major linkage

first up, party pics and then some linkage below.


muy bueno!


signage a la martha.


and fresh corn salad via ina.


tomalito inspired by chevy's.


linkage for you
ina'a fresh corn salad recipe

tomalito recipe

signage inspiration from martha

pattern for the dishcloths i have been making (choose textured slip stitch pattern)

had tasty brunch here today for dear friend's birthday.

thanks!

thanks for all the offers to hook me up with brown yarn! i have some on the way to me, thanks traci! i sent your stitch markers off today!

stitch and pitch was fun. i only took one picture and it didn't turn out! our seats were kinda crummy, they mixed things up this year and i think there were non-knitter seats throughout which was kinda sucky. i didn't get to mingle as much as last year. oh well! i had 5 knitting friends along and that was plenty to keep me entertained! there were more booths this year and that was great. i passed out a business card and stitch marker sample to a lot of them. if i could get some of my designs in a local shop that would be cool. i'm kinda shy about promoting myself in person so i was proud of myself for approaching some of the booths.

i also got a belated birthday gift from my dear friend denise while at the game. i was so touched, i received a hand knitted gift (she is knit crazy too!). beautiful footsies in lorna's laces. they keep making their way onto my feet even with the warmish weather, they are the perfect fit.


isn't the pattern beautiful and perfect for the footsies. i love how it has a pattern repeat around the ankle.


she also gifted me some sock yarn in the colorway strawberry daiquiri. i believe it comes from yarntini. i love this color combination. THANKS denise!! I love it all!!

birthday dinner for my mom is saturday and i am working hard on the decorations. the menu is a bit cumbersome too so you may not hear from me for a few days. but hopefully i'll remember to take pics of that!

stitch & pitch

hey all, i forgot to mention that i will be attending the 2nd annual stitch & pitch tomorrow night. any bloggers out there (or non-bloggers who read my blog!) wanna meet up for a bit before the game? i don't know how many of you are going but it might be kind of cool to meet in person. maybe somewhere near the vendors around 6:15 or so? just drop me a comment or email me at goodtobegirlATgmailDOTcom.

trying to beat the heat part 2

to avoid knitting with wool on these hot days i opted for several cotton washcloths.




anyone out there want to do me a big favor? if you have access to sugar and cream in solid brown and would be willing to do a swap for some of my stitch markers please let me know. i am thinking i would like 3 balls or so? i bought mine on my little beach excursion and haven't been able to find it anywhere near me.

trying to beat the heat part 1

homemade ice cream (see recipe below) & almond cakes. a little decadent, but i was watching this last night and couldn't resist making a batch of my own. i have the handy little cuisinart ice cream maker so it took no time at all.

sweet cream ice cream:
2 cups half and half
1 cup condensed milk (cold)

whisk together and pour into your ice cream maker. follow manufacturer's instructions.

washcloth and waves

proof i have been knitting (photo taken with camera phone at the beach last night). better pics coming soon.

and thanks for all the compliments on my condo pic :) and i am so glad that someone got the same story about the tip line on the starbucks charge receipt. if it is true, then the tiny percent that visa or whatever charges the client (starbucks) for the transaction is what they are trying to save on. you know that extra buck for a tip really adds to the bottom line apparently. yet, funny how even the smallest restaurants have a tip line? how did starbucks brainwash their baristas to think that it is ok? because they are the ones who in turn get NO TIP. maybe starbucks pays more an hour or something to make up for it? whatever. i just think it is SO ODD and honestly, as the consumer, i feel very bad not leaving some sort of tip, so if i don't have cash i don't go. so in turn they lose my business altogether. ok, seriously. that is enough of that. this is a knitting blog, but sometimes you just get that bee in the bonnet you know?

condo picture (again, no knitting!)

ok, so no knitting today. i have something to finish up before i take a picture. so i'll share with you with the monster media center from the now non-existent hold everything. remember the saga? i don't think i ever shared an after pic. thank goodness i love the thing, it made all the drama worthwhile.


and sorry about the rant yesterday. i'll share with you a conversation i had with a barista at the starbucks up the street from me. it had a lot to do with my complaining that they don't put a tip line on the charge slips. if i am paying with a credit card do you think i have cash for a tip? no. poor baristas get a thanks and that is about it. the funny thing? the guy DEFENDED starbucks for it. saying it hurt their bottom line to have it on the slip. he made an excuse for this mega corporate company not willing to put a tip line on their receipt because it somehow saved them money. ARE YOU SERIOUS? jeez. i hope that really isn't the reason. ok, so apparently i am not a big fan of starbucks for more than the basketball issue. hmmm, that was another rant wasn't it?

coffee and basketball don't mix

at least according to one howard schultz. please don't repeat over and over at a press conference that the new out of state owner of the sonics plan to keep them here long term. not when the city in which they come from will have a vacant arena in a year and are looking to fill it. especially when you quietly acknowledge that a new venue is the only thing that will keep them here. and since you weren't able to make that happen, how will the new guys? you think the sonics fans of seattle will want to support an out of state ownership? but kudos for a good job covering your bases, when they move the sonics next year they will be able to say they didn't lie. and that is all that matters right? not that my opinion of mr. schultz changed today, i always thought he was a jackass. today he just proved it to me :) good grief.

