blogmas 2018 :: my everyday carry

I recently bought a wallet insert for my traveler’s notebook and I love it! It’s from ThreadNPrints on Etsy. Now I have everything that I need to help me stay organized at my fingertips: wallet, bullet journal, scratchpad, planner supplies and knitting notions pouch. All in one notebook the size of a passport (although much chubbier!). It feels great to finally settle into a personal planning system that works for me, especially during the busy holiday season.

I’m making a list and checking it twice....

How are you managing to stay organized around this busy time of year?

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.

the comfort of socks

pattern: charades yarn: end of the row

Happy Year of the Rooster! I can't believe how fast this month has flown by. Lately, I've been having a hard time keeping up with everything that needs to get done. Housework and grocery shopping are unfortunately not as appealing and fun as knitting or reading a good book. Actually, I would rather clean the house than go grocery shopping any day. In fact, I have been pestering the hubby into buying an extra freezer but the confounded man thinks that it will end up storing more yarn than food. Hah, he sure knows me well after all these years :)

One area that thankfully is not lacking in effort is my knitting. I am currently making an attempt to organize my to-knit list for this year by grouping yarn and pattern together into project bags. I have about four sweaters worth of yarn ready and waiting for when the mood strikes. Next up is to organize the sock yarn stash into future projects but that task is proving more difficult because there are so many wonderful sock patterns out there! Here is just a smattering of beauties just waiting to be knit up this year:

*charades are similar to my beloved skyp socks but without the purling (currently on the needles)
*whiskey and rye looks so stunning in autumn colors
*this beautiful version of the father's new socks (I even have the exact colors in my stash)
*flying north socks with a variegated yarn (love this pair)
*this gorgeous version of a twist of fair isle
*fun texture with bright pops of color for the (froot loop) win
*one of my favorite stitch patterns reincarnated into the lovely tulsi socks
*quick warm cozy sporty hyak
*bright & colorful jelly rolls
*rye would make a toasty pair of bedsocks
*pretty laule'a proves that simple is far from boring when knit in a pretty color
*every flavor stripy socks make perfect use of leftover sock yarn

my 2016 box of sox

I could go on & on but my current socks on the needles are patiently waiting for some attention. After having a heavy heart all weekend while watching events unfold here in America, I woke up on Monday determined to focus my energy on positive action. I went on Ravelry and found a wonderfully active and welcoming group called hats and more for war-torn Syria. They are collecting warm items and other necessities for those displaced by the war in Syria and the region. It seems that wool socks are in short supply and much needed. Since I love to knit socks but rarely ever wear them, I will be sending my box of sox (with the exception of the stripy monster ones) along with an assortment of hats and mittens. It lightens my heart to know that these items will offer some comfort. And motivates me to knit more socks to donate.

Hope that you are finding even a little bit of time each day to do what you love!

last days of summer

We have been soaking up every last bit of summer these past few weeks. Next Monday is the little guy's first day of middle school, so in between....

visits to the beach

bike rides on the island trail

and local camping trips

....there has been some behind the scenes preparations for what looks to be a fun school year. I love back to school season and all of the excitement that it brings. New beginnings & possibilities. Also, to be honest, a little anxiety. And, thank goodness, always a little mindless knitting  to help with that last bit.

Notice the cute project bag? It's the Rosemary Bag from Della Q and since receiving it to try out, it's accompanied me on all of our end of summer adventures. I love the smooth lightweight fabric, the cute dumpling shape and the just right length of the handles. It even has a handy outer pocket and is the perfect size for my current favorite on-the-go project, socks. I also started a Cancun lacy box top with some sparkly rayon yarn in the stash which matches the pretty colors of the bag. Love when that happens :) The top was an impulsive cast-on but I am really enjoying the simple lace stitches. It will probably be put on hold until next summer though, because with back to school season comes the alluring call of wool. Right now there is an improvised top-down sweater knitalong happening over at Fringe Association which you can follow on Instagram using the hashtag #fringeandfriendskal2016. Lots and lots of lovely ideas and projects. Here's how mine is shaping up so far:

I hope that you are all finding time to enjoy these last few weeks of summer. Hugs go out to those of you who are saying goodbye to your first-time-away-from-home college kids. I can't even imagine! I know that I will be wiping away some tears on Monday and it's just middle school!

sweater daydreams

I hope that everyone is gently easing back into their post-holiday routines. This week has been spent trying to finish up some WIP's left over from last year. My current strategy is to knit on one project at a time until it's finished, then go onto the next. So hopefully there will be a steady parade of FO's in the next few weeks if all goes well.

The temperatures have dropped and now that winter is finally approaching, thoughts of sweater knitting are happily dancing around in my head. But what sweater should it be? We are so lucky as knitters to have a treasure trove of patterns readily available with just a click of the mouse away. But sometimes all of that wealth can be overwhelming. Plus, I would love to choose a sweater project from one of the many books that I own or a downloaded pattern already in my Ravelry library. So after a fun few days of sweater daydreaming, I managed to come up with a list of possible contenders for this year's sweater projects:

Several standouts from Swoon maine, the stunningly beautiful new book by Carrie Bostick Hoge: Shore Cardigan & Lighthouse Pullover. Both of these sweaters would fit seamlessly into my everyday wardrobe.

