saltine toffee recipe

saltine toffee recipe

My camera is sitting on a shelf in my living room. It isn’t small. It’s there staring me in the face every day. Yet I somehow managed to forget to take pictures of my last two knitting projects. It’s a shame since they were both so cute. Maybe I was too excited to give them…

25 Free Beginner Knitting Patterns

25 Free Beginner Knitting Patterns

Take a second and think back to when you first started knitting. Were you intimidated by difficult techniques? Was it hard to find patterns at your skill level? Did you want a list of beginner knitting patterns? Preferably free beginner knitting patterns? I remember being frustrated by all the terms and techniques. I wanted to…

understanding yarn labels

understanding yarn labels

Are you ever confused by the labels on your yarn? This helpful infographic from Stitch11 shows you all the details on weights, gauges and laundering. How many of you are sticklers for checking your gauge? It’s one of the things I hate the most and I’ve been burned before by knitting things that are too small…

homemade jam

homemade jam

Last week I helped my parents pack boxes and move out of the house they’ve lived in for the last 15 years. It’s always sad to see the house empty. The furniture is gone, the walls are bare and the house echoes. It doesn’t feel much like a home without the familiar comforts of home….

fresh basil pesto

fresh basil pesto

One of my friends describes cities as if they were his girlfriends. He says New York is the city he loves and wants to be with, but isn’t sure would be good for him. He loves Denver and is having a good time here now, but isn’t sure whether he wants to commit for the…

tawny owl

tawny owl

*Update* The winner of the pattern is Sarah Boyce! Congrats! If you’d like to purchase the pattern, you can do so here.  As a kid, I used to love owls. I had a book that had an owl in it and couldn’t get enough of owls. Ironically, I’ve also been afraid of birds since I…

fresh pasta with tomatoes and goat cheese

fresh pasta with tomatoes and goat cheese

While I’m not the biggest fan of heat and temperatures in the 90s, Summer certainly delivers by providing fresh fruit and vegetables. I’ve been eating blueberries by the fistful. Corn and peaches are in season. And last weekend I made a very simple pasta dish with homemade pasta, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and goat cheese….

biking and hiking in the rockies

biking and hiking in the rockies

Can you believe it’s almost August? I can’t believe how quickly the summer is passing by. Last weekend, I finally made it to the pool for the first time and the summer is more than half over. I haven’t spent much time cooking or knitting lately. I’ve mostly been retreating from Denver to the mountains…

5 tips for learning a new knitting skill

5 tips for learning a new knitting skill

I haven’t challenged myself by learning a new knitting technique in quite a while. The Tunisian Crochet Stitch was new, but not too much of a challenge. Last summer I designed my first pattern. My first crochet project remains one of my favorites, mainly because I love the colors. I’ve always wanted to learn how…

hot weather treats

hot weather treats

As I mentioned in my last post, it has been super hot in Colorado this summer. We’ve consistently had temps in the high 90s for the last few weeks with no rain. You’ve probably heard about the terrible fires we have burning all around the state. The dry air, gusty winds and hot temps have…