Wednesday Soundtrack

I know I've played this one before, but it's such a goodie, and a fun one for St. Patrick's Day. enjoy*



Work's happening at a frantic pace over here. Super stressful, but there should be some fun on the horizon {the horizon being a couple of months away, oh boy}. Knitting time has been reduced to my subway rides, but I should have a new pair of socks to share soon, and maybe, just maybe I'll finally make a decision and sew some buttons on the sweater from the last post!

I'm in love...

with this shoe company!

That link takes you to a video that shows how the shoes are made. After watching it, I want to order a dozen pair!... but right now I'll save my pennies for just one. I think my favorite style's Middle English.

They'll go well with this almost complete sweater::This was my Christmas '09 road trip project. It's done except for the buttons {and some blocking, of course}. I can't decide if I should go for something subtle and dark? or something colorful? or natural, maybe some homemade wooden buttons?
Help would be appreciated... with either the button suggestion or pennies for new shoes!

Wednesday Soundtrack

The Snow is Gone by Josh Ritter, enjoy*



The snow is most definitely gone here. We filled our beautiful weekend with a trip to the Cape! Where the seagulls assumed their posts up high::
There was a nice mix of work and fun::
The boats were in the harbor by sundown::
{and I soaked up as much sun as possible. can you tell?}

Wednesday Soundtrack

Today's Music: Stuck in a Moment by U2

As deadlines approach, and the work is taking forever to complete, I'm definitely feeling stuck in the moment. So, I'm just taking their advice to get myself together.
If you're stuck in a moment, I hope it's a good one*

I still have another sweater-in-progress to share. Then comes a weekend full of sisters, food, and moments that will pass too quickly!

Knittin' Kitchen

Today's post ~ details from the kitchen with a bit of knitting on the side.

I recently discovered the blog Smitten Kitchen, and yes, I'm smitten. It started with her Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin. I've made it twice and it's slated for another go this weekend. Then I moved on to her Walnut Cake.
I nixed the jam and instead added a thin layer of lemon curd and some whipped cream from the can {um, I love it from the can}.

Now a note from the Knittin' Kitchen :: I drink a lot of my hot drinks out of jars {ball jars, peanut butter jars, pickle jars, anything that's glass}. Here's a pb jar holding my tea::My roommates and I clean and keep all of our jars from food. Beyond drinking, they're great for food storage and packing lunches. Sure you have to be a bit more careful when transporting, but the alternative is plastic, and shouldn't we be a bit more careful with the environment?

I've found two problems with the jars and hot liquids: (1) ouch, it's hot, and (2) they don't seem to stay as warm as ceramic mugs. I haven't tested #2, so it may be all in my head.

Anywho I found the perfect solution and a use for all of my unworn fingerless mitts!::

This pair fits particularly well, I just slip it over the jar, and ta-da! It's insulated and easy to pick up. And just that much more fun to drink out of. It may look like the wool is too close to your mouth, but it doesn't get in the way at all, and I can still put the lid on if I have to walk out the door with my coffee {I know we have insulated coffee mugs for travel, but with the jars, it's much easier to find a lid/jar combo!}.


And one last peak into our kitchen. Check out this spoon:: Can you read it? It says "Department of Mental Health". Sometimes it creeps me out.

header spring 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

No, it's not snowing in Boston. It's raining.

It's been raining for days. While I enjoy your emails, texts, and phone calls, both asking about the weather here and telling me about your piles of snow, I'm a bit jealous. I stopped checking the weather weeks ago, what's the point? But you had me intrigued; maybe we'd get some snow! So I looked:And I highlighted a few key points. Rain, and more rain. I didn't even scroll down the screen, so I don't know where the record 30 inches of snow will fall, but I assure you, it's not falling here.

Let me introduce you to the Pacific Northwest of the East::

So what's a knitter to do? Embrace the gray and surround myself with it::
It's the famous Owl sweater by Kate Davies of Needled. I wanted a sweatshirt type sweater, something I could throw on anytime and immediately be cozy. This was the perfect choice. My only modifications were to move the waist shaping to the sides, and I added a few more short rows to bring the back of the neck up higher. Yarn was Lamb's Wool Bulky using size 10 and 10.5 needles.

I didn't include the button eyes. I like seeing them on other sweaters, but I knew that having the buttons all around would take away from the cozy-ness I craved. Although, after I received a package full of fantastic vintage buttons from Seraphina Firenze, I knew that I'd have to include at least one pair of owl eyes, but which to ones? any preferences?

Bonus shot with the fun yarn charm I received for Christmas::

The owl sweaters are too awesome to just be knit once, and mine was actually the second one I made. The first was for this little lady::


I made it for her first birthday and gave it to her just a wee bit early so it'd get some extra wear before the season ends. This is Kate's Owlet pattern. I knit the baby size 5, with Lion Brand Woolease.

Check out the book in this next photo, you know her mama's raising some girls with good taste. And it's becoming a trend ~ the Schwartz girls come for a visit and we're lucky enough to capture another family portrait::

Well, that's the news, rain and owls. They go exceptionally well together*