Sunday, January 25, 2009

Life on a budget

I've been trying my hand at budget yarns and found they can be enjoyable for the right person and the right project. I made a friend the above bath mat out of Sugar N Cream. This knit up in only a couple of days, I used two strands on a size 11 needle, with just a garter stitch border, this cotton was not bad to knit with and on sale was quite a bargain, plus being available at most craft stores was easy to obtain - so no excess driving as my local independent yarn stores have all closed.
Never judge a book by its cover - we've all heard this before -but- Red Heart, EGADS! I am guilty of this and would have never have given this sock yarn a chance had it not been for Trish (a knitting instructor) who brought some in one day at work, I was very surprised, this yarn is soft and the addition of Aloe really makes it wonderful. I ran to one of the large craft stores and picked some up, it was reasonably priced, I was also surprised to find it had been made in Italy. It is knitting up very nicely, hope to have photos for you on my next post.
Here is another budget project with just some Lions Brand yarn. I knew it had to be easy care for my soon to be Nephew who was kind enough to request a hat from me, it looks a little small in the photo, but stretches nicely and should fit a man size medium. The yarn is a wool blend that he can just throw in the washer and dryer. The pattern was from Knitting Pattern Central, I like the twist on the Knit stitch it gives the pattern a little more interest.
Last weekend I was quite delinquent in my knitting, it was very warm and sunny so I spent most of the weekend outdoors. The air was dry so the water feature of this delightful shopping center was much appreciated.


There were loads of beautiful flowers in pots and containers, their colors cheerful and bright, merging together in a happy fellowship.



When I came upon this view, I was hoping that the camera could capture it's loveliness and it did a decent job. In real life the colors were so rich, the winter sun is a little kinder in Southern California, I believe it allows me to see things clearly, to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. I know people think of Palm Trees when they think of Southern California - and rightfully so - they are a frequent focal point in the local landscape. They REALLY thrive here.





I looked carefully at all of the beautiful planters and especially liked this one, I thought of my fellow bloggers who dwell where the weather is cold and wanted to bring you a vignette of colors, and a little taste of the warmer weather that is soon to come for you.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the lovely petunias et al. Makes me feel warm just looking at them. :-)

So sorry to hear your indie-LYS's have *all* closed! We have one in town now (about 2 months), but no telling how long it will stay. Our previous shop lasted less than 2 years.

The Red Heart sock yarn is nice, eh? I have liked the feel of their Kids Yarn more than I have their other lines, and the texture -- the feel in my hands and "sound" on the needles -- is a very important part of the knitting experience for me. The Kids Yarn colors are a bit wild, but that can be fun, too.

Congratulations on finishing at least 2 projects!

Dave said...

The bath matt came out great -- well done!

Thanks for the flowers; it is SO easy to forget there is green underneath all the snow.

Aline said...

thank you for those virtual vitamines! So happy to know that flowers and palm trees are basking.
I had a wonderful dream once. One of those dreams that are very vivid and almost seem real; that my husband decided to move us south to build his log homes with palm trees instead of pine. Too bad I woke up!
I love your bath mat too. I have been trying to figure out how I could make one for us...now I know! thanks :) ps. did you get my email in ravelry?

smariek said...

Love your photos. I'll have to take a look at that RH yarn now that I've just gotten into sock knitting.

Marguerite said...

What beautiful flowers. Oh the color! As it hits zero degrees again tonight it's hard to imagine such warmth and beauty existing anywhere in the US. Enjoy it for us.

Kathy... said...

What is the fiber content of the sock yarn? Peaches and Creme can't be beat for kitchen knits. I knit bath mats for my daughter out of it last year, and they were quite nice! Thanks for the lovely flowers. We have a heavy blanket of snow here....it helps me remember what we can have eventually..... My hubby starts his garden seedlings in Feb, so that's always the first sign of spring at our house. It's a long winter so far.....

Carole Knits said...

Your flower pictures all look so beautiful!

Aline said...

Did you know there is Ravelry group for fans of Marie Claire Idées? I was just reading some threads and it could be a place to get some back issues. I thought you might be interested.
A.

cathleen said...

Lovely photos, Jean. I love Sugar & Cream yarn. I am thinking of making a cotton sweater from the white. Also, had no idea Red Heart had a line of sock yarn...thanks for the tip.