Recap (I know - shocker!)

I can't make promises of daily, weekly, or monthly recaps. They are empty promises at this point. So I promise to not forget I have a blog and keep updating it as much as possible.

So, here we go with the recap.

Life is good, wedding planning is (not yet) fun. There are so many details to take care of and of course we want it to be perfect. I think once we have a caterer down then I can start thinking about all the fun details that I want to incorporate. We have decided on a Spanish theme, since we were engaged in Madrid, and our families both come originally from Spain. I feel if we had an Argentinian themed wedding (from my side of the family) or a Guatemalan or Mexican themed wedding (from Tony's side) we would be excluding each other. I have so many ideas, my mind (and binder) are exploding!

I am also trying to loose a little weight. Not a lot, just a little. My workouts have become so monotonous that I have hit a physical plateau. I know I overeat (just ask my friends, I really do) so I have been really trying to watch how much I eat. So far, a little has been lost. I will let you guys know process as it happens (or not).

Now, what you all came for - the knitting.

Do you remember my Avita pattern? You can find it here on ravelry. Well, I cannot tell you how touched and flattered I am that so many people have made my little design. A wonderful knitter (and amazing photographer) even has me thinking about perhaps turning this into a little girl's dress.

Sara was even so kind as to send me pictures of her adorable pink version. Thank you so much Sara, I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to show people your adorable version. If you guys want to see more pictures of Sara's Avita, visit her ravelry site, or her blog. I am trully flattered that ONE person likes this pattern, and as of today 105 people have it in their queue on ravelry.

Speaking of queues, mine is ever growing. And I mean evah-growing. Every day I see more and more patterns that I want to make, and I even managed to get all my stash (well - MOST of it) into ravelry so that I can see if I can use any of it for my queue. As many knitters think, non-stop I am sure, I need to quit my job and learn how to burn calories while knitting so that I can do nothing but knit all day long, and not gain any weight.

I have managed to do some knitting:

Iselita vest

Named after my dear friend Isel because when I saw hers I needed to make this. She told me I could make it as long as hers was still prettier than mine, and I got really close I think, but hers is still cuter.

I actually started it in during our trip to Spain, so every time I wear it I get a flash of memories of knitting on a train on our way to Toledo. Isn't it crazy how certain garments will bring your mind back to a different place and time?

Anyhoo, I was almost to the armhole decreases when I realized that it looked really small. When I re-read the pattern I realized that I had not done the increases after the waist ribbing. oops. So I had to completely restart. It was worth the wait. I get a lot of compliments at work, which is where I usually wear it.

More details on my ravelry page here.

Vest for Papi

For all of those that don't know me, I am a MAJOR daddy's girl (shocker for those of you that do know me - I know) So before I make Tony a garment (it's in the works people) I wanted to make my dad something. I sent him a bunch of patterns and he dismissed each and every one. He explained to me what he wanted and I decided to create my own pattern. He deserves all the math that went into this one for sure.

Yes, he is doing a "body-builder" pose in that picture. He is going to kill me for posting it. :)

I think it turned out pretty good. I need to re-block the armholes so they are a little bit wider. I always have issues binding off loosely for some reason.

You can see more details for this project here.

Rayne

Another Isel copy (whaatt! The girl has good taste!)

Oh.my.gosh. I am so in love with this one. I want the fall to come because I want to wear it all over the place. I made it extra long because I am tall, and because I wanted to be able to wrap it all the way around me.

Love love love. The yarn is super soft (although it does shed, and I rayne dust bunnies still from when I was knitting it). I really want to wear it all the time.

I could not really get an excellent picture depicting how happy I am with this, but not due to lack of trying. I took quite a few. And you can see some of them, and the project details on my ravelry page here.


What I am working on now:

Valpurina

My little spring/summer project. I forgot how much I liked cables!

Ash

Such a flowy number, also perfect for spring. I am THIS close to finishing it!

So there you have it, my recap. There is so much more to come, I promise, but I cannot tell you when. :)

I know, the suspense of when I will come back is almost as strong as the suspense over the Democratic nominee!

Finally Sharing this FO!

