A Proud Announcement!

First of all I want to appologize for not blogging lately. School is back in session and I have taken on a mini day job while my kids are at school. Once they come home there's homework and dinner to tend to. But amongst all the chaos I have still managed to continue working on my designs. This brings me to my "Proud Announcement". Three of my designs have been accepted by Love of Knitting magazine and will be published next year! I'm so excited! My first design will be included in their summer issue which will be available in May 2013. The other 2 designs will be featured in their Fall issue. I just received my first package of yarn, which is by Prism Yarns. And I got permission to share some sneak peeks with you along the way. ;) This is the yarn I will be knitting up for my Summer design. Isn't it yummy? Symphony Layers is 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere and 10% Nylon. I received the Indigo and Violetta colors just the other day. Stay tuned for a few more sneak peeks... Coming soon...

And The Winner Is...

My contest for the "Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders" book ended at midnight on Sept. 30th. I counted all of the entries and numbered each and every one according to how many entries they were entitled to. I then used the True Random Number Generator at Random.org. Thanks to everyone that participated! If you didn't win this time around, I will be holding another contest very soon!
And the winner is... Drum roll please...

FlyKytten ! She earned 5 entries for commenting, retweeting about the contest, sharing it with her friends on Facebook, following my blog, and she shared/+1ed me on Google+! Congrats FlyKytten!!! I will be contacting you soon to get your mailing address!  :)

Contest Update

My contest for the "Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders" book is now officially closed! I will be announcing the winner by Tuesday and will contact them to get their mailing address. Thanks to everyone that participated! I will be holding another contest very soon!

My Contest and some Testing going on...

We are now less than 48 hours away from my contest deadline. If you haven't yet entered to win the pattern book giveaway, you have until midnight Sunday, Sept. 30th (Pacific time) to do so! The book that is up for grabs is titled "Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders". You'll find the original post below dated Sunday, September 16, 2012. You need to go there and comment on that post to be eligible to win.

I ran across this image on facebook today. We can all use more fiber! Can't we? ;)

On to the testing going on. I have found a group of wonderful test knitters that have been kind enough to give my patterns a test run. This process has actually humbled me... as I have found out I am far from perfect! And now I understand the importance of having patterns tested BEFORE actually listing them to sell! No matter how confident a designer is in their ability to knit and write patterns, testing should be a top priority. It gives you the chance to see your patterns through the eyes of another. It has sure opened my eyes! I will be re-writing 2 of the 3 hat patterns being tested so far. Once they have been fine tuned I will be re-listing them and will be posting errata on my website. The feedback I've received from my testers has proved to be invaluable! Thanks a million to these gracious ladies! You've been life savers! I will definitely continue to have each and every new pattern tested before hand from now on.

My Knitting Contest is well Underway

I'm so excited! The contest is finally picking up! I only had 5 entries this morning and now there are several more! We still have 10 days to go, so keep the comments coming in. You'll find the official contest in my previous post. So you need to leave your comment on that post in order to enter. Here's the direct link to the contest: A One-Skein Wonder Book Giveaway
I'm receiving lots of feedback on what you like to knit. You see, I'm in the process of creating a collection of knitwear designs that I plan to self-publish in book form early next year. So I'm asking everyone to tell me what your favorite knitting patterns are. Your opinions will help to create my book! I want to designs items that you'll want to knit! It's as simple as that! So... head on over to the contest below and tell me what you would like to see in the collection! Your thoughts and opinions mean everything to me! And please do share the link to my Giveaway if you haven't done so already. Even blogging about it will earn you an extra entry. Thank you in advance!

A One-Skein Wonder Book Giveaway

So... I mentioned last week that I was going to be having a contest. After reviewing my knitting book library, I have finally made my decision on which book is going up for grabs first. Please read through to the bottom of this post to see how you can earn extra entries and have a greater chance of winning!
This month's book is titled "Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders". This is a wonderful book for knitting up some small indulgences. Lustrous alpaca is one of my favorite fibers to work with and this book has patterns for that! It also includes patterns for using such luxury yarns as organic cotton, bamboo, cashmere, silk, eco-friendly soy, corn, angora, and mohair, to the exquisite qiviut. Now you can knit small treasures using yarns you've been dreaming of. So go ahead and indulge yourself!
Contributors include designers, yarn manufacturers, and well-known knitting and crocheting teachers. There are also a few crochet patterns for the diverse fiber artists among us.

