Into weaving....

Apparently my current yarn addiction wasn't enough.... Seriously, should I get a life?

For a while now, I've been really attracted to the look of weaved fabric. Well, how cool would it be to weave my own placemats, dish towels and more.....
My sister Sharon and I went yarn shop hopping not long ago and started at Purlescence in Sunnyvale. Cool shop.... I had only been to it once before, and now that it was remodeled, it's really neat.

So i'm walking around, admiring the beautiful spinning wheels by the window (some are so gorgeous, they are more like antique room decor than tool in my eyes).... when I turn and see some awesome weaving looms.... oh dear...

There were some large ones, some medium ones and some with their own stands.... and then, there it was, like a little cricket standing quietly on the table....

How was I supposed to resist???? It's small, fits in my little apartment, completely portable and as affordable as can be.... I had no chance.... It would win and find itself in my car, then soon in my house.

So after asking the lovely lady in the shop all sorts of questions, I bought it!
And HOLY HOT BALLS, I love it! I got home, took my time reading the instructions, set it up, and started to familiarize myself with the craft. I warped my first project, a little scarf (yarn came with the loom).
Easy peasy baby, I had it set up in no time and completely finished my first scarf within 2 hours! No kidding!

It's not perfect but it's cool, so cool....
I'm so excited to have a little weaving loom!


















Since then (it's only been about 2 weeks since i've had it), i've made another scarf and a little mug rug

My little mug rug.... First pass at color combo.  

Red scarf just for me....

This week, I've started another project. Of course, now that I have a good idea how to wap and use my new toy, I'm using Malabrigo... I mean, come on, it was only a matter of time until Malabrigo popped out....

So yes, I'm a crochet, knitting and now weaving machine baby!

Crafty, crafty....

My office hosts a craft fair twice a year and I decided to participate this winter. I was quite excited as I had seen the fair before, and no one really had any crochet/knitted items.

I therefore had to get busy making projects, more projects and holy cow, some more too! LOL

I had a nice size table ready for me when I arrived, that morning, at 7:15AM.... Who ever thought I would be awake at that time, really doesn't know me!
I proceeded to set up my items, hoping for a successful day.



I had potholders, beanies, gloves, ornaments, scarves, washcloths and a good selection of newborn beanies/booties.....

I had a BLAST! I made pretty decent money, I must say.... I even got a couple of custom orders....

All the crafters who sign up are super talented, so it was great to walk around, see everyone's tables and get some tips on how to be a successful seller...

oddly enough, no one purchased any of the newborn sets, but all the beanies and scarves are gone!

Now, I'm ready to focus on Christmas presents, making presents and getting ready for the holidays.... In fact, I think I might bake this weekend.... I saw a recipe for Nutella cookies that looks "oh-so-delish"!!

Welcome back Autumn....

Ahhhh, my favorite season.... Away with you, hot sun, away with sweat, sunburn and late pool parties.... hehe
Welcome shorter days, rain, falling leaves, creepy dusks, wind and festivities!

I know most people just adore summer, and all that comes with it. But, even as a kid, I always was attracted to the magic of fall, that drastic change of time, pace and color scheme.... Everyone hurries to play in the summer heat and make the best of it. I just prefer to wait, wait for the falling leaves.... It's so peaceful, quiet and relaxing.

So, welcome back Autumn.... You have been missed
PS: oh it's time for crochet pumpkins baby!  :D

Beanie and more beanie....

It's been a while since I blogged.... I admit, I considered giving up.... I guess I just don't know what I'm doing and this is yet another tool to learn, even though this one is supposed to be for fun.

But thanks to my knitting friends, I'm staying!  :)

I've been on a beanie kick lately, just can't stop making beanies.... Baby, adult, repeat... yep. They are fun, and I get to practice my knitting and using DPNs.

