All That Sparkles

As the holidays grow closer, I am peeking often online for unique gift ideas. I love purchasing from independent artists... as well as shopping locally for really amazing presents. I came across beautiful bracelets from ShopClementine on Etsy. This artist has a fabulous shop & her bracelets are just brilliant! Here are two of my very favorites...one in blue sapphire, the other in tanzanite. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Yesterday was just crazy gusty and windy...flickering lights & rattle the windows winds! I love stormy days like that....lighting candles just in case we lose power. Perfect night for a good suspenseful book. I'm currently reading The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood.

I recently came across beautiful paraffin candles by the company Melt. They have a collection that is currently available at Target. Great addition to the kitchen island area along with some autumn decorations. These candles smell amazing, burn for approx. 40 hours and are priced at about the $15 mark. Great idea for teacher gifts, hostess gifts and Thanksgiving! I love the tile design on the glass...I save pretty holders, clean them out & use them at my desk. Perfect for paperclips, staples or stamps....

Stormy Days

We've had a good amount of rain & chillier days here this week. I love autumn weather and gladly put on a wrappy sweater & my Hunter boots to head out. Today I posted these three items on Pinterest and when I peeked back at my pins I noticed a common theme....lots of grey, black and white. Maybe weather inspired? I'm not certain... but I am loving the evening fires and harvest spice tea that come with this cozy time of year.... xoxo

Cliffside dwellings in Spain.

Cocoa & Sugar

I don't buy a lot of jewelry on line. Usually I need to see a piece of jewelry in person, feels its weight, how it drapes. I love very simple lines and warm colors. However, I recently found this amazing artist on Etsy and I purchased this beautiful gold and cocoa pendant necklace. I love the extra long length, the subtly lustre...everything about it. Perfect with a deep v-neck sweater. It's my favorite piece for fall! 

The artist has so many beautiful items....these earrings are stunning as well! The druzy stone reminds me of sugar crackle on creme brulee.....xoxo

Just Lovely

After a night of a bit too much drama, I'm watching football and knitting. And looking for pretty yarn. Pretty yarn will equal pretty thoughts....and hence...no more drama!! So, this is what I came across: a perfect mohair from Feel Good Yarn Co. This two-ply Tajik Kid Mohair has a beautiful luster and softness. It's just simply lovely. Happy Knitting! xoxo

Oktoberfest

Hooray...October is finally here! I just found a perfect autumn hued, hand spun yarn on Etsy, bought some Butter Toffee coffee and I'm starting a great new book for book club....happy!

From the shop Livingcloth: Love this amazing bulky merino wool yarn! Take a peek here for yardage & exact fiber content.

Knitting Pattern Idea

I love everything about this stunning lace wrap! Such a warm & cozy burnt orange color, beautiful detailing....just ideal for autumn! I came across this pattern on Etsy in the California based shop FickleKnitter....the pattern is available to purchase and download (it has been tech edited and tested.) What a great project to kick off fall. Happy Knitting! xoxo

Beautiful wrap pattern can be purchased from FickleKnitter.

Love these....

I am addicted to fingerless gloves. They are a perfect knitting project....you can use your creativity, play with color combinations, experiment with texture and, best of all, they knit up quick. I recently came across this pattern on Ravelry...it's published by Mac & Me. It's not a free pattern but it caught my eye immediately. Knit with sport weight yarn with small needles, these fingerless gloves are beautiful. I love this artists work...these gloves are my new favorites! Happy Knitting! xoxo

Perfection! This pattern can be purchased on Ravelry.

All Things Pumpkin

I could lose myself for hours in Williams Sonoma. Come fall....it's like a heaven of all things spicy and pumpkin! I love this Napa Valley Pumpkin Seed Brittle....it's a perfect, yummy blend of pumpkin spice and Indonesian vanilla.

Love these great upcycled pumpkins from Whimsys Workshop on Etsy....super clever & cozy looking! Happy Autumn! xoxo

Knitting Weekend

I am constantly inspired by the work of other knitters. I just came across an artist on Etsy who makes the most amazing wraps and shawls. KnittyStories is based in Lithuania...the shop owner works with mohair and wools and her work is breathtaking. Custom requests are gladly accepted...I would love to order this triangular shawl to wear with jeans and a fitted tee. Happy Knitting! xoxo

Free Day

I so appreciate an occasional free day...no scheduled appointments, meetings or pressing engagements....just a simple day to myself. I'm loving fall and cannot get enough of his chilly weather. Still knitting my cowl....I'm in no rush to finish....I just love this project. I came across these knitted socks. I've never tried socks....I'm completely intimidated by cables....but these are just so cozy & perfect....

