Sunday, knitty Sunday

About a month ago I had Brittany, a girlfriend from work, come over to the house. I had worn my Desert Rose to our monthly meeting where we all come together for updates and chit-chat, and she was impressed that I had made it all on my very own. I proudly showed her the puff sleeves, the lace inset down the front, and the pretty neckline that I! actually! finished! Okay, okay, one more showing and then I'll stop.

(!!!!!)

So back to when I had Brittany over last month. I taught her how to cast on, and how to create a scarf, knitting every row. She picked a tough yarn to use as a beginner, Lion Brand's Homespun Yarn. It's beautiful because when it's knitted up, it's very fluffy, and has a sort of curly weave. But it's tough to learn with.

It's tough because of how it twists on itself. As a starter, Brittany tended to tug and pull on the working yarn, which caused this particular yarn to bunch up on itself. Once she got the hang of it, and settled into the ease of knitting back and forth for miles on end, the scarf really turned out great. Brittany couldn't wait to show me her finished project, a pretty dusty blue scarf made just by her, just for herself. She even got to wear it proudly on a quick weekend vacation in Colorado! She couldn't wait to start on a new project, and was ready to be challenged. And, to top it off, her best friend/Vespa's nanny (for when we're on "holiday" in a week (!!!)) Sabrina wanted to learn the craft.

Sunday afternoon, the girls drove over to my house. We met up, played with Vespa for a few minutes, and squatted at the computer in front of countless projects on Ravelry. Brittany really wanted to knit something challenging, and Sabrina needed something for a beginner-beginner. I wanted something useful and quick. And after about 30 minutes of girly-giggling around, we found something that we all got excited about--a camera sock! These are the pictures that notanartist posted of her completed project on Ravelry.com along with the quick and easy pattern.

Cute, huh? Quick and easy. It was still quite a bit advanced for Sabrina who had never even held knitting needles before, it was a challenge for Brittany because a) she learned the purl stitch and b) she learned to knit in-the-round and c) she learned how to make decreases as well as stitch the bottom closed. And for me, it's been super-super quick. Here's mine, after about 10 minutes of work during Carlton's eye appointment this afternoon, and an hour of work in front of the tv tonight:

Sabrina, Brittany, and I had a pretty good time. It was a little overwhelming for Sabrina, but she stuck in there like a trooper and is excited to get back together soon to finish hers with assistance. Brittany's has turned out great--she worked on it later that night and is almost finished. And mine, as you can see, is a pretty poppy red color and is ready to be used heavily on our trip through Greece!

Here, you can see Brittany proudly wearing her blue scarf as she learns how to join her double pointed needles for knitting in-the-round. Naked Vespa is entranced by Sabrina's kind-hearted chuckle, and glad that her future nanny is so easily conned into scratching her neck for her.

Sabrina and Brittany, smiling with their cookies and yarn. Yes, I made cookies for the knitting girls!

Brittany can even multitask now... Momma's so proud! Just look at those knitter's fingers, all tangled up to hold the needles just so. Only a knitter can appreciate this pro finger stance!

A Sunday Afternoon Knitting Party tradition, perhaps?

Colorful Birthday Memories

A few weeks ago, we Arizona Joneses celebrated our little niece's 2nd birthday from our house in the desert far, far away from her. I was so sad to miss this special milestone in her little toddler life!

We wanted to send something a little special, because she has gotten to the age where she understands that things are made especially for her. And she definitely knew this was her birthday and it was going to be a very special day that all her loved ones celebrated Katie Anne with smiles, gifts, and cake.

I thought back to my childhood and a flash of a memory came to mind. I remembered a special book that my grandparents had printed especially for me, as a Christmas gift, I think. The book was a treasure to me--after all, it was written about no one other than ME!!! The story told of "Trisha" doing this, and "Trisha" doing that. I remember sitting in my bedroom floor, reading and re-reading and re-re-reading that book forever. Carlton jumped on the idea to find a book that Katie Anne might enjoy reading. After all, her birthday was all about her. Why not read something all about herself too? We found an adorable book telling the tale of Katie Anne on her own little adventure, counting lots of animals.


