things I’ve been making

I’ve been making a lot things lately, but too lazy to post. Here’s the second installment of things I’ve been making.

Holiday Scrubbies

Pattern: Stitchy Scrubbies by Maya Mackowiak Elson
From: Crochet Today March/April 2009
Yarn: Peaches and Creme and Sugar and Creme

These were holiday gifts. It just made me smile when I finished the first one. I think, I made 9 of these and thought I was done. I think I’m making 2 more as a hostess gift for party tonight.

Cool Felicity

Pattern: Felicity by Wanett Clyde

From: Knitology

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Lace solids

I saw this hat and thought it was a cool looking hat that I could add to my wardrobe. Thought it would look nice in this yarn (frogged from 3x shrug). This is pre-washed and dried. The washing totally made the hat better. WG has now aquired the hat. This is sign that it looks cool.

TB’s gift

Pattern: Divine Hat by Rheatheylia

From: http://www.rheatheylia.com/

Yarn: Berocco Nuance

I got the yarn on sale @ Web. I love the gradient color. I thought a hat would look great in it. Then I found the pattern. Wow. This combination worked so well together. And the pattern, loved the way it started to grow into a hat. Once it was done, it just looked like TB. And that's how it became her gift.

My Alpaca Cowl

Pattern: Luxe Neck Warmer by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark

From: Knit 2 Together

Yarn: Windy Farm Alpaca hand spun

Had some visitors from Thailand in on Thanksgiving weekend. Took them to the Lambertville Flea Market (this end up as 12 hour shopping day, those thai girls can shop). Windy Farm had a table and bought a skein of hand spun. Had just enough for the pattern. The picture doesn't do the piece justice. It looks great (especially after a wash) and feels good. Glad I bought the yarn. It will keep me warm during my long walk to my car. (I park far away to get some exercise during the day.)

“Noodle-eating” neck warmer

Pattern: Morningside Neckwarmer by Jared Flood

From: Classic Elite Yarn Web-letter

Yarn: Berocco Nuance

I really like this yarn because it so soft and warm. Perfect for a neckwarmer. Been wanting to make this pattern so “noodle-eating” gets a beautiful neckwarmer for his morning adventures into the wild woods. Need to wash and block but he should have in a couple of days. Maybe I can get a picture of him in it.

In-progress

February Lady

Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne

From: www.flintknits.com

Yarn: Cotton-Ease

I was hoping to get this done for a holiday gift for Joanne. She helps my parents out so much that I wanted to make her something. But I made a big counting mistake (see all the large paper clip to help me count), that I had to start all over and then I lost steam and other projects got pushed ahead. Now I’m hoping to get it done in April to delivery it in person. Wish me luck in counting because so far that the hardest thing to this pattern.

Noro fingerless

Pattern: Maine Morning Mitts by Clara Parkes

From: The Knitter’s Book of Yarn

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden

I have one side done. It’s looking good. Not sure if this is going to be a gift or for me. Project on hold to finish Baby Ribby blanket (see previous post: making stuff)

There's many things in the que: mittens for WG and Sam, Hemlock Ring blanket, Ivy scarf, Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, Athenian Scarf and the list goes on. I hope to get to all of these and more. But for now, that’s all folks.

My Arches link

As I promised a while ago, here's my link to my Arches National Park photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princesshotflash/sets/72157621641383617/

Sorry I took so long I was editing the photo set and adding captions. I kind of stop at the Fiery Furnace hike as it was taking me too long. At the end of the set there are images from Dead Horse Point State Park (Thelma and Louise) and Canyonland NP. You need more than 3 days to do all of these parks. I was wiped out on the last day-1/2 day hike then waking into the very hot sun to see things in the other 2 parks. If you are going to Arches, the first thing you need to do is to go to the visitor's center and sign up for the fiery furnace hike. S10 per person. It is so worth it. You need to sign up in person. You can go with an outfitter but I'm sure it cost more. And one last thing, I don't recommend going in July, so HOT. Makes it very hard to do things. We did very early hikes and evening hikes and rested during the day with long lunches and naps. Here's a few pictures from the park.


Delicate Arch


Partition Arch


From the Fiery Furnace hike


Dead Horse Point


View from the Mesa Arch Canyonland NP

New Year's dinner

I made Kombu Maki for New Year's dinner. I felt a little lazy when it was time to start preparing, but I didn't want to start the new year out eating leftovers so I made it. Here some pictures of my meal.

