Hello friends!
I have never been really happy with blogger so I finally found a site that can do a bit more for me! It has a blog as well as spaces for a "gallery" for my current projects. I'm hoping that since podcasting has been so sporadic, I can once again try out the blogging again.
So please come on over! It's still a work in progress, but I have a nice home page, about me page and my first blog post.
http://thecattlady.wix.com/thecattlady
Hope to see you there!
Showing posts with label Knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knitting. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Episode 53 - Funky Town
Another week gone and boy this one slipped by quick! Looking forward to fun weekend celebrating my little girl's birthday and Mother's Day! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
In honor of "Throwback Thursday" here are some pics of my girlie:
On to the podcast!
In honor of "Throwback Thursday" here are some pics of my girlie:
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| Newborn Emily. The Shooting Gallery Photography. |
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| Emily at 1. The Shooting Gallery Photography. |
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| Emily at 2. The Shooting Gallery Photography. |
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| Emily at 3. David at 1. The Shooting Gallery Photography. |
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| Emily at 4. David at 2. The Shooting Gallery Photography. |
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| Emily at 5. |
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| Emily ALMOST 6! |
On to the podcast!
Let's get together on social media!
Facebook Group: Here
Ravelry Group: Here
Ravelry Username: theCATTLady
Instagram Username: @thecattlady
Twitter: @thecattlady
Pinterest: thecattlady
Email: craftycattlady@gmail.com
Facebook Group: Here
Ravelry Group: Here
Ravelry Username: theCATTLady
Instagram Username: @thecattlady
Twitter: @thecattlady
Pinterest: thecattlady
Email: craftycattlady@gmail.com
COMPLETE SHOW NOTES ON RAVELRY: HERE
This week in pictures!
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| Awesome gradient spin |
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| Next up on the wheel! |
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| Loving it! |
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| #neonnowkal |
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| Fun at the mall with David and Duffy |
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| Being silly ready for Karate |
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| Happy Star Wars Day! |
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| May the Fourth be with you! |
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| Mmmm...Paleo Brownie Bites |
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| Mother's Day gift from school |
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| Emily's upside ghost. |
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| Making friends at the mall |
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| Jump! |
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| Whiney David |
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| Coloring at the Rainforest Cafe |
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| Intrigued by the animals |
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| VOLCANO! |
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| Fun with Cha Cha the frog |
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Happy Cinco BB-8!
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Friday, April 29, 2016
Episode 52: Try Try Again
In lieu of "Fun Friday" this week, I'm just posting the podcast update for the week!! What a week what a week. I can't keep up! But it's the weekend and it's time to just put my feet up and relax a bit.
Thanks for keeping on keepin' on with me.
Thanks for keeping on keepin' on with me.
Let's get together on social media!
Facebook Group: Here
Ravelry Group: Here
Ravelry Username: theCATTLady
Instagram Username: @thecattlady
Twitter: @thecattlady
Pinterest: thecattlady
Email: craftycattlady@gmail.com
Facebook Group: Here
Ravelry Group: Here
Ravelry Username: theCATTLady
Instagram Username: @thecattlady
Twitter: @thecattlady
Pinterest: thecattlady
Email: craftycattlady@gmail.com
COMPLETE SHOW NOTES ON RAVELRY: HERE
This week in pictures!
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| Finally back to spinning! |
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| Swings! |
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| Fun at the park |
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| Meeting some great friends |
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| At the mall |
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| Duffy goes everywhere |
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| First night of Karate |
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| Amazing yogurt smoothie |
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| Emily visits the kitties |
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| Hard to see but the baby geese are back (they are at this same spot every year) |
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| A year since I chopped off my thumb |
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| So close to being finished |
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| Ready to turn the heel |
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| Beautiful addition to the stash |
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| Another beauty |
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| Fun fabric! |
Hope you get the Craft All The Things!
~Andrea The CATT Lady
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Throw Back Thursday: Learning to Knit
I may have shared this story on one of my podcast episodes and um...I'm not sure if recording is going to happen today, darn life getting in the way AGAIN! Tomorrow, Tomorrow, there's always tomorrow...where was I again? Oh yeah, learning to knit.
