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!

Pet Peeves!

Do you have pets? I do, I have 2 kitties. I used to think I was a dog-person, but after getting my first cat, Shango, I quickly realized how funny and cool cats can be. Yes, they are quite independant, and may only give you the time of day when they feel like it, are hungry, or just because it's what they want to do at this moment.... But, they have very cool personalities.

Shango, who will be 7 years old in 2 weeks, is mellow, lazy and a total lover boy. Since I only had dogs around me when growing up, I taught him how to come when he's called, and to sit when I tell him so.... Took some time, but he totally does, promise!

Jazz... Well, she's definitely a typical cat. She does totally as she pleases... She's super cool though, quite the "scardy-cat" but hilarious too. She talks back and only comes to sit on me if I have a blanket on my lap. She will be 7 next October.

I knit, crochet and basically am in love with yarn and fiber crafts. I do it all the time, daily, and I basically go into withdrawls if I don't "make time for yarn everyday" (quote from a TV show: Knitting Daily).

My cats know they need to respect my yarn, and I do realize it's a great challenge for them... I mean, they are cats after all....

There is one particular brand of yarn that I particularly love..... Malabrigo yarn. It's not the fanciest, or the most expensive, but it's my favorite. I love the colors, the feel of it between my fingers and how well it knits and crochets.

I use the word Malabrigo often in my house, so it's now a common term... Hehe.... So common, in fact, that the kitties actually know not to play with it. I'm serious!

Shango loves to snuggle, he will approach slowly, tentatively place his paw on my arm and if the coast is clear, he will climb on me and lay down.... It's cute, really.

But.... if he hears "not now, love, it's Malabrigo", he knows.... He will lay next to me instead.

Do you have pets? Have some fun stories to share about your "pet peeves"?

Cozy and warm... finished!

Well, it took some time to finish.... Not because the project was complex, but because I kept running out of yarn! Who knew finding more Lion Brand yarn would be a challenge!

I originally received the first set of skeins from my parents at Christmas, a ball of each color. Since a blanket was my project of choice, I knew I would need to get more balls....

I started with JoAnn's, got a few balls there, easy-peasy. Then, I ran out of the green... got some more, ran out again. Man, this blanket takes way more yarn than expected! LOL

Then, JoAnn's ran out too! Michael's and Beverly's didn't carry that specific color, so I got a couple of balls online. Then, I ran out AGAIN! but with only 12 rows to go (on a decrease, too... so little yarn needed).... ugh, right!

Finally, I found some again, at my trusted JoAnn's store.... Hurray! :)
Anyway.... That's my story, I'm stickin' to it, and snuggling as I do!

I think the blanket looks pretty cool, what do you think? I wanted to play with the stripes, makes them un-even and random...

It's super warm and definitely very cozy! I can't wait to take it up to the mountains and snuggle with my man on a chilly evening.... Sip some tea, watch a good movie or read something fun, like maybe some Poe.

Cozy and warm...

My mom got me some really chunky yarn for Christmas, 1 ball of 3 different colors (dark yellow, deep green and red). I was excited, but wasn't sure what to make in this bulky weight.

Looking at the colors, it really reminded me of fall, the Sierras and spending time cozied up by a fire with a good book or watching a good movie with my honey.

So, I looked up some knitted blanket designs. Being still new to knitting, I wanted something that would look cute, but still simple. For this weight, I didn't think having a motif or complex design would really work, but I found the perfect pattern from Lion Brand (also the yarn I used): Baby Love Diagonal Blanket. It's very easy to make (and quite the popular pattern), in fact, I was thinking it would be much harder than it really is.... A diagonal design.... hmmm, must call for lots of increases and decreases and some fancy trick with needles. Haha... nope, just a simple yarn over, that's it!

I'll take better pictures when it's done, but for now, I was excited to share this much :)

Potholders galore!

My good friend Susan made these really neat crochet potholders. They are SUPER easy, so I wanted to try the pattern.... SO fun, let me tell you! Check out Susan's potholders too: SoSue

I started with one, to check it out... Then, another since it took no time to make. Now, i'm working on a pile! I've purchased all sorts of cotton yarn at JoAnn's (Lily's Sugar N' Cream).

I'm making some with a hanging loop, some without...

What are you working on?

once upon a time...

... life got complicated.

There was a time, when dad would take care of all those little sad moments, family problems and basically your average pains. Kiss my boo-boo, make it better, "daddy, fix it!".

Do you know about "Franken-Barbie"? ahhh... Well, when we were kids, lived in France, our dad traveled to the US a lot, for business. Needless to say, he brought us back some really cool toys, that our friends didn't get. So, our house was a popular playground. One of these toys was a really neat Barbie. She had the latest fashion designs, cool hair, etc... So, we all wanted to play with her. So much that it broke! Yep, right in the middle of the neck, it just broke, naked with no fancy outfit on.... So, being a kid, I naturally ran to dad, handing over the broken pieces, saying "dad, look.... Barbie's sick, can you help fix it??????". Dad being a fixer, looked at me, and said "oh sure, be right back". He goes into the garage, where all them fancy tools are at.... We hear some banging, sawing, drilling, phew.... all sorts of good stuff in there... Get this, Dad comes back in, all smiles.... hands me the "new" Barbie and says "look, all better!". Uhhhh.... WHAT IS THAT!? Barbie had this huge-ass bolt and screw in the middle of her neck! How in the hell am I going to play with her, and you know, dress her up? Well, we grew up learning to appreciate what we had, so I thanked my dad (even though I was more than super disappointed) and went back upstairs.... After morning our loss, we decided to call her FrankenBarbie..... Yep, I think Mom still has it somewhere in the attic... Still naked! LOL

Now that we are adults, there is no do-overs and reality can hit pretty hard. I have a strong family, I am a strong person and I have an amazing circle of close friends, who I know I can count on. That's priceless.

