I'm working on the second sleeve of Madge.  Trying hard not to get second sleeve syndrome.
If all goes planned this should be finished over the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

It will soon be a new vest for Libby.
I'm thrilled that she wants me to knit for her.
I knew she would come back around. :)

 You know I love Toast.  Really the easiest, most useful little project.
I just love to wear them.  Inside or outside.  It's just that little extra warmth I need most winter days.
The pattern is always above under the "patterns" tab.
Or on ravelry.
I used Lion Brand Wool Ease for this pair.

Oh.  And that's my word for 2016.  A L I V E .  Be present.  Pay attention.  Be engaged.  Listen.  Do.  See.  Walk through this year with my eyes wide open.  Cause being alive is a miraculous gift.

Happy Weekend Friends!

It was all I could do not to eat the caramel right out of the bowl.
You see, I feel as if I eat extremely well 80% of the time.  The other 20%? Well, let me just say, I like cookies.
And I like coffee.  And wine.  And cheese.  And mostly tortilla chips.
But, I pulled out my willpower from my back pocket and I didn't have even one little taste.
Even though I fell completely and madly in love.

(Andrew LOVES them.)

It's SO cold here!
I remember when my kids were babies and I made little hand covers for them.  Just a little cover for that little fist they keep so tight.  No thumb required.
I recently made a few for a friend's baby and thought you might like to, too!  Super quick and easy.
You can find the pattern here.

I made a few modifications to this Bella Cowl since I was making it for a friend of Libby's who is petite.  Instead of using size 13 needles I went down to a size 11 needle.  And, instead of knitting for 14 inches, I knit for 12 inches.  I think it works better for a smaller person.

Pattern:  Bella Cowl
Needles:  Size 11
Yarn:  2 skeins Wool of the Andes, Navy

Happy weekend friends!

So, I bought a bunch of Wool-Ease Thick and Quick when it was on sale at Joann's,  knowing it would somehow be used. (Hello cowls.)
I also ordered this book a while back.  I just loved the big chunky projects and the idea of teaching myself knitting without needles.
Andrew has declared it the coziest of all pillows.

The skinny:

Pattern:  Oversized Pillow.  Knitting Without Needles.
Needles:  No needles.  Just your hands and arms.
Yarn: 4 balls Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick (Holding 4 strands together.)
Mods:  I did do a gauge (I never do a gauge) because I wasn't sure if I had the same tension as the pattern.  I cast on 12 stitches (instead of 15) and knit for 14 rows (instead of 21) for a 23"x23" pillow form.

We all wrote down five "some first for me" for 2015.  It really was a great year.  Loved reading my kids firsts.
My five firsts:
::  drove a mini cooper  ::  zip lined over and into the lake ::  learned how to arm knit  ::  went to a football game at the Rose Bowl ::  made a YouTube video ::

Cheers to firsts in life!

Happy New Year, Friends!

Here's wishing you a beautiful new year full of Health, Love and A LOT of creative Projects!

Cheers!

xx,
leslie

The last day of 2015.  Part of me can hardly believe it.  The other part is extremely excited for the new year.  A clean slate.  Is there anything better?
I've been over here this morning working on a last minute year end project.  The bella cowl.  It's been frogged because for some reason when I grabbed my yarn and my coffee I decided to grab two balls of yarn.  And hold them both together.  Say what?  By noon I had a thick cushy piece of material.  I just couldn't understand why... Until I dug out the pattern.  My pattern.  OY.
Oh well.  In with the new.
Enjoy the last day of 2015, friends!

Last week we made our favorite sugar cookie.  We rolled the log in red and green crystals to make them festive.
Sugar Cookies:

1 cup of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugars, add egg and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients until combined.  Place dough on wax paper and form into log.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Sprinkle colored sprinkles along edge and roll until covered.  Cut into 1/4 inch rounds.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 350°.

 Birthday cakes are my absolute favorite to make.   I usually ask the children what flavor cake they would like and what color frosting.  The cake differs, but the icing is always the same.
 Then I make a stencil by hand and place it on top of the cake.   Pressing down slightly to keep clean lines.
 Pour the sprinkles slowly and slightly press down.  I absolutely love these gold crystals I found in our local grocery store.
Carefully remove the stencil.  Personalize it with some icing that was saved before it was tinted.  Pop in a few candles and S I N G!

Tessa is Steve's oldest daughter.  I giggled when Libby said that Tessa's was so much prettier than hers.  I said I couldn't even remember what color hers was.  She reminded me... brown.  Ha!  She requested Chocolate frosting.  ;)

Our favorite Butter Cream Frosting:

1 cup salted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbls milk

Cream the butter until fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar and continue creaming until well blended.  Add the vanilla and milk and blend on low speed for 2 minutes.  (Add additional milk if needed by the teaspoons.)  Beat at high speed until the frosting is fluffy.

*It's the only time I ever buy salted butter and I always double this recipe.  I usually have some left over, but I found there is nothing worse than trying to ice a cake with a minimal amount of frosting.  For a chocolate frosting add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 2 tsp of milk.

 White for Graham Cracker.
Last day to order Chalk Lots for Christmas delivery is probably Thursday.  If there is a question, please feel free to shoot me an email.

Okay, this is one of my favorite things I have ever received.
My sister made these last year.  One of our little get togethers where she makes us cry, cause her "party favor" is the most thoughtful, loving, beautiful.  Always.
I found a tutorial here.
Honestly, grab your materials this week and have a crafty couple of hours over the weekend. Still in plenty of time for Christmas.  I think moms could give them to dads, parents, lovers, friends, kids.   And vice versa on all!
I think its just the perfect little gift.

I love hot yoga and this little product is just about the coolest.  Hot yoga makes you sweat.  I'm talking, clothes that are completely drenched.  This yogi cozy hugs your car seat so you don't get sweat all over your seat.  The fabric is a turkish cotton... so nice to sit on.  Take it off and throw it in the machine with your yoga clothes and your car seat is completely fresh for your next outing.  I just love this thing.

I'll be back with a couple of quick handmade favorites.

 But, this particular day, it was true, I was out of butter.  And it was like the cookie Gods intersected and showed me Katie's post highlighting her favorite cookie. With every one of her family members loving these cookies.  And better yet, it involved vegetable oil instead of butter.  I usually steer away from recipes like this.  Or I use almond oil.  Or sunflower oil.  But this time I went for it and used the vegetable oil.
And guess what?  They are exactly what Katie said.  A pillowy brownie that is rolled in powdered sugar.  A chocolate lovers dream.

I'm over here trying to untangle and test the lights.  White this year.  And I'm so excited about it.  I have been alternating between color and white for years.  The white lights are my absolute favorite.

I had the random number generator choose numbers for the winners of Faerie Magazine.   Caroline was chosen for the one year subscription and Melissa and M Laley and for the current issue. Congrats!  Please email me at lesliemfriend at gmail dot com and I will be sure they land in your hands.  So much goodness in that magazine!

Happy December!
I'm so excited this year. I'm even considering sending out cards! That's a pretty big deal considering I haven't done them for the last 5 years! And, we actually brought a tree home today. Already! I think this is the earliest we have EVER had a tree.
I sat down yesterday and came up with a short list of things I wanted to make.  Not a huge list, but big enough.
Would love to hear about your knit lists.  Do you have a favorite you love to knit.  Do you make many gifts?  What's on your list?  Do tell!  I'm sure we would all love to hear!

They make a great gift for the peeps on your holiday list or yourself!

As part of the happy weekend (black friday, small business saturday, cyber monday) we are offering 25% off your order. Enter code Happy at check out.

Thank you and have a Happy day!

xx,
leslie