Lilikoi Knits... and eats

Warning.... Actual Knitting Content Ahead

2009-08-02T13:09:00.002-10:00

I have two whole finished objects to report! And not dinky little hats or something, but two whole sweaters! And, there's new hair too!!!

First up is my Garter Yoke, which has been done for ages, but I finally found a time when: (1)it was cool enough to not risk heat stroke by wearing on an alpaca and wool sweater; (2) not raining; (3)there was a willing photographer around; and(4) my landlady wasn't home so we could have free reign of the property.

Pattern: Garter Yoke Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre (Knit.1, Fall/Winter 2008/ Vogue Website)
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Lana D'Oro, Color 206. I used exactly 9 skeins.
Needles: Size 6 Clover Bamboo
Start/End Dates: January 21 2009 to April 2009

Over all, I'm pretty happy with this (which I guess is my first finished sweater). I like the pattern, but there'd be a few changes if I made it again: (1) I'd cast on fewer stitches at the start to make the neck not as wide (the pattern is a bit strange in that all sizes call for casting on the same amount of stitches); (2) short rows for bust shaping; (3) I modified it to have sleeve shaping, which was a good idea, but I think I made them a bit too small (well, other than the neck, pretty much the whole sweater is a bit too small).

But, overall, it is a great pattern, and it could be a very fast knit (I purl slow, so that went a little slow). Highly recommended!!!

Next up is my Liesl, the eleven day sweater (which I could have finished in a week if I'd tried and hadn't taken a few days off in the middle).

Pattern: Liesl by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Araucania Nature Cotton, colorway 11. I used all of the 4 skeins I had.
Needles: Size 10.5 Denise (using magic loop for the sleeves).
Start/End Dates: July 19-30, 2009

I made the high neck version, and ended up not putting in any button holes, and I’m happy to just wear it as an open sweater (if I wanted it closed I think I’d go up a size). I know some people have had problems with the sleeves, so I was really careful to think about which direction to go as I picked up the underarm stitches and proceed carefully; I had no issues with that.

However, as you can see, it is a bit short. I'm hoping it will stretch out a bit, as cotton has the tendency to do. But I'm afraid it maybe the Murphy's Law of yarn behavior, that the one time you want cotton to stretch, it won't. I really liked working with the yarn, but it does shed a lot. When I started this project I’d already tried to use the yarn for two failed Ballet T Shirts, so it had been frogged twice already, it seems to have held up pretty well, but I’m going to reserve final judgment until it has been washed/worn a few times to see if there are piling issues.

Overall, I love this pattern, and I'm pretty sure I'll be making a few more. The pattern is well written and easy to memorize and fast. But best of all, it's great for Hawaii's climate, and a great stash buster.

I'm trying to resist the urge to cast on for something new, and trying to finish up the Lotus Blossom Tank, and maybe even the Biker Jacket (it is so close), before I start anything new. But this is a happy post, talking about the rarely seen actual finished object, so I'm not going to get into that.

Magazine Previews

2009-07-23T17:06:00.003-10:00

I have no new finished objects to actually show off (there are a few, but no pictures), and the list of WIP keeps growing, but I thought I'd pop in to mention the new previews that are up for Interweave Knits Fall 2009 and Knitscene Fall 2009.

There are a few promising looking patterns, but my favorite is the Farmer’s Market Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio. It is a wonderful balance of basic, but not boring and comfortable looking with out being frumpy. The only other one that really stands out as something I'm interested in (though that always changes) is Rosamund’s Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz, though I think I'd go for a less fuzzy yarn and maybe longer sleeves. A few of my other favorites, though probably not things I'd knit (for a variety of reasons) are: Barcelona Jacket, French Braid Pullover, Trellis and Vine Pullover.

Knitscene isn't looking quite as promising, and a lot of the patterns look really unflattering on the models. There's nothing I'll be rushing to cast on for, but a few of my faves are: Carnaby Street Pullover by Melissa Wehrle (cute, but might not be the most flattering on me probably not appropriate for the climate here; Hollywood Herringbone Pullover by Kate Gagnon (I've been waiting for this pattern to be published, but not really sure why as I doubt I'll ever knit it, but I really like it); New Motorbike Jacket by Rebecca Daniels (mostly because I'm a sucker for asymetrical openings, see Carnaby Street Pullover and Rosamund’s Cardigan above, and I guess the Hollywood Herringbone counts too... wow, I'm predictable).

Mostly, the Fall issues make me a bit jealous of people who live in climates where wool sweaters are more useful. But I really shouldn't complain, and I have to remember the places here that go crazy with the AC, and that I might find some use for these. Right now Farmer's Market is looking the most promising, but we'll see how that goes, one of the wonderful things about Ravelry is the easy ability to see how others have reinterpreted patterns to make them better or more appropriate for my body/life (case in point, finding out that the Lotus Blossom Tank actually looks great when it fits the wearer).

And, for a totally non-knitting aspect, here's a preview of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, coming March of 2010.

Even though I'm having some issues with the vision (like how old Alice looks), I'm super excited. (And if that video gets taken down, try here.)

How I've been spending my time

2009-06-11T12:58:00.002-10:00

In case you haven't figured out from the last few posts, I've been kinda focused more on sewing and food lately. Still knitting, but I'm enjoying the libraries selection of food and sewing books. Here's my current stack, which is a great indicator of how I've been spending my time:

And, here are pictures of yesterday's bread. It was pretty good, but I still really want to work on getting the open, loose crumb (like this). I think the bread may have been a bit over-proofed (which also may have contributed to the lack of oven spring), and maybe not wet enough. The recipe is the San Fransisco Sourdough from Crust & Crumb (though I halved it).

Here is a picture just out of the oven, and you can seen the lack of oven spring as the slashes barely spread during baking.

And here is the crumb (second day). Nice and even, and the loaf was yummy, but I'm still trying to achieve the elusive open crumb.

A few of the Critters of Nu'uanu

2009-06-10T11:08:00.006-10:00

The TV is currently broken, which one would think might increase productivity, but when it comes to knitting, the productivity has actually gone down as most of my knitting was done while watching TV. Currently I can still watch TV on my old 13 inch laptop, or netflix instant on the new 15.5 inch widescreen, but neither are as conducive to knitting as the real TV. I'm still making progress on the WIPs (and one new project which just needs to be felted), but nothing major to report yet. Actually, the Garter Yoke is done, and has even made an appearance at Aloha Knitters, but it has just been too hot to put on an alpaca and wool sweater for pictures.

Instead I've been working more on other projects, including some sewing and more baking and reading. In fact I'm currently waiting for the most recent loaf of sourdough to cool enough to slice.* So, while I wait I thought I'd share some recent pictures of the interesting and/or cute creatures I've been encountering here (and I'll leave out the not so fun encounters I've had). Sorry that some of the pictures aren't great, some were taking quickly and with the only available camera, my phone.

First up are the pair (or sometimes trio) of ducks that seem to have taken up residence in the neighborhood. Upon research I'm pretty sure they are a hybrid of the Hawaiian Duck (koloa maoli) and Mallards. Unfortunately, the Mallards are an invasive species which has interbred with the native duck to the point where there are almost no ducks left that aren't hybrids (except on Kaua'i). And, what is even sadder is that it seems the hybrids are less adapted to the local ecosystem (so much for hybrid vigor).

One of the most vibrant animals we see are these Gold Dust Day Geckos, just like the Geico gecko. Another invasive species, and they appear to be rather localized as friends who live less than 1/2 mile down the valley don't have them.
Here is one hiding in the light outside our front door.

And this guy was being very cute, poking his head up from between the boards.

Not so vibrant, but these walking sticks are just such interesting creatures. While they move slow, which allowed me to get a better camera, I had a hard time photographing it to show the size and also the features.

Last, but not least is the one animal no one thinks we have here: the blind snake. Yep, Hawaii has snakes, but they are tiny and blind. This one was dead (or doing a really good job of playing possum), and pretty big.

And, since we are talking about animals, I thought I'd share this great flickr group I just found: the Ask a Bishop Museum Scientist. You can upload photos and a Bishop Museum scientist will try to identify the plant or animal (unfortunately, due to funding cuts, it seems they are limited in how much they can do).

Oh, and in actual knitting related blogging.... new knitty!! I haven't had time to puruse fully, but looks promising. I'm particularly intrigued by Tridactyl and the crab is adorable.

*Okay, I'm not really still waiting now. But I was when I wrote this and then I had a lot of trouble getting the last photo off my phone, so it took a while to finish this. And, to report: the bread was pretty much a success, yummy, but I didn't get enough oven spring and am still having trouble achieving the open crumb I want.

Adventures in Baking: Sourdough Buns & No-Knead Bread

2009-05-28T11:56:00.005-10:00

I have to wonder at what point one's partner becomes concerned that a new interest may have gone too far. I'm not sure exactly where that line is in knitting, or on which side of it I sit (though my husband may have something to say about that). However, I think I came close to that line on Monday with regards to the renewed sourdough baking interest.

So far I've been focused on bread, with brief forays into pizza dough to use up the discarded starter. But Monday I decided to try making hamburger buns. To the non-baker I'm sure this sounds similar to how the idea of making socks sounds to a non-knitter ("You know, you can buy a pack of those at WalMart for a few bucks?"). But, just like socks, the handmade ones are worth the effort (and the effort was a lot less than socks. And, unlike socks, these were very close to the same price as the ones you'd get at the store, but much better.

