Well, I finally have my apartment back. Not that I'm complaining, but running a production out of your home it no small feat. Plus, we had a house guest for a week. That's kind of tough when you live in one big room.

Oh, but it was so much fun! And everyone was super professional and considerate and brilliant! I think we're going to see great things from these folks. Mark my words!

Monk was totally unfazed by any of the commotion. He just thought everyone was there to see him or something. He might have been a star, but he couldn't be bothered.

Because, apparently, I just can't get enough of sewing. I bought these shirts to make this project.



It won't get done this weekend, though. The Works is being turned into a movie studio. Master P and his cronies are taking over for the long weekend and making a short film that he wrote. Cool, huh?



Happy Memorial Day!!!

Ah, yes. OK. The sewing. It began back around April 14th with the fabrication of aproximately 40+ pillows. It ended last weekend with a two day marathon of slip covers.

No matter how often I agree to knit or sew something for someone else, I still get that little, metaphorical dragging-of-the-heels that comes with a deadline or a project I "have" to do. There are my own projects that are languishing while I slave away on a tank top or a pillow cover that I won't even get to keep! In the end, I am proud of what I produced and I usually have learned something new or honed a skill, but it's still not mine.

And we come to the root of my crafting personality, again. I'm not a Process Person. I am a Results Person. I make, not for the sake of making, but for what I will get out of it in the end. Herein lies the struggle. But I do it anyway. I pimp myself out in exchange for free yarn or a weekend at the beach. I guess it's really not so bad.

And as I said, "In the end, I am proud of what I produced."






****Go here to see my prize student. I cut the fabric and pressed the seems, but he sewed, what may very well be, the Most Perfect Pillowcase Ever all by himself.

So there's not much knitting or crafting content here lately, because I'm working on a knitting project for The Point to be revealed in June and a sewing project that I have to get permission to share with you. Meanwhile, I've been doing a lot of cooking.



On Tuesdays, at lunchtime, I've been trying to go to the Green Market near work to plan my meals for the week. The market is a little small, so there isn't always a bounty to choose from. Last Tuesday, I was confronted with a sea of green. Green spinach, green garlic, arugula. I had the idea to make a pesto from the arugula.



I used a basic recipe: 2 big ol' cups of arugula, 1/2 cup of pine nuts, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, and 2 stalks of green garlic.



We've been eating the pesto, little by little over the week. We ate it with grilled lamb chops and sweet potatoes last Thursday and yesterday I made a pasta salad with whole wheat orzo, edamame and feta cheese.

I still have a bunch left over. Any ideas?

Happy Mother's Day!



I know, I know. This is late. Like, two days late. But I wanted to say a little something to the mothers in my life.

Clockwise, from top left, we have my mom, my Babi, my Memom and my godmother. I'm very blessed to still have all of these women still in my life. The women in my family are pretty tough, most of them outlasting the men by many years. But they're tough in other ways, too. Smart and funny and spirited.

I love you all!!!!!!

I just got back from 4 days in Charleston, SC!!

OK, when I say "just got back" I mean "got back Monday night". It was my first foray into The South. I've driven through all those states on the way to Florida. I've even stopped at South of the Border, but I've never spent any real time there.

I did eat crawfish and grits and pulled pork and drank more Bud Light than a girl should in 4 days, though I don't have any pictures of any of that. I took a carriage ride and got a nasty sunburn. Overall, it was a raging success!




And, oh yes, the reason I went? My cousin, Justin, graduated from The Citadel. He's a cancer survivor at age 21, so we were all very emotional and, needless to say, extremely proud.

Thursday: Pink and Purple


Lilacs have arrived at the flower market.


What happens when I'm bored at work.


An old image of some lovely radishes.


Another ridiculous picture of Monk. What a showoff!

Orange Wednesday



My (very blurry) Bodem electric teapot


Orange (and some red) books (also blurry)


Old picture of new curtains.

Yellow Tuesday


Some graffiti from my street.


Fabric from Ikea. I love that gold detail.


My favorite coffee!

A dress & necklace that I made last summer. I am still in love with the color of both!

Up next: Orange Wednesday

I'm taking part in Color Week via Curious Bird. I was a little under the weather this weekend, so I'm recycling some old images for Green Monday.


My favorite colorway of Manos ever.



A shot from a series of vintage jewelry and candy that I did for work.



The perfect summer beach tote.



Gratuitous kitty picture on my old green coffee table.


Stay tuned for Yellow Tuesday!!

Back in March, when I posted my survey on what projects to take on my trip to Paris, the Alpaca Super Cowl was one of the chosen. I actually knit quite a bit on the flight over. (The way back was devoted to reading The Yiddish Policemen's Union.) I finished ASC just about a week after we got back. I've only just now been able to photograph it.



Of all the sweaters that I've improvied, this has to be the best fitting and maybe, just maybe, my favorite. I learned a lot about negative ease on this project. Something that's easy to play with when you are knitting from the top down and able to try the garment on as you go. I'm not sure how I would work this into something that I knit in pieces. Or how many knitting pattterns out there account for it. I mean, sweaters stretch, right?! How come I only just realized this?

The cowl is not as super as I envisioned it. This is mostly due to running out of yarn. Aparently Alpaca with a Twist was backordered "forever" on this particular color. I used 1,100 yards of sport-weight (they call it worsted, but it's not) alpaca. Knit on #4 needles for a nice tight fabric with lots of stretch without sagging. For the cowl I just doubled the yarn and used, I think, a #15 needle. More details on ravelry.



Master P has gotten really good at photographing me now. He basically just lets me stand against the wall and fuss around without telling me when he's taking the picture. The result is the natural kind of shot that I like.

With temps in the high 70's today and a 4 hour lunch break, what's a girl to do?



Enjoy some Springtime lovliness...



And lunch at The Shake Shack, of course!

Can a girl have too many neck warmers? Apparently not.



This one is the result of Malabrigo that I bought at The Point's 3rd Anniversary party. I finished it in about a week. It just took me forever to get a picture of it. Details are on Ravelry. Now, of course, it's too warm to actually wear it.



This is one is a present from John, Mr. KnitBoy if you're nasty. You may recognize it from his blog a while back, where there is a free pattern. Lucky me I have a friend who likes to knit and crochet cute stuff that he'll never wear! I got really lucky on that one!

Oh, and the fabulous green neck warmer in the previous post? Mine, too. Another gift from my generous friend. I saved you a picture of me in that one. I figured the model look a heck of a lot cuter!

No, this is not something I knit. I didn't design the pattern. I didn't even take the picture. What it is, is my favorite image from a little photo shoot that I styled back in February with KnitBoy.

This is one of John's original designs and you can go to his blog for the free pattern! This was such a fun collaboration, both of us getting to do what we do and coming away with a bunch of lovely images for our respective portfolios. I hope you'll be seeing more from us in the future!

OK, so there wasn't a photo shoot this weekend. There wasn't much sunlight and I had to hurry off to NJ to spend the weekend with my family. So instead, I hope the following will appease you.



No trip to NJ is complete without a trip to Target! I picked up these super cute shoes and the perfect navy blue eyelet skirt! Yay!



And my co-workers got me a little present. What girl doesn't need a fancy pair of scissors?

Over the last couple of days I've been trying to compose an elegant and clever post about my knitting in this last month. It's been kind of scattered and, consequently, so have been my thoughts.
I'm just gonna dive in, OK? I promise you lots of pictures and maybe tomorrow and FO post!

It all began with the 3 Year Anniversary party at The Point. I can't believe that I've been a part of that wonderful place for 3 years! How it's changed my life! I, of course, had to buy something. The lovely ladies at my table shoved a one skein pattern in my hand and sent me off to buy yarn. I came away with this.


Malabrigo in the most scrumptious golden color that I am completely in love with. It's the color of dandelions. Or forsythia. Or egg yolks. I love it! I finished the project in a matter of days. It's a neck warmer and it used less than one skein. It's the perfect knit for when you need a little luxury fiber fix.



Then there is this monstrosity. It's a cotton bamboo blend (to be revealed later) that is to be the yarn of the month for June, for The Point. I hate it. You can see the progression of needles I used on my swatch to get the correct gauge. The top one was a #4. The last one was a #1. I now have to come up with a pattern for this yarn and knit it using a #1 needle. Oh Lord, save me now!



And saving the best for last! Da da da DA! Rowan Calmer! Why had I never knit with this before? I have to admit, I was curious. Then I had a little browse through the Rowan Studio Issue Nine, which is entirely devoted to the Calmer, and found an adorable little pattern. Only five skeins? Sign me up!
I've never experienced such joy knitting with cotton before. Never! I almost got the correct gauge on the first try with the recommended needles! I could have copped out and just used the #8s but I was worried that my gauge might loosen up over the course of the project, so I went down to #6s. That's a heck of a lot better than #1s! And look at the perfect little stitches! My knitting never looks like that!

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I'm on love!

This week has been kind of long and maybe a little difficult. It seems as though, for all the time I spend alone, I'm not very good at being by myself. I'm trying to create new routines for myself that go hand in hand with my new job and new hours. I know it seems like it's been a long time in my new position, but old habits die hard and I'm still adjusting.

This is a picture of something that makes me smile. I just love covered buttons with a passion that is maybe a little inappropriate. They make me crazy! Since I bought these little button makers, I just seem to be making them with no particular objective in mind! These were from some fabric l used for a Christmas project. I really loved all of it and, consequently, saved every little scrap that was left over.

Paris, Part 2: the food!

Le Suffren, 73 Avenue de Suffren 75007

Le Suffren is an old school brasserie in a very traditional neighborhood. It's Master P's dad's favorite place to go in Paris and it was just what we needed on our first night. What blew us away at Le Suffren was the steak tartare. I've eaten this quite a bit and this was the best we ever had. I attributed it to the super strong French mustard. Master P couldn't say. We both agreed it was phenomenal.