I'm not a real big flower person, so when I need to send a gift, I'm always looking for a creative, seasonal alternative. I recently found Sweet Trio! Love this Wisconsin based shop....their items look amazing! You can stop by locally or order on line. Perfect autumn treat!

Sweet Trio: their dark chocolate dipped apples look delicious!

Simple Monday

It's freezing here today and I'm so thrilled! Bought a great pumpkin spice candle, gathered some wood for the fireplace and went to the market for a huge bunch of basil to toss with pasta tonight. I'm making this Garlic Herbed Pasta that I found on this wonderful food blog  Pinch of Yum.  Delicious recipes for chilly evenings!

I'm in the middle of knitting the Ombre Cowl still...loving the colors. Working with both Rowan and Cascade yarns currently. My favorite is Black Currant from Rowan...such a rich autumn color!

Found this image on Pinterest, but sadly no source for it....I love the inspiring simplicity. Happy Knitting! xo

Autumn Loves

I am currently....blissfully....in the middle of a great knitting project. I'm working on the Ombre Cowl from Ravelry that I posted earlier this week. My only change to the original plan....I switched out the black mohair for an inky, deep eggplant. Love the depth of the color!

I just found an amazing pattern on Etsy for this "Genevieve" cowl/snood. Available for purchase, from the beautiful shop AtelierTPK, in PDF form....this is one of the prettiest patterns I've come across and it's ideal for both beginners and advanced knitters! Worn loose or cozily wrapped....I simply love this....just a stunning project idea! Happy Knitting! xo

Love this cowl? Purchase the pattern at this great Etsy shop....AtelierTPK

Ombre Obsession

I cannot say enough how much I love this Ombre Cowl....it simply stunning, the colors are amazing....so perfect for autumn! Most exciting...this fabulous pattern by Hilary Carr is available for free on Ravelry!  Love the selected colors chosen by Espace Tricot for this cowl. 

One of my very favorite yarns is used throughout....this cowl is knit with a variety of shades of  Rowan Kidsilk Haze. So, grab your favorite hues....it's the perfect project to put your own personal spin on! Happy Knitting! xoxo

Autumn Knitting Perfection....love!

Back To School, Friend

I just love looking for new knitting inspiration. I try to share new yarn ideas and free patterns as often as I can. This fab friend sort of popped up on me when I wasn't looking! How charming is she? It's like a knitted Back To School sweetheart! The pattern is on Ravelry (in Tetyana Korobkova's Store) and while it isn't free...it's just too amazing to not pass the word around on. I cannot wait to knit my own Purple Viola Doll! Here's to a wonderful, cozy autumn season! Happy Knitting....xoxo

All The Trimmings

I love when attention is paid to the tiniest of details. I also love quality notions that have a wonderful craftsmanship to them....velvets, wools, flannels. There's something about ribbon and trimmings that I just adore. I recently discovered TinTiaraTrimmings on Etsy. They have so many lovely offerings sold by the yard. 

Decadent green velvet ribbon.....

 

Love this silk & flannel.....

New Season

With school starting next week I have been in an all autumn mode! I love the rich hues, all the wonderful harvest of fruits & veggies and most of all the cool, lovely evenings.

Yummy afternoon snacking....addicted to these seedless grapes...

 I just came across an amazing knitting site. You can also follow them on facebook. Great yarn supplies, project ideas and creative inspiration! Check out We Are Knitters.....it's beyond addicting! 

In my search for unique fall yarns, I also found a terrific Etsy shop. Beautiful creations! HookaholicHandspun has such fantastic merino wools.....I love this pink & brown combination called Electric Neapolitan.
Happy Knitting! xo

Love this great thick/thin yarn!

Wrapping Up

I feel like summer is coming to a close. Today the girls both got back to school haircuts...and all new uniforms have been ordered. Hair ties are all freshly chosen, shoes just need to be picked out. We are having a girls weekend so it's time for some yummy snacks...like ice cream with fresh strawberries. I sliced the strawberries and then marinated them in a bit sugar with sliced vanilla bean....