This contest will end at midnight Pacific time on Sept. 30th. That gives you 2 full weeks to help me out! How are you going to help me out you ask? All you need to do is leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite knitting patterns are. Do you enjoy knitting socks, scarves, sweaters, etc...? As you know, I'm in the process of designing a collection of knitwear for my own book. So your opinions count! What are you interested in knitting?! I want to create wearable items that you will want to knit!
Now for the extracurricular methods of earning extra entries. Each of these activities will count as one extra entry. Blog about this contest on your blog! Tweet about this contest and follow me on twitter @BayAreaKnitter (counts as one entry). Share this post with your friends on facebook, "Like" me on facebook here http://www.facebook.com/KnittingwithChristine, and/or join this site and follow me on Google friend connect (Click the "join this site" button on my sidebar). If you do all of these things you'll earn 6 entries. Please be sure to link back to this blog post when sharing on your blog, twitter and facebook. Also tell me in your comment which methods you used to enter as well as provide links to your posts and tweets. Also be sure to leave an email address or your Twitter or Ravelry screen name so I can contact you if you are the winner!
Winner will be announced on October 1st.
Comments will be pending until I can approve them. So don't worry if your comment takes a few hours or even a day to show up. I do this to make sure I don't miss any comments. I get an email notification when you submit.  ;)
This contest is open Internationally to anyone anywhere! I don't want to leave anyone out.  
So what are you waiting for? On your mark, get set, Go!  ;)

For the Love of Yarn!

Look what arrived on my doorstep the other day!

A wonderful and dear friend of mine was cleaning out her stash and graciously decided to gift me with this box of yummy yarn! THANK YOU, Thank You, thank you! It will come in very handy and be put to much good use! I may even be able to get a few full sized projects/designs out of this! And the bits and pieces will be great for swatching. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box. Felt like Christmas morning! 

Knitting Contests, Podcasts & YouTube

This post is actually an experiment. I want to see how many readers I have out there as well as engage some interaction. I only just started this blog a few months ago, but would love to take it to another level.
As some of you may or may not know, I teach knitting classes at a local craft store. So I was thinking about possibly doing some YouTube videos to show "how tos" on different knit stitches and techniques. The idea has actually been mentioned to me a couple of times recently. So I'm thinking... why not? It would be fun to expand my teaching to the online community!
Secondly... how many of you like contests? I enjoy participating in the various contests out there that other fellow knitters have been doing. I was even a lucky winner of some luxury yarn recently! So... in the spirit of generosity I would love to spread some knitting joy as well! If you would like to sponsor a contest by donating yarn, fiber, books, etc... please let me know! In the meantime... to get this party started... I will be holding a contest in the near future. I've been going through my personal library of knitting books and have found a couple of duplicates that I can part with. Stay tuned, because I will be posting a contest in the next few days and will let you know at that time which book will be up first. :)
Last but not least, I'm also tossing around the idea of doing a podcast. I love listening to podcasts myself. Alana Dakos hosts a podcast over at Never Not Knitting, which is one of my absolute faves to listen too. Pay her a visit and check it out if you aren't already a listener.
So... here's what I want you to do for me. Let me know what you would like to see here. Contests? YouTube videos? A Podcast? Or all of the above? Leave a comment and let me know what you would like to see happen next. Don't be shy! Let me know you're out there. I WANT to hear from you!

A $7 Spinning Wheel You Can Make - DIY

I just received my Fall 2012 issue of Spin Off magazine. Something on the cover really caught my eye! I just started spinning on a drop spindle back in February when I met a group of ladies, the Serendipity Spinners, at Stitches West. Since then I've been admiring spinning wheels. Well, there's an article in my magazine titled "A $7 Spinning Wheel". This wheel is called the DODEC because of the Dodecagonal (12 sided Polygon) wheel that makes it’s construction approachable by people not familiar with wood working. It's made by Porterthreads.com and is for beginning spinners to build and use as an alternative to other expensive wheels. What an ingenious invention!



