Favourite Socks

A while ago I bought the Interweave "Favourite Socks" book but until recently I hadn't had an opportunity to knit anything from it. Then my mum mentioned how cold it had been in Melbourne and I thought of the perfect gift! I needed a quick knit (this person's birthday is coming up VERY soon) and came across the Elegant Ribbed Stockings which were knit on larger needles (I used size #5) and used sport weight yarn. Yes indeed, these were going to be some warm socks! I decided not to make the socks quite as long as the pattern suggested and only completed the pattern repeat 3 times. I also liked the idea of the ribbon but didn't want something quite as big as pictured. So here is what I ended up with:

Pattern: Elegant Ribbed Stockings from Interweave Press

Yarn: Dale of Norway Helio (as specified)

Needles: US Size #5

Started: June 22nd, 2007

Finished: July 8th, 2007

Oh and by the way, you've probably noticed I haven't been doing so much baking lately. My excuse - it's been too hot! I did make a great summer dessert yesterday though (no baking involved). Basically, it consisted of an oreo crumb crust, filled with peppermint choc chip ice-cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup and decorated with peppermint patties. Mmmmmmm!

Cranberries & Cherries

The gift has been received, and the receiver is very happy. In fact they've already been worn...

These are the Monkey socks I made for my sisters birthday. They were very, very hard to give away, I think they're my favourite so far.

Pattern: Monkey Socks from the winter issue of Knitty.com
Yarn: Lonesome Stone Mountain Feat
Colour: Shades of Cranberry
Needles: Knit Picks Size US #1
Started: 19th March, 2007
Finished: 7th April, 2007

I've also mailed off mum's Mother's Day present and will post some photos when she receives it.
I had a girls afternoon on Sunday and watched one of my all time favourite movies - 10 Things I Hate About You. I know it's corny but I love it (especially Heath Ledger). I also made some snacks - Artichoke dip and cherry turnovers, which were both delish even if the cherry turnovers did explode a little! Anyway, here is a photo of my cherry turnovers (I tried to maneuver them so you can't see the exploded ones).

Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the dip - we ate it instead!

Finally we are off to D.C. this week. I have my plane knitting packed and hope to have lots of photos when I return!

Mmmmmm....

This is what I had for afternoon tea yesterday...

Yep, Mars Bar Slice and a cup of Milo! There were a couple of variations from the Aussie version since the equivalent of a Mars Bar over here is a Milky Way and I had to use Hershy Chocolate instead of Cadbury but even so, it still tasted just as good as home!

Speaking of Oz, we went to a fellow Aussies party on Saturday night (yes, there are more than two of us in Albuquerque). They live in an awesome house overlooking Albuquerque and were celebrating the Aussies win in the cricket World Cup. To get an idea of the size of the houses out there, check out some of the neighbours:

Needless to say, Brad was very happy to get his fix of cricket!

I also managed to get in some quality knitting time on the weekend and finished mum's Mothers Day present. Now that the pressies are out of the way, I'm getting back to my Bells and Whistles socks which I started earlier this year. I have cast on for the second sock, but here is a photo of the first one...

JoY!

Last week, week 15 I added a golden oldie to my baking repertoire - Honey Joys!

And boy, do they taste good - it must be at least 15 years since I've had one. I followed this recipe from the Kellogg's Australian website which was soooo easy and the only difference I found was that the recipe says it makes 24 but in reality it only made about 14 (maybe I made them a bit too big). Either way, they were a SUCCESS!

Another reason I'm feeling rather proud of myself at the moment is because I finally finished my first cardigan! (Well, it's the first one that I feel doesn't look too homemade and that I would actually feel confident wearing out in public)! And when I say finally - I actually started this back in October last year. I had a few problems with the sleeves so it sat in the naughty drawer for a couple of months and then waited another couple for me to attach the hook and eye so that I can finally wear it. Although the weather is warming up here, it will be perfect for me to wear to work where the air conditioning is freezing! So without further ado:


Pattern: No. 4 - Sculptured Cardigan from Cleckheaton, Studio Mohair 8 Ply, II Designs
Yarn: Studio Mohair 8ply - 50% Mohair, 50% Acrylic (not too scratchy)
Needles: 4mm, US Size 6
Started: October 2006
Finished: April 2007

Also, thanks to Ben & Ag who supplied the pattern and yarn for my birthday!

Finally, I finished Jo's birthday present and was very tempted to keep it for myself. Here's a tiny sneak peak....

