good to be girl :: a knitting blog

liberty at target!!

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 06:31:00 +0000

anyone else just dying over the fact that the liberty of london collection at target is just a little over a week away? i will be stalking. seriously.

they have a lol BIKE! a bike my friends!!! how will i resist.

wonder if we’ll buy anything and cut it up to make project bags? ;)

a tea set is on my list of must haves. will i be the only one waiting for the doors to open on the 14th? you know this limited edition stuff goes fast!

check out the liberty commercial

p.s. yes, completely random out of the blue blog post. i see blogger is changing their ftp posting in may. this might kick me in the pants to retire this blog (you heard right!) and start a new one. i just need to find that company that can print blogs and make a book out of them. once i have the gtbg blog recorded forever in a book i'll feel good about a new knitting/home decor/random blog.

so sad...

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:11:00 +0000

that it takes another twilight event to get me back blogging! lol. pathetic.

as most of you know the movie came out last week. i stood in line for hours on thursday night for the midnight show with a bunch of friends. it was a lot of fun. tiring, but a lot of fun. we made sure to see it at the over 21 theater to avoid some of the teenage craziness. although a bunch of women over 21 screaming for 17 year old taylor lautner was interesting ;)

we were waiting for about 4 hours total. not too horrible for a knitter - we have ways to keep busy! above you can see the knitting i did while standing in line.

i was all prepared for the wait outside with my handknits too (although we lined up inside so i didn't get much use out of these)

the pattern for the wristwarmers was based on the fingerless mitts alice wears in the movie :)

dani at sunshine yarns is the genius behind the new moon alice yarn custom dyed to match! i bought 3 skeins and also made a slouchy hat to coordinate.

and to continue the tradition i had another party on saturday to celebrate the movie release (followed by a 2nd viewing of the movie!). my friend aimee picked me up the amazing new moon cupcake above from trophy cupcakes. i can't bring myself to eat it! another friend gave me a puzzle of edward. lol. honestly, i have bought very little twilight related items for myself - all my friends give me the goods! although i admit that i am the first one to rush out and pick up the magazines that have robert pattinson in them. i mean really. look at this guy, i mean sweater ;)

bag sale contest pictures

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:50:00 +0000

lazy coop

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:18:00 +0000

do you remember my little boxer? well he is quite the big boy now. and lazy. apparently he can't be bothered to get up to drink his water.

if you love owls

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:16:00 +0000

if you love owls you need to head to target now! nick and nora came out with the cutest owl print pjs. i couldn't find a pic online of the pink adult version like i bought but here is the kids blue set.

target online only has the adult owl pants. but in the store they had the little cami/capri set that i bought, the pants, a pj length tshirt and all over print pants with a pink t. i could not decide which set to get! and i was even thinking i might buy a set to cut up and make a sewn bag from because the fabric is SO frickin cute. i love that the print is really big.

in other owl news, i was sitting on my deck enjoying the sunset and freak lightning storm this evening when an owl swooped by and perched in a near by tree. i admit the size freaked me out a little and i hurried my cats inside for fear it would try to come for them (i know that is completely irrational but birds freak me out). later in the evening after the owl left bats started to fly around and usually if they are far i am ok but they were getting a little too close to my deck so we headed inside. i don't know where my fear of flying critters comes from but i was really freaked out tonight (although also in awe of the owl).

hey mom remember this?

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:16:00 +0000

the poster that adorned my bedroom door back in the early eighties. the internets dates this poster as 1983. that means i was 8 when i was a big mj fan. beat it was my favorite video ever. although i admit that i was not a fan of him in later years he was a big part of my childhood. memories i didn't even know i had surfaced over the past week and it's been really nostalgic. seeing the image of this poster flash on cnn brought back visions of my old bedroom and jumping up and down in front of the tv waiting for the premiere of the thriller video in my parents rec room. he was most definitely a childhood icon for me. rip.

even year

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:19:00 +0000

not a big fan of the even number years age wise but let's hope this one proves to be different.

to make myself feel better about adding another year to my age i bought fiber. trust me it helps ease the pain a bit. that and the washington apple martinis i plan on consuming tonight.

ahh blues are my new fav (although green will always be my fav, fav)

and greys and the lightest of blues, even better.

knitting milestone

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:52:00 +0000

m y . o w l . s w e a t e r

if you can believe it, i finally made it through an adult sized sweater. it is for me of course! i love this sweater. i have already worn it on a couple of cool nights but it probably won't make a regular appearance until fall.

details: owls pattern free on ravelry. this was modified to be more of a casual, throw on sweater. not fitted like the original (i didn't do any shaping).

check out my ravelry page for more details!

r e c i p e . r e c o m m e n d a t i o n

brown sugar shortbread from la times. i am not a fan of shortbread (one of the few cookies i really dislike) but make it with brown sugar and i am in love. so so good and super easy. perfect for summer. i dipped some in chocolate but i think it is actually better plain. throw in some fresh berries and tea and you have a perfect treat!

can it be true?

