Oktoberfest

First, I have to say how very wonderful my husband is.  The day I wrote the Dance of Spider Lunacy post he came home, donned a hat and went on a spider hunt.  I followed him around (he is much taller than me and I figured if he went first he had more of a chance of the spider jumping on him) while he searched under the eaves on top of the pergola and through the bushes.  I knew the chance of finding the offending spider was very slim and we were just about to give up when we came across him.  He was curled up on the side of one of the beams that goes across the top of the pergola.  Let's just say that he had an untimely demise and will no longer be scaring the crap out of me building his gigantic webs of horror on our deck.  The patio is now safe and hopefully spider free!

We were happy as clams (are they really happy?) and thought we were spider free.  Then we went to Busch Gardens for Hallowscream.  We love to go through the haunted houses, they really are so much fun.  What was not as much fun was having to walk through the spider bridge of horror.  I kept wondering if the was some sort of bad karma that comes along with eradicating a spider from you patio.  As large as these were, at least they didn't move.  They were creepy non the less.

Oktoberfest is now available in my Ravelry Pattern Shop.  It's a fun and very easy knit.  The stitch pattern is easy to remember which makes it a great take a long project. 

"Cool crisp days, falling leaves, fresh apples, and heading out to our local Oktoberfest are just a few things that make Fall my favorite time of year.

The Oktoberfest Cowl is the perfect accessory to wear to while apple picking and at fall festivals like Oktoberfest.  When the sun goes down and the air cools off, wrap it twice around your neck for extra warmth.  A luxury yarn like Shalimar Breathless DK will be extra soft around your neck and feel like a cozy hug!"

Margie, Diane, Holly, Robyn, Peggy and Linda did a fantastic job test knitting.  They had wonderful feedback which I really appreciate.  Be sure to check out their Oktoberfest projects on Ravelry.

The End is in Sight!

There is nothing like having house guests coming for a long weekend to inspire us into getting things done.  Andy and I worked all day last Saturday filling in the new patio with dirt.

We are so close to being done and I think tonight will be the night.  Last night we added landscaping fabric to prevent weeds from growing and started adding the gravel.  We are estimating that two more trips to the landscape supply store for gravel should do it.

The Adirondack Chairs give a good perspective on how large the patio really is.  I think we could put up a volley ball net if we ever decided to get up out of the chairs when we are finished!

Kristi and Paul are coming down for the long weekend.  The den/spare room is just about finished, the patio hopefully will be done tonight and all that is left to do is to make the Bolonese Sauce so we have something easy to eat.  I can't wait for them to get here!

I promised a sneak peek of Oktoberfest in my last post.  Here is a quick shot that Andy took.  I haven't had a chance to run it through photoshop yet.  Ive gotten really good feedback from the test knitters and should have the pattern ready to release in a couple of weeks. 

I had a wonderful message on Facebook last week from Kyle William who is coordinating a hat pattern e-book to benefit the Living Beyond Breast Cancer organization.  The book will be sold on Ravelry and will be released later this fall.  Kyle asked me if I would be interested in designing a hat pattern for the book.  Of course I said yes and have been working on something a little unique.  It's a layered hat done in Shalimar Yarns Breathless  Black Truffle and Blue Raspberry. I thought the super soft hand of this yarn would feel nice and the two layers would be warm without being overly hot.  The pattern is going to be called "The Outer Limits".   I'll keep you posted on when the e-book is coming out.  100% of the proceeds will be going to LBBC. 

Progress

Things are really starting to come together at the house.  I finished panting the den.  Ceiling, walls, trim and louvered closet doors.  I wound up painting the wrong side of one of the doors which was easy to fix but rather frustrating at the time.  I didn't realize I had done it until all three coats of paint were on it and I was trying to hang it back up.  I had even marked which sides to paint which just goes to show that no matter how careful you are mistakes can still happen.

I think they look much better painted a nice fresh white.  Ive also made valances and covered a couple of the throw pillows.  I have a a couple more pillows to cover and then I will be done with the sewing portion of the makeover.  I'll have some better pictures once the room is all together.  We have company coming at the end of the month and this room doubles as a spare room.  I'm excited for our guests to come and visit and have a cheery room to stay in.  We still have a few things to put in place (please ignore the mess on the coffee table) which is why this picture is only showing a corner of the room.

Ive always thought the sofa and chairs were a bit boring and overly neutral.  I'm really glad now that they are since they can work well with any wall color and have a whole new look with bright accent pillows.


In the evenings Andy and I have been working on the patio.  Andy finished the last section of the bottom wall on Monday.  It's almost time to start filling in and building up the patio with dirt.  I can't wait to sit out there this fall by the fire pit and roast some marshmallows!

 

In knitting news - I've been working on a new cowl pattern for fall, Oktoberfest.  It's in Shalimar Yarns Breathless DK in the Copper Pennies colorway.  I'm putting it out for test knitting this week.  If you are interested PM me on Ravelry (SpinningLara).  Oktoberfest is a quick knit and will be available in written and charted formats. 

 

Walk The Line is with the test knitters and should be ready for release at the beginning of September.  Andy is planning to do a photo shoot this weekend while we are in Yorktown.  There are a lot of interesting backdrops there so we should be able to get some great shots.  We are trying to find a new name for this pattern as another sock pattern was published last week with the same name.  One of the test knitters suggested Hold The Line which I like.  If you have a suggestion, I would love to hear it.  If I use your suggestion I will send you a copy of the pattern when it's published.