Branching Out Scarf, Beret, Chunky Scarf and Isabella Top Knitting Projects

I recently had a friend contact me about a commissioned knit scarf. She sent me the picture from above and asked if I could possibly knit it up for her. I absolutely fell in love with the picture. Really, who doesn't love a chunky knit scarf. The one she wanted is in garter stitch and requested a deep mustard color. In just about a week or maybe two I went to the Lion Brand store and chatted up the workers there about my project and they h

elped me find the perfect yarn for the project. I really must say though, Lion Brand has really earned some respect from me. I always walk into a yarn shop and almost expect a bad attitude because of previous encounters. The guys at Lion Brand walk around with a cute little apron that comes equipped with a measuring tape, notepad, pen and who knows what other notions are in there. They measure, gauge, tell you how much yardage you need and run to the back and get the stuff for you. Even though I showed up 15 minutes before they were due to close, they did not act as if it bothered them at all. If you get the chance, I would really recommend visiting the shop. I'm now over half way through the scarf by plying two strands of Jiffy yarn.

The following beret is one that I knit for a close friend. When my father passed away last October, I was really able to get to know her better and she was very supportive and helpful during that time of need. When I found out it was her birthday a month later in November I really wanted to show her my appreciation with a knitted item. I knitted up the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret in a deep orange (her favorite color).

The next is another finished project. It's the Branching Out Scarf from Knitty. It was a project that I started back when I lived in West Virginia and finished it after my move back to New York City. I absolutely love it. It's a great lacework project that gets complimented all the time.

The Isabella top has been knitting up quite quickly despite working on it for a few months. Every now and then I just sit down and work through a few inches of it. Last week during vacation in Connecticut I had gotten 13 inches of the front until I realized something horrible. I had unfortunately been following the pattern on the page for the back again. It was so upsetting, I kept wondering why I wasn't reaching the eyelets for the higher waist area and that's when I noticed. I was so disappointed and had to frog the project back to where I went wrong. I've gotten over it by now and am just taking a few days off from this project. I just need some space from it and taking a break. At first I didn't understand how I made such a mistake but honestly, I was always working on it during my knitting group where I was just chatting so I guess it was quite easy to do.

A little bit of everything

Today I have a few things to take care of. I'm usually running around on my day off trying to catch up with friends or visiting family. For once I'm going to start the day off right with breakfast. My favorite breakfast place for vegetarians is in Vermont, Burlington to be more specific. It's a restaurant called Sneakers that my boyfriend, Jim introduced me too. The first time was amazing. They served me a tofu scrambled omelet with veggie sausage pattie. I can't remember what exactly was in it but I just remember all these different flavors in each bite. They had actually forgotten to call us for a table so we got free coffee cake with some sort of sauce that had been warmed up served on top of it. I know this is very vague but trust me, it was incredible. Now Jim is moving down to Connecticut so I won't be able to visit him up in Burlington and score these delicious breakfast meals. It makes me a bit sad inside but that just means that I need to figure out how to make it myself. This tofu scramble was delicious with green peppers and onions. It wasn't the same flavor as the tofu that the restaurant cooks up but it was good nonetheless.

It's been a while since I posted anything knitted related so here is what I've got done so far on my Isabella top. I casted on for the front yesterday and am past the picot edge on the bottom. I can't wait to finish this so I could wear it closer to those cool summer nights toward the end of summer. It is wool so it should be cozy. I know the pattern calls for cotton but when i went to La Casita yarn shop they unfortunately did not have any in stock but staff was so incredibly friendly which I find hard to come across. It really compelled me to give them some business. Usually yarn shop staff that I have come across are a bit snobby and don't really like to converse with you since they have their circle of friends that seem to hang around the shop. I can't wait to go back and if the friendliness continues, I'll be a loyal customer to them.

