All That Matters

Spring break is almost over.

The weather can’t decide between windy and warm or cloudy and cold.

We have been spending more time eating out for dinner. It gives us more time to enjoy the Spring afternoons.

I take naps earlier in the morning so Scout and I can spend the afternoon making chalk art on the walkway. Sometimes we just color with whatever medium is closest to us.

I took off a little too much time from the gym. I feel bad about that.

I studied quite a bit of my Western Civilization book. Not so much studying of Poli Sci or Women’s Studies.

I finished reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

I started an herb garden and planted some very pretty Gerbera daisies.

I’ve been feuling my unhealthy stash obsession.

And fabric obsession.

Illcation

I wasn’t on a vacation.

I was on an illcation.

You know, when you are ill and all you can do is lay down and sit up for limited amounts of time.

Apparently I got food poisoning from a Subway sandwich the night that Shawn and I were going out for his birthday.

Luckily we bought his cake Thursday and I didn’t get sick until Saturday. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss his cake.

{It’s chocolate everything.}

There’s been no knitting. No sewing. No nothing.

Except for one thing.

There was shopping.

I bought some Dream In Color Classy for my Tea Leaves Cardigan. (I ordered from Eat. Sleep. Knit. and  I won a skein of Dream In Color Smooshy. Woo hoo!)

{Good Luck Jade.}

And then yesterday afternoon while I was checking my inbox I got a new message telling me that I was exclusively invited to my not so local LYS’ Sunday Sale from February 3-5. Meaning, I get to check out their sale stock first. Woo hoo! (Again.) I picked up some Rowan Wool/Cotton for my Sabbatical Sweater, a few skeins of Glacier Del Cielo for a top for Scout and a few skeins of Rowan All Seasons Cotton for a hat she wants.

And that’s it. I promise. Yarn wise, anyway.

I’ve kept my eye on a few new books,

all of which are going to get me in trouble because I’m already neck deep in projects. I’ve already planned two quilts and some feltie projects. And I have sewing classes starting next week. And I just recently found a little hole in the wall embroidery shop with the most gorgeous designs I’ve ever seen. I might need CA. (You know, Crafters Anonymous?)

The rest of my illcation was spent on sleep. I’ve been sleeping a lot. And you know what? It feels so good.

As for the “Meet Bob and Steve” contest! Our winner is: #4! Alisa! Alisa, email me at iknit(dot)ipurl(at)yahoo(dot)com, with your color preferences and once I get back to the sewing machine I’ll send along your customized kitty. Thanks everyone for playing! I’ll have a new contest up next week.

Til then, I’m taking a nap.

One Weekend

In one weekend you can…

…go to the park twice.

…decorate the house with paper garlands and glittered snowflakes.

…organize my stash of felt.

…go out to eat at one of our favorite burger joints.

…tickle each other and make funny faces.

…finish one book and start a new one.

…clean out my wardrobe.

…put up 150 Christmas lights.

…watch the kids make a creative mess.

…fall asleep to the sounds of the gusting winds.

…go out to dinner with the family.

…knit 5 repeats on a blanket that will be cherished forever.

…try a new recipe with a new twist.

In one weekend you can just be.

{rainy day}

Today is a rainy day.

One of those days when you lay in bed and you reminisce about those days when you went off to elementary school, lunchbox in hand. How you ran to your classroom trying not to get your Mary Jane’s wet. How recess was held inside. Games strewn over the double desks. Monopoly, Checkers, Old Maid. How you skipped in and out of the puddles on the way to the lunch room. How you watched the water drip, drip, drip. How there was a sweet scent of children, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and wet rain coats. How the YMCA counselors would open up the auditorium and all the kids would put on fake plays on the stage.

Those days are over, but they are lovely to remember. We hardly get much rain here in Southern California. Especially in the area we live in now. So when the sweet scent of water and asphalt mixed, I knew we were in for an old fashioned rain “storm”. It’s been raining all day today, so Scout and I had a rainy day inside.

I wonder. I wonder when she’s older, will she remember watching Scooby Doo with me on the couch under my comforter? Will she remember how we had “fair food”, (pizza rolls, soft pretzels with cheese, and cupcakes), and how we practiced our spelling out everything we ate? Will she remember the wonder in her eyes when she looked outside and didn’t really know why there was water falling from the sky? Will she remember the way the wind was so powerful that it shut our bedroom doors and bent the tree boughs right by the patio? Will she remember the sounds of the heavy cars splashing water onto the sidewalks? Yes, I wonder.

