Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Bucket's List
Everyone that knows me, knows that I love to support small indie businesses. It all started when I discovered Etsy a few years ago. I developed a real love for buying gifts for people from my favorite shops and feeling really good about giving my hard earned money to someone that was passionate about creating at home. Whether it be a stay-at-home mom or a singleton supplementing their income or a creative genius sharing their craft with the world, I decided that giving and buying indie is the best thing since (whole wheat) sliced bread. And I've never turned back.Even better than JUST supporting indie, is supporting someone you KNOW that is an indie shop owner. Case in point, my girl, Krys. We met when she came to our knitting group a little over a year ago. We hit it off almost immediately. We had a lot in common, shared the same sense of humor, views on mommyhood (ha!) and of course, our love of fiber and knitting. She's since become one of my dearest friends. So, when she decided to open up her Etsy store, Gherkin's Bucket ....I was all about it and started buying my first handspun yarns right away.
Her business has evolved quite a bit since she opened earlier this year. She not only dyes her own fiber in luxurious blends such as merino/cashmere/nylon, 22 micron merino, organic merino, baby alpaca/merino and merino/seacell, but she spins them into lofty, gorgeous yarns. She also just recently started kettle dyeing merino superwash worsted and bulky and will soon carry merino superwash fingering....all of which are conventionally spun yarns. You get the best of both worlds....handspun AND conventional yarns all in one awesome shop.
Recently I worked on some knitted projects with some of her handspun....
First up, Highly Regarded Mitts by the one and only Gherkin herself.
These were done in her Fat Grasshoppa colorway in superwash merino bulky and only used about 80 yards for the entire pair! You could get 2 pairs out of one skein of this yarn!
Next up was the Beech Wood Cowl by Ilga Leja.
I made this with her merino/tencel blend in Charmed. It was LOVELY to work with and the stitch definition is incredible!
Some of the other pretties in my stash are:
Baby Alpaca/Merino in Honesty
80/10/10 Merino/Cashmere/Nylon in Ching Ching
Superwash Merino in Verve
Pretty, eh? You can get your own Gherkin's Bucket yarns here ON SALE! She's offering 15% off everything in her shop right now as a fall sale!
And congrats to Krys for being featured yesterday on Lime and Violet's Etsy Shop of the Day!
Labels: cowl luff, Gherkin's Bucket, i heart etsy, indie rocks, knitting, swag
Thursday, May 29, 2008
LOST my mojo....I thought...
Notice the giant gap of time that I haven't blogged....well, it's for quite a lot of reasons! One being that we are in the midst of house hunting which is going...well, not very well...we just put an offer on a 4th...yes, 4th house the other day and are REALLY hoping this one doesn't become a huge bidding battle like the last 3 have. Oy.The other reason I haven't posted is because I really thought I lost my knitting mojo. FOR REALS! Last month I cast on for 6 different socks/patterns and several cowls and nothing I knit was working. I put everything down for a bit and just took a breather. I'm happy to report that I finished a pair of socks and I'm over the moon for them. Take a gander....
Appropriate that I can call them my LOST socks, right? ;)
Specs:
Pattern: Penllyn by Wildhorse Farm Designs
Yarn: Yarntini Variegated Sock in the 4-8-15-16-23-42 aka Lost colorway
Needles: Size 1 Knit Picks Nickel DPNs
Mods to Pattern: I made the leg longer than the pattern called for (about 8 repeats and 7.5 inches) which almost caused me to run out of yarn! Eep! Luckily Miss Stacey was kind enough to send her leftovers.
In other Wannabe-land news, my baby...can I still call her that?....turned 4. Sniff, sniff. Since we are in limbo with moving, it was really hard to plan a party so we decided a mom and dad day would work well. The Mister took the day off of work and we spent it as a family, each doing one thing alone with her. In the morning, I took her to get her very first pedicure...where she picked orange nail polish (black was the first choice, but they didn't have any...) and flowers.
In the afternoon, the 'Nut went with her dad to the ice rink where he plays ice hockey for her first ice skating lesson. The Mister said she was a little leary at first but was able to skate around a bit. I think she liked it best when he was holding her and he skated.
We had such a fun day...
Up next in knitland...Slip Up Shropshire socks and more Christmas knitting. Happy almost weekend.
Labels: Buggernut, knitting, Life...le sigh, SAM KAL, Yarntini
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Yoooohoooo, Wannabe...where are YOU?