I used this recipe with a few slight modifications: I used whole wheat flour for about 1 cup, I used 1 cup starter and 1 cup discarded starter (because I didn't have enough fresh starter) and I used vegetable oil instead of butter (because it was there, but the butter probably would have given better flavor). I also brushed them with an egg wash and sprinkled sesame seeds on most of them before baking. Here are a few photos of the process:

I used a small springform pan to cut out the rings, this is just after I cut them, but before they rose. I thought I got pictures after the rise but before the oven, but I guess not.

I probably crowded this pan a bit (this is not the one above), and then as they rose they smooshed together a bit as they rose, but still good.

The final product, Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki (with the Greek salad hiding in the back)

I also made a loaf of no-knead sourdough bread that day and it wasn't a total success. I followed a recipe that had me do the last rise in the dutch oven, and it spread out a lot so I ended up with a flat disk of bread instead of a beautiful boule.

I also burnt it a bit around the edges (I think the oven was too hot). Both of these things made it very hard to get out, luckily I'd put parchment of the bottom, but the sides were stuck very well and I didn't want to scrape the pot so i had to use a plastic bowl scraper. But the flavor was good (very sour) and the crumb was good, just need to revise the prooving/shaping methods.

Still Tinkering

2009-05-01T01:34:00.004-10:00

I've been trying to make to columns here wider (which one would think blogger would make easy). Luckily I've managed to find good instructions here, but it will take a while to work out the kinks so bear with me as things may be a little messy for a bit.

Cupcakes for the Grown-up Set

2009-05-01T00:01:00.003-10:00

My blogging MO seems to be a spurt of posts and then silence. Really I have no excuses other than laziness. And I've even had a decent amount to blog about in terms of both knitting and cooking.

On the cooking front the big one is that I'm getting back into more baking including recently sourdough bread (which will hopefully get its own post). The first up was an attempt to use a ton of limes I had (from a semi-failed attempt to make Cochinita Pibil, which I'll blog about if I ever make a version that is worth writing home about). I had the limes, and felt like baking something sweet, so my mind drifted to the good things I'd heard about the Margarita Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Now, I'm not vegan, and I'm not even a huge fan of tequila, but the idea of vegan margarita cupcakes just warms my heart. So, after a quick google search I found the recipe here.

I ended up making a double recipe, because there were supposed to be 11 people at the dinner and 12 cupcakes for 11 people just seemed wrong. I thought about making 1 1/2 of the recipe (and because there were no eggs, it would have been really easy to do so), but figured that more cupcakes was better than more math. I'm very happy with the decision to double the recipe.

The cupcakes were a big success, the perfect grown-up cupcake. The flavor of the lime and tequila came through so well, but it wasn't overpowering at all. While the cupcakes were a little dense, it was more that they were just very moist (which is a good thing in my book), not dense in a bad way.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the greatest pictures, but here are a few. I tried to do the rimming with green sugar, but it was really messy. I think it would be better with a coarser sugar instead of the sprinkles I had.

I wanted to find little lime candies, but wasn't able to find them last minute (and on Easter Sunday), so I decided to candy some limes for a little extra decoration. They didn't turn out as pretty (or tasty) as I hoped, but they were a cute addition.

I followed the recipe, but used butter for the frosting. I'm not sure if it was because of that, or something else, but the frosting was not as thick as I would have liked, even after adding more sugar than called for (and it was getting rather sweet). Next time (and there will be a next time, these were so good) I'll try to do something to make the frosting a bit thicker.

Really, all I have to say about these is yum. They were just so good. But, if you are looking for other excuses to bake with booze, I also recommend this recipe for Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake which I made last year into a pirate cake pan for my FIL's 60th birthday. The picture is not the greatest, I forgot my camera and and to rely on others.

Excursions in Stash Busting

2009-03-16T15:41:00.004-10:00

I'm really trying to knit only from my stash. It helps with the wallet and helps with the space issues in the apartment. But, one of the side effects is that I they buy patterns to work with stash yarn.

I've been spending a lot of time looking at the photos of my stash on Ravelry, trying to find inspiration. A lot of the yarns that haunt me are variegated yarns I bought, but now can't find something to make them into. Some were bought we I first started knitting, but for many there just isn't an excuse.

One of these is some Berocco Calico that I bought at Stitches from the Heart (okay, maybe my excuse is that it was for charity). I've been searching for something to make with the Calico and I keep coming back to Pismo. It is one of the few patterns I was able to find which (1) looked good in the yarn, (2) was something I might actually wear, and (3) was something I have enough yarn.

I wasn't planning on buying the booklet now, but just wanted to see if it was out there and how much. However, with the assistance of the ever helpful Google, I was able to find it at The Knitting Zone for $2.99 (regular price $6.00). Turns out they are reducing most of their inventory to focus on wholesale distribution on Hiya Hiya needles, and their patterns (other than downloads) were all marked down tremendously.

I have a hard time passing up sales, and a hard time paying shipping on one small item, so, after some browsing, I was able to find a few more patterns that I "needed." But I was good and resisted the yarn. Over all, I got 6 patterns/booklets/magazines for under $30. The shipping wasn't cheap, at over $11, but still it was a great deal. And the shipping was so fast, I put in my order late Thursday night (Friday for most of the country) and the package arrived today. Here's what I got:

FiberTrends:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/felt-bird-houses-222, Felt Alpacas and Llamas (207), Gotta get a Gecko (233), and Felt Koala(205)

Other:

Berroco Booklet #241, Berroco Booklet #278, Rebecca #31

And, just to show that I actually have been doing some knitting, here are the baby socks I just knit. The pattern is the Little Sky Learning Sock from Cat Bordhi, and I can't wait to try the technique on a sock for me. I used some Cascade Cotton Rich that I had one skein of in my stash (that I think may have come from a swap). It probably wasn't the best yarn for this, as it wasn't very stretchy which made some of the decreases and other techniques a hassle, but it was just sitting there and since the intended baby (no, not mine!) is here in Hawaii, the cotton seemed appropriate.

I think I'm going to start the Felted Koala, also using stash yarn, to give with the socks. Hopefully I can get one done by this weekend when the baby shower is.

Companion Cube!

2009-03-11T12:45:00.005-10:00

Last week at Aloha Knitters meeting Kai asked how many of us had knitting blogs, and almost everyone's hand went up. I followed up and asked how many have actually updated in the last few weeks.... significantly less hands in the air.

So, here's my little update on my most recent FO: The Knitted Companion Cube.

For a few weeks last year the husband (who is currently on my shit list, but that's another story) was obsessed with the video game Portal.

Now, I've never knit anything for my husband. I keep threatening argyle sweater vests (for some reason, he hates argyle), but living in Hawaii he doesn't really need any of the things he'd actually appreciate (hat/gloves/sweater). So, I was rather excited when I saw a pattern based on one of the elements (characters?) in the game: the Companion Cube. I thought about it for Christmas, but was bogged down in other knitting, and couldn't locally find a light gray wool (I hat the other colors in my stash). But, on our trip to Maui I found a light gray Cascade 220 at Ben Franklin (why they had the color when none of the Oahu ones do is unknown).

So, I decided it would be a perfect Valentine's Day gift... a cube for my companion.

This was the first time I'd done fair isle with long floats, and I'm not sure if I did them totally right, as the floats show through a bit. Here are a few in-progress shots:

Of course, I was late getting started on it, and started about 10 days before v-day, but I was making good progress despite not being able to work on it while he was home. On the morning of valentines day I had about 5 more rounds to go before finishing the knitting. I was working on getting those done when I snapped the cable of the needle right at the join. Luckily I didn't drop any stitches. And I had another circular in the same size; however, it was shorter and the stitches barely fit which made the knitting very slow. But I got the knitting done, and started the blocking. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the blocking, but I set wrapped it around a pop-up sweater dryer, pined the edges down and set two fans blowing on it. I left it there for a while and went out to Wal-Mart to buy the foam for inside.

Here it is once it was blocked:

Sorry for the bad lighting, but it was night by this time and I wanted to get a picture of this stage.

Next up was the steeking. This was the first time I've ever done steeking, and I feel like this is the one technique knitters can legitimately be afraid of. All other techniques (other than felting) can be undone, you can always frog and start again. But with steeking, once it is cut, there's no going back. So I pulled out the sewing machine, and started.

After I'd sewn the reinforcement, there was nothing left to do but cut. I took a deep breath and cut; I wasn't really afraid it would unravel (the wool was tight and grabby, and the stitching gave extra confidence), but it was still nerve wracking. But I did it, and then suddenly I had transformed a tube of knitting into six squares of knitting. In the rush I missed getting pictures of the sides cut out.

Next up was the seaming, which isn't something I have a ton of practice with. I brushed up with a few books and got to work. It was about 9pm now, with the husband due home a little after 10pm. He got home when I had one and a half edges left to seam up, so I had to hide in the bedroom for about 10 minutes to finish.

Over all, the recipient was very happy, which made it all worthwhile. If I had to do it over again I'm not sure I'd knit all 6 squares in one round; instead I think I'd do the four sides together (skipping the steeking and therefore without knitting the gutters, but maybe a twist slip stitch or something at each edge) and then the top and bottom separate. I though the seams would add some structural integrity, but instead they just add bulk on the inside (especially at the corners) and aren't really that necessary. But hey, I conquered steeks!!! I'm now thinking about using them a lot more because I like cardigans, but don't really like purling.