Les Pipos, 2 rue de l'Ecole Polytechnique 75005
Les Pipos is a very tiny, very rowdy restaurant. It also happens to be around the corner from where we used to live. Our friend, Alexis, a very big, very rowdy Norman, introduced us to this place back in 2002. I always knew I wanted to go back and I was thrilled that we did. They serve simple, traditional food. I think the menu was exactly the same as I remember it. Les Pipos is also the place where I first ate oysters and I had them again this time. French oysters are huge and briny and fantastic!

Bistro du Peintre, 116, Avenue Ledru Rollin 75011
I adore this restaurant. My good friend Lindsay (who was my roommate when I was a student in Paris) took Master P here in 2002. He took me and our two friends back when they visited us later that year and it always delivers.
This is a very traditional French bistro, but in an up and coming neighborhood, run by cute young guys wearing t-shirts and jeans. If it existed in NYC, I would say it would be in the LES.
We had the most enormous trenches of bone marrow. Again, I've had my fair share of bone marrow in NYC, but never like this. I felt like Fred Flintstone! But it was so good!

Pierre Herme, 72 rue Bonaparte 75006
I could not leave Paris without a visit to this extraodinary bakery. The owner used to work for Fauchon and left in the 1990's to open his own business. We got a box of macaron, in flavors ranging from chocolate to rose, and we devoured them!

La Cigale, 4 rue Récamier 75007
So I don't have a picture from La Cigale, but you're going to have to trust me. This is the most refined experience you'll have in Paris for under $200. They specialize in souffles and you should definitely order one, or two. For a starter a main or dessert. I had oysters (again) to start, a souffle for my main and Master P and I shared a dessert souffle.
La Cigale was the first time all week that we encountered Americans in a restaurant, but don't let this deter you. The clientele here is very sophisticated - mostly journalists and media types. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Le Rubis, 10, rue Marché St-Honore 75001

I had a long list of places that wanted to go to that were recommended by blogger and cookbook writer David Lebovitz. This was the only one we made it to, but it was fantastic. Le Rubis is a old school wine bar that serves sandwiches and small plates of cheese and charcouterie.
We stopped in here and shared a bottle of wine and some (more) delicious pork products. The place was packed with locals and some tourists, but was lively and fun. It's in a very chic neighborhood, but is very affordable. It's definitely worth a stop for a very French experience.

Les Cocottes, 135, rue Saint-Dominique 75001
Our last dinner in Paris was at Les Cocottes, which I had read about in Metropolitan Home Magazine. I was a little concerned that it would be a total scene and filled with tourists, but it was, by far, the best dinner of the entire trip.
A cocotte is a type of little cast iron pot that is traditionally used for cooking in the south of France. Master P and I thought that this place was a little "New York", but that was a good thing. It was a new space that didn't have traditional tables. We sat at a counter and our server waited on us from behind it. Though the feeling was casual, the service was outstanding. We never had to ask for a single thing - our water was always re-filled, etc. I contributed this to the fact that our waiter was "trapped" behind the counter, but the result was a fantastic experience.
And the food? The food was sheer bliss. Following with the homey nature of the cocottes, the food was rustic, but (and this was the thing that made me feel like this was a "New York-style" restaurant) elevated. I had a perfect braised lamb shoulder. Master P had confit potatoes stuffed with shredded pig's feet and a little frisee salad. Everything was served in a little cocotte, so when the salad was added to Master P's dish, it wilted a little bit and the mustard-y, vinegar-y salad cut through the fat from the potatoes and pork. Perfect.

Ah, so that was our trip to Paris. A little bit about the shopping, but mostly about the food. I hope that my recommendations help you when you take your next (first!) trip to Paris!

This is all the yarn I bought in Paris. I really could not justify buying yarn that I could easily find in the US at a terrible exchange rate. Then I found La Droguerie. Their walls were lined with yarn of every color and fiber! I could hardly contain myself! I had to get something! Anything! Master P (thankfully) steered me clear of the bright turquoise mohair claiming that it was "crazy" and "the same color as all the yarn you have already". (He's totally right, of course.) Instead he said, "What about this one?" (He was right again.) These babies are what I (we) decided on - destined to be a very large scarf of somekind. Worked together.




The jelly beans? I brought them home from NJ, where I went to celebrate Easter with my family. Last night, Monk discovered them. He, in the middle of the night, trasported more than one - perhaps at once, maybe making more than one trip - upstairs into the loft, where he deposited them into the bed. I awoke, around 4am, to the sound of him scuffling about and with jelly beans in my bed. Crazy cat.

Hello, there. I had a long, long post planned (part one of two, in fact) about our trip to Paris yesterday. I was simply too bleary-eyed after about 12 hours of travel hell to write anything clever, so I decided to spare you all and just hit "save post".

I'm still feeling oh, so romantic about the trip though, and wanted to share something with you. So here you go. A little video of Master P at the Louvre on a particularly magical evening.