Le Slouch

'Tis the season to wear hats for warmth and I like to wear them to keep my hair back. I sported my beret to breakfast and the grocery store this morning. I made Le Slouch in stockinette with an 8" slouch from Classic Elite's Waterlily from Twist. This merino yarn has a mottled suede look just perfect for a casual day.

Noro Hat

This hat made from Noro Kureyon is my first pattern project idea from Ravelry. I like the bands of color and the hat but it's taking everything I have to resist felting it into a bowl. Noro = Love

Winter Cowboy Hat

Winter's around the corner and felting's in the air. Thank you Lalana Wools for the inspiration to make this felted Winter Cowboy Hat. This is my most favorite finished knitted project EVER. I absolutely love this hat. I have several cowboy hats but this one is so special and hard to believe handmade. While in New Mexico in July, I found this pattern and selected Lalana Wools' hand dyed worsted wool in walnut (to match my favorite boots) and indigo for the hatband and trim. The indigo is a combination wool and silk that gives a nice contrasting sheen and dimension. This hat makes me want to thrown on a duster and ride a horse through a mountain of snow.

Market Bag

For me, knitting inspiration comes from the yarn shops I visit and the people I know. This felted bag was a combination of both. K.Anne had once come to a meetup showing off a new bag her felted exchange partner had made for her and it was gorgeous. I was attracted to the shape, color and lovely leather handles. I filed this bag away in a corner of my obsessive knitting memory for a future project. Recently, I was at Yarns and they had for sale leather handles and big, handmade wood buttons and that bag insipiration came flooding back.

And now you know the rest of the story.

Tree Jacket

The Tree Jacket is complete and not quite what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I like it but I was going for a more snug fit, especially in the arms. I should have knitted the chest circumference in small instead of medium and I probably wouldn't have ended up with such roomy arms. It's all good and I will wear my labor of love, just in a different way than I had originally planned.

2007 Sewing & Quilt Expo

Jackie, Lia, Angelique and I loaded up early Friday morning for an overnight stay in Kansas City for the 2007 Sewing and Quilt Expo. Along the way, we stopped at Yarns in Salina, Shivering Sheep in Abilene, Stitch Nitch in North KC and The Studio off the Plaza in KC. It was our own little yarn shop hop. It was such a great day with mexican food and margaritas for lunch, a ton of shopping and a sushi dinner at Stix in Legends Mall. We were worn out by the time we made our way back to our motel and crashed at an early hour.

What's a Saturday morning without Panera? We woke up early and did some knitting in our pj's and then headed over to Panera for our customary Saturday morning of souffles and knitting. Then made our way to the convention center where we served as Knitting Ambassadors and taught several customers basic knitting stitches.

We just didn't get enough yarn so we made a quick stop on the way back home in Lawrence for yet more yarn at Yarn Barn and a great salad for lunch. I sure had a fun trip with my KIP buds.

Ravelry - A Knit and Crochet Community

What a suprise to find an email today that I have been accepted to Ravelry. I signed up so long ago that I actually forgot all about it. So, I spent all night loading my notebook with old and new projects, added my groups and friends' list. Right now, there are 492 Ravelers online -- how exciting is that??

Vest in Noro

My KIP friend, Maxine is knitting this vest and I thought it would be perfect in my favorite yarn, Noro (7 skeins Silk Garden). It's a simple pattern of two easy pieces that I modified as follows:

Front Panel - On #7, CO 74 sts, K2, P2 for 57"

Back Panel - Pick up 82 sts in middle of front panel, K2, P2 for

15 1/2"

I picked up mom this morning to go to the Flea Market and of course, she fell in love with the colors of this Noro and demanded I make her one too. Why not, Christmas is around the corner. I'll make hers on #8s for a looser fit.