The Exponentially Expanding List of WIP

2009-02-10T23:28:00.010-10:00

I've lost count of how many new knitting projects I've started since the beginning of the year. But I can quickly tell you how many I've finished: zero! Here are my pathetic excuses:

First up was Arbor , which after 20 or so rounds (at 270+ stiches each) I was able to try on and it's way too big. So, that needs to be frogged and re-started at a smaller size.

I think the next was a swatch for the Minimalist Cardigan . I've decided I need smaller needles, and I think I'd prefer using metal needles, so I'm waiting on an order from Knit Picks. But I'm still not sure I have the right yarn for it; I'm trying to use a silk, but I think that a wool/wool blend would be better. I'm also debating if I want try knitting this continental, the advantage of this would be much faster (eventually) with the seed stitch. The disadvantage is that I'm still very slow in continental, and I think my gauge may change as I get better.

After setting aside the Minimalist, I decided to try swatching for the Dollar and a Half Cardigan . I'm having some issues reading/understanding the pattern, and I was getting frustrated with all these false starts.

So, I decided to start a third cardigan attempt. Third time's a charm, right? This time I went with something simple, the Garter Yoke Cardigan from the most recent Knit 1 (I would link to their website, but it is really bad, and there's no way to link to that pattern, or even any thing more than a photo of the pattern, not even the name). I think this might be the first time I've ever started a pattern from the current issue of a magazine, I might even finish this while it is still on the newsstands. I'm using a gorgeous color of Lana D'Oro that has been in my stash for years; I'd tried to use it for a Sunrise Circle Jacket, but I think this is a much better use for it.

So far, I'm progressing very well, and I'm almost to the point where I need to increase at the end of the waist shaping (this isn't a current picture). I've made a few modifications (one on purpose, one by slightly mis-reading the pattern a little). It has been just the kind of, power-through it knitting I've needed. I'm really looking forward to the sleeves, however, because I my wrists and all the purling aren't getting along great.

But, despite the progress I'm making, I've set it aside for yet another project because there is a deadline to this one. I'm not going to reveal details yet, just a WIP photo, but hopefully this will be done in time to gift it to the husband for valentines day. This will be the first thing I've ever knit him, and it will also involve a technique I've never used before.

While I'm not knitting it in front of him, it has been sitting on our couch for the last week, he hasn't once asked about it. But I'm chugging along, and about 2/3 of the way done with the knitting. Considering it took me 3 days to get this far, I think I can have it done by v-day; it may still be a little wet, but hopefully it will be done!

PS- I decided to check my projects page on Ravelry, just to make sure I hadn't forgotten any other projects I might have started this year. Yep, there was one. One that might get it's own post someday if it ever grows up into a full-fledged, wearable item.

Gift-Mas Recap.... Better late than never

2009-01-18T15:45:00.002-10:00

I did an amazing thing this year, and actually had all my Christmas gifts finished on time. In the last few weeks I did scrap one or two projects, but everyone who I planned to give a knitted gift to got at least one.

Center Squares
I made five of these hats. First up were a trio of Center Square hats for my mother-in-law and two youngest sister-in-laws (age 9 and 14). I also made two more for a husband and wife.

Pattern: Center Square
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash; each hat used less than 1/2 of the ball of each color.
Notes: These are really quick, about 3 hours each. I really like the pattern, and it was my first attempt at color work. Very fast and fun. I highly recomend it as an introduction to fair isle knitting. I did a bit more ribbing than called for in the pattern and changed the decreases, making a rounder top with the spiral decreases. The small one (purple and teal is) the same amount of stitches, but I used spiral needles. Also, as others have noted, this yarn grow a lot when washed, though it seemed to shrink back mostly if dried in the dryer.

Pony Tail Hat

Pattern: This is mostly the Hannah Hat, but, inspired by the Robin's Egg Blue Hat I made the border in seed stitch and only used one button.
Yarn: Noro Kochoran, less than one ball.
Recipient: Oldest Sister-in-law
Notes: Fun pattern and idea. The yarn is really fuzzy and I'd end up covered in the fuzz. This would have been quick, but it took a few attempts to work out the gauge issues and figure out the decreases.

Pirate Captain

Pattern: Pirate Captain Doll (non-ravelry link)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool and Elann Highland Wool (shirt)
Notes: I'm not sure if I'm really done with this. I'd like to get better fabric (instead of the ribbon shown in the picture), and I bought more beads but then couldn't find them in the mess of my apartment. The pattern directions weren't always clear on how to do the finishing sewing, but I was able to figure it out and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Stow-Away Shopping Bag

Pattern: Stow-Away Shopping Bag, Out Couture AC 306, purchased at Isle Knits.
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton (turquoise), Lily Sugar and Creme (ombre and orange)
Notes: I made this a little longer than the pattern called for and made the straps thicker, and I think that made it a bit tight in the pocket. This was an easy pattern, and one I'll be using again. I might hold the yarn doubled next time for the pocket/bottom of the bag to create a more solid fabric.

Mitered Mittens

Pattern: Mitered Mittens (May) by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yarn:
Nashua Handknits Wooly Stripes, just over 2 balls (I could have used just the two, but I broke into the third to match the stripes on the thumbs.
Notes: I've recently become a bit enamored with mittens. Unfortunately, I don't really have a place to wear them, so these were a gift for my sister. Like many others I modifeed the thumb construction based on the instructions here. Other modifications were 7 rounds of 2x1 ribbing on the cuff and I didn't decrease to a point at the end, instead decreased down to about 10 stitches and then Kitchenered them together.

Sheep!

Pattern: A Felt Flock by Bev Galeskas (Fiber Trends)
Yarn: Elann Highland Wool
Notes: For the bigger one I held the yarn double, the smaller one was just a single stand of yarn. These are so fun, just the like the Hedgehog and the slippers the shaping is done with shortrows. I needle felted on the eyes.

Monkeys for Mom

Pattern: Monkey Socks
Yarn: Koigu KPPM
Notes: The infamous Monkey pattern, I think everything to be said about the pattern has already been said. I'll be making more of these, maybe a no purl version.

Last, but not least, Felted Clogs

Pattern: Felted Clogs (AC-33) by Bev Galeskas
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool
Notes: Officially the longest UFO ever. These were supposed to be a gift for my mother for Christmas 2004 (or maybe 2003). No, that is not a typo. I knit one pair for my mom and one for my dad. The knitting and felting was done on time, but I had the hardest time sewing on the sole. I finally got my dad the pair for him a few months before he passed away, but the pair for my mother had languished. I'm so happy to have finally finished these.

Holiday Craft - Home Decor

2008-12-13T17:23:00.003-10:00

A few quick ideas in case your home needs some holiday cheer
Miniature Felted Wreaths
Little Miss Pine Cones Go Skiing (more information here)

Winter Display Globes
Mini Stockings (perfect for an Advent Calendar)
Gum Drop Wreath (probably not the best for Hawaii)
Stockings (with link to free pattern from McCall's)(I just bought some fabric to make these, hopefully there will be pictures soon)
Paper Star
Paper Snowflakes and more

Crrraaackkkk!

2008-12-10T13:38:00.003-10:00

Last night I decided to frog a WIP, after realizing it was too small for the intended recipient. One of my circulars fell on the floor, and I diligently picked it up and set it on the couch, thinking it would be safer there. As you can guess from this set up, I was wrong.

While winding the yarn I managed to plop my foot on top of the needle while it was on the couch, and it snapped. The most frustrating part is that, if I'd stepped on it while it was still on the marble floor, it probably wouldn't have broken because it wouldn't have bent at all. That's what I get for picking things up. ;)

It is (was?) a Knit Picks Harmony needle in size 2.25mm, and I know there have been a few problems with these breaking during use, but this was not normal use and not anything I'd expect any wood needle that small to withstand. People on Ravelry who've had them break during use have been able to get replacements from KP, but I'm not even going to ask because this was totally my fault. Plus, I'd been a bit frustrated that the needles were a little more grabby than I wanted, so I'm going to switch to metal.

I'm placing another order from Knit Pics for the metal needles, but in the mean time, these socks are on hold until the needles come in. With this delay I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish these in time for Christmas. However, in the mean time, I'm trying to finish up the rest of my Christmas knitting. Most of it is almost done, with just a but of finishing. No details yet, as I don't want to spoil anyone's surprise, but here is a picture of all the gifts in my knitting basket.

Oh, and the new Knitty is up. I haven't had time to look at all the patterns, but the cover shot is gorgeous.

Holiday Crafts - Ornaments and Such

2008-12-05T16:38:00.000-10:00

Ornaments & Other Decorations to Hang
Tissue Paper Silhouettes Ornaments
Glittery Foil Icicles
Dove Ornament

Mini Tree Bunting
Cinnamon Bird Ornaments
(I think I'd be too afraid that, here in Hawaii, these would attract bugs, though ants do hate cinnamon)
Woven Wheat Ornaments
Christmas Pinatas
Candy Ornaments (not real candy, a perfect use for those scraps of fabric)
Retro Ornaments from Foam

Holiday Crafts - Trees

2008-11-20T16:35:00.008-10:00

Despite the lack of blogging, there has been a lot of knitting going on. However, it has all been holiday related, and as the intended recipients may be reading this, the it will have to remain secret for a while longer. So, in the mean time, I thought I'd share a few holiday themed crafts I've found on my travels through the internet. I may even attempt some of these! I'm starting with some trees, check back to see more.

