Happy, happy snow day }:0)

Hi! We're having a happy, snowy, Boxing Day here at chez disco. The snow started last night, so technically, South Carolina had its first 'white Christmas' since, like, the last ice-age. The boys are loving it, esp. the smallest. Here are the handsome fellas with their new hats, completed in the nick of time for Christmas giving.Matthew models the monkey hat, of which I have made many. Teddy models the man hat, of which I intend to make many more. Let me tell you, these boys have BIG noggins. I had to remake Matt's and add a good couple of inches. His head is at least as big as mine. He's 5, people, FIVE!!!

Aaaw, and see his gappy smile? He lost his first tooth earlier in the week. HUGE excitement for him, officially a big boy!

Our beautiful snowy home, before we used all the snow for snowballs/snowmen.
No, this next picture isn't my report of Britain's current foul weather. It's our community's very own fake British Pub, with genuine imported telephone booth. See, there has to be at least an inch of snow on the ground. Be still my beating heart.
And across the street, the Christmas tree in the park. Looking very Christmasy, I must say.And an artsy shot of berries on a bush. The snow looks like candy floss.We had a fabulous Christmas yesterday. Both boys said it was their best Christmas ever (I'd have to agree with them). I'd like to think that was because we had a very quiet one, staying home all day, playing, eating and enjoying each other's company. In reality it may have been all the Lego and wii games Santa brought. And then snow!!!

I hope that everyone has had as wonderful a holiday as we have here. Wrap up warm!

xo Disco ox

My heart is breaking

Quick WIP post of my "Breaking Hearts" sock by Cristi. I bought the Malabrigo sock yarn in the Stone Chat colourway, on a recent trip up to Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill. Souvenir yarn :0)

The colours are spiralling beautifully. And showing off the broken ribs and the heart slipped stitches too. I'm loving the pattern - the 6 row repeat is easy-peasy to memorize. I had it after only the first time - miracles and all that!
The twisty-spirally cuff was a cinche. I have already used it on a knit flower, but Christi's instructions are very straightforward and easy to follow, if you aren't familiar.This is a most excellent pattern. I think it would be perfect for hand-dyed yarns. The broken ribs really mix the colours up and the slipped stitch hearts make them pop right out again. Congrats on a great job Cristi :0)

Babette's Blanket

This has been almost 3 years in the planning and stash collecting, and 15 months in execution. In all its greeny goodness, I give you "Babette's Blanket".........

I fell in love with this blanket when I first saw it in Interweave Crochet, way back when. Shame I didn't crochet!!! (No idea why I was looking at a crochet mag, maybe it was on the cover.) A quick lesson at Joann's a couple of years back saw me right though.And a bit of moral support on the way. I don't want to think about how many ends I wove in. I eventually started crocheting over the ends - should've taken that advice at the start. We'll chalk that up to (in)experience :0)I hope these lovely colours aren't as muted on your screens as they are mine. They're all Socks that Rock Heavyweight, in shades of green, or have green in the skeins.Go to my Ravelry project page to see the deets, including the colours I used.I've no idea what the stitch is called that I used to crochet these together. Basically, I pulled a strand of the edging yarn through the edge of one square to make a loop, then pulled another strand through the other square AND that loop. Rinse and repeat til two edges become one :0)The pattern called for, I think, 3 edge rounds. I only had enough yarn left to make 1 round and I really didn't want to spend more on this than I already had (don't think about it). So 1 round will have to do.Another gratuitous edging shot...
Here's what's left of the 9 (gulp!) skeins I used.

This one's the money shot. I wanted to take a picture of Matthew, in the same pose as on the original pattern. But how could I resist the little fella, in this shot, exhausted after a tough day at Kindergarten.

The blanket weighs around 4,000 tonnes and is just big enough for me to snuggle under on the sofa. Not stretched out, but with my feet tucked up a bit. It's been well used already and I can't wait to use it more this coming cool season :0)

If anyone's looking for a great way to use up their sock yarn scraps (or any scraps for that matter), this may be a long-term project, but it's easy as pie (and folds flat for storage :0p )

Happy weekend everyone :0)

Lyttelton Shrug

Just in time for the holidays and the colder weather, here's a post about one of my summer knits. This knit was the perfect accompaniment to my "little flowery dress". That would be the summer equivalent of the "little black dress" :0)

Knit in Cotolino by Queensland Collection - the yarn is a Cotton/Linen blend. Ideal for the summer heat.
The pattern is Lyttelton by Kate Davies. I'm not sure if the cable part of the pattern makes the lace part pull in different directions, or vice versa. But I like the 'waves' it produces.
The fabric made is kind of thick, so this may also be great for the fall, or even this Carolina winter, which is really not THAT cold! We'll see if I can find a suitable long sleeved LBD to go with.

