Crafting and the Oregon Coast

Each year we plan for two trips to the Oregon Coast. We love Lincoln City and choose another city to enjoy. Our first trip to kick off summer is to Seaside.

I always have high hopes that the kiddos will be on their best behavior and that my partner and I are rested and ready for anything. Not surprisingly, our trip was off to a tough start. We were all tired. There were some really great moments in between the unpleasant chunks. A nice family hug when we all had a great view of the beach was great.

My treat was to stop by Seaside Yarn and Fiber, and my older son picked out a skein of yarn for me.

A couple of toy shops, a candy shop, and a nice walk on the Promenade, we settled in. The little guy and I stayed behind and enjoyed the quiet, while the other half of the family enjoyed the arcade.

Sunday is our full day in Seaside. We spent the morning and lunchtime enjoying the beach and yummy fish. After a little break we were back on the beach and snagged some lovely handmade ice cream.

I'm frantically testing three patterns this weekend. I'm 75% done with a quick shawl and I'm making steady progress on the two other patterns. The hat needs to be done by Wednesday and the others by next weekend.

Lastly, HiraHira, a shawl pattern by Christy Furlan of Yarning for Whimsy was launched last week. This was a real blast and I'm always honored to test patterns for fabulous designers. My hubby loves to take pictures when I'm not ready...

Have a great week and happy crafting!

How to feel better when things suck (or at least what I've been doing...)

In reality, this how I deal with tough times...Not a guide, but maybe some inspiration for you.

The last couple of weeks at work have been tough and feeling secure in my career has been tricky. Technology and other pressures have made what I do for living seem less bright 10 - 20 years in the future. How do I stay in a competitive spot? How do I create a premier professional service line? Neither of these questions sound fun, but there is definitely room for creativity.

I've needed to unwind on my time away from the office. Knitting and spending time with kids only so much. One bright moment was a networking lunch with an inspiring attorney who has been out on her own for about a year. Speaking with someone who is out making things happen in a way that is effective and rewarding is wonderful. She makes things work as mom and as a young attorney. When I asked her what would be her preferred client, she said "Good people." This make me happy because having good clients is so important. Money isn't worth having to deal with people who don't treat you or your staff well.

I don't want to jinx it, but I've attended my knitting/crochet group two weeks in a row. I miss these fabulous people and there are always new ones to meet. Chilling out and sharing our love and crafting is fabulous. They're helping me pick an iron, so I can try to get going on sewing again... :)

A date night this week was a nice escape. We spent time at a bar near us that we hadn't tried. My husband said that the Philly cheese steak was considered very authentic, so he had his chance to give it a try. Fish and chips are cheap on Fridays, so I had an order with a margarita. That's a big treat for me. We topped it off with finally watching Captain Marvel...I still need to see the last two hours of End Game.

I started doing barre classes from YouTube this week and my abs are so sore today. clearly I need to work on them (my abs) more. I'm excited to try classes that are focused on the upper body. When it only takes 5 minutes to feel the burn on my legs, I know it's a good workout.

Doing something for myself can be a big help. I finally went in to see the optometrist for first time in couple of years. I had to replace my last frames several times because my younger son snapped them. I ordered a nice new pair with a newer look...I hope look fine. You can be the judge.

Lastly, venting sessions have been helping. Although I don't like to complain or cause a fuss, sometimes I need to express what's bugging me. Venting can go too far, so I keep it going until I feel like I'm at that teetering point of saying more than enough.

On the crafting front I'm wrapping up a test knit. Next week I get the feature on of my recent finished projects (I'm hoping to feature two). Next, I'm hoping to work on a collection I recently found. My goal is to make all of the pieces. Which one would you start first?

Renée Callahan's Recollect Collection (all are her sample photos)...checkout her YouTube episodes too.

A Sweater For Lucille

Hazel's Stripes

Jo Shawl

Josephine

Mabel's Maze

Pat Hat

I'm excited to see some yarn come my way for the next three months...a short term yarn club should be a blast.

Have a great week and happy crafting.

So much fun in the Knit-Crochetverse

Besides the current testing of some patterns for some fabulous designers, there is a lot of fun out there.

