Sarah's Sparkles and Purls

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE COVERED CAKE BALLS

2011-03-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

The title is no joke. This weekend Sherry, Sarah and I tackled perhaps the most ridiculous cookie you could make: a chocolate chip cookie covered cake balls. We followed the guide on the Sugarderby website.

First we made cake balls. We used red velvet cake mix, and these get covered in chocolate.

Meanwhile, we mixed up some chocolate chip cookie dough. Once the cake balls are all set, you make a cake ball sandwich with two chunks of the cookie dough and roll it into a ball, which gets rolled into a giant monster cookie ball.

The results are pretty fabulous, but you better believe there will need to be extra trips to the gym with these hanging out around the house! The cake balls are really fun on their own too, and lucky for us, we have extras.

What's in the Bag?

2011-01-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

I picked up this week's CSA bag today, and am now starting to think of what will be on the menu this week.

This week we got lettuce, kale, celery, green onions, carrots, avocados, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, beets (the guy called them "watermelon beets" but I couldn't find anything about those, so I'm guessing they are just baby gold beets?),

and cherimoya:

This is a fruit I've never had before, so I'm excited for it to ripen up a bit before doing a taste test. Time to get busy in the kitchen.

The Start of my CSA Adventure

2011-01-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

My new year’s resolution for 2011 is to join a CSA and eat more veggies! I joined the California CSA, and am one week in. They have the option to pick up weekly or bi-weekly. I picked the bi-weekly option for now, as I get my bearings on how to handle all the new fresh produce in our fridge.

My first pick up included: broccoli, a yellow squash, avocados, carrots, celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley, tangerines, a lemon, and itty bitty beets.

This is what I did this week with my pile of fruits and veggies:

Chicken Pot Pie

Curried Lentil Soup

Roasted Beets

Roasted Broccoli

Avocado Dressing – blended with vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper

Grilled Yellow Squash

And of course…lots of salads and tangerines :)

2011-01-08T17:45:00.001-08:00

Have you signed up on Pinterest yet? I just got my invite yesterday, and am loving it. Pinterest is a website that allows you to build up boards of all your favorite pics and links from any internet source. I've been having tons of fun today adding inspiration and organizing into groups for knitting, food, craft projects, and just favorite things. You can find my boards here.

Christmas Crafting

2011-01-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's about time we dust off the cobwebs around here and get back to it. Let's start off with a little holiday craft project I made while back in Wisconsin.

I saw these little crystal snowflakes on Martha Stewart and wanted to give it a try. They're so easy! My mom had sparkly pipe cleaners and borax stored away, so away we went.

First you make your shape out of the pipe cleaner, and hang it on a wire. Meanwhile, add your borax solution to hot hot hot water, and stir to dissolve in a jar.

Place the pipe cleaner shape into the jar and wait...

and wait...

and ta-da!

Crystal snowflake! You can make whatever you want of course, and use different color pipe cleaners, change the amount of time you leave the ornament in the solution for, or add food coloring. Mom was working on hearts for Valentine's day before I left. How cool!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-29T21:14:00.001-08:00

*sunset in San Simeon*

I took some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday so Boyfriend and I could take a road trip up to San Fran. We had a great trip visiting some of Boyfriend's family, and spending some time on our own in the city. Here are some quick highlights (at least the ones I got some pictures of).

Snoozin' elephant seals near San Simeon

Boyfriend at the beach in Carmel, CA on Thanksgiving day

Views from our hotel room at the Westin Market Street in San Fran

(this picture was spruced up by the Camera Plus app for iPhone)

Anthropologie had the BEST holiday display!

Boyfriend's aunt cooked up "a little bit" of food for us to bring with us on the road. Yum. I think this is going to feed us for the whole month of December.

I hope you all had the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Simple Things

2010-10-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

Yet another shawl! These can be so addicting to make, especially when you don't have to think too much about the pattern. This was the perfect project for a busy month, when I just wanted a non-thinking project.

This was made from just over two skeins of Knit One Crochet Too Handpainted Ambrosia, which is a silk, cashmere and alpaca blend. I bought this yarn on sale at the cutest little yarn store near my grandparents house in Urbana, Illinois. Klose Knit is a cozy little store, and has some fun yarn-bombing right outside.

This is the Simple Things shawl, found on Ravelry.

It's always a bit silly taking pictures of yourself :)

Time to Share

2010-10-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hi friends - I took a little bit of an unintentional hiatus there, but things have been a bit busy. Let's get to it!

I have a few FOs (Finished Objects) to share with you, so we'll have to play a bit of catch up. First up are a pair of socks I made for myself.

This is the Clandestine Sock pattern, available for free on Knitty. You'll remember I had a bit of a rough start with this pattern, but I noticed about a third of the way through the first sock, and got myself back on track. I love this sunny yellow with this pattern - I think it really shines. I got the yarn in the sale bin at Knit Culture Studio - it's Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock. This was a little bit of a putzy pattern to follow, but luckily I have small feet so I had a little bit less knitting to do.

Fall has finally hit LA, and I'm enjoying the rainy, cloudy days we've had this week. I got a fun fall-themed package in the mail today, complete with red leaves specially plucked off a tree in Door County just for me.

Included in my package were three Halloween wash clothes she knit up just for me. Thanks Mom!

Third Times a Charm

2010-09-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

We finally did it! Yesterday Sherry and I baked macarons yesterday, and they turned out beautifully.

We filled them with lemon curd and nutella, and kept half in the natural almond flour color, and made the other half a rosey pink color.

I've learned from past baking mistakes and I think I actually have this mastered.

Ughck!

2010-08-22T20:26:00.001-07:00

A weekend's worth of work

Tragically ended like this:

Time to read the pattern correctly and start again.

I won!

2010-08-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my friend Lauren and I wandered over to Knit Culture Studio for their customer appreciation event. I'm so glad I did! We got a copy of Debbie Bliss' Fall issue, and put our names into a raffle. While shopping around, they called my name for a sweet little prize of the Easy Baby Knits book, accompanied by three skeins of Sublime baby cotton in a poppy color. I'm not sure what I'm going to whip up with this yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out!

A few finished knits are right around the corner. Stay tuned.

Whoooopie!

2010-07-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Whoopie Pies that is. I recently got this book:

This book is Gobs of fun. They split the book into two sections - half for the cake part and half for the fillings, so you can mix and match however you please. For my first dive into the book, I settled on the Red Velvet with Classic Buttercream frosting.

I didn't have red food coloring, so I thought to a blue velvet cake Boyfriend and I love from a nearby cafe. This recipe called for a lot of cocoa, and I didn't really think of how that would mix with the blue...let's just say it wasn't too appealing. I kept adding blue and more blue and eventually got a really weird forest green color. I decided to call it quits at that color so as not to overpower the flavor with coloring gel. They taste great and were a great sweet treat to bring along to the Hollywood Bowl last night.