Bishopofknit, as he is known on Ravelry, along with his wife raise Jacob sheep, spin and knit their wool as well as raise goats on their little farm. They recently developed this DIY Spinning Wheel for people to build at home. Now even I can afford a spinning wheel. Do I have any volunteers out there that would like to make me one? If not, I may have to try my own hand at some carpentry! What an amazing contribution to the craft! Pay them a visit and tell them I sent you! :)

Knitting on the Beach

There's nothing like getting some sun, breathing in the gentle sea breeze and enjoying some knitting. We're at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk today. My husband is frolicking in the sand with the kids whilst I'm enjoying a relaxing moment with my knitting.

"Luv R Pacas" Part II - The Fiber!

 
I finally got around to photographing the yummy yarns and fiber that I brought home with me from Luv R Pacas. As I mentioned in my previous post on Aug. 23rd titled "Luv R Pacas" Part I - A day amongst the Alpacas, they do offer alpacas for sale as well as fiber lots. So needless to say, I indulged myself in choosing 6 hanks of their luxurious yarns. I came home with 1000 yards of alpaca spun yarn that I can play with! I'm really looking forward to creating some new designs with these. They are very lustrous, soft and smooth to the touch. I just love holding and squeezing them! They're so squishy! Mmmm... If I can get past playing with them maybe I'll get them wound into balls that I can actually knit with!  ;)

I chose a variety of gorgeous natural colors to work with. The textures are absolutely wonderful! A knitter's delight! 
I also came home with a sheet/blanket of felted alpaca fiber. This is not a knitted piece. This was created by layering the raw wool and felting it together. This sheet is very unique in that each side has a different look. It measures roughly 3' X 4'. Below you'll see the differences on each side. I photographed one side and then flipped it over and photographed the other side.

Side A

Side B

Which side do you like better? It's a tough choice, but I guess whichever side I choose, I could still make something that would be reversible, thus still showing off both sides! And what on earth would I be planning to make with this huge chunk of fiber you might ask? Well, the options are endless really. One awesome idea would be a hat! I spotted this lovely hat on display the moment we walked in the door. Donna made this gorgeous felted hat from a sheet of felted wool just like the one above. I think it's lovely! Her granddaughter modeled it so that I could take a picture. Isn't she a cutie?

Donna's granddaughter Taryn

Well, I've really enjoyed sharing my photos and telling you all about our trip to the alpaca farm. If you missed Part I and the photos of the alpacas, please read my post titled "Luv R Pacas" Part I - A day amongst the Alpacas.
Go pay Luv R Pacas a visit and tell them I sent you! Hope you've enjoyed my story!

Where was I one year ago?

I was just doing some reminiscing recently. Thinking back to where I was in my knitting a year ago... I had not yet taken the leap into designing myself, but I was working with a few local designers. At this time last year, I was doing some production knitting for Mlle Sophie of BREAKING THE WOOL. Sophie is a French designer. She was based here in San Francisco at the time, but has since moved back to Paris. Her company "Breaking the Wool" offers the highest quality of handmade fashion accessories for women and men, uniquely made here in San Francisco. I was one of her "makers". L'Original *for him* was the shawl I hand knit. I made several of these for her company. 

L'Original *for him*

The "Original" is Breaking the Wool's "It" shawl. A subtle mix of alpaca and mohair. It's incredibly soft yet substantial texture is perfect for every day wear by women as well as men.

What a pleasure it was to work with Sophie and to have the opportunity to create such luxurious items. Thank you Sophie for inspiring me to try my own hand at design! Please visit her online at BREAKING THE WOOL to see what she currently has to offer!

"Luv R Pacas" Part I - A day amongst the Alpacas

Here I am really enjoying the moment

Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting an Alpaca Ranch just outside of Los Banos, CA. in rural Merced County. "Luv R Pacas" was started in 2008 by Donna & Dennis Morris. After seeing alpaca commercials on television, they decided to visit an alpaca ranch and it was love at first sight. I can definitely relate to how they felt because I felt the same thing yesterday. I could have stayed and played with these adorable creatures forever!  This one decided to check out Jen's camera A total of about 27 alpacas reside at Luv R Pacas, including both Huacaya and Suri Alpacas. They do offer alpacas for sale as well as fiber lots. I myself came home with several hanks of yarn. But of course! As you probably know, alpacas love children. Alpacas are so luvable, huggable, gentle and approachable! So my friend Jen and I took our kids along with us for the visit. As you can see, we had an amazing day! The kiddos and the alpacas My son Brandon My daughter Caitlin

Owner Donna Morris showing her Luv

 It was such a pleasure meeting the owners of this ranch. The alpacas play a very important role in the current life style of Donna and Dennis Morris. It was easy to see the love and care that they feel for their animals. They're more than just livestock to them. They are their pets... their babies! Donna and her husband love to talk alpacas!