:0)

BTW, the dress I'm wearing was part of the bargainous Liberty range at Target this summer. I love it and hope to be wearing it for many summers to come :0)

Celtic Birthday Tote

I wanted to make my mom something for her birthday, way back in September. So, naturally, I waited til the day before her birthday, and asked what she'd like. She set up a ravelry account for herself and started looking around. She chose the Celtic Tote, from Interweave Winter '07. I'd already made one a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. I also had the ideal yarn in stash, so the deal was sealed.

Two weeks later, the bag was completed and here she is....
It's a pretty easy cable pattern (if you follow it line by line), outlined in a darker colour to make it pop. Then you felt it, to make it look even prettier and fuzzier. Add a button from the stash, and Bob's your uncle. Or your husband, in my mom's case.
Only thing left to do is dive in the fabric stash and come up with a suitable lining for the bag. Get out the sewing machine, and 30 minutes later, you've got the finished tote.
Of course, she loves it. Ideal for winter, yes?!

Bellingrath

It's all about the Irishgirlie these days. Or so it would seem :0) I knit up her Bellingrath shawl(ette) in a pretty beige/grey Sock-a-licious, called Chateau.First of all, the yarn. It has a little silk in it. Oh boy, does it feel smooth through your fingers as you're knitting it. I liked that very much.
The colours were muted. I wanted that, so I could wear this piece with as many things as possible. I've been wearing it over this white t-shirty/tunic and that little bit of extra warmth was very welcome on a couple of cooler days recently. I'll be wearing a lot more in the months to come (thank goodness the cooler weather is starting to be upon us!).
Now, the pattern. What I like about this one, is that the pattern is in a panel down the middle and there is a pretty large chunk of stockinette either side, to give your brain a wee rest. The lace is, once again, wavy and lacy (to my eye anyway). I don't know what your inspiration is for the waves and the lace lately Carrie, but I'm digging it.
I had read on Ravelry, that a couple of people had stopped the edge pattern at 5 repeats instead of the called for 6. I got pretty worried about it, but on Carrie's advice, weighed my yarn to make sure I had enough. There was actually plenty leftover, as you can see in this photo.

If you're looking for a small, one-skein project for maybe Christmas gifts, I would recommend this one for sure :0)

Happy Monday :0)

Wavy Lace Scarf with the mystery name

I finished up the test knit for Carrie's new pattern in a record week(ish). It blocked out beautifully as you can see here. It's all wavy and lacy.I'd say this next pic was a much more accurate representation of the actual colour of the Kollage Creamy yarn used. I'm always amazed at how washed out the camera makes the colour. I've taken to making a shadow across whatever I'm photographing outside, to make up for that.
Blowing in the breeze.
Laid out blocking. See the wavy edges too :0)
All in all, a quick and easy knit. Drapes like nobody's business and is soft as a newborn kitten's teeny pink paws. I can see it being worn on a balmy evening during your Caribbean Christmas cruise. Or bunched up round your neck, against November's chilling wind. Either way, you'll look pretty as a peach.

Thanks for letting me test-knit, Carrie :0)

I gots me a new pastime.....

I've seen Jenny Hart around the web quite a lot, and also on the TV show "She's Crafty". Her work has always intrigued me. I've never been into embroidery, although a million moons ago, I did some cross-stitching.

When I was in London, last Christmas, I visited The Make Lounge, a store/workshop for all sorts of 'crafts'. I had been following their blog for a while - I do like to hear about what's going on 'at home' - so when the opportunity arose for me to have a day in London sans small people, I headed straight there.

They have a small but fine collection of yarns, fabrics, buttons and other crafting materials. I saw they stocked Jenny's embroidery transfers (Sublime Stitching) and bought the 'Garden Variety' packet, thinking I'd stitch something up for Hubbs to use in her allotment, maybe to carry home her potatoes or courgettes :0)

I found this little bag in Michaels for, like, $2 and thought that would be perfect. So here is the side with the Sublime Stitching designs......

Love this little beetle.....

Orange tree?

Fluffy bee, could've used a darker yellow....

After buying the Sublime Stitching transfers, I also bought a book by another embroiderer, Aimee Ray. I saw her book Doodle Stitching in Barnes & Noble and couldn't resist. I used her designs and drew them (no transfer necessary) on the other side of the bag........Cute toadstools.....A buzzy bee......A sunshine of french knots.......Let's hope Hubbs likes it :0)

And you know we have critters all round our house. Well, when it's not hornworms and snakes, it's praying mantis. Here's one on the rocking chair on our porch.