And then it happened. As soon as the book was ordered, I found something else! Of course. I had to sprint out to Michaels and Joann for supplies right away! Being the Blogger stalker that I am, I came across Inchmark, a fantastic crafting blog that posted a beautiful how-to on creating color flash cards that could also work as a flip card memory game. These were so adorable, I just had to make them. (You should really check her out... she used to do some sort of work for Martha Stewart, and her projects are super. And the blog is so pleasant to look at!) Plus, Martha Stewart had been telepathically urging me to purchase one of her fabulous punches for creating pretty paper crafts. (I already had one, but why not get a second to make pretty trims on the edges of paper projects?) I know, I know... Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, MARTHA STEWART! But it's not only me... another blogger, Eyelet Sage Studio, has also just recently discovered these marvels.

Joann will cut a sample of fabric for you from any bolt you wish. However, they will charge you for it. They cut a sample the entire length of the bolt, so you've got a length of fabric about 54" long and about 2-3" wide. Each will only cost you a few pennies, because they count this clipping as a fraction of a yard. But this project was totally worth the hassle! Sure, I had lots of long fabric scraps lying around my drafting table, and the pup didn't know what to think of the stinky glue I used, but the final product was precious.

All this project required was some cardstock, scissors, some glue, and the fabric scraps. I embellished the project by using the fancy MS punches for added character and a dab of cuteness. Inchmark also debated laminating her cards. She opted out, so as to not cover up the feeliness of the bright fabrics. I opted in, and just cut the hole with an xacto knite--not a perfect job, but it was alright, and the lamination should hold up a little better for Little Miss I Am Two.

First, I cut the cardstock into the size I needed for the cards. I wanted 16 cards total to create 8 card matches. This meant that I needed 32 pieces of cardstock cut. Then I punched the scallop-edged hole in the center of 16 of the cards (these were the fronts). After that, I punched the lacey edge onto all 32 cards. Zip on over to FedExKinkos to laminate the fronts and backs separately. Zipped back home, glued on the fabrics to the backs of the cards. Then I used my xacto knife to cut around the inside of the hole in the center of the front, where the fabric would be positioned. Glued the fronts to the backs, and trimmed around all the edges once everything dried. This all sounds kinda complicated, but it was actually quite simple, and very fun to create. Take a look at the final product! (I know, a few pictures to show exact steps to finishing the project would have been nice, but I was in a creating frenzy and couldn't bare to stop long enough.)

I set aside all the materials for a condensed overview of what materials the project involved.

This is the entire set, laid on the kitchen table upside down, ready for memory card turnover:

Found two!

And here are all the pretty colors of the rainbow:

Katie took a sweet little video of Katie Anne playing with the cards as flash cards. "Katie Anne, what color is this?" "Puh-ppl." "Good job!" My goodness she's getting big. We are so happy that Katie Anne had such a happy birthday, and I'm very glad that Katie Anne has already enjoyed her gifts!

My Dream Studio

Eyelet Sage Studio, a blog I like to look in on pretty frequently, just posted a question that really interested me. Because I recently took the Sproost Test online in addition to ranting and gushing over various design elements I hate and love, Eyelet's question perked my Interior Designer's interest: "What would your creative space look like?"



I would love to have an open, lofty feel like this room has. Clerestory windows along at least one wall, and full windows from those on down to the floor. Light pine trims framing a creamy white wall. Recessed and track lighting smartly illuminating a glossy cream colored ceiling, reflecting even more clean light on the space below.

Sure, I'd love to have the furniture that's pictured above, but I would still need room for the necessary creative outlets such as an easel for painting with oils, my drafting table for drawing up floor plans... or for painting watercolors... or for the new and cute little Brother, sewing up the next Sewing Green project.

I would add a wall of light pine cubby shelving, each hole fit with its own plastic tub (like the shelving Katie and Saunders got for Katie Anne), and fill them all with my yarn stash in order of the colors of the rainbow, starting with light pink and ending in lavender. I'd also use it to store current (as in, the last year or two only) magazines for inspiration. And art history, color theory, crafting instructional books. A vase of sunflowers, paperwhites, or irises. And maybe even some of my ceramics.