Finally showing you guys this one. I am conflicted about it to be honest (can you tell by my face). Originally this yarn was for what has now become known as the "infamous bolero disaster of 2006". When that did not work out, and I did not find anything else I wanted to knit with it, and Olga told me that I could make up a pattern for myself, I decided to copy this Free People cardigan.

I am conflicted about it because I don't LOVE it like I love other things I have made. I do not like the yarn, it pills a lot. And I did not have enough of it. I had originally intended to make the sleeves a lot longer, but I ran out of yarn. The button band won't stay down either, it drives me nuts. Oh, and I am a HORRIBLE button sewer, so the buttons fall off a lot. I had the idea that this would be a sweater I could wear all the time, I would leave it at work in case I got cold. But because of the sleeves and the length of it it just does not work like that. So, it is disappointing in a lot of areas.

However, I am proud that I did this all by myself. I looked at a picture, and I did the math, and I figured out the stitch pattern and I made myself a cardigan! That I am happy about. Super happy about. I do not know that I will be doing this again anytime soon (wedding planning takes over so many math brain cells - especially when you do not want yourself, or your father, to go broke), but the fact that this is finished gives me the confidence boost I need to know that I can do it. You just need a little bit of patience, and a good calculator.

All details in ravelry - here.
So right now I am working on Ash for me, and a few more democrats for some friends, and as a prize for someone participating in the Obama T-shirt challenge. I just finished a vest for my dad too. I am hoping to get him to do some modeling this weekend.

Oh, and speaking of my dad, he was very disappointed that he did not get photography credits for the wedding pictures (diva). So , yes, my dad took those GREAT pictures at the wedding... (such a primadonna).

New men in my life and new obsessions

You guys remember all my secret Charlie gifts - right? Well, now, for the first time ever, I present to you the famous-up-until-now-unknown Charlie!

I don't want to brag or anything, but my friends make the cutest babies don't they? I mean, look at those cheeks! Charlie is growing fast and people are surprised to know that he is only three month's old. In fact, people think he is more like seven months old. More power to him! And better biceps for Michi, cause Charlie is an unexpected arm workout.

He was a little cranky that day, and I think it is because he is not used to being around a Democrat. Apparently, Charlie's favorite toy is an elephant, which makes me think he needs some outside influence in his life.

Unfortunately, his auntie Lomes (and uncle Tones) are not able to hang out with him as much as we want, so I decided to send a permanent friend and LomesTones representative over to the Charlie household.

Meet donkey:












Donkey went to live with Charlie and will talk to him and hopefully influence him so he is ready to make his vote a few years from now. Of course, if Charlie has such an influence in his life, we wanted to make sure that Ava was not without a donkey friend of her own. So another donkey went to live with her, and another one stayed with us. (mainly cause they are so darn cute, I really wanted one!)

Now, I do not like to openly talk about my political beliefs, or religious beliefs on my blog. I think everyone is entitled to their own view points (as long as they are democrats - haha - just kidding), and I am so stubborn about my viewpoints I would annoy people and not keep many friends. However, we need to go out there and vote (democratic :) ) and support the candidates as much as possible. We have such an opportunity to make our voices heard with each and every election, that I do want to encourage everyone to get out there and get involved.

Ms. pea has started a great group for Obama supporters. (Yes, I am one). I am going to join this one, althought I do not think that I will be able to have a very creative contribution. If you are not an Obama supporter, I am sure there are venues out there for you to support your candidate, and I encourage you to do so.

Okay, I am off my soap box now... see, me, stepping down...

So here is my new (knitting) obsession. I saw this on General Hospital (ya, I watch, yougotaproblemwiththat?) and I cannot stop wanting to make it! UGhh I am so obsessed. I spent a few hours on ravelry looking for similar patterns and came up with this and this and this. Which one do you guys think is would be best? and what kind of yarn should I use to make sure that it is nice and soft and drapey like Carly on General Hospital (love the Carly by the way! She is one crazy ex-mob-wife-married-to-an-aussie (who almost left the show until Reese and I screamed NO INGO COME BACK) and I think she is brilliantly dealing with her son running away (becuase he shot his mob fathers girlfriend from couture magazine) while she is pregnant for the 3rd? 4th? 5th? time. Well, at least she looks great.

So tell me, what do you think?

