Sunday, December 20, 2009

Fruit Cake

Yeah, I know, but this is good. I need to make some, but not this weekend, too much snow, not enough butter and eggs!

Heat oven to 275 degrees

3/4 lb softened butter
2 cups white sugar
beat together

separate 6 eggs and beat yolks well, then gradually mix together with 1 oz lemon extract and 3 cups flour

whip eggs whites and fold into mixture, one half at a time

Add
1 lb pecans, 1 lb golden raisins, 1/2 lb glazed cherries, and 1/2 lb glazed pineapple - all cut into small pieces

Pour mix into lightly greased and floured loaf pans and banked approx 2 hours

Place shallow pan of water on bottom shelf of oven and keep water in the pan while baking

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

It's been a while

I'm still here! Super busy. School was a bear this semester and I've been knitting happily to drown out school annoyances!

I'm doing some happy Christmas knitting now. I've also started a ten stitch blanket because the sock yarn blanket just wasn't enough blanket for me. I've got a fabulous Juno shawl on the needles too, and found a new sock yarn base that I'm really happy with.

Need a gift for a knitter in your life? I'd be happy to customize a yarn color for that person - just send me a message on Ravelry or leave a message (text or voice) on my google voice number- 267-702-knit and we can work something out.

I'm looking forward to the Christmas break at work, and spending lots of time cuddled up with my dogs drinking hot tea and knitting. Are we there yet?

Happy Holidays!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Busy Weekend

Started my WineLovers colorway collection - have 4 colors so far - and they commissioned a knit project which I designed and knit and dyed the first prototype today .

Need to get some holiday knitting started.

And I have swap packaged that need finishing assembly and mailed

Friday, August 7, 2009

Quintessential Now

My playlist for the Third Street Ravelers Quintessential Now CD swap


The Way I Live [Explicit] Baby Boy Da Prince M. LaCour Across The Water [Explicit]
It Can't Rain All The Time Jane Siberry Jane Siberry The Crow Soundtrack
Misunderstood Common Feat. Bilal Kanye West Finding Forever
Faith Limp Bizkit George Michael Family Values Tour
Rock Yo Hips (Album Version) [Explicit] Crime Mob Rock Yo Hips [Explicit]
Milkshake (Radio Mix/Album Version) Kelis Pharrell Williams
Day 'n' Nite [EXPLICIT] Kid Cudi Day 'n' Nite [Explicit
Welcome To Heartbreak Kanye West Patrick Reynolds 808s & Heartbreak
Freak On A Leash Korn Brian Welch/David Silveria/Jonathan Davis/James Shaffer/Reginald Arvizu Family Values Tour
Deja Vu (Uptown Baby) Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz The Source Hip Hop Music Awards
What Them Girls Like Ludacris Feat. Chris Brown & Sean Garrett LUDACRIS Theater Of The Mind
Lapdance N*E*R*D Feat. Lee Harvey & Vita The Neptunes In Search Of...
Bombay Timbaland Feat. Amar & Jim Beanz Timbaland Timbaland Presents: Shock
If I Ruled the World Nas Featuring Lauryn Hill
The Sun Doesn't Like You Norah Jones Lee Alexander Not Too Late
Kiss Me Thru The Phone Soulja Boy Tell`em D. Way
Bounce Timbaland Feat. Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott & Justin Timberlake Timbaland Timbaland Presents: Shock Value
You Spin Me Right Round Artist Unknown (I have someone I can ask if you want to know)
Oops, Oh My Tweet
Stripped Rammstein
Love Lockdown Kanye West LaNeah Menzies 808s & Heartbreak
Kiss Me Thru The Phone Soulja Boy Tell`em D. Way
Do My Memphis Bleek Feat. Jay-Z The Understanding
If I Ruled the World Did this get duplicated? Sorry, I tried to catch them!
#1 Crush Garbage
Addictive [Explicit] Truth Hurts Billy Nichols Truthfully Speaking [Explicit]
Penetration Next Feat. Naughty By Nature Cliff Lighty/B. Robinson/K. Morse/Keir Gist/Darren Lighty/Anthony Criss/D. Damon Rated Next
Release Timbaland Feat. Justin Timberlake Timbaland Timbaland Presents: Shock Value

Best I Ever Had [Explicit] Drake M. Samuels
Break My Heart Common Kanye West Finding Forever
Doo Wop (That Thing) Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill R
Never Scared (remix) Bone Crusher
Renegade Jay-Z Feat. Eminem S. Carter, M. Mathers The Blueprint
Tainted Love Marilyn Manson
Ambient World Lee G & Delon lOOk @ The Tree
Swagga Like Us [Explicit] Jay-Z Clifford Harris Swagga Like Us [Explicit]

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Website?

