30 November 2012

Friday Finishes

Welcome to Friday Finished Linky party number four!
Link up on Fridays with any finish you wish to share: craft, homework, dinner, baking, getting the cranky child to bed - well you get the idea.

I'm pretty proud of myself this week. I finished up and released a new pattern, Simple Mitts, made out of some seriously cool yarn. I also made two pairs.

I finished up a hat this week to sell at next Saturday's Christmas market.
My kiddo was seriously unhappy during the photo-shoot, especially since the hat is for two to three years old, and she's a big four year old now. The hat is made out of some nice organic cotton yarn.
To top it all off, I made three Soap Holders for a special order. I don't have any pictures a of yet, as they ordered a total of ten and I'm too lazy to take pictures before something's completely finished, but they look smashing, if I do say so myself!

Come and join us for Friday Finishes! What did you finish this week? Please link up from your post with a text link or copy and paste the HTML below. :)

Friday Finishes - Join in the fun.


26 November 2012

Simple Mitts

This is made from yarn I found in my local yarn shop, called flock, and I developed the pattern around the yarn. That’s how much I fell in love with it. Normally, I develop a pattern then go find yarn that fits it. This pattern is super easy, takes less than a skein, and a pair can be made in one night for the very dedicated knitter! Each skein is very different, so you're going to get a different mitt every time!

Yarn: Kureyon by Noro in any color way, available at Flock, Nantucket. Shown in color 319.
Gauge: 5 sts and 7 rows = 1 inch
Needles: Us Size four, or size needed to obtain gauge. Set of DPNs or needles long enough for magic loop.
Notions: Stitch holder, needle to weave in ends, tape measure, stitch markers.

Cuff/wrist:
Co 32 sts, and join to begin working in the round being careful not to twist. Place marker (PM) to indicate beginning of round.
Work knit (K) two; purl (P) two ribbing for one inch.
K for one inch

Thumb gusset:
K15, pm, make one (m1), k1, m1, pm, k to end of round
K two rounds
Next: k to marker (m) , slip marker (sm), m1, k to m, m1, sm, k to end of round.
Repeat last three rounds until there are a total of 15 sts between markers
K two rounds
K to m, remove marker (rm), put next 15 sts on holder or scrap yarn, rm, CO one stitch, k to end of round

Hand:
K all rounds for 1 ¼ inches
Work in garter one inch (p1 round k1 round) ending p round
Bo purlwise

Thumb:
Put sts from holder onto two needles. Pick up 1 stitch between needles, (side closest to hand) k to end of round. 16 sts
Next: k2tog, p to end of round. 15 sts.
Work garter for one inch ending p row. Bo purlwise

Finishing:
Weave in all ends, remembering to close any holes formed near thumb. Enjoy!

The fine print:
Pattern and images © Natalie Gonzalez & Nantucket Knitter, 2012. Please do no reproduce and redistribute pattern. Pattern for non-commercial, private use. (unless for a charity).
Any questions, comments, or concerns? Feel free to email me at natalie@nantucketknitter.com!

23 November 2012

Friday Finishes

Welcome to Friday Finished Linky party number four! Last week there were a couple of entries, let's hope for a few more this week!
Link up on Fridays with any finish you wish to share: craft, homework, dinner, baking, getting the cranky child to bed - well you get the idea.
This week I got a grand total of one project finished:
The Santa Reindeer! I really think he's super cute, and he was a pretty fast knit. I am planning on selling him at a Christmas market next month...I think he'll go pretty fast!
His coat was kind of fiddly, and didn't photograph too well. I am planning on getting another one done in darker colors.
Ravelled here: http://ravel.me/NataliesKnits/sr
And I need to bang out a few animal hats and some stuffed elephants...by the eight of next month. Wish me luck!
Plus a special order of ten soap caddies by December 24th!

A quick update on No Spend November:
It's been going pretty well, but the more money I save, the more I want to spend it. I did slip up once and get a gourmet to-go coffee. But it was kind of a necessity on that particular day...plus I got a small, so that's ok, right? Haha, excuses, excuses.
I did suspend No Spend November very briefly to purchase a new phone. However, it was something I was planning on buying anyways, and the one I wanted went on sale by over half, so I kind of decided it may be a bit stupid not to get it right now.
Plus, with it, I can take credit cards at the artisan markets. So if I sell two things at each market that I otherwise wouldn't have sold, then the phone pays for itself.
I have been doing pretty well overall with it, and thus I have decided to expand No Spend November to Don't Buy December! It's a good thing I got the bulk of my Christmas shopping done last month, isn't it? And I have all the yarn to make anything else for Christmas presents.

Come and join us for Friday Finishes! What did you finish this week?
Please link up from your post with a text link or copy and paste the HTML below. :)

Friday Finishes - Join in the fun.


