My Sister's Knitter

Knit chat about this and that...

 

Well, hello! Happy Sunday to you. :)

 

 

 

How was your week. Did it play nicely? I would have to say overall the week was kind to me and it even allowed me to make it to the weekend. That is always a good thing.

 

Pattern~ Loden  Yarn~ Neighborhood Fiber Co.

Knitting has occurred, progress on the other hand not so much. And yes, as I have mentioned before, I am fully aware that progress only happens when you knit on one thing. When I think about it, as long as I am knitting on something, that is all that really matters to me. BTW, I loved hearing from all of you on last weeks post about knitting in warm temps. Overall it would seem that us knitters use all the weapons ( A/C, ice water, mineral water, swimming pools, ...) in our arsenal so that we may continue to play with yarn. Die hard knitters unite!

 

 

Treats came in the form of a package from my beautiful friend Maya. Maya of the beautiful shop The Wool Barn has be renamed by me, the Queen of Pink. I mean seriously...will you take a look at the pink tweedy sock yarn, is it not perfection? It lasted in skein form long enough for me to snap a pic, then it was immediately wound into cakes (as seen in the top pic of this post).

 

 

As if Maya's package wasn't enough to make for a happy mail week, I receive a surprise package from my beautiful friend, Ellen. I absolutely adore and treasure gifts from other cities. Ugh, I could squeeze you Ellen! 

 

 

Overall it was a good knitting week, mail week and tummy week. My brilliant sister has been making jam. Her most recent is this fantastic Strawberry Jam which I am declaring the best homemade jam I have ever had. Note to self: Remind sister to start working on some more, as this baby is not going to last through the week and if I run out that is not going to be good for anybody. ;)

All in all a really good week by anyone's standards. Now if I could just figure out how earn a living knitting  and eating jam all day. Who's with me?

Have the best day today!

XO,

Andi

And now let's just slow down...

 

Happy Sunday! After a self-imposed busy week, I felt it about time to rein things in.

 

 ~Test knit for Liesl-Henny Shawl should be available around the first of March~

Took the time to enjoy all the beautiful knits. Thankfully I put a stop to the castonitis, which helped matters immensely.

 

 

Rather than struggling to figure out how to knit and read a physical book at the same time, (I so want to be like those of you who can), I settled on an audio book. Proved to be the perfect companion for knitting on my scrap blanket.

 

 

The sock yarn blanket was a must knit as I received more generous donations from a lovely Ravelery member, Heidi.

 

 

Sometimes when only you are to blame for making your life crazy, the smart thing to do is to stop and pour yourself a cup of tea. Do you ever find that sometimes you have to put yourself on pause?

 

I will leave you with a song and as always wish you the best day today!

 

 

 

 

XO,

Andi 

Knitting and other cures for my common cold...

 

Happy Sunday. Thank you all for your get well wishes when I was dealing with a cold last week. I am sooo much better thanks to you and my knitting. I guess one can use many things to help them during all the downtime that being sick offers, here are some things that helped me.

 

Pinstripe socks SSYC Poste yarn in the color Humbug, AZ

Simple and easily memorized sock patterns. Socks in general can give us that portable knitting that can be carried from couch to bed and bed to couch.

 

 

Good mail days cause you to have to get up and go outside to pick up your mail. I would qualify that as physical activity which will help in getting over a cold, right? I received more donations for my sock yarn blanket from my friend Anne.

 

 

A gift of one of my favorite yarns, Beaverslide Dry Goods. I have found I don't nearly have enough lavender in my stash. This situation has now been resolved!

Alright, we have covered knitting time and good mail days as medicine for cold/flu. Another thing that occurs when I am couch/bed bound is that I listen to more podcasts. Here are a few that kept me company.

Non-knitting related:

• Serial~ Everyone is talking about it on the blogs. For good reason as it have the same feel as This American Life because it is from the creators and hosted by Sarah Koenig.
• Love + Radio~ I really enjoy this show as it introduces me to music and artists that I may not find on my own. They have been described as, "The Sundance of Public Radio".
• Radiolab~ A long time love for me. They have a constant stream of entertaining shows. Great show for binge listening.

