The Enchanted Garden

Blurring the lines between secrete designs and blogging...if even just for a little bit. I'm taking a serious look at exposing some lovely stuff on the blog. Hopefully at least in stages to showcase some of my designs because I honestly do love to show off my stuff...

With that being said I'd like to introduce you to my current inspiration, The Enchanted Garden. Here is a little blurb about the project...

"The Enchanted Garden entices you to enter where soft clovers dapple the diamond-shaped walking path. An elaborately curled wrought iron gate is left exposed by the climbing ivy which ascends the ancient stone wall. Time-honored memories seem to resonate here among the flowers."

This description is the base of my theme. It all started with a innocent evening spent on Pinterest. I was putting together some ideas for my ebook. I had a vague idea of what I was looking for but then I found it: My Inspiration. (Pinterest link). Or you can click here to go to the original website. If you scroll down, you'll find the perfect garden entrance. This has so many points of interest that encapsulated my ebook; the wrought iron gate, ivy covered stone and a walking path among the flowers.

Did you catch that? YES! It's an ebook. The ebook will contain 6 stranded color work accessory patterns. Since I like to put matching pieces together for my accessories there will be 3 matching sets. I'm hoping that I'll be able to walk you through each one from baseline sketch, photo shoot and final launch until all are complete and ready.

What have I been up to?...

Spinning...



and more spinning...



These lovely bobbins are 2 out of the 3 I'm spinning in Frabjous Fibers Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) in the color Olive Tree. It's the first time I'm trying this method, but once it's all grown up I'll have a 3-ply yarn. Kind of excited about it.

A Sweater for Eddie

It was around Thanksgiving time when my husband announced that he wanted a sweater. sigh. The next day it just so happened that I was on my way to The Fold with some knitting buddies. While there I looked over yarns to get some ideas. The only problem with this tactic is I had no pattern and not a clue as to his chest size. So, I didn't purchase anything that day, but went home to quiz the hubby about the style of sweater.

His answer? "I don't know." Great.

So, I log in to the Ravelry pattern search, did a selective search on worsted weight men's pullovers and it came up with about 350 or so pattern ideas. I sat him in front of the computer and told him to browse.

What happened next was really my own fault. I should have just chosen a sweater and been done with it. He would have loved anything that I picked, but I wanted him involved. Why? Why on earth would I want him involved...Yeah, get this... my husband then proceeds to judge all the men wearing the sweaters. sigh. He's bald. He's fat. I stood there shaking my head. Really? I know he was pulling my leg, but to think that a sweater would make him look bald is laughable.

He then picked a pattern, Able Cable. Next was picking yarn. I knew this was going to be the hardest of all. So, I asked: what color? I should have just pick one, but no...I'm a gluten for punishment. He told me that he wasn't sure what color it was. Huh? How is it possible for a former press-man not to know what color? So, back to the pattern search. I pulled the list back up and had him review the searches again. He found the sample in question. Guess what he found. A variegated yarn. ::Gasp:: Right??? There is no way in hell I was knitting a variegated sweater, especially one with cables.

I told him that the yarn was expensive and would cost up to $200 to make. That shut him down because if there is one thing I know about my husband, he's cheep. Not so much on everyone else, but totally when it comes to himself.

I then went stash diving and had a couple of options, but since my husband is baby when it comes to "softness" I picked Princess. The yarn is just about the loveliest yarn ever with a blend of cashmere and angora. I haven't told him the name of the yarn yet. I'm saving that little bit for later. It should be hilarious to see his expression;)



I started with the sleeves since it makes the project seem to go faster. Plus how can you not do them two at a time? Makes matching all that more accurate.

The only disappointing part is I thought I had 13 balls. It seems that I only had 11. I most likely used up two skeins for something else and didn't record the adjustment in my Ravelry stash. This then means I'll most likely will be purchasing a few more to finish this project. Oh well. At least I know in the back of my mind that I'll be able to wear the sweater too:)

Below 0 = Thrummed Mittens

This will be my third pair of Thrummed Mittens. With the drop in temperature comes the want for mittens. It got up to 16 degrees today, but this morning was a negative number with the windchill. The mittens alone go super quick. Making of the fiber thrums themselves is a tedious journey that I'm ready to be done with.

