I love art and have always wanted to have original art around my home - but I'm broke. Luckily a very talented friend of mine offered a trade. This hat: For this painting: Pretty awesome huh? I'm so excited. Doesn't it look great on my orange walls? Michelle Khazak is a very talented artist and has a bunch of beautiful paintings for sale at really awesome prices. You can check out her gallery here and her Etsy store here. I designed the hat for her based on some pictures that she sent me of hats she liked. I might offer... Continue reading

I've been away for a bit. Why? I've been in Maui! Yay Me!!! This is seriously my first grownup vacation - yes, I know I'm turning 30 this year and that's a bit sad. But travel to the islands is super-cheap right now, so my girlfriends and I decided to go for it. It was so wonderful - truly. We hiked, boogie-boarded, snorkled and did our fair share of partying. I'm definitely going back and plan to take the boys when they're a little older. I've got a bazillion more photos on my other blog: here and here. Now I... Continue reading

You thought you had me beat. You thought that your billion rows of garter stitch would overpower me and my knitting ADD. You thought you would be thrown in the UFO pile - forever an 8 inch something. You thought you would get to hang with the baby blanket, cream sweater, and peacock shawl in the party of Never To Be Finished Objects. For three months, you laughed at me. But You Misjudged Me, Swiss Cheese Scarf. You misjudged my need to look fashionable in this scarf-loving fall. You misjudged the amount of entertaining movies and tv shows I would... Continue reading

The folks at CSN stores.com contacted me and asked if I wanted to offer a $35 gift certificate on my blog. Being a fan of all things free, I jumped at the opportunity to share a gift with my readers. You know you love free! Now, I did some research on CSN Stores before deciding to do this giveaway. They have over 200 stores with just about any kitchen and dining supply that a foodie like you or me could think of. Their customer feedback seems solid as well. Click here to take a look around their stores and imagine... Continue reading

I know I haven't posted much lately, but honestly, I haven't been doing all that much knitting. The weather has been fantastic here in Seattle (I know, right?), so I've been too busy outdoors enjoying it all to pick up needles. Check out my other blog if you want to check out more of my non-knitting pursuits. It hasn't been completely knit-free, of course (it will take a lot more than nice weather to get to that!). I have been slowly working on the Swiss Cheese Scarf. I really do love this pattern - I think it's going to turn... Continue reading

New BlogHi all! I know I've been a bit sporadic lately on my postings but, honestly, life is just too fun and busy lately! So busy, in fact, that I've made another blog to document my non-crafty exploits. "But Ijeoma," you say, "You are really horrible at keeping up this blog - and now you are starting a new one??" To that I say, "Exactly." You can see my new blog HERE. It's documenting my quest for a more honest and happy life. I promise to keep updating this one as well. But you came here for knitting, right? Here's... Continue reading

Lately I must admit that my mind has not been nearly as focused on knitting as it has been this past year. The majority of this post is not about knitting - but there is some in the end. Going Veggyish I've been really focused on improving my physical health and fitness. I grew up a chubby kid and adolescent - this affected my self-confidence (as it does most girls), and helped lead me into some unhappy relationships and pretty dowdy outfits. I made a big push in my early twenties to really get in shape and it felt great.... Continue reading

Just wanted to let you all know that the Spring Lace Armwarmer is up on Knit Picks! You can see it here: In Ravelry In Knit Picks The pattern is only $1.99 and takes less than 1 skein of sock yarn. Make a bunch! Continue reading

Gosh, I was doing so well, wasn't I? Blogging three, even four times a week. I'm sure my six or seven regular readers have been wondering where I've gotten to. Honestly, I've just been doing other stuff. I've been knitting, but I've been focusing a lot more on other pursuits. I've been working out a lot - taking spin classes (the bike kind, not fiber kind) and running on the eliptical. I've also been working a lot in my day job. I'm one of those lucky people who really likes her day job and I've been really immersed in it... Continue reading

Here are things I'm coveting this week: Yummy Summer Yarnsfleeglesblog.blogspot.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGossamerWeb I've long been coveting The Gossamer Web's yarns. They look so absolutely delicious. I'm really not sure why I haven't bought any yet, as the reviews have all been fantastic. But now, I really MUST buy some, because they have silk: Perfect for summer, no? Beautiful Summer Tees http://www.etsy.com/shop/Alis This lovely shirt comes in multiple colors, and it's ON SALE! I really really want. Continue reading

Fixing weaving mistakes and and making the best of unexpected results A couple of things you should know about me. I NEVER properly plan a knitting or weaving project and I almost never go back and fix mistakes in said projects. So often have I set out willy-nilly on a project (usually with quite expensive yarn) with no workable plan. Does it usually work out? No. I'd say it works out about 30% of the time. This coupled with my inability to fix mistakes means that I have a LOT of projects that, if even finished, are relegated to a... Continue reading

Every Wednesday I will highlight a few things that I am coveting on the Interwebs. Here are two of my current favs! Poor Jean poorjean.blogspot.com poorjean.etsy.com This shop belongs to my dear friend Heather. She is so very talented. Her skirts and dresses have a fun, flirty feel and all look very flattering. Many are made to order, like the El Mariachi skirt above. I think this one would look great on me, don't you? Shower Artwaterproof art for your shower uglybaby.etsy.com I bought four of these today. How could I not?? Continue reading