Knitting related:

• Woolful
• Mandarine's
• Southern Girl knits
• The Handmade Podcast

 

How about healing from the inside? I am talking drink and foods.

 

 

Tea from friends. Obviously an everyday occasion for me but it's the quantity and type of tea that changes when I am illin'.

 

Quinoa Tabboule salad with a side of cuties.

Food, an everyday necessity, becomes more important as certain foods help the immune system. There was a lot of chicken soup sipped during this time as well, just no photos taken. However I did come across this recipe that I want to try this week.

As you can read in my casa there is quite a bit of nurturing going on when I am sick. All things listed are obviously important when one is healthy, but more so when you feel like death (insert drama here).

Do you find as the years go by that you too tend to yourself more in the way of prevention or maintence when your sick? Do you find that you have more knitting time? Inquiring mind wants to know. :)

Have the best day today!

XO,

Andi 

Holidays...are you knit ready?

 

Happy Sunday!

 

~Hermione's Everyday socks. Madelinetosh sock in Magnolia Leaf~

 

I know I say too often, where did the month go but really where are the months going? We are in the midst of the holidays and it feels like we were just here a minute ago.

 

~And So Are You shawl progress. Lakes Fiber and Yarn in the colorway Peony~

Holidays come with extra days off for some of us, does that equal extra knit time for you?

 

~More lovely sock scraps donations for my blanket~

Maybe it means less knitting time with all the cooking and preparations.

 

~ Handmade stitch markers gifted from a lovely friend. Notice the Denver Broncos colors? ~

Could also be a rush of holiday gift knits. In typical Andi style I have yet to get started on my gift knitting. For reasons unknown I start my gift knitting later and later each year, despite promises to myself that I will not wait till the last minute like the previous year. Andi-Fail. :)

 

~Banana nut bread~

My goals of clearing off the needles with this KAL and making room/time for gift knitting has not happened. If anything the clearing off the needles has only resulted in more room for new projects and then some. Funny how that works, right?

Thanksgiving is a few days away! I hope that you have plenty of time for family, friends, food, and of course your knitting. While I am thankful for you all every single day of the year it only seems right to remind you this holiday. So...thank you for being in my life.

Enjoy a few fun facts about Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

Have the best day today!

XO,

Andi

Summertime and the knitting is easy...

 

Happy Sunday and happy Summer! Are you ready for the warmer temps? As usual I am not, but since when it that anything new. Just please be ready to forgive any future whining sessions about the heat.

 

 

As most people, I long to knit on things that are light and won't sit my lap while knitting. The result is many shawls and socks. But wait, isn't that what I knit even in the cooler months? So there goes the seasonal knitting I thought I was partaking in.

Above is progress on my Stripe Study shawl from early in the week. Below is progress up to today.

 

 

Sort of shows the addictiveness that is the garter stitch. I guess one thing I do tend to change about my summer knitting is that I crave easier patterns. While in what we call Winter (heh), I do love more complex pattern with cables and colorwork. I know we talked about changing up our knitting patterns according to the different seasons before, but how about the complexity of the knitting. Do you go with simpler garter or stockinette in the Summer months? Since there are many that  travel for vacations near water while you soak up the sun, maybe for you simpler stitching is better?

 

 

Are socks your favorite Summer time knit? Something that is portable and travels well? It has been a little bit since I talked about the socks on my needles. Never fear there are always many socks on the needles. They have just been playing in the background of the many shawls. Okay another question for you, I feel anxious when I have too many knits such as shawls on the needles but not socks, why is that and do you?

