Exploring Baker Beach

When you think beach in San Francisco you better have a hat and jacket packed in your bag. Beaches here are notoriously windy and chilly, which makes it tough for bikini wearing.  However once you get past this, San Francisco beaches have some of the best views in city. They make a great place to spend the afternoon.

 

  

What did you do this weekend?

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On Your Mark…Get Stitch…Go!

The trouble with stitch markers is that they disappear faster than you can say…well “stitch marker.” Generally, I use  plastic rings or tiny safety pins. The tiny safety pins are super handy because you can adjust them at any point. Considering I have been making so many socks lately, the open stitch markers have been getting some serious use.

My current tool kit only has two stitch markers  :(. This makes it tough to knit more than one project requiring markers. I figured it was time to add to my supply. Since I love a DIY project, I headed to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft to stock up on some supplies.

Check out this tutorial for a great how-to guide.

My Tools: chain nose pliers, headpin, toggle clasp, wire cutters

Here are my new stitch markers. Aren’t they cute? I can’t wait to get to knitting with them.

More Spring Knitting

I have really been in the spring knitting mood. All I have wanted to make are light, airy, and delicate items. Basically anything that screams “springtime.” My friend’s birthday is coming up so I thought a spring knit would be a perfect gift.  After an assessment of my stash and some internet searching, I landed on lacy scarves. I whipped out my US size 10 1/2 needles and got to work. My friend’s birthday is in a week so I really had to get going.  My fine motor skills took a minute to get use to the size contrast, but boy did my scarf grow.

Whit’s Lacy Beginnings Scarf

Sorry for the not so good picture. I was in a rush on my lunch break and needed to get the scarf in the mail. I plan on making another real soon so check back for a future pattern post soon 🙂

FO: Peach One Way Tee

I have finally gotten around to taking pictures of my new sweater! I must say, this pattern came into my life at the perfect time. The back story: I was feeling a little bummed that I didn’t really get to wear any sweaters this year. The weather has been unseasonably warm (~70 degrees everyday). Since the cold weather decided to skip the Bay Area, I decided that short sleeve sweaters were a must. Boy was I pleased when the Interweave Knits, Spring 2015 issue arrived. The designs this season were awesome! I immediately put 4 of the sweaters in my queue.

The One Way Tee by Debbie O’Neill was a fairly easy knit. There is a lot of stockinette in between the lace panels, which means it was quick knit as well as TV watching friendly. One pattern change I did make was to knit the body in the round. I am glad I did this as it significantly cut down on my finishing time. I mean why weave in more ends than needed? When trying on my finished sweater, I was so pleased with the fit. I mean after all the work I put into creating a swatch, I was a little nervous that my efforts would have a bad result. I think most knitters biggest fear is an ill-fitting garment that took weeks to make.

Here are some pics of my new “baby.” The details of the pattern and process are here on my Ravelry page.

One-Way Tee by Debbie o’Neill

One-Way Tee

Now that my sweater is complete I have entered the all too familiar cycle of…What next?

Whit Takes on The Emerald City

I often feel like I am  trying to compare new things to the life I know. I find myself making statements such as, “Well it is a lot like…” As much as formulating relationships helps me process new information, I find it good practice to sometimes just look at things tabula rasa (with a clean slate).  Seattle, Washington was unlike any city I have ever been to. I never really found myself saying, “It’s a lot like…”  Seattle was different…and I loved it.

At night, what you see is a city, because all you see is lights. By day, it doesn’t look like a city at all. The trees out-number the houses. And that’s completely typical of Seattle. You can’t quite tell: is it a city, is it a suburb, is the forest growing back?- Jonathan Raban, Author

I think the things that most amazed me was how green it was. Seattle definitely lived up to the “Emerald City” name. I mean how many cities do you know have more trees than buildings? I hope to get back to that beautiful city soon so that I can take more advantage of the green spaces. Good thing Seattle is only a short plane ride away :).