My thanks goes out to Donna and Dennis for giving us the tour and such an amazingly memorable experience! This was my first, but definitely not my last visit to Luv R Pacas. Check out their website http://luvrpacas.com and/or pay them a visit. It would be their pleasure to show you their herd in person. Bring the family and sit a spell with them amongst the alpacas!

Part II of "Luv R Pacas" will be posted as soon as I take some photos of the gorgeous yarn and fiber I came home with!

Malabrigo and my Knitter Profile

Where should I begin? I have a couple of things to share with you tonight. The first one being that I was featured on Jordana Paige's blog today as this month's "Knitter Profile". I had a lot of fun answering all the questions in the interview. So head on over to Jordana's page and get more of an inside peek into my personal life.

Elizabeth, Jordana, Author Julie Turjoman, and myself

As you may already know, I'm working on a knitting book. So when possible I will be sharing bits and pieces about the process. One of the yarns I have chosen to use in several of my pattern designs is Malabrigo Yarn. Talk about a yummy yarn! I also love the fact that they are taking steps to improve sustainability and to reduce their carbon footprint. Liat Gat of Knit Freedom fame just recently fulfilled a dream that seemed almost impossible to her — She visited the Malabrigo Yarn factory in Montevideo, Uruguay. Check out this video of the tour she was granted and share in her dream come true!

Cottage Crafts Boutique

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, come join me today, Saturday, August 18th at Cottage Crafts Boutique. They're having a Cottage Festival. It's their official kickoff to The Fall Holiday Season. 10am to 5pm with Tea Tastings, Sidewalk Sale, Drawing & fun. I'll be selling a few of my own crafty items outside on the sidewalk! ;) — at Cottage Crafts Boutique.

A Road Trip and Some Knitting

Photo I snapped with my cell phone of the beautiful starfish at the Sea Life Aquarium - Carlsbad, CA

I love road trips! Just last week we headed south on a mini family vacation. My children don't go back to school until the 27th, so this made for a nice "end of summer" outing. We decided to visit Universal Studios as well as Lego Land. We spend 3 wonderful, fun filled days theme park hopping! I didn't realize that Lego Land was 3 parks in one. So we purchased the "Resort Hopper" package which included admission to LEGOLAND^® California, SEA LIFE^® Aquarium and LEGOLAND^® Water Park. The kids had loads of fun! But I was in awe of the beautiful Sea Life. My favorites were the starfish (what lovely colors they have) and the stingrays. I was captivated just watching the stingrays glide around. I could have watched them for hours. But children and husband beckoned. They were headed for the Water Park.

Meeting Scooby & Shaggy at Universal Studios Hollywood with my family

And of course no road trip is complete without a little knitting. The drive alone was about 8 hours from our home to Universal Studios in Hollywood. Then another 2 hours from there to Lego Land in Carlsbad, CA. I had planned on knitting a pair of fingerless mitts while my husband drove. But alas, I ended up driving more than half the way there that first day, because he had a headache. By the time he got behind the wheel there wasn't much daylight time left. So needless to say, I didn't complete my set. But I did get in quite a bit of knitting time while standing in lines! We ended up waiting more than an hour to ride some of those rides! But it's amazing how fast the time flew while I was knitting. ;) 
By the end of our trip, my husband was ready to do all of the driving and I was able to complete one mitt and get started on the second one on the way back home.

One mitt completed and the second one was well underway

I just realized how nicely the color of my mitt coordinates with the starfish in the photo above. Coincidence? Maybe that's why the starfish caught my eye. I just love that shade of purple! It's always been my favorite color. :)
It's been a busy summer. Have you taken any road trips? What are you knitting?

Sliced Banana Bread

All I need now is a nice cup of English Breakfast Tea! This banana bread recipe is in the post below...