 

 

Alright more Summer talk, this type relating to food. I put out a random question to the Ravelry group asking for their favorite Summer recipes. One reason because I am always interested in talking about food and two to fill up my recipe box. :) Here are just a few great ones that members listed:

 

• Panzella
• Fresh and Spicy Gazpacho
• Roasted Chicken and Bowtie pasta
• Chopped Chicken Salad with a Chili-lime dressing

 

It would seem that Summer for me and some others leads more towards the simpler no hassle knitting and eats. I am sure if I looked at the books I tend to read during these months, they would follow the same path. Does the same go for you?

Enjoy an oldie but goodie Summertime anthem song that will stick in your head all day.

 

 

 

Have the best day today!

XO,

Andi

Many Loves...

 

November is my favorite month. I can't believe I almost let it slip by without sharing my Loves. There will be new to me products, wonderful treats, and of course a visit to Loves around blogland. Didn't I just sound like a tour director?

Ok...step right up, first stop a product review. :)

 

 

Finding new treats for my knitting is superb. Before you ask, yes I even use  washes such as these on my socks. :) This time I tried it out on my LineBreak that I showed you last week.

 

 

What flavor did I try first? Grapefruit. Doesn't my shawl look so relaxed and happy in it's bath? You may not know this about me, but if I try a product or yarn and I am not a fan, I will not tell you all about it. It will just go gently into the night. Obviously this is a keeper. The Eucalan was such a wonderful finishing tool. Not being one for strong perfume smells, the Eucalan was just right. The light scent of grapefruit, actually made me want to take a small nibble out of my shawl, thank goodness Eucalan is non-toxic. :)

 

 

Speaking of nibbles. November months brings yummy treats. A new favorite Pumpkin black tea, over the moon delish Caramel with Sea Salt Cookies, and a tea tin overflowing with the possibility of warm drinks for many chilly days.

 

 

Thanks to Olivia, I have a new addiction this Holiday season. Where have I been that I have never heard of these tasty candies? 

 

 

Where would I be without my millions of fun coffee mugs? A friend gifted this to me and it is now tops on my favorites list.

Alright how about we go visit some Loves from around blogland and elsewhere?

• Amanda's lists are so eloquent and perfect. She types words that I think but could never transfer to words.
• Another Amanda's early Christmas happenings makes me wicked excited for Christmas. For me, the socks stole my heart.
• If ever there was a pattern specifically made for someone, then Lori found it. Jaw dropping fabulous!
• When I saw this pattern designed by Andee, it went into my cart immediately. How could it not?
• Watching the progress of Liesl's twelve hat project is inspiring.
• Bethany, oh Bethany how are you able to knit so many beautiful things so quickly? Tea with Jam is gorgeous.
• I want to sit, knit and drink tea with Anu and Nicole, in their homes. 
• Completely intrigued with this recipe. Sometimes I get a bit skeptical when things looks this easy. I will be making this very soon.
• I am a bit obsessed about the baskets in the Fringe Supply Co.'s shop. I want them all.
• Sweet Rebecca's post about photographing shawls. Little ole' me is in there amongst many great photographers!

Now you can't tell me that I didn't just send you to some amazing places, right? I will leave you now with a sweet video.

 

Handmade Portraits: Ayşegül & Sebahat from Etsy on Vimeo.

 

Enjoy and have the best day today!

Andi

 

Blaming the Super Moon...

 

Whew! It is Sunday. For some reason it felt like the longest week in history. I think I will blame it on the Super Moon. Okay, enough of the blame game, let's get to some knitting.

 

Don't these socks scream happy?

Sock stats:

• Pattern-My own basic vanilla pattern
• Yarn-Spinning Fates in the color Peonies
• Needles: 1.5 mm

Other projects have experienced some love this week, but nothing worthy of pics. Right now, these happy makers are enough for me. Granted with 119 degree temps here, these socks will be going into the sock drawer without being worn. Something to look forward to come Fall. :)

Back to the heat wave we are having in the Southwest, we are dealing. Air conditoners are running constantly. Light meals have been on the menu all week.

