Recent Projects

Two of my recent projects were booties and baby hats for two of my girlfriends that had a baby and are expecting. I used Ravelry to find the patterns, then found the yarn at String of Purls. SoP is a yarn shop here in Omaha that has some lovely yarns. Not a huge selection, but pretty and soft. They are also very helpful in recommendations and tips. I think that if I didn't work (ha!) I would sit in their shop all day with a cappucino or latte and just knit. I'd probably get carpal tunnel, and my wardrobe would be knit everything. But we don't have to worry about that.

So the booties. These were pretty quick and easy to make. I used 3-ply yarn for each. The first picture it the set I made for baby Camila, my friend Kendra's first child. The second are for my friend Victoria who is expecting her first. I think I like the little, quick knits. I think I made each bootie in about an hour and a half. You aren't constantly picking up and putting down the project. Get it done in one sitting - very nice. The second set was created 40,000 ft in air on my way to New Orleans. The old lady sitting next to me wouldn't leave me alone and kept asking about my knitting, annoying.

So now onto the next project. I am making a winter combo for my sister. We picked out her yarn the last time I was home. I finished the scarf and headband so now I'm working on the fingerless mittens. You'd think that I would have gotten that project finished while recoving from this cold, but my head is so congested that I can't keep track of my stitches and count rows. Maybe there will be a snow storm in April she could use them for....

Chicago

I made a long weekend trip to Chicago this last weekend. I stayed with my good friend Renee and her new fiance, Peter. It was a great escape from the daily routine. Saturday I putzed around a small shopping square not too far from their place and then rode the L into the city a bit further for some more shopping. I noticed a crazy amount of second hand stores - I think Chicago has more second-hand stores per capita then Starbucks in New York. I could tell they have some great buys, but I just don't have the patience to sort through everything. I found a cute little book shop that I bought a knitting book with directions on how to knit little flowers, I'm pumped that you can make them without crochet!! I will now be donning scarves, coffee wraps, baby hats, etc with little cute flowers! I also came across Justin's dream - Gene's sausage shop. This German delicatessen had TONS of selections of, well, sausage, hams, pates, brisquets, cold cuts, you name it. It also had a bunch of other products from Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, and England. I found Justin a book, From Nose to Tail, written by Fergus Henderson. We have been watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, and he hails this guy. Henderson is know for offal, or use of the parts of animals most through out. Not that I'm excited to try many of these dishes, but Justin enjoys reading about them. He was definitely surprised and pleased with his souvenier when I got back.

Among some other sites we had to stop at, the famous bean was one of them. After taking a few pics, we rushed across the street to grab some hot lattes and mochas to warm back up. Unfortunately my brain lapsed and I didn't turn off my flash, so the pics didn't turn out. Guess I have to go back!

I finally finished her scarf!! This was a very long-lasting project, but finally came to completion. Next time I will read the pattern the whole way through before committing to it! Here is Renee showing off the final product.

Renee and I have a tradition of making funfetti cupcakes whenever we get together. In the past we have always just put funfetti frosting on the top, but since I found this fun cupcake decorating book and gave it to her for Christmas, we decided to put our decorating skills to the test and make our cupcakes look like owls. They were fun to make, and actually didn't take that much effort. All we needed was oreos, M&M's (see note below), chocolate frosting, and chocolate covered sunflower seeds. The ears are one half of the orea, the ears are also peice of oreo, then the eyes and nose are the M&M's and sunflower seeds. We initially thought they would be too cute to eat, but then we changed our minds. Yum!

So about the M&M's, the grocery store by their place is primarily hispanic, but also carry a lot of other foreign products. They had M&M's, but they were labeled in a plastic container as "M&M's without the M". Nice.

Knit, purl, cable cross

After my knitting hobby take a 4 year hiatus through the end of undergrad into PT school, I've started up again, and almost in full force. I've been able to get faster and learn some new stitches, and can't seem to knit fast enough for all the projects I want to do. The website Ravelry has been a great source for projects, inventory keeping, and sharing of ideas. I've also found a very cute yarn boutique in town that has some beautiful, yet sometimes pricey, selections of yarn.

My current project is a scarf for my best friend. I started this project a while ago, and it is taking me a while to complete it. The time consuming aspect of this pattern is a cable cross without a cable needle every fourth stitch, every other row. Although the pattern is rather mindless, which is nice to sit and therapeutically wind the yarn around two needles after a rough day of work, the back stitching in the pattern doesn't add length to the project very quickly. But, it's turning out very nicely and I can't wait to get it done and give it to Renee!




A couple months ago I tagged along with my mom and some of her quilting compadres from Des Moines to some fabric shops in Omaha. Along I have done very little sewing and nearly no quilting in my life, I decided to make this bag for my knitting supplies. The fabric I found is so cute and I think they go together very well, if I do say so myself! I finished the bag, but not without the help of my mother and her diligent work trying to make the grommets fit over the inner canvas and layered fabric. So now the bag contains all of my needles, patterns, and knitting accessories; and with the leftover fabric, another side project was started. Post to follow upon completion....








Here is a little preview of the yarn for my next two projects. As soon as the scarf is complete, I have two projects in my queue to begin and get finished in the next two months. I love these colors!!