Silly Stuffed Pug

Before I get to the Pug....that picture of Philo with his tongue out is hilarious!

So, my sister has been wanting my Mom to knit this stuffed pug for her for a while now. Instead, I decided to knit it for Kaitlin for her birthday (with some prodding from Kaitlin, of course). It was a super easy knit with chunky yarn. The most time consuming part was stuffing and sewing up all the parts and then putting them together. She kinda looks more like a bear...but I think she came out pretty cute anyways!

I used this pattern and used some leftovers from my Tea Leaves Cardigan for the sweater (which took as long as the rest of the pug to knit!). Even Seth thinks it came out cute!

And of course, she has a curly tail.

And Sailor didn't try and eat her. At least not at the moment I took the picture. :)

I've cast on for my Sock Monkey, and it's coming along quite nicely! I've also been plugging along on my Wood Hollow Vest. I really want to get that done soon so I can start the next Knit-a-Long with Purl Diva. I ordered some really lovely Fleece Artist Woolie Silk in a silvery blue color. I refuse to cast on until I finish the vest, though. Even though the yarn is taunting me every time I walk by my craft room!

Not too much else has been going on this week besides lots and lots of rain. Sailor and I walked with Valerie and Diamond yesterday and we got caught in a downpour. The trail was super muddy and both dogs wiped out at least once each. And tried to take me down with them! I was soaked from head to toe when I got home, and had mud everywhere.

Well, I'm off to the fabric store. Someone needs a needle case so they don't keep losing needles (or having the dog eat them!). I'll try and find something snazzy.

Love,
liz

pretty things

It was so great to talk with you yesterday.  I missed you!!  Also, your photos of the shawl are just amazing.  I want to prance around some fabulous city wearing it snuggled up to my neck. Perhaps under and fantastic coat!  Here are a million photos that I owe you, because I've been taking them and then taking forever to get them up here!

First.  Dog in stream.  With tongue out.  Did you watch the PBS special on service dogs the other night??  it was called, Through a Dog's Eyes and it broke my heart.  I've been crying a lot lately.... and this was no exception... it was narrated by Neil Patrick Harris and was about this amazing program that trains service dogs and profiled some families and the struggles and successes that these families experience with a service dog.  The woman who founded the program has MS and started it with her brother and father when she really felt like her life had no purpose... she then ended up marrying the vet they work with :) Beautiful woman.

Next, the little patch Philo is standing in is all wild mint... I was standing there smelling it, trying to figure out where the great smell was coming from.... that was it!  Too bad I already have mint in my potted garden!

This one is a view of camp- leaving the parking lot.  I just felt like that summed up spring.. Look at that lush grass!!  The leaves were just barely coming out.  Small tiny leaves....

Which leads me to the storm.  This weekend was crazy and I huddled in my little house praying I wouldn't blow away.  Look at the sky!  And then look at the leaves!  They are huge now!  

 

Yes, I put up grandma's hammock last weekend.  It's a little slice of heaven.  Sunshine, leaves blowing and a nice swing in the hammock, maybe with some knitting, maybe with a blanket, maybe with a nice glass of wine?  The dog doesn't know what to make of it and is less than impressed that he can't climb in and join me...

And then there is the windsheif.  Amazing photo of me, eh?  I tried for a good 20 photos and this was the best one... oh well!  Don't you love the color though?  It works with my eyes ;)  I'm going to take the second half of the skein with the other half of the black one from F's hat and make a scarf to go with... If only I could master (or remember) a long tail cast-on!!

Okay, to work I go!  

Love, Charlotte 

Another reason Vermont is awesome

Because, my friend, it is the home to Fiberphile, a wonderful indie dyer! I bought one skein of Fiberphile Super Squish Sock Yarn (it's actually called that, I didn't make it up) from Purl Diva a while back and knew I wanted it to become something other than socks.

So, I present to you.....Ishbel:

Pattern: Ishbel by the talented Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Fiberphile Super Squish Sock in colorway Inlet

I knit the smaller shawlette version of the pattern and still have some yarn left over (maybe about 100 yards?). The pattern is well written and easy to follow since the lace section has both written directions and charts. 

