Anyone?

Ok, I have only once received a comment from someone other than D. Does anyone read my blog??

If you do, please post a comment.

Thanks!

Backyard Leaves Scarf

I finished this scarf a while back, but didn't have a camera that would take a decent picture. It is the Backyard Leaves scarf from the Scarf Style book. I have worn this scarf so much. It is one of my favorite things I have ever made and it is super soft. I used Blue Sky Alpaca yarn.

Socks on a Blog with a Dog

Here is my newest pair of completed socks. They are awesome! The colors pooled differently on both socks, but I loved working with the yarn and I tried a different toe and they fit so well.

I used Sockotta yarn - wool, cotton and nylon. Size 1 dpns. I followed Yarn Harlot's basic sock recipe but used the star toe technique from the Simply Socks booklet. For some reason I love the star toe. It just fits my feet a lot better.

Here's an action shot.

Finally, here is the dog portion of the post. Little Miss Trixie looking as cute and bouncy as ever. She's such a great dog!

Valentine's Day Surprises

Valentine's Day was good this year with lots of suprises.

First up is the painting I did for J. I haven't painted anything in a really long time, so this was a nice way to get back into it. It is acrylic with some metallic hand stitching and attached painted canvas flowers. It is 16x16 in a 20x20 frame. You probably see the octopus over on the left of the painting. Octopi come up in conversation with us often - like an ongoing theme, so the painting had to have one. Octopus in Spanish is Pulpo, so the name of the painting is "Pulpo del Amor" or in English, "Octopus of Love".

Also, for part of his Valentine's surprise I got new bedding and made a bedskirt and small pillow for the computer room/guest room where he spends most of his time. Now it's not so girly in there. It looks pretty decent in there now!

Now on to the really good stuff.

J brought me a huge vase of delphiniums! They are very pretty and thankfully not boring roses. There is a basket next to the flowers that is the other part of my gift. It is awesome!

Yes, J went to the LYS and picked out yarn! It's for the Irish Hiking Scarf from Hello Yarn. I have been wanting to make that scarf for a while and he picked fantastic yarn for it. I love alpaca! I always wear black, but I haven't ever knitted anything black, so this yarn is perfect. What a great choice!

We also went out and had a suprise dinner. It turned out to be not so great, but I made baked ziti on Friday night, so that kinda made up for it. Restaurants that have a "special = overpriced" Valentine's Day menu should at least be sure it's as good as the regular menu. It was disappointing. We did have a good time out though, and the atmosphere was nice.

Domestic Goddess Apron aka Too Much Time on My Hands

This is my friend JD. She and her husband are the only people I know who cook "real" food. They had us over for dinner the other night and it was awesome. Since she really cooks, she needed a real apron. I made this from Simplicity pattern 4987. I tweaked it a bit from the original version.

As you can see, I used piping on the seams instead of the lace trim the pattern called for. It turned out a lot cuter. Also, the skirt on the pattern wasn't lined, so I added a skirt lining so it is totally reversible and nicer.

I really want an apron like this. It is so super cute! Yeah!