Direct in Hayden, ID - 1 skein, 200 yards. I am super overjoyed that it didn't run out!! It would have been a sad thing to have to get more - knowing that they *may* or *may not* have the same dye lot!

So now, I'm on to bigger, more complicated projects, like this cardigan. I feel super accomplished for getting through the most challenging stitch I've ever attempted in my life - the mussel stitch. This will truly be an adventure in the making! :)

The Beginning of Something Beautiful

I have now been working on my first cardigan sweater for a little more than a day and THIS is what I have to show for it. 6 rows of garter stitch plus 2 rows of the Mussel Stitch from this lovely little pattern:  http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/us/pattern.php?id=5033&lang=us .
And yes, I changed my mind about my shrug again. I just thought this was lovelier. And maybe a bit simpler. And I believe I may have been wrong about the latter statement! It took me starting this pattern three times, contemplating substituting cables for the mussel stitch and watching a YouTube video several times to finally get me on the right track! Anyway, I'm excited about how this will turn out.
FYI if anyone decides to partake in this pattern:

Oh! and another lovely little thing that is just beginning - I planted some herb seeds and they are sprouting! Here's a sprig of the basil I planted, compliments of Josh Michel, who clicked the shutter button on my little camera :) I am very much looking forward to throwing in some fresh herbs with some tomatoes and chicken!