18 November 2012

Pinterest Recipe Challenge: Soba Noodles with Ginger Sauce

Welcome to Pinterest Recipe Challenge: Week two!
Maybe it's cheating to go pin things specifically for this challenge (heck I know it definitely is cheating), but there are no rules so who cares, right?
On that note, last night we made Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce, which, yes, I pinned specifically to make for this challenge.
Now, I love Soba Noodles and I love scallions. So it should be prefect, right?
And, it almost was. Honestly, the reason it wasn't was due to errors on my part. I added the noodles to the sauce without letting them cool down, because I was so hungry at the time and the sauce was so good. Seriously, like Heaven. But adding them hot gave them a little bit of a slimy texture. So if you make it, wait for the noodles to cool!
And, to save on money, we used leeks instead of scallions. And they were good, but after the flavors mixed for a while, the leeks started to overpower everything else. Plus, I love the texture scallions give to things. So next time, I will spend a little extra money and get the scallions.
Overall rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. It should be 4.5 but I can't get past the texture. I know it's unfair to downgrade a recipe for something that's probably my fault, but I am not one hundred percent certain the texture wouldn't have been slimy if I'd added the noddles cold. So until I make it again, it shall remain at 4.0!
It's a must make if you like ginger, soba noodles, and scallion.

By the way, I am still doing 30 Days of Thanks! I have been posting about them in the Facebook event page, it got to be a little too much to write an entry for it every day!
Day 15: I am glad I have some talent I can make a little bit of money off of.
Day 16: I am thankful that I can worry about the small things I do. Because it means I'm not worrying about my next meal, a roof over my head, or clothing to wear.
Day 17: Thankful for homemade fresh OJ!
Day 18: Today I am thankful Magdalena has such an awesome Nana who is striving to create her own traditions with her granddaughter.

That's what I've been thankful for the past couple of days. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."

16 November 2012

Friday Finishes

Welcome to Friday Finishes Linky Party number three! Link up on Fridays with any finish you wish to share: craft, homework, dinner, baking, getting the cranky child to bed - well you get the idea.
Last week a few people entered! Yay, hope some more enter this week! :)
It's funny, last week I talked about how it was a week in which I got a lot of things almost finished, but not quite. Well, those particular things are still almost finished. That mitten is still languishing on the DPNs, and I still haven't made a pompom for Magdalena's hat.
This week I got three Happy Accident hats done. One for M's friend's birthday, the other two to sell at a fair next month.
I also made some wonderful baked mozzarella sticks
And, I taught my first knitting class! I think it was a rousing success, she learned what I had intended in the time allotted, and because she's a friend, I was able to iron the kinks out!
Magdalena's teacher has a daughter who is in a knitting club at school. There are kids that want to join who don't know how to knit. She is going to print out a flyer with my knitting class details and bring it in, and hopefully I can have a class with her friends.
**Hoping it works out!**
The next few things I am going to mention, I am particularly proud of.
I have been keeping journals off and on my whole life. Many of them were half full of just angry words and drawings. I didn't want to get rid of them, but I didn't really want them around either. I never looked at them, they reminded me too much of a time I don't want to remember, but at the same time I'm scared to forget.
The other night, I decided I was going to get rid of them, come Hell or high water. I got tired of them taking up space! So yesterday morning, I ripped out the most emotional pages, and the drawings and words I really wanted to keep, and took my current journal, and did this:
I made a collage. It was a way for me to honor that time and how much I learned and how much I've changed.
I took some drawings and scattered them throughout the journal: (I have to be honest, it's not really a journal. It's more an art thing, it's a lot of found objects and drawings that Magdalena and I did together.)
It's now a 'journal' that anyone can look through and read, and contribute to if they feel the desire. Which I think is the best kind of journaling, those are where the real memories are going to come from.

AND BEST FINISH OF THE WEEK! (One I didn't even do...)
Someone wrote her nickname all by herself!

Come and join us! What did you finish this week?
Please link up from your post with a text link or copy and paste the HTML below. :)

Friday Finishes - Join in the fun.


14 November 2012

Challenge Accepted: Pinterest Recipes

I was reading one of my favorite Blogs yesterday, Quilting in my Pyjamas (if you haven't read it you should, she's hilarious!). She posted about her addiction to Pinterest and how many recipes she's pinned without having actually made any of them. Afraid that her board would be a graveyard of things not cooked, she and her friend decided to combat their addictions by cooking one recipe a week from their pinterest boards.
My mom, Nana B, and I have decided it's a great idea, and to accept this challenge! And of course, we had to jump in straight away. We decided to start with Baked Mozzarella sticks. Sticks of string cheese wrapped in egg roll wrappers and baked!
This recipe is absolutely perfect for No Spend November because Mozzarella sticks are one of my favorite foods ever, and I can't justify spending $8.00 for six sticks. After all, they're not a necessity! But, spring roll wrappers and string cheese are groceries we buy every week, so they're justified.
I would tweak this recipe a bit. They were good, and will take getting used to as the sticks we normally eat are deep fried and breaded. But these were good, and if I could get the idea of what mozzarella sticks are 'supposed to be' out of my head, then they would be great.
I think I would try them with less baking time. Ten minutes, turn them after five. And regular blocks of cheese, versus string cheese. Like I said, they were good. But not ooey gooey.
Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. We would make them again. They're healthier, good and easy. And it's something the four year old can help with!

