grandma's birthday present

my grandma's 85th birthday is this october. my parents are going to taking her out with some of her gal pals for a fancy dinner. i am working a present for her right now. i actually bought this yarn last year with the idea of making her something, but we all know how slow i am, and here we are a year later. this is recycled silk left over from making saris...(this info is from http://www.rugsandcrafts.com/silkyarn.html but i don't remember where i actually bought it)

Recycled silk yarn is the by-product of colorful saris that women wear in South Asia. It is the loose ends of saris collected from industrial mills in India that is hand spun into yarn in Nepal. The vibrant colors and unique texture of these silk fibers and silk yarn are inspirational to designers, knitters, and artisans. The popularity of recycled silk yarn has extended beyond Nepal and India and has created an empowering cottage industry primarily benefiting women.

We work with women's development groups in Nepal to produce unique hand knitted silk yarn products. Knitting, crocheting, and weaving in their spare time in their own home, women make many products out of the silk yarn. This work provides additional income to support and improve their families.

so, it's actually really cool yarn. really bright colors, you can see just a bit from this pic. it's a little tricky to work with, but i found a pretty simple drop stitch pattern that has turned out to be great. this is after about 30 minutes of work.

old cars, old houses and hoosiers

i am now in south bend, indiana for work.

first, necessity is the mother of invention. my hotel does not have shower caps. anywhere. i had to make my own out of the ice bucket plastic bag. yes, i still use shower caps. that's my creative exercise for the week.

tonight i went to the studebaker museum!


after that, we went here for dinner...tippecanoe place, the home of clement studebaker...

how well do you know me? why did this house make me nutty?

about the home...

By the 1870's, the Studebaker brothers were quite rich and enjoyed living well. Clement Studebaker, then president of the company, had many friends who had also struck it rich in the early days of America - Andrew Carnegie, Cyrus McCormick, John Wannamaker, and J.P. Morgan, to name a few. In 1886, Clem decided to build a home suitable to his position in life.

Tippecanoe Place, with four main levels totaling 40 rooms and 20 fireplaces, is the embodiment of everything great wealth in the late 1800's could suggest. The 26,000 square-foot mansion was designed by Henry Cobb and built by local craftsmen. Work on Tippecanoe Place was completed in 1889 at a total cost of $250,000.

The massive walls are made of local granite fieldstone, and the many broad porches are paved with tile and supported by stone pillars. A flight of stone steps at the main entrance leads into the mahogany paneled vestibule. The decorative carvings on the oval doorknobs exemplify the great attention to detail throughout the entire house.

The mansion, however, was to be more than simply a monument to the architecture and craftsmanship of the period. It would serve as the setting for many lavish parties, weddings, and balls.

Guests would arrive by carriage and enter through the west doors. They would board the elevator - one of the first in the country - and be whisked upstairs to freshen up. The formally clad ladies and gentlemen would then descend the Grand Staircase into the Reception Area. Then, as today, Tippecanoe Place was known for its hospitality and as a gracious setting for fine dining.

blue sweater progress

the blue sweater is coming along nicely. the body is done, up to the underarms, and i have set it aside. working on the arms now. it's all done in the round, which is awesome. there won't be any seams, but i'm a little worried about working in the ends. i'll just have to think about that when it comes time.
it's really really soft yarn, but it will be a really warm sweater. can't wear a t-shirt under it like i thought i'd be able to. we'll see.

banana cranberry chocolate muffins

so, i had all these bananas in my freezer, whole, just waiting to become banana bread/muffins. i also still have choco chips left over from a project i finished many moons ago, and some new dried cranberry pieces i got from trader joe's last week. threw them all together, and voila!

i had no recipe for these muffins beyond a basic banana bread, but i've made it so many times before that i have started to add my own little touches. i rock. go me.

and...we like strawberries.

to clarify...

i made the SWEATER, not the kid.

also, shosh! my parents will probably be in amsterdam for new year's! you can say hi.
:)

my first clothing model

here he is! toothless smile and all.

latest sweater!

so, i started a new sweater last night...and i'm already about 1/4 done. it's knit in the round, and the yarn is rather big and soft, so it'll go quickly. i'm very excited about this one!

the yarn is from webs and is one of the yarns from their valley yarns line, shelburne.

right, i'm spending my three day weekend knitting. is that a surprise?

here is my roommate, who was allowed to roam free all day. she is laying on her tummy under my desk in this pic.