Open for Business

Grey Poodle Designs is officially open for business. With a whopping 5 items listed.

I just spent a horrendous amount of time trying to figure out how to make my photo files small enough for etsy's liking. Once I figured that out, listing the items was a piece of cake.

I'll be adding some handspun yarn and more bags soon, but I really wanted to get something on the site since my Mom will hopefully sell some of my bags this weekend at the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival. Especially since all the bags have business cards attached to them.

Well, that's it for now. I just wanted to make the announcement that I officially have an etsy shop!

Love,
liz

A Recipe and A Hat

I've been meaning to post about a recipe I made last week, and I finally downloaded pictures today. I was looking for something else to do with cherry tomatoes from my garden and also wanted a dinner with chicken. I looked at a bunch of recipes online and came up with Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (with some oven roasted potatoes):

I coated the chicken in egg and parmesan cheese mixed with some italian spices. It went in an 8x8 glass baking dish with the cherry tomatoes (which I coated in EVOO and tossed with salt and pepper) and baked for 25 minutes or so on 350. The potatoes were just tossed with EVOO, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and a little garlic. I did put the chicken under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side to crisp up the parmesan, but I don't think it was absolutely necessary. The tomatoes kept the chicken cooking in their juices, so the chicken was super moist. Yum. Tasty, tasty, tasty.

After ripping out my Salem Hooded Jacket yesterday, I decided I needed something to knit that was quick and easy:

Pattern: Pasha by Jane Richmond

Yarn: MadelineTosh Merino DK (an experimental base-single ply superwash merino) in Posy

Modifications: I did a beanie version instead of a slouchy version. I cut out one pattern repeat and used a smaller gauge. 

Ah, there's nothing like an instant gratification project. Made me feel better about ripping out an entire sweater! 

I've also been sewing quite a bit since my last post. My mom sold about half of the initial batch of bags I sent her with, so I wanted to make some more so there were plenty for the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival this weekend. 

I tweaked the drawstring bags and am much happier with this version:

I also made some small zip bags for things like stitch markers, tape measures, etc:

After I talked to you the other day, I stopped at the quilt store to stock up on fabric for more bags and bought a TON more fabric. Ha. 

I love what you did with F's front yard! It looks great! wanna come take care of my yard?

Love,

liz :)

the vest and digging around someone's front yard...

First:  the vest.  Thank you for the tip to block before freaking out and messing with the pattern.  

I was able to make it 25" long (not including the edging on the neck to be added later) 

which will make the 26.5 ish that i need :)

not an excellent picture, but you get the idea :)  Now, onto the digging....

 at the beginning...  i pulled up the ties around one of the big trees and reused them in front of the door...  

in the middle....  I got a little tired and really wasn't enjoying all the dirt in my toes (I was wearing keen's... not clever..) but I persevered ... 

The next day, I got topsoil, mulch and moved a hosta (and split it in two..), moved a rose bush and a 

peony.  I also have some irises from  my mother, which I hope will take..  

So for now, here is the view at completion

 

awww. how cute, eh?

(yeah, the mums in the front right were my doing too :)  Oh and one more shot- from Middlebury on Sunday.  F had a game to cover, so I came to watch and took a small walk around with the dog.  Here's the view.  The sky was amazing, just amazing.  

So good to talk to you- off to do some knitting before bed.  

Love you! cb

McKenzie River 50K....and some knitting

First....the vest looks awesome! I like the tweedy yarn!

Second, Seth finished his 4th official UltraMarathon of the year (that doesn't include the crazy Grand Canyon run) on Saturday, the McKenzie River Trail Run. He finished in 5 hours and 51 minutes, which was about a half hour faster than the 50K he did in May! Yay Seth!

It was a gorgeous day...but started out a bit chilly, in the high 30s.

See Seth in his red bandana at the start?? 