Handmade Wontons

Visiting Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery

Kerry Park

View from the Public Library

The Famous Gum Wall

Fish Market at Pike Market

Fish Market

Pike Market

Smith Tower

Street Art in Seattle

Pioneer Square Area

Waterfall Garden

Fun on the Space Needle

View from the Space Needle

View from the Space Needle

Freemont Troll

Pretty Tulips

Quick Post: Seattle Preview

A sunny warm day in the beautiful city of Seattle made this girl smile… Or at least take several selfies in front of Seattle’s most famous landmark 

 

   

 

Stay tuned for more travel photos! ✈️

And That Happened…

Sometimes you have to follow the pattern as written. As a pretty advanced knitter, I often use the pattern as a guide and make my own modifications. At times,  I knit a little longer or add an extra decrease. However, my Business Casual socks reminded me that sometimes you should really follow the pattern. I was attempting to knit them two at a time on my new 47″ fixed circular. The issue was that the cabling pattern wraps around the sock. When knitting two at a time, you really have to break up the knitting into two panels. Therefore, one side of each sock is in the middle of the needle and not accessible on the next row. Needless to say, I had to frog my socks as I couldn’t (i.e., was to lazy) figure out how to carry the cable stitch around properly. I am going to put those socks on hold for now.

In the meantime, I cast on another pair of socks (I read through the pattern!), which I can make two at a time with no issues. I am making the Hermione Socks by Erica Lueder. I am loving the simple texture that dominates this pattern. It is definitely an easy pattern to follow so far. The yarn is my Miss Babs Yet 2-ply Lace Yarn in Perfectly Reckless. I love the softness of this yarn. It is combination of Merino Wool and Tussah Silk. Hopefully, I can finish the socks during my travels to Seattle. I am super excited to go as I have never visited Seattle and I also get to see my college friend. Stay tuned for some pictures from the great Northwest!

My Hermione Socks

Miss Babs Yet Lace Weight Yarn

City Girl in the Country

Spring Break is finally here are I am so excited!!! I don’t have any Caribbean beach plans, but it is always nice to be relaxing on a “workday.” This past weekend, we were in the Sierra Foothills celebrating Easter with my future in-laws. We stayed on my future aunt-in-law’s ranch, which is always fun to visit. The best part of our visit was seeing the new animals (a calf and a piglet).  I LOVED the piglet. It was so tiny and cute. The poor thing was shivering so much I wanted to whip him up a teeny tiny sweater. However, this is against farm rules… pigs are food not pets :(. Overall, the weekend was very nice. Along with some wine tasting and antique shopping, it was great to spend time with family. Keep checking back for more of my Spring Break fun!

Finished Object (FO) Friday

Crochet Bunny Basket by Whit

Happy Friday and Happy Easter to all who celebrate! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! 

Head Gear

Most mornings I wake up and say, “How am I gonna control this mane?” I will admit it: I am a lazy when it comes to my hair. I like it as low maintenance as possible. Enter the headband. This one little accessory changed my life about 2.5 years ago. I ❤️ a good headband. They have the ability to jazz up an outfit, contain your mane on a bad hair day, and they can be worn no matter if you are bald or have hair down to the floor. I frequently add to my stash (knitted or not) as I pretty much wear them on a daily basis. Here are the latest ones off my needles.

Cotton Flower Headband made with garter stitch band  and crochet flower. Okay so not for me, but why not start the love early? I made of a bunch of these last year. These are a great spring gift for little girls.

Rainbow with a Twist

These headbands were inspired by the Hot Mess Headband by Heather Walpole. I choose to use fingering weight yarn (both wool blends) and size 3 needles. For the Rainbow headband,  I added one  more cable to give it a different look. 

 Headbands are a great stash buster and/ or last minute project. Itching to create your own headbands?  Check out my Golden Bow Headband and Headband/Wrap Bracelet  (free patterns) for more inspiration.

Enjoy!