Progress Inside and Out

Hi Knitters,

Progress is being made on the second baby cardigan for the Vogue Knitting Live Class I am teaching on October 28th in Chicago. I am using these tiny cardigans as my class samples and also for my project for the Itty-Bitty Knits Ravellenic Team for my Ravelry Group. The green stripes are fresh and fun. This little version is going to have short sleeves  and maybe a hood or a matching hat. This class is all about options and making the cardigan you want.

Click here to see the classes at VK Live in Chicago! 

Click here for the Itty-Bitty Knits Ravelry group!

We are loving our garden this summer. Everyday we are bringing in fresh vegetables that quickly vanish. Cucumbers are winning the production rate so far this summer. I can't believe how fast cucumbers grow. When we bring them inside, they get sliced up and thrown in salads or dipped in Trader Joe's Cilantro Dressing (click here for the link to this dressing) for a speedy snack. This dressing is delicious and by far my favorite. I like it on everything.

The kids started snacking like crazy on peppers last spring and haven't quit. They love them. I was even slicing them up and putting them in baggies to bring to school for a snack. We have been buying large numbers of red, green and yellow peppers. We'll see if that continues this school year. I love them, too, they are so crunchy.

One of my favorite things in the summer is to slice up a garden tomato and sprinkle it with a little bit of sea salt and ground pepper. That's it. It's the best snack around. Our tomato plants are bursting with tomatoes this summer. I am so excited for them to all start turning red. I check a couple times a day and usually come in with a handful or two.

I have had two huge zucchinis a couple of weeks ago but the plants haven't produced any more yet. In case I get asked, the chicken platter was a gift from my sister a few years back and it is in constant use. I just leave it out on the kitchen counter and something always ends up on it.

Yesterday I cooked up some corn on the cob. I cut the corn off and made this yummy salad, Corn and Blueberry Salad, click here for the recipe link. It seems like a strange combination but it is fantastic. I think the texture of the blueberries and the corn together really works well. And throw in that lime juice? It's incredibly fresh tasting. I used a cucumber from our garden in here, too. It was so delicious. This is a summery salad and the kids loved it. I am going to make it again very soon.

How are your gardens growing this summer and what are your favorite summer recipes? I'd love to hear.

I'll be back soon with a giveaway and review!
best, susie

Is it Tuesday already?

Hi Knitters,

That was a weekend to remember, right? Here's what is going on at my house that I can share. I have a lot of behind the scenes knitting going on for books and projects that I can't share, but that will come later.

I quickly whipped up two baby hats for our neighborhood pool's upcoming silent auction. It is a yearly fundraiser where all of the money goes toward pool improvements and defraying membership costs. I am on the committee running the silent auction this year so I hope we can raise lots of money for our lovely little pool which has brought our family so much fun, happiness and activity throughout the years.

I thought about designing a couple of new hats for the auction but I don't really have time for that right now. Instead I pulled out my trusty Itty-Bitty Hats and went for a couple of tried and true crowd pleasers. I knit the Upside Down Daisy and the Cotton Stria Stripes hats. Both are knit in Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton. This cotton is incredible. It is vibrant, soft and easy to work with. Hands down this is my favorite cotton yarn.

I am especially pleased with the stripey hat in greens, cream and the lightest gray I have ever seen. It is such a clean, fresh little hat. I wanted to offer something for both a boy and girl so everyone is included. Hopefully these hats will get some bids. You never know.