And I will leave you with one more adorable pic:(isn't michi the cutest? She insists on him wearing the sweater I made him even though it is now a cropped quarter sleeved cardi on his buddah belly. I love this kid!)

I'm here!!! I'm here!!!

You are all thinking... "here she comes again with the 1001 excuses of why she has not posted...blah blah blah, life, work, family, reponsa...SNORE!". And I could give them all to you, and you would all ignore me. I have been busy, yes, with work, sometimes, with life, always, with wedding planning, yes, but not my own!!

Tony's little sister got hitched last week in Guadalajara, Mexico! We had a blast, but girl needs to wait until the last minute to do everything, so I have been busy for the last few months helping her get everything done. If I do say so myself, things turned out pretty darn good.

(That is of course, after... 3 weeks finding a hairdresser, 6 hours delayed in Dulles, 4 different flights for 12 different people, 30 minutes to get ready for the rehearsal dinner, 150 peso bribe to the police officer who pulled our cab driver for speeding, 4 delicious quesadillas from a garage that thank-god did not get us sick, 7 girls getting their hair and nails done in the span of 3 hours, 1 super sick bridesmaid (me - thankfully after the wedding), and too many tequila shots to count.)The wedding itself was a lot of fun. The food was fantastic, the mariachis were the perfect touch, I got a chance to see Tony's uncle and aunt that I care for very much, and I got a chance to dance with my dad, something I have never done, and am weary to do again :) I think papi and I need to take dancing lessons before my wedding.
Unfortunately that night I came down with something. All of the sudden I was shivering and had a fever. At first I thought... "how many tequila shots did we take?!" But the next day it was hard for me to eat - a sure sign something is wrong with me, and I was still feverish. Since we were leaving the next day, we took the opportunity to go to on a double decker bus ( a very touristy thing to do that we never do). My mami came with us, and she had fun posing over and over again until I got a good shot. This may not be her favorite, but I love it because she is smiling, laughing and seems to be enjoying herself.

My mom and I have a very unique relationship. We are so very different, and at times exactly the same (just ask Tony). Many times we misinterpret what the other is saying and it turns into a bigger deal than what it really should be. I will admit that I am as much to blame for that as she is, and I think that is normal when you have two different personalities interacting. But when she is happy and smiling and laughing and relaxed, and when I am the same, my mom and I have a blast together. I am sure that a lot of women out there have similar relationships with their mamis. Doesn't she look cute in that picture?

Oh, so in my not-my-wedding-induced hiatus, I have been doing alot of knitting. So do not fret, pictures and details of all my FO's will be coming to this blog in the near future. I can start with a small one today.

You likey? I really wanted some fingerless gloves for the office. I am one of the lucky ones that sit next to the window and it get so cold! All of the sudden as I am hard at work for hours at end (a little sarcasm for all of you), my fingers freeze up and it is hard for me to do anything else.

There are so many great fingerless glove patterns out there in raverly land, but none that I fell in love with for some reason. So I created my own pattern. I have it if anybody is interested. The only teenie tiny little problem I am having right now is that I cannot find the label for my yarn, so I cannot tell you what it is. I got it at Nature's Yarns in Fairfax, so I can run over there one of these days and figure it out. I bet you as soon as I do that, I will find the label in my knitting bag.

Revelations

Recently someone told me how rare it is to have long-lasting good friendships. Not acquaintances, not going-out buddies, but good friends. Friends that will tell you "yes, your butt does look big in those pants", friends that you feel comfortable around to the point where there is no taboo topic, friends that ultimately become part of your family, because you both choose to remain in the friendship.

I am fortunate. Through Tony I have two great "sisters". We always joke how weird it is that we all get along so well. Our families vacation and spend holidays together, we steal each other clothes, and we fight and get mad at each other almost like real sisters do. However, we are practically family. We have not chosen to be so close, it is just some freakish coincidence that my "one-day sisters-in-law", and I, get along so well.

I have an older cousin who is also very close to me. She is also like a "sister" to me. She tells it to me straight, she does not mince words, and she is truly a woman that I look up to. She is graceful, loving, and although much older - hee hee - , to me the personification of beauty, grace and intelligence. We share the same birth month, and mothers that are sometimes so eerily similar that at times maybe interchangeable. But again, we did not choose to be sisterly-cousins, just another amazing coincidence that cousins ended up being so close.