 

As always I look to you guys for some much needed summer recipes. The thought of a warm meal is too much to think about, let alone cook or eat. Do you have some favorite go-to recipes for the summer? Please share and I will share with you some super sweet goodies a friend sent me.

 

Loves in abundance!

 

Mel if you are reading this, I have tried the tea and it is perfection. Thank you!

A short and simple post this weekend. Oh, and before I forget, Some of your comments have been going directly to my SPAM folder. Most of you know I always like to reply to all comments, so if I didn't reply and chat with you I am sorry. Now that I know it is happening, I will make sure that I am on top of my replies.

Have a lovely weekend. Stay cool!

XO

Andi

Discoveries...

 

It is Sunday and I have some fun discoveries to share. Maybe they are only fun for me, but if you could humor me.  Remember how I started knitting this shawl with the purpose of  knitting  something with my most beautiful yarn?

With each stitch I thought more and more about the finished shawl. What I would wear with it. Where  I would wear it. Then as I continued to knit, I had a nagging feeling that I would not be wearing it.

 

The images of me wearing this, changed to seeing it on someone else. Feelings that this knitted item was destined for another has increased with every stitch. Now as I knit it I am convinced that it was meant for the other person all along and that maybe I just wasn't paying attention. :)

 

In addition to knitting, I have been feeding my soul. My dear friend has been listening to me whining constantly about how much I hate the heat and dream of cooler temps. Then as I went on a walk this morning to a nearby farmer's market store, I picked up some of the bounties that summer in AZ brings. Beautiful, sweet, fresh fruit. Sometimes you have to look for the postive in things, mine came in the form of a bowl of fruit.

There you have it, my fun discoveries. Hopefully it is a long weekend for most of you. I plan on a luxurious day of nothing but knitting and reading for my Monday. How about you? BBQs? Picnics? Whatever it is, have the best time!

Enjoy a video and have a great day.

 

Anne Mette Hjortshøj 'Paying Honest Attention' // Artist Documentary from goldmarkart.com on Vimeo.

 XO

Andi

Making time...

Happy Sunday to you!

Thought I would share another message from my tea. My tea is wicked smart! I always try to follow it's advice, because as I stated it is smart. Seems messages are being sent to us from so many different sources, this one I found quite amusing and this one delish.

I followed my own advice this week and made time for my craft. When my thoughts are all over the place, brain's overworked, and plain ole's stressed out...I reach for my yarn. Not only do I dish out these pearls of wisdom to myself, often times my family received them as well. While they do not play with yarn, they have their own crafty goodness to partake in. Shouldn't everybody?

 

I also made time for ice cream. One should always make time for ice cream. See, now I am sending you all an inspirational message. :)

Short post this week, as I may have mentioned my brain is a tad fried. Today will be about rebooting my body's computer. I think it is important to do that sometimes. How do you refresh your mind and body?

Have a lovely day. Hope you enjoy this cute and creative video.

 

MY KNITTED BOYFRIEND from Noortje de Keijzer on Vimeo.

 

XO

Andi 

That's why I'm easy...

...like a Sunday morning, that is. :)

My week has ended with some reading, knitting, watching football and cooking. 

After discovering that you can watch all the back episodes of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie, I needed to cook. This soup is wonderfully quick and easy. Today I decided my soup needed some homemade bread, therefore there are a couple of loaves of french bread baking in the oven right now. Seriously is there a better smell than baking bread?

Nice way to end the week. Oh, and it's been a bit since I have shared some new additions to the stash.

These were purchased using a gift certificate from a friend. Don't they look soft? They are so soft. My gray lovelies will grown up to be a nice cardigan, when I decide to venture into those waters. Helping me face my fears have been friends who have gifted me some gorgeous sweater patterns on Ravelry. Who knows, if the winds are right and the stars allign...I may have a cardigan to show you in the coming months.

Bread is done baking, so I will leave you with some wonderful Flickr favs.

1.Red leaves  2. Mittens! 3. Blue Bench

4. Hats  5. Fall  6. Red Scarf

 

XO

Andi