Big Weekend and #Stashdown2020

It was a big weekend last week. My almost 5 year old had his birthday party, I geared up for a short work trip, and began planning for #Stashdown2020 kicked off by @browngyrlknits.

The birthday party was a hit and the kids had a blast. I'm so thankful that we decided to hire a magician to keep the kids entertained. We used Philip & Henry to help find us a local magician. The show was curtailed to 4 & 5 year old kids. They had so much fun.

We brought a couple of kitties into our home the next day. Tetra and Akari are a bonded pair of five month old kittens we adopted last weekend. They our sweet. Our lovely Molly, our 8 year old cat, is not too pleased. We're working on easing the transition. My older son is so appreciative with his early Christmas present. He named one and my husband named the other kitty.

I headed to Salt Lake City for a work thing. As always, I was both excited and nervous about the trip. Wanting to make a great impression on my bosses/new colleagues and to learn... I was happy to have some crafting time on the plane and I knitted during the meetings. It's a great group of professionals.I had to share a picture of the beautiful lights and the large LDS temple.

Onto #Stashdown2020. Here is the list crafted by @browngyrlknits:

1. Inventory your yarn before Jan. 1
2. Pick patterns to go with your yarn and make a list
3. Knit from that list all year
4. You get $30/ month for new yarn. Use it all at one time or break it up.
5. You get 2 "deal breakers" for the year just in case your will-power gives out

I'm working on Step 1!!! I went through about 3 large bins. I won't get through all of them, but there is wiggle room to simply work on the yarn you plan to use. With the large scrap projects I plan to do, I'm hoping this is a super productive year and to make it through a couple of bins of yarn.

Lastly, I've been enjoying my yarn advent calendar from Yarn Over New York. I really want larger batches of many of these colors. So much fun!

Wishing you happy holidays and happy crafting.

Hello December 2019!

After taking a month off from the blog I wanted to jump back in with a post. The holiday season is in full swing and we put up our Christmas tree. This will be our first Christmas in our first house. I want to make a tree skirt, lots of decorations, and gifts. As I explained in an earlier post, I'm not intending to make many presents this year. It's a bummer, but totally reasonable.

I'm starting a test crochet for a blanket. It's secret, so no photos or clues. The sampling of stitches is fun.

The Thanksgiving holiday is mired in tough truths about american history. It is a poignant time to be grateful and generous. We spent time with family and shared a lovely meal. I'm thankful for our family and thankful for the hope of another day. Our kitty has been such a wonderful addition to our family too. We're gearing up to share our second round of holidays with her.

My younger son is about to turn 5 years old. I know it's cliche, but it's flown by. Everyday with my kiddos has been such a blessing. Before my husband and I married, we were told that we could have some difficulty conceiving and then somehow by magic we had two kids. I'm hopeful that more bundles will join our family, just not from me :).

I finished some lovely pieces for a friend who is expecting the arrival of her first baby next month. It meant the world to me to be able to give her something to celebrate the arrival. The adventure will begins soon.

Lots of crafting so little time. Happy crafting.