Two of the main ingredients (sorry for the empty packages, decided after I started to start taking pictures):


Kanpyo is dried strips of squash. Not too easy to find in NJ. My mom usually send me it to me. It is sometimes use in a veggie sushi.


Kombu is the dried seaweed that is wrapped on the outside. Not as bad to find in NJ, but the stuff my mom send me from Hawaii is way better that what I find in NJ.

The rest of the ingredients are sliced pork (I used pork shoulder, need a little fat to give it taste and texture), gobo or burdock, shoyu, mirin and sugar.


This is one of the kombu maki. The slice pork and slice gobo is inside, wrapped with kombu and tied with kanpyo. A nice little seaweedy package.


Everything in the pot pre-adding the seasoning. Need to simmer in water for a bit to soften it up. Then add seasoning to taste. It was delicious as I remember. This is one of my favorite dishes.

Snowy day adventure

On the snowy new year's eve, I went on a mini adventure with almost famous mountainman into woods of Rutger Gardens.


Oremiah "noodle-eating" Johnson, my guide


The first thing he spots are animal tracks. Bear? he shout as he points in the prints.


The raging river that we had to cross.


My guide trained me look for sign of danger. Instead I looked for things to shoot with my iphone


Look! Tree. Oremiah explained. Does it have special healing powers? I asked. I don't know, just a tree.


More tracks in the snow, I think those are Oremiah footprints.


Another tree


Tree Grid

So here's my adventure on New Year's eve after the morning snow. WG got my iphone up and running (as many of you notice from FB posting) and I wanted to start taking pictures with it. If it clears anything up, WG has been quite interested in Jeremiah "liver-eating" Johnson since we came back from Yellowstone this summer.

making stuffs

It's been a month since my last post, partly because of laziness to post, another part due to guests at the house and the last part of me making stuff. I surprise myself of how many things I've finished in the past couple months. Here's the what I've been up to.

M's bag turn into scarf


Started off life as a wedding bag, but I made too many mistakes to finish in time. So instead I turn it into a drop stitch scarf http://christine.typepad.com/knitting/easy-drop-stitch-scarf-pa.html. It's made out of mulberry silk, it has the perfect amount of sheen to make it an elegant scarf.

Pink Scaruffle


Someone gave me a lot of this pink mohair stuff (too fuzzy and pink for me). I finally decide to make make something out of it. The first thing I made was a gathered scarf that I gave a to friend who sister loves pink (picture to come). But I still had 1 more skein left and that when the scaruffle from The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes was born. Not sure who will get it--I have a few pinkys that may love it.

Flower power



I found several flower patterns that I wanted to try. I making pins out them for gift this holiday season. Flower patterns from: Top Left: Tahiti-Style Photo Frames, Knit 2 Together by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark; Top Left: Top Left: Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller; bottom: http://littlegreen.typepad.com/romansock/2009/04/mollie-flowers-the-tutorial.html

Baby Ribby's blanket



Sorry for the bad picture. This will be my vacation project. Momma Ribby asked me to make her baby blanket in her colors. I love the look of the mitered square blanket in Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne and always wanted to make it. I got to okay on the pattern, found some yarn with the colors and off I go. I goal is to finish up the square by the end of my vacation and start stitch up the blanket in Jan. Wish me luck.

I think I'll stop here. I have more stuff to show.

My walking path

Been back to longish walks the past 2 weeks. The weather has been cooperating, in fact, it's been a bit warm for my taste. 10 miles the first week and 8 miles last week, hope I can keep it up for a while.

Here's some pics of the path that we walk on. It's D&R canal path. It's great, there are so many birds to see. I think I saw a blue heron on the way back from my 10 mile. Anyway, I thought I'd share the beautiful day we had. The light was beautiful.



walking to Bound Brook




walking back to Piscataway

Some Recent Baby Gifts

I haven't really been a slug these past few months. I've been . . . crazy busy at work, having too many visitors at home (cleaning and washing), dealing with my skinny old cat (cleaning and washing) and making gifts (the only fun thing). Yes, I've started on my holiday gifts. I guess I should complain that Starbucks are already using the holiday cups.


Anyway, here are some baby gifts I've made. Not the best pics, from my phone, kind of last minute. Right before I wrap the gift. I need to get my own camera or work on setting up better shots.

Teal pom-pom hat for Anders. I love pom-poms, make anything fun.





Round Baby blanket in green, white and blue colorway with picot edging. I know really crazy point of view. I was trying to get the whole thing in.




Close-up of center of blanket




Picot edging in dark blue colorway