Julep Jacket Knitting Pattern launches today!

It's that time again - the Holla Knits Spring issue!

This issue includes my new pattern - Julep Jacket. 

Buy Here!

As temperatures start to warm up, I find myself shirking off my heavy coat as soon as possible. This wool jacket is perfect for that in between time when it’s too cold to go without a jacket but too warm for a winter coat. It’s checkered with tiny bows, with a relaxed blouse-y shape and elbow length sleeves. Perfect for a picnic or a baseball game on a Spring day!

Finished Size 

32 (36, 40, 44)” bust circumference.

Materials

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK, 100% Superwash Merino Wool; 123yds/50g: 8 (9, 10, 12) skeins in Amethyst Heather.

Yarn: Unplanned Peacock Superwash Merino DK, 100% Superwash Merino Wool; 230yds/100g: 4 (5, 5, 6) skeins in Grass.

Needles: Size 5 (3.75 mm): 30” circular (cir) & DPNs. Adjust needle sizes if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions: Stitch markers (M), tapestry needle, large snap, sewing thread to match.

Gauge 

22 sts and 30 rows = 4” (10 cm) in Bow Stitch on size 5 needles.

Notes 

This jacket is worked from the bottom-up, starting with the bow stitch body. After knitting each sleeve separately, you join them to the body and work raglan decreases. After knitting the front bands, you return to the bottom of the piece to add a turned band, and then finish with the neat little collar. Each edge is finished like a pro!

Buy Here!

It's $6 as an individual pattern, and available here on the Holla Knits site, and it's on Ravelry here. I hope you guys love it! 

Spring Break on Captiva Island

The week before last, I spent some time on sunny Captiva Island, near Fort Meyers, in Florida. It was a much-needed week of relaxing on the beach and spending time with my family and family-friends. 

Although the humidity killed me (mostly through frizzy hair), our beach-side house, seafood dinners and fruity drinks more than made up for that. I also got lots of sleep and did some crafting. 

Am I the only one who enjoys the flight and spending time in airports? It feels like stolen time - I got so much done, thanks to free airport wi-fi! Let's just forget the hell that was flying during Spring Break and focus on how I enjoyed Dunkin Donuts for the first time in over a year at the Boston Logan airport!

The Desert: Palm Springs

Part two of my desert adventures happened in February - I met up in Palm Springs with fellow blogger Danielle, etsy-extraordinare Heather, and her friend Holly. We had the best time eating, shopping and walking around taking pictures. Danielle and I were originally planning to attend lectures and tours as part of Modernism Week, but after the first lecture was a complete waste of time, we skipped the rest of the events. So bad! But Palm Springs had more than enough to offer, without fancy lectures. 

It was so fun to have experienced "tour guides" for this trip - Holly & Heather are Palm Springs experts - and they showed me all the fun places to eat and shop. Danielle and I did have our share of foibles: we walked in to a "tour" of a home, just to be told, quite rudely, that it was a private group showing; and I locked my keys in the car, while it was STILL RUNNING. But all in all, it was a great time with fun, new friends, and I walked away with some great thrift store finds. 

I just posted a few photos here, but Danielle did a huge recap of everything on her blog - her post about Pioneertown is especially awesome. So go look at her photos, too! 

The Desert: Joshua Tree

So a loooong time ago (end of January of this year), my friend, Melissa, and I surprised Chris and Mel's fiance, Joel, with a trip to Joshua Tree. They deserved it, just because they both turned 30 within a week of each other. I took a million awesome pictures, and then never shared them anywhere. Not on Facebook, not on the blog. Wow, Katie, way to let your memories go to waste. 

We rented an amazing Midcentury Modern homesteaders cabin in Joshua Tree (the city, not the actual park), and had a chill long weekend, driving around, showering outdoors in the desert, grilling meat and attempting to start a fire. The first night, we were really cold and inhaled a lot of smoke. But by the second night, we discovered quick-burn logs, and conquered that fire! 

One of the things I love best about California is the possibility for quick road trips over a weekend, and we will definitely return to Joshua Tree. The desert is calling! 

Downton Abbey in tea towel form

So by now it's old news that Downton Abbey is amazing. Even if you haven't watched the show, you've undoubtedly been told that you "will LOVE it." And it's easy to see why - the characters are expertly crafted. People you love to hate suddenly become sympathetic, and those you love to love start showing the cracks in their facades. As an actor, these are characters I'd take such pleasure in playing. It's beautiful - the costumes and set (did you see that WEDDING!?) are amazingly detailed. And the actors are spot-on. God knows I wouldn't love the Dowager Countess as much if she were played by anyone other than Maggie Smith.

So when Danielle Thompson sent me an email, simply titled "Downton Abbey Patterns," I got really excited. It took me all of two seconds to volunteer to embroider these pretty tea towels as samples for Kitschy Digitals. You can buy the patterns by Heather Davulcu here, and the pretty tea towels here. 