Anyway, it is fun to revisit my old book every once in awhile. I have such a flood of memories when I knit something from the original Itty-Bitty book. It makes me feel good because after I make one of the hats from here I stop and think, yes, these are still really cute baby hats. They are fun, fast and satisfying in the best way. I miss my baby hat knitting.
I have not spun for weeks. I keep looking longingly at my wheel with some Cloudlover roving started on it but I just haven't had the chance. Most of the knitting I have been doing is for work or on the go knitting which is usually plain stockinette socks. Maybe this week I will steal a moment or two for spinning. Here's to hoping...
Our garden is making good progress. We have harvested some handfuls of tiny red tomatoes, onions, strawberries and green peppers so far. This patch of a garden has already brought so much joy in such a small amount of time. The empty spot by the hose and stray water balloons has carrots that are just popping up. I think TC planted something else in this spot that maybe didn't take very well.
Here on my front stoop is a remnant from my son's firework extravaganza for the 4th. He actually built a wooden box with holes in it to hold his fireworks for lighting. He worked really hard on this. He is crazy for fireworks and it worries me a little (or a lot). Everyone has seemed to survive without injury this year so that is good.
I finished my second pair of handspun socks. I used Dyeabolical roving to spin into fingering weight yarn. I knit up this pair of simple stockinette socks working a round or two here and there over the past few weeks. It's amazing how just knitting a few rounds at a time will eventually get you to the end of a project. Here's proof.
I haven't blocked them yet. They are a bit lumpy and bumpy but I have to say I kind of like them just as they are for now. Rustic and homemade is my kind of sock (and life).
The feel of a pair of snug handpun socks on your feet is like nothing I can describe exactly.
It is sooooo good! See, that doesn't really describe the complete comfort, sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, happiness, love, beauty, amazement.... that wearing handspun yarn brings. In all their imperfection they are perfect to me.

Learning how to spin has been a wonderful addition to my life. I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it yet. Spinning has enhanced my knitting in new and exciting ways.
While watching the new episode of The Knit Girlls very early this morning I finished up a Noro Silk Garden (purchased here) stockinette sock. I absolutely love it. The Knit Girllls are involved in a very cool charity project right now. They are helping their knitting friend raise thousands of dollars for the Make a Wish Foundation. Click here to find out more information! Oh, and when I looked to gather these links I saw the Knit Girllls have three new tutorials up as well. I'll be watching these later. They have wonderful tutorials so be sure to check them all out.

Wow, so much to knit and make and so little time, right? Aren't we lucky to live a life full of creation and possibilities? I think so.

What are you knitting this week?

best, susie

p.s. Sam Boice and Bree Miller are having a kickstarter for their new yarn line, The Wool Dispensary. If you are interested and want to help two talented young indie dyers and knitters then click right here for more information.

p.p.s. I am completely enamored with Paula of the Knitting Pipeline Podcast. I am listening my way through all 49 episodes starting with #1. I think I am up to number 29 but I have listened to the recent last few episodes as well. She is wonderful! There is something so warm and charming about her. You will fall in love, too. I love how she gives a strong opinion about something and then comes back in the following episode and apologizes for it. That makes me smile.

Holiday at Home

Hi Knitters,

We have been anxiously and cautiously watching this tiny miracle take place in our yard.
There were at least five eggs, maybe more in the nest that would fit in the palm of my hand.
Their eyes are not open yet.....
...but their mouths sure are. They have one busy mama bird who flutters in and out and sits on her babies and tidy little nest for hours on end.
This active little world is all taking place in our miniature evergreen tree. You wouldn't know by looking at it.
TC has been entertaining the baby birds with her bird whistles which I find funny. She stands next to the tree and plays her whistles.
To another springtime topic we go, I have new sandals! I love them and they are quickly becoming not so new. I am hard on things.
The flurry of activity is going on in the inside of the house, too. I am at the toe of my watermelon stripes sock.
I am almost done with my 4 oz. bump of Dyeabolical. I am hoping to get a pair of handspun socks out of this one. We'll have to see what I end up with.
TC and I have committed to cooking our way through this fantastic down-home cookbook. I have already made several recipes and they have all been a hit. I'll talk more about this book later but let's just say that TC has dog-eared about every other page to mark the recipes she wants to make. She has been baking up a storm lately along with Peachy, who is our resident brownie maker.
I started a Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn sock in Kentucky and haven't worked on it too much since. I really love this colorway.
I pulled out my Citron in Malabrigo Lace from last summer and have knitted quite a bit further on it. A cute woman in my class in Kentucky had her Citron on and I just love her version which made me think of my unfinished version. We'll see how far I get this summer.
Garden plans and ice skates adorn my kitchen bench.
We are so excited to have a vegetable garden in our yard this summer. You know that a couple of summers ago we had around four humungous trees removed from our yard. We have only begun to have serious sunshine in our yard. Above is TC's sketch of what to plant where. She is sooooo excited about this garden project.
Here is TC's list of plants and things to get to plant.
Here are some of our choices.
We have been working so incredibly hard to get our garden spot cleared with stepping stones and a rabbit fence and the boards for borders.
Toes and gardening tools are at the ready!
TC is a gardening maniac. She dreams about her gardens and she has worked to get things ready.
Rabbits are a big problem for us so we are going to be prepared this summer.
The Fairy Garden is in full swing, too. This year it is going to be bigger and better than ever. TC will have more sunshine, a bigger corner to plant in and she wants to make some mosaic decorative stepping stones for better access to her plants. It is going to be a fun project.
The earth is good and being home is good.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, Knitters. What did you do weekend?

