Aug 19, 2018 | DIY, Knitting, Photography |
Well, here it is: my finished Opteka. I am so in love. This was a really fun knit and I can see why Isabell Kraemer has such a devoted following. Her designs are amazing. I am really looking forward to wearing this out and about, I think its going to be a staple item in my fall/winter wardrobe. I used some local silk/alpaca sport weight yarn that I dyed with madder root last summer. It gives off this really nice halo effect, which you can sort of see in the bottom photo.
Truth be told, I finished this thing almost two months ago but it has been too dang hot to model for photos! We took these at 8:00 PM at night when the temperature has dropped to the low 90’s. I was outside for all of 15 minutes and I was sweating terribly toward the end. I’m glad I powered through though because I’ve been so excited to show everyone.
I have some more wips and finished objects to show off, but I have yet to take photos because of the heat. I’m going to try to do that over the next few week or so, probably after school starts. We will be starting school next Monday and for some reason this whole “hey, I’m homeschooling a first grader” thing is WAY more stressful than I thought it would be. It took me 6 hours to plan the first week. I’m not kidding. Once I figured out a plan, it took me less than an hour, but that first five and a half hours mostly consisted of me sitting cross legged on the floor with my laptop, frantically flipping through curriculums and researching books online into the late night hours. At one point I was certain that there was no way my son or myself were surviving this process without severe emotional scarring. I may or may not have overreacted a bit (read: yes). I’ll let everyone know how the first week goes. Wish us luck!
Jan 11, 2017 | Knitting, Photography, Yarn Along |
Joining Ginny and Nicole.
I have always admired Melody’s beautiful patterns but had not actually knit any of them myself. When she released Hollows a few months ago and I saw the photos of this shawl on Instagram I immediately purchased the pattern. It was love at first sight and now that I’ve finished it, I can’t stop wearing it. I even wore it over my gym clothes today. (Before becoming sweaty, not after.) I used a lovely wool and silk blend from Quince & Co. that resulted in the perfect drape, just as I had hoped. The yarn is called Tern and the color is Dusk.
We are completely moved in with my parents now. We have a few months before Gabe starts his new job and we will hopefully find a place to live before then. It’s odd, living in this state of limbo. Last night Gabe and I were discussing the sale of the farm and I said that leaving your home is so much more difficult when you don’t have a new place to call home and help you forget your sadness from loosing your previous home. Sleeping on the floor of my parent’s media room doesn’t provide much distraction from thinking about all we have given up. I’m hoping that this free time in the interim will allow me to complete some knitting projects, learn some new knitting skills and devote more time to my photography.
Happy Wednesday, friends.
Aug 22, 2016 | Family, Photography |
Last Monday I posted about the importance of finding happiness and joy in the little things in life, no matter how insignificant they may seem. I shared a few things that brought me joy over the weekend and received such positive responses from you readers that I decided to make it a regular occurrence. Every Monday I will share something(s) that made me happy over the weekend, no matter how small or insignificant. A freshly wound skein of yarn, a particularly fragrant flower in my garden or a pudgy toddler hand with dirt under the nails clasped within my own. These are the “little things” that make life beautiful.
Her: Three months ago, she was my baby. Always on my hip, a cuddly barnacle in my daily life. Now she is a walking, talking individual entity and I just can’t deal. Her vocabulary increases by the minute and her sense of humor and enthusiasm for life and all things Sam related make this house a happier place. Yesterday she insisted on dressing herself and this is what she chose. I have to say, while it certainly wasn’t what I would have chosen for her (pink top with purple spandex shorts? Please.) I was quite flattered that she chose to wear the socks I knit her a few weeks ago, and insisted that they made her feel “like a pin-sess.” (She meant princess.)
Oh. And that hair. I heart it.
Food for the soul: We don’t eat pork in our house (on account of the whole being Jewish thing) which often stumps guests when they are tasked with bringing over an appetizer for dinner. Most people don’t realize how many appetizers have pork in them until they have to omit it. Bacon-wrapped something or other? Nope. Cocktail weinies? Sorry. Potato skins? I don’t think so. On Saturday we had friends come over and they had the ingenious idea to make jalapeño poppers (which typically have bacon in them) and instead used smoked salmon. They. Were. Amazing.
In the garden: Despite my lack of attention, our garden seems to be thriving, and we have had artichokes and tiny pole bean blossoms pop up in the last week. We have had steamed artichokes every night for the past few nights and hopefully in the next two weeks we will have fresh green beans for dinner.
If anyone else wants to share their weekend with us, please do so. It doesn’t have to be anything major. Maybe a particularly delicious dinner or a new yarn purchase. Whatever it may be, if it brought you joy, it’s worth sharing. Provide a link to your blog or just a quick blurb in the comments below. Whatever you prefer.
Have a good Monday, friends.