hap(py) ~ posted by Melissa

 Hello again!  Many thanks to everyone that chimed in to last week's post (link here) and helped solve a mystery.  Although quite a few of you thought my plant is a white hydrangea (and have now made me covet a few of these as well!), I believe that those of you who decided it is a snowball viburnum hit the nail on the head.  Everything I've looked at online mirror images the flowers and leaves and size of the plant we have.  Thanks again ~ I'm excited to track down another of these since they seem to thrive in our bog of a back yard when not much else is happy there.
 

 

This week I pulled out a work-in-progress (and if you know me at all, you're not surprised that I chose something that matched the color scheme of the book I'm reading ~ I'm a dork!).  I'm working on my jaywalker socks (link here) and I should be done with them by next week's yarn along.  They're pretty easy and I put them away with one completed and the other already started so I'm more than half finished.  They're fun and easy and a sanity saver (thanks, Will ~ hehe!).

 

And look!  I finished the hap I cast on last week already! 

(link here) 

 

 

It was such an addicting knit ~ so hard to put down and so quick to knit up.

 

 

That Kate Davies is wonderful ~ the pattern is very well written and so classic and simple.  I think I'm going to cast on another soon in a lighter weight yarn.  Perfect for a travel, no-brainer project.

 

Hope you all had a good holiday weekend (if you're stateside) ~ I tried to balance the must-do's with a few wanna-do's and it turned out to be a fairly pleasant few days.  The best part though was when my husband (who I've had on chore-lockdown for the last 10 months...and counting) told me to park it on the couch and knit so he could make me dinner.  It was delicious!!!  I felt guilty the entire time but I sure enjoyed it ~ and even better, there were leftovers the next night.  What a guy :)

 

 

here's a link to the recipe : Papas Con Chorizo

 

see you all next week :)

Melissa

 

joining Ginny @ Small Things and her Yarn Along Crew





Pretty Pretty Peerie Flooers

So, I look like a major dork in knitted hats and it's dark and stormy outside and the lighting is horrible and I had to take a crummy self-portrait, but just look at this hat!!!!  Doesn't it make you smile?  It does me.  Thanks to Kate Davies for coming up with such an inspiring project ~ she's a genius.  This was a challenge from start (picking out 7 yarn colors and then having to decide what combinations worked) to finish (there has to be a trick to weaving in all those ends!).  My hat is so different from all the others that have been made that I'm a little leery that my colors don't completely work (my shades are so dark and rustic) but for a first multi-color stranded knit, I don't think it's too bad?  This is one of the few things that I've made where every time I look at it I think to myself....I can't believe I did that!!!

Details of my Peerie Flooers Hat can be found here, as well as some more dorky photos.  Hopefully my personal photographer (that would be my husband) and a sun break are both on hand this weekend so I can get some better pictures!     ~ Melissa

The Fair(isle)est of them all....

I'm obsessed (again...) ~ between my new found love of stranded knitting, my 'finish-itis', the icy temps this weekend and hours and hours of me time, I have some new completed projects to share.

First, my crowning (ha!) achievement, Mary Scott Huff's 'Queen of Hearts' Selbuvotter mittens (details of my project including yarn and needle size can be found here on my Ravelry page.

I also started and completed a Christmas gift this weekend ~ I won't share who the recipient is since I don't want to spoil the surprise.  'Fingerless Gloves Musica' is a free pattern that can be found on Ravelry (and my project details can also be found here).

And, I'm just finishing up my Kate Davies 'Peerie Flooers' stranded hat.  I just have a few more rows of crown decreases and a few (or more) hours of weaving in all the loose ends and it will be done.  I'm so excited to share this hat ~ it's one of my favorite knits ever!  Hopefully, by this weekend I'll have some finished photos to post.  I can't wait to show you!

Have a great week, all!   ~ Melissa

Another Peerie~

I think we're at the same spot.

I'm loving this hat. Wish I lived closer I'd help you two finger fair isle. I'm the same way with not wanting to put it down.

Your hat is looking great!

Stay loose~

Kelli

Polar Opposites ~ at least for today ;)

Kelli finds peace and poetry in her knitting ~ for me, the last 3 days have been all about tension.  Tension in my neck and shoulders from concentrating so hard on trying to get my tension right on this hat:

Peerie Flooers by Kate Davies

Honestly, I can see where I could eventually really, really enjoy fair isle.  There is such a rhythm to it and there's never a good spot to put it down and walk away from it because you want to do 'just one more row' to see the magic that happens with the next color changes.  Kind of like that last potato chip ~ do you ever stop with your first thought of 'that's the last one' when you have the munchies?  Anyway, I'm proud I've gotten this far with no color mistakes (Kathi ~ there will be no sharpies touching THIS project!!) but I wish I could speed up the pace just a bit.  I'm a slow knitter by nature but, holy cow, since I don't know how to carry yarn with both hands and I have to stop with every color change, it's taking me twice as long as it should!

There is definitely a colorwork class in my not so distant future.     ~ Melissa

Playing Hooky

I got to take a personal day at work so went to sit and knit with the 'Thursday Group' that I never get to see.  Talk about sensory overload ~ so much chatter and needles flying and projects to see ~ how can I be this tired from just sitting for 4 hours??  I need a nap! 

Jo & Zoe got to go and hang out with us at WildFibers:

Is it just me or does Zoe look stoned when she's sitting next to Jo?  Between the outrageous locks and the buggy button eyes.....I think some changes are in store.  Thoughts???

I cast on Kate Davies' 'Peerie Flooers' while I was there ~ 4 hours and only 7 rows done.  Geesh ~ I just can't knit any faster, especially with colorwork.  It's hopeless ~ or I am!  It's so pretty so far, even just the little bit I've done:

And if you're intrigued by what's underneath my knitting, let's pan out just a bit:

The word had gotten out that I was going to make an appearance today and Linda (THANKS!!!) remembered that I had wanted to borrow her Herbert Niebling books and a few German lace knitting magazines.  Pages and pages and pages of inspiration.  Linda, I will try very hard not to drool all over them!
                                                         ~Melissa