FABLED SCARF-SCOTTISH FAGGOTING KNIT STITCH

Hey Everyone! Well here it is finally.....my new scarf pattern. I decided to call her....Fabled.  How did I come up with the name...well...there is both Cables and Scottish Faggotting Lace in the scarf. Cable....Faggotting......Hence...Fabled!!

A Faggoting Stitch can be found in both knitting and sewing.  In sewing it decoratively holds 2 fabrics together with a lacy stitch.

Country Bumpkin

 The same effect is achieved in knitting.  What I wanted to talk about is that there are many ways to do the same stitch.
In the pic below you can see the Scottish Faggoting Stitch.  I have always been intrigued by this stitch and wanted to incorporate it in a project.  Anytime that I have seen it excecuted it would end up looking like the pic below.

knittingfool

Can you see that the ridges that run up and down on either side of the "lace"?They don't actually look the same.  If you look at the ridge to the left of the lace, the "v's" that run vertical looked quite defined.  If you look at the right of the "lace" they aren't quite as defined.....thus the two sides end up looking a little different from one another.  To achieve the above pattern one knits 2 stitches together on the right side and then on the wrong side 2 different stitches are purled together.  It finally dawned on me that if one were to SSK-slip, slip , knit on The Right Side instead of knit 2 together then the ridges would lay more alike. See pic below:

Here I thought that I thought of this...and well...I did...however there are others out there that thought of it before me.  I had just always seen the Faggotting executed with K2Tog only!!
I really enjoyed working with the Sirdar Snuggly 4 ply.  Like I have said previously, I don't usually knit in 100% Acrylic as I LOVE Wool!.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by this lovely little yarn.  It truly was great to knit with.  I highly recommend it.
The pattern is now up and running on Ravelry. You can purchase it here.  And as always if you have any issues or comments please do not hesitate to drop me a line...I always love to hear from you all.

So if you are looking for something a little different to knit maybe for a gift or maybe you just want to try Scottish Faggotting but were afraid to try,  then this maybe just your little project.  Have fun with it.

Have a great day everyone.
Megan

SIRDAR SNUGGLY SCARF

Hey Everyone .......just a very, very quick posting today!!  Hope everyone is well??  I have a little sneak peek at my next scarf pattern.  I am currently writing it up and hope that it will be up and running on Ravelry in the next day or two......

Here is that little look;

Isn't she lovely??  I loved creating this one.  Since I have many people's in my life that really do not like to wear wool of any kinds.....why I still have said people in my life is beyond me!!  Wool rocks my world........However, I understand that some really hate how it feels....so...... I knit up this little lovely in Sirdar Snuggly 4 ply.  It truly is a lovely yarn.  If I was to make this again for me I would probably go with something with more wool in it....but that's just me.
Anyways......I hope to have the pattern available to everyone real soon....stay tuned......

Have a great day everyone.
Megan

YARN RECIPE 2

Hey Everyone....I have a new Yarn Recipe for you.  I might have mentioned in a previous post or two how much I love Purl Bee.  They truly have amazing yarns. They also have patterns that have an elegant simplicity about them.  They aren't overly complicated for the most part.  And many times they can really play on texture.  However,  so many times their yarn for a particular project can be out of my snack bracket.  One such project is the Seed Stitch Wrap:

Purl Bee- Seed Stitch Wrap

How stunningly gorgeous is this little number?  You can just see by the pic how scrumptious the yarn is.  One of my favourite stitches is Seed Stitch.  It is soooo easy.  It is basically a modified 1x1 rib.  You K1, P1 across the row.  On the next row you would Purl the knit stitches and Knit the Purl stitches in other words Row 1: K1, P1,  Row 2: P1,K1...couldn't be easier.  It is time consuming since you are constantly switching from a knit to a purl stitch.  However, the results are texturally stunning and it is a really great mindless knit.  And if you knit it with an over the top amazing yarn....well the results are- amazing!!!
The yarn that they used for this porject is:

Purl Bee

The pattern calls for 11 different colours.  Aren't they stunning together??  You can buy the yarn as a kit here.  You will have to break the bank for this one as it will cost you $407.40!!  Yikes.  Which....if you can afford it.....you will have yourself one STUNNING wrap my friend.  However, for the rest of us we may just have to wait...... or......use another yarn to create a similar one.  I have put together my version at a cost that most people would be able to handle.