Having three shawls on my needles has been making me feel all shawled out. This should not dissuade you from the Aroha Knits KAL that will be starting. Frenchie is running it for several weeks and you can choose any of her shawl patterns. Frenchie re-released her Wheat Fields Shawl pattern this week, which was the idea behind a shawl KAL. I've been lucky enough to win a few prizes.

Merethe of NaasKnits has released a pattern today! It's a lovely lace cowl. Be sure to check out My Inner Wanderlust. Her sample looks amazing and I have a skein from one of Aroha Knits KAL that would be perfect. Here is an image of Merethe's sample. Buy it this weekend to get a discount and check out her newsletter for upcoming patterns!

The #kmoonkal ended today and sadly mine is not finished. The great part is that I plan to finish before the end of June. This is Brenda's Kimono Moon Shawl listed under Brenjsknits. I'm very fond of my Captain Marvel themed colors and can't wait to sport it upon completion.

Andrea Mowry is doing a fun challenge during this long weekend to knit one of her mosaic hats for her Shiftalong KAL. She released the gorgeous hat this week. I'm trying not to buy patterns, so thankfully I had one of her other mosaic hat patterns in my library. I cast on today and we'll see if I can have it done by Monday.

The next KAL that I have to tell you about is the My Favorite Murder Mystery Wrap which started today (5/25/18). This is going to be an intense project, but I really want keep up. I need to get the yarn wound. It is a mystery along, so I hope I like it! Also, a portion of the proceeds for the pattern sales is going towards an organization helping with the backlog of rape kits. The inspiration for this pattern is the My Favorite Murder Podcast, which was started back in 2016. I love true crime, so I'm giving this podcast a shot :).

We're getting settled into our new home and only have a couple of boxes left to unpack. I'm definitely planning to get through a chunk of my stash this year. Feel free to comment any projects you recommend. I want to continue doing garments and accessories for family, friends, and myself.

This post is light on the crochet, but I'll report back on that more soon.

Have a great week and happy crafting.

Personal Growth and Kick Starting Designing...Again...

I wanted to start with my favorite Dr. Who quote, which comes from the twelfth doctor:

"Human progress isn’t measured by industry. It’s measured by the value you place on a life. An unimportant life. A life without privilege. The boy who died on the river, that boy’s value is your value. That’s what defines a age. That’s what defines a species."

With everything going on in the world, I always like to reflect on our love for one another. Those we don't know and will never meet have value. We should strive to treat others better.

After that little note, I'd like to whine about defiant kids and not getting the Friday night off from my family. Those free nights come along so rarely that losing one is extremely disappointing.

I still made time for myself by getting a haircut. Beyond that, it looks like no quiet or peace for me... Upon that note, I'd like to say I'm thankful for my boys. They might drive me crazy, but I can't imagine my world without them.

On the knitting/crocheting front, I decided to start designing again. I wrote down 6 ideas that I have in mind and I'd like to have both knit and crochet patterns for each sketch. My goal is to spend on average about 30 minutes a day on designing until I'm done with my current test knitting.

I'm working on two shawls and I'm not really a shawl person. One is designed to use mini skeins, so it's a fabulous stash buster. The other is all one colorway with a lovely lace edge. The goal is to see how many pattern repeats I'll do and the overall measurements with two full skeins of yarn. I'll share more as I get closer to the end.

Lastly, did you see the awesome yarn clubs from Hedgehog Fibres? I've been in love with their yarn for so long. A squishy surprise in the mail for three months sounds wonderful. Check it out!!!

Happy crafting! Have a great week.

Moving, working, test knitting...Happy Mother's Day!

Once again I skipped a weekly post. We were readying for our big move to our first house. This is a defining time in our lives, and somehow it's not easy for me to relish the moment. We're so thankful to have the opportunity to own a home. We bought modestly and don't expect to trade up anytime soon. Here is a picture of a lovely surprise from our new home...roses!!!

One thing you learn when you move is how much stuff you have. Oh...too much stuff. My yarn addiction was clearly reflected. I moved all of the yarn bins myself and after 10 bins later, I realized I needed to knit/crochet more and buy less. I still want to support yarn dyers and producers, so I'll be sure to feature things I've finished with my great love, yarn.

Buying electronic patterns doesn't have the same sting, but I'm realizing that I have more than I could ever make. And, what shiny new thing will catch my eye next? I did purchase Boyland Knits' most recent pattern in her Knitaly series Navelli. Isn't the sample lovely!?!!

