the chalkboard place mats

Do you remember the chalkboard place mats I told you about back in the spring? I told you how we made them and how you, too, can make some. Well, I got such great feedback and inspired some of you. I love that.
Well, you inspired me, too.
I knew I couldn't make them for others, (they are just too darn time consuming) but I thought maybe I could find someone to manufacture them (in the USA) for me. And you. And save everyone some time. So, over the past months, I have been working on this little project. With the help of a friend, found all the right people and an AWESOME product.
I truly can't say enough about these. They are thick and durable and oh, so, smooth, the chalk just glides. Speaking of the chalk, it is like it is magic. For some reason, it produces very little chalk dust. Gotta love that. They wipe clean with a damp cloth and look like new when they dry. They have bull nose edges, so they are careful on the hands. They are safe on your tabletop and will inspire all those in your family.
Have your little ones set the table and have fun while doing it. They can write the names and choose where everyone sits. They can practice spelling words and math problems. They can play tic tac toe and hangman. You can leave notes to others and yourself. You can draw yourself a pretty picture and smile at it all day long. You, and they, will use your imagination to come up with new uses. Trust me, there are plenty!
I opened a little shop so you, too, can have some in your home. They are sold in sets of four and include one box of crayola® colored chalk.
If interested, go take a look. 
Thank you... and have a beautiful day!

two

November 22, 2009
The two numbers the random generator chose were:
18, Geri
Congrats! Please e-mail me (address in sidebar) with your address and I will make sure they land in your hands.

My parents arrived today. My mom is currently on my Ravelry account looking for a new project to make for my father. She is sweet. (My father is currently washing my car.)

Happy Knitting!

mittens and gloves

I've been meaning to show this for quite some time.
Chances are you have probably already seen it out there. The book includes 40 of the best designs from Vogue Knitting magazine.
An entire chapter devoted to mittens, one to gloves, one to wrist warmers and a fun and funky section.
Super long, fair isle, motif's and cables.
I'm pretty sure you could find something for everyone on your gift list, including yourself. Time to get busy!

Tara over at Soho would like to give one (actually TWO!) to a couple of my readers. Leave a comment between now and Sunday the 21st at 12:00 EST and I will have the random generator choose two names.

By the way... the pattern links in the sidebar now work. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Also, I have added the yarn colors to my piece of pi and your piece of pi.

Have a great one!

eleven

Andrew is eleven. I'm not going to mention how hard it is to believe that, but it is.
Eleven balloons, chocolate croissants for breakfast, (Trader Joes. My friend Betsy turned me on to them... they are so good. Frozen, four in a box, check them out.) a ride to school and yellow smiley face cookies for the class.
Friends over, pizza and cupcakes.
It's good to be eleven.

Have a beautiful weekend!

this time

Oh, hey. I just wanted to let you know I realize you can't get the Libby pattern, the chunky knit beanie pattern or the package pillow pattern from the sidebar. I don't know what in the heck happened to them, but do know that I am working on it. Please give me a few days and then you should be able to access them. Sorry about that.
I also wanted to tell you that Sara is holding a little contest. If you would like to knit or crochet something for your favorite charity, then you are eligible to enter. All the details can be found here. Always a beautiful thing to knit for charity.
Loving the extra light, the sunshine and the frost on the leaves in the morning. You should see some of my morning get ups for walking Trouble. (And I'm not talking shoes.) You would think I am getting dressed in the pitch black. Always good to laugh at yourself.

the winner

Gosh. I'm so sorry I can only choose one winner for the Piece of Pi pattern and yarn. (It truthfully bums me out that you all can't win!) The random generator chose #569 Elizabeth Soule. Elizabeth, please e-mail me (address in sidebar) with your address, and I will make sure it ends up in your hands... you will soon be busy making three super cute hats!
As always, thanks for playing along.
xx, leslie

your piece of pi

Remember my Piece of Pi? Well, guess what? Nichole would like to give away her pattern (!) AND Classic Elite would like to give away yarn (That yarn! Up there! How great are those colors?) to one of my readers! How cool is that? So leave a comment here by Sunday the 7th, 12p.m. EST and I will have the random generator choose a number. Oh! And guess what else? Nichole is giving away the same thing, just different colors. So go ahead and enter hers, too!
See you Monday!

Above yarn: Classic Elite Fresco, 5335 Peacock, 5350 Ginger, 5336 Oatmeal, 5378 Alpaca Sox, 5322 Port Royal.

thirteen

Thirteen balloons. Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast, a big hershey bar in her lunch box and her favorite soup in bread bowls for dinner, again.
A vanilla cake with purple buttercream icing. (Quite possibly the ugliest cake I ever made.) She loved every bit of it.
Thirteen beautiful years with a little girl that inspires me every single day.

queensland collection

It's one of those. A sweater that can be worn over and over and over. Doncha' think? I have always wanted to knit something like this but could never find the right combination of yarn and pattern. And since I am a girl that (usually) uses what the pattern calls for, I had a hard time finding that. The moment I saw this sweater and felt leche, I was sold.
This is what I worked on while on my trip. Stockinette pieces with a cable yolk. Just enough simplicity with a little detail to keep it interesting. Not too bulky, great for traveling. If you haven't attempted cables in a sweater before, this may be the project for you. Just a small section, perfect.
Yarn: Queensland Leche Shade #9 brown (but all I see is PLUM!)
Needles: 1 pair US6 and US8
Size: 32"-34" actual 36"
Modifications: none.
This pattern can be made for a little girl, too. You better believe Libby would have had one.