Trees
Stuffed Christmas Trees
Tinsel Trees
Tomorrow Land Trees
Fun Fur Kitschmas Tree
Felted Rosette Tree (and wreath)
Soft Trees
Holiday Print Out Tree
A Different Kind of Tree

Nom nom nom!

2008-10-20T23:40:00.005-10:00

Do you ever have those things that seem to be following you? You know, the things that just keep popping up allover the place? For the last few weeks it has been Chicken and Waffles. First it was an episode of Throwdown, then there was some chatter on Ravelry, and then last night it showed up on Iron Chef America.

So, what's a girl to do...? If I still lived in L.A. the easy answer would be a trip to Roscoe's. But I don't, so alternatives were considered. Given my abundance of free time, I figured the best option was to make some myself. Other than buttermilk, we had all the necessary ingredients, and even a wedding-gift waffle maker that we'd never used. One of my sister in laws comes over every Monday for dinner and Heros, so I figured that would be as good a day as any.

I used Alton Brown's recipe for the chicken (though I only marinated it in the buttermilk for about 4 hours), and the waffles from this recipe.

Overall, the chicken was very good, especially considering I've never made it before. The waffle was decent when I took it out of the iron, but I was having some timing issues and it wasn't nearly as good by the time it made it to the table; I couldn't find the manual for the waffle iron, but I think next time I need to turn it up a bit. I probably should have also turned to AB for the waffle recipe, and then I could have even been able to use my new kitchen scale, and it calls for whole wheat flour so might have been able to delude myself into thinking it was somewhat healthy.

In other, much healthier food news, my latest food addiction is quinoa. I've tried a few recipes, but my favorite is a tabbouleh-esque salad.

The quinoacooks pretty quickly, and while it's cooking I chop some veggies. Usually it's either cucumbers or celery, tomatoes, flat leaf parsley, scallions.

Once the quinoa is cooked, it gets mixed with the veggies, along with some salt and pepper. I then like to let it cool a bit, and mix in some feta cheese.

(Sorry, this isn't the best picture)

I've been seriously eating this at least once a week for the past month or so. Easy, quick, yummy and healthy. Hard to go wrong with that combination.

I can haz funny?

2008-10-10T21:09:00.002-10:00

see more puppies

Actually, my place has looked quite a bit like that with all the frogging that has been going on.

It's Soktober... Do you know where your DPNs are?

2008-10-07T11:18:00.011-10:00

First Off, a bit of fall fun with these Felted Pumpkins. Overall a fun, quick knit. I knit them in the round avoid seaming and purling. The lighter yarn is some yarn I dyed a while back with Koolaide.

Now, on to Soktober. It all started well and I finished my Jaywalkers. The second one seems a bit tighter than the first, but hopefully it will loosen up with some time on the blockers. I really enjoyed the pattern, very easy to work on and remember and the results look great, especially given how easy the pattern is.

I used Regia Strato Color, and it wasn't exactly my favorite yarn. I liked the color, and it looks great knit up, but there were some random stripes of a maroon/burgundy color which just didn't really seem to fit in with the other colors. I think the yarn will produce a comfortable, long wearing sock. However, it really irritated my index finger as the yarn coming from the ball crossed over it; at one point the skin on that finger was peeling from the irritation. I don't think it was an allergy, but more that the yarn is a bit rough and just the constant rubbing was bothering the skin.

So, the Jaywalker's finished, I moved on to some Giftmas sock knitting. I have two lovely colors of Koigu KPPM destined for gifts, but I wasn't sure on the patterns. I finally decided on Monkey Socks for one of the colors. And that's where the problems started. I really hope I haven't caught kbrow's Koigu curse. First problem was that somehow, about half way through the cuff I must have switched directions. With normal 1x1 ribbing this would have been nearly unnoticeable, but with the twisted rib it was noticeable because the twist showed up only on the top or bottom half depending on if you were looking at the inside or the outside. Knowing full well that this is one of those things only knitters would notice, I almost let it go. But since I wasn't that far into the sock (and I'd also accidentally started knitting from the outside of the yarn), I figured I'd just restart.

So, I started again, still keeping with the bamboo size 1s (2.25 mm). I did the ribbing, and the first pattern repeat. About half way through the second repeat I was starting to get very frustrated with the blunt tips on the needles and how bendy they were. So I decided to switch to some of my Knit Picks Nickle Plated DPNs. Somehow, I then decided to use the 0s 2.0 mm). I don't really remember how I decided to go down a size, but I think it was because the metal 1s I had were actually 2.5 mm needles (silly Americans and their reluctance to use the metric system).

All I can really tell you is that it was a bad decision. I finished the rest of the leg, and got partway down the heel gusset before I decided to try them on. Now, these are destined for gifts, and the intended recipient has smaller sized feet that me, and much smaller ankles and calves, but they are just way too small, the calf part is extremely tight around my foot and there's no way they'd fit over the heel.

So, now it just sits there, taunting me. I know I need to rip it out and start again, but I just can't bring myself to do so. it is just so pretty, I'm loving the colorway and the pattern, but there's no way they are going to work. Yesterday was the first day in weeks that I haven't knit at all.

Sock Progress...

2008-09-10T19:20:00.004-10:00

I'm back from my trip, and there was a lot of shopping, but not much yarn (and it was all sock yarn, that's not stash, right...?). However, I've made up for that since then with a trip to Isle Knits and an order on Elann.com. I think this might be the first yarn I've purchased in at least a year and a half. Though I may have bought something last year to finish a specific Christmas present.

Most of the rest of my trip was rather relaxing, which meant lots of time to knit. On the flight I had cast on for the Circle Socks, but, as previously alluded to I wasn't happy with yarn/pattern combination.

I just don't really like how there are stripes within the circles. I love the pattern (other than all the purling on small needles), but it needs a more solid yarn or one where the stripes are wider.

So, that was ripped, and I switched to the ever-popular Jaywalkers. This seems to be the perfect pattern for the socks.

I managed to finish the first one while in Washington, other that the Kitchnering the end, which I wanted to wait to get home to do. I knit the suggested length, but I kinda wish they weren't so long. I could rip out a few inches at the top, pickup the stitches and knit the cuff like a toe-up sock, but I'm having a bit of indescision about that. So, while I try to make up my mind, I've stalled a little on the second until I figure out how long to make it.

The first:

Second, in progress:

I do have a few other things going on, and I'm trying to figure out what to do next. What I'd like to do is knit a top for myself, but I should work on Christmas knitting. I'm hoping to get a pair (or two) of socks done and a few felted items, so I should get working on it.

Los Angeles Food Report and a Few Random FOs

2008-08-16T23:00:00.003-10:00

Due to my new found (and hopefully relatively short-lived) freedom from the confines of a J.O.B. I decided to make a little trek back California and up to the Portland area. I was having a hard time planning the logistics of the trip because I was trying to coordinate with a variety of other people's schedules, but I bought a ticket on Tuesday and left the next morning (using miles which meant not paying crazy amounts of a last minute ticket). I don't actually have a ticket back yet, but I promise I'll be back.

I'm in Los Angeles now, and wow, I missed this town. Thanks to my wonderful host, In the first 36 hours of being here I manged to get three of the top 5 or so (food) things I've missed. First it was Casa Bianaca for pizza (mmm... sausage). Then Din Tai Fung (at the fancy new location) the next day for dinner, oh how I've missed those little baby dumplings! And Pinkberry, can't forget the Pinkberry (I tried the "seasonal" lychee topping, which was okay, but I think I'll stick to mochi puffs, kiwi and raspberry (or sometimes mango).

Tonight I met up with my two foodie law school friends and we had dinner at Father's Office (yummy burger and sweet potato fries but it was really hot and loud inside). Then we headed to Scoops for dessert; I think I'm in love. After sampling a ton of flavors I had Lychee Jasmin (which was vegan, but very creamy)and Pineapple Hibiscus. Other flavors were Raspberry Balsamic (yummy, but not sure what to mix it with), Salty Chocolate, Salty White Chocolate, Chocolate Jasmin, Maple Oreo, Basil Ricotta, Kola Nut, Coconut Cardamon, Brown Bread (vanilla with grapenuts), Raspberry Orangewater, and so many more (the flavors change everyday). I think I'm in love (whoops, did I say that already).

Food aside, since this is ostensibly a knitting blog, I'll post a few of the FOs I've managed to pull together in the last few weeks. Other than the socks, nothing very noteworthy, but here they are:

Embossed Leaves (aka, My First Socks)

Reverse Bloom (This was knitted years ago, but somehow I never wove in the ends. I actually though I wasn't finished with the knitting, but when I pulled this out to finish it last week it turned the weaving in was all that was left.)

Ball Band Dish Cloth (A quick knit when I was waiting for Knitting Olympics (that I didn't end up doing)).

Fishy! (The knitting has been done for months, but he needed guts and eyes.)

I've also got a few new things on the needles, but I'm not sure about the either's chance for survival, but that's for another post.

Just a little bit of fun!

2008-08-08T16:15:00.001-10:00

Found him!

Noodle Knit

2008-08-06T11:15:00.000-10:00

From The Scent on Green Bananas

Cookies

2008-08-05T12:17:00.002-10:00

So far I'm enjoying my little freedom. I haven't done any knitting yet, but am going to try to swatch for the Diagonal stitch Top later today. I did bake some cookies (oatmeal cranberry) this weekend, but I think I've lost my baking skills, they just weren't that good. We ended up not baking the rest and just eating the dough, which was much better than the finished product. So, no photos, but I thought I'd share this video.

