in bloom

Hello! I hope that you are having a fun & relaxing weekend. We are spending a quiet Sunday at home. The guys are watching movies and playing on video games while I'm happily knitting wildflowers and playing with my new MINI Happy Planner. Can you tell that I'm already dreaming of springtime blossoms and blooms? It's hard not to when the February weather has been unseasonably balmy and warm here in Maryland.

I'm finally on the last color of my winter fade and had planned to finish it this weekend but couldn't resist casting on for a new pair of socks. The pattern is called fine and dandy socks and the yarn is by Lichen and Lace in the appropriately named wildflowers colorway. It's knitted toe-up which is a fun change from how I usually make my socks.

Here's a quick peek inside my planner at next week's spread:

Besides having something new to decorate with stickers and washi tape (always a cause for joy) I am on a mission to become more organized. My usual system of keeping track of appointments, errands, chores and special dates consisted of post-it notes scattered everywhere and half of them getting lost. I knew things had to change when the little guy and I showed up for his wellness checkup two weeks early. I'll go into more details on how I use my planner in another post, but so far it has made a tremendous difference. Do you use a planner and if so, which one? I'm amazed at all the cool choices out there and can now understand the hashtag #planneraddict.

everyone needs a sock buddy

News flash! I just discovered something even more addictive than sock knitting: kiddie-sized sock knitting! All the fun sock parts but in half the time :) This mini-sized version of the popular vanilla latte sock pattern only took about a week to knit. Just one skein of knitpicks felici in the sweetheart colorway was enough to make both the socks (which should fit a child of 5-7 years old) and a teeny tiny matching sock buddy. Both will be on their way to hats and more for war-torn Syria, a charity knitting group whose mission is to collect warm items & other necessities for people displaced by the conflicts in Syria and the surrounding regions.

The awesome free pattern for the sock buddy can be found here. I followed the pattern exactly but used sock weight yarn instead of worsted weight. I also grafted the body closed instead of using a three needle bind off. I was undecided about whether or not to embroider the smiley mouth so I asked my little guy for his opinion. His answer: everyone needs someone to listen to them when they are sad or worried and the sock buddy looks like she would be a better listener without a mouth. I kinda agree :)

the lighter side of winter

"Why, what's the matter,

That you have such a February face,

So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?"

William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing 

And so we find ourselves in February! Trying hard not to hibernate the rest of winter away by injecting as much sunlight and colors into my days as possible. Luckily, adding a little brightness to my knitting is as easy as casting on a new pair of stripey socks in Valentine's Day colors:

And my winter fade is heading into the lighter side of the season:

Any plans for Valentine's Day? We'll probably spend it at home. I'm thinking of ordering lobster, filet mignon & chocolate covered strawberries from a local restaurant to celebrate my two guys. Hope that you are finding ways to brighten your February days as well!