The Shawl Collar

It is apparent from shopping the men's department in Bloomingdale's with my husband, that the shawl collar cardigan is the "it" sweater for the fall. They were chock full of them. It is a really good thing then that I already started knitting him one - hopefully to be finished for his birthday in mid-October.

I seriously can't get enough of the shawl collar! Up next, I am going to knit myself this cardigan, which I have had my eye on since it appeared in the Fall 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting.

And I am completely in love with this cowl from Never Not Knitting. Now I just need to find a cute little shawl collar sweater pattern for my son. If any of you knitters out there know of one for a 4 year old, let me know!

FO: Draped Cardigan

Well, I have finally finished this cardigan I started in April! At least I can wear it in the cooler fall weather.

Pattern: Draped Cardigan from the Spring/Summer 2010 Debbie Bliss Magazine
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto 4 ply in Lilac
Needles: size US 3

I really like the way this turned out but I am a little disappointed that it isn't slightly more fitted. I know that it is supposed to be a little oversized but the armholes are very big and the sleeves are a little too long. Other than those minor points, this is a great stylish sweater I can throw on to run errands and still be cozy.

This sweater has an interesting construction, which intrigued me to knit it. It is knit side to side (instead of bottom up) and for this reason I did not make any mods to the pattern - I really didn't need to - the length turned out to be fine, which is usually my number one concern. The sleeves however could have used an adjustment.

I am a huge crybaby when I mess up my knitting and I shed a lot of tears over this sweater. This is part of the reason It took me so long to finish this. I messed up on the number of stitches I needed to cast on for the collar and because this is knit side to side, I ended up ripping out about 3 days worth of knitting on tiny size 3 needles. I cried - a lot. I also had to rip out an entire sleeve and re-knit it because my gauge was completely off - I have no idea how- and the sleeve was ginormous. Again with the crying. But in the end it turned out right so the do-overs were worth it. I just wish I hadn't messed up in the first place!

I am happy this is finally done. I like it - and the yarn is very nice as well. Even though it is fingering weight, it is 100% wool so it is still nice and warm. Perfect for the cooler days to come.

Nautical Stitches

When my son turned 2, it was time for him to graduate out of his crib to a big boy bed. Now that he is almost 4, I still have baby decorations in his room that went with his nursery. I am finding it difficult to find stuff for his age to decorate with. I can find things for babies and things for teens but not a lot of stuff in between. So I thought I would try my hand at making things. When I got the Spring/Summer issue of the Debbie Bliss Magazine, I found a chart for an anchor for an intarsia knitted pillow and thought that I could use it for a cross stitch pattern. I check out the blog Feeling Stitchy sometimes and I am a big fan of all of the creative embroidery I see on there and I got a little bit inspired. Although I have never cross stitched before, I found it easy, quick, and fun.

So I decided on a Nautical theme, which I think is totally cute for a little boy. I had to modify the pattern a little bit so that it would translate better into cross stitch. The anchor needed to be shortened and widened a bit.

I also added "Ahoy Matey" under the anchor. Let me tell you - there are a lot of cross stitch alphabets out there. I had to look at a lot before I found the right one for this project.

I found those cute little buoys at The Shell Shop in Provincetown when we went to the Cape earlier in the summer. His room is still a work in progress - I have a few more crafty ideas so there will be more to come!

FO: Gray Lace Scarf

Ever since my sister saw my Lace Ribbon Scarf that I knit for myself last year, she has been asking me to knit a gray scarf for her also. I didn't really want to knit her the same scarf that I had so I was looking for something unique to make for her birthday this year. This past spring I purchased the new St-Denis Magazine and I really liked the Bright Stripes Lace Scarf and decided to make it in a simple gray.

Pattern: Bright Stripes Lace Scarf by Kat Coyle from St-Denis Spring/Summer 2010
Yarn: St-Denis Nordique in Silver
Needles: Size US 7

I must confess, I was a little bit frustrated with this when I first started. I felt like mine didn't look anything like the picture of it in the magazine - I am a tight knitter but seriously, the one in the magazine looks like it was knit on size 1 needles. I was also making mistakes and because I was giving this as a gift, I wanted it to be close to perfect. Needless to say, it looks so much better after a good blocking, of course.