I'm here. I've just been preoccupied with a lot of things...and knitting like a mad banchee...everything right now is close to being finished but not interesting enough to photog. C'est la vie.Most of my knitting right now is baby related. NOT MINE! Pa-lease. No more babies for me...evah! But it seems like everyone around me is ready to pop one out so I've been knitting little tiny, cute as a button things...which I WILL be sharing soon. Promise.
Speaking of baby knitting, Miss Sarah asked if I would do some more test knittng for her...very quickly. Like 3 days quickly. Seems these babies are going to be making the trek from Michigan to Seattle in time for Madrona next week.
Specs:
Pattern: Magic Slippers by Caroline Dlugy-Hegwer
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Fingering in Manor (multi-colored ones) & The Plucky Knitter Merino/Cashmere/Nylon in Tippi Blue (for the blue ones..ehem...dur)
Needle: Susan Bates DPNs size 1
Mods: None...but this is not a one hour miracle like it says in the pattern...unless you have 4 hands or something.
Can I please have your attention for one smidge of a second longer? A few people have emailed me since my decision to go vegan wondering what the heck I am eating and asking how hard it was to give up dairy, eggs, meat...well, check out these pics...this is a sample of how "hard" it is to go vegan. ;) (And yes, I'm eating more than just sinfully delish cupcakes...LOL!)
Cookies and Creme Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
A dear friend suggested that I start taking pics of some of the stuff I'm making...so maybe I will. I have to tell you, I've never felt better in my ENTIRE LIFE.
Happy Weekend.
Labels: cupcake lurve, hello baby...ooo, knitting, Plucky love, vegan cookin'
Monday, January 7, 2008
An End is Just A New Beginning
Happy Belated New Year. I've been too busy knitting to post, but I finally made myself upload some pics and want to share my last FO's of 2007 with you.I made a few pairs of arm/wristwarmers as gifts this year. I adore how they turned out.
Specs:Pattern: Arm/Wrist Warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Blue Pair - RYC Cashsoft DK - almost a full skein
Raspberry Paor - Noro Cash Iroha - 1/2 skein
Needles: Clover Size 6 8" circulars, Clover size 6 Bamboo DPNs
Mods: Made the blue pair one repeat longer which is why it took almost a full skein
I'm made 5 pairs of these now and I REALLY need to make a pair for me. They are super fast and easy!
And the recipients loved them!
(The Hubster's sister got the blue pair)
(and my wonderful MIL got the raspberry pair!)I also knitted up something for me, but then decided that I was indeed allergic to alpaca (at least in the adult state) and gifted this to my sister, Sara (the one that got the Plucky Cashmere Cowl) instead.
Specs:
Pattern: Luxe Neckwarmer from Knit2Together
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky
Needles: Size 10.5 16" Clover Bamboo DPNs
Shout out: To Sarah for the idea to make this pattern after 2 failed attempts with this yarn
In other knitting news, failed attempts were rampant around here during the holidays...most disappointing was a pair of Purl Free Monkeys I was working on that were just a little to tight...but oh so pretty.
This was ripped out and is becoming a pair of Charades. The yarn is Yarn Pirate Rum Runner from the first Booty Club installment. I must admit, one sock is done and it was a really good decision to rip the Monkey and start fresh. My next pair will be some Monkeys though. :)
In other news, I have made a HUGE lifestyle change that began before the New Year actually. I have needed to go dairy-free for some time now for health reasons, so I finally bit the bullet, cleaned out the fridge and cupboards (you have no idea how much stuff has milk product in it!) and started beginning my new adventure eating differently. I have cut out dairy, eggs, caffeine and meat and am basically considered vegan now. In the last 2 weeks, I have seen tremendous improvements in my body. I've lost over 5 lbs, my skin is clearer, my severe, nasty, bleeding eczema is GONE and I have more energy than I've ever had. I feel great! I'm actually having a really awesome time meal planning, shopping and cooking too because I have a challenge. So far everything I've made has exceeded my expectations. Vegan living is swell!
I hope this extremely long post finds everyone well and happy and enjoying your fresh start...be back with sock pics soon!
Specs:Pattern: Luxe Neckwarmer from Knit2Together
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky
Needles: Size 10.5 16" Clover Bamboo DPNs
Shout out: To Sarah for the idea to make this pattern after 2 failed attempts with this yarn
In other knitting news, failed attempts were rampant around here during the holidays...most disappointing was a pair of Purl Free Monkeys I was working on that were just a little to tight...but oh so pretty.