Then there is Michi and Reese. You have heard of them before, I talk about them a lot. The three of us chose to be friends. Since junior high with Mich, and high school with Reese, we have remained friends. Now, I will admit, I am not the easiest friend to have. I am dramatic, I am sensitive, I am stubborn, and at times at bit unbearable. I admit it, they will agree - trust me, they will agree. But they have put up with me, and I have in turn put up with them.

Michi and I have had an especially rollercoaster friendship. I am liberal, she is conservative; when I was out partying in college (not a lot dad!) she was the campus minister; while I vote one way, she votes another. We clashed since the day we met - I liked the New Kids on the Block (shuddup - they were good!); she was in denial over her love of the New Kids. She even went out with the boy I liked in junior high!!

Sometimes, there were months, maybe even years, where we would not talk to each other. I will admit that I do not remember 85% of the reasons of why we fought. I block those things out. Looking back on it this past weekend, I am glad I do. This past weekend was Michi's baby shower. Seeing my oldest friend beaming with her growing belly, I had an immense surge of revelations. I am so fortunate that I am able to have these two girls in my life! I feel so lucky that through out the years, through illnesses, through heartaches, through disappointments, pains and sorrows, I have been able to call on both of them, and them on me. We have celebrated birthdays together, talked on the phone secretly for hours together, I have watched them dance at their weddings, we have gotten drunk together (not that many times dad!), and have laughed over the silliest things, over, and over again.

Now I get to watch their children grow. I get to call them my nieces, and nephews, because in my heart these two girls are my chosen sisters.

So Mich, CONGRATULATIONS! I cannot wait to meet my new nephew. I cannot wait to see my oldest friend holding her son. I love you tons!

Now, without further delay, I am revealing the Secret Charlie Projects:

Secret Charlie Project 1

Pattern: Saartje's Bootees
Yarn: I have no idea. I found it in my stash - it could have belonged to my mom.
Needles: US2
Ravelry Page: Secret Charlie Project 1


Secret Charlie Project 2

Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) from Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Highland Wool in Oatmeal
Needles: US6
Ravelry Page: Secret Charlie Project 2


Secret Charlie Project 3

Pattern: Organic Baby Wrapper by ms. pea (she recently got married - go congratulate her!)
Yarn: Bernat Cottontots Solid in Sweet Cream and Little Boy Blue 1 skein of each
Ravelry Page: Secret Charlie Project 3


Secret Charlie Project 4

Pattern: Organic Baby Bonnet by ms. pea
Yarn: Bernat Cottontots Solid in Sweet Cream and Little Boy Blue 1 skein of each
Ravelry Page: Secret Charlie Project 4
Modifications: I added some ribbing at the bottom cause since it seemed too loose.




Secret Charlie Project 5

Pattern: Rabbit by Debbie Bliss Special Knits
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Lake
Ravelry Page: Secret Charlie Project 5
Modifications: I added a "c" for Charlie :)





Super Secret Charlie Project 6 (aka "The Little Guy")

Pattern: Little Guy by Jess Hutch
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Lake
Story: At the last minute Reese and I decided to make a diaper cake for the shower. It was a test on our friendship. There may have been some wine, and perhaps some tears, and some inappropriate comments about "doing the little guy" may have been mentioned. But, I think it was a success over all.

FO: Breton Girl

I am trying to keep my promise and blog more often. Seriously, I am! All of Secret Charlie Projects are completed, and am very excited to share them with you. However, you will all have to wait until after the baby shower. Charlie's mom has tried to find out what they are, but I am not giving in. (pssst... if you are not Charlie's mom, and you are on ravelry, you can check them out here).

So, to appease the masses, here is a never before posted FO: Breton Girl!

Project name: Breton Girl by Kat Coyle from Knit Scene, Fall 2007.
Yarn: 6 skeins Elann Esprit (solid) in 8972 Charcoal, and 4 skeins Elann Esprit (solid) in 6399 Lilac. (I actually had a little bit left from each skein, but I like to round up).
Needles: Addi Turbo's US 6.

More details on my Breton Girl project page in ravelry.

