Meadow Larksfoot Infinity Scarf Pattern Version III - Pink and Navy

The sun is shining...we'll sometimes when it's not raining...and we're gearing up for spring; 

however, I can't stop making scarves!

So here's the pink and navy version to go with my pink rain coat:

 Blah.

 Too hangy.

 Too "out there".

Just right!

Picture this with dark blue jeans and navy boots...

I must find navy rain boots!

Made with Encore classic wool blend (worsted) yarn

and the pattern from here.

Rain or Shine

Enjoy your Day!

And the Bronze and Silver go to...

The NVO of the USA...

and Norway...sort of...

..for exceptional prowess in the sport of crochet tolerance!

We'll leave the Gold to the following:

and Snowcatcher....1!

This is the NVO after receiving his medals, in his Fjord Beanie:

Doesn't he look happy to have won?

See the Snowcatcher's magical blog for this fjord beanie hat pattern here.

Also check out her gold medal here for an extra added treat! :-)

Have a GOLD, SILVER or BRONZE Day!

A Fine Project via Fien

Check out this awesome use of the granny rose by

clever Fien in the Netherlands!

Aren't these adorable?

Fien emailed me these cute creations and was so kind to allow me to show them off to all of you.

The diagonal pink square, hanging in the middle, is one of the closet hanging sachets from this post.

And the granny rose pattern can be found here.

This project has also been added to the "CAL" page here.

Nice job Fien and thank you for sharing!

Week Ending 7 of CANDO 2014: Vegetables and Double Happiness

I CAN eat lots of vegetables.

 This last week I focused on eating more vegetables...
Vegetables are DOUBLE HAPPINESS!

 and this was my favorite meal:

Shrimp and veggie rice rolls.

These ingredients were rolled up in rice paper.

Then and I made hoisin sauce mixed with Adam's natural peanut butter

 and chopped peanuts for the inside of the roll.

Then dipped the rolls in a sauce of tamari, sriracha sauce and orange juice.

It was so good.

 Unfortunately, this last week I also focused on eating more...

of EVERYTHING.

I even visited the chocolatier...twice!

It was one of those out-of-control weeks.

So here's this morning result.

138.8

NOT DOUBLE HAPPINESS. ;-)

But I CAN give you something instead of the excuses that I had planned.

(Thank you TA for your words of wisdom.)

I CAN give you the truth.

The truth is...I took in more calories than I needed, 

many of those calories included sugar which made me crave more sugar

 (gosh the pickled herring even had a lot of sugar in it - no wonder I ate the whole jar in two days!) 

and I lacked willpower to resist the cravings in spite of not being hungry. 

I also ate after 6:30 PM.

However; there is some other good news,

 in addition to the vegetable good news, 

my exercise routine is on track.

Last week looked like this:

M, W, SA: 15 minute EXTREME weight work-out.

TH: A rest day

F: Yoga class called "Stiffer Bodies" with Little Bug.

SU: Walking with intermittent 30 second bursts of jogging with the NVO.

(As close to HIIT - high intensity interval training as I can get at this time.)

This week, so that it's not so overwhelming, I will focus on not eating after 6:30 PM

 and continuing a similar exercise schedule.

Water too!

Here are today's charts:

I report the following:

It is what it is...

If you would like a copy of this Excel spreadsheet to customize to your own plan, 

I would be happy to send it to you. 

Just drop me an email at digger.lizzie@gmail.com requesting it.

 CANDO homies report the following:

Have a good CANDO week and remember that the chart that includes

 everyone is posted on the CANDO 2014 page here.

YOU CANDO IT!

Sochi Norwegian Fjord Beanie and Selfies

I am so proud to present a work-up of Snowcatcher's pattern for a....

Fjord Beanie.

You can check-out Snowcatcher's beautiful warm blog for a delightful visit here.

The pattern for the hat and the snowflake can be found there, here and here, 

respectively and respectfully.

She is an amazingly talented lady!

This Fjord Beanie was made with the following yarn:

Isn't the inclusion of gray nice?

I am so happy with this hat, that speaks to me from my home country,

 that I was even willing to include a couple of selfies:

(Note the cropping of the braces. ;-) )

The next hat will be embellished with the Norwegian flag; however, 

this hat was embellished with this delicate snowflake, also designed by Snowcatcher,

 in honor and memory of Sarah Burke. Sarah Burke was a gold medalist hopeful, 

who tragically lost her life while training for her sport; a sad and heart wrenching story. 

