fiddlesticknitting

2010 Knits

I finally got around to taking pictures of recent (and not so recent) FOs that I wanted to share with you. I need to make a pompom (first one failed) for Lovey's golf club cover, and then I'll take a picture of that, but here's everything else:

Most recently finished (12/28): Serendipity Mittens by my dear friend Brandy Fortune! They are a super quick knit (two Glee episodes worth) and used less than one skein of Spud and Chloe Outer. My Rav Info is here.

Finished at 4:30AM Christmas Day. Someone in this house likes Olivia (Nickelodeon), and I think she's a  pretty cool pig. I've named these Olivia Warmers and they used about 1/3 of a skein of each color (tutu and red hot) in Spud and Chloe Fine. Rav Info.

(No that's not a bunch of crap on my sweater, that's a bunch of crap on my mirror! It has since been cleaned thankyou!)

Finished Thanksgiving week (I think....) Here is my short-sleeved version of the Oatmeal Pullover. I am lazy and knew that I would never finish this sweater (although it's super quick to knit) if I had to knit two sleeves. So, I took the easy way out, but here in Colorado we do like to layer, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! I used Quince and Co. Puffin in Peacock. I love this sweater and wear it a ton, so I guess it's a winner! Rav info.

(This one was a b*tch to photograph. I promise it doesn't look like vomit in real life!)

This was finished in Feb 2010. It's the Modern Garden Cardi. It turned out quite wonky, but I still like it, and it's my very first (finished) sweater! Rav Info here to learn about the wonkiness. I used Araucania Limari, which was fun to use.

(My god, isn't she an absolute doll? I LOVE her!)

This was finished as Satya's Christmas present last year. I am sure I finished it in the wee hours on Christmas morning. I love this little beret, it's the Petite Beret by Hadley Fierlinger. I used Spud and Chloe Sweater in Moonlight and a little bit of Knitpicks Palette (doubled) for the i-cord. What's cool about this beret, is that it fits me too! Rav Info.

See?

If you'd like to see Satya gussied up in all handknits.....

She's pretty fancy, isn't she? If you'd like to see a sneak peek of my new design (pattern to come out this weekend!)......

(picture taken by Brandy Fortune)

 

I think 2011 is going to be a great year. I have already changed my attitude into quite a positive one, and I have a lot of plans. My word for 2011 is Determination. What's yours?

Have a wonderful and very safe New Year's celebration and Best Wishes for 2011!

Friday Favorites: Toys

I go through phases where I feel the need to update Satya's toy options and go a little crazy---between handmade toys I find on Etsy and games, playdoh and other art supplies. But then when we're really poor (lol), I think well, she really doesn't need more stuff, she can improve her creativity and imagination, which definitely works and in the end is so much better for her, right?

But since the holidays are creeping up on us (creeping? maybe like running right into us!), I thought maybe we could discuss your favorite toys and places (sites) to shop for them. We are definitely poor for this holiday season and I plan to do a lot of crafty things with & for Satya for Christmas. Hopefully I'll actually come visit this space to tell  you about our projects!

Here are a few great Etsy shops that I've visited more than once for handmade toys:

• Polliwog Learning Products. Great Montessori learning tools. I found this shop via Sew Liberated.
• Harvest Moon By Hand
• Gemmie Lou
• Moo Shoo Pork
• Rjabinnik
• Just Hatched
• Imagination Kids
• Bugga Bugs I found this shop via Yarn Pirate

Some shops that I've "faved" but haven't had the opportunity to support them yet:

• WoodMouse
• Tumbleberry Toys
• Nushkie
• The Enchanted Cupboard

 

What are your favorite shops? Let me know! Have a great weekend!

whoa....when did it become November?

sorry. let's just officially decide that i suck at this "maintaining a blog" thing. i have no intentions on leaving this space. i love it and want to visit it more often.  i hope you stick with me. maybe someday i will have some fun knitting things to share!

while we wait on that...... why don't you go read about Brandy's awesome news. I am so happy for her and cannot wait to hear about the journey!

i am close to having a FO for Satya and a new pattern to release....just need some pics (ahem, Brandy lol) and to format the pdf. it's a cute pattern, i hope you guys are going to like it!

here's a picture from Satya's first real Halloween celebration....we're still recovering.....

