Cute new jacket!

If you're a Nordstrom shopper you know what I mean when I say "Anniversary Sale". This is a preseason( for fall fashion) event where they sell items for fall, during the summer when you really wouldn't be wearing them. I picked up a pair of jeans that I can wear now, and a fab little jacket in brown/grey and orange plaid. It's cropped with the cutest wide neck opening, wrist length belle like sleeves, and fabric cover buttons! Since the material irritates my neck I'll have to wear a mock or turtleneck with it at all times. The shorter than average sleeves are meant to show off the long sleeves of the top you're wearing under it.
All in all, it was an early birthday present to myself. It's something I like the style of and…. I can wear it to work! Now I just have to buy a few tops to wear under it *grin*

Oh, and get this they're selling a knit from the top down circular yoked sweater with a pretty ribbed pattern for like 60.00. I saw this and was not interested in buying it because I *know* I could make it. I plan on visiting the store on Monday afternoon to snap a few pictures of it for reference. I'd like to make it out of cotton fleece.

We've also ordered a few things from Amamzon.com lately. I can't wait for all the packages to arrive. I see 3-4 charges on our credit card and they're probably all for me!! Whoo-hoo!. I'm pretty sure they all books to! I decided this was the year for knitting/craft books so we'll see how many I receive this time!

First Veggies from the garden and growth of knitted items!

Here's the first beans from my 4 green bean plants! I harvested them yesterday and already see a few more than could be picked tomorrow. Right now though we aren't getting enough each day for more than a snack. Hopefully, in the next few weeks we'll have enough each time we harvest for both of us to have a side of them with dinner. On a side note, I never expected them to be so soft. They have this downy like texture to the skin.

So I've had this shawl, made out of Mt Colours Bearfoot sock yarn millends, pretty much done for the past 3 months... just hadn't sew in the ends. I decided it was time to actually complete it so I could wear it to work this week. Boy oh boy did it grow! I'll have a picture up of it tomorrow once it's dry.

Updates, Knitting, Sewing & Family

There's good, bad, and so so news.

The good news first! I've finally made something for my best friend, Martha. Okay, okay, I know.. You'd think I would have made something for her by now. No, I think I've gotten just about every other member of her family instead. She's just turned 31 and I've made for her these lovely pink fingerless gloves. They're based on the Fetching pattern from Knitty.com. I thought they were too short and the cables too far apart so I modified the number of knit rows between the cables to 3 and did 7 rows of the cables. I've also added a 2x2 ribbing to the top, this helped pull in the opening. I also used a 2 row purled edge and then bound off knit wise (thumb only) using the knit 2 pass 1st stitch over the 2nd. On the opening since I was using the 2x2 rib I bound off in pattern.


I've also begun a baby surprise jacket using some left over from the gloves and other scraps of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran. It'll be pink/red with whatever other colors I pick up at the store. I think I'll shoot for brown/cream/orange/fuchsia. I have this idea of that colors I want but don't know how they'll all look together. ** Update: I went for cream and green RYC Cashsoft since my local store didn't have any of the DB Aran.
Also on the knitting front. I enjoyed my trip to the Black Sheep gathering in Eugene Oregon this past month. It wasn't as large an event as I'd hoped, but I still had fun. I picked up some Socks that Rock & some cream dk weight alpaca that is listed as "seconds". The only reason I can see it as there is a bit of "vegetable matter" in the yarn. I can pick it out so it isn't too bad. I hope to make a shawl from the Stahman shawl book. I actually paid full price for it at a shop during the Yarn Shop crawl my friend Susan and I made about 2 months ago. I can't say I have a favorite in the book. They're all wonderful.

I also saw my sister and her new twins for the first time. They're pretty cute.


I've also ordered a few books from Amazon.com recently. They're an early birthday present.

1. & 2 Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac & Knitting Without Tears
3. Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects
4. Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns
5. Last-Minute Fabric Gifts: 30 Hand-Sew, Machine-Sew, and No-Sew Projects
6. Confessions of a Knitting Heretic - Annie Modesitt

This last item is actually for my secret pal. I sent her an email letting her know her package is delayed as I'm waiting for this book to come in. I had actually already purchased a book for her knowing it was a difficult one to find in the UK for a good price. However, she went and bought it for her birthday so I had to choose another one for her.

I've also cast on this One Skein Wonder shrug. So far it's working up quickly. However, I have to admit I've become somewhat of a yarn-snob. This yarn only has 20% wool in it and I don't like it as much as I did when I bought it!

On to sewing, I've worked a bit on the Amy Butler fabric quilt I've had cut up for seaming for over 2 months now. I hope to get the top nearly pieced this weekend. Pictures of that are going to be posted this weekend.

Now on to the bad news.. My brother-in-law, whom we hadn't heard from in over a year and half has surfaced recently and since he has no form of work or income, we are "baby sitting" him, as I like to call it. He does a few things around the condo, but mostly just eats and sleeps on our couch. I really don't know how much longer I can put up with it. I'd like to think of myself as a nice person, however when the person you're dealing with has no desire to change their life it can be very frustrating! I want him to be happy. I want him to be productive. I want him to feel good about himself. This is me talking… not him.. So until he wants this for himself there is little I can do about it. I certainly don't want him on the street, yet its difficult to take care of someone who is able to *do* something about their state of being.

On to my lovely garden! It's it just smashing! The lilies have finally opened and wow, what a surprise. I was told they'd be orange.. oh well. I can't complain.. I didn't "buy" them.


Anyhow.. Rant over now…