Banana Bread Recipe

I just removed the banana bread from the oven and have set it out to cool! In the meantime I would love to share this good old country recipe with you! I found it in a recipe book that my dad gave me a few years ago. His church put the book together as a fundraiser. So without further ado, straight from the Heartland comes this Recipe of Worth from Choctaw, Oklahoma!

Banana Bread:

2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter (melted)
2 c. flour
pinch of salt
3 over-ripe bananas (mashed)
1 c. pecans (optional)

Mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, flour, baking soda and salt. Add mashed bananas and nuts. Pour in loaf pan and bake at 375 F degrees until done, about 30 - 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Note: I left out the nuts and I only used 2 bananas because that's all I had! Still turns out awesome! My son LOVES this recipe. I'll be lucky if there's any left by days end.

Baking in the Morning

Our bananas had gone all mushy, so what better use for them? I've mixed up a batch of banana bread batter which is being popped into the oven right now! :) A photo of the finished product along with the recipe will follow!

Meet Joelle Hoverson

Take a moment to watch this beautifully done video. I own both of Joelle's books; Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Both are gorgeous! If you haven't heard of her before, this clip is well worth checking out! Enjoy!

Self-Publishing

Just found this awesome link about Writing the Great American Knitting Novel at Knitter's Review. Thought I'd share! Lot's of good info here!

Playing with Swatching

I'm up late tonight... Tossing around a few stitch ideas and knitting a sampler swatch to test them out. I just love the squishy feel of this Terra yarn by The Fibre Company. The color is off in this picture. But I guess that's to be expected after midnight in artificial light at the kitchen table. I think I'll call it a night soon and head off to the land of nod.

Purses for Preeclampsia rescheduled

Update via Jordana Paige: $50 Handbag Sale - Purses for Preeclampsia rescheduled for this Thursday: http://t.co/VvCmC9y9

My Misty Mountain Winnings and more...

Thanks Ashley!

I recently posted about winning a blog contest over at Ashley's Misty Mountain Designs blog. I received my scrumptious Noro Silk Garden yarn and the US 10 Kollage circular needles about a week ago. Thank you so much Ashley! I love my gift and can't wait to make something beautiful with it. I recently purchased the book "Knit Noro Accessories", so I'm sure I can find the perfect little knit for this. Or I may just decide to design something unique and all my own! I've been meaning to post about it, but you know, sometimes life just gets in the way of our plans. And I've been one busy little knitter lately!

I met with my photographer yesterday to go over some plans and do a little brain storming on the book I have brewing. There are lots of options and choices to be made for some great outdoor photo shoots. I'm hoping to be able to start shooting in September, so I've got several projects I need to get finished. I'll keep you posted as things progress.

On another note, in my previous post I mentioned Purses for Preeclampsia, a sale Jordana Paige was having to benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation. Needless to say, if you tried to purchase a bag that day, you found out how successful this sale was. However it ended up bringing in so many customers that her web server just couldn't handle the traffic. After lots of attempts and failed tries, I was finally able to purchase a Rio bag in Green Olive.  This happened at the last minute, just before she closed the sale early and decided to post-pone the rest of the sale until a later date. I'm very happy that I was actually able to get through and to contribute to her cause that day. I will keep you posted as to when her next sale will be. There are still "imperfect" knitting bags to be had at $50 each, with 100% of the funds being donated to the Preeclampsia Foundation.  

Purses for Preeclampsia: A Sale to Benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation

Jordana Paige is doing it again! Two years ago she offered her “imperfect” handbags for $50 each with the promise that every penny of that $50 would be donated to Doctors Without Borders for Haiti earthquake relief. The response was overwhelming. $15,150 was raised! It was an incredible day.
Today's fundraiser is being held to honor, Cooper, the nephew that she lost to preeclampsia last year.
Beginning at 8:00am PST today “imperfect” handbags will be available for $50 each. One hundred percent of the sale price of each bag will be donated to the Preeclampsia Foundation.
Please Check it out!
And even if you can’t make a donation but would still like to help, remember to share this event with your friends. RSVP to Jordana's Facebook event. Pin this post. Tweet. Blog. She needs everyone’s help!

I snagged a Craftsy Deal!