I really liked the yarn. This was the first time I used Nordique and it reminded me of an old fashioned wool, kind of like something my grandmother would use. I was surprised that it wasn't particularly soft when I first felt it, but when I was knitting with it it was very lofty and it blocked out beautifully and softened up a bit. And I absolutely love the color. I really like the way this scarf turned out - and my sister was so happy that I finally knit her a gray scarf!!

An impromptu hug from my son.

A Quiz

I have been tagged by Rainy Daisy to answer a few questions here. At the moment, this is saving my little blog from total boredom. Between the miles of stockinette I am knitting on size 3 needles for my cardigan and a project I cannot blog about because it is a Birthday present for my sister, I have nothing to show and tell about at present. Scratch that - I did finish the lacy scarf I was working on a looong time ago but I really don't feel like posing for pictures with it wrapped around my neck in 100 degree weather. It will just have to wait a little while longer.

So without further ado:

What is your staple meal? (i.e. what meal do you cook most often when you can't be bothered to be adventurous?)
I love to cook. I cook almost every day. But there are those days when I really don't want to spend 2 hours in the kitchen making dinner. My go to meal is pasta because it is so simple but still so good. I try to make my own sauces (quick ones like Alfredo sauce or Vodka sauce) but in a pinch I used Rao's marinara - it is soo good and the ingredient list is all natural. It is a little on the pricy side but so worth it. My son and I also love pancakes for dinner. In the fall we add apples into the batter. My husband does not like breakfast for dinner (weird, right?) so we make this when he has to work late and won't be home to eat with us.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Hmmmm, I would have to say a writer. I have so many thoughts for stories but I am not disciplined enough to sit for a long time and write them down and work them out on paper (or the computer screen). Need to work on that.

What book are you reading at the moment?
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson

How do you relax?
Cooking - it is very relaxing for me. That is why I love to do it every day. I love the chopping, stirring, adding ingredients, tasting, getting things just right - it is heaven.

What color are the interior walls of your home?
Boring off-white. I know, I know - but it goes with everything.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?
TV shows like Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries. Make fun all you want but they are really good.

What time is bedtime and getting-up-time?
Bedtime is at 11pm. I just can't fall asleep any earlier than that. I wake up when my son gets up - between 6:45 and 7:00. If I try to get up earlier than he does he hears my alarm and gets up too so I figure I might as well just sleep.

How long do you spend reading blogs?
Every day when I get a chance but lately I have been not spending as much time online. I'm trying to get those 2 knitting projects done! So once in a while I will check in.

So there you have it! Hopefully I will have some knitting to post here soon. Happy Summer knitting!

Back From Vacation

We just made it back from our first official old skool family vacation! We packed up the car and road tripped down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina stopping for sites on the way there and back. It was so much fun! The Outer Banks were beautiful and relaxing and the weather was great all week long.

Things we did:
- Went to 2 aquariums.
- Visited Roanoke Island - site of the first colony in America.
- Drove on the beach! What an awesome experience!

- Saw wild horses on the beach!

- Climbed to the top of a very tall light house!
- Visited the spot of the first flight of the Wright Brothers.
- Went to the Chicamacomico Life Saving Station in Rodanthe.

- Went to the beach - again!
- Built sandcastles, tackled waves, collected shells.
- Flew a kite.


Things I did not do:
- Knit. I brought my knitting with me but did not even knit a stitch! I was kinda busy with other stuff. See list above.
- Read. I brought a book with me (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) but I didn't get around to reading it.
- Get online. Our internet service was very limited.
It was a true vacation! And it was great to spend so much family time together. So glad summer is here.

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Our little family is off to Cape Cod for the long Memorial Day weekend and I am so excited! I am looking forward to some R & R at the beach. I can't wait to build a sandcastle with my little guy. I'm also hoping to get a good amount of knitting done on my cardigan (our cottage doesn't have a t.v.)! I hope you all have great plans for the weekend too!