A Good Day in Bullet Points

• Just wanted to drop in to say a quick hi! 
• Finally went back to work today, which was happily welcomed. I have to finally admit to myself that I do indeed love structure in my life. 
• GREAT things happening at Petite Purls Central. GREAT. you are in for some fabulous future issues!
• My daughter is rocking at school with her sound recognitions. I think we have an early reader on our hands (woo hoo! hallelujah! i was one too)
• My Boheme and Boheme*Mama patterns are doing really well
• I have a new logo in the works that I love! Jill Zielinski Designs (aka Knitterella) is doing it. Cannot wait to have it...and a blog makeover
• Waiting for some yarn to swatch and design two things by Oct 1. I'm nuts.
• Oh, it's my birthday week, so I had the house cleaned yesterday. So happy.

And how are you today?

Happy Birthday Satya

My sweet baby turns three today. I am wide awake feeling nostalgic for the past three years of her life, but also very excited for all the years to come. Happy Birthday Satya. 

Happy Mother's Day

My Daily Inspiration:

I re-read a post I wrote this time last year that I would like to share with you again

http://fiddlestix.typepad.com/fiddlestix/2009/05/i-am-proud-to-be-a-working-mama.html

Mamas,  we do the hardest job there is. Be Proud.

Happy Mother's Day

  

Making Changes

On New Year's Eve, our dryer died. Well, the heater in the dryer died. We "got it fixed" a few days later, but it ended up being more dead after the fact. We have not fixed it since (note that the date today is March 8th). Why, you ask? Lovey is lazy. I could throw tantrums and get really pissy (and sometimes I do, but I keep it to myself), but instead, I am trying to embrace the use of a drying rack (or 3). For the most part, I actually like using them a lot. It keeps our electric bill down a bit and it adds a little bit of humidity to the air in the house, which is welcomed here in Colorado. I do curse them often and they are being held up by duct tape to make them last as long as possible. I do hope we buy a new dryer at some point in this Spring, but basically to use to do the annoying things like sheets, blankets, towels. But once the warmer weather is officially here, I definitely plan to make the most out of a laundry line in the backyard.

This is just one of the changes that I/We are making in our house. I'm sick of spending money on wasteful things or things that won't last a week. I am becoming very determined to make everything I can myself. That's a lot of stuff. Trying to remind myself to start small, and that I'll actually stick to this if I don't overwhelm myself.

Satya and I made our first loaf of bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day today and boy it's good. So good that it's already almost all gone. I have another batch of dough in the fridge ready to go later, and I think we'll make up two more batches of dough--white boule and whole wheat sandwich this afternoon. I also want to make up some bread bags, inspired by SouleMama. Will be a good starter sewing project for me (I am determined to get my sew on this spring!).

Another good starter sewing project I plan to take on soon is reusable "ziplocks". I hate using plastic sandwich bags and I hate throwing them out. I recently ordered some reusable sandwich bags here. They're cute, but I know I can make them. I'd like to add a magnetic strip rather than use velcro, so that they are a bit easier for Satya to use.

We are starting a garden this spring! I am so excited! It's going to be a wonderful family project, and I know Satya will love playing in the dirt and helping. Of course I have no clue as to where to start when it comes to gardening. Lovey does know, but again, see statement earlier about being lazy. I need to remind myself to start small this year and learn as much as I can before I decide to take on every herb, veggie and flower imaginable. I do plan to can as well. Another fun thing! Oh the plans!

I just got the book Make your Place by Raleigh Briggs. I love it. Out with the "eco-friendly wallet sucking" products to clean the home and In with using basic household essentials. Love it. Also a lot of other great information, including how to start a garden, so I have my bedtime reading ready!