I've been reading food blogs like crazy and saving a ton of recipes. I've really missed cooking, so I'm trying to get back into it more. I want to tackle pie and making some cheese.

Moving on...

2008-07-27T18:39:00.003-10:00

My first pair of socks is officially finished! And I managed to make it in under the two year mark. No pictures yet because I didn't have time to get pictures during the good light, but I'll try to get some soon.

In other news (that I think most of the few readers I have already know), I recently resigned from my job. I don't have a new one lined up yet, but this means that I should have plenty of free time to participate in the Knitting Olympics. Now that I've finished the socks, I'm trying to think of what project I want to tackle. I think a whole sweater is a bit ambitious, and I'd like to do something other than socks, so I'm thinking a sleeveless or short-sleeve top. Right now, these are my top contenders:

Diagonal Stitch Top is probably at the top of the list right now.

A sleeve-less version on the (rather boringly named) "Short Sleeve Top #5 from Vogue Knitting Summer/Spring 2005 is also a top contender.

The next possibility is the Flower Back Sweater (I think I'd do the high back version).

Another possibility is Rusted Root, but I actually think I like it better in the long sleeve versions. If I do a short-sleeved one I think I'll do the modified neck as the really high neck usually isn't very flattering on me.

I'd love to knit Coral, but I don't think there's an English version of the pattern out there yet and I don't know anyone who speaks Danish.

I hopefully I'll be able to knit from my stash (the whole no job thing and all), so that may dictate which one of these gets made. I need to do some looking and some swatches.

Anyone else planning to participate in the Knitting Olympics? What are you planning on knitting?

Lilikoi.... in the yummy form

2008-06-08T12:48:00.002-10:00

I picked up this lilikoi fruit in my walk around the neighborhood yesterday. I wasn't sure if it would be ripe, but it was amazingly sweet (for a lilikoi that is). I didn't take my camera with me, so no pictures of the vines and flowers, just the fruit for breakfast this morning.

Just cut

Digging in

All pau

Alas, no knitting to report. Stopped by Aloha Knitters on Thursday for a few minutes to say hi on my way to pick up food; it was great to see so many people. Welcome back!

Tagged!

2008-06-02T20:37:00.003-10:00

I've been tagged, twice!

1.) What was I doing ten years ago?
Just finishing my sophomore year of college, headed home for the summer with a friend to work at my mom's winery.

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for ~~today,~~ yesterday (when I wrote this, but forgot to post):
Farmer's market [done]
Walk [done]
pick up around the house[a little]
do some knitting [nope]
find our state tax refund check [done]

3) Snacks I enjoy:
just about everything... apple and peanut butter has been a recent common one

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pay off some debts and buy a house (heck, around here that might only buy a condo)

5) Places I have lived:
Philo, CA
Whitter, CA
Studio City, CA
Redondo Beach, CA
Honolulu, HI

6) Jobs I have had:
babysitter
all-around helper at winery (answering phones to cleaning barrels to bottling wine)
after-school program coordinator
special ed and substitute teacher
HR assistant
lawyer

7) Peeps I want to know more about:
Nearly everyone has been tagged by now, hopefully no duplicates here:
Tink
V-Spot Girl
Tina
Any one else...?

Free Patterns! Yay!

2008-04-16T22:01:00.003-10:00

My wrist and shoulder have been bothering me a lot this week, so I've been avoiding knitting. I did a bit of work on the sock this weekend (one pattern repeat).

But, I thought I'd share this little bit of knitting goodness that Susan posted about (she saw it on notmartha): Knitting Daily has a free pattern book comprised of the top five knitting patterns the readers voted for. It’s only available to download until May 14. It includes the Sunrise Circle Jacket, which has been on my to knit list since it came out (I even got so far as to swatch for it). There are also some great versions over on Ravelry. I'm often not a fan of the finished products made from variegated yarn, but some of these look great. Here are a few of my favorites which show some of the yarn choices;
from Cleo; from Pediaknits; from schmidtly.

A mini update, some random finds, babbling...

2008-04-06T23:18:00.002-10:00

Honestly, I really would like to blog more often than I do. Unfortunately, there often isn't much to report in the world of knitting around here. I am trying to avoid the second sock syndrome, hence I'm slowly plugging away at the second embossed leaves sock. As the other Aloha Knitters can attest, it was a slow start, which took weeks just to cast on and knit three rows/rounds. The first challenge was remembering the ribbed cast on called for. Then, once I figured that out (thanks Barb), I joined immediately, forgetting that you knit two rows flat before joining (I might have just left it, but I think I need the little bit of extra width this provides at the calf). Then I just kept managing to be off on my stitch count. But finally I managed to get going. My ribbing was one off on two of the rows, but really, no one is going to see the top of the sock anyway because these will always be under pants. But I'm going now, and trying not to lose what little momentum I have.

But, I may be in need of some instant gratification projects. I was thinking about knitting up a few felted coasters for my desk at work. But then these nested bowls also recently caught my eye on Design Sponge (actually, I think I saw the link on notmartha.org)

Another thing that I'm really liking is this rug from craftster.org

I was also thinking that maybe I might find the motivation to blog more if I did Project Spectrum.

And then I saw what color it was for this month. Orange and Yellow. No offense to anyone, but those are my least two favorite colors. I think my I own clothes that are every other color but those two. But, July is Purple month. Maybe I can use that as a goal for finishing the second sock.

Never mind, I was looking at ~~last year's~~ 2006's PS.

I think I can find some stuff for this year, April/May covers Earth Tones (green, brown, metallics). And now I have until August/September to finish the sock :) I should start carying my camera around with me.

Videos

2008-03-20T23:06:00.001-10:00

Here are the two videos I mentioned at knitting tonight

My First Sock (and a sunset)

2008-02-03T14:16:00.000-10:00

It only took about a year and a half of very sporadic knitting (with no knitting done for about a year in the middle), but I have my first sock. I'm not sure I love this pattern with this yarn, and my fat calves stretch it out a bit, but overall I'm happy. Now the goal is not not fall victim to the second sock syndrome.

Pattern: Embossed Leaves, Interweave Knits Winter 2005
Yarn: KnitPicks Essentials Tweed, Plum
Needles: Size 2, Clover Bamboo

And, since I finally got around to uploading pictures, I thought I'd share this one from a few months back of sunset from our apartment.

Adorable...

2008-01-19T16:37:00.000-10:00

I've been swamped at work lately, so not much knitting other than the few rounds of the Embossed Leaves sock I've been able to pound out at the last few Aloha Knitters in between all the chatting and eating. My knitting lives in my car and only comes out when I'm able to make it to the meet-up. Speaking of the meet-up, its been wonderful the last few weeks, with an abundance of knitters (and crocheters). We've had a a number of wonderful visitors, and the return of some. I'm so grateful for this group (which is sometimes my only escape from work and socializing for the week), and even more in awe of how welcoming they (we?) are.

But, in honor of my hedgehog, which is probably my favorite thing I've ever knit, I just had to share this adorable picture:

Here are two other hedgehog things I randomly found last night while browsing the web:

Found at Rarebirdsfind, Chocolate Hedgehogs:

And, from I Can Haz Cheezburger:

moar funny pictures

And, in blue hedgehog news, we just picked up a PS3, and I've been playing Sonic. Maybe I need to knit a blue one in honor.

Making progress

2007-12-10T21:27:00.000-10:00

I'm almost done with the fish and Clapotis. The fish needs to be stuffed and sewn up, and Clapotis just needs to have the ends woven in.

And, since I had a strong aversion to actually finishing anything, I've put those aside and picked up the Embossed Leaves socks I was working on (last year). Luckily I'd marked the pattern pretty well, so I was able to figure out where I'd left off. I've now finished the leg, and need to turn the heel. But I'm not sure what to do about the heel. Given that this is my first pair of socks, I'm rather inclined to just follow the pattern. But, I know a lot of knitters didn't like the heel as designed, and substituted a different type (mostly short row). I think I like the look of the short row heel a lot better, so I'm thinking I might do that, but I'm still not sure. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to Aloha Knitters on Thursday for some guidance (and, we can stay late as the center is open until 10 due to the holidays).

One of these days I might even get around to taking some pictures.

PS- I'm now on Ravelry, as lilikoiknits, I'd love some more friends.

Not much knitting going on here....

2007-11-04T16:59:00.000-10:00

But I thought I'd share a few non-knitting blogs I've been reading lately:

Hawaii News/Legal Issues
Disapeared News
iLind.net
Hawaii House Blog
Poinography!
Hawaii Supreme Court (unofficial)
SusHI - Sustainability in Hawaii

Crafty & Otherwise Wonderful Friends
West Coast Crafty
Joie Studio
Life with Monkey
Cheetah Velour
Tiny Choices

More Fun
How About Orange
Angry Chicken
Rare Bird Finds
Hapa Hale
Tastespotting

My next project...

2007-10-18T22:40:00.000-10:00

Inspired the gorgeous cardigan that Barb shared today at Aloha Knitters (which she was nice enough to let me try on), I think that the Minimalist Cardigan from the current issue of Interweave Knits.

After the meeting I walked over to Borders and picked it up. Now I just have to find the appropriate yarn in my stash! I think I have I'll also be joining the KAL.