I started a Website for my hand-dyed and kits and things!

Here it is - go visit

Monday, June 22, 2009

Summer is officially here

I'm gonna start by plugging one of my favorite winter drinks - Chai from Yogic Chai. They are getting ready to go on Vacation in Venezuela.

I'm getting ready to go on vacation in Virginia.

But why would you want chai in the summer? Have you had it on ice? on CRUSHED ice?

brew it a little on the strong side, crush ice into your favorite glass, pour some almond or coconut milk over the ice, pour on some chai and you're refreshed and ready to knit that Christmas present you thought you needed to start!!!

I've finished my summer clapotis. My beautiful girl Bleu is helping model it here



I've started felting my entrelac clutch

and I need to steal some time for my Stolen Moments Shawl and my Dragonfly Socks

My sock yarn blanket is coming along nicely though I haven't blogged about it recently.

I've also been dyeing yarn to sell for the sock yarn blanket (or for other things if you want to buy a whole 100 grams at a time instead of 5 or 10 or for other blankets than the one I'm making)

Friday, May 22, 2009

WWKIP Day

United States, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Hosted by: Third Street Ravelers
Location: Rittenhouse Square
Time: 11a - ?
Date: June 14, 2009

How to get there:
As with previous KIP events, we'll be hanging out on the lawn in the south-east quadrant of the park. Look for the people with yarn and needles on blankets looking content in each others company under the canopy of green tranquility.

Please bring:
Bring a blanket or towel or chair to sit on. Bring your WIP! :D Feel free to bring snacks for yourself or for sharing, if you would like, and remember water! Last year was very warm, and hydration while knitting is important. Also, the nearest bathrooms are at Barnes & Noble. Otherwise, just bring yourself and plan to have fun.

The backup plan is:
We have no backup plan. We like to live dangerously.

This KIP is not knitting exclusive
There are no bathrooms nearby.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Socks/Sock Blanket?

I can't stop knitting on my sock blanket.

It's kinda driving me crazy because I want to work on something that I can finish. Like my socks! I'm on the cuff silly person - just go at them.

Or my bag... Or perhaps I should take Hey Teach to the Frog Pond

and start something quick for my mom

or for my best friend who is getting married this fall

or those gloves for my co-worker

or something fun and lace for me

or more socks

damn!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Loopy Ewe

I want everything this place carries - someone be my sugar momma?

I'm especially lusting after the Vampire Kiss Sock Yarn!

Must finish my other socks - then maybe I will reward myself with more yarn!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Lady Eleanor

Is FINISHED! Fringe knotted, blocked, dried. DONE! I'm so excited - it turned out so well.

I think I want to make a felted entrelac bag to match with the remaining yarn.

I'm having a hard time picking my next project. I need something I can work on while I watch TV. I have a shawl started, so it can't be that. I want to do another pair of socks, but I'm torn in so many directions. It's more a matching a pattern with a yarn at this point, as I have so many that I like and want to do.

Speaking of socks, I know I was going to give the prize out earlier, but I promise it will be next week. I'm in the cuff, I'm going to finish them.

So back to my next project, I have a lace shawl so lace and shawl is out. I did just get a kit for a laptop bag for my parents - but it's colorwork and I'm scared. I have the yarn I need for my February Lady sweater.

So I guess I need to find a bag pattern, print out the February Lady Sweater, and pick another sock pattern.

And I need to make those damn gloves for my friend.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Lady Eleanor

I've been obsessively knitting on Lady Eleanor lately. It's such an instant gratification type thing for me. My socks are going well, but have been on hold because I need to read the pattern while I work and it's just not as flexible. I found my brother's socks so I'm going to have to step it up for them. And, I have a Harmony needle I can use for my dad's hat so I can switch over to that and have it done for his birthday, in two weeks!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Wintery Wonders

I completed my mom's mittens and headwarmer prior to giving them to her!

And I forgot to photograph them.

Seems that the projects I photograph don't get finished on time and the ones I don't photograph do.
I need to fix that.

I got my KYS Swap package yesterday and it was overwhelmingly amazing. I had been focusing so much on the things I'm getting people that I didn't think much about what I might be getting from someone else!

