Cuteness Alert!

It was a busy week at work this past week so there wasn't too much knitting happening around here. I was able to finish these cute itty bitty baby booties! I love these "Stay on Baby Booties" from Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick. I used some STR mill ends (color is maybe jade or mossay....I wanted something to match the cute onesie!). I love the onesie! Disco was selling them in her etsy store (and I'm hoping she will list some more soon as I have a few more babies I need to knit for!).

My weekend was quite busy (more on that tomorrow too!), but the highlight was having Little Guy and his mom and dad down for a visit!! At 14 months, he sure is all over the place, the little walker!! And such a boy...he quickly grabbed one of the doggies favorite balls and had a new favorite toy!

"What?"

"Who needs toys?" and "Thank God that kid is finally sitting!" hehehe

Cuteness

Happy Weekend!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

YPF: The Plucky Edition

This very plucky edition of yarn pron Friday is dedicated to one very plucky Turtlegirl! We rockin' sockers love you this week sweetie!

plucky adj. Having or showing courage and spirit in trying circumstances.

I've been resisting buying some of this yarn for a very very long time. I finely gave in. And bought one single pretty skein. I love it!

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Superwash Merino Cashmere Nylon Blend 80/10/10; 250 yards
Colorway: Sensibility

Just lovely!

And after you are done browsing the Plucky Knitter's shop, go wish Cockeyed the Sockateer a fabulous happy birthday!

Happy Friday!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Just an hour away...

Capitola, CA

A perfect weekend escape with the girls for some drinks, knitting (squee! that scarf is all done!), blue skies, more drinks, new flip flops, and some incredible views! We also did a mini Sex in the City marathon of the last season to get us ready for the movie! Haven't seen it yet though. Did any of you (okay don't tell me what happened if you did, but was it good?!)?? Hope your weekend was fabulous too!

Oh, and for your reading enjoyment.... things that were said over the weekend, but we will not say by whom...

"That's cheatin' on Jesus!"

"I'm the mold queen."

"Why does hers say forever and mine says one-nighter."

"Eww, the old guy sex."

"Cougars!"

"I can't believe you just said Monkey KawKaw out loud in public at a restaurant!"

"Damn it! You're gonna have a souvenir."

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

My Newest Happiest Place on Earth :)

My view for the weekend!

Happy Knitting!!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Only a few people....

BMFA Barn Sale, November '07, chill out people, this is an old photo....hehehe...and obviously not all mine...hehehehehe

This is one of my favorite pictures of Christy! Now that is a best friend....someone who gets up early on a Saturday morning and drives 50 minutes or so with her friend to a "barn sale" for sock yarn and then stands guard over the pile of yarn while said friend continues to shop (who me? str? sale? shop? blushes) That is Christy in a nutshell. All with a smile on her face! In all fairness, I did wear the pink bridesmaid dress way back when and helped her bustle and unbustle her dress when needed :) so you know, it all works out.

So when I've just finished working on a scarf (thank you all for your compliments!!), and like some of you, sometimes I get sick of the scarf knitting (its typically got to be with really really pretty yarn to keep me engaged!). So when someone asks me to knit them something, on a deadline no less, well....let's just say I think long and hard about if I really want to. And if the requested handknit item is something that I once knit, and SWORE I would never knit again (granted that was five years ago when I was a newish knitter and said project took forever, but still), I really think long and hard.

There are only a few people, Christy being one of them, for whom I would knit this item for. Actually its for her cutie daughter whose having a "theme" birthday party in less than two weeks (eek!). Oh, and what am I knitting by the way....

Yeap. The neverending scarf (knit in the round, so really its two scarves, or lots and lots of hats!). Thank goodness I'm knitting the child size instead of Rowan's. I'm at 5 stripes out of 19. I so can finish this by next Monday or Tuesday (but poor Lil' Guy, I may never want to knit him one...well, as CupcakeFaerie pointed out tonight, maybe in five or six years when he's old enough to appreciate it I'll be ready to knit it again). I pray HotMama's kids don't ask for one soon!

