Tara Miller Designs

Shawl Progress

Norweign Hussies!

Oh how I hate them! With their long winters, abundance of yarn and beautiful scenery! I hate how jealous I am of you. That is why I take every opportunity I can to poke at my Norwegian MIL and let slip that they stole those meatballs from the Swedes. Scandinavia has struck again. I love this site and LOVE their sweaters. Oh to knit  with a crisp breeze  looking out on  this view. No wonder she looks so happy. Not only are these chicks stylishly warm in their  new knits but they get to eat meatballs,  gaze on their hulking fisherman boyfriends and knit year 'round!  

Where is this animosity coming from you ask. Well , how about the fact that it is 100,000 degrees outside, all my lovely flowers and trees are dying, my pool has turn the most lovely shade of green, most unnatural shade for pools, my yard is full of rotting figs that are untouched because  my skin will boil off if  I go to clean them up, and  ... well that is pretty much it. I can come  up with more later ,  I am sure.

Speaking of Norweign Mothers in Law.  Mine is coming this weekend for the bridal shower I am throwing for my future sister  in law.  She and I have a delighful trip planned to the yarn store on Sunday morning. They have free mini-lessons and coffee.  For those who don't know coffee is an addictive drug in Scandavia.  I feel it is my duty as her daughter in law to emulate her in  her addiction . I also need more Mohair- Don't judge.

Just Dessert

After a lifetime of calling my brother 'dork' and other mildly insulting names, he has responded with a resounding "in your face!". I am so proud. Shaun is in an art show. Not his first but his first to be asked.

Check me out!

A few of you may know that I work at Fabric.com. It is much a kin to a chocoholic working at Hershey. I am surrounded by fabric all day long and now they have the gal to force me to write about it as well! Fabric.com has launched their own blog and i will be posting there twice a month. My posts will be different from what I post here, dealing with my favorite fabric choices, patterns and tutorials/projects. All to encourage purchasing by bring a new prospective or different angle to flat fabric images. We will bounce around ideas, completed projects, and dilemmas. I have been anticipating this for a few months and am so excited about the launch. Check it out!

Progress and Road Blocks

 

I am plugging away on Rusted Root from Zephyr Style but it seems slow going. I suspect this is due to the fact that I want it to be a bit longer than the pictures depicts. I am at 13 repeats of the lace so far and About row 135. I am going to go to row 150ish and then start on the bottom. I am not going to add the ribbing but I think, maybe, a button band type edging. I can see it in my mind and if I learn Illustrator fast enough I can show a drawing before I finish the knitting. It is going to be pretty good looking. Just in case, though, I will add a life line to the bottom before I start the edging. I may not like it or come up with a better idea and that makes for easy frogging with out going over board.

Here is the illustrious Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits. Or should I say Shawl formerly known as Swallowtail. I have not come up with a new moniker for  this shawl but  I am happily  working away on the edging.  I should have a picture  tomorrow. It is going to be beautiful and this new edging is helping me to rethink my relationship with Mohair but I am not ready to recalls my previous prayers to any and all Yarn/Knitting Deities. Stay Tuned... Same Shawl Time, Same Shawl Channel!

And last but not least is a former project that has been ripped back twice, but the picture is still handy. Here is me (minus the face) during lunch just about everyday. There is a perfect section of soft grass on the side of my building at work that has a row of trees with just the right amount of shade. I sit out there with my knitting, a cool drink and my MP3 player filled with book/music. It is my second favorite time of day, just beat out by when I get home, open the door and am stampeded by dogs and am promptly giving a bath despite my token protests. Nothing beats that!

Self and Self Portraits

I was driving home the other day considering what I should blog about this week. "I did make that overlay and top this weekend,” I reminded myself.  "Yes, but you need to say something. You really do need to stop slapping pictures up there with a blurb about material and pattern" " By Jove you are right" I exclaimed to myself while nodding agreement. I am sure I put on quite a show for the other drivers. But seriously, with an hour drive each way what else can a girl do but talk to the only other intelligent person around, myself. What I finally concluded was that, while you probably know that I tend to sew and knit, maybe you don't know so much about me. Well, allow me to enlighten you.

