I Stands for Ingenious

As most of us knitters know the I in i-cord is none too flattering.

Look at this brilliant use of i-cord, as fashioned by Mel Clark, knitting designer and former owner of Wildfiber in Santa Monica.



Using scraps of Koigu she fashioned this lovely creation.
Read more about it here.

Notice anything different?


Without explaining the boring details, something happened with my blog, so I had to change the template. It was pretty scary, considering I've had this blog for six years and didn't want to lose all of my precious posts.

Thankfully, the posts are intact, but with a template change, all of the extra stuff I added got lost. That's one of the drawbacks of the change, but I had no choice. I'll figure out how to put it back, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying all of the fun stuff Blogger's done since I first had this blog. So much of it now is just plug and play, so that I will.

Since I don't know how to fancy things up, I just chose a Blogger-issued template. The blue reminds me of my beloved Pacific Ocean, which I miss every day.

Well, now that I've taken the time to do all of this, guess I should be posting more, huh? Oy, the pressure!

And now for something....

Completely cool!


Lookie here.

Another one!

Just when I was just spreading the word about Twist Collective, I found another new online knitting magazine.

Here's Knotions.

It's brand-new, so give it a chance to grow.

C'mon baby, let's do the.....

Have you seen the newest online knitting magazine?
It's called Twist Collective.

There are great articles by Cat Bordhi, Clara Parkes, Kay Gardiner and Anne Shayne.
The patterns, which are for a fee, include designers Kate Gilbert, Cookie A., Marnie MacLean, Pam Allen and many more.

Glad to have another inspirational resource.

Saratoga Sighting

Back in my old nabe, I'd see a celebrity pretty much every day. Run out for milk, see Tom Hanks.
Get some chicken soup at the deli, and there's Billy Crystal. Or Steven Spielberg or pre-Gov. Arnold or Martin Short or Mary McDonnell and on and on.

Needless to say not much of that goes on it 'Toga. Until I happened to be walking through the park and came upon this:



The woman with Susan Lucci is Mary Lou Whitney, who you can read about here.

Oh Joy!

Great news!

The fabulous knitting designer Staceyjoy Elkin of RedLipstick has just opened an etsy shop. It's a soft launch right now, but I know I'll be checking back and you should too, because in a few weeks Staceyjoy will have some of her wonderful knitwear for sale too.

So check it out, right here.

Instant Gratification....almost

I needed a small project to do, because my long-term projects needed a time-out.

I decided to make a bunch of coasters, a mini version of the Mason-Dixon Knitting ballband dishcloth. I cast on 27 stitches, made 7 rows of "bricks", using size 7 needles. They're made with Peaches and Creme cotton, purchased from the lovely Allison over at Supercrafty.



Here it is in action:



Two balls of P&C, was enough for four of these and I'm pretty sure there's enough left over for another one.

Smoothie Lifestyle

It's been so unbearably hot and humid here. I love to cook, but can't even get near the stove.

I've been having lots of smoothies these days. I use the whey powder that bodybuilders use, water, flaxseed meal and bunch of frozen berries. Sometimes I'll throw in a banana, too. It's cold, thick, delicious and satisfying.

Oh and speaking of smooth....
Recently, I was lucky to receive a sample of eos shaving cream. "eos" stands for evolution of smooth.

This stuff is amazing. I tried it both wet and dry and couldn't believe how well it worked. My legs are really smooth. The scent I tried, Island Blue, smells great and isn't overpowering.

It's also 5 bucks for a large bottle and it doesn't leave a rusty ring on your bathtub!

No affiliation, btw. Whenever I find something I love, I like to share it with my blog pals.

Guess where I was today?

My finger is on the button.




Aren't these a hoot? I found them in a local antique shop. There was board filled with these wacky buttons and I think I picked out the best ones.

Shhh.....

I just finished another knitting project, but since the recipient may read this blog, I can't post it.

It's absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed making it.

If you want to see it let me know, and I'll tell you where to look on Ravelry or I'll send you a snap of it.

From the Farmer's Market




Thanks, ladies!

Borscht!



There's nothing better than a cool bowl of crimson red beets in a luscious pink liquid pool. Topped off with a pillow of sour cream and some fresh dill, it sure took my mind off the triple H temps outside.

It's the first time I ever made it. It's an Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa recipe.
Click here for: Summer Borscht. So much better than the bottled stuff.

I want these!

No complaint Thursday

The heat wave's over for now.

So glad that Stephanie won Top Chef.

I'm caffeinated.

Hopeful a job I applied for will come through.

Thank you and have a great day!

Where am I?

It's 94 degrees, it's been triple H for days, we have no a/c, we just had a blackout, there are school closings, severe weather warnings and we're under a tornado watch.

Grumble, kvetch, grrrr........

Give it away, give it away now....

Seems like I'm mostly knitting presents these days.

Here's a housewarming gift, fresh off the needles, for a friend who just bought her first house. The aformentioned felted bowl with some washcloths:

Yeah, I felted.



Jealous?

Shopflick!

A brand-new shopping site called Shopflick has just launched. It's got a great collection of items from independent craftspeople, artists, ceramicists and other talented artisans.

Below is one of my fave items, from one of my fave peeps, Poketo!
Check it out:

Shopflick: Buy this product |
Get your own Store!

If you're making/selling your own cool indie crafts stuff and want to be part of the site, just send me an email and I'll help you get started.

Isn't this cool?