A Favorite Film: Jane Eyre

Have you seen the latest version of Jane Eyre? It's been airing on Masterpiece Theatre, so I saw it this week. The DVD is coming out in February and I think I'll have to buy a copy. I love this version. The characters are passionate like I imagined from reading the book and the filming is really beautifully done. The actors are great picks for the roles. I was so enthralled watching that I could barely knit, but at least I had some plain stocking stitch to do ;-)

Stash Enhancement

I just love the color of this discontinued Rowan summer tweed yarn 501-Lilac. I decided to buy some today while it is still available even without a specific pattern in mind. I'd like to use it for a v-neck sweater, but need to find just the right pattern. I'm thinking it should be slightly tailored at the waist and maybe have some eyelets/lace on the cuffs.

Here's the pic the seller used on ebay since I don't have it yet to take my own pic.

Shopping and Shrug Update

I went to Sakonnet Purls yesterday afternoon and found these buttons for my Drops Cardi and some RYC Cashcotton in seafoam for an upcoming project.


Over the weekend, I got quite a bit more knitting done on the shrug, but did absolutely no seaming...I'm so bad! At the rate I am going on the shrug, I'm going to end up having three things needing seaming all at once. Ack!

Shrug Update

I can get sooo much knitting done when I am avoiding seaming! Here are the sleeves for the Debbie Bliss Shrug.

I would have two FO's if I would just focus on seaming for awhile. I'll really try to get them done this week =)

I finally saw the rest of The Lost Prince on PBS last night! It's a wonderful film, though a little sad. I won't describe my favorite bits as I don't want to give anything away if you haven't seen it. Miranda Richardson, aka Queenie from Blackadder, plays the Queen in The Lost Prince!

Brrr...

We are having frigid weather here, but the dogs seem oblivious to the cold! Here they are playing today like it's a balmy summer day.

Silas loves this old, deflated football.

Saffy can spend hours sniffing.

A cute shake.
They love to play chase together. Saffy's ears look like little horns here!

Show & Tell: Tins

This morning, I read Audioknits latest post about her old tins. I thought, what a great idea for a post! So, here are some pics of my tins.

My Grandmother gave me this spring crocus tin. She saved buttons and little sewing odds and ends in it and it is still full and very heavy. It has a little residue on the lid from an old label, but I'm not sure how to get it off without hurting the tin, so I've left it alone.

This is one of my favorite tins. I love the pink color and the blossoms. It holds makeup pencils, etc., on my bureau.

This is a Louis Sherry chocolate tin that my Grandmother got in NYC in the late 1920's or early '30's. I don't keep anything in it at the moment and just have it on display. I love the vivid colors. It looks a bit like a porcelain box, don't you think? Grandmother had a couple of larger ones too that she used to keep her gloves in.

This is the Queen and her husband. The tin is not in the best condition, but I still like it.

The last item is not a tin, rather an interesting paper box with an arched lid. Inside it is red and says "No Mend Silk Stockings". It's a little fragile, so I just use it for display.

Do you save old tins too? What do you keep in yours? If you post pics of them on your blog, please leave the link in a comment for me.

I'm a collector, so I have lots of odds and ends around the house. I'll try to feature something in a "show & tell" post every month...remind me if I forget!!

Knitting, seaming, reading...staying out of the cold.

I have less than one sleeve left of Lara! I've already seamed one side, sleeve and the back of the neck. I've even tried it on (sort of) and I think it's going to be nice! I will have to block it to relax the front ribbing a little and make the bottom edge in the back stop rolling up. I'll take a pic for you soon.

The Drops Cardi is slowly getting seamed. I find seaming this headache inducing...so many tiny stitches to match up! So far I've done one sleeve cap and one side.

Here's my next project. The swatch (Knitpicks Elegance) is perfectly in gauge. Let's hope I manage to stay in gauge when I start on the real thing!

Oh, I've been meaning to post some pics of things I got for Christmas. Better late than never, right? I'm getting lots of knitting inspiration from Modern Classics and Scarf Style.

And, I'm getting cooking and life inspiration from Cook What You Love and the cute little Tea at the Ritz book.

