Category Archives: products

Random on a Tuesday

Posted by on January 25, 2011 1 comment
  • My youngest sister, Melinda, died at 25 on January 14, 2011.
  • We drove to Anchorage for a small memorial service for her, held on Friday, January 21, 2011.
  • It’s got me mourning my mother all over again.
  • The kids got to play with Grandpa, cousins Faith, Caleb, and Vicky, Aunts Jessie, Tasha, & Sandee, and Uncle Darrell.
  • We took family photos at my parents’ house, courtesy of Sandee Rice Photography.
  • Back at the hotel, we took the kids down to the swimming pool.  They had a blast.
  • The chlorine in the pool did crazy tightening things to the dreads forming at the back of my head.
  • Bouncing Bears is the coolest place to get kids worn out before a long road trip.
  • The living room floor is the greatest place to roll around after many long hours cooped up in car seats.
  • The wolf and the orca share the same animal spirit in Yup’ik lore.  These are the two animals I debated between in trying to identify the animal essence of my youngest child River.  JR is a polar bear.  Camilla is a lynx/mountain lion/fox.
  • I’ve spun 4 oz of a pinkish-purplish wool/alpaca batt by Bohoknitterchic Spins into 400+ yards of a fingering weight single.  Melinda loved pink.  I’m going to knit a shawl out of this yarn.
  • I’m knee-deep in laundry that needs to be done before we leave Thursday night on vacation.
  • I get a kitten after we get back.  It will go nicely with the litter box and cat food I got from John for Christmas.
  • I’m planning on getting tattooed in San Antonio and Chicago during the next couple of weeks.
  • I’ll be starting a Little Acorn Learning curriculum for JR and Camilla after our trip.  I’m excited.
  • I definitely need to get back to daily workouts.  They’ve fallen by the wayside with a marked increase in fibro pain.
  • I nearly forgot how comfortable Vans are until I bought a new pair the other day.
  • I am very clearly doing anything possible to avoid laundry and packing.
  • I have to start all that now, before Thursday gets here.

Sigh.

Bookmarking for later…

Posted by on December 27, 2010 No comments
Gap Button front denim skirt, dark wash

Old Navy Women’s Perfect Denim Pencil Skirt, Yuki wash
Target Women’s Mossimo Supply Co. Katherine Leather Engineer Boots – Black
Steve Madden A-Yasmin Cognac LE women’s boot high platform, BLACK, 8.5
Gap 1969 Perfect Boot Jeans, light wash or faded medium wash
Bath & Body Works Shea Cashmere & Silk hand cream
Dior Miss Dior Cherie Set
Sephora Favorites Best of Fragrance Deluxe Sampler for Her
Sephora Korres Natural Look Antioxidant Color Collection
Kat Von D Painted Love lipstick set

Awesome.

Posted by on May 10, 2010 No comments

I can post from my new Android HTC Hero. John got it for me for Mother’s Day. I had a fantastic one, by the way. Hope you did too.

Busy Needles!

Posted by on February 22, 2010 No comments

Yep, I’ve had busy needles as of late!

A friend had a baby not too terribly long ago, and I made this for her as a babymooning gift:

Molly's Gifty

Pattern: Yvaine by Liz Abinante, somewhat modified — or Ravelled
Yarn: Wisdom Poems Sock
Needles: 5.0 mm (US 8) 16″ circular

I love the shawl pattern. It’s simple, versatile, and showcases yarn fabulously. I’m sure to make many (that was my second). Liz has a bunch of other awesome patterns that you should check out too.

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Jellybean got some new Special Socks:

Jellybean's Special Socks - toe-up version

Pattern: Jellybean’s Special Socks by Crystal S. McDonald — soon available on my website & available now in my Ravelry store
Yarn: “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” on Culloden Sock by Three Irish Girls, and “Bells of Ireland” on Kells Sport by Three Irish Girls — both of which were exclusive Sock Yarnista Club colors
Needles: 2.5 mm 40″ Addi Turbos

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I made my first lace shawl wherein I discovered I like nupps:

Swallowtail Shawl

Pattern: Swallowtail Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace
Needles: 4.0 mm 16″ circular

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Camilla got an adorable new cardigan:

Sweet Pea's new cardi

Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) by Elizabeth Zimmerman, modified to have a stockinette body & short sleeves
Yarn: “Estuary” on Springvale DK by Three Irish Girls, an exclusive Dye For Glory colorway
Needles: 4.5 mm 16″ circular

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JR got an awesome little jester hat, complete with bells (that I already have to replace):

JR's new hat

Pattern: Toddler Hat by Astrid Schramm
Yarn: “Estuary Brown” on Springvale DK by Three Irish Girls, a coordinating solid for the exclusive Dye For Glory colorway
Needles: 4.0 mm 16″ circular & DPNs

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And now I have a handful of other projects on the needles but I’ll write about those another time!

Yummy Malabrigo

Posted by on June 26, 2009 1 comment

I made a pair of wool longies for Camilla out of worsted Malabrigo. Yum.

Mmmmalongies 2

Mmmmalongies 2

Pattern: Perfection Pants by Pamela Grossman (purchased at Three Irish Girls)
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, 100% wool, Little Lovely colourway (purchased at The Backwards Loop)
Needles: Size 6 (4.0 mm) and size 8 (5.0 mm) 16″ bamboo circulars and bamboo double-point needles
Gauge: 4.5 stitches per inch, 5 rows per inch, in stockinette

Yes, I absolutely must buy some awesome 3IG yarn to make more of these. Even more Mmmmalabrigo, since it’s so soft and yummy.

Project Ideas

Posted by on March 25, 2009 1 comment

After seeing this yarn on WendyKnits blog, I must have it. It’s destined to be a pair of socks for John, since he loves gray so very much, and since the yarn is wonderfully noted as superwash.

Schaefer Yarn - Heather - Ash colourway

Schaefer Yarn - Heather - Ash colourway

I’ve got ideas for matching mother-daughter February sweaters a la Elizabeth Zimmerman. I’m thinking of using either Malabrigo or Three Irish Girls yarn but just can’t make up my mind. 3IG may win out, with all of Sharon’s beautiful yummy colourways (and the fact that I’m already in her Sock Yarnista club). Aren’t these going to be just darling?

FlintKnits February Lady Sweater

FlintKnit's February Lady Sweater


BrooklynTweeds Baby Sweater on Two Needles by EZ

BrooklynTweed's Baby Sweater on Two Needles by EZ

Toy Talk

Posted by on March 24, 2009 No comments

I got JR a new toy last Friday. It’s a Thomas the Train Water Tower Figure 8 train set, and we’ve set it up on a coffee table in his room upstairs. He LOVES it. We first saw this in the children’s book section of Barnes & Noble in Fairbanks, and as much as he loves the set-up there at B&N, I couldn’t resist getting him a set of his own. I’m excited about getting him more train pieces, and I just love watching him walk his train around the track!

Thomas the Train Water Tower Figure 8 Train Set

Thomas the Train Water Tower Figure 8 Train Set

I’m thinking of getting him this train set for his birthday. MikeBToys does fantastic work. I bought a few handmade trucks from him, and they are some of JR’s favorites. Doesn’t this set look fantastic?

A few faves

Posted by on March 4, 2009 No comments

Burt’s Bees Milk & Honey lotion

Super creamy, with no offensive ingredients, leaves my skin feeling super silky soft and hydrated, with a wonderful but not too heavy scent.

Denali Dreams handmade soap in Kodiak Brown (patchouli blend)

This soap is just luscious.  I first found this at Denali National Park last July when my sister-in-law and her family came up for a visit.  I love this stuff!

Silverhook dark roast

Roasted in Anchorage, Alaska, this is an organic coffee that I just adore.  We brew it rich and strong and it kickstarts our days.

James Avery silver jewelry

My modest collection started when my mother-in-law gave me a small pendant a couple years ago.  I’ve enjoyed adding special pieces to it since then.  We added two more prominent pieces on our last trip to Texas — our wedding bands.

Doc Martens

Yep, I’m kickin’ it old style.  I love my Docs.  I want a pair of Doc Marten Mary Janes, as well as a pair of 20-eyelet boots.

ShiBuiKnits Sock Yarn

This stuff is soft, squishy, and a pleasure to knit with.  I’ve made a pair of socks for John that came out comfortably warm and even stood up to an accidental wash and dry cycle.  There are other, truly decadent sock yarns that I love to use, but for a workhorse sock for John, I think this is the winner (for now).

Lip balms

I have no less than a dozen lip balms at any given time, and am compelled to always have one on me.  It’s either in my jeans pocket or in my purse, but I have to have at least one.  I go get another if I don’t have one.  I hate having dry, chapped lips.  I’ve made my own lip balm too, though I gave most of it away for Christmas.  It was good stuff; I’ll have to make more.

Water bottles

I always have to have one of these with me too.  I drink anywhere from half a gallon to a gallon of water a day, and my water bottles have become like grown-up lovies for me.  If I don’t have one, I feel like I’m missing an appendage.  My favorite one at the moment is my purple one from Ozark Trail.  I had wanted to buy a Sigg the last trip to Texas, but forgot.

Sunflowers

Bright and beautiful, these flowers light up my world.  Mama knew this, and would often get me sunflower-adorned things.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Sarcastic, witty, satirical, irreverant, and absolutely hilarious.  This has to be my favorite book ever.  I lost my copy, so I’ll have to get another one just so I can re-read it again soon.  If you know me, and appreciate my sense of humor, then I am sure you’ll love this book too.

Baby Update, crafts, JR, and such.

Posted by on February 5, 2009 2 comments

I am 16 days away from my due date.  I am as big as a house, and uncomfortable all the time.  I am ready to get this child out of me.  She is not yet ready to come out though.  So be it.  She knows when she’s supposed to be here.  I do not.  I will wait.

JR knows that something is changing with me.  He constantly wants to be climbing on me, and I just can’t deal with it.  I just want personal space.  Poor little guy is in for a major shock when he suddenly finds himself sharing mommy and daddy.  I hope he handles it well.  I think he’s going through another growth spurt; he’s eating constantly. He’ll get to play with another little boy this Friday when we go to town; we’re going to have M watch him for a little while so that JR can get used to her and her son L.  Hopefully he’ll have a good time and get comfortable with them.

We have almost everything we need for Milla’s arrival, except that I still need to sew together the ring sling and prep all of her diapers.  My BFF Melanie is set to come up the last week of the month (also when John is having his sinus surgery).  It’ll be great not only to hang out with her, but to have her help with the kids while John is out of commission.  Besides, I don’t think I could handle having anyone else around the first month or two that Milla is here.  If it were anyone else, I would feel like I would have to play hostess, whether that’s the case or not. I’m just not going to do that, so I’m glad that it’s just Melanie and John who’ll be around after baby comes.

As for my crafting, I’ve got socks for John on the needles using my pattern.  I’m using this beautiful ShiBui Knits Sock yarn that I picked up last weekend at INUA Wool Shoppe.  Isn’t that the cushiest looking yarn?  I know I’ll be getting more.

I’ve decided that I want to make myself a snazzy, stripey sweater with my 1200+ yards of Patons that are back in my stash using this pattern.  It’s not exactly what I want, so I will probably heavily modify it as I go.  I have several other socks planned too, so you should just keep an eye out for me on Ravelry to see what I’m up to.

Let’s see… what else.  Oh, I’m going to go insane if I have to watch The Wizard of Oz one more time this week.  It’s JR’s new favorite movie.  It was cute, the first dozen times.  Now I want to rip all the stuffing out of the Scarecrow, then pull the Lion’s tail.  We’ll see who has a heart now, Tin Man.

Hanks and Skanks

Posted by on February 2, 2009 1 comment

My awesome husband and I jokingly refer to skeins of yarn as “skanks.”  We talk about them in terms of how “skanky” a yarn may or may not be.  It’s been the backdrop of much silliness and such.  We’re dorks like that.

This past weekend, the aforementioned awesome hubby bought me an early birthday gift: a yarn winder.  I was absolutely delighted.  I spent Saturday night winding approximately 4000 yards of yarn.  Some of it was in a tangled heap that, without the winder, was going to be tossed out.  Some of it started out as projects that were doomed to failure, then left to sit (and get tangled with other yarns).  Some of it was new.  Almost all of it is wool.  Much of it is leftovers of other projects, and now I must find a pattern I like enough to let me incorporate the many colors together.  I’m thinking a stripey vest or such.

Some of it is new sock yarn, destined to become a brilliant pair of black merino socks for my hubby.  It’s squishy and beautiful and if it knits up as well as it feels like it can, it may become my go-to sock yarn.  (It’s ShiBuiKnits Sock Yarn in charcoal, for those of you who may be curious about these things.)  I also wound a gorgeous cake of Malabrigo sock yarn in “Stonechat” for myself, and can’t wait to get it on the needles.

Anyway, all the talk of yarn had hubby wondering the difference between hanks and skeins.  I told him that skanks have already been balled.

Thus endeth the potty humor for the moment.

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