This is the first garment I’ve made in a long time. It’s a summer blouse pattern from Simplicity. This is my second time making the shirt and as a result, I made some adjustments to the pattern. The changes included making the sleeves less full and only gathering the front and back of the neckline; the original pattern called for gathering the whole neckline. The last think I changed is how the neckline was done; I really couldn’t understand the instructions and I had my own way of doing it. The fabric I used is *perfect* for this pattern - it’s from Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern line. It’s a subtle light pink on beige pattern so hard to see it in the photo (click for a larger view). I can usually find something I would do better, but I’m pretty darn pleased with the final result.

I’m diligently working on my circular shawl, except when it’s too hot to have a pile of silk and wool on my lap. It was 97 this weekend so I did pull out my sock for a bit. I felt like knitting but I couldn’t tolerate the shawl. Now that it’s cooled off, I’m focused on the shawl. I only have 5 repeats of the cable edge left and then I can bind off. I’m hoping to have it done in the next couple of days. Yay! This will be my first project where size matters so I’m really hoping I did the math and have my gauge right. I cannot tell you how bummed I will be if this doesn’t fit right.

I hope everyone has fun plans for the 4th!! Can you believe it’s July already???

Tags: finished projects, sewing

It’s sitting on the porch, relaxing. Tonight we turned the tv off (gasp!) and enjoyed the cool evening. CJ was on patrol in the yard. I had my knitting. Bill had the laptop. He would have been reading but he was dong some research for me. It was a nice way to end the day.

I’ve been working on my circular shawl. I am anxious to finish it. I casted on a new pair of socks on Sunday. I was looking for a small project to break up the monotony of the circular shawl but then decided if I just focused on the one project, I would get it done faster. So the socks have been set aside but I am looking forward to picking it up. I’m trying a new pattern - stockinette stitch with picot edging courtesy of the tutorial on Claudia’s blog which was recommended by Carole Knits.

I confess to being a little stressed by my knitting. I’ve been going through my stash yarn trying to match yarn with projects and figuring out what I’m going to start next. And while I’m doing it I’m updating my stuff on Ravelry. But I’m overwhelmed by the amount of yarn I have. Maybe there’s a couple of skeins I can get rid of, but not many. And there’s so many interesting patterns. Just too little time.

Yesterday I passed my written driving test and am now a licensed CA driver. That was a pain. Not hard, but it did cause me some anxiety. I’m very happy to have that behind me. I’ve also found some time to cut fabric and start sewing a new shirt. And my other big project is cleaning and polishing a brass bowl I bought at a flea market for $3. It was so dirty and tarnished and had green spots on it. But I saw potential. It is 50 times better but still needs some TLC. It’s fun bringing something back to life. AND, I am reading a book on the Vietnam War.

So how are you spending your summer days and nights?

Tags: knitting, life, projects

I am finally recovered from the plumbers who were working on the house last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The hot water heater broke around Memorial Day and when the plumbers were here, they discovered that all the incoming water pipes needed to be replaced. It was crazy. We were originally told the job would spill into a second day. Then after the first day, we were told it would take another day and a half, which ended up being three full days. There were two plumbers, two apprentice plumbers and a gentleman watching all their equipment which was spread across our garage and driveway. It was loud, not as dirty and you would expect, and only a moderate inconvenience. There’s still some patching and painting work that needs to be done so we’ll see when that happens.

Even though I wasn’t actually doing any plumbing work, it took a lot out of me. I’ve been working on my Chevron Love mittens. I have been having some gauge issues and it’s taken me a bit to get the measurements just right, but I think I’m almost there. The mitten kits provide a very generous amount of yarn. So far I’ve knit 2 practice mittens and one actual mitten and am on the matching mitten so that’s 4 mittens. They are fun to work on and I’m hoping to finish my last mitten tomorrow.

Yesterday I rearranged the furniture in the living room. Bill was a little surprised when he came home but he likes it. We’re going to live with it for a bit and see how it goes. The problem I am having with the living room is that it is a living room, tv room, and a dining room. Truly my biggest problem is the dining room table. I confess that we normally don’t eat dinner at the table, but I have a table and I like the option of being able to eat there if we want to. So now it’s in the far corner of the living room by the windows and sliding glass door. Bill says it’s almost like eating outside. As I said, we’re going to live with it and see how it feels.

Today, we walked to the farmers market in downtown Campbell. I didn’t know what to expect but I was very pleasantly surprised. It was three blocks long. One block was crafty/artsy type stuff, one was baked goods and prepared food stands, and the third block was fruits, veggies and flowers. We bought sweet corn, green beans, two types of peaches, plums, potatoes, an orchid plant, orchid stems, a loaf of cinnamon bread, and a bear claw. For me, the highlight was the orchid stems. I used to buy them (albeit a different variety) at the Amish Market for $3 a stem. Five stems would last me 3 - 4 weeks. The orchid stems I bought ( which are hanging out of Bill’s backpack) are huge and cost me $5. Total. The largest bloom measures 5 inches across. They are absolutely gorgeous. It will be interesting to see how long they last.