And, again, I'd definitely have to have a hand-knit, hand-felted rug in the space to make the bumpy, scratched, abused, reclaimed black-stained barn wood floors cozy and comfy.



I'd also like a section of a wall--like, 4'x6'--covered in a coarse cork to use as a built-in, tack-on idea board. (Yes, you can buy cork as wallpaper! Amazing, I know.) A shiny white lacquered frame built around it could make it a great focal point. Inspirational magazine clippings, restaurant napkin ideas, and torn-out journal entry thoughts. What else? Fabric swatches that inspire. Paint chips that make me happy. And plenty, plenty, plenty (!) of lists. And a calendar that I picked up on our latest weekend flyaway to Paris, of course, daaaah-ling.


Wouldn't a potter's wheel be perfect, tucked away in a dark corner? I don't know why it's a dark corner in my mind's eye, but I think it would tend to the concentration aspect of throwing pottery... along with a sweet Bose speaker system.

And, now that I'm thinking of it, I really think I have a novel idea here... just bare with me as I think it out, it's something I haven't considered before. I'm thinking of a gallery wall, just on the inside of the doorway to the studio. I'd display drawings, sketches, floorplans, paintings, and shadow boxes of 3-dimensional artwork as well as a few short display shelves... but I wouldn't just display finished works. I think it would be a great way to step back and re-evaluate works-in-progress as well. Ever seen how many unfinished works the great Renaissance masters had? And they're displayed in museums around the world. Why couldn't mine be on display in my own tidy little studio getaway? :)

These are the off-the-top-of-my-head thoughts for my ideal crafting/art making studio. Some day, I hope to have even a couple of these for myself! "What would your creative space look like?"

Razor Camisole

Toula is currently on hold. I know, CRY! There's a snag in the pattern, and I'm not really sure how to figure it out on my own without royally ruining the entire project. Right now she's in three pieces, pouting under the end table in the great room. A torso and two sleeves, just piled up and stuffed out of the way until I can be taught how to put her together properly. I'm leaving her alone until the maker of her pattern replies to my very long comment on her own blogspot. I tried emailing, but her box was full, so hopefully she'll check in on her blogspot before I go out of my mind with anticipation!

To hold me over until my work on Toula can be resumed, I took a short trip over to Joann and picked up some silk bamboo blend yarn I've been eyeing since I started Desert Rose at the beginning of 2009. I also picked up a new set of double pointed needles--the smallest I've worked with yet, a US size 1. The yarn is pretty small and so the needles needed to be small as well, so that the top won't be all hole-y and funny looking. The size 1s are really a lot tougher to work with and hold! Plus, Joann only carried a US size 1 in metal which I don't really care for (I prefer bamboo but also use plastic) because my knitting gauge is pretty slack and any loose loops just slip right off the slick metal. The naturally tidy ribbing in bamboo gives enough texture to hold the loops on nice and snug. I'm interested in trying out some ebony needles, too, some day. Gotta get this round-the-world collection of knitting needles started ASAP!

I'm pretty excited about this pattern because it's going to be easy to adjust from its size xs pattern... just add 12 stitches for each 2 inches I need for it to fit. I'm making the top pretty loose. As a silk-bamboo blend, the yarn has a beautiful pearly sheen and lazy drape to it, so I think it'd be pretty as a loose-fitting cami as long as there's a belt around my waist. It'll be pretty, cool, easy, and quick for the trip coming up!


This pattern came free from the web site I've raved about before, Ravelry.com which is an online knitting/crochet blog site. A lot of patterns are listed free of charge, which is nice. For some reason, I gravitate towards paying an artist for her pattern, so I usually pick patterns that cost a little something (the average price of a pattern is only about $3-$7 anyway). It's hard work to make a pretty piece, and I like the knitting artist to feel appreciated for sharing it with me. This camisole, however, was a free pattern and I'm glad I've got it to work on until Toula's emergency pattern surgery comes to thruition.

I'll probably just stick to "Razor Cami" for this one. And, no, this is obviously not me.

Restoration Innovation

This is so smart, I just had to share it with anyone who might find it interesting in the slightest... and I know some of you will!

click here.

One neighbor's trash...

Is another neighbor's treasure!

