Summer Adventures: Summer Storms

I love a good rainy day, but a thunderstorm is even better.  There have been some amazing storms this summer and I really enjoy watching them and taking pictured of the clouds.

This storm rolled in while Simon and I were biking to our softball game. 

Lets just say our game was cancelled. 

And we turned back just in time.  Thankfully we did not get caught in the down pour.  We did sit on our stoop and watch the storm roll over Philly.  

This storm rolled in over Ocean City while we were surfing on Monday.  It was sprinkling while we were surfing, but then when the storm started to make it's way over the shore point the life guards called everyone out of the water and shut the beach down.  

Our day at the beach was cut short and we were stuck on the board walk for a bit.  When there was a break in the storm we made a dash for the car and got there right when the sky opened up again.  

It was really beautiful to watch while we waited the first part of the storm out. 

On our way out of Ocean City we had some flood waters to contend with. 

Looking to the Fall

It's still summer, but have you been noticing all the "back to school" items and sales and commercials that have started popping up now that it's August?  This means that fall is right around the corner.  I find fall an exciting time of year, I always have.  Growing up fall meant the start to a new school year, fresh notebooks, new jeans, and sweaters.  Now my adult self sees fall as the start the theatre season, new jobs, fresh apples, and of course sweaters.

Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite season is I usually can't decided, but in growing older I think I have come to favor fall.  Not only is my birthday in October but I see fall as a time of newness.  My theory is  because we start a new school year in the fall I have been conditioned in my 16 years of schooling to think that fall is exactly the right time of year to start something fresh.  I am all for this.  I feel that sweater weather is the perfect time to pull on your favorite pullover and start a new project; that could be a new knitting project, a new job, a new skill you want to acquire, really anything that gets you excited.

I maybe getting ahead of myself.  It is only half way through August; there is still plenty of nice warm summery weather still left in the next few weeks.  But I love looking ahead to the fall.  I do every year.  In the spirit of "back to school" and all that junk I am planing some new sewing projects for the fall and maybe a new sweater or two.  

I have been obsessed with lace, especially in the form of a dress and in bright jewel tones.

Green Dress and White Dress, Burda Style

Teal Dress, ModCloth

I found this awesome lace for just such a project:

Anda Burda Style

Lately I've been looking at the Anda again, and thinking that I want to make one or two in a more flowing fabric than the lavender one I made this spring.

This beautiful gold rayon blend that I found in the dollar bin at my favorite fabric store will make a gorgeous Anda, or even this deep red rayon blend that is in my stash.  Maybe I will make two.

Anita Jeans

I want to make another pair of jeans for the fall, maybe in a darker wash.  These jeans fit so well I can't justify buying any unless it's from the thrift store and they are to wear while building or painting.

I am also planing another two sorbettos. One in white with a high low hemline and one in a sheer tomato red.  Thankfully a lot of the fabric I need for these sewing projects is in my fabric stash.

Now on to the knitting.

Carnaby Skirt, Knitty.com 

I know, I know I've sworn off skirts, but I just have to knit this warm wool skirt.  Something is compelling me to knit this.  I plan on knitting it in a dark heather grey so that I can get a lot of use out of it.  It will be perfect for the fall and the winter and the early spring, so I will have no real excuse not to wear the darn thing.  

Elbow Patch Cardigan, A. Butta

I am also considering this cute cable and elbow patch cardigan.  I think it would be a great piece to have for the winter along with my knit hoddie that is in progress as I type.  

Aidez, Cirilia Rose

I've also had my eye on this sweater for awhile, but I'm not sure I want to commit to a project like this until all of my gift knitting is completed.  It is however knit with bulky yarn on size US 10 1/2 needles.  This could be a quick knit.  

Abalone, Beata Jezek

If anything elas I will knit myself another abalone out of some yummy wool blend yarn to wear all winter.  Ambitious plans for someone who will have less time to sew than usual, but I think I'll be able to make what I want.  I still have my Sundays to myself.  The perfect sewing project day.  

Stitch Guide: Feather and Fan

Feather and Fan, it’s one of those old stand by knitting stitches, a great introduction to lace knitting, and it looks impressive with out making a knitters eyes go crosswise looking at charts.  Why is it that this lace stitch is the gate way drug of lace knitting?  Is it because of the easy to remember row repeat, or the simplicity of the decrease and increase, or is it because it only has one lace row and three “easy” rows?  Could it be that the increase and decreases are set up in such a manner that you can easily grasp the concept of how a lace stitch moves and is built?  Yes, it’s all of these reasons.  This stitch pattern is one of the first lace stitches that many knitters learn, because of its ease.  You can be a beginner and pick up this stitch with just a few projects under your belt and it will make your scarves, hats and anything else you make look like you labored for hours and hours with a difficult lace pattern.  (And lets be honest who doesn’t want their friends, family and perfect strangers oogling their hand knit items.)

