'Stache [some jerk made me fix the spelling]

Well we've finally made it home to our respective states/countries. Since I only knit a few rows while I was away, I don't have any crafting to share, so I'm going to continue with a few more posts of pictures and details from our trip::


As the pictures show, we had such a great time. In my next couple of posts, I'll share pictures from our 3-hour tour of Geneva and some of the outtakes from our week. I'll also take some time to give you more details from the trip (rather than just a rush of pictures)!

Zermatt Round 2

Well, since the last post received such a great response, here's more from Zermatt::

More fun in the snow, a lot of skiing has occurred, but unfortunately we don't have many action shots!




A view of Zermatt in the valley from high in the Alps::



And more sites from around town::

The view from Zermatt ~

We're having a great time hanging out in Zermatt. The weather's been chilly, but it hasn't kept us inside ~ we've spent most days exploring the town, sledging, and eating potatoes!

The view of the Matterhorn from our first hotel room, with the additional view of our complimentary Matterhorn truffle::



The town::



The sledding::

Where's the Logic?

Spring has arrived! and what do we do but pack up and head off to Switzerland for more snow, skiing, some glaciers, a cuckoo clock here and there, and a boat-load {sled-load} of fun?!

So, before I leave, I give you this hodge podge of a post, enjoy!

Socks are my travel knitting of choice for this trip. After a marathon of knitting jaywalkers throughout the fall, I'm starting the Charade {Ravelry link} marathon this spring. The red pair are for my one sister, and then the blue yarn is a Christmas gift from my other and I'm going to use that to make a couple pair of charade ankle socks. fun fun.

Now, this next bit of crafty goodness deserves its own post, but I thought I'd squeeze it in here. BUTTONS! and more BUTTONS! I'm really so excited about all of these buttons. Excited to the point where I want to knit projects with button holes, but at the same time I don't want to use up the BUTTONS too fast:-)

Where did all of this buttony goodness come from? I have to give a big thanks to my Aunt Shelly for generously sharing these buttons with me.

I have the buttons stored in some extra canning jars, separated by color::
But they also look like candy when poured into a little bowl::
A crafter's take on the ball pit::


And some of my favorites (notice how one is filled with seeds?!)::

No post is completely lately without some photos of weather and the sky. While waiting for the bus after yoga, the sky went from this::

to this::

And across the street, was this building::Notice how the sky behind the building is overcast, but the reflection is the nice blue sky approaching.

Ok, there's one big post to occupy you for a few days!

Knitting a-long

Well, I didn't finish either of my sweaters this weekend, but another project came to a timely finish.

The Inga Hat is complete just in time for a trip to Switzerland!

This was my first stranded colorwork project. For being my first stranded project, I think my tension is ok, not perfect, but definitely wearable. Next time I'll have to pick colors with more contrast so the design pops.

There are little details in this pattern that I love:: the braided edge, and the view from the top are two.


And, in addition to the hat, my mom and I participated in Larissa's latest knit-a-long! She's looking for knitters to knit a 6x6 inch dishcloth with cream/natural colored cotton. If you have an evening or a few hours, this is a fun project. For my dishcloth, I used a simple cable pattern from Vogue's Stitchtionary II.

Now, off to do some research and pack!

In like a Lion

March's Lion Phase:: in pictures





That's one photogenic lion...
I think most of these pictures would be great initial steps for some craft projects... like silk-screened shirts, shrinky dink projects...

Next up ~ some crafty goodness!

Good Stuff

So, *fingers crossed* Boston has finally experienced a hint of spring. As promised, some pictures from a walk last Sunday and a recipe.

I study energy and energy resources, and so I thought that the first picture really speaks to that with the electrical lines and the parallel contrails from the plane. It also fits in with the Lines & Shapes Project.

The second picture is the tip of a branch from this bush that I always see when walking on the trail near my house. All of the branches have that geometric pattern, as if they kept growing the hexagons would close. But then we'd probably call this the beehive bush...



Food::
I've become a big fan of Apartment Therapy and their satellite sites lately. They post so many new bits of info (and recipes!) during the day that it's become my new ideas fix between running regressions in my office.

So, along with learning to use my camera, I really want to start making more recipes, I already cook and bake a lot, so that isn't the issue. I want to do more than just browse through cookbooks, I want to stretch my cooking muscles and make some dishes that are new to me.

So, recipe number one, straight from AT:: Saffron Rice with Peas and Cashews


Ingredients ~
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups Basmati rice, well-rinsed and washed
1/2 teaspoon (2 pinches) saffron threads
1 cup unroasted, lightly salted cashew halves
1 cup frozen organic peas
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Wash and drain rice. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 4-quart pot. Add the rice and fry a couple minutes. Add the saffron threads and cashew halves and fry for another minute. Add the peas, fry for a few moments, then add the water, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 18-20 minutes.

Take off the lid and turn the heat off. Stir in the garam masala and salt to taste. Let the rice sit to "dry" for a few minutes. Serve.

And I just saw they have this new dish up, it might be next on my list!

*Happy Friday*

Keep. Meaning. to. Blog

I do, I keep meaning to give some updates, share some pictures, yada yada, but the week just passed by. I know I keep complaining about this, but it is winter, it's cold, and it's usually dark, so there aren't many times when I'm able to take pictures, and what's a post without pictures? It's all about the pictures (for me).

That said, Posie's post this week about how she takes pictures (with her Canon Powershot I'm guessing) was an inspiring kick in the ass. She talked about taking pictures with her camera set on the A (or AV) setting for aperture control. I have that setting, and I've never used it! I always go for the manual or automatic settings, but not for long ~ one goal for the new year is to read the camera manual and start experimenting. It's never too late to start a goal for the new year, I mean, when does it really start? Sometimes it feels like the year really starts with spring, sometimes it starts with the start of the school year, but it really feels odd to me that the new year starts in the middle of winter when everything's hibernating.

On with the knitting progress::

I'm made some progress on the Buttony sweater. This shot probably gives you a better sense of what's going on. The body and sleaves are knit from my camel yarn, and the leaf panel down the front is from the kathmandu aran. What do you think?


This second project is in transition. It's a brioche scarf pattern from Loop (free with the yarn purchase). I bought the blue and red malabrigo for the scarf, but I ended up not liking the dramatic contrast between the two colors (Nik, you were right), so this weekend I picked up a light grey and I"m going to reknit the scarf with the blue and grey. Then I might turn the red into a hat...

{Both of those pictures were taken in the AV setting}

That's all for now! The day is young, and warm, so maybe I'll take some pictures for a mid-week post*