under attack

pattern: Mercury socks yarn: hue loco glitz sock in the eskimo colorway

First for the good news: I finished a pair of socks and I love them to bits! The pattern (handpaint highlights socks ) plays so well with the pretty colors of this highly variegated yarn by phydeaux designs. Definitely plan on repeating this pattern with other colorfully fun sock yarn in the stash.

Now for the not so good news: my sock wips appeared to have mysteriously multiplied overnight. I am not quite sure how this happened. {cue music for the Twilight Zone} Maybe some unknown law of quantum physics is at play. Or there could be the existence of an alternate universe where knitting projects self-propagate and then travel through the space-time continuum to land in our wips basket. A nefarious plot by elves and fairies? Regardless of how they came to be, I now have to accept their existence and come up with a plan of attack:

*take a much needed seaside vacation
*bring only sock wips
*do nothing but knit (and eat)
*resist casting on any new socks (at least until a few of these are off the needles)

*find fellowship and support from others who are in the same boat #knitwipkal

Sounds pretty simple right? Wish me luck!

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!

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!

winter fade

Really excited to show you the progress on one of my shiny new projects for the new year. It's the Find Your Fade shawl by Andrea Mowry. I am sure that many of you who go on Instagram have seen a number of knitters who are either planning out their fade or knitting on this right now. I love looking at all the yarn/color combinations going on out there. For mine, I was really inspired by the colors of the winter season, mainly greys and blues. I wanted a very subtle fade and so decided on a gradient effect:

the uncommon thread everyday singles

I am just loving this project right now. So soothing and relaxing to knit. The yarn is a single ply merino and is heavenly to work with. I've been watching a lot of video podcasts lately and this project is the perfect accompaniment along with a hot cup of tea and holiday chocolates. One of my favorite knitting podcast right now is a homespun house. I can listen to Molly talk about yarn and fiber all day long.

What kinds of shiny new projects are currently on your needles? Are there any particular knits that you would like to focus on this year? I can remember being so excited to knit socks at the beginning of last year. I am hoping to mix it up more this year, with socks, cowls, shawls and sweaters all getting equal attention.

systems & tools

I decided to hold off on starting any large time consuming projects until some more WIP's were finished. Some easy vanilla socks were cast on instead. Yarn is the popular Design Line by Arne & Carlos (first edition) in the Summer Night colourway. Fun! I also couldn't resist buying another knitting gadget: the Sock Ruler. Like I need another knitting ruler! But I have a hard time accurately measuring my socks-in-progress without having to resort to a mini-wrestling match so it was worth buying and has been used quite a bit so far. Another useful gadget is this sock knitting needle holder. I always get paranoid that my project will slip off the dpn's as it gets shoved around in my knitting bag. Also found a cute storage solution for my jumble of dpn's with this nicely sized pencil case.

I wanted to talk a little bit about how I've been managing the WIP basket this year. Pretty sure by now that you are all aware of my newly discovered love of sock knitting. Well, it turns out that an unexpected but most welcomed side effect to that addiction has been a noticeable lack of inclination to start new projects. Besides socks, that is. I have been diligently working on one WIP during my spare time on my days off until it gets done. Then on the days that I have to work, I get to relax and wind down with some perfectly mindless sock knitting. Where as before, I would come home after a 12 hour shift, eat a lonely late night dinner (since the guys are both fast asleep) and then pass out in front of the tv because all of my knitting required too much concentration. Knitting a little bit before bedtime on an undemanding project really is a great stress reliever. Plus, focusing on just two projects at one time has made me feel so much more productive. So far this year, I have completed 5 projects with two more close to being off the needles. That's a personal record for sure! So, what is your system for managing WIP's? How many WIP's can you juggle at one time before things start to feel a little crazy & out of control?

do-over

Can you hear my huge sigh of frustration? There has been more frogging than knitting going on around here lately and it's making me mighty grumpy. You know that knitting has taken over your life when everything that goes wrong can be blamed on it. Forgot to update the kid's lunch account? (should have done a proper gauge swatch before casting on for these cute Fee-bee mitts) ... started dinner at the last minute and found out that a couple of essential ingredients were missing? (the lace cuff was looking too big and messy) ... forgot to pay the cable bill? (kept on knitting despite it all) ... the air-conditioner stopped working? (ended up admitting defeat & ripping out the entire project).