The BIG news!

2007-10-08T23:15:00.000-10:00

Bar exam results came out on Saturday, and I passed! Great to have that weight off my shoulders.

I want!

2007-10-02T21:13:00.000-10:00

I love my Denises, but the new needles from Knit Picks are really tempting.

I was intrigued and a bit tempted when they came out with their mental interchangables. However, I've never been a big fan of metal (though I'm realizing, as I improve as a knitter, that I might appreciate their speed a bit more).

But, now they have wooden interchangables and they are swapable with their mental needles. And, to add to the temptation, they are colorful. I'm not sure if I'd call them "pretty," but those colors look like fun.

Just Like Riding a Bicycle

2007-09-26T20:14:00.000-10:00

After quite a long knitting hiatus, I'm back. Not exactly back with a vengeance, but back!

I've managed to make it twice to meet up with the Aloha Knitters on Thursdays. The first day I didn't want to delve into anything to mentally taxing (which included picking up any of my WIPs), so grabbed some cotton yarn and Mason Dixon Knitting to start on a ball-band dishcloth. Unfortunately, even that was a bit too much for my brain to handle and I made a mistake early on but didn't realize it until a while later; I ended up having to rip it all out.

Last week I picked back up the Clapotis. I don't think I've worked on it since Thanksgiving when I accidentally left it at my mom's (I got it back at Christmas). Luckily I have the charts from the Yahoo group and I'd marked where I was so I was able to start back up pretty easily. I don't have a ton left to do on the Clapotis, so I should be able to get it done soon. I think it's going to love at my office, which is pretty much the only place cold enough to warrant the Lion & Lamb.

And, because I need another craft like I need a hole in the head (though at least this one shouldn't take up that much more space), this book is making crochet really tempting! The deer and the "skully fish" are probably my favorite.

Wedding related knitting

2007-06-22T23:22:00.000-10:00

Okay, I promised no wedding stuff, but I just had to share these:

Knitted ring bearer pillows from Martha Stewart.
I'm thinking about knitting these for ring bearer pillows. I might even try to duplicate stitch (or embroider) on the pillow the design we are using for the wedding (which is based on the beading on my dress).

I'm thinking of knitting a basket for the flower girl:

The the one at right is the Nantasket Basket. The pattern can be downloaded at The Knitting Zone.

It can be made either with the slip-stitch pattern (like shown) or plain.

I also really like some of the purses and/or embellishments put out by Noni. I'm thinking about making some of these to embellish a basket.

Here are a few other wedding and knitting related things:

A few free wedding patterns (everything from a garter to a whole wedding dress)
The Knitted Wedding
Wedding Knits (an entire book for wedding related knits)
I do (shrug pattern, if I wasn't getting married in a very warm place I might consider making this)

Cupcakes!!!

2007-06-12T00:16:00.000-10:00

Well, it has been over 6 months since I last updated. When I got engaged I promised myself that I wouldn't use this blog to talk about wedding stuff. And I've kept to that promise. But, the result of keeping to that promise has been that I haven't had anything to blog about. I've done almost no knitting since last summer. A bit on Clapotis, and a bit on the Falling Leaves Socks, and one cat bed (the only thing actually finished- it was a Christmas gift).

We moved (back) to Hawai'i last month, and things have been rather hectic. We've finally found a place to live, but don't move in for 10 more days. I'm studying for the Bar exam, which is at the end of July; I have classes at night, which prevents me from being able to make it to the meet-ups on Thursday night. Other than that, my life is pretty much consumed by wedding planning.

But, I thought I would check in and share this little gem I came across the otherday. From VeganYumYum.com:

Aren't they adorable? Unfortunately, they are made with marzipan, which I find to be one of the worst tasting things out there. But they are cute! Cupcakes and knitting, what more could you ask for? More pictures and a link to instructions here.

And, for cupcake related crafts (instead of craft related cupcakes), check out this thread on craftster.com

No wonder there isn't much knitting going on...

2006-12-04T12:49:00.000-10:00

I keep losing knitting related things.

Somehow over the move back to California this summer I lost the pattern for the Diagonal Triangle Tank. I can't find a store in California that carries the pattern, and I hate to order just a pattern online. This might be an excuse to order other things, but I'm really trying to not buy more yarn as I contemplate moving everything to Hawaii in May.

I cast on last month for the infamous Clapotis. I've had the yarn (Lion & Lamb in Black Purl) for ages, but every time I think to start on it is when I want a semi mindless pattern for travel knitting, but then I remember that the hanks haven't been wound into balls. Well, in the last trip to Hawaii I decided to just go for it. I knew we'd be spending a lot of time LAX because our flight was canceled (the put us on another flight- but it meant spending 5+ extra hours at LAX and missing the Thursday Aloha Knitters). We wound one hank by hand while standing in line to "check-in" for the cancelled flight. I made decent progress on it, despite not doing much, but then I forgot it at my mom's house over Thanksgiving. I could have her sent it to me, but I should be doing school work (finals!!), so I think I'll just get it over Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I've decided not to do too much Christmas knitting (maybe the fact that it is December 4th decided that for me). I need to finish up the slippers I made for my mom which were supposed to be a Christmas gift at least two years ago! They are mostly done, I think I just need to finish sewing on the soles. The only other thing I think I'll attempt is a mobius cat bed (from the Second Treasury of Magical Knitting) since my mom just got a new cat, Max. This leads me to the next knitting thing I can't find: my set of Denise Interchangables. The must be somewhere in the apartment, but I can't find them. I think they are going to have to wait until after finals to be found. Or, I could use this as an excuse to order some of the interchangables from Knitpicks.com. Hmmm....

The Last Knit

2006-11-15T18:15:00.000-10:00

Not sure exactly what the message of the film is, but worth a look (and a listen)...

Embossed Leaves (and the Hedgehog)

2006-11-01T17:12:00.000-10:00

I hit a knitting slump after returning from Hawaii. I lost the pattern for the Diagonal Triangle Tank, and couldn't find any of my small DPNs to start socks with (the two are probably somewhere together). I just wasn't in the mood to work on anything else. Finally I bought more small DPNs (and some yarn- who wants to pay for shipping) from KnitPicks.

A few weeks back I cast on for the embossed leaves with the KnitPicks Essential Tweed in Plum. I'm really liking the yarn, but as these are my first socks I don't have much to compare it to. It is a bit splity at times as it untwists sometimes after ripping, but overall I'm rather happy with it, but we'll see how it wears.

Here is my progress after some knitting (two flights, one night of Aloha Knitters, and a few hours of TV). The cast on took be a while to figure out, and the first twisted ribbing at the top seemed to take forever, but the lace part is enjoyable and I feel like I am making progress.

I've got about 15 more rounds before I start working on the heal. I've heard that the heal in this pattern is a bit odd. I'm not sure if I should just go forth with the pattern or try to do some adaptations. As this is my first sock I feel like I shouldn't mess too much with the pattern. I may leave this for a time when I can have some guidance and fellow knitters with me.

Also, here is the final version of the hedgehog. I'm so happy with it and my mom loved it. I'm thinking I might make a crazy colored one for my sister. I highly recommend the pattern (Fibertrends 228), it was fun, quick, not to difficult (plus felting hides many mistakes), but still interesting. The shaping is done with short rows, much like the Fibertrends Felted clogs. I tried some eyes that I had bought, but they just looked strange, so I needle felted the eyes on. I have to say it was kinda fun to sit there and stab away at the critter to get the needle felting done. I may have to try using this technique more.

A bit of knitting and life in general....

2006-08-12T15:10:00.000-10:00

I just finished what I think might be the cutest knitted thing ever....

He still needs eyes and a nose, but he's almost ready to be sent off to my mom for her birthday. He's from a pattern by Fibertrends which I picked up at Isle Knits.

Here are some prefelting pictures...

I've also made some progress on the Diagonal Triangle Tank. This picture doesn't even come close to doing justice to the gorgeousness of the yarn.

And, in non-knitting news, I got engaged last month. I just got the ring yesterday (it was being resized) and here is a picture I took today.

Yesterday was my last day at work for the summer, I'll be here in Hawaii until next Friday getting to play tourist and have some fun before school starts.

Thursday was my last Aloha Knitters Meet-up for the summer. I just want to say thanks to all the wonderful ladies I've met this summer. It was great to get out and knit and hang out with people. I will miss our Thursdays (not to mention the Lemon-Spinach Crepes). And, and extra big thanks to Barb, who gave me these gorgeous earrings she made. I'll be wearing them tonight at Casino Night.

Tanks...

2006-07-12T22:13:00.000-10:00

I cast on last week for the Diagonal Triangle Tank. After trying my size 7 Denises, I decided to go down a size and switch to bamboo. The silk yarn sticks a bit on the Addi Naturas I'm using (I normally use Clovers, but all those are in California for the summer), but it is so much better than the Denises were.

I haven't made much progress, but it is moving along. The yarn is so lucious, and the colors are wonderful. The pattern, at least so far is pretty basic, and good TV knitting. I have very high hopes for this project and this pattern.

I started the Diagonal Triangle Tank because I need to figure our what I'm going to do with the Round About Leaf Tank. I have an idea to add a bit of shaping to it, but I need to work out the details a bit more. I'm thinking about adding in some short rows to add waist shaping on the rounds near the waist. I've never done short rows (except in the Fibertrends Felted clogs- but those were different) so I'm a bit nervous about it all. But, I'll just have to add a lifeline and remember that I can always just rip back. More details about what I pan to do and/or how it works out should show up in a post here or at least on the KAL.

