happy holidays

wishing you and yours the very best this holiday season.
warmly, melana

wreath made with yarn, ornaments, lotsa glue, and totally inspired by starbucks' wreaths of 2008.

find & go seek

i know you visit sheepishone to help me to celebrate my adventures in knitting, and you may have noticed that the adventures have come to a near halt.

after agreeing to knit a february lady sweater for a friend, i learned that a profession in knitting is not something in which i'd be successful; when knitting as a love-to becomes knitting as a have-to, all of the enjoyment goes out the window. especially when i have to twice.

it's possible that a less burdensome project may have led me to be more productive this year, but there is another reason my sticks and string have been sitting untouched: my friend and i have embarked on another sort of adventure. while it's very exciting to be in business for ourselves, and the website is up and running at long last, it's required a lot of sleuthing and sweat equity!


our site, modesto.findandgoseek.net, is sort of a social catalog of family-friendly things to do and sites to see in california's central valley. art galleries, theaters, museums, and organized activities abound. and while not really metropolitan itself, modesto, california, is so perfectly situated that within a couple hour's time, you may find yourself lounging on the beaches of the pacific coast, hiking along a creek that winds through the sierra nevada mountains, exploring the rich agricultural history of the area, or enjoying the sophisticated city life in san francisco.

it is our hope that the site inspires our fellow central valley residents to get out of the house and do, see, and learn new things, all the while spending quality time with their children.

watch me unravel

what i spent free moments in august doing: knitting a february lady sweater for pay.


what i did in 20 minutes today: frogged it, and sang a song while i did so, just so i can re-knit it in september.

knitting for the near future

when fall arrives, i will squeal with delight and pull on my recently-completed sweater.

a lot of my modifications were listed here, but even if you made no changes to this pattern, you would find yourself just as happy as i.

the pleating and the slightly puffy sleeves make me giddy...


no pockets on this one. i wanted to be sure that all attention was drawn upwards, upon better assets...

i had found some lovely amber faceted buttons on etsy, and had even as i was sewing them on, i thought, "these are too teensy. the buttons will slip through..." i wore it for only twenty minutes before the first two buttons came undone. as a result, the tortoiseshell buttons i bought as a plan b were then used.

pattern: manu

yarn: just under six skeins of the plucky knitter merino lite dk in honey wilkes

needle: body knit on a US 6, but i also used a size 5 and size 7 for cuffs, bands, etc.

summer daze

another month has gone! i cannot fathom that we are halfway through with 2010. seems like just yesterday i was posting about holiday cooking and crafting, and i suppose that has much to do with the fact that i only have four blog posts under my belt for 2010.

i am still plugging away, turning a gorgeous pile of merino wool into a gorgeous sweater [both are ravelry links]: manu has been slowly worked. between all of the highs and lows of another school year closing, then the beginning of what will undoubtedly be a very short summer, and having succumbed to a great book series, there really hasn't been much time devoted to knitting.

i managed to hide away and tink back then re-knit the pleated section last weekend... there were stretched, hole-y stitches right at the pleat on the right side of the sweater, while the pleats on the left side were tight and closed properly. i tried to rectify the holes early on, but couldn't seem to find a way, then plunged onward; the dissatisfaction crept up, though, and i carefully had to work my way back and through the perpendicular construction of the side edging. by knitting slowly and deliberately, i am happy to say that although they're not perfect, the stitches are a lot less loose.

the pattern has taught me a lot. i haven't deviated too much from it, though i have made the sleeves shorter (three-quarter length); mirrored the pleats so that they do not all go in one direction; and removed one row of purling entirely, so that the pleats fall directly from the neckline; i will not be including the pockets, as much as i adore them on other manus i've seen. what awaits me now is applying an i-cord bind off. finding the perfect button is also at the forefront... any recommendations as to where to head for those?

in which good things are celebrated

good things. they are all around.


the enticing fragrance of sweet peas.


the promise of a bounty of sugar snap peas.


the simple perfection of stockinette.


the unmistakable allure of coffee...

... just about everywhere i go.

in which tea is served

the cool winter weather had me inspired to knit sweaters. the last one of the winter was bound off and finished last week, just in time to wear (at least once) before spring had sprung.

pattern: tea leaves; yarn: cascade 220 heathers in "irelande" (2429); 36".
more details -- including a few minor modifications -- over at ravelry.

the ruched yoke is certainly my favorite part, although the garter stitch cuffs come in at a quick second. the stockinette was a little mind-numbing, but really, it moved so quickly, i couldn't even bring myself to complain.

i'm trying to figure out what to cast on next. maybe these in this? this pattern with this yarn? in since the sun is out and we'll have very few days below 70 from here till october, i'm sure i'll be likely to knit socks, socks and more socks. however, the garden (here's the start of last year's) will be keeping my hands busier than the yarn, and embroidery is (hopefully) going to keep me employed... i'll pop in when there's something exciting to report.