Back in 2008 a good friend came in to town to visit. I was just recently married and we were gearing up for our 10 year class reunion (go class of '98!). She spent the weekend of with us and had just learned how to knit! She insisted on showing me which I of course was very open to. I hadn't ever given much thought to knitting which honestly is surprising since looking back I know my grandmother and great grandmother used to knit. They weren't avid, knit all the time, kind of knitters so it's not like I have memories of them toiling away on projects. But I do remember my grandma knitting this cool, huge rainbow blanket - which she made for me and I still have! One day I'll pull that out and take a good picture of it. My great grandmother actually crocheted. I want to say she knit as well, but I really am not sure. She also sewed her own clothes, quilted, and did an assortment of crafts. To say she is my inspiration is truly an understatement, I adored and always will adore that woman!
So we headed to Joann and picked out my very first supplies. A set of cheapy Susan Bates straight needles and a skein of worsted maroon yarn that I think was Patons...but I can't remember. She picked up a pretty bulky brownish/tan barber poled. Another Patons. We scurried back home and she quickly taught me the basics: cast on, knit, purl, cast off. I was hooked. I loved everything about it and was excited to learn more right away. But first and foremost, I was impatient and was already googling how to knit faster. Throwing was just too slow for my taste. So enter Continental knitting. It probably took me a good week to get the hang of it, but once I got that going I was unstoppable! I can't exactly remember what I made first, but I ended up getting a circular or two and made a couple hats, some baby booties, and some fingerless mitts. I took terrible pictures of them and this was before I knew what Ravelry was:
I was a casual knitter for the next couple years, picking up a few things here and there from Joanns and making hats mainly. Eventually I stumbled across Knit Picks and picked up a nice set of circular needles. Before that I was using a interchangeable by Denise - which was okay - but definitely was not doing the job for me. I spent most the fall and winter knitting, but by spring I would end up too busy with other things going on that it always kind of fell by the wayside.
Since I decided to start podcasting, I have now been FIGHTING to keep the crafting going all year round. I tell you it is a challenge. Fast forward 8 years and life is as hectic as ever. Two busy kiddos and just so many activities and things to get done.
But I have to.
Knitting is no longer just this passing fancy that came my way. It is now and integral part of my life, more than a hobby, but a passion! I love everything about it. I love making things and wearing the things I make. I love making things for other people. I love yarn, the beautiful colors and creations that indie dyers come up with. I hope to one day participate in that creation as well.
I've made AMAZING friendships over this craft and for that I wouldn't trade it for the world! The knitting/fiber community is the best there is. It's far from perfect, any of community of people has their bad apples and flaws, but compared to any other groups I've been a part of - this one is by far the kindest, most generous, most caring group I have ever had the pleasure to interact with.
I look forward to the many more years of knitting and crafting to come and to continue to learn more and do more!
Talk to you tomorrow!
~Andrea The CATT Lady
Back in 2008 a good friend came in to town to visit. I was just recently married and we were gearing up for our 10 year class reunion (go class of '98!). She spent the weekend of with us and had just learned how to knit! She insisted on showing me which I of course was very open to. I hadn't ever given much thought to knitting which honestly is surprising since looking back I know my grandmother and great grandmother used to knit. They weren't avid, knit all the time, kind of knitters so it's not like I have memories of them toiling away on projects. But I do remember my grandma knitting this cool, huge rainbow blanket - which she made for me and I still have! One day I'll pull that out and take a good picture of it. My great grandmother actually crocheted. I want to say she knit as well, but I really am not sure. She also sewed her own clothes, quilted, and did an assortment of crafts. To say she is my inspiration is truly an understatement, I adored and always will adore that woman!