We walked home and Bill cut some 2×4s for me to help organize my books and our entertainment closet. We are big readers and while we’ve really cut down our collection, we still have a lot of books. I want to do two tiers of paperbacks to maximize space and I’m using 2×4s to raise the back tier of books so you can still read the name and title. I want to do a similar thing in the entertainment closet with our DVDs. We’ll see how it look and works.

Bill just finished up his yard work. We are lucky enough to have people come every two weeks to mow the lawn, trim the bushes, etc. but we still have poop patrol and compost turning. We also have to pick up the fruit that’s fallen off the trees because I don’t want bugs. We discovered that neighbor’s tree which hangs over our fence is a fruit tree and we are curious to see what kind of fruit it will produce. It looks like it might be nectarines.

It’s early in the afternoon and the chores are complete. I think it is time to sit out on the porch and relax with a book. I’m looking forward to dinner. Tritip on the grill with some baked potatoes and green beans. Now if only we could get some decent wine around here…

Tags: life

These are just so freakin’ cute. I bought the kit from Julia Vesper at knitterlythings and I am really having fun with it. This is my first real foray into stranded knitting. At least I think it is stranded knitting. And I just realized that it’s my first pair of mittens. A pair of firsts! Ha ha ha… Nevermind.

Anyhoo, the pattern is easy to understand, even for this first-timer. The yarn is fabulous and it’s so much fun to work with these bright colors. (This is the brilliantly bold kit, in chase you were wondering.) So don’t look at the picture too closely (I just had to photograph the side with the beginning of my round.) But all in all, I’m quite pleased with how this is turning out, ’specially with it being my first time.

I think I’m going to have to keep these. Can someone tell me if I’ll have any use for them out in Northern California? (pleasesayyes pleasesayyes pleasesayyes)

Tags: knitting

Bill, I can’t believe that we were married nine years ago today. It’s been a fun ride so far and I’m enjoying our new adventure. With you by my side, anything is possible. XOXO M

So how does one celebrate their 9th anniversary? Why with cupcakes and wii skiing. The pups even got to join in the celebration. And of course Sabrina is in the background expressing her outrage at the lack of kitty cupcakes.

I’m looking forward to number 10. I believe someone mentioned something about diamonds…

Tags: life

I’ve never gardened before. Truth be told I am not a fan of creepy-crawlies which tend to be found in the ground and on plants, etc. Bill was offered a deal on earthboxes and wanted to try his hand at tomatoes and peppers. He planted them in mid-March and now we have our first red tomatoes. Yay! These are our cherry tomatoes and if you look hard, you can see a bunch of little green tomatoes just waiting to turn red. We also have regular sized tomatoes that are still green but a decent size. Our pepper plants have really sprouted up in the last two weeks too. We should get a nice yield from those plants. This is all very exciting for a first time gardener.

Moving to California (and having a backyard) has given us an opportunity to try new things. We’ve also been trying to live a greener lifestyle. Our shower seems to take forever to heat up, so we bought a large 5 gallon bucket to collect the water that would otherwise get wasted. We’ve used that water for our garden and the flowers that I’ve planted in the backyard. I also use some of the water on my indoor plants.

We’ve also started to compost. The City of San Jose offered us a deal on a compost bin and offers free composting workshops. So we’ve set it up and have a little bin on the counter where we collect our compost scraps every day. It’s working out pretty well so far. It will be at least another two months before we have useable compost, but our soil can really use the nutrients so it will be worth the wait.

Finally, I think I have a hydrangea bush in my backyard. What do you think? Fingers crossed that’s what it is; I love hydrangeas.

Tags: green living, life

Have you ever watched Magnum PI? Magnum used to say “it’s another day in paradise” in the show. Of course, he lived in Hawaii but I understand the sentiment. The weather here in San Jose has been very comfortable, in the 70s. It’s usually cloudy in the morning but the clouds burn off in a couple of hours. Sometimes you can see the last few clouds trying to roll over the mountains which looks neat. The sun shines, most days there is a breeze and in general, it’s beautiful.

I’ve been trying to spend more time outdoors. Today, Bill and I did a 23 mile bike ride from downtown San Jose to the Bay. It was relatively flat although most of the trail was on gravel. We rode the Guadalupe River Trail which went past our Target, the San Jose airport, and then along a river and by Bill’s temporary apartment. For the most part, the trail was pretty and the view enjoyable. The Bay was a little stinky, but overall it was a pleasant couple of hours. Bill had enough energy to make us most delicious cheeseburgers (my favorite post big-outing meal). We relaxed and read on the porch and then Bill made me some chocolate chippers. Yum!

Saturday we went to the Maker Faire. It was very interesting. I was surprised at how many crafty types there were. I met Janet Perry who’s blog I read. It’s always fun to put a name with a face and she does beautiful needlework. I think my favorite thing was the mobile cupcakes. They would cruise around the fair and were surprisingly agile. The lego set-up was also impressive. There was a film set, a WWII aircraft carrier, and trains. I had a you-know-you’re-in-California-when moment and that moment was seeing a compost bin next to the recycling and trash at the faire.