So this morning, I decided a do-over was in order. After putting the little guy on the bus and drinking a huge mug of coffee, I escaped to my secret knitting spot, enjoying the beautiful water views along the way (while ignoring the frogs croaking rip-it rip-it). The clouds cleared and the sun came out.

A couple of blissful hours of knitting on Morning Mist did wonders to lift my mood.

With a clearer head and calmer heart, I have decided to ditch the Fee-bee mitts for now and just play around with some pretty autumn colors from my stash. 

I hope that this week (and your knitting) has been kind to you!

on the verge

the view from terrapin beach, a mile's walk from my house

Summer around these parts includes lots of trips to the ocean which is happily less than two hours away. Even though we are lucky to have several beautiful local beaches here on the island, there's just something so compelling about the vast expanse of sand and sea and the pounding waves only to be found at the shore. Plus there's the boardwalk fries, ice cream, fudge and salt water taffy. I am missing it already! Also love all the beach knitting that was achieved while we were there last week and now I am finding myself on the verge of finishing a couple of projects:

just the bind off & blocking left on the Shetland Trader MKAL shawl

hitofude cardigan

Can't wait to get started on a couple of new projects as soon as these are done. I've got the yarn already lined up for a Morning Mist tee. Simple stockinette with a cute lace detail on the back. Perfect beach knitting project.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend for those of you who celebrate. I just ordered my first grill and can't wait to try all of the yummy summer recipes that I've been collecting over the years. Grilled pineapples...chicken kebabs...flank steaks....! What is your favorite thing to cook on the grill? Would love any recipe suggestions/links you might have.

seasonal goals :: winter

One of my favorite things to do in January is to read about everyone's resolutions and goals for the year ahead. So many wonderful intentions and inspiring ideas. I love the feeling of having a blank journal just waiting to be filled up. This year, I have decided to set seasonal goals instead of year long ones. Hopefully, thinking in the short term will result in more success and most importantly, be more fun!

So here are my goals for the next couple of months:

❄ Be more adventurous in the kitchen and start cooking recipes from my large collection of cookbooks. At least two new recipes a week. Different variations of spaghetti does not count.
❄ Start a recipe journal or box. Write down the ones that are tried and true family favorites for future generations to gush over.
❄ Work on Vietnamese language skills at least 30 minutes a day in preparation for my upcoming visit in March.
❄ Finish the following WIP's: Pine bough cowl, Amanda cardigan, Kraken pullover, Spirograph headband the second.

I think that all of the above goals are realistic and achievable. One caveat: since there won't be any shiny new projects to show off for awhile, things might get a little boring around here. However, I am hoping that my diligence pays off and there will be more finished objects to show you in the next couple of months. Otherwise I might have to resort to posting bad photos of my weekly recipe attempts.

quiet november

Savoring these beautiful quiet days of autumn before they come to an end all too quickly:

Putting the garden to sleep & enjoying one last harvest

Making some holiday knitting plans: a trio of Reindeer Hats

Preparing for winter: Spirograph Headband

Living in the moment

:: daydream knits :: back to school edition

Bohemian Tee

Getting ready for back to school this week. Where has the summer gone? Poor little guy, next Monday is his birthday which is also the first day of school. Every kid's worst nightmare, huh? But hopefully if the weather holds up, we can celebrate on Sunday with a trip to the water park or beach. Better yet, Grandma L. will be making a brief visit this weekend. In between the school shopping and getting the house ready, I am knitting away on my summer projects. Easier said than done, especially when all of the Fall knitting magazines are tempting me to cast on something warm and woolly. So as the linen yarn glides through my fingers and off the needles, daydreams of fisherman sweaters and toasty colorwork mitts and hats are swirling around in my head. Ssshhh, don't tell the little guy, but I love back to school time ;) What kinds of projects are you daydreaming about right now?

blog hop - creativity

Last week, Steph invited me to participate in a blog-hop about a topic that is nearest and dearest to my heart: creativity. Speaking of which, her blog is one of my favorite sources of inspiration for beautiful knits, witty writing and other hi jinks.