This yarn is seriously yummy. It's soft, and squishy (hence the name Super Squish, I suppose) and knits up beautifully. It has just enough drape for a shawl, but is substantial enough to be great on smaller needles for socks. Good thing I just ordered another skein. :) The dyeing is also really beautiful. It didn't have any weird pooling and the use of all the colors is brilliant. 

The picture really doesn't do the colors justice.

Sailor thought he'd take a break from harassing the small animal(s) living under the porch to do a little modeling.

Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!
Love,
liz

Back to Blogging!

There is so much to catch up on!

First up, Aimee vs. the Slackline:

Aimee actually did really well for a first time slackliner! It was so nice having her here to visit!! We did lots of yarn shopping (7 different yarn shops to be exact), slacklining, knitting, and hanging out. She's working on the Kanoko Pants (SO CUTE!) and a lace scarf in Malabrigo Lace. We also spent a bit of quality time with the swift and ball winder! She brought a couple of skeins that needed to be wound with her, plus I would some of her yarn purchases (including some MadelineTosh that I picked up for her at Purl Diva)

Next up, a couple of my yarn purchases over the last few weeks:

My mom and I went up to Maine for a few days and stopped in to Purl Diva to visit Ellen and Loki the shop dog! And of course, to buy yarn...and pattern books, fabric and a shawl pin. This is just one of the lovely skeins I bought there. I also grabbed up some more of the color I made my Snapdragon Tam in, because I just can't get enough of the green and purple! I had to send a package home to myself because I bought 2 books, 2 magazines, and 2 pattern booklets there. Obviously, I had to make the most of the trip up there....I miss her shop soooo much (I miss you Ellen!!!). 

Aimee and I have a friend who is expecting a baby in June, so when we were up in Portland I picked up the cutest thing EVER. A sock monkey kit! Aimee had already made a sweater and blanket for her, so we thought this would be a perfect gift (and we know the recipient will appreciate it!).

I bought the kit at this great shop in Portland called Twisted and the yarn is Socks That Rock by Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The ladies in the shop are pretty obsessed with Sock Monkeys at the moment, and they were having a grand time looking them up on Ravelry when we were there! 

Third up: Knitting Projects

This is the Leaf Prints Hat by Reagan Rush (aka Freckle Face Knits). I knit this up as a test knit before the pattern release. There will be a matching pair of mittens as well. I'm going to make another one of these in Malabrigo Chunky in a solid green color and I think the leaf motif will show up better in a lighter, more solid color. Reagan is a talented teenager, and the pattern is really well written. 

I'm also trying to finish up an Ishbel shawl as well as my Wood Hollow Vest. 

In related news, I just signed up for a class with Jared Flood!!! He's going to be in Portland in June for a few days teaching classes. I resisted the urge to sign up for ALL of them, and just signed up for one. :) 

Other news:

Seth finished his 60K in one piece and is getting ready for the 50K near our house in a couple of weeks. The weather is glorious today and I took a walk with Valerie and Diamond out to a small lake and the dogs had a wonderful time chasing one another, meeting other dogs, and swimming in the lake.

Phew. I think that's it for now! I'm determined to finish the Ishbel tonight, so I'll post pics when it's all done!

miss you!

liz :)

Edible Arrangements, Here I Come...

Sue and I made this for Meg's bridal shower! Impressive, eh? Mom Havens has, of course, done these before. She gave us some instructions and then we went to town. It certainly isn't a neat project, there was fruit juice all over the place when we were done!

Mom Havens made this fabulous cake:

The best part about this cake is that when Meg saw it she said, "This is so cute! You don't need to make cupcakes for the wedding, you can just make this!" Of course, her Mom has experimented with dozens of cupcake recipes and her dad has built a huge cupcake tower.

A few more pictures from the shower:

Off to hang out with Aimee! I'll try and post more later this week. Hope you are having a fabulous weekend :)

love,

liz

I'm still here, I swear!