Today’s little day in paradise involves lots of laundry and picking up around the house.

Tags: life

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I feel a little strange saying that as the new weekend is upon us, but I’m behind (shocking, I know). This was the first Memorial Day that I haven’t gone to the (National) Mall and paid my respects at that the Vietnam War Memorial. I was a little disappointed that we couldn’t find a wreath laying ceremony or something, but my thoughts were patriotic. Memorial Day makes me think of my dad and grandfather, and Bill’s grandfather as well the sacrifices of our men and women in the armed forces. Thank you for your service.

My weekend flew by. Bill’s parents were in from Philly for a visit. Their coming was impetus to finish a few final projects around the house. I am very pleased with how the guest room turned out. I thought it looked rather inviting, as did CJ who got kicked off the bed a few times.

We did a lot in a few short days. Watched movies, watched hockey and baseball, played a game, took in the sights, ate, and even did some home improvements. Did I mention we ate? And we walked a little to try and work off a bite or two or what we ate. It was a most pleasant visit.

We spent some time relaxing on our porch. Thanks to Bill’s mom, we tackled a project I wanted to work on but was going to put off. We pulled the green plastic off one of the windows on the patio and put in wood shades. It makes such a difference. The shades still block the sun but now we can take advantage of the breeze and the view. I love it! Bill and his dad put up some trim to frame out the window and I spent Wednesday painting it. It looks good, though I sort of wish I had gone with painting the trim green instead of orange. What is it with me that I would always do something different? That’s so obnoxious. It does look very good. I think I did a good job with the actual painting, though I could have done without spilling half a can of paint on myself (and the sidewalk). Thankfully most of it landed on my arm, leg, and shoes.

Oh, I almost forgot! One of the best things about the project is that we used a lot of things we already had! We moved trim and 2×4s from Maryland and it was perfect for this project! We only had to but about 2 additional feet of trim (which our Home Depot had in stock). And we did have to but the shades and paint, but I found a use for some stuff I thought would never get used.

It was cool to see Bill and his dad work together. And I didn’t hear any curse words. GranBob was with us in spirit, as lessons he taught John were passed on to Bill. Thanks, GranBob.

I do feel a little guilty putting my FIL to work, especially on the last day of his visit, but my delight at the finished project outweighs my guilt! And maybe the orange paint I am still pulling out of my hair is karmic justice.

Tags: life

I think not. But we did take some time on Sunday to get outside. I had been wanting to do a bike ride near Santa Cruz, on the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean. it was really beautiful. And about 10 degrees cooler than it was in San Jose. It was a warm weekend, in the upper 90s.

We were really pretty busy around the house, again. Bill had some projects around the house and I did some work in the garage, inventorying and estimating value for some Goodwill donations. I decided to go with the tax deduction of a donation rather than the cash in hand of a garage sale. I’d say a good trade off. We have a few things left to sell on Craigs List and ebay, but after all the work this weekend, I can now park my car in the garage. Yay!!!! It is a major accomplishment considering how the garage looked 7 weeks ago.

We also finished hanging the pictures this weekend. Well, almost all of them. I just remembered I have to put up my travel needlepoints. And the guest room is almost ready for our first house guests.

The exhaustion continued when I took CJ to visit Bill at work. She is a pretty high strung dog, but thankfully she didn’t embarrass Bill. She settled down enough for us to enjoy lunch, and Bill even got to take her up to see his desk. (Yes, we do know she’s a dog.) We (CJ and I) were both wiped out from the excitement that we napped this afternoon. CJ’s been sleeping pretty steadily since 2. I’m sure that she’ll be herself by the morning. As will I.

Tags: life

After finishing my table runner I decided to take the day off. I “read” on the porch for a bit. I knew as soon as I sat down that I would most likely end up napping, but I deserved a break. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and a lovely breeze. I had a nice nap. I did do some laundry too, so I wasn’t a total slacker.

After my nap, I was motivated to bake. Bill went out before work to get walnuts for me so I felt obligated to make the banana nut bread I had promised. It’s my mother-in-law’s recipe and is pretty easy. I love banana bread. Especially with peanut butter which was a favorite snack of mine growing up. I recollect my mom baking a lot of banana bread in my youth. My bread smelled It smelled so delicious while it was baking! I was very happy with the end result. It has been awhile since I’ve baked and I enjoyed it. I didn’t mind the cleaning up too much either.

Then I decided to make a pineapple mango upside down cake from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. I’ve made it once before and it was very good. Bill had bought a pineapple and mangos for smoothies but wasn’t going to stop me if I used them to make a cake. It’s not a particularly hard cake to make, but it was messy cutting up all the fresh fruit. I used the extra fruit and juice to make smoothies as a pre-dinner snack.

The cake was delicious. I like that the batter uses sour cream and isn’t super sweet which obviously it doesn’t need given the sweet pineapple and mango. I cut the cake into quarters and froze three of the quarters for later. We had a small piece for desert and have a little left for tomorrow.

I’m looking forward to the weekend. It’s going to be in the 90s so I’m glad I got my baking out of the way. Do you have any plans for the weekend?

Tags: baking, life