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:27:00 +0000

there are few things in life that will bring me as much joy as this. i know i have said it before but when the sun comes out in seattle i am reminded why i love this city. we are having a crazy gorgeous weather streak and the vitamin D makes me very happy!

5 y.e.a.r.s.

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:01:00 +0000

although i have really dropped the ball this year i couldn't forget to mark the milestone that is the 5 year blogiversary of good to be girl. the first 5 months of this year have been lacking on my part. i admit that when bloglines went crazy and dropped all of my subscribers i felt like i was blogging to no one. and still am really. the RSS feed on this blog has gone haywire more times than i can count this year and truthfully my heart isn't in this nearly as much as it was so i have not been good about finding a fix. for that i apologize to anyone who cares :) and i myself have to accept that it is ok. because it doesn't always feel like it. the knit blog community has been a HUGE part of my life these past 5 years and it is a bit emotional to look back at the last 6 months and realize that i am not really a part of that anymore. i miss the friends i met through here. i miss the connection. but it is what it is and i am ok with that. i'm not giving up, i actually hope to blog a bit more than i have been but i can't put any pressure on myself. this year has been a struggle for reasons i myself can't even really identify (maybe it's just growing up? i tell you - this blog marks years 29-33 for me and those years are life changing i tell you). enough waxing poetic. getting on with it...

catching up... (you can find another catch up post earlier this year here)

1 - i did actually manage a decent blog entry at the beginning of this year - check it out in case you missed it

2 - ellensburg - short trip that involved finding the lorna's laces edgewater i had been searching for

3 - seattle sounders 1st home game - no knitting. just plain fun.

4 - i throw the silliest of silly parties and have my girls over for a twilight dvd release party. let's just say that if you have to take a drink every time bella stutters or flutters her eyelashes you get drunk fast. we went through a lot of washington apple martinis that night. a. lot.

5 - i make a big decision to part with my first mini, holly golightly, after 6 years and end up with a new mini named alfie.

6 - to break alfie in a trip to vancouver was in order. where they just happen to be filming new moon. coincidence? if you know me well you know not. :) although no vamp sightings we did get up close and personal with mr. big. sigh. if only we had the nerve to say something to him. he looked like such an approachable guy. i did however walk by the restaurant where rpattz had dinner the weekend before. noteworthy? not really.

7 - jury duty in downtown seattle. commuting nightmare. enough said.

8 - atlanta - a conference for work. where i managed to nearly complete my conference cowl. trip was lame except for meeting up with carrie one night for some really bad georgia wine. at an irish pub. don't ask.

9 - that brings us to memorial day. gorgeous weather. last minute trip to hood canal for a bonfire with friends. what a view. knitting on the baktus. first memorial day in a long time that felt like the start of summer.

completely random post for what feels like a very random year. :) but it was the big 5 so i couldn't let it go without mention!

p.s. i'm not sure if i have covered my marzipan obsession on the blog (i searched through some old posts but don't see that i had - although i swear i had - i can see a picture of the marzipan tea i love on the blog in my mind) - anyhoo - for those who are also fans i recommend searching out ben and jerry's mission to marzipan ice cream. so. good.

contest winner

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:41:00 +0000

we had a contest over on etsy during the bag sale - my mom's cat chase picked a winner yesterday!

i sent an etsy convo over to brenda letting her know she was the lucky winner!

no excuses

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:36:00 +0000

i don't have a solid answer as to why things have been quiet around here. it isn't because anything bad happened. just a change of daily habits really. although i still knit, blogging and reading blogs has basically become non-existent as i spend my time doing other things this year. although i miss it from time to time, it is a good thing.

i was feeling drained by keeping up with the online world and felt like i was spending too much time in front of the computer. i struggle with not being in the know as much but i needed to get a little bit of the life/time back that i lost to the world that is blogging and ravelry. i hope you understand. rest assured i don't have any plans to stop blogging but as you can see it is definitely not as frequent as it used to be. i do keep up on ravelry though so you can always check me out there - the good to be girlies group will continue to be updated.

speaking of which - a bag sale will take place on tuesday, march 24th at 10 a.m. pacific on etsy. some great new fabrics and out of print amy butler that is hard to get a hold of! good to be girl is most likely going to be at sock summit this year so this will probably be the last big sale before then (fair warning). there may be another small one in early summer. we'll see. we are excited at the prospect of participating in our first event though and it looks like it is going to be a crazy one!