So we headed to Joann and picked out my very first supplies. A set of cheapy Susan Bates straight needles and a skein of worsted maroon yarn that I think was Patons...but I can't remember. She picked up a pretty bulky brownish/tan barber poled. Another Patons. We scurried back home and she quickly taught me the basics: cast on, knit, purl, cast off. I was hooked. I loved everything about it and was excited to learn more right away. But first and foremost, I was impatient and was already googling how to knit faster. Throwing was just too slow for my taste. So enter Continental knitting. It probably took me a good week to get the hang of it, but once I got that going I was unstoppable! I can't exactly remember what I made first, but I ended up getting a circular or two and made a couple hats, some baby booties, and some fingerless mitts. I took terrible pictures of them and this was before I knew what Ravelry was:
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| First Knitting |
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| First Hat |
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| First Mitts |
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| Booties for my neice |
I was a casual knitter for the next couple years, picking up a few things here and there from Joanns and making hats mainly. Eventually I stumbled across Knit Picks and picked up a nice set of circular needles. Before that I was using a interchangeable by Denise - which was okay - but definitely was not doing the job for me. I spent most the fall and winter knitting, but by spring I would end up too busy with other things going on that it always kind of fell by the wayside.
Since I decided to start podcasting, I have now been FIGHTING to keep the crafting going all year round. I tell you it is a challenge. Fast forward 8 years and life is as hectic as ever. Two busy kiddos and just so many activities and things to get done.
But I have to.
Knitting is no longer just this passing fancy that came my way. It is now and integral part of my life, more than a hobby, but a passion! I love everything about it. I love making things and wearing the things I make. I love making things for other people. I love yarn, the beautiful colors and creations that indie dyers come up with. I hope to one day participate in that creation as well.
I've made AMAZING friendships over this craft and for that I wouldn't trade it for the world! The knitting/fiber community is the best there is. It's far from perfect, any of community of people has their bad apples and flaws, but compared to any other groups I've been a part of - this one is by far the kindest, most generous, most caring group I have ever had the pleasure to interact with.
I look forward to the many more years of knitting and crafting to come and to continue to learn more and do more!
Talk to you tomorrow!
~Andrea The CATT Lady
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Try It Tuesday: Brioche Knitting
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| https://friendinknead.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/brioche/ |
Brioche - seems to be the buzz word with knitting lately. Lots of fun patterns that use this fancy "stitch" as I would call it.
But hold up wait a minute? Isn't Brioche a kind of French bread? Yeah, that's what I thought too. And yes it is. But in knitting terms according to wikipedia:
Brioche knitting may have originated in the Middle East. However, the term "brioche" seems to have derived from French slang for "mistake". The name might be a reference to the brioche dinner roll, which is formed of two pieces, one stacked atop the other.
Brioche knitting creates a fun, reversible pattern, when used with two complimenting colors is extraordinarily beautiful! Here are few patterns I would love to try out:
Le Moelleux by Mina from The Knitting Expat. A beautiful triangular shaped shawl with a simple brioche pattern. I am a sucker for shawls...
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| Le Moelleux |
Another pattern that has caught my eye is the Brioche Vine Cowl which looks to be a Craftsy.com exclusive. I'm sure if I dig around, I can find another cowl that I like on Ravelry though. I actually would love to make it those same colors too!
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| Brioche Vine Cowl |
So there you have it, hopefully soon I will be adding Brioche into my repertoire of knitting skills. And while I'm at it, maybe I should bake a loaf of Brioche bread as well....
Have you tried Brioche? Did you enjoy the experience? Was it easy to catch on? Feel free to share your experience!
See you tomorrow!
~Andrea The CATT Lady
Friday, April 22, 2016
Fun Friday! What's the point of cleaning anyways!
Just a quickly little "meme" to lighten the mood! And this one literally made me chuckle out loud.
It seem pretty pointless to attempt to clean the crafting areas I've accumulated. It seems the minute they are clean - is the same minute I need something that I can't find because I just cleaned the whole table and it's tucked away where I can't get at it without essentially pulling out all my stuff again creating a whole new mess in said space! It's as bad as the darn kitchen - I clean it up before a meal and BAM....it's an explosion once again after dinner.
Too bad the kitchen didn't have a door to just close...
Ta Ta for now!
Andrea The CATT Lady
It seem pretty pointless to attempt to clean the crafting areas I've accumulated. It seems the minute they are clean - is the same minute I need something that I can't find because I just cleaned the whole table and it's tucked away where I can't get at it without essentially pulling out all my stuff again creating a whole new mess in said space! It's as bad as the darn kitchen - I clean it up before a meal and BAM....it's an explosion once again after dinner.
Too bad the kitchen didn't have a door to just close...
Ta Ta for now!
Andrea The CATT Lady
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