DIY: Reconstructed Suitcase(s)

I have a little overnight trip coming up next weekend and it got me to thinking about the $9 suitcase I purchased last month at the Colliseum Flea Market. (I have a thing for old, rustic Samsonite suitcases). Last year, at a flea market in Canton, Texas, I found a very nostalgic traincase for $6 and had a vision of recovering it in some western cowgirl fabric I adore. I pulled out the insides, recovered the pieces and glued them back in place. Then glued fabric on the outside, added fringe trim, brass tacks and a silver star medallion concho and there you have it - a roomy case for cosmetics - western style.

Anyways, back to the suitcase. Today I used the same coordinating fabric following the steps above. I was able to keep the very functional elastic divider intact as the green coordinates with the other fabrics. Now I have two pieces of one-of-a-kind luggage just perfect for a weekend getaway.

Tallgrass Country Club

I had a tough day at the office today -- NOT! Me and 3 other women coworkers played golf following a meeting that was sponsored by Wesley Medical Center. The 70 degree weather couldn't have been more beautiful and I hit some pretty good shots. I now know why they call it tall grass - we lost quite a few balls in the rough. But with golf, it's those little successes that keep you in the game and make you think someday you could actually be decent at it.

Dress Yoke

This is 44 inches of beautiful cable. The next step is to pick up sts along one edge for the front, back and sleeves working downward for the body of the dress. Then pick up sts along the other side for the garter yoke (collar). I still feel like I have to make apologies for making this in Wool-Ease but then again, darn it, I'm going to be happy with my choice! It's affordable, washable wool with no shrinking or itchiness.

I think I like cables. Instead of using cable needles, I'm using the same size dpn, setting it aside while I knit stitches and then knit right off of the dpn making the cable twist.

Moderne Baby Blanket

I knitted this baby blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting for a coworker's new baby girl, Carlee. The colors match the bedding that her momma sewed. Instead of using mercerized cotton for the blanket, I opted for the nylon/acrylic blend in Berroco's Comfort yarn (8 skeins). It made for a really soft and lighter blanket.

Woofstock 2007

Look who we met up with on the highway on our way to Sedgwick County Park for the 10th annual Woofstock event to benefit the Kansas Humane Society. Why, it's Lia and Sahale. Our dogs got along well except Sheba got a little agitated with the other nosey dogs halfway through the event. There were hundreds of people and dogs with some places a little too close for comfort. We walked in the Mut Strut and as always enjoyed seeing all the different breeds of dogs. It was a good turnout and should have raised a good amount of money for a new adoption building in Wichita.

Update (11/19/07): Woofstock 2007 was a reacord-breaking year. Attendance increased 50% with 15,000 people and 6,000 dogs. The event reached $206,000 - an increase of 16%. Mark your calendar next year for October 4, 2008.

DIY: Fitted Woofstock T-Shirt

I don't like to wear traditional t-shirts so when I got up this morning to get ready for Woofstock I was thinking about what I could do with my event shirt to make it more appealing. I came up with a plan:

Take a fitted shirt and lay it down to make a pattern. My Woofstock t-shirt is Large so I just extended the seams all the way down to the finished edge so it will be long and scrunchy at the bottom. This is where a serger comes in handy to sew the side seams and insert smaller, capped sleeves in just minutes. Stitched the collar down and TA DA - a new, more appealing event T-shirt -- now we're off to Woofstock.

Happy Special Day

I don't like to count the years anymore so I've renamed my birthday to My Special Day. I took the day off from work to do something I enjoy. Yeah, I could've spent the day curled up in my new room knitting but I called up a special friend(s) and asked to spend the day with. We ate, drank and rode our bikes in celebration of my day. When I got home there was a package on the counter from mom. To my delight, it's Oprah's new book, O's Guide to Life. It was a very good day.

Cowboy Town

The new Brooks & Dunn CD was released today. Have I mentioned lately how much I love, love, love Ronnie and Kix? I think my favorite track is #7 "Tequila". I can just imagine that the girls at Coyote Ugly are going to be kick'n it with this song. Makes me wanna put on my boots and dance on a bar.

Go on - get your own copy.