some things i have been up to the past couple months (more for my journaling than your interest!):

january/feb - huge work project (my company rebranded) that had me working VERY long days

feb - madrona - what a whirlwind - my first time staying there and it was a blast even though i worked in the hotel room for a lot of it! so worth it though.

feb/march - waiting patiently for my new car (another mini - no worries!) to come in. i am treating myself to an upgrade so i can be in warranty again!

march/april - dork that i am - planning a trip to b.c. while the next twilight movie is filming. we live so close why not? doubt we'll see anything/anyone but it will be fun anyways - it has been way too long since i headed up there and i love vancouver.

a new mac book is in my future too. hopefully sooner rather than later as the G5 is starting to worry me (slooowww). after that i'll be getting the imac to round out my apple products :)

i have several knits on the needles, but finished one recently that might look familiar. you don't see me knitting a pattern twice often but when you are in love...

bella's mittens version 2

(tava this picture is for you! - gah! swoon worthy smirking edward!)

i made these out of some yarn i picked up at madrona. toots leblanc i believe in a 50% jacob (yes, that is right) 50% alpaca blend. wanted a pair in the "original" color. again - dork that i am.

ok, must sign off now. this is the most time i have spent here for awhile! hope this finds you all well. pm me on rav if you want to touch base!

bag sale and more twilight stuff

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:54:00 +0000

ok, hard to follow the dorks in forks post but i wanted to let you know there will be an etsy update february 3rd. it will be a project bag sale. so mark your calendars!

and just because i continue the twilight dorkiness, more...

apartment therapy article on edward's bedroom. i'll admit i was dazzled a little bit more by his barcelona couch than edward himself when i first saw the movie. if you are like me and loved the cullen house in the movie you can google it - there is a ton of information on the designer, architect etc. out there.

and i don't know who did this but since zoolander is one of my fav movies i couldn't resist sharing this hilarious gif - Orange Mocha Frappuccino!

so silly. hope that holds you over for a bit. i have only 1 finished object since the bella mittens. knitting is slow going around here.

bella's mittens on location (aka dorks in forks twilight tour)

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:28:00 +0000

yesterday a couple of friends and i wanted to get out of seattle for the day so we thought a road trip to forks was in order. i will admit that i felt a little foolish - after all it is such a tween thing to do and i am *ahem* over 30 - but i figured what the heck (oh, if you haven't figured it out yet - we went because that is where the twilight series is based).

i pretended i wanted to go to do a photo shoot of my lovely new bella's mittens. i mean how authentic of a shoot would that be right? of course i didn't bring my camera so bear with me - these are all iphone photos. so see the trip was essential for a knit blogger!

ok, details first

bella's mittens (linkage above)
started 12/31/08 - completed 1/2/08
yarn debbie bliss donegal chunky tweed (in brown) - needle size 8

i should have done these in a softer yarn and i partly regret not doing them in the original grey color but oh well. the pattern is very well written and super easy and i think she did a great job making them as close as possible to the movie since it wasn't easy to see them (scene where edward saves bella from the car crashing into her).

let's dork out further and post more pictures

these people in forks take the twilight buzz seriously. the whole town is in on it. including a store dedicated completely to twilight merchandise (which by the way was a horrible store - i think they must have licensing issues because the stuff they sold was like bad cafe press merchandise for the most part). that wasn't the only store though - i think every retail shop in town had something twilight related. it was kind of cute. and the tweens, well they were out in full force.

for me the visitor center was the cutest - the lady gives a whole talk about where all the characters live, work etc. there weren't many people when we got there but then a bunch of teens came in. apparently the lady is even credited at the end of the movie but she hasn't seen it yet (the nearest theater is over an hour away and the weather has been horrible for them so i guess i understand).

my favorite part by far was la push which was absolutely beautiful (although freaking cold!). that is where i took most of the pics of the mittens.

the weather for our trip was crazy, rain, snow, sleet, wind - you name it. here you see the sun glaring. i saw the widest rainbow ever on the way back up the road to forks.

other random shots from the trip:

on the way, the drive was beautiful - worth the trip alone. there was still so much snow left from the big december storm.

the real forks high school sign*

more evidence that i was actually there :)

forks had a petition at a lot of the shops for them to film the 2nd/3rd movie there but the chances are non-existent. it is just too expensive and forks - well - it is really out there. not near a major city at all.

overall it was a fun day, it reminded me of how beautiful this area is. seriously. the natural beauty took my breath away at times. i'm glad we did it even if i felt like the biggest dork!

