Crafting Goodies and Goodbye June

This is just a quick post. It's been a busy week as always. I'm excited to have wrapped up this beautiful test knit. One shawl and 15 tassels later and I have this beauty. Thank you #kellywhitedesigns and your design Caravansei. I'll post when the pattern is live. It worked up beautifully and I loved playing with color.

I'm also excited about the release of the Walter Blanket from Allison O'Mahony. I didn't catch the testing window in time to work on it. Color blocking and triangles equal one beautiful blanket.

Sneak peek of a swatch for my arrows scarf design in the knitted version. The plan is to have 50% of any proceeds to go to the same charity as the crocheted version:  Oregon Foster Youth Connection. The drive to make patterns with the plan to donate 50% of the net proceeds is what I'm hoping will help me to get publishing. If the patterns are simple, I might be able to publish every two or so months.

As June draws to an end...one last reflection on Pride Month. My hubby and I would love our time living just off of Broadway in Seattle. Pride was greatly celebrated in our neighborhood and we'd watch the parade every year. Living and loving in a way that is true to one's self is what we should hope for everyone. I'm so thankful for the advances made, but will always hope for more (especially in the current political climate). Going beyond tolerance to acceptance is what I dream of.

Here is some lovely yarn with a rainbow speckle :).

I hope you're looking forward to the first week of July. Happy crafting.

The Beach!

Each year my family makes a point to visit Lincoln City. It's a nice coastal town here in Oregon and we always like to stay at the same place. It's a little spot along Siletz Bay. There is a little grocery store, lots of restaurants, little shops, and the beach all in one great spot in the Taft neighborhood. It's an inexpensive place that fills up quickly in the summer.

It was a lovely trip and my kiddos enjoyed the sand. The weather is never a sure thing, especially in June. We were lucky enough to have a sunny and fairly warm weekend.

One little shop had all kinds of neat bohemian goodies. I have eyed the shop for some time and finally had a moment to go inside without my kids.At the Into the Mystique I picked up three stones to share with my older kiddo. I remember collecting rocks as a kid.

I'm hoping to use them as inspiration for patterns in addition to be additional inspiration and tools for meditation.

I jotted down an idea from the Septarian Nodule and I'm excited to put it to paper. I've written down the concept for both knitted and crocheted versions. The owner of the shop talked me into this very interesting stone. It's a remnant of the Cretaceous period.

The stone is the brown and cream round you see on the right, and is essentially an ancient mud ball. The Ammonite is the fossil and the Kyanite is the blue crystal that you see pictured with my almost 9 year old.




I'm continuing to make progress on Kelly White's Design Caranvanserai. Since taking the photo, I'm now over halfway through the last section. The finishing and tassel making are driving me to get this done quickly.

In addition, I've continued working on the Vibrant Vintage Crochet Along and I'm going to start working on a 4th color now that we're in week 5. This is a lot of fun and I can't say enough good things about all the lovely patterns that Cypress Textiles is publishing. Check out her blog. There are so many lovely free patterns...I want to make them all. I might take some crochet thread and use the designs for a lovely table setting or table cloth (ambitious!). Take a look at her Etsy Shop too.

I found another pattern to test, but in the crochet realm. I love chevrons, so this should be fun and quick :).

The last pattern treat that I'm excited to share is the Karoo Vintage Mystery CAL. The best $2 I've spent in a long time :). It started last month, so I'm now trying to catch up. A new section is released every two weeks and two sections are out currently. there are some helpful videos that go through sections of the pattern. I'm using odds and ends from the other CAL I'm doing along with extra colors. Another fun adventure :).

Here is my start with five rows completed. I'm hoping to do more tonight.

Off topic...We had a Feng Shui class at my office. Keeping fresh flowers was recommended, so I treated myself to these lovelies. The yellow, green, red, and peach tones are wonderful.

My hubby's birthday is Monday and our anniversary is next weekend. I can't believe we've spent a third of our lives married to each other. Time flies.

I hope you all have a great week. Happy crafting.

An early post...

We have a mini family trip this weekend and I wanted to promote a pattern release, so here is an early post after my late post for last week.

So...I quickly broke my vow not to buy anything. Last weekend was Worldwide Knit in Public Day and I was hoping to attend the event at Scrap PDX. I didn't see much happening so I simply indulged in the yarn that they sell :). I bought a good hunk of crochet thread and spent less than $5. I didn't end up knitting in public that day, but I did get going on some lovely knitting.

I had offered to test a lovely shawl pattern last weekend and I get so excited when a designer let's me test their pattern. I take it very seriously and care a great deal about making a positive difference in their journey. Then, I wonder why I choose to make things with deadlines.

I'm forced to reflect and question why I don't put more of my designs and ideas to paper. Would you make them?

I'm still enjoying the Vibrant Vintage Crochet Along. With week 3 done and the arrival of week 4...so excited!!! You should really check out the designer's blog. She has so many great crochet ideas and I've put so many of her blankets in my queue...not just the free ones!

The pattern that is going to be released on Friday is the Orchids Yoga Socks, which is a fun and easy knit. I was able to whip them up quickly and I still love the results. The pattern will be free for the first 24 hours and I'd love any of you who follow my posts to head to Ravelry and support the designer. There was a recent tragedy for the designer and her family. Please show her some love. The pattern is live in less than 15 minutes from publishing this post :).

A late update

I wasn't feeling great last night so I held off my update. The busy times continue and I'm hoping to get caught up on my work this week.

This is my favorite square from the #VVCAL. I'll have to make a few more of these. Blocking would help too :).

I started a new test knit...because the design looks gorgeous. It's a triangle shawl with tassels and color. I love this beautiful Hawthorne in the color Corvallis.

This isn't a great picture, but I'm making progress on the Limitless Cowl.

Ok, that's my quick update. Have a great week!!!

A Beginning to June

June is such a big month in my family. There are anniversaries, my hubby's birthday, and it's also the start of summer break for my older child. It will be my 11th wedding anniversary and I'm still so thankful for  us. This isn't a silly post praising my hubby and bragging about my relationship. I just wanted to share my gratitude. We've definitely had some major ups and painful downs. Relationships are a lot of work and I'm just hoping for more good years together.

Here is a quick pick of my little guy at the Water Tower Park near us. Had to share...he is in one of his favorite shirts playing outside. He is super happy.

Here is a quick modeled photo of Sophrosyne from the Fibre Muse Quarterly Mystic issue that just arrive the week before last. There is a KAL with this issue offering fun prizes and it's also exciting to see others working on the lovely patterns. I've made progress on the Limiteless Cowl that will be released on it's own in August. It's a feather and fan pattern with some fun play with stripes and texture.

Here is the Vibrant Vintage Crochet Along that I started last week...so happy!!! I've made 10 squares. Three squares are released each week and I'm trying to double them. The color scheme I picked is interesting. It's likely going to change significantly over the next few weeks (some blue will be added).

No yarn or new patterns have been purchased. I've added some patterns to my Ravelry cart, but plan to hold off and be good. So many lovelies are already in my library to make.

It's been a wild and unpleasant week. I'm so hopeful that this next week will be much better. Wishing you all a happy and productive week.