Revealed: My New Craft Room

While we had the house disassembled for new paint and carpet, we decided to expand and move my craft room from a dark little room in the basement to an upstairs master bedroom. It was a big, long and somewhat empty junk room that transformed into the craft room of my dreams. I purchased coordinating office furniture pieces, added a denim covered loveseat, made denim valances and matching table runners to tie the whole room together.

Check out this video (double click on arrow) of my new creative oasis.

The Nest is Full!

The most exquisite yarn order arrived today from Blue Sky Alpacas. I fell in love with the Scoop Neck Vest knit from Brushed Suri and Alpaca/Silk. (It's one of the nominations for the next Sexy Knitters Club KAL). Aside from my current WIP's, I now have more than I can possibly ever finish this winter. Let the nesting begin!

Nesting for Winter?

Monarchs are flying south, horses are getting their winter coats and I'm sure somewhere up north bears are preparing for hibernation. And what do you think knitters do to prepare for winter -- we build our knitting nest. Mine a pile of projects mounting as a yarn order arrived yesterday from Lion Brand. I know, you say, Lion Brand with a wrinkle in your nose. Yarn snobs take note: flip thru a fall/winter catalog and there are some pretty cool designers in their camp. I'm looking forward to making this Cable Luxe Maxi dress in easy-to-care-for Wool-Ease in Cocoa. Can't you just picture it with a great pair of boots and a chunky necklace?

Road Trip: Gove, KS

Today was a vacation, road trip, therapy day. I packed a thermos of Godiva coffee, snacks, knitting bag and an audio book CD and hit the road for one destination: Gove City Yarn and Antiques. I had seen a billboard for the shop once coming back from Colorado on I-70 and have been itching to check it out ever since. Although we now have an awesome LYS, I still enjoy traveling to other shops and getting motivation and new ideas from yonder places. Thankfully, after the 250 mile drive there, the shop met all my expectations.

I was inspired by a vest design by the owner, Betty Lou, called the ShagKet and I purchased yarns in shades of brown and tan to complete the project. You tie assorted yarns (or scraps) together leaving tails and carry it along with a base (wool) yarn following the vest pattern. I can see mine as a croppped vest with maybe short rows to make the back a little longer. It makes a very unique creation. Betty Lou told me a man once offered her $900 dollars for one she had made out of denim strips. It was beautiful. The shop was crammed full with yarns, books, patterns and antiques. If you make the trip, plan to spend a couple hours taking it all in -- you won't be disappointed.

Sock Tree

I've been feverishly working on miniature socks for a year-round sock tree and here it is in all it's beauty. All 12 socks made from Rowan Denim and I added a garland of wood buttons and spools to go with the theme of my room. Nowdays, ornamental trees are not only limited to christmas green and this kahki color matches my newly remodeled craft room perfectly. The room is coming together nicely and I'll be revealing it soon.

Seaming for Greensburg

It was a cold, rainy day as I drove to El Dorado, KS to participate in the seaming event for Rebuilding Greensburg Block by Block. Laura (and her church, El Dorado First Baptist Church) was the most gracious host with food, drinks, sweets and prize drawings as we seamed and marveled at the uniqueness and generousity of those who knit and crochet. Tables of women filled the gymnasium and as each group of 4-5 completed an afghan of 56 squares, we would ooh and aah at each completed work of art. My group was thrilled to complete two afghans. Laura has over 4,000 more blocks to go so if you're looking for an opportunity to participate or contribute watch for her postings. Good job, Laura!!

Denim from WIN

This is my third handmade denim item I've purchased this year that supports a great cause and thought I'd share this one in particular. I came across these handloomed products from WIN (Wichita Women's Initiative Network) and wanted to let everyone know about this great program that supports Wichita women in transition. You can find some of their items for sale at the Spice Merchant but I visited their location on E. Third street and was impressed by the many looms and sewing machines they provide for women to use in their program for the sale of their handmade products. One of the staffers told me these crafts/occupations are therapeutic to many of their clients and I can sure relate to that! You can find more info at this link and keep in mind WIN accepts donated denim and sewing machines.

