happy easter 2013

Get the crochet pattern here. 

crochet, etc. - chevron blanket

I love this vintage crochet blanket I saw on Etsy from the shop This Vintage Girl.

The colors are great, and the chevron pattern is really fun. This would make a nice summer project. If you'd like to try it, I found a similar free pattern for a crochet chevron blanket on Ravelry here. Enjoy!

anna knits - chunky scarf

After knitting this braided headband, I had some Rowan Big Wool left over. Even though winter has just come to an end (calendar-wise at least), I decided to knit up a chunky scarf. Using size US15 needles, I cast on 22 and started a Knit 2 Purl 2 ribbing pattern. I finished the left over ball I had from the headband, and now I am on my second ball of yarn.

I also added some chunky fringe for fun. 

Rowan Big Wool is so soft - this scarf will be very cuddly. I'm hoping to finish up in the next few days!

anna crochets - flower granny squares 2

I just got back from a week in Europe. It was a wonderfully relaxing trip, filled with great food, art, and company. While I do tend to get stressed from the actual travel part of travelling, I have learned to enjoy airport and plane time as a chance to sit down and do some knitting/crocheting.

This trip, I brought along my flower granny square project. I packed a little yarn bag for the flight equipped with yarn, a crochet hook, a tapestry needle, and carry-on approved scissors. (You can read a post I wrote about travelling with knitting here.)

By the end of two long plane flights, I had amassed eleven squares.

Only 77 more - or so - to go before I can stitch up my blanket.

See my progress, and get the pattern I used to make the flower granny squares here.

anna travels - paris

Tomorrow I'm getting on a plane and going to... Paris! I am so excited. I'm bringing my granny square blanket to work on during the flight, and then I'll have a week of relaxation, good food, and art.

I won't be updating the blog much, but follow me on Instagram (@annaknitsetc) for travel pics.

À bientôt!

Photo by MICHEL JEAN SICOT

giveaways, etc. - fringe supply co.

Who doesn't love a good giveaway?

Today I want to share a giveaway that I am particularly excited about. One of my favorite knitting blogs, One Sheepish Girl, has a contest going on now where you can win an adorable project bag filled with yarn and knitting inspired stationary. Click here (or on the images) to get all the details, and enter to win! Giveaway ends March 16, 2013.

What would you like to see in an anna knits, etc. giveaway?

anna cooks - chicken with tomatoes and olives

A few months ago I blogged about a chicken recipe that I liked, which I found in the book Everyday Food from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living.

There are so many great, simple recipes in the book, and I decided to share another one today: Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives, and Cilantro. I made mine minus the cilantro. Not because I don't like it, but because I didn't have any.

It just takes a few ingredients, but has a lot of flavor. You can get the recipe online here. A great weekday meal!

anna reads - anna karenina

I finally finished Anna Karenina. While it took a while to read, it was worth every moment. I had never read Tolstoy before, but I understand now why he is considered one of the greatest writers of all time. The characters were so developed and so nuanced they seemed almost real. While there are many competing themes and story lines throughout the novel - such that it sometimes feels like you are reading multiple books at once - they all come together, and each thread compliments the other story lines and characters beautifully.

For all its complexity, Anna Karenina was surprising easy to read. I would definitely recommend it.

(Love the bookmark? Buy one here!)

I started reading Anna Karenina after watching the movie, which I also loved. I think reading the book after seeing the movie was a good idea, because it helped me to keep track of all the characters and story lines.

For my next read, I decided to go with something lighter. Since I am leaving for Paris on Friday (!), I chose Lessons in French: A Novel by Hilary Reyl. It just came out, and has been fun so far. This is the first book I'm reading on my new mini iPad. So far it is lighter - to carry around and in its subject - than Anna Karenina!

anna crochets - flower granny squares

Despite the snow here in Boston yesterday, I am ready for spring! On that note, I finally started on my flower granny square blanket:

I used a pattern from the blog Rose Hip. In case you want to try it too, I took pictures of each step in the pattern to help you visualize it:

I also used this video to help me figure out the pattern. Once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy!

For the inside of the flower, I used a Cascade 220 yarn in a dark gray/black, which I had left over from another project. For the pedals and border, I used ella rae classic, colors 47 (rose) + 104 (silver heather). I used a size H/8 crochet hook.

See my inspiration here.

anna's nalis - revlon moon candy

Today I'm reviewing Revlon's new Moon Candy nail polish. I bought mine at CVS.

It is a cool concept: one half of the bottle is a sold color polish, while the other half is a glittery top coat.

I painted two coats of the dark green (I used the color Meteor), with one coat of the glitter. I expected it to be hard to get the glitter flakes to come out of the bottle, but it was pretty easy. 

Overall, I'm happy with the result, and would definitely try one of the other colors. Polishes usually go bad before I have time to use them up, so this smaller size of two types is actually perfect for me!

Do you have any new nail polishes you're loving?

crochet, etc. - flower squares

After finishing some big knitting projects (see my mittens, tea cosies, and bulldog), I am excited to start a big crochet project! I decided to make a blanket, and found this lovely flower squares pattern from the blog Rose Hip.

photo by Zandif

I crocheted a flower a few months ago, and was really happy with the result. I have some pretty colors of yarn left over from tea cosies, so I plan to use that for the squares. This is a long-term project, but hopefully I can finish it before next winter :). 

knitting etc. - 32 incredibly cool yarn bombings

Happy Friday! Check out these 32 Incredibly Cool Yarn-Bombings from Buzzfeed:

(click image for more!)