I want to be selfish...

...and keep this little sweater for any little girls in my future, but of course, I won't (I also have a funny feeling that I am destined to be the mother of boys--which is great!). I have enjoyed knitting this Jasmine Cardigan that has been on my needles longer than planned. Life can take some unexpected turns, and this small garment has brought me much comfort during the past few weeks that have been quite stressful. Things are quieting down now, and it's time for Jasmine to meet her new owner.I will eventually post the details of this project on Ravelry, but here's the scoop:

Pattern: Jasmine Lace Edge Cardigan from Natural Knits by Louisa Harding

Yarn: Green Mountain Spinnery--Cotton Comfort (pink lilac, but you really can't tell from the picture). This yarn is AWESOME! It is soft, yet didn't break at all, and is supposed to get softer with each washing. I will definitely use it again.

Needles: Sizes 5 & 6 straight

Note: Like most of Louisa Harding's patterns, there is A LOT of seaming. I've noticed on Ravelry that some knitters convert to in-the-round to avoid seaming. Although seaming is not my favorite part of the whole process, I feel like I've come a long way in making a more professional-looking garment. This is thanks to Louisa Harding forcing me to do so! :)

Additions to my Queue

After quite a long absence, I still don't have any finished projects. I'm almost finished with Louisa Harding's Jasmine Lace-Edged Cardigan. It has been keeping me company during the Olympics, although I did have to put it down to watch Michael Phelps win his 8th gold...

Well, no finished projects, but there is now plenty in my Ravelry queue. I checked out Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan at the library a couple weeks ago and just LOVE her designs. My favorites from the book are the Phyllo Yoked Pullover and Bubble Pullover. While in Durango at the beginning of the summer I picked up 8 skeins of Berrocco Alpaca Light. After searching Ravelry for some projects using the yarn, I found this. Another Norah Gaughan. Berrocco's Norah Gaughan Vol. 1 will have to be purchased soon!

So, what's in your queue?

(all links above are Ravelry links)

Attracting the Flutterbys

Last Sunday we went on a little hike at our local ski hill (Pajarito). There were plenty of wildflowers in bloom, attracting many butterflies.
Matthew's hat attracted the butterflies as well! This one stayed with him for quite a few minutes, then kept coming back for more. There was also a curious hummingbird, but unfortunately I wasn't able to capture a pic before it flew away.
Next time we'll have to have a little bit of a shorter hike. All Matthew wanted to do was play in the dirt and rocks, but of course all good things must come to an end. There were many tears on the way back.
The next day I got a bit of a treat in the mail: I gave in and ordered several knitting books. My favorite is Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding. I just love her sense of style--so unique, yet also so simple that the projects don't feel overwhelming. I can't wait to cast on!
While looking through the British knitwear designer's book, I just had to have a cuppa. My father is Scottish, and when I was sixteen I visited his mother in Scotland (my grandfather had passed away just a few months prior to my visit). Oh, how I loved the English tea-time ritual. I have been trying to take tea at about 4:00pm each day, but some days are harder than others.

Have a wonderful weekend, and hopefully there will be some finished projects up soon!

Natural Knits

Yesterday evening I finished the Kai Cable Sweater from my favorite baby knitting book, Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding. I used Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton yarn for this project. It is very soft, but it broke four times during the finishing process! So, beware: you have to be very gentle with this yarn!

Matthew already enjoyed wearing this sweater before I was even finished. Yesterday prior to the arms being sewn on, he wore it around like a cape. He ran in circles around the house and wouldn't let me take it off. He's such a funny little guy. I was able to get a pic of him modeling the finished product.

I am going to continue my baby knitting/Natural Knits spree, and this time I get to make some little girl sweaters--yay! Don't jump to conclusions--they're not for me--but I will enjoy the change of pace. I ordered some very soft and sweet yarn from Green Mountain Spinnery. The Cotton Comfort yarn even smells good--a little minty! I am very excited for my next projects!

(Un)rainy Days

The skies threatened rain today but did not deliver. I was all set: Matthew was napping, my tea was ready, the sofa was beckoning, and I needed to catch up on some reading. There's nothing like a rainy afternoon to prompt you to open a good book and relax a bit...so I just had to pretend. I'm currently half-way through Barbara Kinglsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I believe that I'm fairly educated about what I eat and feed my family, but this book has really opened my eyes even further. I highly recommend it. It's very eduational, but also humorous (like why you shouldn't name your livestock), and it's point is not to make the reader feel guilty. Some of the statistics are rather gloomy, but there's also optimism. The great thing about what you eat is that the more you eat of it, the more popular it becomes!

While being in the midst of two big projects that I fear will never get finished, I felt like I needed a little pick-me-up. I hadn't done any felting (really, fulling) for a while, had some bulky yarn lying around, and had been dreaming up this project for a while. I used the "Squashy Bag" pattern from One Skein Wonders for the base, but did my own thing in terms of decreases, the top of the bag, and the straps. I'm really happy with the outcome, except that next time I'd like to make a 3-stitch i-cord instead of 4-stitch.