I noticed a set of four chairs in my neighbor's front yard this afternoon. They were on the corner of the property, along with boxes of trash and piles of bush and tree scraps, waiting to be towed off by the garbage truck. The seat of the armchair is split right down the center, about an inch. But that's easily remedied. I don't really have a plan for the three side chairs, but I have a feeling the armchair is destined to be my art table chair for ever more.


I'm having a tough time deciding--should these all be painted the same color? If so, I'm thinking definitely black lacquer. If not, what color? If they're a color other than black, will they all be the same color? Coordinating colors? Three black side chairs and a neon yellow armchair at the drafting table?


I got four free chairs today! Ha!Ha! I get to make them look however I want! Ha!Ha! (Actually, I shouldn't rub it in, or you'll recommend something ugly!)

My very own "Trisha Do" list

I've been shopping around and have found just a few projects I really want to accomplish this year. Most are, of course, knitting projects, but others involve other crafty endeavors. And some things are just things that I want, which will in turn lead to more projects to complete. I don't have any set timeline for finishing any of the projects, I just know that I've found quite a bit of new materials and inspirations and must chronicle them as they are checked off my list.

1) What started this was a simple internet search through a fantastic knitting "blog" site I am a member of - actually, I'm more of a silent stalker. I don't post there, haven't presented any projects there, but have found lots of great knits and have been very inspired. My very own Desert Rose was a pattern purchased from the site, so it's obviously a trustworthy place to shop around. Lots of knitters post at Ravelry.com and tell how easy or hard a project is, share their likes and dislikes about the patterns, and even offer their own custom changes to many knits. So, I found this summer sweater that I'm head-over-heels for, and absolutely must knit.

It's very me, with some white linen pants and yellow flats... for some reason. I followed links for search for the original pattern to the sweater and found myself at this site where the pattern is located. Along with the pattern to the sweater I was originally searching for, I also fell in love with at least half the other pieces and have decided that this book is most definitely number one on my list of things to do this year.

2) Not only am I a silent stalker on Ravelry, but my Ravelry silent stalking was a spill-over effect from the same silent stalking practices here on blogger.com. I know, I know. I have been embarrassed to actually click the "follow" button on so many blogs, I have just bookmarked them and check them as often as I read up on my regularly "followed" blogs. One of these blogs was a recent find, and I am so obsessively all about backtracking and reading up on every single one of her knits! She knits a lot, and for her little baby girl niece as well as her two yorkie pups. And for herself, of course. As I was backtracking and looking at older posts of hers, I came upon this post with these:

My house will be littered with these... in jars, on shelves, in bowls... for the rest of my life, and you can count on that. I. Must. Make. These.

3) I want a special, nice, light birch or golden olive wood box to hold handwritten recipes. I want special recipe cards with embossed corners and my monogram in block letters centered at the top. It'll have its very own shelf in the kitchen, open without doors for easy access... but will be reserved for my hands only, and only for special occasions. I have no idea where this idea came from, but my mom has a special recipe box she refers to on only the most sacred of recipes - tea cookies, peanut butter cookies, pie crust, Christmas coffee cake. Some of the recipe cards are barely legible because they've been handled and used so many times, buttery fingers have moved them aside, flour has dashed across them. I want my own! In a very special box. On very special cards. Reserved for the very specialest of special recipes. And favorite recipes. I want holiday recipes and birthday cake recipes and old family recipes. I want to collect the recipes of those who are close and special to me, too. They'd all go in the box. Where will I find this box? Or, should I have this box made for me?

4) I need to have one of these rugs in my own home. I am in love. Wouldn't this one be perfect, simply butted up against an L-shaped sectional in a sort of nude-gray oyster color?

5) Knit a pair of socks in my size.

6) Knit a pair of house slippers.


7) Be a better player on this site.

8) Find someone who loves this hootin' sweater enough for me to make it for them, enough to wear it with pride and show it off exactly how it deserves to be shown. I love it, but I just can't see myself wearing it for some reason.


9) I want to organize my yarns, according to fiber, color, etc. in an open-front-open-back divided shelf like this one:


10) Figure out how the heck to make this bag for a few special ladies before 6 weeks have passed. Any help here?!?!!??

