Knits Craft Beer

On my way home I realized how crafty I really am. Not only in the actual meaning of craft, and artsy, but crafty creativity. I went to a meeting tonight (at James Street! Oh how I've missed it there. Order the pierogies, do it.) and am volunteering my time to work with Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week. I'm pretty stoked. I may be going for overachiever here, but I picked to be on the social media committee. I thought it'd be best because look at me already promoting!? Haha, I have much more to learn, and rather excited to be a part of the in crowd to help make it more known. So first things first, it's April 25th through May 4th. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! That's all I have for now. I'm sure I'll speak more of this in the future.

Yesterday I told you I'd share with you my crafts, and that I am sticking to.

Now this is conflicting because a lot of the things I am working on now can't really be explained or talked about too much. What I can say is this is a sewing project for someone as a gift to someone else. I don't want to give too much away! Luna loved helping me at the sewing machine though. And just look how cute she is! Haha ;-)

I tried to be a wonderful photographer but it's hard! My darn camera loves to flash and take a while to actually snap the pic. I think I may just use my phone, but alas. This project I can talk about a little bit more. It is for someone that is having something pop out of them in a few months. If you can't figure that out, puzzles are NOT your strong suite ;-). She said greens and blues would be great for the boy and I made sure to use a yarn that is machine washable. It can actually go in the dryer too. Double #winning. The reason there is even grey in the picture is because the border of the blanket I will be making grey.

Again, I'm getting too artistic for my own good. THIS yarn is what I want to make THIS shawl with. Alpha B Yarn's Sexy B in colorway, The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit. Can the name of the yarn get ANY cooler?! I think not ;-)

This yarn, Destination Yarns, is quite lovely. I get it at the yarn shop near my Aunt & Uncle's during Thanksgiving trips. She's been on vacation from her etsy shop for a while so I'm not sure if she'll be doing any new batches, but truly the yarn is gorgeous. The pattern for this hat is also quite lovely. I wanted subtle cables and this offered just that. I also got some male perspective to make sure the recipient would like the hat as much as the female maker ;-). Again though, can't give too much away now.

These socks (SOCKS THAT ROCK!) I have recast on just once, thank goodness, but they follow no pattern. Just a guideline of how to structure the sock. I like that it is self striping now but also a little sad that it's not as speckled. We'll see how this one pans out but I'm sure Handsome will enjoy them either way ;-).

Now I've done this shawl before, Mix No. 3, and I'm doing it again for someone I care about dearly. I think it'll be a classic piece that she can wear with a lot of things. I do get some beef for knitting the same thing more than once, but why let that pattern go to waste so fast. I bought it for a purpose and that is because I loved it. I wouldn't make something I didn't love. I'm just not done loving this pattern. I don't love my cat eating through my yarn, but that doesn't mean I don't love my cat. It's all about perspective.

So I have 4 knitting projects on needles and in the works. One for sure to be cast on in the immediate nearest future. And just one sewing project, that I can't share too much, but as much as I can.

Until next time, stay warm and craft on ;-)

<3 Carly

Ice Festivities Continued

I realized after I had posted my last post that I forgot to post pictures of the other carvings! How dare I?!

I'm so sorry, let's continue from after the park.

So this is NOT an ice carving but after driving up to State College in the rain, and no snow up there, I was ex-tactic to have some snow on the ground =) Just look how lovely!!!

Here is the main street, South Allen St., right before the carvings began =)

This is very focused in on my man's carving, Budda. So there is one of these that is out of order, but how they do this is they take the template, the drawing, and iron it on. It makes a fun sound that basically sounds like it is suctioning onto it. They then use the chain saw to carve the shape of the sculpture out. Including main lines and what not. Using the different power tools and the chain saw to create all the fine lines and details. After it is done, they brush off all the snow and torch it. Yes they torch it. It makes it so you can actually see how clear and clean the ice is.

There my man is! He's on the right with the multi tone knit hat, that I ironically did not make... He wears his one that's all dark blue navy at times, but I guess I need to make him more options for the work hat. A tight and not floppy one. He prefers the floppy just for warmth and style ;-) hehe.

Now I cannot forget about the other carvings! Here we have the polar bear couch that Rob did. Very cute indeed.

Now this dragon was done by the family that lives in State College. It was a complete family effort and I loved watching them carve together. Gary and his daughter were working on those details, covered in snow and I just love how it turned out.

Dick and a new guy, Caleb worked on the 2014 together. I was able to get the progress of these throughout the day.

James worked on the Giraffe and I am so mad at myself that I didn't take final pictures of all the carvings. I am kicking myself now. It turned out great I promise!

I will post pictures of all the ice sculptures once mister handsome sends them my way. He may of forgot, or he is just that busy. He actually is just that busy, he has carved 40 blocks this week. That's not normal, that is a lot of work! He is going to be exhausted.

Now Joe also did a carving. It was a swallow but it looked a lot like a mocking jay (you know, the symbol from the ever so famous catching fire/hunger games series). I'll post a picture of that later too.

Rob didn't just do the polar beer couch, he also did a dinosaur. And I may get a picture of it after it was brushed off and torched or I may not, but at least this one is done too! Haha. I'm so sorry! Gosh darn my hunger of going to breakfast instead of walking around.

That's it for the ice festival in State College. Oh wait, we had to celebrate New Years?! Haha ;-)

And that we did. Happy 2014 everyone!

I'll update you on all the knitting and crafting tomorrow. There's a lot. =)

<3 Carly

Ice, Yarn & Hot Meals

Just got back from the New Years Ice Festival at State College, First Night. It was another fun year of venturing the cold, checking out the town with friends, and lots of ice carving =).

My friend Cory came up the first day. Now because it felt like a weekend, I may get all the days wrong, but I believe she came up Monday, and I drove up Sunday afternoon. I got in just in time for Sunday super. Monday was a big set up day for building blocks, and carving the piggy bank, wishing well, and ice slide.

There it is! That slide is lots of fun. The kids mainly ride it, but the adults should so take advantage, it is a ton of fun.

Cory and I also got to check out a local yarn shop and picked up some yarn. The project I'm working on is kind of a secret, but I'll so a picture anyway ;-)

With no written pattern, I am just doing a copy cat of what I see in this pattern. I think it's adorable and super simple, yet still interesting enough to look at. I also made sure to get yarn that can go into the washer & dryer. That is important for the type of blanket I am making... I just kind of gave it away, but the pattern does anyway. Haha

I'm working on a few other projects but my hands do not move fast enough for how fast I want to knit and give the knitted items. I started Handsome's socks and I needed to rip them out and start again. I am too loose of a knitter and I would prefer my socks fit, so I understand making them fit him. Just all that time knitting them and ripped it all out. It was fun to knit, but sad to rip out :-P

Now these hot meals, they are wonderful. I made Chicken and Rice for dinner Sunday night after a long night of grocery shopping. It wasn't long because I hadn't gone grocery shopping since before Christmas, but because it was a Sunday and today, the day I got a snow day off from work (or should I call it a cold day off?), it is below 0 degrees. It's currently -3 degrees out. But the mad rush of everyone shopping and why it took so long was because the store was out of EVERYTHING and so I had to go to another and they were low on things too! I was just shopping for food because I hadn't in so long. Everyone else was because they were stocking up for the polar vortex.

Anyway, I like packing lunches so I packed a salad and the leftover chicken and rice for Monday. Made for dinner last night a carrot cream soup and eggplant parmesan. If you have read this blog before, you know I tried this carrot soup before. Well my mother got me an immersion blender for Christmas and it worked wonderfully. I also cooked the carrots to become very very tender. It was actually good this time. I was so proud of myself. Then The eggplant parm was delicious, as it always is ;-).

Thus far today I have made a smoothie from Pioneer Woman's, A Year of Holidays. I made the purple one. It's pretty good. I did spill it already but it also took a while because everything was so cold and I have a cheap blender... Haha, not the immersion blender, a regular blender. I let it rest a while to warm up, then it smoothied right out ;-) see what I did there?

Well with this lovely time to myself, I will continue to knit and drink my smoothie. I haven't really disrupted Luna's day. She is as happy as a clam napping everywhere, hehe.

Stay warm my East Coast Friends!

<3 Carly