Hmmm, what else have I been up to? I've been watching Sex and the City episodes rented from Netflix, this morning I made some homemade bread, yesterday I made granola, I started knitting a new sweater for Matthew, and I'm continuing to work on my garden. Oh, yes, I also started a little part-time job as a tour guide at the local science museum. It's only 4-8 hours a week, pays well, and is pretty interesting. Another bonus: I don't have to feel guilty about adding to my yarn stash. Yay! In closing, here is a great family picture taken by a good friend a couple of weeks ago. It definitely captures the mischievious stage Matthew's in...

Choices

We have been home for a week now after another trip to Colorado. This time we went to the beautiful town of Loveland for a wedding. I enjoyed seeing my college friends and roomies, if only for one day. I have to admit, however, that I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the summer at home.

Starting about a month ago I started getting the urge to clean out my house and try to simplify. "Simple living" is a common theme among many of the blogs I read, especially of the crafting category. A part of me feels a bit like I'm joining a bandwagon, but the other part feels like saying, "so what?! This is a worth-while bandwagon to join!" So, I'm hopping on.

For me, this all started when I'd walk into a room in my home, or have some time to do something, but I had so many choices I didn't know where to begin: I'd walk into the kitchen and be so overwhelmed by cluttered counters and dishes piling up that I wouldn't bother cleaning; when I tried to pack for our trip to Durango I felt like I had "nothing to wear," yet brought ten outfits for a five-day trip (and six pairs of shoes!); I wouldn't know what I should work on for my crafting time--Pat's sweater, Pat's cross-stitch, finish Matt's cloth diapers, perhaps start a new project that wouldn't get finished and would end up hanging over my head? Choices are good, don't get me wrong, but sometimes too many choices can be overwhelming and make life unproductive and stressful.

I logged onto Ravelry, went to the Simple Living group, and perused their references. I checked out Plain and Simple by Sue Bender and Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin at the library, and read them both before and during my Durango trip. Plain and Simple is a short read about one woman's journey to the Amish. I've studied the Amish before, and as with any society, I understand that no one group lives an ideal and perfect life. I found much value in the author's comments regarding choice. To summarize, sometimes having fewer choices brings clearer answers and more confidence in the choices that are made. This made me think, "what in my life can I decrease or eliminate so that I may be free to make valuable choices of careful choosing instead of in the midst of being overwhelmed and flustered?"

Voluntary Simplicity was first written in the mid-1980s with a second edition published about ten years later. I liked how Elgin highlighted the theme of simplicity in every major (and many minor) religions/philosophies in the world. I also liked the stress placed on voluntary: if simplicity isn't voluntary, it can often be viewed as poverty. Again, choice is so important. Would you rather ride a bicycle to work because you like the exercise and not adding to the pollution in the environment, or would you rather ride a bicycle because your car was reposessed and you have no other choice?

This discussion will most likely be ongoing for me. I have already had setbacks, like frivolously adding to my son's toy pile that is almost always passed up for a ball of yarn lying on the floor, but that happens. I also hope to have a few finished projects up shortly!

By the way, for you knitters/crocheters out there, Knit Picks is having a 40% off sale on ALL of their in-stock books. Trying...to...resist...

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

Today we celebrated Matthew's first birthday with family, a picnic, and strawberry shortcake. We are blessed to have both sets of grandparents in town, as well as a great aunt and uncle and second cousin, and a great-grandfather 45 minutes away. This year has gone by so quickly. Everyone told me it would, but I think it's one of those things that you're not ever really prepared for. As I think about the challenges and blessings of the past year, I really believe that they are one and the same. The challenges have been the blessings--they've made me stronger, more patient, and more appreciative. My husband gave me a wonderful compliment when he said, "I think that a child's birthday should be a celebration of the mother--after all, she did all the work on the birth day." Pat's definitely not in the dog house tonight! :)

Durango was wonderful. It is so beautiful and peaceful there. We were about a mile from a lake (really a dammed-up river), and our cabin was surrounded by pine trees and mountain views. I especially enjoyed watching Matthew interact with my parents and brother. When we came back home he was really upset--he kept walking around the house looking for everyone and crying. Poor little guy. Sometimes it's hard to come home from vacation.

I was able to make it to Yarn-Durango, and didn't walk away empty-handed. The store is moving, so there were great sales. I added some kidsilk haze, Berroco alpaca, Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton and alpaca silk to my stash. Now, I just need to find some projects...just one more reason why I love Ravelry--I can search a particular yarn and see the projects others have made with it. I already have some good ideas!

Update: I am almost done with Pat's cross-stitch, but there is no way Cobblestone will be done before Father's Day. Hey, at least I'm trying. :)