While side glancing a few episodes of Scooby Doo I finished up the shoulder warmer that I offered to make on Etsy. I’m happy to have it done. It wasn’t tedious. It wasn’t difficult. But it was time consuming and I am so behind on a few projects. I really need to catch up. And it seems like the rain just may allow it.

Ravelry link

Pattern by Crocheteria

Yarn: Vanna’s Choice Solid, (Charcoal Gray), almost two skeins

Needles: US 8′s and Us 9′s for the ribbing

I still have a scarf and a pair of mittens for Etsy customers to make, but I’m nearly finished and I can’t wait. (Patience, anyone?)

In the midst of our rain and knitting, Scout and I stopped to have a little snack: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting,

and a little bit of reverie, (for me).

Yes. I think all of these memories are what justify my love for the rainy days we have.

Big Plans

Spring in Southern California has been very strange, to say the least. Some days are warm and bright and you think to yourself, Summer is going to be extremely hot if it’s like this already. Some days it’s cold, windy and rainy and you think to yourself, Summer is going to be short and sweet. But for me, well I feel like I’ve been hibernating for so long and I’m having a terrible time trying to wake up. Lately my days have been riddled with pain. And yet I still find ways to keep my creativity queue flowing.

Nights are the hardest. Usually Shawn goes to bed a few hours before me. I spend my late nights watching old Miss Marple movies. I knit. I read. I’ve spent a bit of time on the computer finding all sorts of new cute patterns, Softies books and classes to meet my idol.

When I wrap everything up and make sure to lock the doors and turn off all the lights I creep into the bedroom. I always turn the fan on, regardless of the temperatures. I lift the blankets and try to get comfortable without waking Shawn up. Sometimes I lay on my back, knowing I won’t fall asleep. But I just think. I think of all the endless possibilities that life will hold. I have a few business ideas in mind and I think of all the sketches I need to draw. I think of all the fabrics I can use. I think of the children who will hold dear these little trinkets. And then I turn onto my left side and I watch the pale orange glow of the street lights that pour into the nooks and crannies of our vertical blinds. When I get sick of looking at the distracting light I turn to my right side. I take in the cold air from the fan. Sometimes I wipe away the tears that form because of the air. And when all else fails I lay on my stomach. My fleece pillowcase against my cheek, my legs forming a 4. After a while I drift off and I stop thinking about all the things I’d like to do. Now I just dream of them.

I pour through my memory and I tell myself that I will read every letter in these books.

I promise myself I will finish a present by Easter Sunday.

I think of all the outfits that I can wear with such a pretty knitted item that someone so kindly made for me. Just for me.

I tell myself, just a few more inches. Really.

I dream of all the different patterns that I can use to display such beautiful color.

How funny that up until this very moment I felt like I was being completely unproductive. But I realize now that I haven’t. I have plans. Big plans.

{ Ten Things I Love }

Time for reflection during the busy rush of the holiday season. The end of the year parties. Presents to wrap. Portraits to photograph. Cookies to bake. For me, the busy time is well received. I have one more “big” Etsy order and then I can focus on me. My family. No more deadlines. No more procrastinating. More time to do the things that I love for myself. More time for reflection.

{1. Having more time to knit. Having time to work on projects that have been buried. This is the cuff of the sleeve for Snow White.}

{2. Art Therapy and beginning my Happiness Project.}

{3. Cream Cheese Cookies, freshly baked.}

{4. An early Christmas gift from Shawn: He is paying for me to take some one on one sewing classes at the local quilt shop. I’m thinking my first project might be this, this, or this.

{5. Slowly but steadily making way with my first cross stitch project. The boy is done but for a few accents. I’m currently working on the puppy.}

{6. Acquiring a new pair of sweat pants that were originally intended for Shawn. They are uber comfy!}

{7. My December Book list. Most of it is self help on simple living and growth in marriage. Again, more time to reflect.}

{8. Looking towards the future and new beginnings. Along with sewing classes I’m going to be joining a gym – something that should have happened long ago. I am also attending art therapy and have signed up for a mommy and me gymnastics class. In February I will be returning to school to take French 2. Such possibilities!}

{9. Some extra soft fleece with cute little owls ready to be made into a blanket. My mother is going to replace a blanket that someone stole -yes, stole- from me a few years ago. One side will be the owls and the other side will be a chocolatey brown flannel. Something to keep me warm and to wrap comfort around me.}

{10. The beginnings of some new projects.}

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Friday Fill In # 103:

1. Said the night wind to the little lamb, share your fleece on cold nights.
2. The first Noel, the angel did say, love and live freely.
3. Cold and wet white snow, Over the hills and everywhere.
4. It came upon the midnight clear, the brightest Northern star.
5. Give freely, Let your heart be light.
6. And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing loudly and from the heart.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies, tomorrow my plans include baking a kitty cat cake and knitting and Sunday, I want to see Scout’s excitement on her second birthday!