No worries Christy! You are worth every stitch!! I just wish I could hand deliver the scarf! But I think this has earned me another visit up to Portland!! Hugs!!!

Happy Knitting!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

That Something Special that Rocks!

Aubergine

That gorgeous skein of STR Eggplanted (heavyweight, of course) that I picked out at camp needed a very special pattern.

Pattern: Aubergine (ravelry link)by IrishgirlieKnits

Yarn: BMFA Socks that Rock heavyweight, colorway Eggplanted (1 skein)

Needles: Size 8

Gauge: ~5 1/2 stitches/inch in pattern

Length: 5 1/2" x 70" (after blocking)

KEY

sl 1: slip 1 stitch

k: knit

p: purl

p2tog: purl 2 stitches together

FC: faux cable that creates a new stitch (I've done my best to explain this stitch both in words and pictures below); to complete the "faux cable," slip the right hand needle between the 2nd and 3rd stitches on the left needle and make a yarn over (you are essentially creating a new stitch, see picture a. below); pull the new stitch through and you have a new stitch on the right needle (see picture b. below); now knit stitches 1 and 2 on the left hand needle as normal, you have three stitches now on the right hand needle (see picture c. below).

a. b. c.

This pattern is a multiple of 4 stitches plus 2 stitches (1 slipped stitch at each end). The pattern can easily be modified in width (if you want to try to avoid pooling, try changing stitch count or needle size/gauge) or used with thicker or thinner yarns (see below).

Instructions:

Cast on 34 stitches (I used the German twisted long-tail cast on. My attempt to prevent curling. Seemed to work, not sure if it was necessary or not. I had just learned it at camp and wanted to try it!).

Row 1: Sl 1, k all

Row 2: Sl 1, p all

Row 3: Sl 1, *FC, k 2 * (repeat * * until last stitch), k1

Row 4: Sl 1, *p 3, p2tog * (repeat * * until last stitch), p 1

Row 5: Sl 1, *k 2, FC* (repeat * * until last stitch), k1

Row 6: Sl 1, p 1, p2tog, *p 3, p2tog* (repeat * * until last 3 stitches), p 3

Repeat rows 3-6 until desired length

Finish with a one row knit, one row purl, and then bind off. Please let me know if you have any questions or find any errors. Thanks!

credits: The "faux cable" stitch pattern appears in a Japanese reference moyouhen 500 boubariami moyoubetsu ketteiban.

I love the potential of this stitch pattern. It works so well with my favorite yarn and I love how changing the stitch count can easily change the look of this scarf. I wanted to show you my original gauge swatch (I know, I know...I swatched for a scarf?!!?!). Its in January One and had fewer stitches and at least from first go, didn't look like this colorway was going to pool quite the way Eggplanted did. Goes to show you what a few stitches can do, huh? I also was playing around with needle size here too (first part on size 8, ended with size 7).

I also did a mini-swatch in mediumweight STR and I was loving it, but the neverending chevron scarf came to mind, and I stopped. I was craving immediate gratification, but someday, maybe in mediumweight this would be pretty.

And tonight.... I cast on this. Just to see.....

MMMMMalabrigo.....

Happy Knitting!!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Lucky Me!

A few weeks ago I won a contest Nathania was having over at Purls Beyond Price! I stopped by Purlescence today to do some knitting (okay, and a little shopping, but I'll show those pics later) and Nathania gave me my prize. She spoiled me thoroughly!!

Inside that pretty Della Q bag....

A little bit of sock yarn heaven! Trekking XXL, Lisa Souza Sock yarn, STR... and do you see that sock pattern!! Its a new pattern by Nathania Apple (so new its not even in Ravelry yet....they are selling it at the store though) that uses STR!! Nathania was worried about finding a color of STR that I didn't have (I told her I would love any color, even if I already had it).

But guess what???

I don't have Fire on the Mountain! Isn't it gorgeous! Why didn't I have it?? I love it!!

What a prize!! Thank you thank you Nathania :)

Happy Weekend!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Is it Friday yet?

Cause we're pooped.

Happy almost Friday!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits