Ribbon Triangles

I wanted to make something fun for Ms. Mary, my daughter's ballet teacher, and chose the "Ribbon Triangles" pattern and Tartellete ribbon yarn, both from Knit One Crochet Two and both from Holly Spring Homespun. A pair of size 17 needles and a weekend later, I was done!

The intriguing part of this pattern is that the scarf self-fringes. You knit a giant triangle and then drop stitches - on purpose! - along one edge. I'm sure this is old hat (or scarf!) to you Clap-ers, but I was so amazed, I took pictures!

Here's the end of the big triangle, and the four victim stitches:

Here are the stitches on the loose (I left the needles close by in case I got cold feet!):

And the fringe begins! The unravelling was really fun.

And here is the final product:

I'd make this scarf again with no worries. It knits up really quickly and makes a nice size triangular scarf for only two skeins of yarn. The pattern can also be extended to a shawl by using four skeins, but I would think that with the fringes, it might be a bit much, especially as Ms. Mary is a tiny person.

Hope she likes the scarf version!

Erin Go Braugh!

If indeed the saying means "Ireland Forever", then I'm not late posting these pics. If it means, "Blogger go Bad", then that would work too. Had the hardest time uploading photos last week, so now I have a bit of a backlog.

Growing up, St. Patrick's Day was an annual event featuring the traditional foods. My favorite was the Irish Soda Bread (mostly because of the butter rubbed on the top of the warm loaf and the sugar sprinkled on top of it). It wasn't until I was an adult that I discovered that it is supposed to have raisins in it. My dad hates raisins, so he adjusted the recipe to suit him. That's what I like about the holiday, you can adjust whatever you'd like to celebrate your own way (like posting pictures a week late!).

Here's my finest loaf. Three batches, each completely different, one inedible, and this was the tastiest. Too bad it went to friends - except for that little strip in the middle. Quality control is important, right?

I also cranked out a shamrock washcloth out of Peaches 'N Cream. It is posing beside the blooming hyacinths.

And here is my loveliest leprechaun:

This is my view sitting across from her at breakfast. She's eating her oatmeal and milk (both turned green by the leprechauns), in front of the windows decorated with shamrocks (also the leprechauns), wearing her Irish shirt and green beribboned ponytail holder, while checking out the lap book we made about St. Patrick's Day (that was also visited by the leprechauns). That's a lot of Irish!

Spring Boot Planter

We turned a pair of well-worn rubber boots into fun spring planters for pansies.


Here's what we did:

1. My son drilled the holes in the soles of the boots for better drainage.

2. My daughter cut out some landscaping fabric to fit the inside of the boot and prevent loss of soil. She traced the outside of the boot on the fabric and cut it out. Talk about breathable insoles!

3. I filled the boots with soil and the kids popped in the pansies. My daughter then gave them a good soaking with her dinosaur watering can.

4. Our last step was to place them by the front door to brighten a winter-weary porch.

Now, the boots are supposed to have dirt in them!

I'm In!

I made it into the final blanket for the Square-along! I'm third from the bottom and third from the right. What an amazing project. Can't wait to see the book.

Chili Cook-Off

After mulching all day, we had a chili cook-off to enter that same evening. Our church was sponsoring their First Annual Chili Cook-Off event. I used Rachel Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili with Blue Cheese Corn Toppers (using turkey instead of chicken) because I knew it would be a little different, pretty tasty, and very quick.

The haste wasn't because we are chili fanatics, they excitement was because my son was entering his first pie-eating contest! But that is a story for someone else's blog. You HAVE to check it out!



Here is the first shot of our chili. I worked the crowd a little and before I knew it, the chili was gone. The judges didn't all even have a chance to try it. Now that I think about it - I didn't have any either!



My daughter had the best time with the dessert table and the cotton candy machine.



Eating cotton candy with friends is great - as long as everyone has their own stick!

