Holiday Week In Pictures

The last of our Christmas guests left this morning and I am busy getting my house back in order. I have a trillion loads of laundry to sort and put away. I need to organize my daughter's toy haul in her bedroom, wash my floor, throw away all the leftover treats (this one will be the most difficult) and come up with some sort of dinner plan that doesn't include cocktail wieners and crescent rolls (which is about what I have left in the refrigerator - so let's add get to the grocery store to the list!) Mr. Fantastic is back at work and I am here with my three children - 4 extra children (make that 5, someone else just came to the back door) and almost 3 feet of snow (and ALL the snow gear that comes with it)

Here is our last week in pictures:

Santa came on the firetruck:

I made a rockin' veal goulash with dumplings for Sunday dinner:

The kids received emails from Santa:

I wrapped, and wrapped and wrapped and wrapped.......

We decorated Baba's sugar cookies:

My parents came and we went to Christmas Eve Mass:

Everyone came over for Christmas Eve Dinner:

Santa left an awesome letter:

Presents were opened:

Another Dinner:

Sorry folks... too tired at this point to take pictures!

Some of the McAlindins came and we had a BLIZZARD (Oh, and another dinner was served):

THE END!

Wrap It Up

Today I will be enjoying my favorite tea and wrapping..... I hope you get everything done that you need to!

Frosted Windowpane Pullover

Here is my latest published design. It is published in Interweave Crochet Winter 2010 and will be available Dec. 28th. It is called the Frosted Windowpane Pullover, and I must say.... I love this thing! It's all crochet but looks knitted. I made it on the beach this summer (yes Estella, you did see this in the works!).

Shimmer Cowl

I designed the Shimmer Cowl in June, just before we left for the summer. It was a quick tight deadline and I remember stitching the lacy bottom one day and then the remainder of the cowl the next day..... I am making these as my teacher gifts this year and let me tell you - stitching from the pattern, the cowl is just as quick.

The pattern is from Red Heart and is featured on their 12 weeks of Christmas free patterns (week 10). Link to the 12 Weeks of Christmas patterns can be found here.

I made this one in Classic Elite's Waterlily and it feels so dreamy! I want to make one for myself once things slow down here.

We decorated our tree yesterday and we are anxiously awaiting Santa!

Crazy Busy

Just a quick note to tell you that I am under the gun with a design and will be a super happy girl tomorrow after it's overnighted to the photographer!

I am still in a fight with the green sweater.... it will be next after the current design.

I made my first teacher's gift.... here's a picture, I'll give you the details on Friday.

Crochet Time Out

Right now I am working on a project for Knitknack.... it was supposed to be easy, I was going to "whip it up in a weekend". It was Thanksgiving weekend and I was very confident that I was going to show up at the shop with a brand new pattern and fantastical garment for display.... when I realized quite late into the design (I was 2/3's of the way finished) that the thing was going to be sooo long and sooo heavy, no one would wear it. Seriously..... I had to take a knee.

I ripped the whole thing out on Monday thinking you know what? I am still going to crank on this thing and have the body done and show up to the shop with this fantastical garment to tease knitters and crocheters into having to wait for sleeves and pattern. Monday afternoon after school I was feeling quite pleased with myself I was splitting for the armhole, when to my horror - I didn't have enough stitches and I counted about a billion times thinking those stitches would come out of nowhere to help me.... but they didn't. I ripped the thing out to the first armhole.....said something to the effect of Turd... and put it in a time out. Yes, there were tears and yes we are totally still in a fight. I have other things to do and I am going to do them!

I finished a beautiful shawl in lace weight Malabrigo, color ..... it's a shocker here.... green, no wait let's have it sound really cool Verde (green in Spanish).

I mostly worked on this shawl while snuggling in bed with my daughter at night waiting for her to fall asleep... it was perfect to work on at night and working with the yarn feels so good on your hands after a long day.

I am still trying to pry my awesome sweater off me so I can fix it, but as you can see as of this morning, I still have it on!

I have to start work on a secret project this afternoon, so no pictures of that.

Next post will be about a crochet-a-long for a quick and lovely cowl (not the sweater, I'm still mad)

My Favorite

You know what my favorite part of Thanksgiving is?

Dessert!

Old Faithful

I love this sweater. I designed it right after learning about (and then having to own everything she has ever written) Elizabeth Zimmermann. It was my first lesson in steeking and I loved every second of the construction of this easy, dropped shoulder cabled design. I remember knitting it during the winter Olympics and it was cold and snowy outside.

I love this sweater. It is the warmest garment I own and I wear it all the time. I used to wear it all fancy smanshy with cool jeans, boots and a turtleneck.... then I lost a button and I would wear it over my jammies driving the kids to school, and around the house. As you can see... I also eat with it on (and.....from the looks of the poor dear, I am a messy eater) get the mail with it on, cook with it on.... you get the picture.

After my wonderful trip to Ireland and searching hi and low in Dublin for a shop that had yarn or those sweaters everyone has in their closet that smells like sheep that they don't wear, but their aunt's sister's cousin went and brought it back.... wait I'm getting off topic. Oh yes, I couldn't find a shop - the only thing I found was a store in the airport as we were leaving and the prices were crazy pants... plus, I could make one! Wait! I already have made one.... my lovely warmest sweater ever missing a button with kung pow chicken caked on the buttonband.

I am going to fix her up. Tighten up the neck and clean her.... find that button and sew it on....

I'll show you my tricks along the way.

Sidewalk Shawl

This summer I had the pleasure of designing for Debbie Stoller again. This time she requested a pineapple shawl - not too pointy - with really long fringe. The result is the Sidewalk shawl in the luscious Bamboo Ewe in Mercury.

I have to say that I'm not a fringe girl... but Debbie knows her stuff because this thing is so sassy, you can't help but feel New York Chick in this thing.

I was going away to Ireland last week and went to the stash to find I didn't have enough Bamboo Ewe (the horror), so I whipped one up in Dream in Color Classy in the color grey tabby. I made mine with an I hook and lots more fringe (so much for not being a fringe girl!).

Let's see how miss sassy sidewalk did in Ireland:

She was stunning over a chair

She really came in handy in the rain

She was uber-cool draped over my pocketbook in the Guinness Brewery

She was ready to keep we warm and vogue outside!

Want to know the coolest thing about her?...... the pattern is FREE!!

Perfect Time

I have just arrived home from a getaway trip with Mr. Fantastic. Can you guess where we went? Here are a few hints....

Crochet can get down and dirty with the common man and hang with pints...

Crochet can be fancy pants and chat over tea.....

It was a perfect trip!!!

Fourteen

Man, I'm lucky...

Still having fun and madly in love with my man!

Happy Anniversary Mac.

I love being your friend.

Forty And The 4 Letter Word That Begins With F

Well, here it is.... I am Forty and do you know how I feel?

same as yesterday.... a lucky girl with a great family.

And the other four letter F word?

Happy First Day of Fall!!