In the next few installments of Stitch Guide here on Blue Betty we will be looking at Feather and Fan along with some of its variations.  Lets start with the skills a knitter needs to accomplish this stitch.  First off you need to know how to knit and purl, check.  Secondly you need to know how to decrease by knitting two stitches together (K2tog), knitting two together is as easy as it sounds instead of knitting one stitch you knit to at the same time decreasing from two stitches down to one.  Thirdly, you need to know how to increase with either a yarn over (YO) or by making one (M1). Yarn overs are accomplished by wrapping your yarn over your right hand needle.  That’s it, done, complete, you just increased one stitch.  Yarn overs make pretty eyelets in your knitting and are very feminine.  We will get back to make one (M1) in a few weeks.  

Feather and fan and all its variations are knit with a multiple of 18 stitches.  The feather and fan pattern can be worked in different multiples to fit your needs though, and makes this pattern vary versatile.  For example you could use a multiple of 12, your pattern row would have 4 decreases and 4 increases, but for the sake of simplicity all the stitch patterns written out here for the feather and fan stitch pattern family will be written for a multiple of 18. 

Good Ol’ Feather and Fan

Worked Flat

R1: *(K2tog) 3x, (YO, K1) 6x, (K2tog) 3x*

R2: Purl All Stitches

R3: Knit All Stitches

R4: Purl All Stitches

Worked in the Round

R1: *(K2tog) 3x, (YO, K1) 6x, (K2tog) 3x*

R2: Knit All Stitches

R3: Knit All Stitches

R4: Knit All Stitches

Knitting Update

I've been knitting and knitting.  Although that's not unusual, my schedule has been a bit wacky with the new jobs so there is some getting use to the time frames and such.  This scarf has been completed for about a week and put me right on target for the Christmas gift knitting.  I love the dyed job on this yarn and am tempted to keep it.  I mean I won't, but I'm tempted. 

I finished this lovely Wingspan in record time and with the completion of this item I am ahead of my gift knitting time line.  This was knit with some of my hand spun and it turned out even better than I had expected.  The Wingspan is a great pattern for hand spun yarn, and gift knitting.

This is my current gift knitting project.  I've used this yarn before and was looking for an excuse to use it again.  This is a little shawl scarf I found on Revelry.com.  It's super simple to knit and the primrose edging makes the knitting interesting and adds a feminine touch.  The pattern is called Prim's Scarf and is Hunger Game themed, although other than the edging and the name of the pattern I feel it's a stretch.  The pattern however is great and I might make a second one of these. 

I am still knitting away on my hoodie.  Look I'm almost done with one sleeve.  The plan is to have this completed right before the fall so that when the weather turns chilly I have a cozy hooded sweater to wear around the city. 

Summer Adventures: Boston in Philly

Jules was in town! We has a blast.  Here are some pics of our adventures and activities. 

We met up with some good friends at an old watering hole. 

We went to the Farmers' Market at Headhouse.  

We ate the most yummy 100% grass fed beef burgers from a food truck.  

And we played in a fountain in Philly.  

All in all it was a great visit with my Boston bestie. 

My Boston Bestie!

You probably remember this pretty dark haired lady from a few posts ago.  This is my super awesome, super rad, bestie from Boston, Jules.  You may be asking why she gets he own post.  Well, she's awesome sauce isn't that enough?  For real though Jules is coming to visit!   I am stoked about this.  The hubs is too because Jules is bring her crazy guitar playing music genius BF Norwood with her.  Simon is planing hours of guitar playing and I am planing fun activities that include lots of eating and maybe consuming some adult beverages, oh and going places, and maybe dancing.  We will just have to see where the weekend takes us.

Just some quick background.  Jules and I both worked at camp in 2010 and 2011.  She was in my department and the Assistant Head of Technical Theatre as well as an amazing sound engineer.  I probably would have gone crazy in 2011 without her.  

This will, for sure, be a weekend full of adventures. 

Oops

Oops, blogger error.  Sorry guys, I will have a new post up on Friday and then again on Monday.