So why all this change, you ask? Well first of all, duh, it's the cool thing to do, right? No really, we all have to do what we can to live a more sustainable and purposeful life. I would love to be hardcore about it, but I am just going to start out realistically ( a new way of life for me!)  I think that working on the new Petite Purls Issue, our "Green" issue (due out next week, we hope!), has really made me aware of what we do and what we can improve on. Also, I have a little guilt going because I've dropped a good chunk of change on new crafty things and toys for Satya. They are all wonderful and beautiful and I plan to share them with you in a post very soon.  And lastly, Satya just got accepted to our #1 choice Montessori preschool. We are so very excited! But we are going to be so very poor for the next few years (once she's in first grade, it's a free charter school up til 12th grade if we decide to keep her there the whole time. Middle school is called Farm School--they tend to animals like llamas (!) and garden and cook lunch for the whole school. How cool is that?!?!) So I've become obsessed (since Friday when we officially said yes to enrollment) with how we can save money. I do 90% of our meals from scratch and plan to get a deep freeze for the garage for more options and shelving for the garage for our canned goods. Plans plans plans. Let me know your best money saving tips, I'd love to hear how you use your creativity in this way.

Ok, I was going to babble a little more, but my child is covered in paint. Heh. Talk about being creative. You should see her outfit.

Will be back soon, I hope. I really want to come visit the blog more often, and snap a pic or two.

My Little Ballerina

This is what has been filling my days lately :) Lots of good family time. I am busy knitting and actually have a major FO to show you. I hope to get my craft on big time next week (have the week off from the Symphony) and will hopefully get some pictures.

If you haven't yet, check out our new feature at Petite Purls. I think it's brilliant! And isn't Brandy's BG adorable?!

Petite Purls: Fall 2009

I'm a day late letting you know that the new issue of Petite Purls is up! We are so happy with this issue, and I think you will be too.
This is my beautiful babe modeling the Peanut bib design by Elaine Fitzpatrick. Neither Brandy nor I designed anything for the Fall Issue. She was busy having a baby, and I was, well, busy with my life! We're plenty busy working behind the scenes of the magazine, but we'll both be back soon.
Oh, and as always, the lovely StacyZ is my photographer.

I'm Back! And I've brought Friday Favorites with Me!

Wow. I really didn't mean to take a, um, three month break from the blog? I have many posts planned, just have to gather my thoughts and hopefully I'll be spewing out some decent posts throughout this holiday weekend. I hope everyone had a good summer. I had a very good summer and will tell you about it later.

Thought my peace offering for being gone for so long would be some good ol' Friday Favorites, so here goes:

*Today, I made this egg dish that I originally saw on Angry Chicken's blog. Oh my, so very good. This is going to become a go-to recipe on those nights where I can't think of anything to make and don't want to put in any effort whatsoever.

*After wasting some time on Twitter this afternoon, I came across this recipe. I plan to make it this weekend and can tell already that it's going to be a favorite.

* I went a teeny weeny bit crazy this summer enhancing my indie dyer portion of my yarn stash. Actually, it really wasn't that crazy....I think.... Anyway, I hope to blog about all of of my purchases soon, but can I just tell you that I am totally, madly, crazily in love with A Verb for Keeping Warm. Oh.My.God. Amazing. I bought this colorway and am in heaven. It has become an almost completed Ishbel (yes, can you believe it? I still knit!) What really blows my mind is that the yarn is naturally dyed. I look forward to trying more yarns and colorways in the future.

* Speaking of Ysolda, I have been really enjoying reading her tweets and her blog as well as Connie Chang Chinchio's tweets and blog. There are so many designers that I really admire (too many to count in fact!), but these two have been the ones motivating me lately. They are both very inspiring....and prolific as well!

*Another fab designer, Jared Flood, has a booklet out! And it's fantastic!! Such beautiful, tasteful, classy designs. <sigh> another great inspiration.

*I have to add Satya's favorite book these days, Mary Had a Little Lamp. It is so adorable and we read it no less than 6 times a day. The illustrations are fantastic, and to be honest, I'm not even remotely sick of it yet! As I was pulling up the link for the book, I noticed some more of Bob Staake's (illustrator) books and they might've jumped in my shopping cart......

Ok, well there you have it, my re-entry to blog writing. I have some fun things to tell you so I'll be back soon!

Oh, since we all know that a blog post is nothing without a picture, here.....