Me vs. The Macaron

2010-07-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

You may remember a few months back, I took a French Macaron baking class. Shortly after, I made a mess trying them out on my own. My friend Sarah wanted to try to tackle these with me, so on Saturday, we gave it a shot.

We.failed.miserably.

It was a super mess. Perhaps too much egg white, and not stiff enough peaks? Who knows. Sarah (friend Sarah, I haven't started talking in third person) had a moment of brilliance and suggested perhaps we could use them as a berry crisp topping. So Sunday I set out to the Hollywood Farmer's Market, picked up lots of blackberries, and set about making a blackberry crisp. At about ten minutes left of baking, I put the macaron mess on top and let them keep baking.

I gotta say, it was delicious, and completely festive for a 4th of July bbq.

Stay with me - I'm not giving up on macarons yet.

My Crocheted Necklace

2010-07-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

I crocheted this necklace a few weeks ago, but just got around to taking some pics. Halfway through knitting my sweater vest, I needed a little break, and this necklace totally fit the bill.

The magazine version includes beads, and was done in white for a bridal feel, but I like it even more in bright color without the beads. I think the pattern holds strong on it's own.

This was my first time working with crochet thread and a teeny tiny hook, but I didn't find it too difficult. I moved a little slower than usual, and had to really concentrate on the pattern/chart. Totally worth the heavy concentration - I absolutely love it.

(my parents made me this fantastic holder - thrift store frame + radiator grate from the hardware store, spray painted silver + s-hooks - works perfectly!)

The "Sexy Vesty"

2010-06-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

I finally finished this darn sweater vest I've been working on for what seems like the longest time. Although it felt like the knitting dragged on a bit for such a small amount of stitches, I think it turned out great.

It fits perfectly, I love the yarn I used (Lions Brand Cotton-Ease), the color is fun and summery, and its a very workable piece in my wardrobe.

The pattern is free and available on Ravelry - the Sexy Vesty (because nothing says sexy like a sweater vest).

I'm happy to move onto the next project!

What To Do With Tomatillos

2010-06-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

If you happen to come across a big bag of tomatillos at your local farmer's market, I would highly recommend making this most delicious Tomato and Tomatillo Gazpacho.

We were almost immediately in need of a second batch after tasting the first one. Super tasty and refreshing.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-06-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

My dad is the best dad. No really, he is.

Love you, Dad! Happy birthday!

Thrift Store Treasure

2010-06-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I received a lucky treasure in the mail from my mom. She found two of these at the thrift store:

Unopened argyle sock kit, copyright 1950 from Patons and Baldwin.

Check out the chart!

Don't worry, there were two, so she was able to keep one for herself. :)

Rain Drops and Polka Dots

2010-06-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I took advantage of being at my parents to use my mom's sewing machine for a tote bag I had been wanting to make to test out my sewing skills after my Sewing 101 class at the end of March.

It's definitely not perfect, but I love the prints and it will make a great project bag.

...and it's reversible!

Birthday Surprise

2010-06-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a nice Memorial day weekend! I sure did. On Saturday I flew home to Appleton, WI to surprise my mom for her birthday. My dad was in on the surprise, and told my mom he was off to the grocery store when really he was off to the airport to pick me up. When we got back to the house, he went in first and told my mom to come see what he got on special at the store. Surprise! We've never pulled something like that on her before, and it was a lot of fun.

I had a great weekend relaxing with my parents. Lots-of-pictures-alert:

* Who knew Paris was right in the backyard?*

* the little old lady who rules the roost *

* Little Lake Butte des Morts *

* old railroad bridge *

*Mom and Dad crossing the Friendship Trail, Menasha, WI *

* warehouse on the trail *

* plenty of irises ready for their close-up *

* "Treasure" found in the backyard (it's a deer skull) *

* chairs always getting a new paint makeover *

*homemade strawberry-rhubarb ice cream with the last of the garden rhubarb crop *

*snapdragons *

* half shade/half sun combo is the best for a snooze *

* Testing out Dad's Christmas present on the creek *

* Dad was in on the plan*

* the birthday girl *

Temescal Canyon

2010-05-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend one of my BFFs Allie came to visit, and we set out on a gorgeous Saturday to Temescal Canyon. During the climb up and up and up, I was wondering how I had ever happily made it through a 12 day backpacking trip back in high school...

I actually haven't done any hiking since moving to LA, and I think Temescal was a great place to start.

Views of Malibu...

Views of the Santa Monica...

And of course, the hike always goes a little easier when you know you have something sweet in the future.

*Princess Cake from Sweet Lady Jane on Melrose...YUM*

What are your favorite trails?

Citron for Mom

2010-05-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

I finally have some knitting to share. It has felt like awhile, huh? I started making the Citron shawl back in early April, with plans to give it to my mom for Mother's day. I was pretty pleased with myself, thinking I would get things done far in advance.

Boy was I wrong. This thing seemed to go on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. I ended up getting done just in the nick of time, but all these teeny tiny stitches took a lot of time.

It's a gorgeous color (of malabrigo lace), and lovely pattern. Nothing says I love you, Mom, like knitting rows and rows of 540 stitches!

Darth Vadar's Day Job

2010-04-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

On a Saturday walk to brunch in a galaxy far far away...

we encountered a few familiar characters...

washing cars!

It's not every day you see Princess Leia and the gang washing cars.

All for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Fun.

Punks Not Dead

2010-04-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

I picked up this plaque at the Melrose Trading Post on Sunday. I couldn't resist.

Tomato Tracking

2010-04-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Always living in apartments mean there's not a ton of room for a veggie garden, which I would love to have. This spring, I'm starting out with a single tomato plant.

I'm not yet convinced my deck will get enough sunlight to keep this growing, but I figured I'd snap some pics of it so I can compare later on. Maybe it will be huge and this will be a sweet baby pic we can oo and ah over later, or perhaps it will fail and we can all sigh woefully over what it once was.

When I lived in Madison, my work had a farm on site, and had 10x10 garden plots for the employees. I had a fairly successful garden that summer, thanks to my dad's help, and had more cucumbers and tomatoes I could use.

If my tomato plant does succeed, I may take a note from Sunset magazine, and work on a one pot garden, which would be totally workable in my small space.

How does your garden grow?

Meow

2010-04-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

This week I whipped up this knitty kitty to accompany the stroller blanket I made.

She had to have a great accessory to bring in the colors of the blanket of course, so I made a collar with a crocheted flower.

Just in time to mail it off to Darchelle's baby shower!

Stroller Blanket

2010-04-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

I crocheted like crazy over the Easter weekend, and finished this stroller blanket in time to mail to Wisconsin for my friend Darchelle’s baby shower. Crocheting does not come as easily to me as knitting (I just need more practice!), and I ended up having to start this blanket over SIX TIMES. I was near ready to give up and choose a different pattern, when I realized that when the pattern says “Single crochet in next 3 chains,” it really means to do it THREE TIMES, not just once! Whoops. :) Once I figured out I was reading the pattern wrong, I was on my way. It took a lot of concentration for me, but I really love how it turned out.

