Monday, December 31, 2007

Last FO of 2007


Horrible picture, which pretty much sums up the project. They look nice in person actually, but don't fit at all. The yarn made a rather thick fabric which has no stretch to it, so they won't go over the foot. Sigh. But, MIL claims she loves them anyways. She is too kind.

Pattern: Uptown Boot Socks from Favorite Socks
Yarn: RYC Cashsoft fingering weight

What I did on my Christmas vacation

Moving into a new home takes so much longer than I ever expected. I was full of ideas and thought I had it all figured out. I had swatches and paint chips and big dreams. Then unpacking while working and getting ready for the holidays hit. And the house came to a standstill.

But, my mother arrived on Christmas day with some huge gifts... first she was there to spend Christmas with us, and then she made me drapes! I had bought some of this gorgeous but rather loud fabric to use as an accent but she picked up 5 more yards and went to work. She convinced me that this large wall in a very plain tan could handle the loud print and she was right. It may be overwhelming in this picture, but the room is large and has a lot of plain items - plain green couch, plain tan walls, plain brown and eggplant accents, and these take all of the colors and just pop. Thanks again, Mom.

So, motivated by the gorgeous curtains being sewn up in the guest room, I painted the dining room yesterday. Luckily the wainscoting is already two colors of beige that go very well with the russet color that I am so in love with right now. She's planning on making some more drapes but I kind of like these brown ones from an old apartment and I may make some patterned roman shades to go behind them. Thoughts?

Of course having the room all done and pretty just reminds me how pitifully small our dining room table is, but a new set will have to wait for a while. Eventually I'll have a set with better scale.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

One room down!

8 to go!

Our living room is mostly complete. Complete enough that I will settle down and enjoy it. Mom is coming for Christmas and we will make some brightly colored drapes to add some more color and life to the room.

Not too shabby for a snowy day stuck inside. I cannot even begin to express how much I love this fireplace.


Now to the next item on the huge list. Enlarge photos for those frames and get the dining room painted.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Duke


Duke
Originally uploaded by kbelle.
Can you believe someone abandoned this adorable puppy? We received an email from Liz, the owner of Canine to Five, the daycare Annie goes to a few times a month. Apparently someone threw him over the fence and left him.

So, we have a new family member. He's adorable and fits in really well. He thinks the cats are rather interesting and is even housebroken and crate trained! Who would give up a dog that sweet?

Please ignore the mess behind him. The whole house is absolute chaos because the big move is next weekend!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

We get our house today!


Foyer & Front door
Originally uploaded by kbelle.
DH picks up the keys at 1! I am pee in my pants excited. This last month of waiting after closing has been horrible. It's quite frustrating to be so excited to be a first time homeowner and have to wait to even see it again.

We will paint this weekend and move in on the 8th! Hooray!

Fireplace
Originally uploaded by kbelle.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

My first Socks!


Jim's socks
Originally uploaded by kbelle.
Shhhh.... don't tell FIL, but my first socks are his Christmas gift. I've been assured by my husband and MIL that he won't notice all of the mistakes. Let's hope so.

After reading a lot about toe up socks using Silver's Sock Class and Queen Kahuna's Crazy toes and heels, I cast on for these. I should have paid a bit more attention to Queen Kahuna's instructions because these are a bit narrow and long. Hopefully it evens out when on his foot. They are just a smidge too small for my H, with his gargantuan feet, and FIL's feet are a bit smaller.

Pattern: Mostly Queen Kahuna with a 2x2 rib on the top and cuff.

Yarn: Knitpicks Essential in Navy, less than 2 skiens

Needles: 3.00 mm knitpicks options

Modeled on borrowed blockers generously lent by City Knits - the best yarn store in Detroit. The ladies there are incredibly friendly and sweet.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

You would think I had children...

...given the large number of baby items I've produced this year. It's just a reminder that all of my friends are happily having children while I sit around wondering why I just don't feel the urge. Maybe once we are settled into the new house and I feel more secure I'll get the urge again. Until then I can satisfy my need for cute, quick FO's with baby gifts for friends.

This was a request for another EZ February baby sweater... my third this year. Jenny's sister is having a little girl and Jenny, who has attempted to knit but wasn't bitten by the bug, wanted to give her something special. So, since I was already knee deep in Christmas gifts, this is Jenny's "gift"... at least until after Christmas.

I changed the sweater up a bit this time. I used the same yarn from my first one, but since I have discovered the magic of blocking I used that and a bit larger needle so it would end up a bit bigger. I'm sure EZ won't mind if I didn't get gauge since babies come in all sizes, right?

Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Sweater on Two Needles Practically Seamless
Needles: Size 6 Knitpicks options
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Highland Silk in Dusty Rose