Our favorite back to school accessories....these super pretty & preppy hair ties by Emi-Jay! Love them. They are by far the best hair ties we've ever used. They leave no dent mark in the girls hair, they offer tons of colors to select from and they have the perfect amount of shimmer. Take a peek here!

Perfect Afternoon

Yesterday was a perfect afternoon. My youngest daughter is nine and as we had an entire breezy day with no urgent plans...I decided it would be great to spend the afternoon at home & teach Lily how to knit. I was not at all certain if this yarn adventure would be successful or not. Lily, like an 5th grader on a sunny summer day, might be easily lured away by some distraction or another. She's also left handed and I am not.  I appealed to the shopper in her and told her to go look through my vast collection of yarn and pick out a few balls that she would like. Who isn't mesmerized by yarn and all the endless possibilities.....

She started with a grey and purple blended yarn that she selected because it's fuzzy....

Lily caught on so quickly....both to casting on and a simple knit stitch. Just three hours later...she was so proud of her finished work! Next up on her list...this pretty berry colored Lamb's Pride yarn from Brown Sheep.

Perfectly perfect!

Lamb's Pride: Great teaching yarn....soft blend of wool & mohair.

An Early Start to Autumn

Fingerless gloves are my favorite late summer project. I so look forward to the breezy, cooler days ahead....and fingerless gloves are so cute on a cool autumn evening. I love the yarn that arrived from the UK. I ordered a beautiful skein from The Fibre Tree on Etsy and it may be the softest yarn I've ever worked with. This past weekend, I combined it with one of my favorites, a beautiful mohair from Shibui. The result....fingerless gloves that are super cozy and exactly the texture I hoped!

Pattern: For these gloves, working both yarns together, I cast on 25 stitches on size 10.5 US needles. I knit 5 rows in knit stitch to give the gloves a bit of edging. I then alternated knit one row/purl one row until I reached approx. 9 inches in total length. I then finished with 5 rows of knit stitch to complete the glove. I seamed up the side leaving a thumb opening. I knit very slow....each glove took me about 3 hours. Perfect weekend project idea....happy knitting!

Yummy Ideas

Since I was little my favorite ice cream has been mint chocolate chip. Shown here paired with chocolate sugar cookies....it looks even yummier! Readers Digest highlights a whole bunch of delicious ideas in this article! Take a peek to find some great weekend treat inspiration!

Saturday Morning Coffee

My quiet mornings with coffee may be my favorite part of the day. I like the stillness and calm. I received super soft hand spun yarn in the mail yesterday from the UK....a beautiful butterscotch-y thick/thin I purchased from The Fibre Tree on Etsy. Just got done winding it....it has the such a warm hue to it. I'm going to add in a mohair skein I bought in Lake Placid last month. Cannot wait to get started to started on fingerless gloves.

How great is this drawstring knitting bag I came across!? Terrific Dicken's quote from "A Tale of Two Cities." Knitting, wine.....add in a little Ray LaMontagne on my iPad and it's a perfect! Happy Weekend! xo

Perfectly Wrapped

I've had a reflective week where all I've wanted is a bit of quiet time with my daughters. Sometimes things are so rushed and hectic and you need to step back a bit and reprioritize. The girls nibbled on hot dogs and strawberries on the porch this afternoon and I searched a bit for an autumn wrap idea. I love this free pattern I came across titled "Sonia's Shawl" on Ravelry. The texture and workmanship is amazing! Knit with Aran weight yarn.....this looks ideal for kicking off autumn projects! Happy Knitting! xo

 

This is just so cozy & beautiful!

Two Loves

Years ago, I made jewelry for a few very hip and lovely downtown boutiques. I loved this experience....designing, creating and sharing ideas. I found the art of knitting to be equally as rewarding and it fit easier into my lifestyle once I had children. I could take my work with me everywhere, projects could be left out with no choking danger that was my constant jewelry worry and I still sold pieces both online and in boutiques. 

Whatever I was creating, the constant was that I loved hearing from customers regarding who they were buying my pieces for...hats for triplets for a holiday card, jewelry for a boyfriend traveling to see his girlfriend (and placing his order two days before he needed it!) as well as my work being used on a few episodes of The Young and The Restless.

Today I came across a wonderful Etsy shop called Yarn Yoda, located in California, that sells great stitch markers. The artist created this set of  markers using labradorite....my very favorite stone to create jewelry with. I love labradorite's luminosity...it's just magical.  Happy Knitting! xo