(it needs a little blocking still)

This pattern was from Crochet Today, and I used the recommended RedHeart Eco-Ways yarn, in Oyster, Mushroom and Dusty Rose (it’s a girl!).

(I was also having fun playing with different camera apps on my iPhone)

I have some leftover yarn, and a little bit of time left before this has to get into the mail, so I think I’ll whip up something extra…stay tuned!

New Favorite

2010-03-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

I could not WAIT to finish this, because I knew it was bound to be my most favorite sweater I've made.

This is the Berry and Bramble Cardigan from the Fall 2009 Interweave. This went fairly fast, and was actually a fun and interesting knit. I used about eight skeins of Filatura di Crosa Zara, Extra fine Merino, which I bought on sale.

The yarn was a perfect fit for this pattern, and the sweater is light and airy and can definitely be worn into the summer, even in LA.

It's lovely when everything fits together perfectly.

Volunteering

2010-03-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

This year I’ve started a new job at a local medical center. Soon after starting, I quickly learned about a volunteer opportunity that was right up my alley. The hospital’s volunteer department has a group of knitters that meet once a week and knits blankets for the Palliative Care patients.

While my busy schedule during the work day has prevented me from meeting with them every week, I’ve still been able to help out. I’m slowly working on knitting my own blanket, but I keep getting blankets thrown at me that need the finishing touches – a crocheted border, and the red hearts. This is a nice project for me to work on when I just need some mindless knitting, but I still like to keep my own projects going! I’m happy to share my skill and help out for a good
cause.

Knitting 101, Part Deux

2010-03-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a cool, rainy day in LA, so a perfect day to curl up with some knitting (not that I don't find that excuse for every other day!). My friends Sherry, Anne and I set out to a tea shop on Melrose, and cozied up to start stitchin'.

Anne is becoming a master of garter stitch, and Sherry took off with purling, YOs, and SSKs, to start a lacy scarf.

How's it coming girls? Keep up the good work!

Something Pink

2010-03-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

It's about time I showed you what I worked on throughout the month of January. I've been waiting to capture the perfect picture, but it just wasn't happening. These will just have to do.

This is the Something Red cardigan by Wendy Bernard. There are things I liked about this and things I didn't. Anybody who was with me while I was knitting this knew that I was not having that much fun knitting row after row of stockinette. B-o-r-i-n-g. Despite the uneventful pattern, I like the classic style of the simple cardigan. I made it out of a cotton, which is soft and light enough for LA. I don't love the way my ribbed edge keeps flaring out (see that in the pic above??), and I think it's a little wide so adds some extra bulk on me. Overall though, I think this can easily be worked into my wardrobe, and I'm REALLY glad it's done.

I've moved on to a much more interesting knit.

Beginning Sewing

2010-02-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

On Friday I took the Sewing 101 class at the Urban Craft Center, with Christine Haynes, author of the book Chic and Simple Sewing.

I took the class because sewing is something I've wanted to try for awhile. While I don't have my own machine, there are several places in the area were you can rent out sewing machine time. During class I successfully made a pillow cover, and definitely want to sew more soon.

PomPom Crazy

2010-02-25T21:42:00.001-08:00

I recently uncovered my pompom maker, and decided to put it to work.

I also got pompom picture-crazy.

This has found a new home in my work cubicle. It really brightens up the place, don't you think?

Dressing a Tape Measure

2010-02-19T18:01:00.000-08:00

I guess one week past Valentine's day I still didn't have enough, and decided to tackle this cute little heart project to cover my tape measure.

This project whips up in no time, for a very sweet result.

You can find the free pattern on the Spud and Chloe blog.

Knitting 101

2010-02-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had my friends Anne and Sherry over for a knitting 101 party. After a quick brush-up, they were off.

*serious knitters in action*

My favorite knitting basics books are the Stitch 'N Bitch series. While most knitting steps are like breathing to me, I am always pulling out my Happy Hooker book to brush up on my crochet skills. The steps are easy to follow, accompanied by great pictures, with witty comments worked in.

What are your favorite "how-to" books?

100th Post!

2010-02-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

In honor of my 100th post, I present to you a sight seen from the road this past weekend, spotted near Newport Beach.

Look closely. This dog is too cool for school.

Luvgun

2010-02-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a fantastic Valentine’s day! This is perhaps one of the silliest things I have ever knit, but I present to you Boyfriend’s Valentine:

The Luvgun!

An updated cupid’s arrow: it shoots out hearts!

I have found that when you explain to non-knitters who ask what you’re getting your boyfriend for Valentine’s day, telling them you are knitting a stuffed toy gun that shoots out hearts, results in a few eyebrow raises.

Here’s the Ravelry link to the pattern. This was a great use of scrap yarn in my stash, and I think Boyfriend really appreciated it’s silliness.

The card “I choo-choo-choose you,” (a Ralph quote from the Simpsons) is from the Earmark store on Etsy.

Valentine's Day Flowers

2010-02-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

Today some beautiful Valentine's Day flowers walked through my door.

Lucky me!

Valentine's Day Swap

2010-02-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

Last night at the WeHo SnB, we had a scarf/cowl swap to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

It was a bit of a race for me to finish up my swap gift, but I was pleased with how it turned out, and I thought it fit Teresa, the recipient of my gift, perfectly. I didn’t get a picture of it on her, but I did take a few of it on me before I wrapped it up and sent it on its way.

I used the Flower Scarf pattern, and learned how to do the Fisherman’s Rib, which was new to me. On one end there is a “Queen's Ball button” that hooks into the middle of the flower attached to the other end.

I love love love the scarf that I received from Beth. It is so soft and squishy, and beautifully crocheted. It is in the perfect Sarah Sparkle color. Tucked in my sparkly tissue paper was also some delicious chocolate and monogrammed S paper.

The swap was such a smashing success – it was so fun to hear so many appreciative knitters, excited to receive something hand crafted just for them, that they didn’t have to do themselves. Each gift was so different from the next, and all seemed to fit their recipient perfectly.

The Latest Kitchen Adventure

2010-01-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

I was reading NPR’s list of the best cookbooks of 2009, and happened upon this book by Andrea Nguyen, called Asian Dumplings. This past weekend after a fun trip to Surfas, a restaurant supply store, I picked up some bamboo steamers, and on Sunday I was on my way to attempting to make stuffed buns, aka baos.

Overall I was pretty pleased with my results. With the wait time of the dough sitting, and then sitting again after the buns are formed it’s a bit time consuming, but a good activity for a Sunday.

This book includes different styles of every kind of Asian dumpling you can think of. I think this is going to be lot of fun to work through, and master. :)

There is still knitting happening around here – for all of January I’ve been slowly moving through a simple cardigan. Pictures to come as son as it's finished!

