Weekly Pinterest Finds

I managed not to have every single pin be a dessert recipe this time, promise! A few did sneak in there though...

First up is a cool pin featuring measuring guides for decorating your home. I plan to be hanging a lot more framed photos up in the next few weeks, so I'll definitely be referring to this!

Source: drivenbydecor.blogspot.com via Kim on Pinterest

Sally's Baking Addiction slays me again. I tried not to see these Caramel Snickers 7 layer bars, but once I did I knew I'd have to make them sometime soon!

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com via Kim on Pinterest

I don't know what is up with me pinning puppy chow lately, but Cookies and Creme? Come on!

Source: yourcupofcake.com via Kim on Pinterest

I love this idea for a desk! Funky and modern, and you can have two people working near one another.

Source: bhg.com via Kim on Pinterest

I LOVE oreos, so this pin was a no brainer.

Source: lilluna.com via Kim on Pinterest

I'm always interested in trying to make my own granola bars, and this recipe seems promising.

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com via Kim on Pinterest

A massive Death by Chocolate cookie? Sign me up!

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com via Kim on Pinterest

This soup seems like something that would be right up the hub's alley.

Source: bhg.com via Kim on Pinterest

I used to like McDonald's Shamrock Shakes until one day I looked at the nutrition facts. ::shudder:: Now I can make my own!

Source: number-2-pencil.com via Kim on Pinterest

I think these breakfast cookies would be great to grab on a busy morning!

Source: tastykitchen.com via Kim on Pinterest

Friday Pinterest Finds

Why do I let so much time go by between these posts? I'm going to have to pick and chose which pins to share because there are way too many for one post :) Before that though, I wanted to share our dinner from Wednesday. I used a mashup of the Shrimp Bisque recipe with a broccoli and cheese soup recipe and we were pretty happy with the result!

The hubs had his soup with a piece of pumpernickel bread and I had saltine crackers. Since there was no heavy cream and very little flour in this soup, it was healthy! I had a small bowl of it today with half of a quesadilla for lunch and its pretty good reheated.

And now to Pinterest! 

Remember how a few weeks ago I was looking for a cookie dough dip that had a consistency closer to cookie dough? Well, I stumbled upon Healthy Cookie Dough Dip, and I think it needs to be made soon :)

Chicken with mushrooms and zucchini- sounds like a healthier version of the Chinese takeout favorite!

I really like the idea of having a splash of pattern on your window!

I also really like this fireplace/TV/mantel combination.

More crockpot recipes, this time it's Crockpot French Onion Soup.

I love the idea of using (usually) wasted space and having everything in clear jars!

Easy, yummy, and can feed a crowd. Win in my book! Hoisin-garlic mushrooms.

I really like the idea of having lots of storage and shelving around a large TV- it helps keep the TV from dominating the room.

Any plans for the weekend? Super bowl parties? We will probably watch a Sabres game Sunday, and I might try to bake something quick or make an appetizer for the game this weekend. Any go-to appetizer recipes that don't take long?

Seeeecret Knitting

I can't say much about this project yet, but hereis something I have going on the side. If you have been reading my blog for a while you might figure out what it is... or will be ;)

Sweater Weather

Here in WNY the air has a cool, crisp feel to it. We went from a very nice warm summer to quickly dropping temperatures. There have been a few nights where it has gotten down in the 40s already!

I mentioned back in this post that I was making an Abalone sweater. Now that the wedding blanket is done, I can really focus on this! I'm knitting the sweater out of Malabrigo Rios, and I can't tell you enough how lovely this yarn is to work with. Its soft, squishy, and superwash, so I wont have to worry about it making its way into the laundry hamper. I chose the Pearl 10 colorway, which has lovely variegated grays with a slight purple tint. Here's a photo of my progress:

Its a little hard to see because of the curling stockinette, but the middle is longer than the sides, creating a nice sloped bottom. I have just over 10 inches here, and I'm aiming for around 18 inches before I split for the armholes. I still have three balls of yarn, and since the sleeves are quite short I'm pretty sure I'll have enough.

I also just wanted to mention that I had a teaser up last month about a new pattern. I haven't forgotten about it, but with starting school and having weekend plans the past few weeks I haven't had time to move on to actually knitting the pattern. Hopefully soon I'll have a test knit done and be looking for test knitters!

It's Coming Back...

My desire to design, that is. I never really lost my design mojo, but this summer has been really busy with vacations and weddings (and wedding gift knitting!) and other hubalub, so designing has kinda been pushed to the back burner. The cooler weather we have been having totally has me wanting to dive into my yarn stash and never come out, so I thought the best way to channel that would be to finally put some of these ideas into pattern form. Wanna sneak peak?

This doesn't look like much yet, but its a design that has been brewing for probably close to a year now.  Stay tuned for an actual pattern, hopefully in September!

New Pattern

My new pattern is up! Its called the Valley Between Two Hills, and it can be found here. I'm pretty proud of this, and I have a new respect for designers. I had a hat pattern out already, but that was reverse engineered and there's something about writing a pattern you conceived in your head, knitting it, obsessing about it, having it test knit, revising it, taking beauty shots, and finally releasing it into the world. I hope you like it!

ETA- This is my 100th post! I think it is very fitting that it is about the release of a pattern :)