Here's Seth coming over a bridge into the 1st aid station:

It was an out-and-back part of the course. Hence the man running in the opposite direction.

The second aid station was near one of the many waterfalls on the McKenzie River, Sahalie Falls:

yes, the greenery is really that green. 

The aid station was actually about 1/2 mile upriver from the waterfall, but Sailor and I got to check it out on the way in to the aid station.

Here's Seth coming into the fourth aid station...

and approaching the finish line....

We'll definitely be going back and exploring some of the trails, it's an absolutely gorgeous area of Oregon with miles and miles of trails. 

The runners all got a bag of swag which included a bottle of wine that was bottled by the race directors. Seth downed his after the race (actually, he didn't...but it makes for a fun picture):

Now, onto knitting. 

Back story: One of the preschool teachers I used to work with had a picture of her 3 month-old on her facebook page. Baby A had a diaper "blowout" at the apple orchard, and she only had an extra onesie and some socks that were too big. She used the socks to keep A's legs warm and I commented that she needed some knitted leg warmers. So...I decided to knit leg warmers and a matching hat. Because, really, doesn't every baby need leg warmers? I think so.

Pattern: Chubbie Wubbie Baby Leg Warmers by Nona Davenport

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Springvale Supermerino in Elsbeth

Modifications: None. I just wish I could borrow a baby to model them!

And of course, there has to be a matching hat:

 

Pattern: Aston by Stitch Therapy Brooklyn

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Springvale Supermerino in Elsbeth

Modifications: None.

I've also made really good progress on my Salem Hooded Jacket. Both sleeves are done and I have about 3" of the body done. The body is a little slow-going so far, but I think once I get past the textured bottom it'll go faster. 

I've been spinning a bit too...but forgot to take a picture of my most recent yarn. Next time. :)

Miss you!

Liz :)

on the knit front.. or back :)

So I've been a little quiet about knitting projects as of late... which is funny because I'm knitting all the time, but tweed on size 4 needles in a serious pattern takes... forever!  You know what I mean :)  But now that I've progressed past the first direction (ha!) I feel like I can share.

This is the back panel up to the split for the armpit shaping.  Spot the errors.... I know you can see them :)  I keep deep breathing though and remembering that this is how you get to be a better knitter, by knowing how to fix your mistakes!  When you first mentioned that you memorized the pattern while making your vest, I laughed to myself thinking what I nutter you are!  But I'm with you, if I don't have it completely memorized, I do have the understanding of the pattern to know what comes next :)

This is keeping me pretty busy, as I'd love to send it to Drew sometime before it's spring outside!

In other news, I've been spending quite a bit of time at F's, which is a great escape from the parents... :)  I went to my first rugby game which was cool, I just had no idea what the heck was happening... Some of his college players were there and I almost asked them to explain what was going on to me, but chickened out... F said he'd record a game and we can watch it together and he can explain it to me :) haha.  Sad, but true.

Also went to the drink up afterwards, which was pretty cool- they dont get hammered, they just get together with the team they just played and hang out- eating and having a few drinks.  I saw a guy I went to college with -he plays for Saratoga, so it wasn't really a shock to have him there, just funny.  Also apparently Pike (of HH, way back in the day, may have been pre-your era even!) plays for the team too, but didn't make it that day...

We've been cooking a lot too :)  I made mushroom and leek risotto for F, as he'd never had risotto before.  It was really good if I do say so myself!  

The dog "helped"...

Speaking of... there have been more walks than I think I thought were possible... and I went for a run this AM :)  nothing long and certainly nothing like your hubby, but still!  It felt good!

Oh and in addition to all this nonsense, I painted my parents living room.  It was hell.  It took two coats on the walls and OIL BASED PAINT for the trim.  I hate oil based anything.  Yuck.  But the room looks nice.