I have to admit it's my best one of these yet and I can't wait to post some more photos after she receives it!

No Baking Today

Not when we have all these goodies to get through...

The pile on the left is mine and seeing it is our last Easter here, I thought I should try some pink Peeps (marsmellow chicks), and of course Brad couldn't go without his Cadbury Creme Eggs!

I did do some baking last week however (week 13) and made some double chocolate biscotti. They turned out really well but since my electric mixer died, I've been mixing everything by hand (and getting a very sore arm while I'm doing it). They turned out a little crumbly and I think the hand mixing had something to do with it - oh well, they still tasted good!

In knitting news, last weekend I went on a knitting adventure to Good Fibrations with Pamela and Shaila. We had a great time exploring the store and took advantage of their buy 3 get the 4th ball free deal! I don't think they know what hit them - there was yarn flying everywhere! Here is what I ended up with:

I can foresee much sock knitting in my future!

I'm almost done with Jo's birthday present and I love it! I did have a break from it though to knit another wash cloth birthday present. I've put this wash cloth together with some soaps for my nana's birthday which is next Friday. I hope she likes it!

Pattern: Ball Band Wash Cloth from "Mason Dixon Knitting"
Yarn: Peaches and Cream
Needles: US Size 7
Started: March 30th, 2007
Finished April 3rd, 2007

On a final note, I was going to write about how great the weather has been here during the last week, but considering it snowed yesterday, I changed my mind!

HAPPY EASTER!

Hello?

Hi,

Is anyone still out there? I've been such a bad blogger lately and I don't even have a good excuse. Things have been fairly quiet for us lately although we did make a trip to Tucson a few weeks ago to visit Pete, Maree, Brendon and their new little arrival Joshua. We had a great time catching up and while we were there went to visit Old Tucson Studios where they have filmed a bunch of movies and tv shows including Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza, Wild Wild West and The Three Amigos. Here's a few snaps from our trip!

Love me a Cowboy!

This set was used in The Three Amigos.

Apart from that, I've been knitting like a crazy woman. I have quite a few finished projects that I haven't got around to posting. The first are my Jaywalker socks:

I love them, they are so bright and HAPPY! Details....

Pattern: Jaywalkers from Magknits
Yarn: Regia Stretch Colour
Needles: KnitPicks US Size #1
Started: 22nd December, 2006
Finished: 17th February, 2007

I also finished a scarf for mum's birthday. I didn't get a photo but it is the same as the scarf I knit for my nana for Christmas (shown below):

Pattern: Spit Leaf Scarf from Interweave Knits (Insert, Fall '06)
Yarn: Cascade 220 - The Heathers (Colour 4006)
Needles: US Size #8
Started: 4th March, 2007
Finished: 15th March, 2007

I'm currently in the process of making a vest for myself, as well as a birthday present for my sister. Photos to follow soon....

In kind of knitting news, a few weeks ago I went to the movies and saw "Music and Lyrics". I really enjoyed it - pretty much what you expect for a Hugh Grant film (and I've got to admit that he's not too hard on the eyes either). I thought that Drew Barrymore wore some really cute clothes too, especially a grey lace cardigan which you can kind of see here and here. I might have to try and find a similar pattern somewhere!

Finally the past few weeks of baking have consisted of:

Week 9: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies". This is a recipe I've been using for a while now and one of the easiest!
Week 10: Nothing (hey, I was in Tucson)
Week 11: Banana Choc Chip Muffins
Week 12: Orange Macadamia Nut Cookies

Enjoy!

Cupcakes, a Finished Project and the Rocket Man

I forgot to mention last weeks baked goodies, so:

Week 7: Coconut Macaroons
Week 8: Fastest Fudge Cupcakes

I found the cupcake recipe here and have to admit they taste pretty good!

I also managed to get a photo of my first ever fairisle hat before I sent it off to its new home:



Pattern: Fairisle Hat from Interweave Knits - Holiday Knits Issue
Yarn: Nature Spun Worsted - Victorian Pink, Stone & Aran
Needles: Size US#7 Circular
Started: January 12th, 2007
Finished: February 19th, 2007

I loved making this and the way it turned out so I’m sure that there will be much more fairisle in my future!

Finally, we had a fantastic night on Saturday when we went to see Elton John (I still can’t believe he came here to Albuquerque). He played all of my favourites and put on a great show. I was totally impressed when he took time to sign autographs before he started his encore and how he stood to thank the audience after every song. He is such an amazing pianist - some of the piano solos were just awesome!