Thank you! And let's talk hot water bottles.

I meant to post on this earlier, but couldn't find an extra minute anywhere!  Thank you for participating in the Garment House Giveaway!  I got a hold of all the winners last week and the most amazing thing happened - almost every single one of them personally wrote back and thanked me!  It was such a kind gesture, and a fun way for me to participate in the excitement about their upcoming knitting project!  I get the same way before I cast on, and hope these patterns ignite the desire to knit a handful of great projects this fall and winter.  I can't wait to see how all these patterns knit up for you!

I myself have had to finish a bunch of Hot Water Bottle Covers and Teapot Cozies as gifts for various people over the last couple weeks, and as satisfying as these quick gifts can be, i'm really looking forward to starting a winter-long project for myself.  It will probably be a sweater, and preferably some one else's pattern!  Eventually, i'll knit another version of my Plowline Raglan, but for now, i'm happy with the one i've got.  And now that the giveaway is over, I can focus on sharing that pattern with all of you!

Now for the thrilling part of my post that I know you've all been on the edge of your seats to discuss - hot water bottles.  I've had some questions about which hot water bottles I buy.  This is an excellent thing to ask, since I'm still on a hunt for a favorite.  Out of the four I own, I was given one that I feel is quality worth buying again, but I haven't been able to track down where to get them.  Some i've purchased have been too thin, and I like them a little sturdier, a lot have had an awful plastic smell that only gets worse when hot water is poured into them, and a couple have a warning printed right on them not to use with boiled water! I don't know about you, but I like that bottle as hot as I can get it and want it to retain that heat all night if possible!  I've been reading Amazon reviews trying to find a bottle that is worth buying in bulk so that I can just have a stack on hand to avoid those crazy last minute treks to every pharmacy within a 50 mile radius whenever I need a get well or house warming gift.  Fashy has some good looking bottles that come in such great colors, but a lot of the reviews say they are children's size (What?!  They sell children's size bottles?!  Mini things!  I want them!).  Sänger has some great colors too and the quality looks good, but there are no reviews to be able to tell.  I recently bought two super cheap Mabis bottles locally, but I wasn't terribly impressed with their quality.  They weren't the ribbed ones Amazon sells, so maybe those are a bit better.  I'm holding out hope for these Graham Field bottles since you can in fact buy them in bulk!  I'll keep searching and pass on any info I find, and if you get a chance, I'd love it if anyone left their recommendations!

more patterns available

i finished another knitting pattern over the weekend!  it's a standard size teapot cozy, and I've just added it to the shop!  it's available for purchase in two different ways, alone or combined with the small teapot cozy pattern.

these teapot covers are a lot of fun to make, and they knit up so quickly.  i thoroughly enjoyed having a small project to work on this weekend, even though you'd figure i'd be tired of all this test knitting.  a couple weekends back, i took the time to organize all my yarns and i'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of using up whatever odds and ends are left over from other projects.  i'm even stretching myself a little to modify patterns slightly so that I avoid buying MORE YARN!  although i'm in no way going to set this challenge for myself, i could easily get away with not buying another skein for at least a year!

i've decided to keep the giveaway commenting open for just a little longer too, so make sure to click the post below if you want to add your name to the group.  and thank you to the people who just keep buying away!  the encouragement is helping me to keep pushing ahead!

another knitting pattern is ready for download!

First of all, thank you for buying the Garment House Hot Water Bottle Cover pattern!  Wow!  I'm so thrilled to have your business after such a long hiatus from the shop, and cannot wait to see everyone's hand-knit work!    

Can you tell by the patterns i'm uploading it's been cold?  Really, really cold?  As I sit in a frigid office, I find myself piling on every test knit item I have in my pack mule's worth of stuff I haul from the house to the office every day.  I even have a very hot water bottle in it's cover on my lap.  And another on my back!  It pays to be a knitter.  

Pattern download number two, Small Teapot Cozy, is ready and waiting in the shop!  I have been meaning to share this pattern for a while, and knowing full-time tea drinking weather is on it's way, now is the time!  This project is incredibly fast since it's knit with chunky yarn, which also makes it extra insulating for your teapot.  I use it with my ForLife "Stump" Teapot (which i highly recommend), but it will work with most two-cup (16-18 oz) teapots.  This pattern is perfect for beginners since it's knit flat in garter stitch, meaning you don't have to use one purl stitch to make it!  But really, what knitter doesn't like a simple and quick knitting project?