The Etsy shop, ZentasticThings is coming along. I haven't set aside much time for designing and carving stamps as I would like but I've just been busy with my regular full time shop. I have got one sale and two potential customers e-mailing me for more custom jobs and I know I have another sale coming up. Usually when it comes to carving up the stamps I think about my own interests and the passions of others I know. My brother is actually quite passionate about cycling. Not only does he enjoy it in his leisure time but he also teaches kids and adults how to ride bikes. He does presentations on how to ride safely to and from work and school. I've met several of this cyclist friends and since moving back to New York City I've noticed the community of cyclists and how active they are in our communities. For this reason I came up with three bicycle stamps and are now on sale. I'm going to be working on some more stamps today and editing the site so it becomes easier for others to find me out there in the Etsy World. Also, one of my projects that I'm going to be working on is hand printed stationary. Be sure to keep and eye out for that. I usually post on the Zentastic Things Facebook page first once I have posted something on Etsy. I post on the blog later on when I have time to write up a post.

Lastly, I leave you with a picture of my two goddaughters. This was while I had brought over a project to their house. I picked up some dollar socks and began to make sock monkeys. They had so much fun learning how to sew but just to warn anyone who want to take this project on with kids in their life, they do get bored eventually with all the hand sewing. My cousin (their mother) and I ended up having to finishing the arms for them. It was fun to work on with them so I suggest this project to anyone that wants to teach kids how to sew.

ZentasticThings is now open for business on Etsy

Yes! I'm so excited. I've carved up my six stamps and posted them in my Etsy store. Feel free to stop by, check it out and perhaps even buy some awesome stamps. Right now. I'm working through my aquatic theme but I have so many ideas rolling around in my head that there will be a lot more to come. It's been a day so far but I'm so excited that I've actually gotten it out there. My boyfriend Jim has really helped me out along the way, he even drew up the Angler fish design. He is as enthusiastic about it as me. He's constantly tossing ideas out there on what I could carve or how I can go about it. He's sent me links to materials and has proposed that he wants to set up a splash page that can be found on Google a lot easier and will link customers to my Etsy store. I HUGE thank you goes out to him (even though he doesn't read my blog). Who knows how many grammatical errors he would find in just one paragraph being an English major and all. Hehehe. Either way, I already know that my blog is not perfect but it's really out there for me to express myself and for others that are interested in what I do to keep up with it. I'm not sure how many of you are out there but I appreciate you guys keeping up with me. I see those page views rising every week.

Thank you.

Check out my new cacti!

No room is complete without one, at least not one of mine.

Etsy Store Coming Soon

For a while now I have wanted to have my own Etsy store. There's just been a few things that have slowed me down. For one, I didn't know what I wanted to invest my time and money into. Knitting seems to be very time consuming even though it is one of my passions. I probably will eventually sell knitted items but not just yet. Recently I've been experimenting and realized that I would love to sell hand carved stamps.

A few years ago I started toying with carving stamps out of old erasers and X-acto knives. After that I began letter boxing (google it if you don't know what it is, it's so much fun). I've now upgraded my supplies and and beginning a collection per say. I have a theme of aquatic life. The goal is to start off with ten, give or take and set up shop.

Here is a sneak peek at what I'm working on.

Book Signing

Upon moving back to New York I got informed about a book signing going on in Barnes and Noble. What a great opportunity to meet the woman that got me into knitting, Vickie Howell. It was so much fun meeting all these talented women that took their hobby and turned it into a career. What an inspiration, truly.

Nicky Epstein

Iris Schreier

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Vickie Howell and Adrienne Armstrong

Vermont Winter Wonderland

There's been a lot going on in the past year so I'll be doing a bit of back tracking.

Last December I got to head out to Vermont and visit my boyfriend where I finally got to build my own gingerbread house from scratch. My boyfriend helped me with the gingerbread itself since I never have made it. It was so much fun. Bowls of candy and chocolate in front of your for designing your own house and munch on of course. It was a huge sugar high. I ate so many m&ms which might be partially why you don't see on the house itself but trust me, it did not need m&ms. There really wasn't any room for any or perhaps those are the words of an amateur. Also, he did all the snow drifts. Just felt I needed to give the credit where it is much deserved. Needless to say, we were extremely proud of our creation.

Here is a quick glance of the view outside the window of my boyfriend's place. I love lounging around on a cold snowy day.