Pictures of my progress on both of these should be coming soon. My camera made it back from Germany, and should be on its way from California to Hawaii now.

Lace Nomenclature

2006-06-26T23:15:00.000-10:00

In the current issue of Intereave Knits, Amy Singer (yes, of Knitty.com "fame") informs us that there is a difference between the terms "knitted lace" and "lace knitting."

According to her, when you "work a pattern with lace forming stitches on both sides" what you produce is "knitted lace." However, when you knit a pattern where the lace stitches are only on the right side (thus the wrong side has all purl or knit stitches) this is called "lace knitting."

Now, the odd thing about this is that the terms she is comparing are different parts of speech. One is a noun (the thing you produce- "knitted lace") and the other is a verb (this thing you are doing - "knitting lace").

Note: I've been rather out of the loop this summer as to what is going on in the internet knitting communities (I can't even remember the last time I checked my bloglines or the various knitting LJ communities - it might be more than a month for LJ) so I have no clue if there are discussions going on about this distinction.

I understand the difference between what is being produced, and honestly, if anyone is ~~brave~~ dedicated enough to undertake creating "knitted lace" they probably deserve to have a term to set their work apart from those of us who rejoice in the one row without a pattern.

But, what I'm wondering is if anyone had ever heard of this distinction before? Any sources? I'm aware of the technical differences between fulling and felting (which doesn't mean I actually follow the "correct" usage), but this is a new one for me.

2006-06-26T22:24:00.000-10:00

Not much knitting to report. I've made a bit of progress on the Roundabout Leaf Tank, one more leaf, I've got about 5 more inches before I join it.

But, in stash acquisition news I just bought some Noro Lily Multi in #126. This is one of my favorite yarns. Not sure what I'm going to make, possibly a hood-less BPT.

A bit of progress....

2006-06-20T22:58:00.000-10:00

I managed to knit a few more inches on the Roundabout Leaf Tank this weekend. Not too much, but a bit of progress. It isn't really anything worth photographing and sharing, but even if I wanted to take pictures, my digital camera is on vacation in Germany for the World Cup! Lets just hope it (and the boy who took it) make it back safe.

However,I'm thinking of switching to the Diagonal Triangle Top. I think I could actually get it finished before I could finish the Leaf Tank, maybe even before the summer is over. And, once it is finished I think I could wear it to work under a suit. Hmmm....

Also, I was at Costco yesterday and I picked up Mason Dixon Knitting. I may have to find some cotton yarn to make one (or more) of the Ball Band dishcloths.

Finally made it, kinda....

2006-06-15T21:55:00.000-10:00

Well, I finally made it to a meet-up with the Aloha Knitters group. Unfortunately, while I was there, my knitting wasn't. Turns out I had just left it in my car, but I thought I might have left it at work or at home. Well, there is always next week.

But it was nice to meet some of the local knitters. I occupied myself by winding some yarn and glancing through Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

2006-06-09T16:01:00.000-10:00

Still no knitting to report about. The closest I came was when my little sister (who I (re-)taught to knit in March) called me to help her cast on for a new project. She was on her way to Europe (France and Spain) with my mother, and there I was, stuck at work!!!

She's working on the Bridgetown Belt-Bag from Interweave Magazine (I think it is from the Spring 2006 issue). While a lot of people aren't big fans of the patter (or more the finished object), my sister is a bit of an odd girl when it comes to fashion, and somehow I think she'll be able to carry off this look. I think she wants it for wearing to crazy concerts where she doesn't want to carry a bag (or much clothing in general). Let's see if she actually finishes it. I should have brought my copy of the magazine with me this summer and maybe I could have done one in another color for her.

Me, crochet, what....?

2006-06-02T15:07:00.001-10:00

I'm thinking I may want to take up crocheting too. I know it is something I need to learn, if for nothing more than finishing knitted objects. But, here in Hawaii crocheting leis is really popular. They are often given at graduations (which are a huge deal here).

I quickly stopped in to a small little yarn store (well, mostly it had Christmas stuff) the other day in Kailua because we had breakfast across the street. I just wanted to see what their selection was so that would know if it was worth coming back for a more serious visit. Turns out that almost all of what they had (which was suqeezed into a small closet like room was eyelash stuff and some other basics. Mostly, I'm assuming, for making leis.

There are a ton of books dedicated to making the leis, and I have to say, I think this is probably the best use of furry yarns out there.

2006-05-25T22:52:00.000-10:00

Well, the minisweater wasn't finished in time for the wedding. But soon, I promise.

Not much knitting has been going on lately. I'm just so exhausted when I get home. But tomorrow I'm going to try (like I unsuccessfully tried the other two weeks since I've been here) to make it to the meet up of the Aloha Knitters. We'll see if it happens.

Just pictures... No new knitting

2006-05-20T16:52:00.000-10:00

I've been too lazy to do any knitting the last few days, but here is the progress on the Roundabout Leaf Tank I made on the plane this week.

After working on the MiniSweater I was starting to hate purling, so I was concerned that I'd be frustrated with this tank. However, I'm realizing I don't hate purling when it only comes 20 or so stitches at a time. The Minisweater had much longer rows, and the purling was driving me crazy, but this isn't bothering me at all.

Aloha...

2006-05-18T10:55:00.000-10:00

I arrived in Hawaii last night, it is strange to believe I'll be here for three months. I've got a lot to do before I start work on Monday, but hopefully I'll be able to meet up with the Aloha Knitters tonight.

I knit a bit on the plane, and am making progress on the Roundabout Leaf Tank. I'm a few inches past the second leaf. Unfortunately, no pictures now because I haven't yet set up my computer for internet access here.

It was hard to decide what knitting/yarn to bring for the summer. I bought the MiniSweater with is almost done (just needs buttons and other finishing), the Roundabout Leaf Tank, yarn and pattern for the Diagonal Triangle Top, and some sock yarn. I'll probably have to have other stuff shipped up to me, or (more likely) I'll just go buy more stuff here.

Finals are officially over!!!

2006-05-08T16:33:00.000-10:00

Now lets have some fun!

Clematis

2006-05-07T07:32:00.000-10:00

My clematis finally fully bloomed today. This is supposed to be a vine, but for some reason (probably due a bit to my neglect) the blooms (there is one more bud just behind this one) are coming almost from the main stalk very close to the ground.

Just Starting to Open (Thursday 5/4/06)

Almost Open (Saturday 5/6/06)

Open! (Sunday 5/7/06)

(and growing below it in the pot is a bit of cilanto from some seeds I sprinkled in)

Diagonal Triangle Tank from Artyarns

2006-05-04T15:40:00.000-10:00

The yarn and pattern for the Diagonal Triangle Tank arrived yesterday. I can't believe that is enough yarn.

I can't say enough good things about the place I ordered it from, Fabulousyarn.com. The price was great, plus free shipping, no sales tax and an extra 10% off (if you sign up for their mailing list). Plus, when I made a mistake in the order they were so helpful in fixing it and the shipping was fast!

I really want to cast on for this now, but should wait until I finish a few more things, or at least until finals are over. I also need to read what people have said about in here to see if there are any issues with the pattern.

Tags: Diagonal Triangle Tank_

Green Suede Shoes!

2006-05-04T15:25:00.000-10:00

Project Spectrum for May: GREEN

This are probably my favorite item of clothing right now. I've recently become smitten by green, particularly bright grass green. So, these shoes where hard to resist last month at the Adidas Outlet, I even tried to put them back but someone talked me out of it.

Hopefully I'll also have some things I've actually created to share too. (Does it count if I started them before I even joint PS?)

Tags: Project Spectrum_

Minisweater - only the sleeves left!

2006-05-03T19:54:00.000-10:00

I bound off for the bottom of the minisweater today. I did 2x2 ribbing instead of the garter stitch. I tried to find an interesting edging in Knitting On The Edge, but the only ones that really interested me were for the cast on edge (some of the picot edging).

But, I have to say, that I hate binding off on purl stitches. It is just so fiddly, and it is even worse in ribbing because I have to switch back and forth.

Tags: Minisweater_

Knitting Nature KAL

2006-05-02T08:32:00.000-10:00

I've just started a Knit Along for projects in Knitting Nature. Please join us!

Spring!

2006-05-02T06:12:00.000-10:00

Just a quick picture of the first bloom on the lilikoi (passion flower) vine I have growing on my balcony!

Stash Enchancement

2006-04-30T20:18:00.000-10:00

So, there was some major stash enhancement in the last few weeks. It started with the Webs Anniversary sale and went downhill from there.

Then my mom visited and we had some time to kill, so we went to Knit Cafe. I'd never been before, and it was an overall pleasant experience. I ended up with some Pehuen from Arucania in 07 (greens and browns) and 05 (pinks and purples) and some Regia Color for socks. I also picked up Knitting Nature the new book from Norah Gaughan. It is one of the most interesting and beautiful knitting books I've seen in a while. It is a great intersection of math, biology and knitting. I think my first project from it will likely be the Knitaround Leaf Tank, but there are so many gorgeous patterns.

Then, yesterday I visited Stitches From the Heart. I doubt it would ever be my favorite yarn store, but I enjoyed the experience and will go back. The store is a non-profit organization, the proceeds go to provide knitted items for premature babies. They have an interesting selection of yarns. There are a number of the cheaper acrylic, a lot of Berroco yarns, and a wide variety of other stuff, including a pretty large pattern selection.

