The big make-under

In the next few weeks I will be moving from Michigan back to my townhouse in the Chicago area (long story, some other time).  I absolutely love my townhouse and over the 10+ years I've owned it  I decorated every square inch with bold color, faux finishes, antiques, treasures brought back from trips around the world, and basically anything else I could think of.  I never thought I'd tire of its bold, over-the-top look. The picture you see is before the move to Michigan (where the furniture now resides) and before the renter.  Well, times and tastes have changed and I'm seriously ready for a make-under.

 

And this picture is only the beginning. I have a red kitchen with a metallic gold ceiling, black trim, and antique Chinese screens.  Old kitchen appliances need to be replaced.  A worn-looking kitchen table needs to be replaced with a more modern kitchen island.  Cabinets need to be replaced or resurfaced. Bedrooms and bathrooms need to be toned down and softened. The list goes on and on

 

The plan is for light walls, dark stained floors, and mid-century modern furniture and accents. Room & Board is my inspiration.  Right now I'm trying to find the perfect color palette paint colors and I stumbled into a neat website called Design Seeds.  You can search color palettes by theme or by creating your own color based on an RGB sliding scale. 

I know that I want greys/neutrals on my walls and furniture and use pops of color as accents.  Here is a palette that I like:

Does anyone have the perfect grey?  If you do, please let me know.  I'll be documenting the transformation as it happens.

A handy tip for swatching

Every now and then, and mostly in between projects, I just feel like playing with yarn.  Right now I'm having fun exploring lace stitch patterns and making variations to use in some original designs I'm thinking about.  My inspiration for rethinking lace came from an article by Deborah Newton  in the Summer 2013 issue of Interweave magazine in which she shows how she takes a basic unit of lace and graphs it into variations.  She does an amazing job of visually breaking down the complexity of a pattern and showing the endless possibilities and combinations you can create.

So, with her article as my guide, I devised a simple variation of diagonal chevron lace by adding 2 garter stitches in between the 6 stitch repeat, and it gave a very different look to the pattern!  Here's my swatch:

This swatch was made from Shepherd's Wool (Stonehedge Mills) color raspberry on US size 8 needles.  Have you ever swatched, blocked, and then forgotten to write down the size needles you used?  Here's a tip I learned at my LYS.  Put small knots in the tail of your yarn - one for each needle size you used.  In other words, I used size 8 needles so I put 8 small knots in the tail of the yarn.  That way I always have a handy-dandy reminder! 



Note the 8 little knots - I circled one for easy reference!

Honey (the sweater)

Just finished my latest sweater and I'm loving it!  Pattern:  Lily, by Lene Holme Samsoe from Essentially Feminine Knits. Yarn:  Lark by Quince & Co.  What I love about the pattern:  the garter stitch is so fresh and popular right now, but the botanical motif around the yoke is what really makes it special.  The yarn comes in some wonderful colors and is a pleasure to knit - not at all splitty and can be ripped out without visible damage. The color I chose is Honey.  I particularly like the way earth tones and botanical motifs complement each other.

 

Free Chevron Lace Boot Topper Pattern!

It's never too early to start thinking about fall fashion. Get your stash out and try this easy pattern for chic little boot toppers. You'll love wearing them over leggings or skinny jeans and your favorite boots when the weather turns chilly!  Let me know if you like the pattern, and if you do, post a picture.  I'll have another free pattern download to the first 5 who post a picture of their completed Chevron Lace Boot Toppers to my blog!  download now

 

The thrill of the kill

A cat is a cat is a cat....NOT!  I'm finding that my new cat, Honey, is nothing like any of the others I've had the privilege of being owned by.  Though an indoor only cat, she appears to have a very strong predatory sense and at least once a day she likes to stalk and "kill" her toy mice.  The funny thing is after the kill, she gingerly places them in her food dish.  Beware, toy mice....beware!



Toy mice before

Toy mice after

Sunny Fourth of July

Went to Holland State Park, MI to snap some pictures of historic Big Red, Michigan's most photographed lighthouse.  It is very picturesque.

 

 



It was also a great day to finish the sweater photo shoot that we began earlier in the week, so here are a few more of my FO's.  Couldn't resist a few garden shots, too.



Lettuce by Wendy Bernard (with lots of mods)



Lion Neck by Wendy Bernard



Another Mr. Greenjeans by Amy Swenson



Uptown Poncho



Lace detail from poncho



Summer ribbed sweater

Wild raspberries from garden

Coming soon...a free Chevron Lace Boot Topper Pattern for you!

I'm anxious to share with all of you a free pattern I designed for  a pair of boot toppers to accessorize your cutest pair of boots.  The stitch pattern is called Chevron Lace, and offers just enough urban chic as it peeks out a couple of inches above your boots.  I knit mine in Shepherd's Wool from Stonehedge Mills - a gorgeous merino wool.  You will love the luxurious feeling of the yarn.  You can make the toppers in sizes small/medium or medium/large.

 

I'm thinking this sweater  woud look adorable
with skinny jeans,
boots and of coursel boot toppers.
 

Measurements and other adjustments are given based on your calf size.  Remember, these should fit snuggly around your calf.   Mine are about 11" long, although you can easily make them longer by knitting more rows of pattern repeat.  I like to wear mine with either my cowboy boots or with ankle boots, kinda slouched down a little.  You can knit them on DPNs, one or two circulars, or straight needles if you prefer and seam them. 

I'm hoping to have pictures soon and the pattern up and accessible as a PDF file very shortly.  Check back!