For the Love of Yarn!

I went a little crazy with my “extra” yarn money from my Etsy commissions. Since that is my alloted amount of money I can spend once supplies are paid for I can use it as I please. With that, I shouldn’t be able to. It’s a dangerous thing when there is a PayPal balance available. There are no second thoughts. There is no justifying. For example, two nights ago I playing on Etsy and decided it was time to try some Chewy Spaghetti now that the shop had been updated. I’d been pining for Vainglorious for a while now.

It will fit in perfectly with my yarn stash. Just today I went through my yarn stash and cleaned up quite a bit. I noticed an awful lot of blues, browns and greens in my stash. I think I need to start thinking outside the box. But then the prospect of two new sock collections by Sundara will hopefully break those chains. One year of two subscriptions is twenty four skeins of über fantastic Sundara. Though I admit, not all 24 are mine. I subscribed to her warm collection and will be for sure destashing one color that I’m not fond of. The other collections, (light), is being shared with two ladies. I’m getting 4 skeins from that collection. So in all, I’m really only getting 15 skeins. Oh, plus 2 from another woman’s subscription. Do you see the insanity in all of this?

Speaking of Sundara, I wasn’t too keen on the Midnight Meadows from my Seasons subscription. The yarn is lovely but not much of a winter-y color in my opinion. I was lucky to find another Sundaraphile who wanted to trade the ever coveted Glacier that I’ve been trying to nab for the past 4 months:

I think I’m going to have Shawn make me a glass case for this cake of yarn. It’s that gorgeous in real life!

Admist my online shopping I bought a copy of Bend The Rules Sewing so I had my own copy. The reason for needing my own copy is this. I had seen the swap was still holding sign ups so I gave it a thought for a while. But then I saw that my blogging buddy Bekka, (try saying that five times fast), had joined. So I had to! How’s that for justifying an excuse to sew and get a quilt in return?

I also went a little iTunes crazy. (Didn’t you ever wonder about the name: iKnit.iPurl?) Even though the iPod is still broken, (I’m hoping to have a new one for my b-day, or at least for this one to be repaired considering I spent $250 on the damn thing and spent a couple hundred a bit of money on music), I still buy music. Since I am on the computer pretty often I like to have music to listen to. You should see me on the days I do major cleaning. I turn up the volume and start singing the high notes from “I’m So Excited”. Pointer Sister I’m not. But I can be an honorary member, right?

With that, I’m not a bum. I don’t sit here and just buy yarn and music. Honest. I do knit.

It’s a suprise. It’s a suprise because I told you that I wasn’t going to cast on anything else because I had enough to do with all my UFO’s, but I lied. So, SUPRISE!

*************************************************************************************************************

Friday Fill In:

And…here we go!

1. There is no need to worry about bills today.

2. Where in the heck did the time go today?

3. Washed the dishes, folded laundry, grocery shopping, updated my computer, cleaned the kitchen counter, organized my yarn, cleaned the living room, picked up toys, went to the library and knit two rows is all I managed to do.

4. Prospects for my French class are extremely high!

5. Peace, Love and Happiness is the message.

6. Simplicity and tranquility are rarely experienced once you have children.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to planning our Moms Groups’ birthday party, tomorrow my plans include gaining 10 lbs. at the LA County Fair and Sunday, I want to lose the 10 lbs. I gained from Saturday!

I guess I won’t be wearing my jeans tomorrow?

Queen Bee

Busy weekend. Busy as a bee.

I did a little bit of quilting:

Fabrics are “Fresh Squeezed” by Sandy Geravis for Moda

I did a little yarn shopping for an Etsy bid:

I did a lot of research:

I painted the kids room, but I don’t have any pictures. Tomorrow I promise.

