Hi friends,

I'm taking a break from blogging.

Stacy
xoxo

On the drive there, Cathy and I agreed that we didn't want to blow spend as much money as we did last year, so we devised a plan to help each other out. Whenever she saw me losing my willpower, like when I almost bought twenty blown-glass stitch markers, she sang to me, "Money, money, money" from the Abba song of the same name. (Here is Meryl Streep singing it in Mama Mia!) I did the same for her, and it worked! I only bought one lonely skein of Fiesta Yarn Cottonista, two Lo-Lo Bars (gifts for friends) and a pair of scissors with a cute fob. Cathy did even better-- she bought nothing.



It's a little mouse!

The true test for me will be tomorrow when I go back alone for a morning class. I can't not stop in at the marketplace, and those little glass stitch markers might prove to be too cute to pass up without my singing buddy.


Thank you for all the kitty love and support when Apollo was sick a few weeks ago. He is doing great now-- eating, drinking, and finally back to wrestling with his brother. It's so good to see him healthy again.

Please don't ever get sick like that again, Apollo.

In addition to attending Stitches and the recovery of my kitty's health, there is one other special event going on this week. I was selected as the Knitting & Crochet Superstar on the crafty website Cut Out & Keep, and they are featuring one of my existing patterns every day this week as well as an interview with me.  If you have a moment, please check it out! Oh, but I must confess that the photo of me is outdated-- not long after it was taken I started putting on the pounds and stopped letting people take my photo. Anyway, a big thanks to Cat Morley at Cut Out & Keep for featuring my blog!

I stopped in a couple days ago to check out the new digs and ended up buying the silk boucle in the top photo. Maybe I'm not so lucky after all; having my LYS so close may turn out to be very, very expensive.


Meanwhile, the little pink apron dress has been neglected for the past month. I have tomorrow off for President's Day, so maybe I'll get to it then.

Hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend.

And then my cat Apollo got very sick. At first I wasn't too concerned-- I thought maybe he had the same bug that I did. Turns out cats can't catch colds from humans. After three days of watching him lay curled up in bed, barely eating or drinking or moving I took him to the vet. He had a fever of 105 and required many, many tests to diagnose the problem, which was a bacterial infection. He spent four days in the animal hospital with an IV in his leg, getting treatments and being force fed. He's home for good now and getting back to his perky old self. I think he  secretly likes that pink bandage on his leg-- it's his badge of honor.



I finished my hand warmers a couple weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to use them because the weather warmed up quite a bit. (Not complaining.) I keep forgetting to bring them with me to my day job where the office is always icy from the air conditioning. I love these mitts and would like to make a few more pairs to give as gifts.

It's the first time I've had a chance to use my owl stitch markers!

I started reading Gone Girl a few days ago and can hardly put it down. I try to avoid bestselling fiction because it usually isn't to my taste (how snotty does that sound?), but this novel is well-written and has a gripping story line.  I might want to read the author's other books when I'm done.

Lots of crafting has been going on here. I'm still working on the pink apron dress, and I'm also knitting a pair of hand warmers for my chilly home and chilly office. I've also been doing lots of baking and cooking-- my skills are continuing to improve and I'm actually starting to enjoy it.

I thought I would show you some of the wash cloths in that stack on my dresser I mentioned a few weeks ago. 



Double Bump Washcloth. I was hooked on this pattern until I discovered the bee stitch. It looks good in self-striping yarn.

This last one is a classic wash cloth knit on the bias. It is definitely not addictive; in fact, it's extremely boring in my opinion. But it turns out beautiful.

Tomorrow I have the whole day to myself, so hopefully I'll make good progress on my WIPs.  Have a happy Sunday.

This is a guest post from writer Eve Bennett, who resides in the UK.

Who would have thought that you could get away with knitwear as part of your wedding outfit? If current fashion trends are anything to go by, it’s all the rage and whilst some of the ideas may prove more popular than others, its proof that as part of your big day, it is possible to include beautiful knitted garments that are stylish and fashionable too.

It started with a Royal Wedding

Perhaps one of the main trendsetters for this particular fashion theme is the Duchess of Cambridge, seen sporting a white angora bolero for the evening of her wedding reception. It was teamed with an expensive Alexander McQueen gown, but it just shows how something so lovingly crafted can have just as stunning an effect as the gown itself.

Chunky cable knits

In contrast to the Duchess of Cambridge, many other brides are choosing to be more daring in their choice of knit. The cover of the Winter 2012 edition of New York Weddings magazine shows the model teaming a wedding dress with a white chunky knit cable sweater. The jury is, for some, out on this particular look, but for the more fashion-forward a solid, neutral colored aran cardigan might be just the contrast for you with the soft lines of a wedding dress.

However, a perhaps more wearable look is that of teaming a wedding gown with a button cardigan or knitted jumper in white or a pastel color.

A story was reported in the British press of a young woman who was inventive enough to knit her own wedding dress, saving herself an immense sum of money in the process and actually creating a gown that was individual, unique and quite beautiful.

Save money, keep everything safe.

For many people these days, the mounting cost of a wedding and making sure everything from the venue to the wedding gifts are protected with a good insurance policy can be something that poses many additional worries. For this reason, many brides are choosing to turn to handicrafts and making their own accessories for their impending nuptials  as it is considerably less costly to insure a lovingly handmade knitted garment than it is an expensive wedding gown that will only ever be worn once and put away! The added benefits of making your own clothes and accessories also mean that they can be passed down to subsequent generations, who will each have their own stories to tell about the items.

If all that isn’t for you...

Then why not think about opting for something along the lines of a delicate knitted or crocheted cloche hat to accompany what you’re wearing. With the imminent release of the remake of The Great Gatsby coming just in time for many spring and summer weddings, this kind of headwear, made famous during the 1920s can be a complete change from a head-dress, tiara or fascinator and can really ring the changes and set you apart from all the other brides this year.

I know, I know. I have no right to complain. I live in an area of California where you can pretty much wear a long sleeve sweater all winter long and never get too terribly chilly. But ... it's cold today! In my apartment, anyway. It might be warmer outside than it is in here. I closed off the rooms I'm not using, turned on the expensive wall heater, and I have a heating pad on my back and a cat on my feet, but dang it's cold. Brrrr.

Wow, you can really see how uneven my stitches are in this pic. Shouldn't I be better by now? I'm going to blame it on poor lighting.

The abrupt change from dark to light at the top is where I added a new ball. The contrast is intentional.

Would you like to win an iPad Mini? I sure would. Cooperative Press, a publisher of knitting books (and other types of books), is giving one away along with several other prizes. You can find out more about the contest HERE.


If you are having trouble uploading photos in your Blogger, I found a workaround by clicking on the HTML tab while composing the blog post. It is located just above the box where you enter the post text. There are two tabs-- one says "Compose" and the other says "HTML." If you click on HTML you will see your post in HTML code, but you can then click on the image icon and upload a photo from your computer. Then you can click on "Compose" and finish writing it without viewing the HTML.

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday. Have a great week! I'm off to make deviled eggs and maybe turn up that wall heater. Downton Abbey tonight. Woo hoo!

Linking with SouleMama.

Miniature Mixed Media Collage ~ 2009

Artist Trading Card ~ 2009

Domino pendant with resin finish ~ 2013

Handmade greeting card ~ 2013

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Linking with SouleMama.

This pattern is called Nineteen Hundred House Dish Cloth and it is sooo addictive. Wouldn't several of these in different colors make a cute housewarming gift?  If you could bear to part with them, that is. This yellow one is in the stack on my dresser.


Happy New Year!!! Wishing you peace and blessings and joy in 2013.

Stacy xoxo