Macaron Mess

2010-01-25T22:19:00.001-08:00

My hair and I have fought a life long battle against humidity. Now I have another reason to hate on humidity.

On Saturday, with everything I learned in my French Macaron class fresh in my head, I decided to tackle a batch on my very own.

* French patisserie macarons *

My egg whites got to the most perfect stage of stiff peak-i-ness. I folded my flour mixture in with my egg white mixture carefully in three batches. I piped my bright pink (my first time using gel paste - great color!) batter onto parchment, and was even starting to get perfect little circles (I'm not a very good piper). I let them sit for about 30 minutes before baking, so they could get the right matte look before being baked. I turned the oven light on and saw the little crinkly "feet" forming at the bottom.

My macarons were going to fabulous. Really destined for greatness.

Then my oven timer went off. I took them out and looked at my gooey mess. Each macaron was sticky on the paper, and ooey gooey. Nothing like in class. Not to be deterred, I just put them back into the oven for a bit.

Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem. While I was able to save some to make into proper macaron sandwiches, most resulted in bits and pieces. Luckily, the crumbs are still delicious dipped in the orange milk chocolate ganache I made.

The teacher from class had given us her contact info, in case we ever came across a baking catastrophe in our own kitchens. I emailed her to describe my dilemma, and heard back within a few hours. She suggested I try cutting back a bit on the egg whites, but really my main problem was most likely the high humidity, and I should try again on another day.

As Monica cried on Friends, "It's the HUMIDITY!"

Ugh. Next time, I'll be checking the weather report.

* photo credit by Flickr user La tartine gourmande *

Veyla

2010-01-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

I have a finished object to share with you all! I actually finished these the week of Christmas, but I just got around to sewing the buttons on this weekend.

These are the Veyla fingerless gloves by Ysolda Teague. I love the way Ysolda writes her patterns. They are always thoroughly written, and her designs are simple, yet include enough detail to be totally satisfying.

The yarn is a mystery - I got it for free when I was at the Black Sheep Knittery sale this fall. I was told it was a cotton yarn from South Africa, but I think it's really a blend of some sort. I love the color, and it fit the pattern perfectly.

French Macaron Class

2010-01-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

*French macaron half with candied violets sprinkled on top*

This past weekend I attended a class on how to make French Macarons with my friend Sherry. I've never attended a baking class before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.

*action shot of sifting*

I had a delicious time, and learned a lot. While the teacher did a lot of the work, there were plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning. French macarons have a lot of little quirks and take some patience to make, so it was fun to learn about those things in the classroom experience before trying them out on my own.

*Sherry piping the macarons*

Our vanilla macarons were filled with either caramel and lemon curd, and we all got to take a box of our handiwork home.

Am I prepared to try these on my own? Well, I'm going to try; and when I do, I'll be sure to report back...perhaps jazzing them up with some color.

Birthday Bazaar

2010-01-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

Even though boyfriend's birthday was last weekend, we waited until this weekend so we could get in at Bazaar, his restaurant of choice for his birthday meal.

And what a dining experience it was!

We had fabulous gold dusted and poured over cotton candy cocktails,

watermelon and yellowtail,

caviar cones,

a little birthday chocolate cake,

and many other small dishes. It was a splurge, but a fun dining experience. Happy birthday, Leon!

Beads

2010-01-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

In honor of starting a new job last week, and because I have to wear my badge everywhere I go, I dug out my beads last night to make a lanyard. I haven't touched my beads in years, but I have quite a few.

It was fun to look through everything and come up with different combinations. I chose fairly neutral beads, as I'll be wearing it with everything.

Now I have a little sparkle for everyday!

Braided

2010-01-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays I knit up the Braided scarf. I've never seen or thought to use an i-cord to make a braid before. This project was fast, and really fun to knit.

I left mine behind with my mom (lucky her!), as it's pretty thick and chunky, and a little too cozy for winter in LA.

Another quick project I whipped up for the holidays, was a crocheted gift bag to hold the cork elves I made. A fun alternative to wrapping paper!

Tackling Needle Felting

2010-01-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

Boyfriend very cleverly got me a needle felting kit for Christmas. The kit included everything I needed to needle felt two small cupcake ornaments. You can find a similar one from Etsy user FancyTiger.

I have never needle felted before, but thought it was easy to learn, and a lot of fun. I think my first cupcake turned out really sweet.

Santa had a lot of help from the hand-crafters at Etsy this year. Another fun find under our tree was a set of customized mustache tea cups from UrbanAntix. Placed just right, they are the perfect disguise!

Crafting for Mom

2010-01-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

For one of the hand made gifts I gave this year, I was inspired by the new "So You Think You're Crafty" blog to make my mom a harvest wreath from fabric.

I picked four different fabrics, and cut them into strips, folded them in half, and ironed them.

Next, I created the leaf shapes, and hot-glued them to muslin in a circle shape.

This will fit into my perfectly with my mom's decor come harvest, fall time. The full tutorial can be found here. While you are there, take a look around - the So You Think You're Crafty blog has some great ideas!

New Year's Tasting Menu

2010-01-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

Happy new year!

Boyfriend and I fancied ourselves up and went to Bond St at the Thompson Hotel for their six course tasting menu.

We had:
Big-Eye Tuna Tarts
Micro Shiso

Albacore Tataki
Local Greens, Ginger Dressing

Maine Lobster Preserved Meyer Lemon, Leeks, Lobster Jus

Japanese Bouillabaisse
Squid, Ama-Ebi, Uni Rouille

Australian Wagyu
Potato Cubes, Cippolini Onion Puree, Hedgehogs, Soy-Garlic

Vosne Romanee
Traditional Flavors of the Appelation

Fancy!

Year End

2009-12-31T17:31:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are coming to a close, I am going to have some fun knitting to share with you. As always, I had a lot of fun knitting gifts for the holidays, and feel they went to some very knit-worthy recipients. Stay tuned to future posts to see what's been on the needles lately.

For now, I'm going to work on getting settled back in after a week away in with family, friends and lots of snow. After a day of traveling back, a nap may be in order, if I plan to make it to midnight tonight! Thanks for tuning in to this little blog during 2009. Happy new year!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

*snow at my parents house*

Our tradition on Christmas Eve is to look at Christmas lights. We have our regular favorite spots to go. This year's freezing rain cut our ride a little short, but we still got to drive by my favorite house on Foster.

When I was younger, this house's light display was paired with the house next door, and included a horse drawn-carriage with two riders. They are no longer there, but the friendly waving snowman (he moves!) always says Christmas time to me.

*(My parent's pic, taken right after 15 inches of snow)*

Now we're snuggling up by the fire, getting ready for Santa to come tomorrow. Merry Christmas!

Get crackin'

2009-12-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

There were two of these guys outside of my apartment's front entryway and they made me laugh.