  Now.....I totally understand that the yarn that I have chosen is different.  The Purl Bee yarn has a "hand dyed" quality to it....but I think the above colours would work just fine.  The yarn that I chose is Cascade 220.  If you knit a lot or have done so for awhile then you will be familiar with this great yarn.  It truly is one of my fav's.  It is such a workhorse and feels great too.  It is 100% Wool.  But it is such a lovely wool.  It comes in like a Cagillion colours or there abouts!!  Above is the list that I chose for this project.  This yarn is available in most yarn stores and sells for around $9.99/ball.  You get 220yds per ball which is fantastic!  You may be lucky enough to buy it on sale.  It is currently on sale here at Yarn.com.  So if you bought the yarn for this project at your local store it would cost around $110.00 dollars.  Not cheap by any standards but a great price for a project with 11 colours in it made with great yarn.  If you bought it online at Yarn.com it would cost $61.49.  Quite the savings either way from the original at Purl Bee.  Let me say that if you choose the yarn I chose than what is called for in the pattern it will NOT look quite the same or have the same "hand" as the Purl Bee...as that yarn is quite luxurious....However I think the yarn I chose would look mighty fine.
Do you know which yarn I would love to make this amazing wrap with??  Classic Elite Fresco.  It is like Butter.....  the fibre content is: 60% Wool/30% Baby Alpaca/10% Angora.  It is like a dream.  If you can stretch your budget just a little bit each ball costs anywhere from $7.95 on sale to $13.95.  But it is like a dream.  It has great stitch definition yet has a lovely fuzziness to it.

Classic Elite Frescoe

I have always wanted to knit something with this amazing yarn.  Will keep you posted if I get any!!

So there you have it everyone.  My Recipe for the Seed Stitch Wrap.
Have a great day!

Megan

SOUTHERN LIVING SHOWCASE HOUSE 2012-HOUSTON

Hey Everyone..... I just love it when I see a house and it makes me kinda giddy!  That is exactly how I felt when I saw the following house.  Showcase houses are a great way to either raise money for charities,  show what is new in products or it is a place to really showcase talent.  Either way I love it when I see a great Showcase House.  This one in Houston is such a house....Enjoy:

Houzz

Houzz

Wall colour is: Silver Mist SW7621 by Sherwin Williams .  The Cabinet colour is:Pure White by Sherwin Williams

Houzz

Houzz

Wall colour is Slate Tile SW7624 Sherwin Williams.  I just love all of the built ins and the brick floor in this mudroom.  The other thing that I really love is the use of stained wood and white painted wood trim throughout the space.

Houzz

It looks as though they may have carried the same paint colour from the mud room into here- Slate Tile SW7624.  The wall colour looks to be the same as in the hallway- Wool Skein SW6148.   Wool Skein if you were to look on the chip is not at all golden in tone like it looks in the above pic.  It has more of a green undertone to it and looks like a nice light Khaki.

Houzz

The wall colour is Wool Skein SW6148.  I love the traditional trim throughout this space.  Not to mention the rest of the house.  Again the wall colour looks like it has more of a golden undertone to it in the pic.  If you were looking for a similar undertone then you may want to try SW6133 Muslin.  The chip of Wool Skein really does show a green undertone to it.

Houzz

Houzz

The wall colour in this lovely bedroom is Sea Salt SW6204.  As you all know it is one of my favourite watery bluey greeny paint colours of all time!!

Houzz

Houzz

Houzz

Isn't is gorgeous???  This amazing home was created by Stone Acorn Builders.  You can see their work here and here.  They are based out of Houston.

I hope this gave a little inspiration today.

Have a great day everyone.
Megan

DEBBIE BLISS RIALTO LACE AND SPUN FIBRE ARTS

Hey Everyone- just a quick posting today.  Just wanted everyone to know that my pattern for my Easy Peazy Shawlette is being showcased for the month of May at Spun.  So if you are in the Burlington area and are looking for yarn then hop on over to Spun and check them out.  They have a real nice selection of yarn and a great staff to help you out.  Right now they are having a bit of a clearance at the back of the store.....so if you want to stock up on some yarn.....now might be the right time.  You can get my pattern there at the store, on Ravelry or just drop me a line and I will email it to you.  And the greatest thing of all-besides it being a lovely little project is that it is 1 ball- YES 1 BALL!!

