Spilling the Beans

This weekend I am more than excited to stay home and work on a few projects. Above is a new design that I have been knitting away on. I'm happy to say that next week, I should have 3 new designs with test knitters (well, depending on how this weekend goes, of course).

Currently, Joe is downstairs getting all the walls ready for priming- the basement knitting studio is moving right along!

Last night I made this Black Bean and Chorizo Chili from the Cooking Light website. My sister would make this chili in the winter, now that she moved so far away I have to make it for myself. Although is calls for chorizo sausage, she is a vegetarian and replaces this with soy chorizo. I decided to make it exactly the way she does and picked up some soy chorizo at Trader Joe's earlier this week. The chili also calls for cinnamon and chocolate- no joke, check it out!

So with plenty of work ahead of us, I think our weekend is set. What about you, do your plans include being out and about, or staying warm inside by the fire?

Extra Special Birthday Gift

First of all, thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes last week. We rolled in my 28th year in style, complete with a trip to the French Laundry- yum! Before dinner, I opened gifts; one of which I want to share with you here.

I have mentioned the Knitter's Rule on my blog before. It seems I finally dropped enough hints to get one for my birthday :) By this time, many of you have seen products by KaratStix in some venue. I'm pretty sure she has been featured in every knitting magazine I look through.

What I didn't know was all her products can be personalized. Imagine my surprise when

1.) I finally received the super stylish needle gauge I'd been hoping for for months,

and

2.) My Knitter's Rule had carved images of my very own designs!

Take a look at this close up pic, anything look familiar?

I was absolutely giddy when I saw my slippers, Breckenridge Cowl, and FPK logo on my new needle gauge. If this wasn't enough, it came with a bonus gift! The holes for the large needles are saved and turned into stitch markers:

How clever is that?

If you haven't checked out her products, you can buy directly from her Etsy shop. And great news for all you LYS owners- Karen wholesales these beauties as well! I know I will be recommending them to every LYS that I frequent. You can find more info on her website.

So if you were to order a personalized needle gauge, do you have anything special you would put on?

Wheel in the Sky has Stopped Turning

I promised an update of my Girasole blanket (pattern by Jared Flood) to many of you, and I can finally show you the finished product. I honestly thought I would be finished with this about a week sooner than I actually was, but the darn lace edging took me forever!

It is a great pattern and if you don't have it already, I highly recommend it. I know a few of you have already bought it and I would love to see your progress along the way!

Because it is knit in a worsted weight yarn, the blanket knits up fairly fast (well, except of course for the lace edging, but we already discussed that!). The end result is truly magnificent. I have never been so impressed with something I have knit myself. Measuring in at over 6 feet in diameter, it really is a remarkable piece.

A Birthday Wish

Rumor has it that today is my 28th birthday. Boy, they just sneak up on you, don't they?! As a gift to you, I went on a mission at my parents house to uncover pictures from birthdays past. Here's what I came up with. This first picture is at my fourth birthday. Take note of the shiny, puffy sleeved, lavender dress. I loved this dress. I remember it well- the look of it, the feel of it, and how I used to pretend I was a rich girl from Little House on the Prairie when I wore it (no joke).

That's right, folks! Apparently 1988 was the year of the bow. Notice both me and my sister rocking the 'large bow on headband' look. This is not the only trend I found while scouring old pictures. I also peeped some nice one piece 'sun suits' (tank top and shorts attached- all in the same cotton material, did you wear these?), jelly shoes, and Pound Puppies (I totally forgot about those). It's always fun to look back and have a blast from the past moment on your birthday!

My wish this year? Finish this darn blanket! Things were going along swimmingly until I got to the lace edging. There I was, thinking I was almost finished, not suspecting at all that the short rows would take me hours to complete. I have about 3 feet left- down to the home stretch. Problem is, that interprets to a few hours of work and my attention is waning.

My other birthday wish (am I allowed to have two?)... is to see my nieces sing Happy Birthday to me.*

*Ahem....SKYPE....cough cough- you know who you are- make this happen (I'll be waiting) :)

Have a Heart

This past weekend, the blogosphere was brimming with Valentine's Day posts. My Google Reader was well decorated in pink and red hearts, along with Valentine's Day tutorials and print outs. Somehow I missed the boat.

Valentine's Day is usually pretty low-key for us. This year we spent the weekend celebrating our good friend's Valentine's Day birthday. Ava turned 3 on Sunday, and although I was instructed to not bring a present, I figured I could bring a card with a knit heart.

Prototypes were drawn up, and my 'little heart' turned out a little bigger than I expected. I used fingering weight yarn left over from my Girly Mitts, but it was still a bit to large to adorn a card. Instead, it became a card (In the form of the pillow, that is):

We signed the back and wished Ava the happiest 3rd Birthday- what a wonderful Valentine's Day it was!

What about you...whose company did you enjoy on V-Day?