Where for art thou, green carnations?

Let's just say, I'm glad I wasn't holding my breath! It's now Sunday, and here are my results for the St. Patty's Day green carnations:


There's an overall vaguely green tint to everything, but nothing is really green. I have been holding out, waiting for a definite result, but nothing has really happened. The lavender, on the other hand, has taken well to the dyed water, and has a purpley-green color now. My mom suggested cutting the carnations one more time, and maybe even smashing up the stems a little bit on the cut end, to open them up even more to the water. I'll give that a try and try to keep you updated.

St. Patty's Day project

Carlton flew out of Sky Harbor this morning for a quick trip to Georgia. There's an interview at a company in Marietta that he's really interested in, and that's scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30. New suit? Check. New shirt and tie? Check. Lots of studying? Absolutely. So say your prayers, peeps!

I'm off work all day today, and have decided to make it a lazy day immersed in crafts and other fun projects. Nothing big or busy, just a little lazy fun. As I was watching Martha this morning I was entranced by some naturally spring green carnations she was building into a shamrock shaped arrangement and decided I wanted some green carnations for myself. Of course, those that grow green naturally are probably only found at lavish flower shops and specialty markets, and all I've got is a dinky grocery store floral section to choose from. That'll do; I'll just make my own.

Select a container first. I couldn't shy away from one of my favorites, a crystal wedding gift we received from some very generous neighbors. I use it regularly on the painted brick fireplace mantle, and love the contrast between the intricate glass and choppy white brick.



Fill the vase with water and flower food as well as a generous amount of green food coloring. I added some yellow into mine as well, to hopefully get more yellowy-green petals. I just don't like the plain green that food coloring gives you.



Pull a few unsuspecting plants from outside - fragrant lavender will be a nice compliment to the scent that the carnations put out, and any purple I can get is sweeeet! Some buds from the pomegranate bush for a bright pop of neon orange in the front, plus they'll bloom in a few days and be gorgeous with the green flowers. And some fat leaves from our bird of paradise plants that have yet to put out a bloom since we moved in, to fill in a bit of empty space in the back, and to push everything forward.



I've heard carnations will begin to show the food coloring as early as an hour in the colored water, so I'm going to try to keep an eye on them during the day and see how they react. Here they are at 12:30:


And again at 1:50, no visible changes yet. But stay tuned for more updates!


FINALLY! Below is the first inkling of green creeping up into these flowers, at 6:45 tonight!!!


Next projects on the list:

- finish my sundress for the cruise
- start Sister's sundress (at least cut the pattern)
- try to find something interesting to use my new kitchen rags for (you can see the edge of one of them in my "selection of vase" picture above)
- work on my Toula a bit more
- think of what I want to eat while Carlton's not here for a couple days (he limits my menu!)

My very first blocking experience

Well, it's official: Desert Rose is finished! The waist - which I mentioned before - was a bit snug, and has been let out about 2 inches and works perfectly now. The neckline has been finished with a short ribbed pattern to match the sleeves and waistline.

To 100% finish a knitted piece of work, I have taught myself by watching some fantastic videos on YouTube. I learned how to knit in the round (a tube-shaped piece by using either two needles connected by a plastic wire, or using three or more needles with points on both sides), and I have learned how to make multiple other stitches in order to knit just about any lace pattern I could come across. The very last step to knitting anything is often skipped - as I have done on every scarf I ever made. Blocking, which I mentioned here, includes two steps - a light wash, and a stretching dry.

Here, I am washing the sweater in warm water with Vespa's lavender-scented pup shampoo. It's very mild, basically like a baby shampoo, so I figured this should work as well as those expensive soaps made specifically for the blocking process. Look at the water! It turned a funky plum color as I washed the sweater. I was expecting a small amount of color to leak from the yarn, but not this much!




Finally, after gently squeezing as much water from the sweater as I could without wringing (and misshaping) it, I laid an old blanket on the mattress in our guest bedroom to keep the mattress from turning purple or pink and began the backache of stretching and pinning the sweater, all the way around. One pin for every inch. Whew! It seemed to take forever. It stays here until the sweater is completely dry.