The interview last week went really well.  I should hear next week or the end of this one.  Think good thoughts :)

Miss you!
cb

Start of the Salem Hooded Jacket

I cast on for my Salem Hooded Jacket earlier this week. And I'm in love. I've knit with Malabrigo Worsted a whole bunch and love it. But the Malabrigo Twist....amazing. It's softer that the Worsted and doesn't pill as easy. Not to mention, it's knitting up super duper fast on size 10 needles.

I have one sleeve finished and have already started the second (you knit the sleeves first, then the body up to the arm pits, then join them all together):

It's so squishy and soft....love, love, love.

I also made some really yummy soup last night, Corn and Potato Chowder from the Dinosaur BBQ cookbook.

Despite the fact that I forgot to have Seth get two of the ingredients at the store (carrots and green peppers...whoops), it still came out really tasty. So tasty that the leftovers are already gone. I halved the recipe, but next time I might just make the whole recipe and have leftovers for the week.

Seth is running another ultra this weekend...the McKenzie River 50K. The weather is supposed to be great, so it should be fun!

I'll make sure to take lots of pictures of Seth flying down the trails :)

Love,
liz

Weekend Road Trip

Seth and I went to Crater Lake and Bend this weekend to take advantage of the gorgeous fall weather. We left Saturday morning and drove to Crater Lake and took several hours to drive around the 30 mile loop. One of the pull-offs had tons of chipmunks running everywhere and Sailor got really excited about them.

Seth, of course, wanted to climb things (can you see him way up towards the top of the waterfall?):

And, I took lots of photos:

After we finished driving around Crater Lake, we drove up towards Bend with a slight idea of where we were going to camp. We ended up stopping about 25 miles south of Bend at Newberry National Volcanic Monument and drove in to find a place to camp. There are tons of campgrounds along the road, but a book I have recommended a particular one right near East Lake. They had tons of open sites, so we set up the tent, made a campfire, and whipped up some Annie's Mac and Cheese for dinner.

And then, it got cold. Freezing cold. When Seth got up in the morning, it was around 30 degrees and there was frost on the car and on the tent fly. Seth made another small fire, and I toasted some Fiber One Toaster Pastries on it.

When we had all the stuff packed up we took a little walk down to see the lake in the daylight.

Then we headed to drive to the top of Paulina Peak, but drove up the wrong road and ended up stopping at the Big Obsidian Flow on the way out of the park. We took a small hike up to the top, and it was gorgeous. Big and shiny rocks everywhere and a great view from the top.

Once we were done there we drove up to Bend to find Seth some new running shoes. We had lunch at The Crepe Place, which was delicious. Seth ended up finding some new running shoes, and we headed back home with a quick stop in Sisters. Sisters is a very small, cute little town that his a fabulous fabric store called The Stitchin' Post. I ended up with some fat quarters for more box bags and an Amy Butler pattern (I have serious desire to make an apron....must be all the canning going to my head). I could have spent a fortune there on fabric, especially since they had the Heather Ross fabric I've been dying to see in real life. But, I ended up not getting it because I have no idea what I'd do with it.

Now onto knitting...

I finished a pair of socks this weekend with some yarn that I picked up last fall at Purl Diva's De-Stash Do Good sale.

Pattern: Turkish Bed Socks by Kit Hutchin

Yarn: Sweet Georgia Sock Yarn

Modifications: None. I'm not crazy about the construction of these socks though. They require seaming to form the heel, and I think next time I'd do a more conventional short row heel.

I also cast on last night for the Salem Hooded Jacket from New England Knits. I have a few inches of one sleeve done and I think it's going to be a relatively quick knit. 

Congrats on the interview!  Good Luck! I can't wait to hear all about it. 

Love the picture of baby George in the sweater....too cute! They must be so overwhelmed with the thought of having a second baby!! 

did you get anything at kaleidoscope yarns?? i've heard it's lovely there!

I think those are all the updates for now!

Love,

liz 

Haha.