Somebody call hunky Santa at the Beverly Center and tell him there's a new guy in town....

Caramel Pretzel Turtles

2009-12-21T19:43:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend Boyfriend and I had dinner at my Aunt's house. As a holiday treat to bring along, I made these Caramel Pretzel Turtles:

I flattened out caramels with a rolling pin

wrapped them around pretzel nuggets (these steps were improvised a little bit. I couldn't find regular caramels, so I used caramel cremes...these worked, but the cream part flaked a little bit in the wrapping process, and pretzel nuggets/round were not available either, so I chopped up pretzel rods).

The caramel wrapped pretzels were dipped in chocolate, and rolled around in finely chopped almonds.

* They don't look particularly appetizing like this....*

Finally, I wrapped them up in individual cellophane bags - ta-da!

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

2009-12-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

Hello holiday friends! Preparations for the holidays have been keeping me busy. There's been a lot of Christmas knitting happening, which I can't share yet, but I can share the holiday baking!

I turned to my Martha Cookie book for inspiration, but you can find the same recipe online. These turned out great - the fresh ginger really adds to the flavor of the cookie, and mine turned out super chewy, even a few days later.

This little elf has to get back to work, if I want to win Christmas like the Target lady!

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin

2009-12-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

The table was skillfully set by yours truly

Pumpkins and turkeys were all around

Brussel Sprouts from the garden (I don’t eat these, but they look cool!)

A hand-crafted button tree (mom’s work, not mine)

A sleepy kitty

Mittens make piano playing even MORE fun

And of course, mini-mittens were presented just in time for December 1st

I hope your Thanksgiving was as nice as mine!

Winterizing

2009-11-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

I've had a bit of knitting"start-itis" lately, and have been casting on all sorts of small projects. This week I knit up a flower headband. Ellen and I were on the same page this week, as she created one too! Her's is based off one her co-worker saw in a salon being sold for $85...shesh! I made mine from a free pattern on Ravelry, based on one at Anthropologie. Anthropologie's version is here. They also have a cute one with a bow, which might be fun to try.

I also finished my mittens, and attached the poms:

Looks like I'm all set to head to colder weather next week.

A Mitten

2009-11-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

A finished mitten:

There is only one, but the second one shouldn't be too far behind. This was my first dabble in colorwork. It started off a little rough, but after a few rows (or 10) of the pattern, I got into a grove, and I suspect the second mitten will be much easier.

These are the Herringbone Mittens with Pom (Ravelry Link).

I have Christmas crafting on the brain...my hands will be busy this weekend!

Eva Restaurant

2009-11-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight Boyfriend and I skipped our usual Sunday take-out night, and walked two blocks to a new addition in our neighborhood: Eva Restaurant. We have wanted to try it for awhile, and I recently found out that they do a Sunday night family-style, Prix Fixe, five-course (wine included) meal. The menu changes each Sunday, but you can check their website in advance to see if it's what you want.

Tonight, we had:
Salad of little gem lettuce, green goddess dressing
Fried chicken
Warm potato salad, capers, vinegar, parsley, shallots
Red wine braised brisket
Creamed spinach
Bread pudding

* Red wine braised brisket and creamed spinach (iphone photo in dim lighting - sorry!)

This was such a nice way to finish off the weekend. The cozy, intimate setting at Eva was matched with such a wholesome, home-cookin' kind of feel. I would love to try their regular menu, but also might not be able to pass up trying another Sunday night there.

* Bread Pudding *

Christmas is right around the corner, and I couldn't help but try out one of these little elves. This pattern covers a wine cork. An early Christmas decoration in about 15 minutes!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

Rag Bath Mat

2009-10-23T13:59:00.001-07:00

The preview from my last post turned into this:

This is the Rag Bath Mat by Cocoknits. I used two Ikea fitted twin sheets, and used the Cocoknit tutorial to connect the cut up strips without using knots. Ripping and connecting the strips is a little messy and time consuming, but since the project is on such large needles, it didn't take much time at all.

This mat has the right amount of squishiness. Love it.

And...happy one year anniversary to my blog! Thanks for reading.

YUM

2009-10-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

My taste buds are doing a happy dance after dinner tonight, and I had to share! Tonight I got out my new grill pan and whipped up Apple Maple Turkey Burgers with Maple Dijon Sauce. They were so easy and delicious! I think this was a good way to bring in Autumn flavors, without digging into heavy comfort foods (of course I love those too!). Check out the link for the recipe!

There's been lots of knitting going on and soon I'll have something to show off. Here's a preview:

Too Ambitious For a Wednesday

2009-10-15T16:52:00.001-07:00

In college there was a great place open late that made delicious Pelmeni – Russian dumplings. They were served up with a soda and a side of sour cream for five bucks, which was a great bargain for us poor college students. The place is now closed, but always remembered fondly. Boyfriend and I often crave Pel’meni, and recently one of my friends attempted making them at home by researching recipes on the internet. He shared how he made them, and last night I decided to attempt them as well.

All in all they turned out ok, although this was way too ambitious for a Wednesday night – probably a much better weekend project, with the help of extra hands. I immediately knew I was going to struggle with the dough I made, and set back out to the store to pick up some potsticker wrappers. Of course this took away a bit of the authenticity of texture and taste, but it made my life a lot easier. I made both potato and meat filled dumplings. Once I had all my potsticker wrappers complete, I went back to trying to work with my dough. I was able to complete a decent sized batch with the real dough, which helped give the right flavor the dish needed.

*yum!*

Topped with white vinegar, cilantro, hot sauce, curry powder, and a side of sour cream, this dish did end up hitting the spot and filled the craving for now. With one experience attempting this under my belt, I think it might be easier the next time – but I think I’ll wait a long while before trying this again!

My Own Autumn

2009-10-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

I don’t think it’s a secret that I LOVE fall, and that the weather in Los Angeles this time of year just does not provide anything close to the crisp, cool fall air that I love.

This weekend, my mom sent me my own little piece of fall.

This bright red leaves were a pleasant surprise to bring an autumnal feel amongst the palm trees and hot temps. It even SMELLED like Fall. As the temperature dropped a bit yesterday and today, I think there must have been some cooler weather packed into the envelope as well…thanks Mom!

Woodsy

2009-10-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist this tiny project, especially after I saw Natalie's worked up.

I happened to have some woodsy/acorny colored cotton taken from my Grandma's stash that I wasn't sure what to do with, considering "Butterscotch" isn't one I regularly work into my wardrobe.

This is the Woodsy Acorn Pot pattern from the Sept./Oct. Crochet Today.

What's with all this crochet? I think it's time to get back to two needles...

Foliage Hat

2009-09-28T20:39:00.001-07:00

This weekend's finished object:

This is the Foliage pattern from Knitty. Of course, the weekend's heat wasn't exactly the right conditions for this hat, but I hope that soon enough I might get a couple of days to wear it! This was a quick and easy pattern, and just the thing for some instant gratification knitting.