Blocking teaches the fibers to cling to each other, wrap around each other, and hold their shape much better than they would otherwise, so I'm happy to do this each time the sweater is washed to ensure a long and happy life. Hopefully Desert Rose will be dry by tomorrow and I will be able to model her for you!

A birthday (and getting started on my Toula)

Carlton's 26th birthday was two days ago, on Friday. Since we're trying to save up all the spare moo-lah we can for our spectacular upcoming European Cruise Sensation, we kept the birthday boy's spending pretty modest this year.

We started off the day with a trip to Mesa (about 25 minutes each way) for a delicious and indulgent breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Carlton ordered some biscuits and sausage, scrambled eggs, and hash browns. Oh, and a pancake, because he wanted "dessert." I ordered the Old Timer's Breakfast, with biscuits and gravy, grits, eggs, bacon, and hash brown casserole. Needless to say, we were full as ticks! Of course nobody can finish that much food, but we ordered it anyway and enjoyed every bite we could eat.

Once we got home, all I wanted to do was get started on my next knitting project. That's right! I FINALLY got finished with the baby blanket. Wow, that thing was starting to take a little bit of my soul each day that it endured its unfinishedness. I started wondering if I had actually started knitting my very own black hole, because after about midway through, it never really seemed to grow anymore. Well, I also FINALLY got to get started on my previously-announced next project, the tulip cardigan. Knitting is sweet again.

Since we had made plans for later in the evening, we opted to take the afternoon to just hang out (and digest our breakfast). It was a gorgeous day outside - about 80 degrees and clear skies with a calm and cool breeze, and Vespa was out patrolling the yard. No birds DARE land on her lawn, lest they wish to gamble their very lives! (Oh, whatever. I spent plenty of time Friday afternoon studying her stalking and pouncing techniques, and let me tell ya, the only bird she'll ever have the chance of catching is a stupid quail.) So, yeah, back to the beautiful afternoon. It was so pretty outside that I brought my knitting along with me and sat in the shade on the patio and knitted while Carlton opted to sit in the sun on Puppa's outdoor bed and read a new magazine. What a nice afternoon.

Then later on that night we had tickets to The Comedy Spot in downtown Scottsdale and made sure we had enough time before our 8:00 show to have a nice bite to eat at Stax. I got the tiny little sloppy joes (sooooo good!), and Carlton enjoyed a turkey burger and a beef burger. As always, that was delicious. The comedy club was just a few blocks down, and we still got there early enough to get a great parking place NOT run by valets, and enjoyed the show which got over at 10:00.

{Since Carlton never really got a cake for this birthday (other than his pancake at breakfast), which I'm having horrible guilt over, I'm hoping to take him over to Sprinkles for a special treat this afternoon.}

Happy (late) Birthday Carlton!

Lilly is here!

Cynthia from AYW (work) went into labor yesterday! This means that I must, must, MUST finish this baby blanket I've been working on so diligently. I'm soooooo over this solid lavender color, and must say, I'll be glad to give this one as a little gift to the new mommy and baby girl! I'm considering even knitting a little knitted head wrap with a huge flower on it in some of the yarn remnants to coordinate with the blanket. That would definitely make for an adorable duo on a new baby girl, I must say! I'll hopefully get to see Cynthia and the new baby Lilly in a week or so.

This blanket, I feel, is the most boring and monotonous piece I've ever worked on, including all my simple scarves. It's just so... blah. Very useful for her, very blah for me to make.

Most of all, I have about 4 projects ready and rooooooarrrrrring to go!, but just can't seem to finish this blanket. And I've promised myself to finish the blanket before I indulge myself once more.

Just gotta push through these last few lines of K2, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K1, YO, K2tog, K to end of row, repeat. Oh, this got old soooooo long ago! My eyes have officially crossed. Permanently.

But Little Vespa seems to like it just fine.

Sweet Delivery!

Today a special package was delivered to our front door - a gift from Katie Anne! To Carlton, me, and "Puppa," this package was filled with candies made by a very special, thoughtful, and sweeeeeeet little girl!