I am barely a child of the 1970's, thank God. Born in 1979, I spent my first 6.5 years in Doylestown, Pa. I loved it there (well, I have loved everywhere I lived). We lived in a small Cottage style house and I watched Fraggle Rock. I remember that very well. We had a cherry tree in the front yard that my sister claimed an elf lived in. We found out later my mom would sneak presents into the knot for her to find. The room that I shared with my sister had a giant smiley face made into the carpet and there was a window seat that my dad built. We had chickens that the neighborhood dogs would terrorize and a cornfield behind us and we would spend many hours shucking corn. There were horses down the road and on Christmas Eve we would go down and feed the horses and pick sticks that we would use for roasting hotdogs for dinner. We still do that every year, but there aren’t any horses where my parents live now. I also remember walking on the snowdrifts; they were so thick.
Next we moved to St Louis, Mo. I met one of my best friends there, Kim. She was from Australia and lives there today. We played soccer down the street. We lived on a lake there and had a boat that broke down every other week. We would watch fireworks while floating in the water, wearing our life vests as diapers so we could sit in the water.
Next was Wichita, Kansas. I lived in Andover and Valley Center. Kansas holds a special place in my heart. I loved it there, but I know I am the only family member who did. My sister still refers to it as Kans-Ass. We adopted Willie there (My faithful dog for 15 years) and I met my other best friend there, Sara. I also fell in love with one of the dearest loves of my life, whose name will be entombed with me for all eternity, the University of Kansas. I still don't know why I love it so, but I do. I cheer for their football team, even though I know they are doomed to lose just like the White Sox. I have a sweatshirt that I wear religiously all winter that is 50 times too big for me. I even have a Jayhawk tattoo (no, I will not show you!). I still have many friends who live there but it is hard to keep in touch. I am glad that Air Tran flies there now, to the Great Wichita International Airport oops now it is only Mid-continental. Servicing 10 major cities! AKA- EXPENSIVE to fly there because nobody did. But oh how I loved the wind, wheat, small town feel and all the horses.
Finally, we moved to Conyers, Ga (no, I was not a lost child of Rockdale County- google it if you don't know; but one of the girls that lived down the street from me was). I hated it at first. The schools were so big; the fashion was different. I was a queen bee in Kansas and here I was the new girl. Yuck! No dances after football games, No dances period. I couldn't even go to my locker between classes because it was upstairs! The grocery store was so far away and if you turned left you still had no idea where you were. In Kansas it is all flat and the blocks were by cardinal direction. But soon I realized I was wearing shorts in November and suddenly Georgia wasn't so bad.  Now I love it!

Amy Butler, Freshcut & Simplicity

I was busy last weekend. I really wanted something new to wear. Something summer before summer is over. I have been wanting to make the Barcelona Skirts Overlay for a while too. Apologies for the severe look. You never know when the picture will take and I was getting bored. This is simplicity 4589 made out of Freshcut. It was easy but not beginner easy. I had some trouble with the sleeves but next time I think I will use chalk and transfer the marks. It fits great!
This is the apron overlay by Amy Butler, Barcelona Skirts. It was fun and really easy to make too. I think next time I will not sew up the bottom but sew both sides to the waist band, turn it out and topstitch the bottom. If my stitches are going to not be perfect, I would rather it be on the hem than the waist.

Family

Mom's Rose

 

Satchels made by Mom for Gretchen's Bridal shower
Annie Pants Krisher
My Dad after tooling around on his tractor. These last 2 were taken by my Brother, Shaun Krisher, Photographer Super! (link on right)

Craft magazine

If you don't read Craft magazine's blog- you should. There are so many great tidbits. I thank Stacy for telling me that they blogged about my free pattern- Fabric Mouse Pad. Awesome!

Mohair: I bite my thumb in your general direction!

Dear Yarn Goddess or Goddesses ( I am not well versed in Fiber Deities),
Please help me to remember in the future how I hate mohair. Help me to think twice, nay, three times about the Swallow tail Shawl now to be given a different name for it will be a different shawl before purchasing more mohair. If you could make it less appealing that would be great too, but I don't want to push it.
I have finished the 14 repeats of Budding Lace and moved on to the Lily of the Valley pattern and found that as hard as I try (I even used a crochet hook to make it work) I could not purl 5 tog with my tiny mohair and size 4 needles. Alas, I am not ripping but am going to continue with the Budding Lace until I am satisfied with the length and find some pattern for a different edge.
Thank you, Yarn Spirits for all you support and keep on, keeping on.

P.s. I need some help with socks, when you get a moment. Thanks
Your Pal, Tara