Monthly Archives: April 2008

MAZIE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!

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AND YES, I’M YELLING AT YOU!

This was the first time ever ever ever that Mazie hasn’t woken up at 3:30 am for food!

I don’t want to jinx anything…but what if she starts sleeping through the night more and more often?

What if I get more than 3 hours’ sleep in a row on a regular basis?!
Can you imagine the productivity?
Can you imagine how much nicer I’ll be to my friends and family?!
It’s almost scary to even talk about it!

WOW.

The alarm went off at 6:30 and we were like, wait, did we set it wrong? Because Mazie’s tummy is like a clock…right at 3:30 every night, she wakes up. Once in the night, Nate woke up and checked to see if she was breathing, she was so quiet. (She was.) I’m trying to remember my yesterday and what all I did differently…and I think she may just be growing up!

Aw. My Big Girl!!

Thursday…the mail.

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I’ve got MAIL to share with you! But first, doesn’t this look like fun? I’ve never been on a knitting retreat, but I’ve wanted to go on one ever since I first heard about Knitting Camp. The workshops sound really good, and how cozy will it be to be in the Canadian Rockies in November!? I mean, look at this place!

So the first piece of mail is from my friend Cindy. She’s a technical illustrator / knitter, and has made some really pretty notecards:

Cindy's cards

They come in a pack of 4 and each one has a knit swatch on the front, with the stitch pattern on the back. Neat idea!

darn good yarn

The next cool thing from this week’s mail is a hank of sari silk from Darn Good Yarn. This isn’t the thick, ropy stuff that we saw when this kind of yarn first came out. THIS sari silk is soft, and a nice weight for a scarf or jacket. I haven’t had a chance to swatch it yet, but when I do, I’ll show you how it knits up.

It’s fun to get to see new and different yarny things…I’m sort of isolated out here in the desert.

SO…let’s see, what’s going on….

Today was a day off from teaching (I teach MWF) so I hung around the house with Mazie garding homeworks and quizzes, working on my lecture for tomorrow. Also trying to get some knitting in…

I finished the taxes!
taxes!

I had all the receipts spread out around me, two laptops going, kitties helping, Mom holding Mazie…and Nate outside smoking cigarettes. But we did it!

Needle Arts Studio

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My episode of The Needle Arts Studio is going to air soon. It’s a little bit hard to tell from the website exactly when, but they’ve got a link up, and an image from the episode.

needle arts studio

I was sponsored by Cascade Yarns to do a segment using their “Cash Vero” yarn. I re-knit the Turtleneck Tube sweater from Fitted Knits in the Cash Vero and demonstrated that process a little bit. The segments are only about 8 minutes, so not a *whole* lot of teaching, more talking about the sweater and the yarn.

We filmed in Detroit last spring, so it’s fun to see the show actually about to come out!

Interweave Readers' Choice!

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booklet-cover

Oh you GUYS!

This just blows me away! I am SO overwhelmed to have my design chosen for this award.

On Thursday, I’m on blog tour at Chez Aristote. Woo!

I feel like there’s so much new stuff happening right now! I’m still fully entrenched in babyland, but I’m finding that as Mazie gets bigger, she’s more content and I’m able to scrape together the time to do some things. Which is GREAT.

(More photos of the new pattern here,and I’m knitting another in my size, so you can see how it looks on an old lady, too!)

New pattern coming SOON!

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blue-tank_web.jpg
(Photo by Jonelle of SWTC)

cleo buttons

Cleo
©Stefanie Japel for SouthWest Trading Co.

Cleo is cast on at the neckline and worked flat for 16 rows, and then joined and worked in the round to the hemline. Ribbed trim and a two-button closure frame the garment. Dropped yarnovers add texture and visual interest to the stockinette stitch body. A moderate A-line shape makes this a great choice for any body type.

I’ve chosen bright summery colors of Vickie Howell’s Rock (40% SOYSILK®, 30% Fine Wool 30% Hemp) for this version, but Cleo would look equally great worked up in Rock shades: Joan [black], Trent [gray], and Jack [white].


INFO:

Yarn:
[MC] 4[4, 5, 5, 5] balls SWTC Vickie Howell Collection Rock (40% SOYSILK®, 30% Fine Wool,30% Hemp) 100m/50g, color: Kim & Kelley
[CC1] 1[1, 2, 2, 2] balls Rock, color: Shirley
[CC2] 1[1, 1, 1, 1] ball Rock, color: Billy Joe

Needle: US8 24” circular needle

Gauge: Body stitch pattern: 4 sts and 4 rows per inch. (This is knit more loosely than recommended on the yarn label.)

Notions: Two ¾” round buttons

SIZING: This pattern is written for the HIGH BUST measurement. This measurement is taken around the body, just under the arms, and is generally 2 to 4 inches smaller than the ACTUAL BUST measurement. PLEASE be sure to take a proper measurement before choosing your size.
Sizes: HIGH BUST MEASUREMENT: 30[34, 38, 42, 45]

I really loved working with Rock (and with Vickie, Jonelle, and Kat, too!) :) It has a smooth hand and drapes really nicely. I love the texture of this yarn. The cotton, wool, and hemp really play off each other well so that it doesn’t have the stiffness that an all-hemp yarn can have, or the tightness that an all-cotton has.

Love it!

Between the books and having a baby, this pattern has been a long time in coming. We previewed it at TNNA *last* year, and hopefully the pattern will be available for wholesale order *this* year! Thanks to everyone involved for your patience! I’m finally getting my steam back (as you can tell from all of my recent posting!)