Frost Sleeves

It might be slow going, but the journey is wonderful.



I've finished the sleeves on my October Frost cardigan and now it's time to cast-on for the fronts. Looking back at the projects page... eeek! I started this when? January 21st?? Seriously? Wow. Now, I know I've been busy and believe me being busy is a good thing...

Because...

I have exciting news... I'm officially a member of TNNA. Yep, you read that right! I'm so geeked about the whole thing that if I think about it for too long I get nauseous. I'll be attending the June show and hoping that this leads to big things. If nothing else I'm hoping to at least have cocktails with other fellow knitters and designers! And how can I not talk about Jeni's Ice Cream.

Oh, and before I forget! Did you comment on the Gannon Contest post? You can win two skeins of Skacel Similiworsted. Just leave a comment before midnight on Thursday, May 17th.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

The one thing that amazes me every time is how much my daughter is like me. She'll say things that I'd say and we sometimes finish each others sentences. She's 7 years old. What's it going to be like when she's 14? Only time will tell.

When she was six I taught her how to knit because she wanted to be like me. Now, she didn't obsess about it in the beginning, but as time went on things progressed. She saw me knitting on the couch and she'd gather her stuff and join me. Usually only handling a row or two. It's progress. I tell her that a row a day will get her a scarf sooner then not knitting at all.

This is the scarf she started about a year ago:



I think it's fabulous! Of course she's on the fence because it's not perfect. ~wonder where she got that from. **cough**

For Christmas I bought her a Monster High knitting bag from Knittings My Bag... Love her stuff. I totally missed out on the St. Pat's update and thinking of ordering a custom bag;)



Anyway, I put two skeins of Lion Brand Hometown in black and pink along with some needles in the bag as a gift. She loved it. Has been working on it slowly. She would have gotten more completed but if it doesn't look right then she wants to fix it. So proud.

Since then she's requested her own 'blog' (as she calls it) on Ravelry. I set up the account and helped her log her projects. It's really kind of amazing to watch her become involved with the knitting community. Watch out knitting world, Miss Mac is here.

Left Over Sock Yarn Blanket Update

I started this blanket back in October of 2008. Perhaps I should just rename it to the Never Ending Sock Yarn Blanket. It's not that I don't work on it... I do. See here's proof:



I just seems like there hasn't been much progress because the blanket grows only one square at time and who wants to watch that grow. I still love it and it will most likely take another 2 years to finish, but I'm well on my way. See here, I have more squares to add:



In case anyone is curious, the awesome Thirty-One bag was a gift from my mom. It holds the blanket, extra squares and plenty of room for the left over yarn balls.

Do you have any Never Ending Projects that your working on?

Scorpions Kill

I wanted to share with you something that Miss Mac brought home before the New Year. I have it hanging on my fridge and it makes me giggle. Definite proof that she is so much like her daddy...



It says: The scariest bug is scorpion. It is the scariest becuse it eats frogs and it kills people.

Yep, totally her daddy right there!

In other news:



I've made some good progress on the October Frost sleeves. So loving the yarn and the pattern is just going very smooth so far. The next couple of months are going to be super crazy design time for me, but I'm hoping to keep blogging through it even if I can't show you anything. I know totally bummer...but all good things will be revealed.

Happy Hump Day Knitting!

Faery turns to Frost

For a long time I was stuck on the Faery Ring (rav link)... Mostly because the pattern was incomplete. The designer was "working" on it... well, I started this project in the summer of 2009 and she still hasn't completed the pattern. This is not to say that I couldn't have finished it on my own. I am capable of figuring these things out. But, do I really want too?

After further pondering and taking the project out of time-out... I came to the conclusion that even if I finished it, I most likely wont wear it. So over the course of a weekend I ripped it out. I re-skeined and washed the yarn. Now what does one do with 2,340 yards of beautiful wool? Anything really.

So I looked through my queue and picked October Frost from A Fine Fleece. After reading some reviews I'll most likely make some modifications to the sleeves and with that thought I then cast those on.




Really enjoying knitting this so far and I think I'm enjoying the fact that I will have a cardigan that I'll wear even more!