The snow is melting and the green cardi is finished!

Originally uploaded by elletrain

So, we had a lovely weekend of being snowed in and besides making fun pallets on the floor (everyone now loves that word pallet!), it also gave me a chance to get some knitting DONE. I thought this cardigan pattern would be nice and quick, but due to the tediousness and s.l.o.w. speed of the double moss stitch it took a bit longer than I expected.

It's now finished though and I made my deadline of finishing before we left for vacation in Mexico. Yay! I sewed the buttons on today and am quite happy with the finished result. I have a feeling it will be the go-to cardigan to wear around the house as well as a quick jacket to throw on when it's not too terribly cold out.



The pattern is from the book Autumn by Kim Hargreaves and is called "Beth." I used 13 skeins of Rowan Little Big Wool and made a size large in the pattern so it would turn out to be a size small in real life. The yarn is smaller than the Big Wool the pattern calls for. I was super lucky and it fits just right! I did do a tiny bit of math to make sure it wouldn't turn out super small or super large, but mostly I just guessed, because that's how I roll.......

So, today the snow is melting and I was able to get out and buy more buttons and run other errands. It's really fun being stuck at home for a few days, but it's also fun to have your freedom back!


I'm really excited about our craft night tonight. We're doing cross stitch and I found an adorable deer head that I made a pattern out of. PLUS, it's the premiere of the final season of LOST and we're having a watch party right after craft night :) Maybe we'll cross stitch the hatch numbers...bahahahaha. New post soon at Craft Nashy!!

xoxoxo

Snow Dogs

Pretending like we had to

Pretending like we had to
Originally uploaded by elletrain

The other night when I wasn't sure if we were going to get snow or ice or whether either might make the power go out, I was thankful for the option we'd have of sleeping by our gas fireplace. So, we got inches and inches of snow (ok, not a foot or anything, but more than a dusting of snow means A LOT here in the South!). Fortunately, the power has not gone out, but I suggested we make a pallet and sleep in front of the fireplace last night anyways.

SO fun! We got the air mattress placed in front of the warminess of the fire and fell asleep watching SNL. So, not totally the same scenario as if the electricity were out, but still, a nice break from the norm. The dogs sure loved us sleeping "on the floor" and Mattie fell asleep on the air mattress with us for a while. It was so cozy and fun to be snowed in all weekend! I'm sure we'll be going stir-crazy by the end of the day, but for now, we're really enjoying it :)


Those are Pinky's toes up there. He doesn't like his picture taken, so he wasn't cooperating, but it's still cute...and see Mattie over in the corner? She's loving this. <3

* * * snow!!! * * *

Snow!!!
Originally uploaded by elletrain

So, it's actually snowing here in Nashville, a real snow that's coming down beautifully. The roads are still clear, but the ground is covering quite quickly. We are so excited around here when it snows because it seems we never quite get to enjoy that side of winter. It's quite hilarious to see everyone get so enthralled over something that happens daily in other parts of the country this time of year.

Our plans for the weekend: get Pinky home before the roads get bad (check! He just walked in!), fire in the fireplace (check! we are lucky to have an easy gas fireplace), indulge in a few adult beverages (we've been taking January off, so we're ready!), watch some movies (Pinky's never seen The Godfather and we just got it from Netflix!), and probably bake something (I'm craving peanut butter cookies!!!).


I will also be playing with my new iPhone app, Tiltshift Generator (simulates a DSLR camera). These photos were all adjusted with the app and I think they turned out quite lovely!


Bundle up out there and enjoy the snow if you have some where you are. I LOVE ♥ LOVE ♥ LOVE it!! ♥

A pocket, a locket...

Finally, pics for my locket
Originally uploaded by elletrain

Well I managed to check something great off of my to do list today...put pictures of me and the Pinkster in my locket! Let's see, how long have I had this locket and how long has it taken me to put our mugs in it...well, we won't get into that and make me feel like a slacker.

Here are some ideas for how to get your photo to fit in a locket. It's easy if you know Photoshop (oooooh, Photoshop?!).

-Measure your locket face as closely as you can and remember that measurement.

-Open your photo in Photoshop or another application that allows you to crop with a circle tool.

-Use the circle marquee tool on your favorite photo of you and your favorite of your honey (be sure to hold down the shift key while you draw the circle so it will stay an even circle).

-When you have the circle the size you want, crop the photo. Then, go to image size and size it to the approximate measurement of your locket face.

Here's the kicker for making sure you don't have to print a million times...
-Copy the cropped tiny circle onto a new document the size of your photo paper.

-Make a bunch of "copies" of your photo and scale them up and down slightly from the original. I wound up having to use a lot smaller photo than what I had measured. Making lots of options before you print your photo on the printer makes it much less annoying when you're trying to get one to fit! You'll have lots of sizes to choose from.

-Cut out the photo(s) that looks like it will fit best, try it in the locket, trim it a little, and voila!

I hope you'll finally get some lovelies in your locket now, too! Or go buy a locket if you don't have one. They are very special ad pretty. Gee, I kinda have a lot of freckles, huh??

My latest sweater, finished!

My latest sweater finished!
Originally uploaded by elletrain

I just finished putting together my latest knitting project. It's a bulky cardigan from Vogue Knitting Winter 2010 issue. It was a pretty quick knit and has a lovely cable and garter stitch checkered pattern on it.

I did the sleeves in stockinette so they wouldn't be quite so chunky and I'm happy with that change. The ribbing at the bottom of the sleeves is still kinda bulky, but looks ok with a slim fitting top underneath. I also only did one layer of the ribbed edge at the neck, as I thought the top layer would flop over. I really liked the Elsebeth Lavold Twice Tweed yarn I used. It's a recycled yarn made up of wool and cotton.

Now, on to my next projects...knee socks and a bulky, seed stitch coat/cardigan! ♥

Help for Haiti - buy a knitting pattern

Hi all...just a heads-up that many people are selling knitting patterns and part or all of the proceeds will go to help Haiti. I'm selling my Urban Hat Pattern and 100% of the funds raised will go to help Haiti. You can purchase it on Ravelry or Etsy. Thanks for your help. xoxo