WIP report

We love cotton! Here's Tiny Dancer, giving the Cotton Tots some love.

So far, Baby J's layette is halfway done. There's the sweet little cotton hat (cream with baby blue i-cord). Then a few days ago I finished the baby blue Placket-neck sweater from LMKG. Okay, I didn't really finish it. I still have to add the buttons (yet to be purchased). And there's this little problem I have with my kitchener stitch - a hole at each end of each underarm seam. So far this has happened with every kitchener I've done (except for the toes of socks). I don't know what I'm doing wrong. But I've got to figure out a way to darn the darn things.

This morning I cast on for the Picky Pants (cream with blue i-cord). I think they will go fairly quickly. Then there will be a pair of blue booties and then finishing up the diagonal garter stitch blanket (I'm about halfway done with it). It's so fun to do things that are so small. And I just love working with cotton. Not as much as wool, but I still like it. It reminds me of all the white cotton fields when I lived in south Georgia.

I'm behind on pics of FOs and WIPs. So I had to include yet another picture of the offspring. And yes, that is the Patternworks catalog he's holding. Again. Mama's little yarn freak.

Friday's Feast

My first meme. Friday's Feast.

Appetizer
How old were you when you got your first credit card?
18. Somehow I managed to make it through college without ever racking up debt, though. Things changed quickly after I graduated and was out on my own....

Soup
When was the last time you felt out of place?
This morning, at Walmart. I hate that store. I haven't been there in ages but I wanted some film developed and they're the only place I know that does matte finish with one-hour processing (only their printer was down so I was out-of-luck). I felt out of place in a snobby way.

Salad
Did you have a curfew when you were a teenager? If so, what time did you have to be home?
I think my curfew was usually 11:30, sometimes midnight. I did get an exception for prom.

Main Course
Name a person from history with whom you feel you have something in common.
Teresa of Avila (though I'm no saint). She was a woman of faith who also happened to be fiery, earthy, and passionate. I resonate with the fact that she did not seem to perceive a split between the spiritual and the corporeal. Once, when she was criticized for eating her dinner too lustily as she bit into her partridge, she commented, "When I pray, I pray. When I partridge, I partridge!"

Dessert
When you read a newspaper, which section do you go for first?
Front page. Except on Wednesdays, when I go straight for the cooking section, and Sundays when I head for real estate.

Bloggers Fuel: java review #2

Bloggers Fuel Boot up Blend bills itself as "an amazing medium blend of African, Central and South American Coffees. Rich taste and smooth finish for the perfect breakfast blend." I'm a sucker for anything labeled "breakfast blend" (yes, I am a marketer's dream), so I eagerly tore into the bag one morning last week. The beans had that nice matte finish and were a nice medium brown.

beans: roasted May 2, ground May 18, right before brewing
brew method: regular drip coffeemaker
strength: 6 heaping spoons for 12 cups of water
accoutrement: half-and-half
timing: first thing in the morning, as soon as the pot is ready
verdict: smooth and mild, perhaps a bit too mild

I consider myself a medium-roast kind of girl, but this was a bit more on the mild side than I'm used to. It was definitely smooth but a little too light. I wouldn't call it "rich." Still, not a bad cup of coffee. I would drink it again. But I like something a little stronger first thing in the morning.



Tiny Dancer rockin' the Bloggers Fuel cap.












One of these days I'll post some actual knitting content. I hope to finish Baby J's placket-neck sweater tonight. What a sweet little knit. I look forward to making ones for LB and TD next fall.

Bloggers Fuel: java review #1

Herein lies my first ever review of Boca Java's Bloggers Fuel.

The first brew I tried was Blogs of Bravery, which bills itself as "front line fuel from a blend of South American dark and medium roasts to create a well balanced smooth taste." The blend was roasted on May 4th and I made my first cup on May 14th. Verdict: YUM!

beans: ground right before brewing
brew: regular drip coffeemaker
strength: 6 generous scoops for 12 cups
accoutrements: half-and-half
timing: first thing in the morning, as soon as the whole pot is ready

The first sip of Blogs of Bravery left me a bit uncertain. I am usually not a dark roast girl, and I thought the first taste was a tad bitter. A few more sips had me convinced, though. Good stuff. Strong stuff. My Old Man liked it, too, but as he reminded me, he doesn't have a particularly discerning palate. I, on the other hand, am pretty hard to please, especially when it comes to coffee. I like it fresh - freshly roasted, freshly ground, freshly brewed (if it's been in the pot more than an hour I won't drink it). This was definitely fresh, though I honestly couldn't discern a difference in freshness between it and my usual brew (organic free trade whole bean coffee bought at the local natural food store).

This was the first of the Boca Java blends I tried and so far it's my favorite (I have since tried two other blends). In fact, I loved it more with each pot - very strong and very smooth. The perfect combination. Would I drink it again? Most definitely. Sadly, I only have enough left for one more cup of coffee.

Little Buddha, sporting my "Always Blog on a Full Tank" bloggers fuel cap.

The view from the window

Here is CJ's scarf, hanging in the window. I just love holding my knitting up to the sunlight, and thought this lace looked especially nice.

This is what the neighbors see, when they walk by the same window. Our Tiny Dancer, the exhibitionist, looking ready to bust out of this joint. Little Buddha looks on from behind with brotherly appreciation.

CJ's Birthday

Here's CJ, modeling her birthday gifts. (My Old Man also made her a mix CD. She chose not to model it. She is, however, wearing the dandy hot pink bow that adorned the present.)


I love this picture. The scarf looks perfect on her. And doesn't she look French? You may ask, how does a person look French? Well, you mix class, panache, sophistication, a sleek new 'do, add a dash of pale pink lacy scarf, et voila'! CJ, the French ingenue!

CJ's lace scarf

This is a scarf I made for CJ for her birthday. It is the Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, done in Rowan Kidsilk Haze, in grace (a pale pink). It is the first lace project I've done - and the first thing I've ever blocked. Though it is not without mistakes (don't look too closely, CJ!), this may actually be my favorite thing I've ever knitted. And I have half a skein left, which will make a matching scarf for me!