March 31, 2012

Mod Cables Slouchy Hat

So remember my Mod Cables Hat from way back when?
Mod Cables Hat
I love that hat.  But when I designed it tight fitting hats were popular.  Now?  Not as much.  Now the look is slouchy.  So for this years Malabrigio March I decided that it needed a slouchy reboot:

Mod Cables Slouch Hat


Mod Cables Slouch Hat


Much more current.  But I still used the Mod Cables pattern which I love so much:

Mod Cables Slouch Hat

The fabric that originally inspired the pattern makes me think of Mad Men now...
Can't you just picture this in Don's living room?
Mod Cables Slouch Hat
Or on your head?
The pattern used exactly one skein of Malabrigio Rio.  A superwash, plied version of their yarn:

Mod Cables Slouch Hat


It's just as amazing as their merino worsted.  But more...squisy if that's even possible.

Mod Cables Slouch Hat
The whole Mod Cables Family hanging out.  Here's the Mod Cables Mitten Pattern.
The colorway is Andromeda which I thought complimented my purple coat perfectly:

Mod Cables Slouch Hat

I like purple.

Mod Cables Slouch Hat

And wearing it I'm both warm and trendy... bonus!

Mod Cables Slouch Hat
What do you think... am I pulling this off?
Anyways the hat pattern is now available for FREE as a pdf here:


Enjoy!

March 29, 2012

My picture is on CNN!

So you guys how cool is this... a picture that I took while we were in Peru is on CNN!  Seriously!  Here's the video (mine is the second one they show, the one credited to Jeanne Stevenson):


Ok so I don't really agree with the article at all.  First off because I'd much rather eat Cochineal - a natural dye that has been used for literally thousands years - than some sortof chemical.  Even if GASP cochineal is a bug.  Secondly because the whole thing reeks of sensationalism.  I mean really we're going to get our panties in a twist about this particular ingredient now?  When there are much more disgusting and alarming things going on with our food sources?  C'mon.  But I"m happy that they wanted to use my photograph anyways.  Because, as my one friend put it, having your photo on CNN is pretty badassed.

The original image is this one, taken on Day 1 of the Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu:

Cochineal

The white stuff on this cactus is the Cochineal.  I took the photograph because it is also used in dying wool and that is something I'm a tad bit interested in.  Heh.  Here's a wider view:
Cactus
The cactus was growing in this really strange area.  It was very cold but there were cactus?  It had something to do with the high elevation, lack of moisture, and proximity to the equator.  The whole landscape was odd:
Agave

But breathtakingly beautiful: Urubamba River

Inca Trail, Day One

Kindof fun looking back at those pictures (the full Peru set is on flickr here).  I still can't believe we did that hike.  4 days up through the mountains to see the first rays of light hit Machu Picchu from the sun gate.  It was grueling.  But so, so cool:
The Sign!
Day 1, sign that starts the trail.  Look how excited and... young we look!
IMG_1447
Day 2:  At the top of Dead Woman's Pass.  We are higher here than the highest point in the continental US.  And we go there by foot.  It wasn't pretty but we made it!
Machu Picchu
Day 4:  At Machu Picchu.  This is still one of my fav. pictures ever.
We really have been on some fantastic adventures....

March 28, 2012

Happy Third Birthday and Saint Patrick's Day!

Better late than never, right!  So I was determined to make this year's birthday super special for my kid.  Partially because 3 is just such a fun age. Everything is magical and exciting and wonderful when you're 3.  Partially because last year's birthday pretty much sucked.  The weeks leading up to it were, no exaggeration, the worst of my life.  So this year we went all out.  She woke up to a house decorated with streamers and balloons:
Birthday Girl!

And presents!!!!!  I love the look on her face in the second one:

Birthday Girl!Birthday Girl!

