Monday, September 28, 2009

Lap of Luxury


Just the right gift.....it alludes me a lot of times. This year I purchased some Tilli Tomas Disco lights in hopes of knitting something that money just can't buy. Here's the first of my knitted gifts. A simple, but easy pattern that shows off the yarn fantastically.

Winter Windowpanes Scarf by Margaret Radcliffe
Pattern found in "101 Designer One Skein Wonders"
Size US #5 Needles (Signature needles with stilletto tips = one fabulous product).
1 skein of Disco lights by Tilli Tomas in the "Atmosphere" colorway.
A gift for my MIL, who really loved it! Squee....I like to see people enjoy their knitted gifts.

This yarn is 100% spun silk, that contains two strands, one being the silk, the other a small thread that contains many sequins. If I hadn't knit this particular yarn (or any pattern in this yarn with a K2tog, for that matter) with my signature needles, I would have gone crazy. It takes a little while to get used to the feel of the sequins on your needles. And the yarn and sequins can easily split. Thank heavens for the Signature needles. Their nice sharp points helped me execute the K2tog stitch beautifully. Signatures are definitely worth the price. They are truly in a league of their own. And if knitting with Signature needles is living in the lap of luxury, Tilli Tomas yarn just adds to the glory. Disco lights is a beautiful yarn, so soft and wonderful. Of course, this would be my first experience knitting with 100% silk. But I've vowed to knit with it more often, as budget allows (ahem).

So, if you're looking for a relatively quick knit with big results, I highly recommend this yarn and pattern. And oh yeah....at least try the Signature needles. You won't be sorry. I'm off to wind up another skein of Tilli Tomas and to continue the process of knitting Christmas gifts. Have you started Christmas knitting yet?



Sunday, September 20, 2009

Anniversary Ampersands


On September 11th, we celebrated our wedding anniversary. When we got married in 1998, I thought I would pick a day he couldn't forget (9/11), and then it became a day we all remember.

And even though there is sadness to the day, we do celebrate. We had a nice dinner (no children with us). He gave me a dozen yellow roses, my very favorite. I gave him:

Ampersands (Ravelry pattern)
A quick and dirty pattern that produces nice results with hand-painted yarns.
Size US #2 needles, magic loop method
Yarn: STR medium weight in the color, Treehugger
I personally love the heel flaps!


The best present was watching him put them on last night before bed...I love to see recipients wear their knitted gifts. It's been 11 years since we were married, and I can say that I'm still one lucky woman! And he's a man with some sexy socks!