Christmas Time in the Ole Midwest

Whew. It's been a crazy Christmas time. I just looked at my blog to discover that I've only blogged 3 times in December! Well, here's the quick, slap-dash overview of my Christmas holiday.

This year, I ....

Hosted a holiday brunch for my friends in LA, including this awesome hot coco bar.

Had a mini bundt cake (bundtini) at work. 

Flew home to Michigan to spend time with my family. 

 

Mum & Meghan

Madi, Meghan, and Ellie (my nieces)

Meghan and Jen (my sister-in-law)

Got a fun Macro/Wide Angle lens for my iphone!

  

And this pretty midcentury ornament.

Played a bit in the snow in my parents' backyard.

Was gifted a pair of Hobbit feet, and finally saw the Hobbit movie (thanks to my 15 year old brother!)

Made a lot of yummy treats with my sister. 

Aprons from Izabelle (her shop is Boojiboo)

Met up with my favorite bloggy ladies, Allyson and Emily, and Emily's daugher, Ryenn. 

Who fell in love with Meghan, naturally. 

It was quite the getaway, and I had so much fun! 

I hope your holiday was warm and bright, and I'll be back tomorrow with a 2012 wrap up!

Holidaze

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and yet, I got really sick last week. It was "just a cold," but it was a cold that knocked me over so badly that I didn't even want to knit or sew or blog. I just laid in bed and re-read The Hobbit*.

But I still managed to eek out a few Christmas presents, including - count 'em - three out of the six Holla Knits Accessories patterns. I'll provide more detail shots after the holidays, but that's a Wallpaper Cowl, a Multiplicity, and a Black Swan up there. 

Luckily, none of them are mine to keep and wear all at the same time.

*Haven't seen the movie yet. Must see this weekend.

Christmas Past Round-Up

You know it's "that time of year" when the traffic from Pinterest starts picking up! So I thought I'd throw together a few photos from last Christmas' projects.

Last year I...

Wrapped presents with pompoms!

Made fabric trees (tutorial, too!)

Crocheted Granny Stockings for me and Chris (Info & pattern on Rav)

Knit a Mini Mitten Garland (Info & Pattern on Rav)

Still in need of Christmas inspiration? Danielle (aka Ms. KitschyDigitals) posted an amazing round-up of all her Christmas projects! 

Adventure Time: Portland Weekend

A few weeks ago, Chris, Melissa and I went up to Portland to see Joel (Melissa's fiance) in Midsummer Nights' Dream at the Portland Center Stage. We spent the weekend exploring the Autumnal Paradise that is Portland!

We walked around the city, stopped in a ton of little shops, ate lots of delicious food, and generally enjoyed the cool, rainy weather. 

My haul from Powell's Books. I could have spend another 5 hours looking through all their wares. 

   
Voodoo Donuts! 

We went to Ground Kontrol, and amazing arcade and bar that serves grilled cheeses, and ran into Wil Wheaton. It was like nerd paradise! 

  

Drank some beers at Rogue Brewery.

It was a great weekend.

And PS, Joel proposed to Melissa the day after we left! Love in Portland! 

Honors Geometry Cowl - A new Knitting Pattern with a Cyber Monday Deal!

Happy Cyber Monday! 

 

I'm celebrating with the (long-time-coming) release of my new pattern: Honors Geometry. 

You may recognize this as the cowl I made for Andi in October. I decided to make this pattern a bit fancier than my last three cowl patterns and enlist the skills of a graphic designer, otherwise known as Meghan Canavan, otherwise known as my sister. So I hope you enjoy the fancy new pattern template she designed!

Now on to the details:

Honors Geometry Cowl

"I love the combination of color blocking and geometric 
patterns all over the runway lately, and wanted to put it on something hand knit! This winter, wrap your neck and shoulders in a huge, double knit cowl. Honors Geometry is a slouchy, triangle-patterned cowl that doubles as a wrap. If you’re new to double knitting, there’s a great 
tutorial on Knit Picks."

Gauge: 17 stitches and 20 rows = 4” Stocking Stitch

Needles: Size 10.5 (6.5mm)

Yarn: Caron Vicky Howell Sheep(ish) one skein of each: Gun Metal(ish) (C1), Teal(ish) (C2), Turquoise(ish)(C3), Lime(ish)(C4)

Notions: Tapestry Needle, Stitch Marker

I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "Katie, that's a pretty pattern and all, but what makes this Cyber Monday-y?" 

In celebration of the release of Honors Geometry, and Cyber Monday, all cowl patterns in my Ravelry Store are 50% off. That means they are each a mere dollar for the next 24 hours. Just add the patterns to your cart and the discount will show up during checkout!

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! Now let's get on with the Holiday Knitting! 

Simple Crochet Stool Covers

Here they are, the last of my crafty summer plans, finally accomplished*. I was having a hard time powering through some Christmas-Present-Knitting, so I took a little time out and whipped up these stool covers using this video tutorial and large amount of leftover yarn. They're not perfect, but they sure get the job done. 

*Let's just ignore the fact that I said I'd sew myself a romper, ok? It's just not in the cards for this year, and I'm going to accept that and move on. 

Recently Read - Game of Thrones

I finally finished this epic book - A Game of Thrones. And no, I don't mean I've finished the whole series. I mean I've finished the first book. Yup, only the first book.

This was one of my Summer Goals, so I wanted to follow up on my progress. I think I finished in October, and it was a bit of a struggle. No, not because I hate reading, but because I watched the HBO Series before I read the book. It took out a lot of the suspense, and it's a mistake I won't make with the next book. 

And I will read the next book, because I really enjoy the story and the characters. I think Arya is my most favorite character, and I think she's heading down an interesting path. Anyone else reading these?

Louise's Bridesmaid Hair Pieces

The wedding fun continues! A few months ago, I was asked by my lovely friend, Louise, to create some hair pieces for her bridal party. 

Her colors were red, white, and black, and I made her fascinator-style hair clips out of felt. They turned out so cute, and a few of her bridesmaids wore them during the ceremony with their mis-matched red dresses. I love that look for bridesmaids! 

I think I need a few of these hair pieces for myself in different colors, right? Maybe some holiday-themed fascinators!