I just opened my email this morning to see the "Stack Your Stash with the BULK SALE!" email from Craftsy. I quickly scanned over the deals and scrolled to the bottom where I saw this image and immediately clicked the link:

Quantity showed 2 left! I jumped on it and it now appears I bought the last 2 skeins available of this Manos del Uruguay Classica Yarn (Wildflowers). Yummy! This is a worsted weight, 100% Wool (138 yards per skein). Not sure what this will be knit into just yet, but I'm thinking it would make a lovely scarf or hat! By buying this yarn I've helped support efforts to empower women and eradicate poverty through sustainable economic development. And I even saved $4.99 on the shipping! Below I have quoted Craftsy's text describing the efforts behind this yarn:
"Manos del Uruguay was created to help women in Uruguay's countryside generate income for themselves and their families. This company has been beneficial in enhancing women's role in Uruguay's society. Through yarn sales, they have provided women economic independence and opportunity for personal growth. All yarn produced by Manos del Uruguay is hand-dyed using precise color recipes that create subtle nuances in the hues of every yarn. All of their products are hand-spun, woven, and knit using traditional techniques. Because this hand-made yarn has such beautiful color, it would be perfect to knit a bright scarf, or any other vibrant accessory! Manos del Uruguay is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization, and all of their yarns are certified as 100% sustainable." -via Craftsy

Visit Craftsy now and sign up to receive your own Craftsy Deals newsletter!

On My Needles

This is my current WIP. Can anyone guess what it is going to be? I look forward to sharing more details as I get closer to my goal.

My Knitted Boyfriend

I stumbled upon this video tonight and thought I'd go ahead and share it here. Not really sure what I think about it myself... It's quirky, that's for sure! Designer Noortje De Keijzer proves love and companionship can be found in the most unlikely places with ‘My Knitted Boyfriend’.  See blog post, http://blog.vogueliving.com.au/2012/04/19/milan-design-week-wednesday-18-april, for accessories to personalize your boyfriend!

A Knitting Book

I've been tossing around the idea of writing a knitting pattern book for quite awhile now. So I've decided to finally do something about it. Been doing alot of research and I know this is going to be a huge project timewise and financially. I will post about it as it progresses. I received my sample "dummy books" on Friday. As you can see, my dream is a blank slate at the moment. But my imagination and creativity have begun to flow and I'm planning to fill these empty pages with the inspiration and beauty that I find in knitting. Let the process begin!

Happy 4th of July and a New Design Release!

Here's wishing everyone a Safe and Happy 4th of July! I'd love to hear how you're celebrating the day. Leave a comment and let me know! I will probably be spending a quiet day at home with my family. Not sure if we'll head out to a fireworks display later this evening or not. I think the one that we've gone to in the past may not be doing it anymore due to a lack of funds, which is sad. It was always a great outing with the kiddos.

Without further ado, I just released my newest creation! I designed a new hat pattern which incorporates cables & bobbles & lace, oh my! I've always loved the look and feel of textured knits. And this one has a little bit of everything!  You can find this pattern as well as others on Ravelry and Craftsy!
My kiddos, Caitlin and Brandon also had to get in on the photo shoot!

The Never Not Knitting Theme Song

I just have to share this most awesome song with you! I just recently started listening to Alana's podcast over at Never Not Knitting and her theme song keeps me in "stitches" everytime! I just can't stop laughing! Have a listen! And then check out Alana's blog and podcast!

 



Caitlin's Knitting Cast On Technique

My 8 year old daughter Caitlin is so cute! She came to me the other day to show me that she had figured out a different way of casting on (using the cable instead of the tips of the needle). I watched as she maneuvered her stitches. Then I ran to get my camera! This is my first ever attempt at creating a video for YouTube. So excuse the amateur recording. I may just have to start adding more videos here. This was fun. Hope you enjoy!



I'm a winner thanks to Misty Mountain Designs!

I'm so excited! It seems I was the lucky winner of a pair of Kolláge Square Circular Knitting Needles Size 10 16" cable, and a skein of Noro Silk Garden in Colorway 8. I absolutely love both brands, so of course I'm a happy little camper!

That said, I owe my thanks to Ashley, the author of the blog Geoknitology. She is saying farewell to the old and boldly stepping into a new life! She's just opened a new etsy shop and started a new blog Misty Mountain Designs. Please pay her a visit and tell her BayAreaKnitter sent you!  ;)

Thank you again Ashley!!!

