{September 27, 2011}

I really MUST finish that project that I started 2 years ago.  Wow.  I feel terrible for the recipient.  You heard it here.  I WILL finish that this upcoming week.

The winner of Great Little Gifts to Knit is number 85, Barbara.  Please email me (address in side bar) with your address and the book will be on the way to you!

Happy Saturday!

great little gifts to knit

For the month of September this gem has been touring around.  I'm so happy to be part of the tour.
This is truly a must have for your library.  I love SO many of the projects.  Such awesome ideas for the upcoming holidays or any time you want to celebrate a person (even YOU)!  A book to expand your creativity while embracing the gift of giving.  A win, win for everyone. 
Jean Moss didn't leave out a single detail.  The book has a technique and stitch section which explains both in depth.  Each project is given a skill level and the time it takes to knit.  (SO helpful!) 
I love how the book is divided into 4 gift categories:  Baby, Hers, His and Home. 
Baby is filled with booties, hats, mittens, cocoons, a blanket and a toddler jacket, not to mention those adorable beanbags above.  
Hers is filled with purses, fingerless gloves, a shrug, leg warmers, a turban, hat, baret, zebra mittens, a stole, a shawlette and a backpack.  
His offers socks, a hat, a head wrap, a guitar strap, a belt, a scarf, and a smart cover phone.
And for the Home, there are cushion covers, seat covers, place mats, napkin rings, a doggie jacket, tea cozies, and a celebratory toran.

The entire fun and beautiful project gallery is here.

If interested in a copy of great little gifts to knit, please leave me a comment between now and Tuesday the 24th, 5pm EST and the random number generator will choose a name.

Read previous blog posts from other bloggers plus the rest of the tour inerary for another chance to win!

Mon 2  Sep      Wendy Knits  Wendy Johnson
Wed 4 Sep       WEBS  Kathy Elkins
Fri 6 Sep          Getting Stitched on the Farm Kristin Nicholas
Mon 9 Sep       Stolen Stitches Carol Feller
Tues 10 Sep     Knittedbliss  Julie crawford
Wed 11 Sep     Black Bunny Fibers  Carol Sulcoski
Thur 12 sep      Rhythm of the Needles  Joanne Conklin
Frid 13 Sep      Tiny Owls Knits  Stephanie Dosen
Mon 16 Sep     Just Call me Ruby  Susan Crawford
Tues 17 Sep     Zeneedle Margene Smith
Wed 18 Sep      Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott
Thur 19 Sep     A friend to knit with  ME!
Fri 20 Sep        Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman Haywood
Mon 23 Sep      Connieleneknits  Connie Lene
TUes 24 Sep     Knitsofacto  Annie Cholewa
Wed 25 Sep      Ulla Bella  Anita Tormoen
Thur 26 Sep     A Really Good Yarn  Julie Schilthuis
Fri 27 Sep        Urban Yarns  Alexa Ludeman
Sat 28 Sep        Linda Marveng  Linda Marveng
Mon 30 Sep     Yarnings  Jen
Tues 1 Oct       Tentenknits  Margaux Hufnagel

Have a beautiful weekend.

eighteen on the eighteenth

Did you know it's a wonder year?!  That's what I heard!  Turning your age on your birthday day?  
So, THIS was even a MORE fun birthday!
Of course, there were 18 balloons.  
The place mat that welcomed the day.  
The chocolate cake that was requested and made.  I forgot to save some white frosting for the name so thought quickly and came up with mini chocolate chips to write the name. (I think it worked okay... he loved it.)
And this year,  I did something a little different.  And a little special.  And dug deep in my heart for the top 18 things I love about Charlie.  (It took me about 18 seconds.)

Love these days.

a scrub and a winner

Well, I haven't been baking cookies, but I did feel the urge to take a few minutes to whip up some coconut scrub today.  A few shriveled lemons and a jar that needed to be refilled.  I read about this stuff on Crunchy Peas Blog.  It's awesome.  (Follow this link.)
Shave your legs with coconut oil, use the coconut scrub, re-shave your legs... results in super soft legs!  And then, use it on your entire body!

Combine 1 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup coconut oil, 3 Tbls fresh lemon or lime juice.  Mix until blended.  Store in a mason jar in your shower!  (In the warmer temps it melts.  So, over the summer, I stored mine in the refrigerator. It feels great cold!)  I buy my coconut oil at Costco.  A big tub for a lot less.

