What's New on the Needles? And Paczki Day!

Ok, let me pause for a moment to say I think that could be a fun series title...especially as much as I am knitting/crocheting nowadays. With that said...

I finished the baby cardigan a couple days ago and is going to head to the little recipient hopefully today! Just in time too...her mom just delivered the baby this morning and I can't wait to see a picture! She texted me about 30 minutes ago to say that little Wren has arrived safely after only 3 pushes (so jealous - my deliveres were no where near as easy as that! lol), a head full of hair and weighs 8.5 lbs. 

I learned a lot along the way and can't wait to show you pictures of the finished project! I will post photos soon! Maybe she will even send a picture of the baby wearing it so I can share that too!

The night I finished the cardigan, I grabbed this beautiful Debbie Bliss yarn that I bought in my first trip to a real yarn shop. Oh my, it's sooooo pretty! It's a lovely turquoise with silver hints and has been teasing me since I bought it, but I held strong and made myself finish the cardigan before I started with this. I bought it without a pattern in hand, and immediately went to Ravelry to find the perfect one. I wanted something light, so I decided that a lace scarf was in order. I landed on the Florence scarf and decided to add a little extra sparkle with some silver lined glass beads.

I have finished my first lace pattern repeat and have realized that adding beads is making this a very slow process. I love the look, and I know it will be beautiful once its done, but as with anything new it takes a little getting used to. I am using a crochet hook to add the beads, and I think it's much easier than putting beads on the yarn before knitting. I would naturally panic that there werent enough, and once you get going, how can you easily add more? This way I can just add as I go, and I also like that it causes the bead to be on 2 threads of the yarn, which is so fine that any extra strength will be most welcome. Eventually I will thin out the beads and then pick them back up towards the end of the scarf.

I'll be sure to post pictures as I go, but feel free to follow along on Instagram for the most up-to-date pics. :)

And for all of my friends in the Detroit area, or expatriates...Happy Paczki Day! And since most of you will have no idea what I am talking about, you can learn more about the Fat Tuesday tradition in Detroit here or here.

via my Instagram

These were waiting for us as work this morning! Mmmm.....!

I indulged in a raspberry-filled Paczki today, and yes, the guilt is high, but it's sooooo good and impossible to resist. And it's only once a year, right? Its one of those things that bond a community, as cheesy as that sounds. A bit like how everyone is a little Irish on St. Patty's Day, everyone is a little Polish on Fat Tuesday. And we all know how food bonds people together, no matter what the reason or celebration. That's my story and I'm sticking to it (like a paczki to my waistline! lol)

Oh, and if you are trying to figure out how to pronounce "paczki", there are some variances, but in my area, we generally say "POONSH-kee", though some say it closer to "PUNCH-kee". And I believe that's technically the plural, but no one really calls it a "paczek".