I immediately brought the box inside after the doorbell rang (*delivery!*), and opened it right away. Heart-shaped chocolate candies for Carlton and me, and special homemade chocolate-dipped doggy treats for the little one all exploded from the box! A cute little embellished picture of Katie Anne said a nice little "Happy Valentine's Day" and I even got a special baggy of my very own! I opened it up and - low and behold - it's a handmade piece of art from KA! A little purple glittery pin I can wear to brighten my own day and those who get to see me on V-Day. Of course any homemade, handmade gift is glamor-fied by cellophane wrapping! But I must admit, one of my most favorite details was the cute ribbon that the ladies selected to tie everything up so neatly. Very posh!

Puppa immediately took a treat, carried it over to a pile of towels I was folding in the living room, and broke it up into *her* bitesize pieces. Then she pulled off a

funny little trick!

Vespa took the chocolate-dipped half of her first treat outside so I couldn't get to it!

Thanks Katie Anne and Mommy Katie for sending such a special gift! This definitely brightened our day!!!

Tulip Cardigan

Desert Rose is currently 95% finished. The neckline needs a K2P1 border like the sleeves and waist already have, and the finished waist needs to be let out a bit... and I need to think for a while on how I can actually do that. Then comes the blocking, and voila! Desert Rose will be ready for the streets. I wore the sweater for about an hour last night and she was quite comfortable, I must say. I don't want to post any pictures yet, at least not until the neckline is finished and blocking begins.

Today after work I began shopping around for a new project, and found one that's perfect for me!

Tulip Cardigan, thanks to The Smith Island Pattern Factory:

She's my new muse. For some reason, I think this one should be named Toula the Tulip Cardigan. It reminds me of the sweet cardigans that Toula would wear in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, after she gave herself the make-over. It looks slightly second-hand store, slightly Urban Outfitters, totally handmade.

To keep this sweater more wearable around more of the seasons, I'm going to knit only 3/4 length sleeves instead of full-length, and I'm using a cotton yarn in lieu of wool. Lion Brand's Cotton Ease feels really nice and has an easy elasticity to it, which will be nice in the spring, or well, whenever, really. The main color will be the lime/kiwi green, around the shoulders will be cream, vines/hearts will be light/dark indigos, and the terracotta color will be the tulips. I'm glad that the colors are a little more muted and softer than the original pattern calls for - I don't think I've been in the mood for bright colors lately. Anyway, here's to a new sweet sweater!

Knitting and Committing

I've been working extra hard and extra quick to make sure I finished one thing that I reeee-hee-heeally want to make a tradition of: knitting stockings each year for the fireplace mantle. I started learning the process of "knitting in-the-round" last year before Christmas, but just couldn't wrap my brain around it. It finally stuck this year. I have just finished both mine and Carlton's, and I am sooooo proud of myself! I am now working on a miniature striped version for Vespa. Here are the results!!!




Since our embarrassing trip to PetSmart, there have been one or two other "situations" with Vespa that finally convinced Carlton that we needed to enroll Vespa in a doggie training class. (I had wanted this since the PetSmart situation, but Carlton convinced me that we could work on it ourselves, until he took her for a walk and she encountered the next door golden retriever. Then he was ready to make a small investment in training/rehabilitation classes.)

Vespa was enrolled in a group class that was supposed to start Wednesday night at 6:30. Before bringing her into the store for class, I called to check and see if I needed to bring in anything at all: a certain leash, treats, etc. Turns out, due to the holidays, Vespa was the only pup enrolled in her class. The instructor and I talked for about an hour over the phone, and she talked me in to private lessons... with Vespa enrolled in the "class," she was limited to a specific curriculum, one which she wasn't really in need of. By enrolling in private classes, the instructor can work with both of us on her specific needs, and teach me how to handle her when she starts to get out of control. Unfortunately, Vespa didn't ever get out of control last night, so Trainer Lana, who uses the exact techniques as Cesar the Dog Whisperer, didn't get to experience the horror... or correct it. I did learn lots of great techniques and a few sure-fire commands that Vespa is very responsive to. Leash walking and encounters with other dogs in the store went well over all! She was very shy and submissive, and didn't really want to be anywhere except under my feet. We'll work on that! I'm totally, 100% committed to making this work. She's going to be chill and proud of herself in no time!