Lyon Circle Jacket

It is busy here getting ready for our up coming vacation, this morning I noticed the release of this new pattern from Naturallycaron.com - it even made the newsletter! I really enjoyed making this.... it looks complicated, but is very quick to crochet. The sleeves have a bit of a fiddly part at the top - hold onto your hooks now - short row shaping!

I can't begin to describe the thrill when you are minding your own business doing the "self google" and bam! You find something new you have done, professionally photographed and looking spectacular (not to mention that pang of jealousy that you are not as thin as the model - or the fact that you had to have your 15 year old niece try on the sample to make sure all would lay right on a real body - if you call those real bodies.... whoops I am going off on a rant here, can you tell I have to get myself in a bathing suit in less than a week?!)

Fear not, ladies with real bodies.... I have one (body and circle jacket) and it looks great on any body type. Here is what I look like in mine - minus the sleeves. It's only a sneak peek, but you get the idea.

Many thanks to KJ Hay for tech editing the pattern and Kim Guzman for adding the pattern to Ravelry.

Obsession

Wow, Friday already - it's been a busy week and now that Spring is almost here, the boys are starting their sports practices.... it's going to take me a bit to get used to the new schedule. I really do enjoy the winter when there is no practice to interrupt my afternoon stitching!

I wore my newest Liesl and was happy with my results. I decided to make this one a short sleeve and I love the way the lace opened up after I gave it a good bath.

I wore my new shawl on St. Patrick's Day and I love the way it goes with just about everything I own.... I just love shawls. See how after blocking it just looks.....better? All the stitches open up and lay properly, if you ever question whether you should block or not, you should - it makes your work look more professional.

I have enjoyed a quiet January and February on the design front, but that is going to change.... yarn is showing up weekly now and it's time to put my own things aside while I work on projects for next year.

My Liesl obsession continues....this time in Blue Sky Alpacas cotton.... for our up coming Spring Break trip!!! I just can't stop!!!

Wet Morning

Wow, did we ever have a storm this weekend!! It rained so much I couldn't believe how much flooding happened around here. We are nice and dry and spent most of the weekend inside. I didn't do much knitting/crochet, but I did finish up two projects I had in the works. Right now they are soaking - along with the rest of us in this area! I took some pre-blocking photos, they aren't the greatest since it is still so dark here, but here they are:

New Liesl this time short sleeved with plain body. I am teaching a class at Knitknack on this design, how to make it into a pullover. It really is such a beautiful design, so many ways to make it. Here is the Ravelry link to see other versions. My current version is in Lana Bambu by Cascade Yarns.... it's a wool/bamboo mix and it feels wonderful to knit with.

This is a quick free pattern shawl that I tried out using Handmaiden's sea silk which was great to crochet with.

I am soaking my pieces in this delicious smelling wool wash. I love the smell!

Last night was my turn for Family Dinner and I made a huge pot of Spaghetti sauce. Our niece came home for spring break with her boyfriend (brave boy) and we had a great evening. Nice boy, looks you in the eye when he speaks to you - firm hand shake... qualities I am teaching my children. I snapped this picture right before dinner.... looks like a Verizon commercial....how many bars... you get the gist....(wait, is gist a word?)

Look What We Did!

Look Everyone... Dumplin' got a haircut!

So did Mommy and Son #1 and Son #2, but the most drastic is "the chatty one".

Have a great weekend.

In The Works

Here are the projects on my needles/hooks as of this morning:

On the left is a new Liesl that I am making a little differently. I love the color.

On the right is the Green Sweater from Schoolhouse press that I still have one sleeve to knit and a ton of finishing work to do. I love the color.

In the center is a new shawl that I found the pattern for on Ravelry and I needed something small and portable to bring to the salon today for my Spring spruce-up! I love the color.

Unbelievable how the colors in the left sweater and the color of the right sweater are the colors in the center shawl - man I am consistent!

OH, and I am working on a new design.... this time a shawl - and it's not green!

What do you think of the new set-up of the blog? See how you can click on the patterns and get them? Cool, Right (thanks Joy!)

Lobito Jacket

Here is my latest pattern release from Caron yarns.... it was so much fun to design this sweater, I love the asymmetrical opening, and when I wear my version of this sweater, I wear my belt buckle on the side of my pants so that it is visible in the opening.

Two great things about this pattern are:

1. No seaming!!

2. Its FREE!!

Have a great weekend... I am hoping the Fantastic's come out of sick land (son #1 has strep now!)

Here's to You Mr. Robinson

This weekend we had the heart wrenching but necessary task of saying goodbye to a very dear friend. Mr. Robinson was loved by so many people that his funeral was a real celebration of a beautiful life. A life that served his country, was married to his sweetheart for over 50 years, had 8 children, 19 grandchildren, and gave away about 20 bazillion laughs.

At the service I said to his wife, "Mrs. Robinson, I am so sad - but I have to admit, whenever I think of Mr. Robinson I smile." She replied, "Yes, Kim (she's known me that long!) he was a glad man, he lived a glad life."

I don't know why that stuck with me, but I am going to try to live my life this way.

After a sad weekend my weary bones hit the sheets only to be woken up at 4:30 am to a vomiting 5 year old. And so, after picking up vomit on the only surface she deemed acceptable for her spillage (that would be our wall to wall carpeted bedroom) I could only think of one thing... Coo coo ca-choo Mr. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know (Wo wo wo).

Goodbye dear friend.