The random number generator chose #27, Priscilla.  Please email me with your address so that Fashion Crochet can end up in your mailbox.

fashion crochet

Okay "my friend to crochet with"! Please teach me! I have a hat on the hook that I started back in July. So far, I stink at learning. I'm gonna get it though. Yep. I am.
Fashion Crochet is a really beautiful book.  The projects are young and cool.  And inspired from the up-to-the-minute runway trends.
It's broken down into 4 different chapters with 30 different projects in total.  Wraps & Scarves, Accessories, Dresses, Skirts & Shorts, Tops & Jumpers.
There is a sketch of each project which is super fun to look at, along with in-depth instructions and ideas on how to make the project your own unique piece.
There is a wide variety of techniques including lace, granny smith squares, intarsia and hairpin crochet.  (Don't be fooled.  I have no idea what hairpin crochet is.  But, hey!  I'm willing to learn.)
Each project also has the inspiration photo from the runway from designers as diverse as Christopher Kane, Marc Jacobs, Gucci and Missoni.  (Those photos are fun to look at, too.)

If you are interested in receiving a copy of Fashion Crochet, please leave a comment between now and Monday, September 16, 5pm EST and the random generator number will choose a winner.

Have a great weekend!

whoops! i forgot the other winner!

Ack!  I was driving home from doing some errands and realized that I was supposed to pick two winners of Reversible Knits.  So, Jo Ellen, you also won!  Please email me with your information and you will be reversible knitting in no time.

...38...

The random number generator chose number 38, Bogna. (Sorry, no link for the name.) Please email me (address in sidebar) with your information so that Reversible Knits can land in your mailbox.  
Last Sunday, I decided we needed a few new potholders around here. (Ours were looking really bad!) So, I dug out the old loom maker my grandfather made and we finished one that had been started around three years ago.  Boy did that feel good.  I left the loom and a bowl of the loops on the coffee table for anyone to get started when the urge hit them.  It hit Andrew on Monday.  
My awesome grandfather made this at least 35 years ago.  Super special.  I imagine it's pretty easy to make one.  Just need a piece of wood, some nails and a hammer.  Mine measures 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 square.  He nailed 25 nails in each side, pretty evenly spaced.  From the looks of it, he didn't get it right the first time around. (I think the holes from his first attempt add a lot of character.)  Along with the loom, I had a stash of the loops in a bag from 1976!  I did a little research and you can purchase that same kind here.  I have the original little directions which suggests leaving the loops on a while (the longer the better) which will make it easier to finish off and will result in a larger potholder.  And, if you don't feel like making a loom, you can always buy a metal one.  But, believe me, there is something SO special about making a potholder on a handmade loom.

Back tomorrow with another book giveaway!

reversible knits

Well, this day sort of got away from me.  With it being a holiday and no school we packed appointments and obligations in to what felt like every minute.  Feeling pretty accomplished.  Still need to schedule those flu shots.  
Have you seen this book?  Heard the buzz about it?  There are parts of it that I found extremely fascinating.  I mean, I know how to make two sides look the same.  Heck, garter does that.  Seed stitch does that.  Even ribbing.  
But there are techniques in this books that make really cool "wrong" sides... so both are "right" sides.  Pretty special, I'd say.  
It won't take an experienced knitter to catch on to reversible knitting.  Just the basics are needed.  How to knit, how to purl, how to increase and decrease and of course, casting on and binding off.  
There are shrugs, throws, hats, scarves and other projects designed to showcase their reversibility.  And six key techniques to show you how.  Iris Schreier didn't leave out a detail.  Right down to fixing those darn mistakes.  (THAT was my biggest problem when I was first learning how to knit.)

Sterling publishing would like to give away a copy of Reversible Knits to TWO of my readers.   If interested, please leave a comment here before Monday, September 9 at 5pm EST and I will have the random generator choose TWO names!

Have a really great weekend.

a couple of recipes and the winner

Today I made a quick, delicious zucchini potato soup and a couple of stuffed peppers with the vegetables from my CSA share.

Saute: 1 diced medium onion , 6-8 diced small potatoes until tender.  Add 3 diced zucchini, 1 diced summer squash and cook until those are tender.  Add 4 cups of vegetable broth, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 tsp tarragon, 1 tsp pepper.  Simmer for a couple of hours.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy.

And with the peppers?  I cooked 1 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of homemade tomato sauce and 1 cup of vegetable broth.  Stirred in peas and feta cheese and a dash of red peppers and stuffed that into the green peppers.  Baked the peppers for about an hour at 350˚ until the pepper was tender.

The winner of the first weeks book giveaway, knitologie,  is number 56, Sandra.  Please email me with your address and I'll make sure the book lands in your hands.

See you tomorrow!