Note: This post was written was written as much by Nana B as it was by myself!

Thirty Days of Thanks - 11, 12, 13 & 14

Holy cow have I fallen behind! Unfortunately, Blogging every day just got to be too much. It go to the point where life took over, and something had to give for a few days, and it was the Blog.

Day 11:
Thankful that Magdalena slept past sunrise that morning! It started out much better than the past few! And she's been sleeping past sunrise since. *knocking on wood now*.

Day 12: How very nice the day was! Such a gift! I mean, the day was a perfect summer's day...in November! And we made the best of it by having two play-dates.

Day 13: Magdalena's teachers! They're amazing! She is in a preschool two days a week and it is so cool! Makes me wish I was four. They spend all the time they can exploring outside and the environment, and learning how to have fun with it and treat it with respect. Another two days a week she's in a free program which addresses some minimal learning delays she has. And I mean minimal, which would not have been the case if not for this program and others like it.

Day 14: I am grateful for all the new friends I have made in the past couple of years through Magdalena. The past few days have been jammed pack full of play-dates, pot-lucks, parties, and fundraisers.
I learned about a new holiday, Diwali, which began yesterday and runs through the next few days. Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights, held in the period October to November. A year ago I had no idea what Diwali was, and this year I found myself celebrating it! (Word for the wise: If you've never tried homemade Naan, it's a must! As soon as my friend posts her recipe, I am linking it! YUM.)

Magdalena rolling out naan!
I was planning on having pictures of Magdalena with her teachers and her classrooms for this post, but, the best laid plans, right?
That's what I've been thankful for the past couple of days. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."

12 November 2012

The Happy Accident Toddler and Adult Hat Pattern

Introducing..The Happy Accident Toddler and Adult Hat!
I saw a toddler hat on the cover of a catalog the other day, and I fell in love with it. It was an ear flap hat, and the ribbing and main body of the hat were contrasting colors and textures. And I thought, "I can design one better than that!"
And low-and-behold, halfway through knitting my prototype, I realized...it's reversible! Ummm...love.
This hat fits n average size adult and a three and four year old toddler.
Check it out in my Ravelry store: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/happy-accident-adult--toddler-hat

10 November 2012

Thirty Days of Thanks - Days Nine & Ten

Yesterday, I woke up with a bit of a cold. And it make me thankful for the fact that I am rarely sick, and when I am it goes away fairly quickly. Knock wood.
Today, I am thankful for how awesome my little community is. I mentioned the other day that my mom and I were artisans at an event called Ladies' Night, which helped support battered woman and families. Over 400 women went, and they each paid $5.00 at the door. Plus raffles, what the artisans paid for the tables, and food and drink, it raised, I am sure, a lot of money.
And a local business did this all for free, because they're good people.
Last night, Magdalena and I went to a free pizza pajama party, put on by the Community Network for Children, at the Atheneum. I can't tell you how much I appreciate these free events, especially since I've been doing No Spend November.
We listened to stories, sang songs, and, of course, ate pizza!
And Magdalena was reunited with her long lost friend, Noah!
No Spend November has been going pretty well. I have had a couple of instances where I wanted to get things so badly. The hardest one was when I was ordering yarn for a special order, and my fingers were just itching to add a few more skeins to the cart. But I didn't! If I can surpass that, then I can do anything!
Another roadblock happened the other day. My friend held a trunk show, in which she was selling handmade paper beads. Ugandan women make them, and then a program sells them. You can get sets of them to sell at parties and send the money back to the company. It provides a means of support for these women.
Now, I couldn't go, so my problem was solved before it began. But it got me thinking - what if I had been able to go? Jewelry is certainly not a necessity, but it was for a good cause and the beads are beautiful. The more I think about it, the more I realize I would probably have purchased a cheap pair of earrings just to buy something, and that's it. I just don't do jewelry so much. But that would've gone against this experiment...Who knows?

That's what I've been thankful for the past couple of days. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."

09 November 2012

Major Christmas and Winter Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed! Please check back soon to see if you're the winner!