Back To It

2009-09-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

Wasn't this blog supposed to be about knitting? Well, I'm back to it. After such a busy summer it's nice to get back to my long list of projects I've been wanting to make.

Last night I whipped up this fun little project, which I loooove! It's a shower loofah. I'm still getting the hang of crochet, but this project was easy enough for me to work through in a night. I haven't tested it out yet, but I like the idea that I could easily throw it in the laundry to use for as long as it will hold up, rather than having to constantly replace the store-bought kind.

I am dreaming about fall and knitting cozy winter-y things, but unfortunately the upper 90 degree temps are not exactly compatible. I'm crossing my fingers that things will cool down soon!

Wilmington Wedding

2009-09-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

The reason for trekking to Wilmington for the weekend was for one of my oldest friends', Charlsie, wedding. We grew up basically like sisters, just eight houses apart. Now we have each relocated to opposite coasts, but I knew I couldn't miss making the trip out there to see her get married.

The ceremony and reception were held at the historic City Club de Rosset.

It had the perfect amount of Southern charm.

*entryway inside the club...the chandeliers were gorgeous!*

*Chad and Charlsie*

*Mom, me, and maid-of-honor/sister-of-the-bride, Darchelle*

It was a lovely, intimate wedding, and I'm glad I was able to go. Congrats to Chad and Charlsie!

Wilmington

2009-09-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

I had a whirlwind 36 hours in Wilmington, North Carolina this weekend. Despite the short trip, I was able to cram a lot in.

My parents booked a hotel right on the ocean. You could leave your sandals behind and walk right out to the beach.

The sunrise

Shell haul from a week spent at the beach

In Historic Downtown you’ll find a store for all your house column needs. There happened to be an art fair going on while we were downtown, where we picked up some goodies.

The Riverwalk

USS Carolina

Daytime view of the ocean

We even had time to find the local yarn store to score some sale yarn!

The main event of the weekend was of course a beautiful Southern Wedding. Tune in tomorrow.

Writings in the Sand

2009-09-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Getting an artsy writings in the sand pic is harder than it looks.

You have to be much taller if you want your foot in.

And you have to hurry before the high tide wipes your work away!

The weekend spent in Wilmington, NC was beautiful. More to come.

Finding Fall

2009-09-09T19:00:00.001-07:00

I got a little glimpse of Fall while back in Wisconsin this past weekend. Being in LA, I miss the change of seasons into Fall, so I was happy that some of the trees were changing early.

Another treat was seeing my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. Even though I wasn’t exactly alive-alert-enthusiastic, due to too much wedding fun the previous night, it was fun to see how much baby Miles has changed since I’ve last seen him.

He took his job of picking apples and pears from my parent’s trees very seriously. Thanks for coming by, Ben, Meg and Miles!

Wedding Whirlwind

2009-09-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

I’m back from a whirlwind of a wedding weekend in Wisconsin (say that ten times fast). The wedding was beautiful, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and the bride and groom had permanent smiles all day.

It was such a nice weekend of catching up with best friends, and I’m so glad I was able to celebrate such a special day with Gretchen and Tom.

It’s back to reality for me…but only for a few days. I’m off to another wedding in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday!

Silliness

2009-08-31T20:37:00.001-07:00

The crazy busy summer continues. This past weekend my friend Athena was in town. We braved the heat and hit all the hotspots.

The highlight of the weekend, was my friend's birthday extravaganza. He has been planning this event for months. A group of 40 of us dressed totally rad in 80s attire and hopped on a bus headed to Medieval Times.

(chicken as big as your head! No utensils anywhere!)

Although our red-and-yellow-striped knight lost the battle,

we all had a blast. Once the bus brought us back,

we finished up the night with karaoke in Korean town. It was an interesting mix of things, but a winning combo!

I'm taking the red-eye outta here on Wednesday; heading back to Wisconsin for Gretchen's wedding!

Smoke in the City

2009-08-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a view from the Getty Center of the smoke clouds from the fire in the Angeles National Forest Fire. The smoke continues to creep in today as the fire spreads. Pretty incredible.

On a happier note, I think this pic I took in the Getty gardens turned out fantastic:

Lemon Zucchini Cookies

2009-08-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

My mom was talking about the Lemon Zucchini cookies she made last week, and as I got bit with the baking bug this weekend, I decided to find a recipe to make these myself.

I used this recipe, without the walnuts.

Yum!

Chirp Chirp

2009-08-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

I whipped up this little stash-buster this week for my mom (surprise, Mom!), before I return her Closely Knit book to her.

It's a pincushion - just needs a little bird to sit on top!

Happiness

2009-08-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Happiness costs just five dollars at the Beverly Hills Farmer's Market. I'll be happily gazing at these beauties all week. :)

Cap-Sleeved Eyelet Top

2009-08-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's done! This seemed to go on forever because of all the busy-ness in the past month. It turned out really well, and fits great.

This is the Cap-Sleeved Eyelet Top from the book Closely Knit by Hannah Fettig. I totally would have skimmed right past this pattern based on the picture in the book, but this FO on Ravelry caught my eye, and luckily my mom had the book.

I used exactly four skeins of Blue Sky Hand-Dyed Cotton (there was about two feet left when it was all done) that I bought for 30% off at the Knitter's Studio on 3rd Street. I thought the color was a little more blue in the store lighting, but it turns out it's a periwinkle color that exactly matches my last FO. I guess I like that color!

The cotton is a little fuzzy and a little thick, but it should be a nice top for fall.

New Digs

2009-08-19T19:51:00.001-07:00

Here’s a few pics of the new place (I found it a little difficult to photograph, plus there's a bit of extra unpacking clutter around, but you'll get the idea). Decorations/pictures aren’t hung up yet, and we might be upgrading some of our furniture soon, but this should give you a view of the new digs.

Our old view put us looking out over noisy 3^rd Street, with the Nordstrom’s sign glaring into our window at night. The traffic meant that our balcony was covered in filth, and wasn’t very usable.

* old view at the Palazzo on 3rd *

Our new apartment overlooks the pool, so while we will probably have to deal with some noise on the weekends for another month or so, it’s still much more peaceful. We are also on the top floor, which means we get some extra light.

** if you had x-ray vision to see through the opposite side of the building, you’d be staring right at the Hollywood sign, and the Griffith Park Observatory. **

*living room, master bedroom off to the left*

* All the mirrors in the bathroom are perfect for hair-stylin'! *

The extra bedroom allows us to have more storage room, and really frees up the living room. It’s nice to not feel so cramped in, without a lot of clutter around.

And what’s this? My own closet? Fabulous! My clothes are quite happy with their extra breathing room.

All in all it’s a definite upgrade, and I think although moving is quite a headache, it was all worth it.

All Settled

2009-08-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

We're all moved into the new place, and almost all the way unpacked! I'm super happy so far - it is quieter, bigger, and a great place. After all the hiccups we had along the way, I'm glad to have moving behind us. Pics to come soon!

Moving On Up

2009-08-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a view of what this week looks like....

We're moving on Saturday! I'm ready for all the work to be done. Moving sucks.

The knitting has to be put aside for now. This sweater is soooo close to being done, but unfortunately needs to wait to be sewed up.

See ya next week!

The Weekend

2009-08-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend boyfriend's parents were in town, and we all headed to the Getty Center, which is somewhere I've been wanting to visit for awhile.

The museum was great, and it was a beautiful day to explore the property, take the architecture and enjoy the gardens.

I loved these large scale planters - very cool.

Boyfriend's mom also brought me a sweet little present - earrings made from credit cards. The hologram was captured just right to give these a little extra bling!

Exhausted.

2009-08-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! I warned that July would be a crazy one, and I was right. It FLEW by. I just finished up the month with two more visitors, and first-timers to La-La-land, Erin and Emily.

Thanks for coming, girlies! We did a lot of the same stuff I took Nicole and Gretchen to a few weeks back so they could also see the sights. Emily was here for a week longer, so I got to do a few new things as well, like pay our respects to the celebs resting at the Pierce Bros. Memorial Park,

eating the cookie/ice cream sandwiches at Diddy Riese (I chose mint chocolate chip ice cream in between chocolate chip cookies – who would believe they sell them for only $1.50?),

visited the Venice Canals,

and thanks to Ellen, we visited the FABULOUS Garden of Oz (no pics allowed – sorry!).

I plan to rest up and get back to my knitting this week. It has been too long…

Knitted Chairs

2009-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Knitted chairs!

Check out the link - I'm not sure if I'd want to sit on all this yarn in the heat we have right now, but it sure is a cozy way to dress up a plastic lawn chair!

Playing Tourist

2009-07-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my friends Gretchen and Nicole came to visit.

*Griffith Park Observatory - it was a little too hot this weekend to stay for long*

Sometimes I get caught up in missing home/friends that I forget to appreciate all the things there are to do in LA. It’s nice to have visitors to show the city too, and to see it through new eyes again.

* Marilyn Monroe - I read an article the next day that this is one of the top ten germiest tourist attraction *

*cupcakes for breakfast*

We played the tourist role well, accompanied with continuous gabbing the whole weekend!

*we worked out way through the huge crowd for this pic*

Thanks for coming girlies! See ya in September!

Emily arrives on Friday – there's more showing off the city in my future!

A Little Twist

2009-07-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

Fast food anyone?

Another One

2009-07-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

As promised, I have another finished object off the needles!

This is the Brook shrug from the Rowan Classic Summer Breeze book. I started this about a year ago. It was kind of a huge pain to finish. Many parts, picking up 250 stitches to make the border, and then sewing it all together...ugh. And the result is, eh, ok.

The yarn is super soft (Rowan Classic Bamboo Soft), but the sleeves are a little big and the fronts are a wee bit smaller than I would like, although looking at the books picture, it seems theirs is probably that way too.

Now its on to the next project!

A Finishing Weekend

2009-07-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I was on call this weekend for work, which meant I couldn't go far from home. It was the perfect excuse to work on finishing some lingering projects.

First up, here's my Ishbel shawl. I have never made a triangular shawl before and I'm not sure I have the patience for 300+ stitches on the needles, but I made the smaller size so luckily I was done as soon as I was about to lose interest. I loooooooooooove how this came out. I can't exactly wear it in the 95 degree heat, but in a few months, or on a cooler night, this will be perfect!

Next, I sewed up a summer tank I was working on. Unfortunately, it is WAY TOO BIG. I'm not really sure what I want to do about it. I kind of suspected that it wasn't going to fit as I went along, but I just kept on going. Shoot. It kind of works, but I fear it might stretch out more, and will just be huge. I like the color, and look of the pattern, so maybe I can take in the sides somehow? It might sit on the back burner for a bit.

I'm cooking up one more item that's almost finished...you should see it later this week!

Fourth of July

2009-07-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great 4th of July! Some highlights from my long weekend:

As mentioned in the last post, my girlie Allie was here visiting for the weekend!
We all took in the Marina Del Rey fireworks, from Captain Jeff’s sailboat. Unfortunately it was a little too windy to take it out during the day, but that meant we could all relax and focus on grilling, eating, and watching the fireworks. Boyfriend and I calculated that we have been in different cities/countries over the fourth of July for the past seven years, so it was nice to watch fireworks together for once!
Last night we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see Deathcab for Cutie.
It was a phenomenal concert. The Hollywood Bowl has to be one of the best places to see a show! Sitting under the stars (we actually got to see some of the real ones, and not just the ones on Hollywood Blvd!), enjoying our picnic, and a fancy schmancy bottle of wine. The band was accompanied by the full LA Philharmonic, and we had a fireworks-filled finale to complete the evening. Boyfriend and I had been looking forward to this concert for quite awhile, and it definitely exceeded our expectations!

**Boyfriend got our fancy-schmancy concert wine as a thank you gift from a client at work. Question of the evening – can we taste the difference between this and something that costs much less? We don’t have the most sophisticated palettes for wine-tasting, and while it was quite good, an equivalent bottle could be found for probably $15-20, but it was a step up from some $4.00 Trader Joe’s finds! In conclusion, I won’t be dishing out the moo-la for this $100 price tag any time soon, but if boyfriend’s clients want to pass along any more thank you bottles, I won’t object (oh and by the way, you can all cringe, as we did drink our fancy schmancy wine out of fancy schmancy plastic Solo cups - we had to make do with what we had!)**

A Crazy July

2009-07-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the beginning of a crazy fun month of visitors! Arriving today is Miss Allie, who was here back in March to celebrate our b-days which are one day apart. Happy to have you back, AP!

Happy 4th of July to all! I will hopefully pick back up on the bloggin' soon!

Summer Eats

2009-06-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Warmer temps are calling for some yummy summer eats! I tried my hand at Martha's Blender Gazpacho last night, accompanied with smoked turkey, avocado and cherry tomato chutney paninis.

I'll be visiting this gazpacho recipe quite a few times this summer. Yum!

(also, I realize that my parents are probably having a chuckle over this, as once upon a time, I would only eat mac-n-cheese, and the idea of cold tomato soup or a chutney is probably something I would have stayed far away from. Luckily I have gotten over most of my picky ways....I'll still pass on the broccoli though!)

A Trip Home

2009-06-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

I had such a nice trip home in Wisconsin. I got to take in all the irises in my parent’s new (ish) yard…

We scooted on down to Madison, to see Mister Miles, who will make a great dinosaur someday I think (if he decides he can keep this on his head long enough to get it buttoned!):

And went to the bridal shower for my lovely friend Gretchen – who is now the owner of the afghan I made back in the winter, when I could stand to have that much wool on my lap.

Seeing my family and catching up with friends was much needed. The weekend flew by, but I had a great time. There’s a lot of friend visits/more trips to look forward to this summer!

(and really, where else will you find a bar table that is a cribbage board?? I won, by the way. :))

WISCONSIN!!

2009-06-10T16:36:00.001-07:00

I'm heading out tonight to the tropical lands of Wisconsin for the next few days to celebrate this lovely lady's bridal shower!

Love you Gretchy Poo, and I can't wait to see everybody!!

Spidery Tunic

2009-06-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have a finished object (FO) to show off! This is the Spidery tank, from this summer’s Interweave. Mine is really more of a tunic, as it is really long on my shortie self. This was a real quick knit, and I really like how it turned out. While knitting it I had my doubts, as the lace pattern looks a little wonky all clumped together, but I think it looks really nice on.

Mine is pretty loosey goosey, and let me tell you, after wearing it all day yesterday, it has S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D considerably. I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, which is a yarn I’ve never used. Anybody have any tips of how to get this back into shape/shrink a little bit? I’m a little leary because this yarn is 70% wool and 30% cotton.

Even Boyfriend approves, and Mister Hipster can be a hard one to please, and does not hold back…and I quote “it looks like something you would buy in a store." Success!

On to more summer knitting!

Mallrats

2009-06-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Boyfriend and I had to pay another visit to the Century City mall food court. An odd “must-go” choice perhaps, but Take a Bao is great! We came across Take A Bao a few weeks ago when we were craving some fast food bao’s in the style we had over the holidays at Chicago’s Wow Bao.

What’s a bao you ask? (I didn’t know until a few months ago, so you may wonder as well…) Wikipedia says “A baozi or simply known as bao, bau, nunu, pow is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread-like (i.e. made with yeast) item in various Chinese cuisines, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations. In its bun-like aspect it is very similar to the traditional Chinese mantou. It can be filled with meat and/or vegetarian fillings. It can be eaten at any meal in Chinese culture, and is often eaten for breakfast.”

Take a Bao has a fun approach of flattening out the bao dough and making them into a sandwich form with extra tasty veggies...and two baos come with a yummy salad. Definitely a great fast food choice, and a good way to fill up before a day of shopping and taking in a matinee (we saw Pixar’s Up!, which was great!).

San Diego Winnings

2009-05-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend Boyfriend and I headed down to San Diego. We visited Shamu at Sea World, enjoyed the weather at Balboa park, had drinks at Pacific Beach, ate dinner in the Gaslamp District, and stuck our feet in the ocean at Coronado Island. One highlight however is summed up in this picture:

***a giant Elmo won at a carnival game at Sea World.***

Ohhhhh boy. What are we to do with this???

The Interwebs Enchanted Evening Prom

2009-05-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Natalie, for hosting Prom! Check Natalie's blog to find more attendees.

(waiting for my date to arrive - late like always! Check out my sweet ride in the background! We did not take that beauty to Prom)

(A stop at Lutz Park on the Fox River, Appleton, Wisconsin)

My senior prom wasn’t that long ago, but it was still fun digging up the pictures. I got my dress at the end of the summer beforehand for a great deal, so I was extremely prepared! My mom called it the Sleeping Beauty dress, because it reminded her of when all the fairies try to dress Princess Aurora and use their wands to change her dress color, and when they all collide the dress becomes splashes of all three. It was definitely a princess dress!

(princesses like to mini-golf too)

Our Prom was supposed to be in May, but there was a mistake in the scheduling with the hall it was at, so we ended up having to bump our prom to mid-April. In Wisconsin, this is risky, because mid-April most likely means still cold, and still snow on the ground. Luckily for us that year we got lucky, and it warmed up and melted the snow away just in time. It was really windy (hairspray please!) and we didn’t quite get pretty May flowers as a pretty backdrop, but at least we weren’t freezing our buns off.

My birthday is March 13th, so a nice day to be asked to an April prom. Boyfriend (yep, Boyfriend was around then too!) is always good at thinking these sorts of things out, and making them special. Sometime after lunch I had to stop by my locker in between classes. One of Boyfriend’s friends a few lockers down was giving me a goofy grin and was very interested in me opening my locker, which tipped me off right away. When I opened up my locker, there were tons of curly pink streamers filling it up and bouncing out at me. Set carefully inside was a bouquet of pretty birthday flowers. Set in the bouquet was a little pink flower made of tissue paper with a note directing me to pull out the green paper center. The note said “will you go to Prom with me?” Although it has since faded, I still have that flower tucked away somewhere.

(Gretchen, me, and Allie having fun at the prom)

Our Prom was held at the Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton. The infamous (in Northeastern Wisconsin) cover band Vic Ferrari provided the music. We started in the late afternoon with pictures at a park on the Fox River, followed by a game of miniature golf, and then it was off to dinner. We danced the night away, and after the prom was all over, a group of us headed out to High Cliff State Park and camped out. Overall a very fun prom!

I had a lot of fun with this post. Now that my scanner works, I'll have to dig up some more fun!

On the Real Deal

2009-05-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

This looks much better on a little poodle!

My Great Aunt Zora sent me pics in the mail today of what the sweater I knit looks like on her dog, Tosh. Without seeing the dog beforehand, it still ended up a perfect fit!

I love all the poses she sent..."On this edition of America's Next Top Poodle..."

He's very stylin'. :)

For Mom

2009-05-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

More Red?!

2009-05-06T21:13:00.001-07:00

Ok, I should probably stop knitting with this yarn for awhile. I made yet another project out of the Rowan Calmer that was from a frogged sweater. There just seems to be a never-ending amount of it! I still have way over a full skein, but I think I'll take a break from it for awhile.

Here's the latest...

A slightly slouchy hat for the summer...I think the red will give a nice pop to any outfit!

Denial

2009-04-30T21:30:00.001-07:00

I know some knitters have issues with double pointed needles, but usually, I’m not one of them. Occasionally, I’ll have an ugly gap where you can tell the round was being joined, but it’s never that bad. I have been working on the Whisper Cardigan this week with the Malabrigo lace, which starts at the sleeve, and can be done on a 12” circular or double points. I didn’t have the circulars, so I chose to start with the double points. I’ve been knitting casually on this all week, and have noticed some loosey goosey stitches, and then some really tight stitches where I’ve tried to make up for the loosey goosey-ness. Since it’s never been that bad/noticeable in the past, I just kept on going. I finished the first sleeve and held it out to look at the full picture.

(I'm a little embarassed to show this)

Not good. Really, I knew this all along, but was just in denial and only wanted to move forward rather than go back. I’m not much of a perfectionist, and usually have mistakes in my knitting, but this is really bad. Looks like I’ll be ripping out and getting myself some size 7, 12” circulars….