*the movie was not filmed in forks. they used the columbia river area out on i-84 in oregon (east of portland) for the most part. also - the beach scenes were ecola state park (cannon beach - my fav place in the world!) not la push. areas i have been to many times and recognized as soon as i saw the movie.

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:19:00 +0000

i don't really know how to explain the last week. the weather has been unusual and forced me to be more housebound than i prefer. i took the week off of work to spend time with friends during the holidays but ended up spending a lot of time by myself as the roads have been terrible and i wasn't able to get around (let's not talk about the fact that my car died too).

but now christmas eve is here and my family is coming over and i am pretty well over the cabin fever. it will be a white AND wet christmas here in seattle as the rain has arrived but there was just so much snow that it won't have the chance to wash it all away until probably friday or so (more snow actually predicted for tonight i believe).

don't get me wrong, i love the snow, but i miss seeing my friends during the holidays and not getting to do some of the traditions i am accustomed to.

so for my blogging friends, happy holidays and for those of my close friends who i did not get to see this week i hope we find a chance to get together before the new year.

(reflection of my christmas tree in my living room window)

not so long after all

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:56:00 +0000

well we didn't get too much snow but a nice dusting to make everything white. there are still some flurries out there. i'm just about to make myself a cup of tea and take a quick break from work to knit for a little bit.

sadly it won't be on my handspun christmas socks. despite the effort these were not enough of a priority for me to finish (since they are for me after all). christmas gift knitting is on the needles in their place for now. i will finish them after the holidays though so i can wear them next year.

i also picked up a great book that i would love to start knitting from but again - no selfish knitting right now.

i love the pattern on the cover and so many others.

and a little something i ordered this year after seeing the bazillion ads in martha about them...

i have ordered custom m&ms in the past but not with pics. lily is on one and cooper on the other. i just couldn't resist. and although i did get a concerned look from a friend i am not convinced this makes me a crazy cat lady.....yet. :)

long winter's night

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:12:00 +0000

we're settling in tonight as the snow is falling outside (ok it can't actually decide between rain and snow but we do have a blanket of white already). here is lily in her new favorite spot right in front of the fireplace. the funny thing is - no heat comes out of this thing. you can sit and almost touch the glass and nothing. these 70's fireplaces aren't really meant for high heat so i just use duraflames. my place is so energy inefficient it is terrible. with this cold snap i have realized that i will need to think about new windows sooner rather than later.

ok, enough about that boring stuff! but the snow! yeah for snow! i just love it SO much. i need some time inside to knit. i have some holiday gifts that still need to be knit up and when i realized we were just a week from christmas eve i had a near panic attack. nothing to show you yet but i'll keep you posted.

so for now, how about a pic of something i have never noticed in my place before? the moon through my skylights. it was very cool.

and one more pic very similar to some i posted last year - one of my favorite hang outs during the hoidays (though i have only been there once so far this season!)

yum! trophy cupcakes.

ok, off to get ready to see a movie. hope this finds you all well (oh, i see the roads seem to be all covered now! this is going to be an interesting night!)

catching up

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:52:00 +0000

*just a reminder that there is one last project bag sale this year - tomorrow at 10 a.m. pacific

all spun up!

here is my handspun from moonlight baker's holly jolly roving. LOVE. socks have just been cast on!

and for those who know how much i love snow - some recent goodies

two lovely snowflake books from my friend pat - an early christmas gift so i could enjoy them through december. if you haven't seen these you should check them out. it is really just amazing the way they photograph these real snowflakes!

and for fans of sunshine yarn, my lovely skein of first snow. i could not resist!

and not to jinx anything but we are looking at a very chilly weekend in seattle with the slightest possibility of snow. you don't know how excited that makes me! and i get to wear plenty of my handknit scarves and hats! yeah!

boy is december flying by!

more crafting

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:48:00 +0000

*fyi, the final project bag sale of the year will be dec. 9th on etsy

i took on a new craft recently (ok, not really, i used to make soap in the not so distant past - let's just call it bk - before knitting)

i made these cute soaps for the shop. i couldn't resist, i just love the skein of yarn and needles!

i also picked up some rubber stamping supplies for my christmas cards. now i'm not sure i'll get around to the stamping. and i was annoyed that i had to re-buy supplies - yet again - bk i was a stamper and had everything. when i became obsessed with knitting (there is no other way to put it - i'm not in denial) i sold all my stamping supplies on ebay. there is a good chance i'll end up doing store bought cards for the first time in like 10 years but hey what can you do. i promised myself i was going to enjoy the holidays and not over stress and over plan everything!