I also did quite a bit of cooking. I tried out a new Slow Cooker recipe: Beef with Shitake Mushroom/Hoison Sauce. I made homemade guacamole and corn tortilla chips. I made my Fudgey Brownies for dessert since I didn’t have anything to satisfy my sweet tooth. And to top it all off, I made strawberry jam and it is delicious. Today’s menu included home made bean and ham soup with biscuits. Call me a homemaker extraordinaire. Go ahead, I dare you!

I even got a little scrapbooking done with a 7gypsies kit. I can’t show you the book until it’s done though, it wouldn’t do it any justice. Time and patience my friends.

The rest of the weekend included watching The Ruins with my crush Johnathon Tucker which while very corny was still a pretty good scary movie. It’s all about ancient Mayan ruins. I didn’t manage as much rest as I would have liked but I was productive and that makes me feel pretty useful.

Just wait til you see Central Park Hoodie.

Christmas in July

Shawn was a total sweetheart while I was in the hospital. Three days before the surgery we had taken a trip down to the LYS to kill time browse. I was on the hunt for some yarn for a new CPH, (Central Park Hoodie), since the first one wasn’t 100% perfect. (I wanted a more roomy sweater.) I found the perfect dark brown Cascade 220 and put it on hold.

Little did I know that he went to the shop on Friday and bought all the brown that they had and a skein of Cascade Eco Wool I had put on hold. I love this Van Dyke brown and dove right into the sweater the night before last.

It’s the perfect shade. I don’t know why it’s so hard to find the right brown, there are so many shades out there. More often than not, though, I find there’s too much red or too much white. I can’t wait to sport this new sweater. I have a feeling it’s going to become a fast favorite.

The Eco Wool:

This has been set aside from the WrapAround Cardigan from Luxury Knits. I’ve been itching to make the sweater for about 3 years when I first bought the book. BUT, I was none too thrilled to think about purchasing 20 skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK. It would be quite expensive. But then I stumbled upon the Eco Wool. Perfect color, perfect gauge and a wonderful feel to it. And it wasn’t going to cost me my first born! I won’t start the sweater until August though. I joined the Summer 2008 Knitting Olympics, (check Ravelry if you want to join), and am participating in the Sweater Sprint. When I joined the first one that the Yarn Harlot began I looked forward to knitting a sweater in two weeks. Unfortunately I failed miserabley. Not only did I not finish, my sweater was destroyed this past year when I threw it in the tub to soak for a while. This year I will overcome! And have a luxurious cardigan to boot. Take that!

Shawn also went to the bookstore and grabbed a quilt magazine and a copy of Knit So Fine. I first saw the book at Beverly’s but I restrained myself from buying any more books. But Shawn asked me to pick out a book and I did.

I can’t give you an in depth review because I haven’t knit anything from the book. I can say that I’m more than happy that someone out there has a love for knitting with skinny yarns. There are a number of patterns that I would like to try, especially the butterfly stitch wraparound. There are also a great pair of cabled fingerless mitts that are elbow length. Would I ever wear them? Certainly not. But the pattern is too hard to resist. All the patterns are made using skinny yarns out there, so be aware: no chunky yarns, no big needles.

When I came home he had a 1 lb. box of See’s candies for me too. And the kicker? I’ve been waiting for a Blythe doll. I’ve been picky about which one I want. He was all set to buy her last night but I had to be responsible and say that we had to pay our cable/internet/phone bill. He said he’d give me the difference and I can go a little crazy at the 50% EVERYTHING sale at the LYS this weekend. AND I’ll still get my doll but I’ll have to delay gratification a little longer. I’m happy with that. He is a sweetheart and I know he’d buy me the stars if he could. I’ll settle for him though.

Speaking of settling, I know it’s only July. Christmas is 5 months and 1 day away. Every year I declare, “I’m doing a handmade Christmas”. The next thing I know it’s Thanksgiving and I have nothing to show. This year will be different because I already know what I’m knitting, (or making), for everyone. So to prove my allegiance with holiday knitting, (which I never do, though I say I will), I will give you proof. Once this is typed, I promise not to delete or edit in anyway. Later you can say if I did, or didn’t, stick to the plan.

• Shawn: Big Thaw Pullover from the new KnitScene. I also want to put together his own stocking, but I think I will sew and embellish one rather than knit one.
• Jem: We Call Them Pirates Skully by Hello Yarn
• Scout: Sheldon the Turtle from Knitty, ( I want to make a little family, but I think if I start off with one, I can’t disappoint if I end up not wanting to make more than 1). And I’d like to make her the Cupcake Hat, Mittens, and Scarf setfrom “Itty Bitty Nursery Knits” for her birthday, (which is four days before Christmas).
• Mom: I don’t know if I will knit anything for her. I was thinking about making her a twin/full size quilt. I need to work on design and fabrics first though. And time. I will need a bit of time.