I'm on Craftsy!

I've just listed a couple of my knitting patterns on the Craftsy website! 

Chocolate for Breakfast?

Brandon insisted on putting a golden coin (chocolate) on top of each of his waffles this morning. Was I a bad mom in letting him do so? As for the jacket he's wearing... He says he's cold! It's only 72 degrees in here! ;)

Thursday’s Knitting Tip – Using Unconventional Tools

 Well the original post was posted to Webs Yarn Store Blog on Tuesday, but I'm sharing it today, thus making it MY Thursday Knitting Tip.  ;)  I found their link through Pinterest. It's amazing what you'll find there! Anyways, this one caught my eye because I had actually just used my own "unconventional knitting tool" this week! So I just had to pass this on!
 I have misplaced my cable needles, so... I opted on using one of those tiny straws from my children's Capri Sun packet to knit the cables in a new hat design I'm working on! Worked like a charm on the little C4b I was doing! The plastic tip had a bit of a point and it was just "sticky" enough (no pun intended) to keep the stitches from falling off the needle, I mean straw! ;)
Click on the link below to see how a piece of grass can be used!
Webs Yarn Store Blog » Blog Archive » Tuesday’s Knitting Tip – Using Unconventional Tools

Openwork Ridges

I just self-published one of my original hat designs on Craftsy as well as Ravelry! Posting the link to Craftsy below. I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple of magazines that I have submitted to with other designs, but I wanted to go ahead and test the waters out at Craftsy and Ravelry as well. If I can sell my patterns on my own, why not give it a shot?

Source: Openwork Ridges Hat via Christine Chen on Craftsy

Never Not Knitting

Recently I've really gotten into listening to knitting podcasts. They're especially nice to listen to while doing chores around the house. I would much rather knit than clean house, but tuning into a podcast while accomplishing the task at hand keeps things a little more interesting and less boring! Listening to a podcast also makes for a nice companion while knitting! ;)

One podcast in particular that I would like to mention is Never Not Knitting hosted by Alana Dakos. She keeps me smiling and even laughing with her stories. I had the privilege of meeting Alana at Stitches West this year. Alana and her friend Hannah Fettig came together to produce the book Coastal Knits, a compilation of ten fresh knitwear designs inspired by Alana's California and Hannah's Maine coastlines. Aside from the gorgeous designs and patterns, the photography is also stunning! If you haven't checked out the podcast or the book, they're well worth doing so!

Alana and myself at Stitches West 2012

Summertime Knitting

Food for thought on this Friday... inspired by an article on knitty by Teresa Mowery.

Top 5 Reasons to knit during the Summer:
1. It's a Sanity Saver (it's very portable, so you can take it with you to that company picnic, ball games, family reunions, etc...)
2. Natural light (lots of daylight hours!)
3. Prime KIP (Knitting in Public) time!
4. Rest and Relaxation
5. Get a jump-start on your holiday gift list

Now what's to keep you from knitting in the sun?

Fruits of my husband's labor

He's the gardener... I'm the knitter! Strawberries and Red Cherry Tomato make for summertime yum!

Diving into the World of Designing

Wow! Has it really been a whole month since my last post? I can't believe that much time has passed! But I have a totally valid excuse! I've actually been knitting like crazy, even into the wee hours of the night. And what do I have to show for this? Well... at the moment I can't show you anything... and I'm really itching to share!  :(  But hopefully in the near future I'll be able to! What does this mean? I've been diving into designing some of my very own patterns that I hope to have published somewhere in the not too distant future.
What I can tell you is that I've been loving every minute of it! The yarns are yummy and hopefully some of you out there will think the same of the patterns!  ;)
Stay tuned, because I may give you some hints or sneak peeks along the way. Until then, I will try to post more often just so you know I'm still here!

The finished Cheetah Hat !

I've added the bow, giving it the final finishing touch.

Hand knit cheetah print hat

I've just cast off knitting the cheetah print hat. There are still a few finishing touches to be added, but I think it can wait until tomorrow. I need to weave in loose ends and add a cute little knitted bow. But for now, I'm off to bed! If anyone is interested in knitting this hat, the pattern can be found here: http://www.petitepurls.com/winter10/winter2010_p_uptown.html It's called Uptown Girl. By Shelley D. Jones. Enjoy!