In honor of the holiday season, I am having a giveaway, a big one! I love giveaways, what about you all? Now, I know it seems early (like super early!) for Christmas giveaways, but I want the winner to get their goodies with plenty of time to knit away before Christmas morning.
Last giveaway, I gave mini skeins as the prize. It was so successful, I am doing it again! Included in the prizes are five assorted mini skeins.
And this time, how about some BonBons from Lion Brand yarns?
Not just any BonBons, though, but sparkly ones! You get two packs, in the colorways Celebrate and Party - perfect for the holiday season! That's a total of 21 mini skeins!
I am also giving away a paper copy of my Soap Caddies / Holder pattern. And the yarn to make them! Included is one skein Dishie yarn, in the colorway Nettle:
Now, I can't forget about any youngsters in your life. And since knitting is an addiction I want to get kids started on early, there's a Knitting Suzie included in the prizes as well! Remember them?
Also included is a mini stocking knit from the pattern by the wonderful Little Cotton Rabbits, and in the stocking you get a couple of mini winter theme scented soaps! (Peppermint and mistletoe!)
And you get a skein of Reverie yarn, which is a glorious blend of Alpaca and Acrylic, you'll never believe how soft it is.

All the prizes included are:
- Two packs of BonBon yarns, for a total of 16 mini skeins
- Five assorted mini skeins
- One skein of Dishie yarn
- One skein of Reverie yarn, in white
- One Knitting Suzie
- One mini stocking
- Two mini winter theme scented soaps
- One paper copy of my soap holders pattern

As always, lots of ways to enter:
- Just leave a comment.
- Share this post then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Follow this blog then leave a comment saying you've done so, or if you're already a follower just leave a comment saying you are!
- Like me on Facebook, then leave a comment saying you've done so. Link to Facebook: facebook.com/nantucketknit.
That's four chances!
I will leave this contest open for a while, 'til December first.
If you're leaving a comment as anonymous or are a no-reply blogger, leave some way of contacting you in the comments, such as your email or Ravelry name!

**If I do not hear from the winner within 72 hours, then an alternate winner will be chosen.**


OK shameless plug:
I know this post is going to get a lot of views, so I am using it to spread the word about the Linky Party I am trying to start up!


Link up on Fridays with any finish you wish to share: craft, homework, dinner, baking, getting the cranky child to bed - well you get the idea. Click the Friday Finishes Button above to check it out and enter!


Friday Finishes

Hi everyone! Welcome to my Friday Finishes Linky Party number two! Crossing my fringers to get a few entries this week! Link up on Fridays with any finish you wish to share: craft, homework, dinner, baking, getting the cranky child to bed - well you get the idea.
This week was one of those where I got a lot of things almost finished. I made a hat for Magdalena but haven't added the pompom; I also made her some mittens, but need to make the thumb of the second one; and I made a hair snood for my friend's Christmas present, but haven't woven in the ends.
Here's some not so great pictures of the one thing I fully finished:
My mom and I participated in an event called Ladies Night, which raises money for a local nonprofit. Lots of artisans were there, and I sold all of my elephant hats, which was a hige surprise to me! And got in a huge special order! Gotta get those needles clicking!

Ok, on an off-topic note:

I keep seeing an ad for this yarn when I'm on Ravelry, and it's really distracting me. Like, it's making No Spend November super hard, because I so do not need that beautiful scrumptious drool-worthy squishy looking goodness, I just want that Christmassy stuff so badly it hurts!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/113262065/hand-dyed-yarn-superwash-merino-classic < - check it out, but I warn you, it's hard to resist.

So those are the few things I finished this week. What did you finish this week?

Please link back from your post with a text link or copy and paste the code below!

Friday Finishes - Join in the fun.





08 November 2012

30 Days of Thanks - Day Eight

Cozy warm socks on a stormy windy day!

That's what I'm thankful for today. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."

07 November 2012

30 Days of Thanks - Day Seven

I love Nantucket. One of the things that makes my little island so lovely, is the Atheneum - which is fancy for library. Today, I am grateful for the library. (Which my grandfather helped renovate, by the way!)
Atheneum is defined as "literary or scientific association for the promotion of learning." The Nantucket Atheneum certainly strives to fit into that definition.
This is the elephant Magdalena made at their free craft activity the other day. (And free certainly fits into No Spend November!) Not too many places would provide a free art class / story time.
The librarian read Elmer the Elephant and then we made our own patchwork versions of Elmer by gluing squares of tissue paper onto plain paper, then cutting out the elephant shape. So cute! And the book is a must read, for anyone with toddlers. Like, seriously.
An abstract Elmer!
There have been so many times where I haven't had anything else to do, or it's been super rainy, or I just plain don't feel like doing anything, when we go to the library. Chances are you'll be able to attend a dance class, movie, or pizza pajama party. Even if you want to rent a movie to watch on a stormy day!
Magdalena gets so excited when she hears we're going to the library. It's something invaluable to this community, and we all love.
Magdalena making her masterpiece.
Elephants on parade!
That's what I'm thankful for today. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."
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