J S I N S

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Gettin' Halloweeny with it!

In honor of the Halloween season, I decided to strike a campy pose for the debut of my Ms. Marigold at Night. I've spent the past few weekends going to Fright Nights at Kennywood Park and hitting the haunted house circuit in honor of the season. Having gone to Fright Nights on Saturday, Oct. 11, I would have to say that we hit the busiest night of the season. In 5 hours at the park, we were able to ride only 4 rides and didn't get to visit any of the haunted houses. Last weekend, we rectified this a bit by going to the Scare House and One Hundred Acres Manor. Both haunted houses were a lot of fun. If you choose to go to the Scare House, purchase your tickets online before you go. There are 2 lines, one for advanced ticketholders and one for people who need to buy tickets. Having been in the need to buy ticket line took probably 3 times as long to get into the haunted house as those who had bought their tickets in advance. If you are going to go to one haunted house in the Pittsburgh area, I would recommend going to One Hundred Acres Manor in South Park. It takes about an hour to get through the extensive series of buildings connected through outdoor trails/haunted parkways. So using the inspiration of the haunted houses, I am pleased to bring you Ms. Marigold at Night.

Pattern: Ms. Marigold by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Knitpicks Elegance in Coal 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk
Needles: Knitpicks Options size 5 and Knitpicks fixed circular size 3
Notes: I did the modification of finishing the armholes by picking up stitches and knitting 5 rows of k2p2 ribbing rather than the ruffle. All in all, I am extremely pleased with this vest. I love the feel and sheen of the Knitpicks Elegance and believe that this knit will become a wardrobe staple.

Happy Haunting!
jsins

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Score!

I stopped in at Joann Fabric today to check out the patterns and found a Butterick pattern that was exactly what I was looking for to make a purse for my mom. When I went to the register to purchase Butterick 5054 (for view E), I found out that the Butterick patterns were on sale for $1.99. Not one to pass up a good deal, I went back to peruse through the book more thoroughly and ended up with 4 more patterns!
I thought 5145 was fairly cute and could either be used for a casual coat or something a bit more dressy.
I loved view B of 5089 for a cute cropped jacket to wear in the fall. I think this would look nice with either jeans or a skirt.
I've been seeing a lot about wide legged pants this season so I grabbed 4861.
I've always been a fan of vests and liked each of these four patterns in 4815.
I am about to embark on a marathon knitting project. I have had the pattern book for the Great American Aran for a while and have not yet had the courage to start it. In some great news, my brother is getting married next spring and I am going to knit this afghan for his wedding present. I ordered Cascade 220 Superwash in cream that is supposed to arrive Monday and hope that I have the perseverence to finish the GAAA in time.

Happy knitting and sewing everyone! Soon, I should begin posting cabled square after cabled square to the blog.