It feels like forever since I've written! The last few days have just been crazy busy, but really fun. Wednesday was a long day of traveling, but I did get some knitting done on an Ishbel Shawlette (designed by Ysolda Teague). Thursday involved running lots of errands with Mom Havens for things for the bridal shower, not to mention a very fast speed shopping trip Thursday night to get a gift for the shower (why do I procrasinate so much?). On Friday one of the other bridesmaids arrived and we did lots of cooking, baking (well, Mom Havens baked...we decorated cookies) and figured out a plan for decorating (after I ran down to Saratoga with my Mom to find an outfit for the shower...horray for The Loft). We couldn't decorate anything until Saturday morning because Meg came home Friday night. She did get a sneak peek at the cake that her Mom made....which, of course, was AMAZING. Saturday was a mad dash to get everything decorated and to finish cooking. Sue and I made an edible fruit arrangement, with lots of guidance from Mom Havens. I'm pretty sure Edible Arrangements will be calling us to see if we will be their newest employees. :) The shower was really fun, and the decorations looked pretty fabulous!

Then came the Bachelorette Party. Note: I am too old to stay out until 4am. Mom Havens made us all dinner and her dad put on his suit and flashing bowtie to be our driver. We had a great night bar hopping in Saratoga (it made me think of you!). We started at Bailey's and went to the City Tavern and Gaffney's. Dad Haven's picked us up around 3:45 and got a good laugh at all the debochery! I'll fill you in next time we have a phone date :) We all spent the night at the Havens' house and Dad Havens made us waffles in the morning (but just barely morning). Meg and I were up early, but the other girls slept until around 11. I think around 3pm when I finally came home we were all still wearing our PJs.

My mom and I are headed to Maine tomorrow to see Tammy, Ali and her baby, and do some yarn shopping!

Baby Charlotte is too cute!!!

I'll try and post pictures later!

Love,
liz

P.S. I apologize for the horrendous spelling. I'm on my mom's netbook and I can't figure out how to spell check in Internet Explorer (my mac does it automatically when I type).

and one to celebrate the cuteness

Yup.  She's just that cute.

rain rain rain. lots of it!

Well it poured last night.  Thunder, lightning and some serious wind woke me up at 12:30 in the morning.  I ran around closing all the windows and said a little prayer that all my plants would survive!  I purchased a bit of fun yesterday afternoon…. Three tomato plants of different varieties, basil, mint (to add to my existing plant that has resurrected itself from last summer), some thyme (haven’t ever grown it before, it seems so fragile!) and some more rosemary to add to my still living stump from last year.  I also just did something a little crazy… I dug up some chives from around the fields at my house and planted those… talk about organic?!  We’ll see how that goes!  I also still have parsley from last year…. Only thing left is cilantro and maybe a strawberry plant or some flowers.  I would love to plant some wild flowers on the bank that they don’t mow, to add some color.  Or sunflowers for outside my window J  I’m getting seriously ambitious considering this is my craziest season!!

In other news I’m trying to catch up on lost… I was two episodes behind… but not really in the mood last night .  I’m off this weekend, so I figure I can spend some time on that as well as a movie or two this weekend.  I also need to get in a long run this week, as the half marathon is in three weeks!  I’m in need of some new shoes, which I need to snag this weekend, as I need to break them in. Did you get the new Rachael Ray?  Awesome issue- so much food I’d love to make! Okay, off to lunch!

Oh hey :)

Sorry so dang slow!  I hate not having the internet at home!  First!  I love the fat baby pants!  Here are mine- so far- post two airplane flights... I literally started them at take off from Nashville... 

The weekend was wonderful.  Just wonderful.  Thursday night, I rolled into Burlington in time for a walk with the parents and dinner.  From there, I headed to bed and ended up in Burlington for a meeting- we'll catch up over the phone for that one :)  Secrets!  Franklin met me down there and we went back to my house to pick up my stuff and grab some lunch.  We tried to go to black sheep, in Vergennes, but it wasn't open for lunch... so we went to a cafe and i had a killer sandwich. From there, we went back to his house to hang out... He's been doing a lot of work on the place- things like lifting stairs that were sloping... and moving rooms... At one point his friend stopped by and we went out for wings and ice cream.  It was the official opening day of soft serve at the restaurant.  I love creemee season!!  