As for friends and distant family, I haven’t figured it out yet. Maybe cards, jewelry, baked goods, scarves? I have to take care of my immediate family first and go from there. AND I have to figure out what to make Dalton. Can’t forget my furbaby!

So, yes. It is Christmas in July!

Bag Lady

Two nights ago I decided to do a little sewing. Nothing fancy. I needed wanted a new knitting bag. I love my Namaste Messenger Bag but the poor thing has been abused. The cord is actually tearing away from the straps because I’ve packed so much useless crap knitting projects in there. It simply can’t take anymore. I just wanted something simplistic. Something deep that I can cram a sweater and pattern in. So I made yet another market bag, though this one is much deeper than the kitty cat carry all I use on a daily basis. I am quite happy with the results though I had issues with the straps. Such issues nearly causes my Singer to meet her demise, though by no fault of her own. It was all user error. But once it was finished I was quite happy and I vow to be not so harsh on my machine. She did nothing wrong.

I am glad to say that I also used some stash fabric. Remember way back in September when I started to stew about becoming a serious seamstress with no sewing skills at all? I had about 2-3 yards of dark brown cord and it’s been gathering dust, (not literally), from sitting in my stash. You can only use so much brown cord, right?

Wrong.

For the pocket and lining fabric I used

Ginger Blossom fabrics by Sandi Henderson, for Michael Miller. (How interesting that her last post is all about Market Bag patterns she’s just made and will soon be released with a new line of fabric.) The colors were perfect for complementing the brown cord.

I love the inside but looking back, (a whole two days, I know), I think I should have used the pocket fabric and used that for the lining. I’m thinking there’s a bit too much brown.

Either way I’m happy that I have a new bag. I was never much of purse whore, but the past few years I’ve accumulated many more bags than I thought possible. I blame the knitting. Needles, yarn, patterns – it’s their fault.

My migraine has subsided a bit, with the help of Aleve. I wasn’t expecting much but I heard that Naproxen is a good pain reliever when it comes to headaches. I still seem to have a bit of a tension headache, which usually introduces himself, (notice that headaches are masculine when sewing machines are feminine?), midday. But I’m so sick of laying in bed with no light. The meds even helped yesterday once I got out of the house and went to the LYS. I ran into Jody and we had a few laughs about braids, (as in your hair), pubic hair, (don’t ask, it was her friend), alphabetizing books at the bookstore, (an employee had the nerve to ask her if she put her book back in alphabetical order), and the latest gossip that she’s missed out on. I ended up being sucked into the “you gotta have this new book right this second or you will never have an opportunity to buy it again” syndrome and grabbed me a copy of this:

Aprons are the thing now. It’s totally ok to walk out your front door wearing one, you know? I was enticed by Emmaline and then I just had to buy Lola. What would I need a whole book about aprons for? Because I can’t seem to say no to glossy covers and pretty pictures. Yeah, I’m a big fat sucker! I had a chance to delve into the patterns last night while watching Shawn at his last r/c race for the season and there are at least 6 aprons I want. Not just want. But want now. I even know what fabrics I want. Can’t wait.

But then there was some bad news. And then some good news. But I’m gonna throw the bad news in here because when you see the good news you may think that things have balanced. This morning I took the photos of my bag and something else, (you’ll see in a moment). I loaded the photos. The computer stalled twice. I restarted twice. But when I got online the second time every single one of my bookmarks, (favorites), was completely and utterly gone into computer hell oblivion!!! I’m sure you can call envision me thumping my head against the computer. Literally. Yes I thumped my head against the computer. I envisioned taking my PC and drowning it in the middle of the 7 ft. deep pool. Where they went? Couldn’t tell you. Who is using them? Don’t know that either. I did have three days of history so I went through every page I visited in the past three days and had to re-bookmark things. The problem? I don’t visit all my links every day. I’m missing a good 80% and have no idea how to go about retrieving them. I sense that my ass is going to be getting bigger and getting stuck in the chair while I sit here for hours trying to play detective. Ay yi yi.

But for the good news? Well, I’ll show you rather than tell you:

Sundara Silk Lace for the Winter Seasons club. Nuff said.