 

I started with the 2 above, had a blast. The little purple/green/white one was sent to a FB friend who will gift to her new family addition next month. How cool right? Oh the magic of FB! LOL

Before the baby beanies, I tried an adult beanie pattern, which I now LOVE.... I have made a few of those as well:

This one is my favorite and I can't wait for the weather to get cold so I can wear it! I've also made a red/grey, and fall colored one. I just got some more red/black yarn, which I plan to make, maybe this week.

so.... any wild guess as to which yarn I am using? come on, I am very predictable! Yes, you guessed it, Malabrigo!  :)   I'm quickly realizing that Malabrigo Rios is a major favorite of mine.... Maybe, just maybe more than their sock weight.

Perhaps it makes me boring, but hey, why change what is absolute perfection?  HAHA!

Other than that, I'm just working on a pile of potholders and washcloths.... I'm planning to attend my work's craft fair, and maybe i'll get lucky and sell a few items. That is in December, plenty of time to pile on items. I also plan to make a few simple baby blankets. I decided to make them super plain, but then decorate with small appliques, such as little flowers, teddy bears or hearts, trucks and little animals... sounds fun, doesn't it?
so.... what have you all been up to this past month?

Note to all my friends, readers and followers...

I need to apologize.... Yes, because I have no idea what I'm doing on this blog... LOL.... I accidently deleted all comments too all posts and I didn't mean to!

So, please don't feel offended, I do enjoy your comments, I just need to learn how to use this thing! HAHA

Have an awesome weekend, Happy 4th of July and of course, happy yarning! :)

Beanie for me

I finally am expanding my knitting skills, it's about time, I know... I'm now more confident to use new techniques, such as DPNs and so I wanted to make a beanie. I really love this pattern, called two-tone hat (Ravelry). Easy and lovely.

I just finished my first beanie last night, not too bad for a newer knitter, right? :)

I just love working with Malabrigo yarn.... As you know, it's my favorite obsession. But it's now not just sock weight, I just love all their stuff, it's ridiculous! Of course, my pictures don't do justice to the yarn colors, which are just lovely. Can't wait to start another one of these projects, I already have the yarn picked out!

Then, next step... socks!

Spoiled again....

Last week was my special day, I turned 35. Very exiting as I love my 30s so far....

I was spoiled, I'm quite lucky to be surrounded by people who love me, cherish me as much as I do them. It's great to be me! :)

My boyfriend got me the bag I wanted, the Namaste "Cali Collection" Zuma. It's great for knitters and crocheters, as it opens wide and closes with magnets instead of a zipper. It also includes a pocket in the front filled with slots to store needles, accessories and so on... I love it!

I also received beautiful flowers from my knitting group friends, as seen behind the bag (above). I couldn't tell you the kind of flowers they are, but they are soft to the touch, colorful, fragrant and just beautiful. Of course, I had to keep them in my room, not only to look at them late in the evening, but also to protect them from my kitties....

My nephew, Christopher, also gave me an awesome present... He drew me a picture! He's 4 and very talented and I love my picture. I have it hanging on my wall at home.... I was also spoiled with some gorgeous yarn from my sister Steph and my sister in law Sharon. They gave me some oh-so-lovely Cashmere yarn, SO soft to the touch and so fancy! It's from Jade Saphire, really check them out, just lovely!

Another awesome gift was a sweet keychain I had been eyeballing for a while.... It's all about yarn of course, and just cool to have.... Isn't it just neat?!

The day wouldn't be complete without some Malabrigo though.... Which came this past weekend, when on vacation in the mountains. It was SO cold, I decided to knit myself a scarf to wear around town.... I decided to go for some chunky yarn called the Rasta, which my boyfriend picked out for me. It's super warm, soft and you know... Malabrigo awesome! I haven't pictured it yet, but look for it on my Ravelry page (tricotteavecninie) soon.

I got more, way more.... I'm just so lucky! I now must find the coolest projects for my fancy yarn, the coolest stuff to put in my new bag and maybe i'll just need to move to a cooler apartment for my new keychain! LOL

It's been a great birthday, and I thank all my friends and family for yet again, spoiling me!