How many projects can I have going at once? A billion, it seems. These are the two that I was working on this weekend: Woven Wheat Shawl I started this mid-last week, but it took FOREVER to warp, so I just started weaving it this weekend. The weaving itself is going pretty smoothly and I think it's looking nice: The color isn't quite right, it's much more golden. I took these pics at 6am though, so I'm glad you can make out anything at all. I'm weaving this on my rigid heddle loom with two 12.5 DPI heddles. I'm using... Continue reading

Sometimes my inability to properly follow a pattern pays off. When I was in Portland, the owner of knit/knot practically threw her pattern for a triangle scarf at me. She was very excited and adamant that I make it. So when I got back from Portland, I started knitting....and knitting.....and knitting......and after a looong time, I was wondering, "why isn't this triangle getting any smaller." Then I realized that if you add one stitch, and then take away another, your triangle is going to stay the same size. And actually, it won't be a triangle any more. I dug out... Continue reading

Got 3 hours? Got a ball of lovely yarn? Want a cowl that's suitable for spring? If so I've got a great pattern for you: I whipped this up today in about 3 hours while watching season 3 of Bones. I used one lovely skein of handdyed yarn. Unfortunately, I lost the label, so I can't tell you what yarn it was. I made a few adjustments for the pattern: I added one more row of lattice and I cut out 12 stitches from the cast-on for a bit of a more snug fit. If I find it, I will... Continue reading

In a brief fit of inspiration, I whipped up these nice spring armwarmers. I think they look really nice, don't you? In the Pacific Northwest, you can never be too sure about the weather. A t-shirt is never completely safe, no matter what time of year. These nice armwarmers are great to have around to add a bit of warmth to your wardrobe. They knit up nice and quick with a pretty simple lace pattern. The underside is solid so it won't annoy you when you are handling things. I've finished the rough draft and now need to get it... Continue reading

Here is the second installment of my crafty adventures in Portland. Let's start out with some yarn - yay! knit/purl, Gossamer and knit knot I ducked into these yarn stores for a bit. knit/purl is a nice little shop with a good Habu selection. I had to pick up a few balls of Habu there. Gossamer had a small selection, but they were one of the few stores I went to that had a decent local yarn selection. I got some beautiful blue plant-dyed yarn. Knit Knot was another small store, but I must say that I have never come... Continue reading

Portland is crafty! For my extended weekend, I decided to hop in the car and drive down to Portland. I had a blast! With my trusty iphone, I looked up various yarn stores and restaurants. Just hopping from location to location. I was there alone, so I got to go wherever I wanted. I met a lot of great people too! I love Seattle, but I must admit, it's not as crafty as I'd like. It seems that in Portland, you can't walk 10 feet without tripping over a yarn store. In two days, I visited 7 yarn stores, a... Continue reading

I've been very stressed lately. I started a new job about 5 months ago and I have really thrown myself into it. I love my job. But being a single working parent - well, I think I need a bit of a break every few years in order to maintain my sanity. I am taking a long weekend. I've requested this Friday and Monday off of work; these are my first vacation days I've taken in a year. I plan to drive off somewhere remote with yarn in hand and just roll around in immense craftiness. Here are some of... Continue reading

We are not a religious family, but we still celebrate Easter - because kids in America require copious amounts of candy delivered by terrifying, gigantic Rabbits each year as part of the normal childhood experience. I shouldn't get started on the Easter Bunny - it really is terrifying, just like the giant rat at Chuck E Cheese's. Marcus is convinced that it will eat him. My mom showed up today with Easter baskets and said "Look what the Easter Bunny brought you!" Marcus ran screaming. Anyways, we I (I shouldn't even pretend this was a democratic decision) decided to cook... Continue reading

I think I'm going to have to devote some time to sewing practice. My stitches look like perhaps I was trying to operate the sewing machine in the midst of a seizure. I should not try to sew fabrics that I have spent hours weaving until I can sew a damned straight line. Why am I bitching? I wove this really lovely little flower petal fabric and then proceed to mangle it with my extreme lack of sewing skills. So now I'm referring to it as "practice." Here is the piece. It is a tiny little clutch. Do not look... Continue reading

Children. They will find the thing you love most and they will destroy it. Then they will look at you and smile so sweetly that you decide to keep them, against your better judgment. Let this be a warning to you all. DO not leave incredibly expensive skeins of lace-weight yarn anywhere that a toddler may be. In fact, don't even BUY expensive yarn until your children are at least 15 years old. Oh, I can't even look at it now without wanting some sedatives. In other news, I am slowly knitting my swatches for the TKGA master knitter I... Continue reading

I just pulled the body of the heirloom blanket off of my loom. It is smaller than I should be - but I couldn't bear it anymore. This was my first attempt at doubleweave on the rigid heddle for a doublewidth fabric and boy, was it a trying process. There seems to be a definite lack of clear instructions on how to set up for doubleweave - and I made just about every mistake possible. Here are a few, in hopes of sparing some of you out there: I was not particularly strict on the order in which I threaded... Continue reading

My dear friend Marie showed up at work wearing a sweater jacket so incredibly beautiful and interesting, I demanded asked nicely that she hand it over so that I could take notes and pictures. I think the crazy gleam in my eye led her to say "Hey...why don't you just borrow it for a while?" This sweater is an interesting patchwork, with exposed seams and really fun angles. I'm still in the boring stages. But when I have more, I will be posting pics. All other knitting and craftwork is on hold for this sweater. The patchwork nature of this... Continue reading