This kid loves dress up.  So her big gift was a Beauty and the Beast skirt that I made her.  I threw it together last minute but I think it turned out pretty good.  I just couldn't justify spending $50 on a licensed costume.  I scored the mask discounted after mardi gras.  I would have LOVED a mask like that as a kid. 
Birthday Girl!Birthday Girl!

After that my parents came over to help us take the whole family downtown for the parade: Headed downtown for the Parade!

We assessed pretty quickly that the RTA situation was a bad one:
Headed downtown for the Parade!
Taken from the bridge to get to the platform.  So Many People!!!
But even the hour and a half wait for at train and the insane clusterfuck that was the platform and the complete, epic failure that was the RTA's preparedness for the crowds didn't damper our fun.  When you're 3 everything is an adventure and a picnic on a train platform is pretty awesome.  All in the phrasing, right?  We did eventually make it onto a train:

Headed downtown for the Parade!
Everyone's wearing green for my birthday!!!!
Headed downtown for the Parade!
I don't care where I am or what's going on as long as you keep those pretzels coming.

The train ride had everyone pretty DONE with the crowds and the heat and all of it. And one look at this mass of humanity:
Headed downtown for the Parade!
Headed up from the trains in Tower City.  SOMANYPEOPLE

and I knew we had to get out of the crowds for awhile. Luckily my parents' friend had a hotel room at the Renaissance downtown. Perfect place to rest a bit before the parade. And I never knew they had such an amazing atrium:
St Patrick's Day


St Patrick's Day
It was so hot on the train that the Dude lost his pants.  Even w/o pants he was still classier than about 90% of what we saw.  When did St. Pat's become a dress like a slut holiday
We did eventually make it out to Public Square and the Parade:
St Patrick's Day
St Patrick's Day
St Patrick's Day
Headed downtown for the Parade!
St Patrick's Day

And my kid LOVED the people watching. However when the parade was over and we saw the mass of humanity headed back to tower city and the trains:
St Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Day

We thought it best to just hang out in Public Square for awhile.
St Patrick's Day

Again, with kids everything is an adventure. She had a ball.
St Patrick's Day

And we even got to meet up with my brother and his wife:

Group shot!  Great pic of the whole family.  Even if one of us isn't wearing pants.
Eventually we tried to get back to the trains.  But I took one look at the huge, hot, frustrated, angry crowd and said "No way I'm taking my kids down into that."  We attempted to take a bus but apparently the 75 and the 55 no longer run on weekends.  Seriously, RTA?  You aren't running all of your buses when there are 500,000 people downtown?  NO WONDER THE TRAINS ARE AN ANGRY MOB!  Morons.

St Patrick's Day
PUNCH.

At least my kid had fun with all the wandering:
St Patrick's Day

We eventually found a 26 bus to my parents' house.

St Patrick's Day
Hot, tired, done with wandering around downtown.  But at least humanity isn't all bad.  Someone did give up their seat for me.  Although I think with a sleeping baby strapped to me and a tired toddler clinging to me I was the very definition of the person you should give up your seat too.
 Which wasn't where our cars were.  Or where we needed to be.  But we dealt:

St Patrick's Day
And eventually did make it home before bedtime.   Overall the day was pretty insane.  We were way past tired, dealing with insane crowds, hungry kids, and a whole lot of frustration.  But we still had fun.  And I think that's about the best thing that I can teach my kids.  That it's worth putting up with a certain level of discomfort in the name of adventure. 
Red head on st pats.  It's her birthday, too!  #birthday #stpats
This kid has a great sense of adventure.

March 21, 2012

Wordless Wed - BEACH!

(ok just a few words) So I took my kids to the beach for the first time this season today... It's March 20th.  In Cleveland.  That, my friends, is INSANE.

The beach is the one at Rocky River Park.  Best beach for toddlers in Cleveland.
Beach!  in March!

March at the beach. #happyincle

Beach!  in March!

Beach!  in March!

Thanks to Christine for this amazing pic.
Oh but it's going to be a crazy fun, messy, sandy summer!
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