So, what do you guys think? Overall, I like it. Elann Esprit is wonderful to work with. The stretchiness, the feel of it, I really liked how it knit up. I love the shape of the garment, it is very flattering, although it does lift up on the sides if you do not block it. (mee?? not block? nevaahhh!) Can you see that I did not block it? *blush*. I have thought of seaming the sides together all the way down, but I don't know... ideas ladies?

Also, if you do decide to make this one, make sure that you choose your bra correctly. Trust me, some bras combined with the horizontal stripes make a girl look bustier than she wants. Although husbands/boyfriends may not mind, you may end up looking like Ana Nicole Smith. (there is photographic proof of this, and NO, I will not be sharing).

I also finished my Free People inspired sweater, which I will be showing you guys soon. Here is a teaser shot before I finished the arms, and added the buttons, and seamed it all together, and blocked it (yes, this one I blocked). It turned out pretty good, considering it is my first time designing something for myself.

Currently I am working on my Kusha Kusha Shawl, and sorry to tell you I have no pictures of that one. So far it has been a very irritating experience. I had to cast on for it about 4 times, I had to switch needles three times (yuckie Addi Naturas and their wonky joins!) and am considering changing them again. However, I am charting along, and want to get it finished before my upcoming trip to spain. (Isel, the bet is on!)

I also went to the Stitches East show this past week, and had a blast with my two knitting buddies (aka enablers). I do not know what I would have done without them there. Poor girls had to hear me say "which one do I want?" "Do I need this?" and "My poor credit card is bloated already!". I actually did not do so bad, and am kicking myself for not buying this green malabrigo lace that I saw there. I bought the grey, but I should have bought the green too. Especially after seeing what ms. Twisted Knitter is doing with it... * sigh*



Anyhooooo... That is all from me for now!

Habulishious Tunic

I have had a love/hate relationship with Habu. As I spoke about in this HabuTextile post, I hate spending money. Habu is not, what you would call, a yarn that you can get on sale at Michaels. However, Olga (my friend, enabler, and huge reason why my credit card bill gets bigger) got me HOOKED. Like, addicted, I would almost say I am nearing crack addict status, but I strive for a PG rated blog, so I will not go that far.

The Habu Tsumugi A-1 for this tunic was actually a left over Olga had. I had always wanted to make this Tunic in the Rebecca #31.

However, this yarn did not yield the same gauge, so I had to recalculate the entire pattern. I am fascinated with this yarn. It is completely organic, and the result is a nice and flowy and (dare this wannabefashionista say it) utterly comfortable! There is this boho look and feel that comes with this tunic, but I am going to see if I wear a white tailored shirt underneath, and some dress pants how this looks.

Project Details

Project name: Bramble Tunic from Rebecca #31

Yarn: 6 skeins (double stranded) of Habu Tsumugi A-1 2/1 Coloway 83- Cork

Needles: Addi Turbo's US 5

Modifications: Umm... I recalculated the entire pattern to fit my gauge. Time consuming, well worth it.

The only problem is...what Habu project will I do next... trust me... more of that to come. BTW - this is my 100th post!

Shh... Don't Tell Anyone...

... but I am supposed to be catching up from a week long vacation from work. I am almost there. ALMOST. I returned from a nice relaxing time at the beach, refreshed, a little tanner, and ready to get back to the swing of things. It amazes me how a little short break makes your revitalized and eager to do the mundane chores that we get so overwhelmed with on a day to day basis.

There was a point at the beginning of this month that I felt that I could not handle my silly little job, that the ridiculous requests were just too much for me to handle. All I could think about during the day was when I was going to get home and knit, and relax (with wine - there I admit it!), so I took repeated breaks to ravel, and read blogs, and send my Tony emails. Then I got home, and all I could think about while I was "relaxing" is how I had so much work to do. Amazing how the mind works - eh?

After a week of sun, sleeping in, and nice long workouts (I needed to earn my crystal light and rum kids!), I returned home to 160 emails that needed "immediate attention". UGH! I thought I would never get done. But I took a deep breath, did not think about opening my ravelry, bloglines, flickr (ok - i took a quick peek at flickr) and now I only have like 10 emails left to go!

So here I am - taking a break and showing you my latest FO:

Pattern: Razor Cami
Yarn: Patons Grace in Taupe- 4.5 Skeins - approximately 612 yds
Needles: Size 5 Addis
Modifications: I excluded the border with a second yarn, added 3/4 inch ribbing at the top and made the straps a little thicker.