This was ripped out and is becoming a pair of Charades. The yarn is Yarn Pirate Rum Runner from the first Booty Club installment. I must admit, one sock is done and it was a really good decision to rip the Monkey and start fresh. My next pair will be some Monkeys though. :)
In other news, I have made a HUGE lifestyle change that began before the New Year actually. I have needed to go dairy-free for some time now for health reasons, so I finally bit the bullet, cleaned out the fridge and cupboards (you have no idea how much stuff has milk product in it!) and started beginning my new adventure eating differently. I have cut out dairy, eggs, caffeine and meat and am basically considered vegan now. In the last 2 weeks, I have seen tremendous improvements in my body. I've lost over 5 lbs, my skin is clearer, my severe, nasty, bleeding eczema is GONE and I have more energy than I've ever had. I feel great! I'm actually having a really awesome time meal planning, shopping and cooking too because I have a challenge. So far everything I've made has exceeded my expectations. Vegan living is swell!
I hope this extremely long post finds everyone well and happy and enjoying your fresh start...be back with sock pics soon!
Labels: Christmas knitting, knitting, Life...le sigh, Plucky love, Sarie, vegan cookin'
Friday, November 30, 2007
Melody
Finally, Melody has been gifted and I can show her to you ON MY MOM! :) I gave her to my mom over Thanksgiving holiday. This is one project that I was glad to be done with but learned a lot from. It was my first attempt at steeking which was exhilarating and scary all at the same time.Without further ado, Melody.
Specs:Yarn: HPY Laceweight in Coral Rojo
Needles: Addi Turbo Size 9 32 inches
Pattern: Melody Shawl by Morehouse Farm
Mods: I blocked this a little bit larger than the directions because my mom is taller than I am. If I ever made another one, I would also knit it wider....say 20" versus 16".
Happy weekend. It's dreary, rainy and lovely outside and I'm on a mad dash to finish up my second Kaffe Fassett sock. Can I do it?
Labels: knitting
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving
Miniature Felted Pumpkins by Wool WinderYarn: Cascade 220 in Orange, Chocolate Brown and Light Orange
These littles will be part of a gift basket I made for my aunt to bring as a hostess gift to her home today. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with love, family and lots of yummy food.
Labels: knitting, Thanksgiving
Monday, November 5, 2007
Plucky Love and a Heat Wave
Just in time for Miss Plucky coming to visit in AZ, we are having record breaking temps. It's supposed to be 93 degrees today. HELP ME. Someone save me! AHHHHHHHH! It makes it hard to really get into Christmas knitting, but I'm plugging along.Case in point: Triple Cable Muffler for my dad for Christmas. The pattern is from One Skein and I'm knitting it out of heaven....oh, I mean...buttah....uh, clouds of marshmallow fluffiness that is The Plucky Knitter Merino Worsted in Earnshaw. This mother is hard to photo...I tried several different lights and rooms in the house and these were the best I got. I think this might be better photo'ed outside next time. These pics don't do this yarn justice...it is gorgeous!
I did finish one Kaffe Fassett sock after settling on the flat toe from Knitting Vintage Socks and also finished knitting and steeking Melody. Pics soon.Labels: knitting, Plucky love, swag
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Boo!
How was your Halloween? We don't trick or treat over here yet....combination of us not allowing Miss Buggernut to eat a lot and candy and because the Hubster had to work. But we still got into the spirit.Exhibit A: Dorky, cheesy grin pictures in 100 degree heat at the pumpkin patch. Yes, you read that right. 100 degrees. We pretty much live in hell.
Exhibit B: Carving pumpkins with Daddy, while Mommy sat and knit a sock (instead of working on the mounting pile of Christmas knitting) and drank a glass of merlot. The 'Nut named her pumpkin, Cat. I'm not seeing the resemblance. Whatevs.
Exhibit C: Getting a super cute haircut. (More than one pic just for you Sarie!)
Exhibit D: Making vegan vanilla cupcakes with vegan chocolate "buttercream" frosting and topping them with non-vegan (ehem) sprinkles. Recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. These are the BEST cupcakes evah. Cupcake liners are from Martha Stewart at Michael's...they probably have some on clearance now that you can get for next year. I can't wait to see the Christmas ones!
And if I hadn't started decreasing the toe on my current sock (aka The Christmas Avoidance Project) too quickly, I would have some sock pics to show you. Does anyone have a favorite toe "recipe" that you want to share? Sometimes I do a regular toe...you know....knit to the last stitch, K2tog and then K1....followed by k1, ssk. Lately I've been doing the toe from the Charade sock pattern...it's a bit different....but since I have to rip back on this sock, I'd like to try something different. Any suggestions?Labels: Buggernut, cupcake lurve, knitting, sock love, vegan cookin'