I've enjoyed working on the Kimono Moon KAL, which I intend to knit while finally viewing the Avengers movie this weekend. I've used a navy blue and golden yellow from Yarn Over New York, so why not add red and make a Captain Marvel Shawl?

I'm testing patterns as well, which I definitely need to take a break from doing. This summer will be knitting fabulous sweater patterns and crocheting produce bags and blankets.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there! Whether you're grandmother, dog mother, teacher...any kind of mother, I wish you a wonderful day.

I'm back!

So...I took over a month off from blogging. To celebrate my 2 year anniversary of this blog, taking some time off didn't seem like a bad idea. My busy season at my day job has been heavy this year and with a pending purchase of a home, some kids, and other things...the blog can wait.

After finishing a test for Aroha Knits...I couldn't help but start another. This stitch pattern is super fun to knit. It's from Faye Kennington of Ukeeknits (one of her patterns is featured below). I'll post about the lovely scarf I tested once it has been released. Here is a modeled preview.

There are so many fabulous patterns that have been released recently. As my busy season treat, I scooped up a few. Here are some of my favorites with pictures from their Ravelry pages. Which one should I make first?

Hats (oh, I love hats!):

Faye Kennington's Oregon Grape

Raina Kruus's Seto Hat (free..or at least it was when I snagged it!)

Cowls (the first two were released on Friday April 26 and have some discount codes available for the next few days):

Skeinwalker Knits' Paeony

Erin Kurup's Chevronelle Cowl

Webster Street Knittery's Free For All Cowl (free!)

Carissa Browning's Dissent Cowl (inspired by the notorious and amazing RBG)

Ok, maybe I went overboard with the cowls :).

Sweaters:

Andrea Yetman's Seascape (free!)

I did purchase a four pack of Boyland Knitworks/Caitlin Hunter patterns that I'll feature in the future. One of them was launched in a local yarn shop near me during the 2019 Rose City Yarn Crawl that I was hoping to check out in person. Busy season got the better of me. I generally don't attend the yarn crawl. I might make my own yarn crawl over the summer and visit some shops I'd love to finally check out.

Blankets:

Catherine Noronha's Midnight Diamond Blanket (I was following this one on Instagram before it was released...I want to make a version where the main color is dark and the contrast is light)

Tatsiana Kupryianchyk's Stained Glass Wonder Blanket (newly released with a discount for a short time)

And more...will share later.

I joined the Kimono Moon Shawl KAL and I'm enjoying the patter so much. Look at my progress!!!

I'm not a shawl knitter, but I absolutely love rhythmic lace and garter stitches. The cast on took so much time, but the picots are stunning. I haven't decided what other colors I want to use for the two other color sections check out the #kmoonkal.

Have a great week and enjoy some knitting, crochet, or both (if you're like me)!

Welcome to March 2019

I chose to skip posting last week because of crazy work stuff and nothing really to post about. I'll keep this one short as I'm debating what I plan to do with the blog long-term. Just shy of two years, I'm excited to have 6,000 views. Blogging is sharing and sharing is caring.

Needle crafts are an amazing portable way to do so many things: reduce anxiety, use time to make something, be creative, teach, make gifts...so many reasons. With the amazing patterns and ideas readily available on the internet from so many talented creators, I can't help but ask myself what do I add to this?

My plan is still to release patterns this year, but once again...what would I really be adding? If I take the time to design something, why not write it down and share it. If I sell it, cover some costs and share with charity. If I keep this in mind, I won't worry about it all happening at once.

We're looking at homes we'd like to buy and there is some hope that we'll buy one this year. Knowing that we'll feel broke and I'll need to keep working like a dog to cover costs...it all seems daunting. The mess is the gift because I'll miss it when it's gone. You can tell I've been trying to hold it together.

Bumping my hours up at work to 70 this week will make things harder, but it's a short-term loss for a long-term gain. My posts will become shorter, but I'll try to keep this alive.

For those of you who attended RCYC, I hope you had a wonderful time and that you entered my name into drawings. This is the second year that I've skipped it...bummer. I might do my own yarn crawl this summer. There are still local shops I need to check out.

Happy crafting.