Harvesting Herbs and Garden Planning

We are finally getting some normal winter temperatures here. Brrrr. I am not used to it! Last night, I harvested a bunch of the rosemary as it doesn't usually survive our coldest weather here. I'll have to cook some Italian dinners this week! It smells so good!

The cold weather is making me want to look at seed catalogs. I just counted 22 catalogs I have recently received and I know I've already recycled another 5! Here are a few of my favorites. I also really like Johnny's and Thompson and Morgan, but couldn't really fit them in the pic.

Every year around this time, I draw out diagrams of the upcoming vegetable garden and plan what seeds I'll need. I decide what flowers I want to add to the gardens and which existing ones need replacing with fresh plants. Soon, I'll start sowing flowers and veggies in the basement where I've set up some lights and a heat mat to fool them into growing early. It really boosts my mood to see little green plants growing inside while it is still cold out. The hardiest seeds will be sown in pots and put out in the cold to come up when they are ready.

Blue

I feel like I'm getting a jump start on Project Spectrum with all the blue yarn I have been knitting since the first of the year!

I completed the back of the Drops Cardi Saturday night and got it blocking right away. Here are all the pieces...

...I have a lot of seaming ahead of me!

While the final piece of the Drops Cardi was blocking, I began Lara, a Debbie Bliss pattern I have been admiring for some time.

Instead of spending $130 on the recommended Alpaca Silk, I am using $17 worth of Lion Brand wool-ease in Navy. I'm thinking that if I really love to wear this sweater, I'll splurge at some point and make it with the Alpaca Silk too. But I think the wool-ease will be ok initially. I'm planning this as an everyday sort of top to wear with jeans. I'm hoping to finish it up quickly as the temperatures are dropping and we are going to get some winter weather around here after all. I could use a cozy new sweater to wear!

This is a pic of the left sleeve. For this pattern, you start with the left sleeve and knit your way across to the right sleeve all in one piece. It's a little bit like the child's Lola sweater I made last year.

I'm starting to look ahead to projects for this year and will begin to post ideas soon. For now, I can say that I will be making a pink, green and cream Noni bag for Project Spectrum in April and May. Debby is going to work on one along with me! And, I'm planning to make the shrug from Debbie Bliss Cathay, but have yet to choose a color. I will pick one that fits in with Project Spectrum.

Why is it always dark and rainy when I am trying to take pics? I lightened the pics up as best I could...I hope you can see enough detail.

Saffy Pics

It's raining today...again...and someone has cabin fever!







In knitting news, I'm done with the right front of the Drops cardi and am nearing the end of the back!

Project Spectrum 2.0

I signed up to be part of Project Spectrum 2.0. I enjoyed seeing other people's blogs with all the colorful pictures last time. I think it's going to be fun to join in!

More Drops Cardi

It is so dark and rainy here today. I apologize for the uneven lighting in this photo, but I want to show you the left front of the Drops cardi!



It has a little shaping for the waist in addition to the v-neck and sleeve shaping. The trim is created as you go by garter stitching the center 12 stitches.

Although I had some initial concerns about working with the fine alpaca yarn, I'm finding that it's knitting up quite quickly. It can look a little uneven as I work, but I find that a quick dip in warm water and blocking overnight evens it out nicely.

I hadn't really examined the Drops free pattern site before recently looking for a pattern for the Drops Alpaca in my stash and I really think it is a wonderful resource. If you haven't checked it out already, you might like to: Garnstudio & Drops Design. The cardi pattern I chose is clearly written and quite simple. It occurred to me that this would be a good top to embellish with the lace cuffs or trims like you can find explained in Nicky Epstein's books like "Knitting on the Edge".

Well, rainy days are good knitting days, so hopefully I'll make a lot of progress on the right front today!

Drops Cardi

Just a pic of one of the sleeves. I have both done now and am working on the left front!

New Year, New Pattern

Last year, I had my eye on this Drops pattern...

cabled cardi
...and bought the yarn for it.
But when I saw the fineness of the fiber, I was worried about how long it would take me to knit up! I've chickened out and I'm not going to make the cabled top, but I went on the Drops free patterns site and found this top to make instead!

cardi
And, I should even have some yarn left over to try making these cute bobbled wrist warmers.

wrist warmers
I began a sleeve on January 1st, finished that on the 3rd and am currently knitting the second sleeve. I'll post pics soon!