Lots of loving and continued healing thoughts go out to her family and friends; she will be remembered.

Thank you Snowcatcher 

for sharing your talent and your love!

Meadow Larksfoot Infinity Scarf Pattern Version II - Light Gray

Here's the scarf I made for moi. 

Yay!

And the one that I used to demonstrate the pattern found here, in my Etsy shop.

My ski parka was in need of a little pop of color,

and some extra added warmth.

So I matched the aqua of the coat and the light gray of the inside of the coat,

with some extra added "pops".

I can't help it, but I like pink, and yellow, it's just plain happiness!

Oh, and then there's white, it must be incorporated at all costs. :-)

It's long enough to wrap around twice!

Ready for the slopes!

I am so excited about this scarf that I am now working on one

 in various pinks and navy blue to coordinate with my pink trench-coat...stay tuned!

And remember changing up the colors and leaving off the 

shell edge gives it a completely different look:

And a BIG congratulations

 to the following for winning the free scarf pattern 

with the correct guess of "Mini-Al" as the answer to the question

 "What name did I use for this lovely scarf model in a previous post?"

Louise in Australia (I don't think Louise has a blog)

Ruth in India at the Shabby Chic Crochet blog

Elisabeth D. of England, living in Spain at the Elizy Art blog.

Thank you for playing along. :-)

Happy Crocheting!

Please Keep Warm!

Meadow Larksfoot Infinity Scarf Pattern

 A seven page step-by-step photo instructional tutorial and pattern

can be purchased in my Etsy shop here, as an instant downloadable .pdf file.

I will also give away three free patterns to the first three peeps

 to answer the *question at the bottom of this post.

(The question must to be answered in the comment section of this post

 and the time stamp on the comment will determine the first three as winners.)

 The pattern also includes an optional shell edge, which is not pictured here.

Made with Encore Classic Worsted Wool Blend.

The black yarn was purchased for this project and the other colors were from the stash,

 but are still the same Encore yarn.

*OK here's the question....

What name did I use for this lovely scarf model in a previous post?

(Not her real name, of course.)

Remember the first three to leave a comment with the correct answer will win the pattern.

Good Luck!!!

Oh and BTW...

The tutorial pattern on Etsy is made in pastels with light gray,

although the black scarf is referenced, as well.

It includes the shell edge.

 It will be featured on a post later this week. :-)

Here's a teaser:

I made it to match my ski parka which is aqua and light gray.

Imagine the fun color combinations you could create!

Meadow Larksfoot Infinity Scarf Teaser

INTRODUCING:

The Meadow Larksfoot Infinity Scarf

PHOTOGRAPHED BY:

My very dear friend, Al.

MODELED BY:

Al's beautiful daughter.

A PATTERN:

Stay tuned...Tuesday, February 18th...

for more on this pattern.

JUST IN TIME TO:

Eek out the last few months of winter.

THANK YOU:

 Al and Mini-Al!!!

And thank you all for your wonderful comments on my Valentine's Day countdown posts.

Your interest and kindness reaches deep into my heart and warms me to the very core.
You are all my special Valentine's!

Sparkly Blackberry Rose Cake

Here's the "how-to" to yesterday's Valentine's Day Cake:

 I took the easy route this time and used a cake mix.

(It is ice-fishing season, ya' know, and there's not a lot of time for anything else. ;-) )

Bake in a heart shaped pan.

Take fresh blackberries (any berry would be good, however) and squish the juice through a strainer.

Reserve juice for frosting.

Slice cake in two pieces.

Add a little powdered sugar to fruit and spread over bottom slice.

Place top half on top of fruited bottom.

Make frosting, I used the directions on the back of the powdered sugar package, but then I

 added the juice from blackberries and enough extra powdered sugar for a consistency

that would hold the roses...

mine was a little on the too soft side, but I ran out of sugar so I made do. :-)

Add a thin layer of frosting all the way around and on top of the cake.

Now comes the fun part:

 Take a Wilton 2D tip and decorating bag,

Start with the bag straight up and go around, 

around and

 

around until rose is formed and lift up and to the side.

It may be easier to "rose" the sides first, then the top.

 

Now for the sparkle.

(I did not end up using the white glitter this time,

 but could be fun on white or red roses.)

 Pink glitter.

Then add tiny silver balls.

For a magical cake:

 or two:

I made a small one and a large one.

Once the pink glitter sits on the frosting for a while it becomes less grainy

 and gives a beautiful iridescent glow that was difficult to capture in photos.

Wishing you lots of love!