my piece of pi

L O V E this hat.
You know it's a good one when a couple of twelve year olds walk by you and say, "Cool hat, Mrs. Friend".
The pattern was fun, easy and a pretty quick knit. Nichole knit a couple of super cute variations. The possibilities are endless, really. It uses Classic Elite's Fresco. My first time working with this yarn which was super soft. I ordered the yarn from Sarah at Knot Another Hat. (I have told you how fast she gets her yarn to you, haven't I?) It may seem a little pricey, but you will have enough yarn to make three hats. So, there you go. You'll have three gifts or three new hats for yourself or one for yourself and two for your friends or special someone or kids or...
Happy November!

5335 Peacock, 5376 Moss, 5336 Oatmeal, 5378 Brown, 5301 Parchment .

a few things

There weren't any cookies baked over here this week. That doesn't mean baking didn't happen. Any recipe involving an apple seemed to be baked. I bought more apples for another pie for this weekend. Too bad one of the kids didn't want to be an apple for Halloween. That costume seems like it would be easier to make than a bush costume, (Charlie). We also have one ghost, (Andrew), and one still undecided, (Libby).
Tons of you probably already know this, however, I recently shared this with a friend that had never heard or thought of it... so I thought I would mention it here. If your button holes are too small for the piece of yarn and your tapestry needle, untwist yarn to single ply and use that along with a smaller needle to sew on your button. So simple.
Those mitts look really great long. (Knit until piece measures 10" before thumb shaping.) My sister finished hers on the plane on the way home from our trip. She's calling it the updated version. I like that. I also like using this yarn if making for a college kid or a person that may be hard on their things and want to throw in the wash with all of their other clothes (or lose them!). With this yarn they could do that. The price is sooooo right! One ball will make a pair, it really does knit up nicely.
Oh, that bag... is this bag (Supercalifragilistic). A total splurge, I know. One to use for years.
I have a few books waiting to find a home along with a super cute project. Next week.
Hmmmm. What else? I guess that's it.
Have a great weekend!

athens

travel











Favorite Memories:
-Today is free.
-The Acropolis. The Parthenon. Standing on those grounds. It really is unbelievable.
-Catching the changing of the guards at the Parliament. (Of course I noticed the gigantic pom poms on their shoes. Sorry I didn't get a photo. You would have loved them!)
-Meeting Sifis. Sifis owns a gorgeous (perfectly kept! seriously! check out that order!) three generation yarn shop in the heart of Athens. I met Sifis a few years ago through his flickr group. I knew our trip into Athens required a trip to meet him in person. I can't even begin to express how wonderful this time was with this very warm, generous, huge hearted man. It's hard to explain how we all felt. It was like we had all known him our entire lives. He took us to a local greek restaurant, where we ate the most delicious food of our entire trip, shared stories of our lives, laughed and cried. All happy tears. It could not have been a more perfect ending to our trip. All because of knitting. Lives knit together.

Thanks for letting me share my trip. I feel very blessed for that time with my mother, sisters and new friends.
Happy Knitting!

santorini

travel



Above shots en-route.







Favorite Memories:
-Turning the car around to go into a pottery shop. Just happened to be the shop of a 3rd generation potter. There just happened to be a woman in there who came to Santorini to train under Andreas Makaris. She just happened to be from the same town where we grew up. My sister just happened to babysit her sister's kids! I kid you not. Small world, eh?!
-The major buzz my sister and I got from our coffee.
-Watching the sunset in Oia.
-When we gave mom a "75 things we love about you" list. (We each came up with 25. You can bet one of mine was her love of fine yarn. We took turns reading five at a time. Tears galore.)
-Watching the sunlight sparkle off the water, the buildings and the faces.
Favorite Meal:
-Every dish at Ouzeql.

Athens tomorrow.

mykonos

travel









Sharon and Harry. A lovely couple we met on the plane. They have a home in Mykonos which was located very close to where we stayed. Small world, eh?
Favorite Memories:
-Watching sunset from the rooftop.
-When we walked into Avra restaurant and the owner greeted us, "Where's Mama?!!!!"
-Swimming in the sea.
-Meeting and getting to know Sharron and Harry.
-When I lost my footing stepping out of the bus and ping ponged my way between two buses (they park so close to each other!) to the tail of the bus where my shoulder hit the tail light and broke it. My shoulder bleeding and bruised (okay, it wasn't really that bad) and all's Shelly could say was, "You broke the bus!" A very charming couple found Lisa and Mom and said "Your friend! (How did he know?!) She fell!" (It must have been hilarious to watch.)
-Seeing all those white buildings and the blue, blue sea.
-Always messing up the word "yiamas" by saying umpa or yaikzie. (Shelly, you did it, too!)
-Getting massages on the beach. Watching Lisa get hers. (Fun factor was high.)
-When after looking at a photo (that my mom carried from home of a picture of the place she stayed 22 years earlier) Sharron exclaimed, "It's right here! You're staying in the exact same place you did 22 years ago!"
Favorite Meals:
-Breakfast. Greek yogurt (10% fat! yumm!), walnuts, honey and fruit.
-Dinners at Avra and Maereio.

On to Santorini next.
Have a great day!