I did start my socks, and they are moving along pretty well. I haven't posted what I chose because I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if the giant frog came to visit. I'm glad they have a pattern though, because I'm not sure how I feel about how the yarn works up in stockinette. I also am not sure about the toe that I chose, but that's something I can work out in the future. I'm a little worried they will be too big, but again, I can work that out in the future too.

My super exciting lace northern lights shawl has been hibernating. I really really need to finish those gloves for my coworker and find and finish my brother's socks.

Today I spent most of the day curled up with Bleu watching Law and Order and knitting. I also did some dyeing. I got over enthusiastic and dyed some yarn completely red and now I'm not sure what I want to do with it. I could use it for another swap partner. Maybe that's what I'll do - red is one of her colors. I also did some more dyeing with coffee and my hands smell like it! I dyed some peach nylon tape yarn with it because I don't like the peach so much. I keep ending up with pastels. Not sure how. Everything is draining now and I'm going to try to motivate myself to hank it tonight so it can start drying.

Friday, February 13, 2009

BSJ Success!

I completed and gifted the two BSJs to the MTB BEFORE she had her babies.

She seemed really pleased. I really do enjoy that pattern.

Woot!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

I Know You are Waiting

To see which sock I'm going to attempt to start - and finish - and who is going to get a cool prize.

Right now I (stupidly) decided I needed to knit things for some of my swaps and they are all due the end of this month.

I also have to put closures on the two BSJs I made for my co-worker.

I may abandon one of the swap projects, because everything I've tried just hasn't worked for me. I need to sit down with all my swaps (somehow I have 4 going on right now) and get them inventoried so I know if I need to do anything else for them.

Two of them are 'due' on the 28th. One of them has to be mailed the other one has a little more leeway. One of them I still want to order something for, which I can't do until tomorrow.

I really would like to have socks made before I'm in flipflops/no shoes for until it gets cold again.

I have to finish a thumb, weave in ends and block my mom's birthday presents (we're getting together on the 21st).

I have a shawl I started for myself that I LOVE and haven't had a chance to work on at all.

I need a sugar mama that will let me knit when I want to and work when I want to!

Speaking of work...

Friday, January 30, 2009

Final Four

I've narrowed the sock list down to four finalists. This weekend I'm going to resquish the yarn and maybe make a decision.

I started a shawl for a swap and I still have a BSJ that I need to finish and I'm afraid I'll jinx something if I cast on my socks when I have already deadlined projects on the needles.

I can't decide if I want to work toe up or cuff down.

I really want to work toe up, but I like the bribery of one of the cuff down projects.

In non knitting news, I think I might have messed up my accounting quiz because I only thought there was one question. It may be that there was only one, but I can't even go back to look!

In other non knitting news - I want a french press to make chai in!

Happy Knitting !

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Sock Contest

Wow, you all gave me some great choices!

I'm narrowing the list down, and trying to cast off some other projects so I can focus on this one!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Sock Contest

I've been kicking around the idea of a sock contest for a while now, and I think I'm ready to go ahead with it. I love making socks. However, I've never been able to complete even 1 sock made of sock yarn. I've had several different pairs started, most haven't gotten past the cuff.

So, I'm going to throw this out there and see if maybe it works.

Take a look at my stash, and my sock queue, and maybe even my library. Pick out a sock pattern and a yarn that you think I'll actually be able to complete. Or suggest a free pattern that I don't have queued. I have to be able to knit it from my stash, and I'm pretty sure that with a few exceptions that aren't sock yarn, it's complete. I have most needle sizes so I'm not to worried about that, the point is that I use my sock yarn stash to complete a pair of socks.

The socks have to be over the ankle. The socks I wear most often have about a 3 inch cuff. They can't be much shorter than that. I love knee highs but it's probably not practical for this to suggest something that will have to reach my knees. I am going to be knitting both socks at once, either on two circulars, or magic loop, so if the pattern is written for dpns, make sure it's something I'll be able to convert pretty easily (or, convert it for me!)

What's in it for you? For the person whose pattern/sock suggestion I choose and complete I'll put together a kit including yarn and a pattern worth at least $20. Whether you choose to have me print a free pattern and spend it all on yarn or not, is up to you. I may have runner up prizes, and/or a prize for the most creative suggestion whether I finish the socks or not.

The deadline for suggestions is January 24. All suggestions have to be made as comments on this blog.

If you have any questions, send me an email or a message on Ravelry!