These are just works-in-progress shots (hence all the wrinkles). I sent all 15 towels to Danielle at the beginning of this week, and she still has a little something to add to them before photographing them for her site. I can't wait to see the finished product. 

Purple Heart

Look at these pictures: hair curled, pink shirt, purple heart hat. I think this is the girliest picture I've ever taken.

Raveled

 Ok, I just went and looked through my iPhoto, and yes, it is confirmed: This is the girliest picture I have ever taken.

I have two problems, and luckily they go hand in hand. Problem #1: I have a lot of small quantities of yarn; and Problem #2: I don't have any cute, slouchy, lacy hats. After I finished my most recent design, I had a skein and a half of this Knit Picks Swish DK in Amethyst Heather, and I knew what I had to do with it. 

The pattern is the Ruby Red Heart Hat, and it was the perfect balance of quick & easy, but interesting enough to keep me knitting row after row. I followed the pattern exactly as written for the large size (my head is huge - I can't wear hats from regular stores), and a few episodes of American Horror Story later, I had a hat. 

Speaking of which, have you watched that first season of American Horror Story? I loved it, and I blame it all on R.L. Stine. The plot and setting made me feel like I was watching the Fear Street books come to life, especially the 99 Fear Street series. Anyone else totally in love with those books as a pre-teen?

Latte Love

I loved this little pattern from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery, so I stitched it up on painted aida cloth, and gave it to my sister for Valentine's Day. 

Ps. This post brought to you by breakfast with Izabelle.

Effortless...

This cardigan was technically my first FO of 2013, finished on January 1st. My BFF, Annie, requested a sweater for Christmas this year, and she picked everything out. The pattern is Effortless by Hannah Fettig, which I'm sure you've seen around the block once or twice by now. 

The yarn is my favorite - Knit Picks Comfy Worsted - in Seraphim, a pretty grey-violet. It's a bit short on me, because Annie is a bit short, but you get the gist.

Every Christmas I am resolute: NO sweaters. For anyone. ...And then every Christmas, someone has to ask for the perfect sweater that I totally want to knit them (on size 10 needles), and wear me down. Next year will be the year of no Christmas sweaters. Yup, NEXT year. 

Recently Read: Let's Pretend This Never Happened.

It’s been a long time since I laughed out loud at a book, but then again, I guess I haven’t read many books as hilariously charming as Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. 

I put this one on my Amazon Wish-List when it first debuted, and jumped at the chance to read it for review. Suffice it to say, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened did not disappoint. 

Lawson’s journey begins in a small town in Texas, where her father owns a taxidermy shop and frequently torments Lawson and her sister with dead animals. Hilarious! As someone who grew up in a small town in Michigan, I can relate to her farm anecdotes. Swam in a ditch? I’ve been there! Played in an inappropriate place? Definitely. (Mom, why did you let me go over to friends’ houses if they were FARMS?)

As Lawson continues her memoir, I can’t help but relate to her strange life. True, it’s nothing like my life, but her wild and wicked sense of humor bridges the gaps easily. Her self-depreciating tone never wears thin or rings false - she is a fine example of an original and modern voice. 

And that’s why you’ll love this book - Lawson is real, funny, and someone you wish you could get coffee with and hear her stories in person. And see her collection of taxidermy animals. I never knew I wanted a dead mouse dressed up as Hamlet, but Lawson makes it sound adorable, charming and almost normal. 

This post is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club, but the opinions expressed are my own. Past book reviews are here. 

life updates and such

Wow, I've totally dropped the ball with blogging lately, right? 

Before I jump in with a ton of fantastic vacation and project pictures, I just wanted to share some life updates. 

First and foremost, I got another bunny. Her name is Lady Gray, and she is adorable. She's a tiny Silver Marten/Dwarf mutt, and is super snuggly. She came from BunnyLuv, a rabbit shelter in Van Nuys, and when she was dropped off at the shelter, she had crazy-long front teeth on the bottom only. Her top teeth had never come in! So they removed her bottom teeth, and got her fixed, and after taking Tommy to the shelter for bunny dates (yes, seriously, bunnies go on dates), she came home in February. She is sweet and snuggly and can't chew on the furniture, so she's perfect in my book.

 

I got a Vespa scooter! And a helmet and a sense of my own mortality. I love riding my bicycle, but it's really not practical for getting around the sprawling city of Los Angeles, and the time came for Chris and I to get another vehicle. I've always wanted a Vespa, and when I laid eyes on this (used) beauty, I knew the price, milage, and style were right. The next morning, it was delivered! 

I roasted a chicken, or more technically, Chris roasted a chicken and I supervised. Because he was home during the day and could devote 5 hours to a chicken, while I was at work dreaming of eating a chicken. Which is very hard work, and therefore I still count this as one of my New Years resolutions completed. We used this recipe, recommended by Jamie, and it was really, seriously delicious.

What have you been up to lately?