In addition to having the Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace that I used in this project they have a great selection of other yarns as well.  They recently got in a great hand dyed sock yarn from Sweet Georgia Yarns.  They are so gorgeous.

Sweet Georgia Yarns

I am definitely going to have to pick me up some of this!!!  So yummy!!

So there you have it everyone.  Check out Spun if you have a chance.

Have a great weekend everyone.
Megan

BURLINGTON THROUGH THE DECADES.

Hey Everyone.......What I love about the net is the access to such great design. Where I live in South Burlington....and I have said it before...we are surrounded by Side Splits, Back Splits, Ranches and Bungalows-for the most part..

Here in Burlington, the architecture can be quite different depending on the decade it was built:

Realtor.ca

This amazing house was built in the 1880's!  It is so lovely. The only place to find turn of the century homes in in South Burlington near downtown.  They truly are a gem.  I feel so blessed to be living in walking distance to them.  Anytime we walk downtown I always stop and admire them.

Realtor.ca

This amazingly grand home was built in 1887.  I have always admired it.  I just love all the detail in the trim.  Makes me giddy it does!!

Realtor.ca

This lovely brick house was built in the early 1900's.  It was probably built in 1910-1920's.  It was a typical 2 story of the time.  Truly lovely they were.

Realtor.ca

Again this home was built in the early 1900's and is a very typical home of that time.  Gotta love that brick and that porch...simply amazing.

Realtor.ca

This little gem was built in the 40's I believe.  They were typically compact and made out of brick. They were very utilitarian without a lot of bells and whistles.  It really is great to get one of these.....oh the possibilities!

Realtor.ca

This little gem is very typical of houses that were built in South Burlington in the 40's and 50's.  They were typically make out of brick.  Most were either bungalows or were 1 1/2 Stories.

Realtor.ca

Bungalows that were built in the early 60's looked like the above.

Realtor.ca

This is a very typical Side Split that was built in the very early 70's.

Realtor.ca

This lovely house is very typical of the style of home that was being built in the 80's.  This style of home can be found in North Burlington.  Most that were built were 2 stories. North Burlington was the last to be developed.  A lot of the land that was in North Burlington used to be Orchards.  You do get the occasional original fruit tree that may have survived the building craze. But they are few.

Realtor.ca

Then came houses that were built in the 90's.  You can really see the evolution of the addition of detail and a big increase in size.  That's the biggest change I think that is most obvious and that is the size.

Realtor.ca

Then came the houses of the early 2000's.  They have some detail but were built on really small lots.  Now that's not to say that small lots do not have an advantage-there is definitely less upkeep with a smaller lot.  And, they were able to build more affordable houses on the given land.

Realtor.ca

This is a typical house that is currently being built in the most Northern part of Burlington.  Again a 2 story home that is built on a small lot.  Most are made with brick and stone.


So you can really see the evolution in the architecture through the decades here in Burlington.  Now of course this is for commercially available and not houses that were custom built.  As custom made homes can run a whole spectrum of styles.

Have a great day everyone.
Megan

ORGANZA vs. AQUA FROST PAINT

Hey Everyone.....As you know I have been thinking of my Master Bedroom.  I have been trying to decide on a colour.  When you are a designer the hardest thing to do is have yourself as your own client.  I see so many possiblities.  You ask any of us and we will say the same thing.  So I am undecided between Organza RLVM275 or Aqua Frost by Waverly.  What is a girl to do?

Here is both of them.

Organza RLVM275-Ralph Lauren

Aqua Frost WV35007-Waverly (Valspar)

The Aqua Frost is more intense while the Organza is more subtle.....decisions....decisions.......

Source

Organza really is lovely and watery......



Choosing a light watery blue can be a challenge.  Blue is that type of colour that really "blues up" in a room.  What do I mean by that?  Well....when you choose a blue many times it can really intensify it's "blueness" on a wall.  I feel you have to be very restrained when picking this type of blue.  You may love it on the chip but put it on the wall and BAM!!  It turns into Baby blue.  So choose wisely if you want a watery light blue.
I did get a tester for the Aqua Frost. It is a very lovely colour, however, it really intensifies when there is a lot of it.

Will keep you posted....
Have a great day
Megan