paul allen where were you? you are the best team owner out there. why didn't you pick them up?? drat.

this and that

i am usually really good about keeping the amount of projects on the needles to a minimum. not so this weekend. i couldn't resist the call of the cotton.


thanks for the walmart tips. i made a run up there and picked up a couple balls (2nd in from the left, the top and bottom ball). they had a bunch of other colors, but i think i like sugar and cream colorways more.

then i made this.


i have already cast on for another.

i also made one of my fixation socks. it fits, but pretty snugly (i was too lazy to frog). i haven't quite decided what to do about this yet.


i love this colorway so hopefully my desire to start a pair that actually fits will win out.

a trip to joanns for some white sugar and cream also landed me this book at 40% off


i have wanted this for awhile, but my pinching pennies kept me from buying. at 40% off i couldn't resist. it really is the perfect sock book.

now i am just waiting for the sun to peek out. we don't have quite the heatwave the rest of the country is having (thank goodness!) but it is supposed to heat up to the low 90s later this week.

crazy for kitchen cotton

my unofficial shop opening has been quite a success, thanks guys! i am working on replenishing my stock (again!) and some new designs. one of which is the pancakes that will hopefully be up soon. after working the last couple of days i do have some of everything back in stock so i am shipping within 24 hours for the most part.

i picked up another new colorway of sugar and cream at joanns last night. isn't it pretty? i wish they had a hundred more colors. i just love buying this stuff. i get to splurge on yarn, but it is only $2 a ball! my budget is getting tighter as we get closer to the big trip in october so i can't justify buying too much yarn when i have a dresser full!


so now my question is, where the heck do you buy peaches and cream in seattle? i have not seen this yarn anywhere and really want some. i looked online but didn't find an online shop with a good selection.

with all this cotton i need to start making some dishcloths. maybe august will be dishcloth month. i love making them but can't bear to use them. silly i know. maybe i will make some for gifts. we'll see.

i cast on for a pair of the fixation footies. i am halfway down the foot and totally ignoring the fact that they are too small. i can get them on, but they are stretched too much. i know i need to frog them but just don't have the heart right now. of course the other part of me that wants them and wants them now will probably be frogging this afternoon!

summer socks!

i don't know how i missed this. a fixation knit along? summer socks? i will be casting on shortly if i can get my tush in gear and finish the cable and rib socks (finished the heel today!). i'll have to pull out my fixation stash and see what color i want to start with (i have grand plans to make many).

as for the dinner party, it went very well. i should say, it wasn't my first dinner party ever, just my first in the new place. of course i didn't take many pictures. so the only one to share is the yummy salami crisps i made from giada's new book.


just sliced salami that you back until crisp. top with a dot of sour cream and some fresh basil. VERY good and easy!

i have filled up on stitch marker inventory again so i am back in business. the link at the right works now and although the shop still has some design tweaks in progress it works just fine. i should have the flapjacks up on the site soon. although it is only july, i think i might start working on my fall and holiday designs. i look forward to working on some new ones, i don't know how many little chicks i have made in the last few months but it is a lot!!

just because

i am working past the second sock syndrome on my rib and cable sock. i am almost to the heel. phew! i can't wait to get something new on the needles. the sock along with my circular shrug don't make for great photo entertainment as you have seen them on the needles before. so instead, random stuff.


hi. meet my tv boyfriends. together. on the same show. i was drooling. i heart jon stewart and anderson cooper in a big way (ok so ac might be gay, but it's not like i have a chance anyway).


target score. cool cable knit bag that i debated on buying vs. knitting. for $14.99 i thought it was best to buy the thing. i love it. it is adorably slouchy.


tonight i am having my first official sit down dinner party. there will be 6 of us. i am serving up herbed cheese chicken wrapped in phyllo, salad with fried goat cheese balls, almond rice pilaf and for dessert vanilla pots de creme. mmmmmm... here is hoping i can get it all timed right. above is my centerpiece. this was my birthday gift to myself a few weeks back. i love the fake chestnuts!

knitting content someday :)

trip to the beach

i often think about how lucky i am to live in the pacific northwest. we have mountains, lakes, beautiful trees and the pacific ocean at our doorstep. i love the ocean. nothing makes me feel more at peace than hearing the waves crashing. this last weekend i got to spend time at the beach with my best girl friends.


this was our beach cottage for the weekend. it was adorable and had a beautiful view.


the time went much too fast for me and so now i am hoping to find some more time this summer to get out to the beach. it isn't too far of a drive (about 3 hours or so). of course i live about 5 minutes from lake washington and 15 minutes from the puget sound so i am always able to see some water whenever i want. i love it.

what would be a trip without finding the local yarn shop? i was pleasantly surprised at the selection and came home with some treats!

new sugar and cream colors. destined to be dishcloths of course!


you saw me knit backyard leaves with this yarn in a baby blue but i couldn't resist this amazing green. this yarn is one of my top five favs.


i finally found some trekking in the brighter colorways. i won't be joining the knit along, but plan on casting on soon.

so that was my weekend! i came home a bit tired but have been working hard on some stitch markers. before i left town i sold out of all my inventory! i am SO not complaining :)

happy 4th. i am headed over to my friends for a get together and fantastic view of the big seattle fireworks show.