Hopefully I will have my first ever pattern surprise up for you guys soon. Right now I am working on my Habu Tunic, SecretMichiBabyProject 2, a test knit that I will tell you guys about once I ask if I can tell you guys about it, and my Free People Sweater.

The best part - I am so relaxed and content when I knit... ahhh! what a break will do!

Redgina

You all know what this one looks like. According to ravelry, 66 other people have made or are making Orangina, and another 79 have it in their queue to make it. It is no wonder! The finished garment is universally flattering, especially the neckline. The pattern is easy to follow, easy to modify and fast to seam up. A winner.

Pattern: Orangina (for obvious reasons mine is Redgina)
Yarn: A little over 5 skeins of Karabella Vintage Cotton
Needles: Size 5 Addis in Red. I loved this yarn. Super soft, almost silky.

As soon as Redgina was blocking, my mind started racing to an annoying degree. I am sure other knitters have had several thought patterns - right? As I was pinning this down to dry, I started thinking "ohmygosh, what I am going to knit now? Should I start on my habu tunic, or just finish the design for my free people sweater? Do I use this leftover Karabella to start up that idea that has been swimming in my head? Oh and my dad reminded me that I promised to knit him a vest? and what about the one pair of socks that I promised tony I would knit him ages ago, maybe that - but... hmmmm.... habu.... should i do something easy that I can take to the pool with me like the razor cami so many people have done and look so cute in? Do I start making SMBP for a baby that won't be born until November? UGH! So many ideas, so little time!"

I go through this A LOT! So I decided to play around with the Karabella surprise (more of that to come) and when I ran out of yarn, start on the razor cami. Now that my mind is a little bit more at ease, I will start casting on with the habu, and strategize the remainder ideas/projects/obsessions that are in my head.

I think I need help!

Is it something in the water?

Because it seems that everyone is having babies now a days. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just will have to quit my job to make gifts for all these people. We found out a little while ago that another one of my closest friends, Michi, is pregnant! So watch out as I make a lot of SMBP (Secret Michi Baby Projects). We are fighting with her to find out what the sex of the baby is so that I know what colors to use, but I do not know if our persuasion is working. I will keep trying, but I have a feeling there will be a lot of white involved in these projects * sigh *.

My co-worker (who has now drank the water FIVE times!) is due in a few weeks. She is like the mom of the group, and always so helpful so I made her a little something something:

Pattern Details:

Pattern: Baby Kimono from Greetings from Knit Cafe
Yarn: Caron's So Soft 1 skein
Needles: Size 6 Addis

Truth be told, I am not super happy with this. I was not in the mood for making it, I am now not so much liking Caron's and I just kept dreaming about my redgina. Also, the back looks super silly, and I kept messing up the pattern. However, I do think that she will like it. Everyone loves a handmade gift - right?

Remember how I told you last time that I had a special friend visiting over the weekend?I wasn't lying! Kat came and spent Sunday night at our house and did not complain ONCE about my horrible impromptu cooking or Tony's demands of no shoes in the house and no talking during the last episode of the Sopranos. (which I have to say was a tremendous dissapointment). She was even sweet enough to bring me some birthday gifts (yes - I drag my birthday out - do you have a problem with that?)

Isn't that gorgeous merino lace yarn??? I love it. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about what I want to make with it. I have no concrete ideas, so please, come forth and suggest. I really cannot wait to make something with it. It is so pretty! She also gifted me some feltable soap. I have not done it yet, but basically you put the wool over the soap and felt it. As you wash it acts like an exfoliator. How cool is that? Thanks again Katalancheeee! Come and visit again so we can hit the adult pool - okay?

On monday I took off from work (yay) and we met up with Isel at Stitch DC where we met up with Olgita who works there. They could not have asked for a more knowledgeable employee, she rattles off ideas like crazy! I wish that I could take off from work everyday and hang out with my friends.
If you want to see more pictures of our meet up, including Isel's close encounter with mohair, check out my flickrpage.

Also go check out Olgita's new pattern on knitty. She is so freaking talented! (and her photographer is not so bad either if I do say so myself.)