alright, signing off for now, more to come...

i should blog

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:14:00 +0000

i can't tell you how many times that thought has gone through my head the last few days!

so here it is, dec. 3rd and i haven't been very good at blogging recently (actually i have been a bit of a slacker all year!). plenty is going on, just not the inclination to pause and put it down on the blog. i was on the couch most of the weekend battling vertigo - something that i get more frequently these days. i did catch up on a lot of terrible christmas made for tv movies though and actually really enjoyed it! thankfully i had my house decorated for christmas the weekend before so i didn't have to stress that i wasn't able to get it done.

ok, but onto the backlog...

let's start with twilight.

i threw a little pre-bash before going to see the movie opening night. twelve of us total - it was a lot of fun. and i didn't take pictures. i had vampire and spellbound wine and vampire fang candy, etc. all i have left to share with you is the jones soda i had in honor of edward (swoon) or jacob.

the movie was eh but i'll see it again. the beginning was a bit painful but it picked up. new moon will be interesting as that was my least favorite book. wonder if i should make a trip to forks while they are filming? that might be kind of fun.

next up is my lovely "holly jolly" roving from moonlight baker.

i had this custom dyed. not a lot of holiday roving out there and i wanted something that i could knit up into house socks like my pumpkin fields forever (also by moonlight baker). christmas is my fav time of year!

and of course by now, the starbucks knitting themed christmas decor has made it around the knitting blogs. as soon as i saw these mugs a couple weeks back i had to have them. so very cute.

i think i have 6 total. my friend/neighbor who designs stores for starbucks is getting me a few for my christmas gift to add to those that i already have. i'm having an open house in a couple weeks and will have these out to serve hot chocolate in (shown here with all my favorite teas!).

secret gift knitting is going on too of course. i am also working on the advent trees from mason dixon but am only on tree 4. stitch markers for the vyt open house saturday are also being made.

this week proves to be busy and this weekend even busier. i have the vyt open house, urban craft uprising, a vintage button sale and a trip to bainbridge with my Tuesday knitting group! those should be some blog worthy events so stay tuned!

Last Sales of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:04:00 +0000

Tuesday, December 2nd at 10 a.m. pacific - Stitch Marker sale

Tuesday, December 9th at 10 a.m. pacific - Project Bag Sale and possibly markers

on etsy

if you don't have an etsy account you can also order through the shop blog.

linkage stuff

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:19:00 +0000

let's just say my stress levels are a little elevated at the moment due to a work project coupled with the normal stress i have during the holidays coupled with another work project and a side job i took.

that being said all you are getting are some links i thought you might be interested in :)

i have been knitting a little - but it is few and far between right now. i'll be back with more soon i promise.

felt bird from c&b - cheap!

minimalist sheep from c&b too - cheap!

handknit penguins just go check out all the stuff at c&b - there is a lot!

hello kitty knitting machine

and i am sure many of you recognize this hat that fred flare is selling.

and off of the knitting topic but equally cool - i have been eyeing this water for close to a year but it was just too spendy to order. last night i found it for $4.99 a bottle at target! i bought 6. mostly for decor though. they look really cool lined up on a tray in my dining room. they have the year printed on them so maybe they are trying to clear them out? anyways i LOVE them.

SaLe ToDaY!

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:38:00 +0000

time for some early holiday shopping :) This will probably be our biggest sale before the end of the year!

BIG project bag sale today at 10 a.m. pacific over on our etsy shop. go over and check out the details now!

if you don't have an etsy account you can also order through the shop blog.

We have a new bag design, a contest along and 30+ bags that will be listed!

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:33:00 +0000

i know we may not all agree, we all come from different places and experiences and i respect that. normally i am quiet about my choices because they are just that - mine. but this year things were different and i can't remember a time in my life where an election meant as much to me as it does today. i voted for change and tomorrow i will be anxiously knitting away to find out if the rest of the country agrees.

after the election...
**BIG project bag sale Wednesday November 5th at 10 a.m. pacific over on the shop blog. go over and check out the details now!**

noreply@blogger.com (amy) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:32:00 +0000

**BIG project bag sale Wednesday November 5th at 10 a.m. pacific over on the shop blog. go over and check out the details now! :)

my own handspun anklets using pumpkin fields forever BFL from moonlightbaker.

so.love.them.

now i can't wait until christmas roving shows up on etsy so i can make a pair for the holiday season too! and with more experience under my belt i should get a more even yarn (though i love the way these look).

and thank you anne for your popcorn ball recipe suggestion in yesterday's comments. i made a 1/2 batch and they are yummy!