These are going to look great in my soon to be remodeled craft room. More to come.....

Ready for Some Football

Opening game and I was ready for some football but our KC Chiefs were not -- I think they forgot to send their offense to Houston as they lost 3-20. Anyways, it was still good to kick back to watch the game with Subway sandwiches and my knitting. I started on Rebecca from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. (It's actually a childs sweater that I'm knitting in the largest size. I fell in love with the sample at Twist). I had a rocky start until I figured out the "yarn forward" is what I know as a yarn over. I found a great tutorial on line after I started over about 3 times.

Tilted Duster

Although I've neglected my knitting and blogworld due to way too many home improvement projects, I somehow managed to find some extra time to complete a winter sweater. At first glance, I didn't care for the lines of the Tilted Duster from the Fall 2007 Interweave KNITS but it grew on me. I opted for the suggested Berroco Peruvian wool (find it at Twist!) in Marron and finished it off with 1 1/4" coconut shell buttons. The only change I made was to add a few extra rows at the neckline so it would fit more like a turtleneck and a few extra rows for longer sleeves. It fits great and I'll post a modeled picture later after I wash and block it.

Hedera Socks

The Hedera socks are my first completed project from yarn purchased (Panda Cotton) at our new LYS, Twist. The cotton and stretchiness of the yarn appealed to me and worked well with this lace pattern on #0 dpns. Once completed, I rolled them up and put them in a drawer devoted to hand knit socks only. Honestly, they spend more time in there than wear time on my feet!

Home Improvements

After living in our home close to 15 years we had to face the realization it's time to bite the bullet and invest in some major interior home improvements. The fun began with a trip to Sherwin Williams to pick out neutral paint colors for the walls and white ceiling paint. I went with 3 shades (Bagel, Cream & Biscuit) on the same color card to work with throughout my home. Star came out and installed new flooring in the bathrooms and new carpet will follow in two weeks. In the meantime, we're tackling the painting room by room so I'm sadden to report I'm not getting much knitting done.

Bathroom:

Sand Creek Station Golf Course

Where has the year gone? I cannot believe this was the first time in 2007 that I've been able to get out on a golf course. My good friend from work, Jamie, and I played in a Health Underwriter's tournament at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas. (Why yes, that's my Nike running skirt!) It's a new course with some pretty holes worth checking out. My game has suffered due to my lack of practice this year. So many hobbies, so little time.....

3 Days in Sturgis = PRICELESS

We're back from our quick trip to my 10th year at the Sturgis Rally. It's a long haul so husband and I stopped overnight in Cheyenne, WY and had a nice soak in the hot tub followed by an awesome steak dinner. We woke to have coffee at Starbucks and walked around the state capitol plaza.

From there we rode a couple hundred miles to main street in Sturgis for some shopping and biker action.

Then we spent the next couple of days riding around in the Badlands and Spearfish Canyon.

Since our mountain lodge in Lead was just outside of Deadwood, we also spent some time hanging out in town at the restaurants and casinos. Deadwood fills up with bikers and is a great, low-key place to sit and watch the bikes cruize by.

Before we knew it, our 3 days at the rally were over and it was time to make the long trek home. We rode straight from South Dakota to Kansas for a long day of 15 hours and 893 miles of hot riding.

DIY: Reconstructed Levi Handbags

Our long-time good friends, Matt & Melanie are opening a new, bigger motorcycle shop in Galva, Kansas. M&M Choppers will now be right on Highway 56. They are going to have so much exposure due to their new location and I'm sure they will have more business than they can handle. Melanie takes care of the decorating and clothing line and wanted to have some handmade items in the shop so she turned to one of her BFF's (ME!) to make some denim purses to sell out of a stack of old Levi's she had piled up. And you know, I'm no stranger to Levi reconstruction! I added a little motorcycle/biker flair with the linings in skulls, flames and barbed wire. Only got another stack of jeans to go but will send these off to the shop on Monday. Just gotta love denim!