From there, we hung out, watched a movie, went to bed... Next day, got up to beautiful weather :) We had pancakes with my family's syrup.  F begrudgingly accepted it even though it was really from Ohio, not Pure Vermont Syrup...  we did some yard work (god, i secretly love yard work) and then went for a hike.  A beautiful hike up The Falls of Lana to Silver Lake.  So beautiful!  From there, we stopped at Hannaford (I miss real grocery stores!!!) and picked up some food to grill.  We had an absolute feast!  We made bacon blue cheese burgers, grilled asparagus, salad with green beans and grilled pineapple with ice cream. 

 Festivus.  

That's what it was.   

Spent the rest of the evening talking on the porch with his roommate and another friend.  Fun random talk.  A good good night.  From there, got up Sunday for the trek home to the family.  We had brunch waiting for us, then took a walk as a family, which involved every neighbor in the area coming over to check out Baby Charlotte.  She was so well behaved all weekend, even with a raging cold and a tooth coming in.  Amazing.  After a bit of down time, we ate again (sense a pattern here) and spent the rest of the day relaxing.  

It was really hard saying goodbye.  I'm not gonna lie, it gets worse each time really.

All in all though, a perfect weekend.

Now, I'm off to purchase my plants!  Herbs!!!  I'll take some pics tonight :)

Have a great trip and I'll post again soon, if I find more photos :)

Cabled Baby Pants!

I finished the Leapfrog baby pants (from the newest issue of Petite Purls)today and knit up a quick little hat to go with them for a friend of ours who is due for her baby girl at the end of April.

Both were knit in MadelineTosh DK colorway Iceberg. The hat is a pattern by Debbie Bliss in the book "Baby Knits for Beginners". It is knit flat and then sewn up the side. The pants were fairly easy and used short rows to make the back more roomy to fit baby's "diaper butt". 

I finished them just in time to send them off tomorrow before I head back East on Wednesday. 

How was your trip to Vermont?? Did you have nice weather, like the rest of the northeast? We had a very rainy, cold weekend. The rain stopped long enough for us to take Sailor for a short hike so he could chase the chipmunks, ducks, and run like a crazy dog. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet weekend. Seth is running the Peterson Ridge 60K in a week (Sunday) in Sisters, OR so he had a light running weekend. 

I did finish the front of my Wood Hollow Vest this weekend. I haven't started the back yet, but now that I have the pattern down it shouldn't be too bad.

            

Hope you had a lovely weekend! 

Love,

Liz

New Recipe, Flowers and a Cute Dog

Thought I'd share a recipe that I made last night for dinner that came out amazingly well. A couple weeks ago I made some yogurt marinated chicken from a Rachel Ray recipe. Well, last night I thought I'd experiment with the yogurt base and make some lemon garlic chicken. I don't have any pictures, but here's what I did:

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast
1/2 c. non-fat greek yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs. capers
4 cloves garlic
EVOO

Directions:

Preheat broiler on HIGH
Combine yogurt, lemon juice, capers, and 1 tbs. of EVOO.
Grate in 4 cloves of garlic
Put chicken in bowl and coat with yogurt marinade, put in fridge for 10 minutes

Put chicken on a baking sheet with raised sides (I used a pyrex dish) and drizzle top of chicken with EVOO. Place about 5 inches under broiler for 8-10 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken is). Flip chicken and drizzle top with EVOO and place back under the broiler until brown on top and until chicken is cooked through. I did an extra flip to make sure both sides were nice and crispy.

YUMM. If you enjoy lemon...this dish is for you! So good. And healthy, too! I paired it with green beans with salt and pepper that I drizzled in EVOO, wrapped in foil, and threw in the oven while the chicken was cooking.

And today I made another batch of Dinosaur BBQ Mutha Sauce and made pulled pork in the crockpot. My house smells sooooo good right now!

The weather has been crazy here today. Sunny one minute, pouring rain and gusty winds the next. We actually lost power for about an hour earlier. While we didn't have power, I thought I'd bring in some tulips from our yard to brighten up the place:

On the knitting front, I'm close to finishing the front of my Wood Hollow Vest. I also finished spinning up some yarn for my Mom (she picked out some roving she wanted turned into yarn). I'll take pictures once it's dry.

I'll leave you with a picture of my cute pup. I'm not sure how he managed to get his body under the pillow...

Have a great weekend!

Love,
liz