best, susie

First Harvest

Hi Knitters,

TC is pretty excited about her first homegrown strawberries. What pretty berries. She was going to eat two and give the last strawberry to her sister. Suddenly, as if beyond her control, she popped the third one in her mouth and started laughing. Oh well, how could she resist?
I've got some planting to do. I went with a sweet shell pink this year.
TC loves gardening and flowers. She picked all sorts of different varieties of flowers and vines and spikes and greenery. They were all in these separate containers which makes it hard to carry them around the yard. She had the idea to load them all up into her wagon. She is adding to her fairy garden big time this year. Last year we had construction going on so the yard was ripped up and muddy. This year is much calmer and she is taking advantage of it.

She has planted ferns all around her fairy house structure. Last night TC brought out all of her tiny ceramic fairies and placed them around in her fairy garden corner. She asked me to help her but really I just like to watch what she does. I let her take the lead for sure. It was cute. She has a story for each fairy and what she is doing which is why she places them in certain spots. It is fun. She has some of them hidden under leaves and ferns. I'll take pictures of her fairy corner to share with you as soon as she's set.
Our handmade life seeps out from our house right into our yard. In fact, we saved a cut stump from one of our big trees that was cut down last year. This summer we are going to sand, prime and then mosaic the top of the stump. It will go by her fairy house. She already has it planned out and I'm happy to follow her plan as directed.

What a fun age.

best, susie

Good Stuff

Hi Knitters,

I'm jumping around in topics today so hang with me!

My Peachy had her first big dance last week. Can you believe it? Our height difference makes me laugh every time I see it so clearly. I have mentioned it before but in case you missed it my husband is 6' 5" tall. Peachy clearly takes after my husband. I would love to be tall like that. She looked so pretty. I helped straighten her curly hair. This girl has some serious hair so it took quite an effort. She was funny and excited about the dance. Her friends met at our house to get ready for the dance. They were all sweet and fancy. She had a great time in the end. She came home bubbling with stories.

We went down to the farmers market again yesterday. I spotted this little handknit hat stand in front of the Grace Episcopal Church.
I actually started talking to the Reverend Pat Size who is behind the little hat stand literally and figuratively. She is the Hispanic Missioner for the church. She has lots of knitters who donate their handknit hats to her cause. All proceeds from the sales go to the Hispanic Ministry Scholarship Fund. Reverend Size was excited to tell me that over the years they have raised over $20,000 from selling the hats and they have sent two students to college with their scholarship funds. She was proud of these success stories. That is so wonderful.

I by chance noticed the reverend had Itty-Bitty Hats leaning up against the stand on the ground. See it there by her feet? I told her that I was the author of her book. She said that someone about a week ago had stopped by her stand and told her she should get Itty-Bitty Hats to use for her charity knitting. She had just gone to Borders to pick up a copy and loved it. She already had a few rosebud hats up on her stand that were getting attention while I was standing there. She asked me to sign her book for her. It was just a fun chance meeting.
I have been to a wedding at this church before a long time ago I think. Anyway, it was so refreshing to see such good being done through knitting. The stand attracted a lot of business. I wish them luck and if you are interested in contributing to this cause you can contact the church by clicking here.
Across the street the farmers market was hopping!
Each week there is different produce which is always fun to see.
Lots of radishes adorned the square. Radishes are always beautiful.
TC was on the prowl.
Oh she found something alright. She spotted a strawberry plant with ripe strawberries.
We went home with this beauty of a plant. It's already been planted in a bright sunny spot in our backyard.
She ate most of the ripe strawberries before we got home. We got our big bag of kettle corn of course. Well, it has been a busy stretch. May is always like that and I always seem to forget how much goes on with the kids in May. It seems like we have something every day and night of the week.

I have been knitting like mad trying to finish up some projects that are due in the upcoming week. It always creeps up on you no matter how hard you try.

I'll be back soon...

best, susie