FOG

Hizknits tweeted this video a few days ago. I have watched it several times since and thought maybe you'd like to share in its beauty, this fine weekend.

FOG

Testing, testing, 1,2,3

I'm test-knitting Carrie's new pattern, a lacy scarf, knit with Kollage's new yarn Creamy.My photo's are a pretty poor representation of the colour. It is called Turquoise Sea, and is a beautiful seafoam-green-turquoise-blue. OK, my description is just as inadequate as my photo, so Click for a better picture.
Creamy is a great name for the yarn. It's made with 80% milk!!! The other 20% is cotton. It really does feel like a cotton, but, erm, creamier. It is not so harsh as cotton, softer definitely. But it does knit like cotton, as in, it doesn't stretch much.
The lace pattern is knitting up quickly and is pretty easy to memorise - for my depleted memory anyway - you'll have it memorised after the first rep, I'm sure. I'm almost done with the first of the two skeins the pattern calls for. It will be beautiful when blocked out. Very drapey. It suits the 'Turquoise Sea" colourway, with it's waves :0)

OK, now to knit on it some more :0) Happy Friday.

UK Trip

In July, Teddy and I went on a trip to the UK. We had a wonderful time, visiting with family and friends, with a few daytrips here and there. Here's my big boy, right at the top of the London Eye, overlooking the Houses of Parliament. You can see Westminster Abbey, just behind Parliament. Did you know that the Abbey is 1,000 years old? I just LOVE London. Another day, we took a trip out to Legoland, near Windsor. It was perfect for this Lego crazy kid. Here's a pic for all you Harry Potter fans :0) We had a great day with my mom and her husband - it rained a wee bit, but only for a couple of short spurts. It kept us cool and no trip to England would be complete without it ;0)

Gratuitous kitty picture. This is Junior, the Tanns' kitten. She is the funniest thing alive and such a joy. I had forgotten how much fun these fur-babies are. She loved attacking our feet at night. Teddy spent all the time we were there, chasing her.

The reason for our trip was to attend my Dad's wedding. I made the bride and groom this pretty trippy blanket. Same 'design' as my Noro log cabin, it's made from Traditions yarn from JoAnn's (discontinued) for the squares and Debbie Stoller's Bamboo Ewe yarn for the borders.

Fun!!!

Ha'mama'lis

I loved Cristi's test knit for Through the Loops' shawl design, Hamamelis. When Mother's Day came around, I decided to make it for my mom. I had the yarn, Purl Up & Dye, in this beautiful dark green with shades of gingery brown. There was enough to make the medium size shawl, with a small ball leftover.

The pattern was easy to follow and I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this shawl. My mom loves it too! I blocked it using some metal rods I got from Home Depot - such neat edges.

The horrible critters in my garden, were in fact "Hornworms". I swear, all the hairs on my arms are standing up from making that weblink. We (I should say DH) uprooted the whole plant they were on and disposed of it. I recently found another tiny one - I tore off the branch it was sitting on and disposed of that too. We've had a fair few tomatoes from these plants, although only 7 or 8 seem to be red at the same time. A small snack :0)

Love and WWYD?

I can't quite believe I haven't posted since February. Time flies I guess, when you're having fun!!! I just checked my Ravelry page and I really haven't been knitting much this year, or so it would seem. Just a wee bit of catching up to do then.

So, the title isn't suggesting a warm and fuzzy or even heartsearching post. It's the colour name of the STR I used to knit up Irishgirlieknits pattern Dotty.

The colour striped almost perfectly throughout the whole sock, even on the heel. And another simple yet effective design from our very own knitting superstar Carrie :0) I knit these at the beginning of the summer (end of spring?) and had that gorgeous strawberry plant to accessorize. Isn't it pretty?

Speaking of the garden, I made myself a little tomato patch. Being renters, we're not supposed to do anything with the garden. It has a bunch of pine needles where a 'border' should be. I really wanted to grow some toms this year, so I just scooted a bunch of needles out of the way, dug in some topsoil and got planting.

I went out to this morning to take this picture of the beauties.....

....and discovered two of these beauties......

Not so small, these are at least as big as my middle finger. There are two of them out there munching away. I've been following their progress all day and they sure are enjoying a mighty big meal.

So. What would you do? Pick them off (or get the husband to) and take them across the street to the communal trees? Or, let them eat your plants, hope they leave some for you and also that when they turn into whatever they're going to turn into, that they stick around so you can enjoy them? And do you know what these are? I am kind of grossed out by them, but also morbidly fascinated.

Laters......