52 Weeks of Happy (14/52)

Lunch at Katie's was fabulous!  Note the water line on the right hand side from Katrina.


The seafood beignet appetizer was ridiculously amazing!!


Catfish and Shrimp Creole

• beignets and iced cafe au lait from Cafe du Monde

• cafe au lait taste testing.  I'll admit the families I work with in NOLA spoil me rotten when I'm there!  I came home with this
   and have made somewhat decent cafe au laits the past two mornings.

• new restaurants and new favorites....that seafood beignet at Katie's was ridiculously decadent and delicious!

• being home. As nice at it is to travel a bit, it is nice to be home and back to a routine.

• airplane knitting. Can't wait to show you my next project :)

• Sunday night tv. Mad Men. Game of Thrones. Call the Midwife. The Bletchley Circle. Mr. Seflridge.  I can't watch it all...I think it is a way of making Monday a bit more tolerable.

I hope your week has been filled with happy.  Anything in particular?  This week will be back on the healthy eating and smackdown exercising after the indulgent week in NOLA.

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Rathmore

I have a new design to share this weekend....the fifth in the Sullivan Family Collection, with one more coming later this week.  Here is....

Rathmore

My grandfather was born in Knocknagree, a small village located in the north-west of County Cork, Ireland, just a few miles up the road from the small town of Rathmore, County Kerry.  This infinity scarf was inspired by that rural and lush countryside.

Designed with Anzula For Better or Worsted, this infinity scarf knit up in a flash! The yarn is to die for. Serioulsy. It is my new favorite and the colors are so lovely! One skein of each color is all it needs. 

Rathmore         

Notes: Instructions are written for an infinity scarf that is knit in the round. Both charted and written instructions are provided.  Notes on how to increase the size of the scarf are at the end of the pattern; however you will need additional yardage.

Finished measurements:  25” wide and 8 1/2” long

Suggested Yarns: ~335 yards total of worsted weight yarn or for 2-colors ~135 yards (A) and 200 yards (B) of worsted weight yarn such as Anzula For Better or Worsted, The Plucky Knitter Primo Worsted, Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage, Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Worsted

Materials:

·         Size US 8 (5.0 mm) or size to obtain gauge, circular knitting needle

·         Tapestry needle

·         Blocking pins

Gauge:  18 sts and 24 rows= 4” over st st before blocking

A very special thank you to the amazing Jill Zielinski, aka Knitterella, for her graphic design work and modeling! Doesn't she look fabulous in these pictures?!  Thanks Jill!! She'll also be modeling my other design that you'll see later this week!

Rathmore is on  sale for $5.00 through March 13, 2013 

or it can be purchased as part of the Sullivan Family Collection for $18 for six designs.     

If the lace pattern looks familiar, it is the same pattern used on the edging of Knocknagree.  I loved it so much, I had to use it again!!  It is definitely a fun knit!

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Not Complaining

I can't complain about the past few days here in New Orleans. I'm here for business to work with a family and team I've worked with for six years and I always look forward to these trips.  I had a day to myself in the French Quarter Sunday and I just loved strolling Jackson square, wandering through the shops on Royal Street, eating beignets at Cafe du Monde, listening to jazz music around every corner. Just perfect.













And then there is the food.....

Stanley for brunch.



Clancy's for dinner.



Crawfish etouffee. Mama crawfish trying to protect her babies....hahaha.... I'm not sure I could handle a crawfish boil!

Tonight was Mosca's Restaurant, which was an awesome Italian restaurant. The shrimp was to die for.  Plus, Drew Brees and Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints were there and then we met the owner and chatted with him a bit at the end of the meal. Everyone seems to know everyone here in Nawlins.

I even was able to get some pattern writing done Sunday and Monday and can't wait to release my next two designs!  Here's a sneak peek....



Hope you all are having a good week too!!

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

52 Weeks of Happy (13/52)

• pretty pretty new shoes by Tieks

• watching Cats the Musical last night through the eyes of a 9-year-old

• my first homemade Mac n Cheese....thanks Pioneer Woman!

• seeing the photos of two new designs that will be released in the next few weeks

It sure has been a week. My heart has been heaving after what happened in Boston. Work has been long and there just haven't seemed to be enough hours in the week. But tomorrow I'm off to NOLA for work, so I'm trying to focus on that!!

What happy has been filling your week? This is definitely one of those weeks where we need to focus on the happy.

Happy Weekend!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Dear Monday

Dear Monday,

Go away. We really wanted to stay one more day, but no, you were lurking around the corner, reminding us of duties to get home to.