1.  What have been the doings/makings/scribblings at your desk/making table this week?

There is a jumble of crafty things on my desk this week. Here is the breakdown:

* 365 Things to Make and Do is a constant source of fun projects to make with the little guy. We especially love the ones involving bugs and pirates.

* Can't wait to get started on these mini embroidery kits.

* Another pin-loom coaster in progress.

* A random assortment of knitting which includes sweater ornaments, a newly started summer top, my Hitofude cardigan which is in desperate need of attention and...

* The ever-present hexipuffs.

2.  Where are you currently finding your inspiration?

The answer to this question is pretty cliched, but I find inspiration everywhere. Well, maybe not in the hubby's messy garage or my laundry room, but in everyday things like....my garden, or the hydrangeas growing just outside the front door, or the bunnies who claim our backyard for themselves, or my nieces and their budding sense of style, or the little guy's funny renditions of his favorite songs. I could go on & on & on. Also, there are so many wonderfully inspiring blogs that I love to visit. It is oftentimes very difficult to stay focused on my current projects when I see all of the beautiful knits/crochet/sewing, etc. that abound on these blogs. And then there's Ravelry. It is embarrassing to admit how many hours I spend ogling all of the gorgeous projects and patterns there.

3.  How important is being creative to you and how do you blend this with your work-life-family balance?

It is a constant juggling act most days, but I try to fit in a little time for knitting, listening to music or reading every day. Since I work pretty long shifts (12 to 14 hours), I consider myself lucky if I can knit just 15 minutes before bedtime. But then there are days filled to the brim with making, knitting, and other fun things. So it all balances out in the end. I also think it is important to teach by example. Seeing his parents knitting or creating funny motorcycle videos shows the little guy how much fun making things can be. I love seeing him caught up in his own creative ventures....most recently, composing hilarious lyrics to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody :)

Thanks, Steph, for letting me join in the fun! And now I would like to keep the blog-hop ball rolling by inviting Chris and Kepanie to play along. I so enjoy visiting their blogs and reading about their adventures in life and knitting.

gone knitting

Howdy, folks! I wish that I could tell you that every item on my to-do list has been checked off during these past few weeks absence from the blog, but nope. Still a lot of spring cleaning, garden planning & home improvement projects to tackle. Not to mention getting a regular exercise routine started now that the weather has warmed up. But enough of the boring stuff, let's move on to the knitting! I have been fighting a bad case of too-many-projects-not-enough-time-itis. I am blaming it on this:

It's the second sleeve of the Siri cardigan. Nothing can propel me faster towards casting on a new project than having to knit a second sleeve. I was truly trying to be good and finish the darn thing, but boredom set in as it always does and I found myself scoping out patterns on Ravelry. You know exactly where this is heading, don't you? To make a long story short, I decided that I couldn't live another moment without owning a Uniform. In seafoam blue, slightly slouchy and oversize, with inset pockets and a yet to be determined neckband.

Okay, so two sweaters isn't so bad. But then I came across the vasalong that is happening on the Paper Tiger blog. I love the idea of a drapey knitted tee for spring/summer. Plus it's the perfect blank canvas for using up some leftover fingering weight stash and playing with colors. This project is going rather quickly and should be finished soon. After which, I can devote more time to the other two sweaters, right?

But no, there's more to this unfortunate tale. The irrational side of my knitter's brain also latched onto the notion that my wardrobe was sadly missing one essential piece of clothing:

an octopus sweater

So there you have it: four sweaters and counting. Because there is some quince & co. sparrow flying down from Maine for a KAL hosted by my knitting group which will be starting in May. Kind of ironic that this sweater madness started because of one unfinished sleeve and now I will have seven sleeves to knit up. Thank goodness Vasa is sleeveless!

I hope to catch up on all of your blogs in the next few days, in between the sweater knitting. Spring cleaning can wait ; )