More patterns are on their way, but for now, i'm going to pile as many quilts and blankets I can find on top of me for the weekend, and catch up on some more knitting.  Thank you for your business, friends!

garment house knitting patterns

it's been quiet on here over the last couple weeks, but i've been hard at work!  my days have been full of making list after list, going through stacks of notebooks filled with my knitted designs, test knitting until my fingers are about to fall off, taking photos in hurricane-speed winds, retaking photos, editing photos, changing layouts, and trying hard to wrap up this first set of garment house knitting patterns for release! i'm getting close. some of the bumps that have come up along the way have been really challenging and tough, but i'm thankful to just keep pushing through, learning as i go.  it keeps me from freaking out about how nervous i am to actually share my patterns with everyone!  i've heard some horror stories and even had some discouraging experiences already, but i've also heard some really encouraging things too.  i hope the good outweighs the bad, and all this hard work will be worth it.

but good news!  to test this [new to me] process of downloadable patterns, i've brushed off my water bottle cover pattern, revised it, and am now offering it as a PDF for sale in my garment house shop. i've changed a couple things about the pattern for the better, but as always, make sure to let me know if you find any errors.

i don't know about you, but we're in full-blown hot water bottle season in our home!  it has been snowing all day, and thankfully i have a bunch of newly test knit covers to make sure there's one for every bed in the house.

caramel apple galette

i kept seeing people post tempting pictures of galettes on instagram this weekend, so by labor day, i finally broke down.  we had a couple of apples from our friend's apple tree that were just on the edge of being too soft to bite into, so it was perfect timing.  this dessert was so simple and satisfying, and was an appropriately american dessert for a holiday weekend.  besides needing some direction on baking times from epicurious, i made this up as i went.

caramel apple galette

serves 4-6

pie crust

filling:

sliced apples (i used four small green, and two medium galas)

1 tbsp sugar (only if you prefer)

handful of caramels

splash of citrus

cinnamon

grated nutmeg

dash of cloves

mix apple filling together and carefully wrap into the pie crust without tearing.  brush sides with milk and sprinkle with sugar.  bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes, or until crust is dark golden brown.  cool for 10 minutes.  once the caramel that has melted out of the galette cools, break and stick into ice cream or tops of sliced galette.  enjoy!

i'm experiencing k.m.w.

or knitting machine withdrawal.  i haven't been able to work on my machine for weeks or even test out my christmas presents of new machine knitting gear.  oh well, it gives me a chance to update my blog with m.k. projects i've finished.

i made these socks before christmas for my sister and brother-in-law, but only got around to sending them a couple weeks ago.  who doesn't like a little christmas in january?

deer and the antelope

i hope it gets chilly this weekend. real chilly. i'm fighting hard to get rid of this flu and it doesn't seem to be working, so staying inside and knitting sounds just about right to me. valentine's day is right around the corner, and i'd love to make some small gifts again this year.

hey, thanks for all the nice comments on here lately. i mean, you're always nice, but lately i've been so encouraged. i hope you too have a restful weekend.

facing the new year

i hope you've been enjoying this holiday break as much as i have.  right before christmas began, i got news that the pathology on the tumor the doctors removed came back benign!  i cannot explain the feeling of peace and relief it's brought to us.  this short paragraph hardly does the good news justice.  maybe i'll get more comfortable talking about the details, but for now, this helps.  thank you for all your prayers and concern!

this month, this last year really, has provided a chance (once again) for me to learn about setting the bar lower and seeing that we still survive even if things go differently than i expect.  coming off of that, it's an awkward time to set some new years goals, but doug has been helping me keep them simple and reasonable.  here what i've come up with.

+ clean and organize our office into a more useful space
+ double the savings for my business this year.  this is a smaller amount than you'd think, which means i can probably do it.
+ expand my knitting machine skills and catch up with my machine knitting group
+ finish the seat covers for our danish chairs
+ get better about incorporating smaller and repetitive projects into my work
+ have friends over to the office to work on projects together
+ call my friends more to go to late night movies 
+ make more of a habit of exercising without any distractions and noise

some of these goals seem more daunting than the others, some might get scratched, but all have me excited for 2012.  ha, as long the mayans are wrong!

back home

top two photos: doug's parent's home

bottom two photos: my parents home 

we got a chance to visit both sets of parents while we were traveling.  all i did was hold a baby, learn how to make great bread, help where i could, eat good food, and talk, talk, talk.  walking into both of our childhood homes instantly makes me feel like i'm home.

nyc

 

top to bottom: homemade pumpkin ice cream on the train :: heading to find my date :: the high line :: the high line :: lunch with a friend :: marimekko's new flagship store :: breakfast at la esquina

going through the pictures from our trip.  mmm... i love the quiet of my every day life, but i do miss the city as soon as we leave.  this visit was very refreshing.

i've got plenty to be thankful for

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving, surrounded by family, friends and good food.  ours was wonderful.  we just got back from a ten day trip covering new england, new york and minnesota.  it's a great feeling to return to our home and start things off with a big feast, surrounded by the people we love.  my heart feels full.

this year has been one of uncomfortable changes.  still, i'm ashamed of how easy it is for me to focus on the bad instead of taking time to count my incredible blessings.  i have plenty of room in my life to pause and give thanks.

boo!

pumpkin patch, hayrides and carving pumpkins, oh my!  it was a good weekend, and the fun has only begun!  i'm going as a bank robber this halloween, how about you?

also, it's not halloween without charlie and a little arsenic now, is it?

how is it only five days until halloween?!

scenes from my favorite and always-too-short season.  the light in autumn is just breathtaking.  yesterday, i took a minute to enjoy a brisk, refreshing walk and capture it before it's gone.  and it's good i went when i did - the snow was right on my heels!