New designs

Ive been working on a couple of designs recently and Im really excited about them!  They will be my first published designs.  The first is a one skein infinity scarf in Shalimar Breathless Sonoma.  Shannon and Laura are test knitting it now and the release date is early to mid January.  It's called Frost in Bloom.  It's a quick knit and perfect to make for yourself or to give as a gift.  Our photo shoot will be coming up soon, this is just a sneak peek!

 

The second is a Greecian inspired sock,  Nikomedes.  The lacework in the cuff reminds me of the apex of the Parthenon.  The lace ribbing continuing down the leg and onto the foot are reflections of it's still standing but slowly fading columns.

 

Im looking for a test knitter for Nikomedes.  If you are interested please leave a comment here on my blog, or contact me on Ravelry: SpinningLara

 

 

Shown here in Zoe Sock Driftwood.

 

Im also really excited that I finally finished the Spectra scarf!  All those short rows took a while to do, but I love the result:

 

And Arctuim in all her blocking glory:

 

 

 

Don't forget to leave your grievances in the comments section in the Christmas/Festivus post for a chance to win some of my handspun yarn and a pattern for Jelly Beans Mitt's!

 

 

 

 



 

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

 

 

 

A Peaceful and Joyful New Year!

 

Happy Festivus!

 

 

 

Leave your grievances in the comments section.  I'll be drawing a name by random generator on January 5 to win this handspun by me yarn and a pattern to make these cute Jelly Beans Mitt's:

 

 

 

 

I'll start: Thank you to who shall not be named, for the nut encrusted cookies of death you brought to my house yesterday.  Thank you for telling my husband to take them to work and eat them there and not to worry if he kisses me later because nut allergies don't exist.  I'll remember that next time I'm stabbing myself with an epipen and calling 911.

 

Fun Times!

December has flown by faster than I ever could have thought possible.  Every day this month has been hectic and it seems I get further and further behind.  Normally, Im done with the Christmas cards and shopping around Thanksgiving.  To be honest, I still have a few cards to send out, nothing is wrapped and I totally forgot to get the dog and bunny kids anything.  A trip to Petsmart tomorrow will fix that, but Im wondering who the heck is going to clean the house before the in laws come on Sunday?  Volunteers?  Yeah, I didn't think so.  That's ok because Im  hoping to distract everyone with cookies and presents.  If the Christmas tree lights are on it should totally distract from the dog hair on the furniture.  At least that's the game plan for now.

In any case we have really had a fun month.  Last weekend we met Kristi and Paul in Yorktown for a fun photo shoot and a trip to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens.  We had such a great time looking at the lights of Christmas Town, going on the bumper cars and drinking hot cocoa.  It really was lovely.

It was freezing on Sunday when we did the shoot for the Adiri sweaters.  The guys kept their coats and slofocks on and got busy with the cameras.  It's amazing how quickly a shoot can get done when the promise of the Yorktown Pub is the reward for finishing!

Here we are in our Adiri's

 

And the guys in their slofocks

 

 

If you have a chance, check out the new Indulge Me! Club that we are offering at Shalimar.  It's got four great designers and lot's of yummy yarns! Im so excited to be part of the club!



Andy and I really enjoy decorating for Christmas each year.  We try to change things up a bit from year to year to keep it completely crazy interesting.  A couple of years ago we decided that putting up a huge tree each year was too much work so we opted for what is supposed to be an entryway tree and using it on our coffee table.  It's a really cute fir tree and came in a nice little pot.  After rearranging the furniture after the new floor was done, putting the tree on the coffee table would completely block the tv.  Not that I would mind a little break from the tv, but I really do like to watch certain movies this time of year:  Christmas Vacation, Four Christmases, Christmas with the Kranks, Home Alone, Surviving Christmas, Love Actually and my all time favorite, The Holiday. 

So this year we decided to put our tree on the bar counter by the new cabinet.  Not only did it add some height to the tree, but it's a great focal point.  The two tree's on the right are new additions this year.

 

Because I love anything sparkley (Can we say Magpie?) we added these most awesome and very silver tree's to the stairwell.

 



 

The little Christmas village on the mantle complete with blue lights

 

 

 

We even decorated the Ghastlies.  The little girl with the hammer is my favorite.

 

 

 

I try to make at least one new decoration each year.  This button tree was a really quick and fun project.  The base is a styrofoam cone purchased at a craft shop. I then put the buttons on with straight pins and small bead.  The bead will stop the pin from going completely through the button hole. 

 



 

I also made these cute little tree's from vintage spools, ribbon and tree's found at the craft store and dollar store.  The blue ornament with the white deer was my Dad's.  It's one of the only things I have that was his and I treasure it.  It has a special place on the tree each year.

 

 

 

If you look hard, there is a pink tree in the back right of the photo.  It has pink lights and it's my favorite.  I kind of snuck it into the living room this year.  It's usually hidden in our bedroom. 

 

 

Well, my Adiri sweater is soaking and it's time to block it.  I'll have finished pictures in my next post, here is one of the body.  It's in Shalimar Haven in the Mandarin colorway.  I absolutely love and can't wait to wear it!  I have this crazy notion about getting some leggings to wear with it.  I know Im well over the age where this is acceptable, but I just don't care!  They are cute and Kristen Stewart looked adorable in them in the latest Twilight movie.

 

 

One last Holiday thing.  This is from Lion Brand Studio's shop in NYC.  It's the most beautiful Holiday window display Ive ever seen.  Everything it knitted, even the swans.  You can read more about it and how they created it on their blog.