Monday, May 12, 2008

Popping my Malabrigo Cherry

I'm not sure why, but I hadn't knit with Malabrigo until recently. My absolute favorite fiber combo is silk and merino, so when I started reading about Malabrigo Silky Merino, I immediately searched Ravelry to see if anyone had some to destash. Sure enough, someone was selling 2 balls in a gorgeous color, Madre Perla, which is a silvery lavender color.

The color reminded me of my mom, so I decided to knit her something for the first time. I know, can you believe what a terrible daughter I am? I've been knitting for 6 years and everyone and their mother has gotten a handknit good from me, but not my own mother.

At least it is something really nice. Some of the poor folks who were victims of my early knitting years, eagerly opening up their packages, only to be disappointed at the "homemade" gift item they received, are probably wishing they got what my mom got - a super soft scarf in a wavy pattern.


You can clearly see the difference between the unblocked and blocked scarf. There was a brief "oh no!" moment after I washed it and laid it out to dry. The yarn really stretched out and felt limp and lifeless. Even after gently manipulating it back into shape, it still didn't have the loft of the unblocked version. But it fluffed up a little when completely dry, and it still came out beautifully.

Pattern: #32 Wavy Pattern Scarf by Charlotte Quiggle from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005
Yarn: (2) skeins Malabrigo Silky Merino, Madre Perla
Needle: Denise US#6
New Technique Learned: Tubular Cast On/Off

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Best Bzz Ever Part II


Harmony One remote
Originally uploaded by knitterj
A few months ago, I blogged about a sample product I received from BzzAgent as being the Bzz ever. Well, today I think that title now goes to this - the Harmony One remote.

My husband nearly wet his pants when he found out I was getting this for free. Normally, he would be the one setting this up, but I think in the true spirit of being a Bzz agent, I will attempt to do it myself. Yikes! Wish me luck....

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Foodie Fight


Foodie Fight
Originally uploaded by knitterj
I love trivia games. I love food. So when I first saw Foodie Fight at our local grocery store's gift section, I really wanted it. But ol' Donny Downer (aka my husband) said we'd pick it up on the next trip. Of course, it was never seen again, and totally impossible to find online since it was just before the holidays.

I did not give up, no sir. Finally, finally today I received it in the mail! I am so excited to test my culinary knowledge, since I've been a self-proclaimed foodie since waaaay before the term foodie.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Souvenirs, novelties, party tricks...

Well, yesterday was my 35th birthday, but since I'm still recovering from a bad encounter with a fish (he apparently didn't like me eating him), I've been resting up at home. And yeah, it's rough being home after a week in Hawaii!


My husband baked me a pink cake!


I got a new phone, preloaded with a pic of my little girl!


And I got a dressform!

We didn't go too overboard with the souvenirs, but I just had to get this cool pineapple shaped wooden bowl. Also purchased (but not in the pic) were a couple boxes of Original Hawaiian Chocolate, which we visited on our trip - a very interesting and tasty tour. Also highly recommended is the VIP coffee tour conducted by Mountain Thunder. This was the best Kona coffee we tasted, and the people are really nice!
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Saturday, January 26, 2008

Sushi for Dogs

I'm the first to admit that we live sad suburban lives. However, every once in a while a good thing comes along that makes it worth it. Last night, a Friday night mind you, we tried to go out to dinner. The place we chose had a really long wait line, so what did we do? Yup, we went shopping at Target and decided to pick up a pizza on the way home. So sad. So very sad.

BUT, whilst passing by the pet section at Target, I scanned the toy area (which I always do because the puppy likes to destroy them in a millisecond). There were a few cute Valentine's Day toys, but then... this caught my eye and I squealed with delight:

Yes, folks, it's a Shrimp Sushi plush dog toy, with squeakers in each shrimp! I love how they used berber fleece on the underside for the "rice". Genious!


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Sunday, January 06, 2008

Holiday Summary

It was a long and crazy busy holiday season, and so much happened that I just didn't have time to stop and blog about it. I'm sure I wasn't alone. Instead of trying to discuss in detail all the (mostly) wonderful things that transpired, I've decided to list a summary of the highlights, the more noteworthy events, if you will.

*Redecorating my office. Painted the walls a spring green, with one contrasting wall of petal pink. It looks like a little girl's room, but I think it makes for a really cheery craft room. I'm still in the process of getting some finishing touches, new lamps and whatnot, so I'll post a pic when it's officially done.

*Reaching a point where we can make a trip to IKEA, get what we need in less than hour, and not feel compelled to snarf down a plate of meatballs.

*Watching Roomba do my chores for me. I finally wised up and got one of these! I'm surprised it works as well as it does, but I only wish it could somehow go up the stairs, clean the toilets, start and fold my laundry, and cook me some dinner.

*Admiring my new Kitchenaid coffee grinder next to my existing array of Kitchenaid products - food processor, stand mixer, and blender, none of which are the same color. I have coordination issues.

*Doing a side by side comparison of regular vs. European style butter in baked goods by making 2 batches of __ tea cakes. I'll let you fill in the blank with whatever name you go by for these yummy cookies - Russian, Mexican, wedding, who cares... they're good! BTW, the European butter tasted better, was more tender, but was a total bitch to work with (so fragile coming out of the oven that it was really hard to toss them in the powdered sugar without them breaking!).

*Hosting the family at our house for a holiday dinner for the first time. We're all growns up now! The in-laws brought my favorite Christmas treat, the Yule Log from Baker and Spice.


*Fondling my Handmaiden Camelspin and Lady Godiva yarns, which came along with a new Lexie Barnes bag.

*Tasting something new and "interesting" - tomato flavored Japanese candy. Since I don't read Japanese, I went by the picture on the package and thought it was apple. I do not recommend this product, unless you have a thing for ketchup/tomato paste in candy form.



*Lovin' my new sticky notes.



*Last but not least, my favorite highlight: Snow on Christmas day! Yes, I love every opportunity I get to complain about the fact that I was told this was a rare occurence. While very, very cold, snow does make for a pretty side effect of mind-numbingly chilly weather. This was Fergie's first encounter with the white stuff, so of course, like any good parent, we whipped out the camera and took some shots as well as a short video. She loved the snow, and didn't quite get why we thought she needed the jacket - she thought the temperature was fine!



Then it was big brother Gibson's turn to head out. He's much more of a puss when it comes to the cold, so he has a nice thick puffer jacket on. You look pretty bad ass, dude.