I guess this post is all about appreciating what I have, counting my blessings and re-evaluating what I may have taken for granted for years now.... I don't practice much, but I am Catholic and do believe in Him. I know He works in mysterious ways, but man... sometimes, it's a hard pill to swallow! ... So, I pray... I pray for strength, for happiness, for recovery, for everything to be ok where it really counts.

Everything is going to be ok.

Zumba!

Our workplace rocks, right... We have many benefits, and one of them is a fully equipped gym (newly renovated). There is a full line of classes offered throughout the week, and since last week, a Zumba class!

Don't know about you, but I'm pretty much as white as can be when it comes to dancing.... hehe. I have rythm (from my years of playing piano and being harrassed by my metronome) but I can't seem to get my body to "shake it" and "jiggle it" (well, I take that back, everything does jiggle and it's scary!) like the instructor... She makes this looks guuuuud baby! :)

So, today, I tried it. It's actually lots of fun, even if you have no clue what you're doing! hah! My BFF and I tried it for the first time. Let me tell ya... it'll work ya! phew... I'm sure we burnt some serious calories...

I definitely didn't have the energy I wanted to fully get myself going, but with time I think I could enjoy this... Have you ever tried it?

PS: I would get my butt kicked to next week if my Physical Therapist found out I exercised on my bad ankle, so don't tell.... shhhh ;)

Bread and potholder

This weekend was a comfort-oriented couple of days... I haven't been feeling 100% lately and since the weather was all in my favor (gloomy, cloudy and awesome!), I thought I'd cheer myself up by baking.... who know how I got to that thinking, but this made sense, right?

So, here I am, looking in the pantry for all the necessary ingredients to make my favorite banana bread. Sorry folks, no nuts in my bread. Oh, and of course, I used my super blender... LOVE THAT THING!

Well it turned out super yummy.... A couple of slices later and a nice big cup of hot tea, I was in Haven!

What to do next? well, hey... why not make a potholder! so I did (picture represents potholder just finished, not yet blocked).... hehe.... I had this neat little pattern for a dragonfly motif potholder, that I've been wanting to try. I ended up making 2 of the same, so I could double side it and make it thicker. The yarn used was a little too bulky (Red Heart soft), so the potholder turned out a little larger than I imagined... but I don't mind, I might use it as a trivet instead... A multi functional little dragonfly!

So, what did you do this weekend?

There's something about tea...

A few years back, I discovered how much I trully enjoy drinking tea. So much in fact, that my boyfriend got me this awesome Chinese teapot and super yummy Lychee tea from the Mountain View Tea Village (awesome place BTW, you should check them out!).

Anyway... After enjoying that tea and discovering the many health benefits to drinking tea, well it became yet another of my favorite obsessions... Besides yarn, of course.

my own monster...

Now, I can't live through a day without tea, or else... major crabbiness occurs... WARNING! hehe...

Today, browsing... I mean, working really hard during business hours (ahem...), I found the best and super coolest coaster! Yes, I have a serious dorky side, it's ok... I don't plan on getting help for it.

Anyone who knows me, knows I can have a bit of an attitude... oh come on, I'm really not that horrible, most of the time... hehe...

Can't wait to get my coaster.... and warn people!

30-day picture challenge...

Normally I wouldn't be one to follow the crowd and get on board of a challenge like that... It's just not really my thing, but I do enjoy watching others' postings... that said, I gave in this time around and started the 30-day picture challenge.... could be fun, right?


The "game" started simple, post a picture of yourself with 10 facts... ok, no big deal, I can do that, right.... hehe.

So, here I am, day 4.... post a picture of "your night".... uh, what is that? my artistic interpretation of what night is? Since I wasn't sure, I took it literarily: what do I do in the evenings....

For me, ya, simple enough.... Play with yarn, sip tea, watch some TV and read my kindle... Boring, I know, but that's what I call a good relaxing evening... So, that's what I posted...





Then, I thought.... People are gonna think I'm a dork. Well, they most likely already do, if they even know me just a tad... but how boring is my little life, HA!

Anyhoo... what do you think, maybe you think I'm boring, or... maybe you're a busy mom/worker bee who would really looooove a mellow night like mine?

My evening always has to include something about yarn.... Whether crocheting, knitting or shopping for new yarn, or visting my favorite shop, Green Planet Yarn.
As the evening progresses, I love having a nice cup of hot tea, most often from my stash of Chinese herbal teas... even if the weather is warm, it relaxes me and helps me with late night cravings... after watching some of my favorite TV shows, I can then shup down and go read for a while before passing out.... ahhhh...

Christmas 2010

This past holiday season, I spent it with my family in New York City. The trip was filled with family traditions, from my dad's pate, the creche de Noel, to spending time with my sisters by a cozy fire.

My sister, Stephanie, took us to visit some great sights, and one of them was the Purl Soho yarn shop.

The shop was beautifully arranged, with rows or fabrics, yarn and accessories. I really enjoyed walking through it, picturing how excited I would be to tell my friends back at home, on Wednesday, during knit nite!

My sister, Stephanie

My sister, Clothilde

The shop...

Sock it to me...

About two weeks ago, I started a class on how to crochet socks, toe-up. The pattern is simple enough, but for some reason, I never could master how to make heels, and so couldn't finish socks. Now, I get it! Sort of like an Eureka moment, hehehe.... Well, I finally finished the first one and I love it! For a first sock, it's not too bad!

The yarn used is beautiful... MadelineTosh sock yarn, color: Nebula.
I was going to use my absolute favorite, you know... Malabrigo, but my buddies at Green Planet Yarn suggested I try this one instead. Well, it turned out awesome and I'm thankful for their advice.