Wouldn't you just want to stay a bit longer if this was your view?  But knowing Monday would be here soon enough, we packed as much crafty fun into the weekend as we could. I caught up on some long overdue IGK website stuff (e.g., look at my pretty new pattern page), while everyone else put the sewing machines to work.




Sockdoc supervising the project bag making :)



Look at these pretties! By the end of the weekend....



Sockdoc and SnBLeslie were on a roll! 



So my dear Monday, I packed up my next project and came home after a weekend of fun with the girls.  Please be kind tomorrow, because really, I wish you were still Sunday morning.

Wishing I was still knitting on the patio,
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

p.s. Today is the last day to use the coupon code happyspring to receive 20% off IGK shawls, infinity scarves and cowls for the IGK KAL!

52 Weeks of Happy (12/52)

• purpley pink sunsets

• relaxing girls' weekend that involves mimosas, sangria, knitting, and finishing projects

• girls' night at the Giants game earlier this week

• seeing Warwick featured in an ad in the new Twist Collective

Hope you guys are having a happy weekend too!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

p.s. Don't forget Blue Lake Springs is on sale through Monday and the KAL coupon code  is happyspring and good through Monday for 20% off IGK shawls, infinity scarves and cowls :)

Knit Happenings

Every day this week I've told myself I need to get this blog post done to show you guys something new on the needles and tell you about a few IGK happenings.  And every night I'm just exhausted by the time I have a few minutes of quiet.  But I'm leaving tomorrow for a long girls' weekend, so although I'm tired, I know I'll be relaxing all weekend!!

I've been dying to show you the new design on my needles. I swatched last Saturday and I'm almost done!



Look familiar?  It is the edging from Knocknagree but on a worsted weight yarn instead of fingering weight. This is going to be an infinity scarf and one of the accessories that will be added to the Sullivan Family Collection by the end of the month.



I took this picture Sunday evening and it is almost done.  I blame the yarn. OMG! Anzula's yarns are lovely, but her For Better or Worsted is ahhhhhhmazing! Seriously, I'm in love. It is like knitting with buttah.



A little someone liked these colors and wanted to get in on the photoshoot :)

Once this pattern is written up and released it will be perfect for our new knitalong over in the Irish Girlie Knits Group on Ravelry.  Our knitalong is just getting started and you'll have until mid June to finish. This quarter we are all about shawls, infinity scarves, and cowls!  All of my IGK Designs that meet this criteria are 20% off with the coupon code:  HAPPYSPRING  through Monday, April 15. Just head on over to my ravelry shop if you want to take advantage of the sale and then join our KAL.

The only shawl that isn't on sale is the Blue Lakes Spring Shawlette, since that is on sale already for $4.50 until Monday, April 15. Another one skein shawl design.....it knits up in a flash! You may remember a quick end of summer getaway last August that I talked about here.  This design was born there.

A lake hidden in the mountains.  Clear blue waters amidst redwoods and pine trees.  Summers of my childhood were spent here and when I returned this year I was inspired.  The perfect blue colorway is highlighted in the simplicity of the garter stitch body, while the pine cones are captured in the lace edging.  

You may recognize my lovely model as Jill of Knitterella fame.  Thanks to her and Alisa Deshano Divine for collaborating and bringing my pattern to life in these lovely photos.  For more info about them, Jill has a great post here.  I'm hoping to finish up another knit this weekend and get another design or two off to her!

Blue Lake Springs Shawlette           

Note: Instructions are written for a top-down shawlette.  Both charted and written instructions are provided for the lace edging.  Notes on how to increase the size of the shawlette are at the end of the pattern; however you will need additional yardage.

Suggested Yarns: ~ 400 yards of fingering weight yarn such as Little Red Bicycle Dapper, Anzula Dreamy, Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20, Knitted Wit Cashy Wool, Sincere Sheep Cushy Fingering

Materials:

·         Size US 7 (4.5mm) or size to obtain gauge, knitting needles

·         Tapestry needle

·         Blocking pins

Gauge:  22 sts and 32 rows= 4” over st st, unblocked

Finished measurements: 51” wide and 22 ½” long at center points, after blocking

 

So that's a bit of the update on the knitting front. I'm hoping to get lots more done this weekend.  What do you have on your needles? I'd love to hear!

Happy Weekend!!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits 

P.S. Did you see Anne Hanson's Craftsy class has been released?!  You guys know I'm a huge fan of hers and I think I've taken 4 classes from Anne and have learned so much! I'll be signing up for this one soon :)