I forgot to even tell you about the weekend!  Let's just say it was fun- F and I did some yard work (yay mums!) and got ready for folks coming over for a party!  F had to work for a few hours on Sunday, but his best friend and a bunch of the usual suspects (from new years and camping) came by.  Lots of food, drink and hanging out.

Okay, now off to look for an interview outfit!

New things and labor day weekend

Good morning Liz!  First, wow to the new tea leaves- I really really love the color!  Not that I have like 8 projects going at once, but now I want to make one too :)

Speaking of....... Meet George!

George is my friends Tamie and Rob's new baby.  He's wearing a giant baby sweater :)  My go to for all wee ones... Funny story with this one- I went to meet George the last weekend I was in Kentucky with Kate in tow, as we were going to go "shopping" later that day...  We were giving the little man a bottle, he was so adorable and squishy and perfect!  [Side note: Tamie and Rob have been in the process of adopting for a while now and George was a perfect litttle miracle baby.  They had been home for just around a week, getting life back to a new normal...]  So back to the story, we were giving him a bottle when Tamie got a phone call from their social worker and said she had to take care of "a small emergency."  She comes back 5 minutes later to inform us that they had just received word that they got a SECOND baby!  So Kate and I spent the next few hours helping them prep for the trip to Memphis to pick up George's new brother Henry :)

Exciting day!  And now I have to get more yarn and make another sweater!!

Second bit of exciting news.... Kaleidoscope Yarns! This is my new local shop!  Yeah, I'm going today.  Don't tell :)

In other news, I have an interview tomorrow at a hospital in New Hampshire.  I'll keep you posted.  I'm trying not to freak out completely as it's my only interview right now, but it looks exciting.  I have to do some serious prep work today.

Hey, when are you coming in to NY?  I need to start getting excited!!

Much love and another post and some photos soon- I am making steady progress on my vest :)

Mom's Sweater....finally.

Well, Mom's Tea Leaves Cardigan took a hideously long time to knit. I could blame it on all the visitors we had this summer, but the reality is that it takes longer when you have to rip out an entire sleeve and re-knit it. I accidently used size 5 needles to knit a sleeve and didn't realize until I had bound off for that sleeve. I thought that the sleeve felt a little dense and the stitches looked smaller, but kept going. Lesson learned. After ripping out the sleeve, the sweater got put in the "time-out" pile for a couple of weeks. But, now it's done!

Pattern: Tea Leaves Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre

Yarn: MadelineTosh DK in colorway Amber Trinket

Modifications: None. I made the size 34 and followed the pattern as written.

Today I received my very first shipment of the Three Irish Girls yarn club that I joined. I'm particularly excited about this yarn club because each month I get at least 2 colorways to choose from. This month's yarn is Wexford Merino Silk. Whoa, this stuff is yummy. I have a huge double skein with 480 yards, and I have no idea what I'm going to knit with it yet. But here it is:

There's also some gorgeous pinkish-reddish tones in there that are hiding.

Seth and I drove up to Salem today so that he could look at new running shoes. On our way there we noticed a sign that said "U-Pick Peaches" and decided to stop on the way back. What we didn't know was that the U-Pick/We Pick place was a 15 minute drive from where the sign was. It was hysterical. We just kept following the signs until we arrived at this house surrounded by peach and nectarine trees. Since it is the end of the season, u-pick was closed but the guy had a bunch of nectarines and peaches for sale. First, he told us $1/lb....then it was $.75/lb. Then he gave us this huge bucket of peaches and nectarines that aren't perfect plus FIVE POUNDS of nectarines and about a dozen peaches. For FIVE DOLLARS. Yes, five dollars. We probably have 20 lbs of fruit. More canning is in my immediate future. He also gave us the cool metal bucket the fruit was in.

Seth was especially excited about the bucket. 

We're thinking about heading to Crater Lake this weekend, then camping and possibly going to Bend. 

I'll leave you with this cute picture of my two boys:

Love,

liz :)