I would love to use up some of my lettlopi that has been stashed away from when I first started knitting sweaters. These four sweaters from Knitting with Icelandic Wool would make for some dreamy wintertime knitting: Riddari, Kross, Aftur, Dalur.

When I found my way back to knitting after college (pre-Ravelry & before knitting blogs came into existence. In other words, the Prehistoric Knitting Age) my main sources of inspiration were the always gorgeously styled projects from Rowan knitting magazines. I would drool over every page but can you believe, I have never attempted to knit a single Rowan pattern? So it's long overdue. I love the interesting stitch detail that is the highlight of Laide. It also looks less intimidating in the finishing department than other Rowan patterns that I've recently come across.

This next one is a long shot since I am still trying to make heads or tails of the pattern. It's by the prolific Japanese designer Michiyo: Tight Fit Aran Pullover. The name just rolls off the tongue, right?  I might have to bribe my Hubby with some hand knitted socks in order to get his help translating the Japanese kanji. But it would be well worth the effort.

Lastly, I couldn't resist clicking on the buy now button when I saw the Reindeer cardigan designed by the talented Alina from The Gift of Knitting blog. She hit it out of the ballpark with her first sweater design. There is so much to love about this cardigan: beautiful cables, interesting textured stitch details, open & easy fit. I love the longer length and predict that the finished cardigan must feel like being wrapped in a cozy wooly hug when worn. The hardest part is deciding on the color. Kinda crushing on this lovely version.

Whew, sorry for the loooong drawn out post. At least now there's a bit of a plan. Of course, nothing is set in stone and there's always the rogue impulsive mustcastonnow sweater projects that manage to sneak their ways onto the needles. What kinds of projects are you daydreaming about in the new year?

But before I can cast on for any of the above beauties, there's some socks to finish. Here's a little video clip of me knitting away on them. (A bunch of knitters are posting videos on Instagram showing how they knit using hashtag #loop2loop and #howiknit. So much fun to watch if you get a chance!)

toolbox :: bag happy

It goes without saying that an essential part of a toolbox is the toolbox itself. Having a variety of bags to meet different purposes is important and makes me feel more organized. I am always on the lookout for new containers to hold WIP's and the stash. On a recent trip to Target, I hit the jackpot with these sale items.

A striped picnic basket that does double duty as my new WIP basket. It is able to hold all seven (yikes!) projects with room to spare.

I love that these cross body bags are back in fashion because they allow the hands to be free for knitting on the go. 

And lastly, my personal favorite. It's The Chicken Bag! The same one that I have been longing for ever since I spotted it on one of my favorite fashion blogs. It is my new official bag for yarn shopping. Talk about roomy!

my little (crafty) corner of the world

Welcome to my little corner of the world. I can't seem to get this Yo La Tengo song out of my head lately, especially while sitting nice and comfy in my new craft room/master bedroom. Want a look around?

Dwell Studio for Target swoop armchair and comforter set

Expedit shelving units from Ikea

Vika Amon/Vika Annefors table from Ikea, orange modern stacking chairs from Target

White baskets with orange gingham liners repurposed from the little guy's nursery

Glass jars from Michael's, yarn from stash

As you can see, I totally gave my matching tendencies free reign over the space:

*Stash yarn in coordinating colors displayed in matching mason jars - check
*Matching armchair and comforter set - check, check
*Birds on branches theme on wooden screen, armchair and comforter - check, check, check
*Matching baskets and orange chairs - check, check, check & check!

The walls are still a work in progress, but overall, I am so thrilled with this space. And remember where that "playpen disguised as a knitting basket" was? Now it is my favorite knitting spot.

armchair, storage ottoman and basket from Target

Mission: Organization

I was 8 & 1/2 months pregnant when we moved into our house six years ago, so unpacking was a rushed affair and never really got completed. There are still things in boxes in the Black Hole (otherwise known as our garage) from that time. Since then, the various clutter that accumulates from three pack rats seems to have taken over the house. This year, I made myself a promise to declutter and organize, starting with the master bedroom. This space has become my catchall room.

Yes, that is a play pen in the corner which is serving as a giant knitting basket. Effective but ugly. And the stack of craft magazines and books on the nightstand is my version of the leaning tower of Pisa.

I have quite a few towers scattered around.

So today the mission begins with a clearing of the clutter into these lovely plastic bins. And then the fun starts because I am turning this space into a little craft haven with the help of some early birthday presents to myself from Ikea. The hubby doesn't know yet that HIS birthday gift to me will be assembling those presents! Hopefully very soon I will be sitting pretty in my new crafting space!