And, in online stash enhancement, I've been trying to buy the Diagonal Triangle Top from Art Yarns in a store, but hadn't yet found it. I wasn't going to use the suggested (very expensive) yarn, but when I found it online for a good price, with free shipping, no sales tax and 10% off (new customers) I decided to splurge and give it a shot. It was hard to pick a color, but I finally decided on the Pink Dawn. I love the more green/blue colors, but wasn't sure how they'd look with jeans or with black, but the pink dawn should be good with jeans or under a suit.

Olive Madness

2006-04-24T19:48:00.000-10:00

So, for some reason the two main things I have on the needles right now are olive colored. One is the Biker Jacket in the olive Felted Tweed, and the other is the Minisweater in the olive Noro Lily. Both are getting closer to completion.

I've only got a few more rows to go on the Minisweater before I do the edging and then switch to the sleeves. The pattern has you do the sleeves flat and then seam them, but I think I'll just do them on DPNs. I might also add in a bit of detail like on the sleeves on this Kim Hargraves pattern.

As for the biker jacket, I finished one sleeve, and the body pieces are seamed up. I'm worried the sleeve will be bigger than I want. Looking at the pattern the sleeves are pretty loose, and I'm actually knitting a bit tighter than the suggested gauge (suggested is 18 stitches and I'm getting about 19 per 4 inches). So, just one more sleeve, and then the waist and sleeve bands, then the rest of the seaming, and sewing in the zipper. I've never sewn a zipper in anything, so that is a bit worrisome. I haven't yet bought a zipper, I keep forgetting to take a sample of the yarn when I go to the fabric store. Hopefully it won't be too hard to match, but I may have to make a trip to the Fashion District.

Colors....

2006-04-24T12:53:00.000-10:00

I joined Project Spectrum today. April is for oranges and yellows, probably the only two colors I never wear. Somewhere I've got some orange Cotton Ease, otherwise I'm going to try to have to find some stuff around. The following months however, should be a lot easier.

Tags: Project Spectrum_

Smooch Frustrations

2006-04-20T10:36:00.000-10:00

I "finished" the Smooch tank the other day, but I'm really not liking the eyelets on one side. The directions were a bit lacking, and just said to reverse the shaping of the other side of the V-neck, but I wasn't really sure how to reverse the YOs and the decreases. The decreases on each side are so different, and it bugs me. A good wet blocking might fix it, but I don't think it will. This thing has languished for so long on the needles, I really want to get it done, but right now I'm just too frustrated.

Right now I can't even remember what I did to get them to look like that it was so long ago. I should go check the blue blog because I think she messed with the eyelets on the trim to make them look the same, so there might be some advice for me there.

Also, I knit the front pieces way too long, and I seamed them with the back about 10 rows below where they actually end.

Tags: Smooch_

Fishy

2006-04-14T17:51:00.000-10:00

I finally finished the fish from JudyKits. I was a bit worried about the shape of the fish, before putting on the fins it really looked too long and skinny. But, once the fins were attached it looked a lot better, though I think the nose is still a bit too pointy.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the fish. The original plan was to gift it to our friends for their soon-to-be-born son's ocean themed bed room. Well, they've moved and the son is at least two now and he's got a baby sister now.

Yarn: Hand dyed cotton (included in kit)
Needles: Bryspun, 6s
Pattern: Clownfish from JudyKits.com

Opps, I just realized he isn't yet a true FO, he's still missing a mouth. But I'm still going to count him as a FO.

Tags: FOs_

MiniSweater Progress

2006-04-14T12:51:00.000-10:00

I cast on last Wednesday (on the flight) for Glapyre's Minisweater. I'd been searching for a cardigan or shrug to wear with this dress, but was having a hard time finding something in olive color. I'd just about given up when I remembered that I had some yarn in the color and that I might be able to whip out something quick.

I was hoping to get it finished so I could wear it to a wedding on Saturday, but I realized I'd need to deal with getting a button and I decided that my time should be spent better on school work. But, I'm still progressing along nicely, with the hope of being able to wear it to a wedding over memorial day weekend (yes, it is the season for weddings). I separated out the arms last night and am progressing nicely, so it shouldn't really be a challenge to get it done on time.

Note: The yarn I'm using is Noro Lily that I bought a while back on sale, and I'm loving this yarn. It is so soft and luscious. Bonus note: In real life I don't look that busty and/or lopsided.

Tags: WIPs_,
Minisweater_

Biker Jacket Seaming

2006-04-03T17:02:00.000-10:00

I worked a bit today on seaming the Biker Jacket. Things are going much better after blocking, it makes it much easier to see the stitches I want to sew into.

I'm using the mattress stitch, which I wish I'd taken the time to learn before. I've never done much seaming, the most I did was on the Octopus, and there was so much there, but I didn't really do anything specific. But, now that I've learned the mattress stitch it makes things so much easier and better looking. And, once you get going it actually goes rather quick.

But, I'm having trouble seaming with the yarn I'm using. It keeps breaking, but I'm not sure if that is because the piece was so worn out from being ripped out so many times. I'm going to start over tomorrow with a new piece and hopefully that will work better.

Tags: Biker Jacket_

KSSP Questions

2006-04-02T12:49:00.000-10:00

KSSP questionaire

1. We know you prefer natural fibers, but which ones do you adore? On the same note, what yarns make you absolutely cream yourself?
As I currently live in Southern California, but am in the process of moving to Hawaii (it is a long process, which includes working there this summer), I'm trying to get more in to cottons and silks and away from the warms wools, alpacas, etc.

2. What other crafty shit do you do? (ie, spin, crotchet, bead, put babies on spikes, etc)
I've really forsaken most other crafts since I started knitting. But I do a bit of sewing, beading, soap making and paper crafts. Oh, and cooking- I think that counts as a craft!

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Nope

4. What yarns do you absolutely hate?
The normals- crappy acrylics and novelty yarns.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Amazon
Wists

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Vanilla and florals, fresh fruity (but not overly sweet) things.

7. What do you like to eat? You know you want chocolate!
Unformtuanly, I'm trying to do South Beach Diet, so I'm supposed to stay away from most sweets (limited amounts of dark chocolate are okay).

8. What are your pet peeves?
Can't think of any right now- but I know I have a ton, but most are related to the stupid behavior of people.

9. What's your favorite thing to knit?
I don't think I could pick one thing, depends on the mood.

10. What are your favorite colors?
I wear a ton of stuff in purples, also like reds and pinks. Recently I've been getting into grass green.
I pretty much like all colors except orange and yellow.

11. What new knitting technique do you want to learn?
There are so many. I've kinda hit a rut where I just don't want to slow down to learn new things, but up on my list are cables and colorwork as well as socks.

12. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Particular brand?
I knit almost exclusively with my Denises, so I guess the answer is circulars (much better for traveling)

13. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I was a big bamboo fan, but now I knit mostly with my Denises. I tend to dislike metal, but I've only tried the crappy craft store metal ones.

14. Any crap that you collect obsessively to fill a void in your life?

I would say yarn and knitting books- but that isn't crap. Otherwise, not much else.

15. Any books you've been dying to have?
See the wish lists. Here is a (I think uptodate) list of all the knitting books I do already have (dosen't include pattern booklets without ISBNs)

16. What is the air-speed velocity of a swallow carrying a coconut?
No clue

17. Are there any yarns that you'd like to try but aren't available to you for one reason or another?
I recently fell in love with Regia's "Candian Color" which doesn't seem to be available in the US.

First Post

2006-03-28T13:47:00.000-10:00

As this is here mostly to talk about food and knitting, I'll start off with a list of my current WIPs...

Debbie Bliss Biker Jacket
- in the suggested yarn, Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, in that same olive green
- I've finished the body pieces, which are waiting to be seamed. I've also knit most of one sleeve, but it seems way too big, so I need to recheck my gauge and maybe knit the sleeve in a smaller size. After that will be the other sleeve, the rest of the neck band, the waist band and the wrist bands.

Smooch Tank from Rowan
- In (discontinued) Lion Cotton Ease, sugar plum
- This was started so long ago, and has been set aside and re-picked-up so many times, right now I'm almost done, I just need to finish a few inches on one side of the neck shaping. But I've been having a hard time reversing the directions which is why it keeps getting set aside. But it is so close, I should pull it out now that summer is nearing.

Clown Fish from JudyKits
- This is so close to being done. I just need to sew on a few of the fins (which I guess makes this really an UFO, not at WIP).
- I think I might use this pattern again to make another fish in wool and then felt it. The cotton is so hard to get a dense fabric from because it is hard to knit tight so the stuffing shows through a bit- but the fish is still really cute.

Just One More Row Pacific Grove Pullover
- In Endless Summer Collection Pasticcio from Elann.com in the same Stone Tweed color shown.
- This was supposed to be a gift for my mother, but it has been set aside to work on other things. Plus, she has lost a ton of weight and it might be too big now (don't worry- I hadn't gotten that far)

Dunnaway by Berroco
- This also was started some time ago. I haven't worked on this one in a while, I think I might be done with two stripes, maybe three...?
- I'm using the Optik in Tiffany, and Cotton Twist (as opposed to the suggested Soft Twist) in Pool Party.

Tags: Biker Jacket_, Smooch_, WIPs_