More on Striping

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but it's been hot here. Hot! Work's been keeping me busy, and that along with the incessant heat have made it so that all I want to do is eat, knit, and sleep when I get home. Here's to hoping that things cool down soon, weather-wise and work-wise.

This past weekend did grant us somewhat of a reprieve: mid-80s weather and low humidity allowed J and I to spend a day with some friends walking about the city on Saturday. We had some incredible frozen yogurt at TangySweet during one of our rest stops, and I am certainly looking for another opportunity to visit again!

The blanket has been put on hold; I've decided to wait and see if my friend has a boy or a girl before continuing. Truth be told, I have horribly dry hands and using the yarn I was using turned into a complete snag-o-rama so I think I'm going to end up making a hat, baby mitts, and baby leg warmers (striped of course) for a series of smaller projects my poor construction worker feeling hands might be able to take more. The green-blue-teal color scheme doesn't quite work so well for baby girl clothing though, hence the wait. In any case, my nephews may be getting some embarassingly matched hats and mittens for Christmas this year. ;)

I've got a lot of projects to keep me occupied in the meantime. I need to finish up my pair of socks as well as the scarf I mentioned earlier, plus a wrap for a future wedding. Then comes all the holiday gift knitting, which I am really looking forward to!

One last little tidbit--I found another neat tool for striping while perusing some message boards. Check out the Random Stripe Generator for your next "freeform" striped project. I've had so much fun making different color combinations and seeing what the computer spits out.

Giveaway on Wendy Knits!

Wendy D.  Johnson of Wendy Knits is having an awesome giveaway on her blog. She's offering a copy of her Gothic Spires store/scarf pattern, and two skeins of Zen Garden Serenity 20 yarn. Go check it out!

Also, today is National Strawberry Shortcake Day. In honor of that, here is a recipe Serious Eats put out in honor of the occassion.

Photo from Serious Eats

Red Velvet Cocoa Strawberry Shortcake (Recipe from Serious Eats, found here)

Red Velvet Cocoa Strawberry Shortcake

- makes 8 shortcakes -

Adapted from The Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup cold butter
red food coloring (optional)
1 cup milk (or split between 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup buttermilk)
2 pints strawberries, sliced
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 cups freshly whipped cream

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually stir in the milk until a soft dough forms. Add food coloring and mix until incorporated.

2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons into eight mounds on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, gently toss the strawberries, orange juice and remaining sugar. Split each cooled biscuit into two horizontal layers. Top the bottom layers with whipped cream and strawberries; place the biscuit halves on top. Serve immediately.

I'm a winner!

A few weeks back, one of my favorite yarn people, Karida of Neighborhood Fiber Co., had a contest and drawing for her new colorways. I didn't win the naming contest, BUT...I won a skein of studio sock in the newly named Victorian Village!

My yarn came in the mail earlier last week, and the color is stunning. It's a deeper fuschia than what the photo shows. If you remember, I used Neighborhood Fiber Co.'s Studio Sock in Georgetown for my Citron Shawl and was quite pleased with how everything turned out.

So, any ideas on what I should make next (besides socks)? I've got 435 yards at my disposal. Hmm....

Thank you, Karida!!

Knit Picks order has arrived!

I'd like to thank everyone for the wonderful anniversary wishes. We had a wonderful day, and are looking forward to many more anniversaries to come.

When we got home, I found two packages waiting for me by the door. My Knit Picks order has arrived! This includes the Blocking Mat I posted about earlier and a few yarns.

I will post pictures of the Citron shawlette I blocked last night, but the light in our office has been so bad because of the storms we have been experiencing. Anyway, I love this mat--it gives such flexibility to add and remove panels as you see fit, even in the middle of blocking.

As for the yarn, I am uber excited! I have never ordered yarns online before because I am such a tactile person and a stickler for squishiness, but  I've heard so many wonderful things about Knit Picks yarns that I thought I'd take a chance. Plus, with their great pricing, I didn't feel like I had much to lose.

I ended up ordering the Shine Sport Yarn, because I am a sucker for modal. I was really pleased when I received the yarns--the colors matched the swatches on the websites pretty well, and while the yarn definitely had that absorbent feeling cotton has, it is very soft and has a wonderful silk-like sheen to it.

Well, that's pretty much it for now. I'll post pictures of the knitted gift I hinted at a few days ago and my shawlette soon. Have a happy 3-day weekend, everyone!

Colors pictured (L-R): Bison, Blush, Green Apple

Store Review: Wendy's Knit Shop

A hunt for the elusive 4" size 2-8 HiyaHiya interchangeable needle set took us out of our suburban surroundings and on into a lovely country drive over the Potomac to Brunswick, MD. Our destination was Wendy's Knit Shop. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect out of a knitting store in such a small town--I knew it was either going to be a gem or one of those questionable stores with a small selection of yarns and notions and several dozen baggy applique sweaters in the window display. But, as a vendor of HiyaHiya, how bad could they be?

I am pleased to say that Wendy's Knit Shop is definitely gem of a store. Located in a great Old Town/Downtown looking area (complete with railroad museum), the store carries yarns from Red Heart acrylics to Berocco to socially conscious Frog Tree Yarns. My favorite part of the yarn selection was their section of locally grown, spun, and dyed yarns, most notably those of Alpacas of Maryland. There were local wools, as well as a  large assortment of alpaca yarns, and cashmere blend yarns, soft and silky to the touch. I couldn't resist walking out with  two hanks of plush, irresistibly smooshable alpaca in aqua and a smoky charcoal (both from Alpacas of Maryland).

 
For spinners, 4 oz. bags of rovings are available.

The shop is run by two sisters, and the service was great. When I called to inquire about the HiyaHiya interchangeable needles, I was greeted jovially and the person at the end of the line even hand-measured the needles to ensure that I was getting what I wanted. Upon arrival, I met both sisters and was asked if I needed any help, but was not taken away from my browsing by too many offers of help or suggestions on what I might want to buy for x, y, or z project. When I did have questions, everyone was very friendly and knowledgeable. At the end of my visit, my yarn was wound for free (a service offered by many stores, but not always made obvious like it was here), which is always appreciated.

So, if you're in the area or even if you're not, make sure to stop by Wendy's Knit Shop for a personalized and satisfying experience.

 Wendy's Knit Shop

Open Wednesday through Monday (see website for hours)

17 W Potomac St.

Brunswick, MD 21716

(240) 457-0410

Website: www.wendysknitshop.com