I was so excited about the cotton candy machine that I zipped in line for my own. The kids kept getting in line in front of me because they assumed I was too tall to participate. I was a good adult and let them, but the little kid in me wanted to whine "He butted!".



All my patience (ha!) paid off as I reached the front of the line to be served by the loveliest couple. You guys rock! How cool to have carnival game and food access 24/7. I knew there was a reason I liked you guys!

But the sweetest part - we won! Twice! I was snapping the picture of the kids holding our People's Choice award when they announced our family as the winners of the First Place awarded by the judges. I was absolutely shocked and kept thinking how glad I was to have had time to grab a shower before heading over to the church.



How sweet it is!

Mulch Madness

We're big basketball fans around here, but this weekend was all about MULCH Madness! Instead of the Sweet 16, we wound up with SIXTEEN cu. yds. of mulch. Not so sweet.

Here's what 16 yards of mulch look like parked on the street in front of your house:



The children were not just added for scale, they were part of the team. Can I say just how happy I am that I have children that can do real work?!



Along side having grandchildren, free child labor was on the pro list for having offspring. And labor they did - all day. They just kept moving wheelbarrows. My DH kept shoveling and I kept spreading. Did I mention that this was all day?

Here was our progress at lunch time. Edging, drainage repair, and wheelbarrow made for a slow start.



After a rest in the sun:





and some lunch, we attacked the pile with a vengeance.

The ice cream truck supplied the fuel for the last push:



I couldn't believe it took the kids all day to realize this age-old entertainment:



And here we were at 4 p.m. with my son holding the last of the loose pile in his hands.



This was in my mailbox when we finished.



NOW you tell me!

Thanks!

There are few things better than receiving fresh flowers.

This beautiful bouquet was picked by my friend and delivered by her very indulgent husband this morning. All were buds this morning and by lunch, I had this fabulous display.

And here's a bonus shot of the wheat grass we have sprouting. Planted Friday night, one blade is every bit of one inch in tall already.



There are some powerful forces at work on my kitchen table. Come on Spring!!

Thanks Pam!

Really, I've Been Working!

I can't believe it has been a month since I've been posting regularly. A new camera didn't help (Kodak's EasyShare is misnamed) and neither did a pokey computer.


So I've been using my spare time to finish some projects. Wanna see?


I've been continuing on my goal to sew more. The material and pattern for this outfit came home from Hancock Fabrics this fall and didn't get too far. A few sessions at the machine and:

The pants had yoke (?) pockets, which I've never done before, with custom bias trim edges to match the pants' hems. My son thought that they were pajamas, but we girls disagree heartily! The ties on the jacket are just too fun. Maybe I'll sew something for myself one day...

I've also been on a serious hat bender. I am determined to find the best baby hat pattern. Indulged by my church's knitting ministry with free, donated yarn and a mission to make baby hats, I've been on a roll. More details to follow with a more scholarly write-up, but I think I am closing in the winner. I did also buy some Bernat Cotton Tots and whip up a hat from a friend's super secret pattern for a neighbor baby:

The hat is resting on a little Valentine quilt made ages ago, but is still a favorite of mine. Such a romantic!

I was also fortunate to have a baby shower gift to make. Time to return to the Five-Hour Baby Sweater! Here it is (holding a bottle on Bath and Body Works pump soap for size comparison) artfully displayed on a floor mat before being whisked into the mail.



I have tweaked the pattern again and will post a pretty copy as soon as someone can fill me in how to do that. In the meantime, here are some detail shots of the yoke and bottom edging. Knit from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (Amy - is that right?), I could just eat it!

So, see? I have been working - really!

Meet Genevieve

I'd like to introduce you to my newest niece, Genevieve:





And what is more adorable than a cute little baby? You got it: a cute little baby in hand knits!! I knit this for her roughly an eon ago, hoping that it might make her come faster. Luckily, it's big on her, so she'll have fun wearing it and looking at its fish buttons as she gets bigger. She was so sweet to let me stuff her in it for a photo. So nice to hold a baby.


Welcome home, Genevieve!