The Coy Pond

As usual, I’ve been very busy lately! The weather has finally turned chilly, so I’m glad to have a new warm scarf to wear…

Pattern: Palindrome Scarf
Yarn: Southwest Trading Company Karaoke in the Black Rose Colorway
50% soysilk – 50% wool

I like the pattern a lot, it is a very nice-looking scarf. I absolutely love that the cable is reversible — it looks exactly the same on both sides. I got a little bored while knitting it, but I powered through. It’s been a long time since I’ve finished a knitting project, I was absolutely determined to do it! The yarn is interesting. In the ball, the black sections are not visible — just various (very pretty) shades of red. Imagine my surprise when I was knitting along and WHOAH! That’s really, really black! I think I would have preferred it to be all different shades of red, maybe a dark red instead of black, but I like it well enough as it is.

I probably wouldn’t use the yarn again, however, because it’s really pretty itchy. I can wear this scarf easily over clothes, but I don’t really like it directly against my neck. So obviously I would never wear it as I was in the picture above. :)

That scarf is for me.

The other two are Christmas presents. They are much, much different than my warm wooly knit scarf! They are light cotton with beaded trim at each end. Notsomuch for taking the chill off these extra-cold Southern California winter nights. These are fashion accessories!

Pattern: Sash with Beaded Trim from Amy Butler’s book In Stitches
(also available as a free pattern here)
fabric and trim purchased at Jo-Ann for one, M&L Discount Fabric for the other

I’ve heard that a lot of people are giving handmade gifts this Christmas. It is apparently due to the poor economy, it’s just more frugal to make gifts than it is to buy them. I would like to say that I am 100% completely in favor of this trend, and hope it continues even if the economy improves! Handmade gifts are so great… And I’m not just saying that because I like to make things, honest! :)

I’m really feeling the Christmas spirit now, though the season is going way too fast. Oh well, there are still several days left to savor. I hope you are all having wonderful Christmas seasons!

As I said in my last post, we’re very busy at Casa de Coy, working on many different projects! I’ve decided to tempt you with tantalizing photos! After seeing these, you will be absolutely dying to know what we’re up to!

This may or may not be a reversable cable scarf knit out of a really cool yarn that gradually self-stripes in varying shades of red (and one shade of black).

This bear-print flannel just might be pajama pants. Not for Jarrod, for me! Because I am totally hip with the latest fashions!

This home decorating fabric may or may not be covering the cushions on half of our dining room chairs as we speak. You’ll need to tune in later to find out!

Don’t lie and say I haven’t grabbed your attention! Stay tuned for future updates!

I have been having so much fun sewing lately! I love my new machine, and I feel like I am getting the hang of some of the basics. I don’t even have to look in the manual to wind the bobbin or thread the machine!

I’ve wanted to make the Puzzle Ball since I bought Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts nearly a year ago. I finally bought some fabric for it last week, then waited for the right time to get started. That time came yesterday, when Bruce took Jarrod out for a couple hours. It was so much fun to make, I can’t wait to make another one! Except I have so many things I want to make, another Puzzle Ball is probably not next on my list. Next time someone I love has a baby, that kid is getting a Puzzle Ball! :)

Jarrod totally loves it, which is obviously very gratifying. It’s plump and soft, and each ‘piece’ is the perfect size for his baby hands to grab. It’s light, so he can easily throw it around. It’s so squishy, I don’t have to worry about him hitting himself with it or poking himself in the eye. It is a great toy, and I’m super thrilled with myself for making it. I’m 2-for-2 when it comes to projects from this book (we use the coasters I made a few weeks ago pretty much exclusively now), and given how much of a sewing beginner I am, I’d say that bodes very well for the book in general.

***

Can one get the flu from a flu shot? I got the shot on Sunday and have been wiped-out-sick since Wednesday. I’m sure it’s probably a coincidence… right?

So, this weekend we were supposed to head to Northern California for a couple days. Unfortunately, we all got sick, so we had to reschedule. We decided to try to do something interesting and local, to make up for the fact that we weren’t doing something interesting and away. One of the places I wanted to go on our trip was the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, so instead of that, I thought we should try the LA Farmers Market! Believe it or not, I’ve never been there. I’ve heard great things about it, I’ve even tasted donuts from the famous “Bob’s” before, but that’s it.

Now, if you were going to a place with Farmers Market in the name, you would kind of expect a Farmers Market… right? Ya know, like oh maybe some produce or something? From what I could see, there were only two stalls with produce. The only one that sort of resembled a Farmers Market Produce Stand had grocery store produce. They had Chiquita bananas and Dole pineapples! What’s up with that?? The other stand with produce was actually I think a juice/smoothie stand where you could buy some mildly interesting fruits.

It was an interesting experience and might have been more fun had we not felt like crap while we were wandering through the shops/stalls. I just can’t figure out why it’s called a Farmers Market. Next time I am willing to drive 30 miles to buy produce, I’ll go to Santa Monica, where I know they actually have produce that isn’t from the same companies that grow fruit for my local grocery store. I don’t even need to go that far; Long Beach has an absolutely respectable Farmers Market circuit, which sets up every Sunday in Alamitos Bay, not five miles from where I sit.

The verdict: LA Farmers Market was a big disappointment, and I don’t really need to go back. We did, however, enjoy our donuts from Bob’s! :)

We love to make things that no one makes.

A perfect example? We once made pop tarts from scratch. We got a lot of reactions along the lines of, “You made pop tarts? You can make pop tarts??”

We make salad dressings, salsa, sauces for stir-fries, pie fillings, breads, pizza-from-scratch, soups not from cans, cakes not from boxes, biscotti, ice cream, and baby food, among lots of other things. I know we’re not the only people who make items from this list, some might not even be all that unusual. We just like to make things, to consume things we made from raw ingredients. No weird chemicals, no stabilizers, no preservatives beyond good old sugar and salt.

Today, Bruce made sarsaparilla soda.

lace-detail
Originally uploaded by ChristyLB

I just started a new project: The Shaped Lace Tee from Knitting Lingerie Style by Joan McGowan-Michael. I’m using US7 Knit Picks Options and King Tut cotton in color 4010.

It’s coming along pretty good so far… I love the color!