holla!

so, i went completely insane and started the green shawl over - again.  new yarn and completely new stitch pattern for the bottom half.  after all that extra work, i thought i should include some charts with the pattern just to make myself go totally bonkers.  it’s working by the way and the pattern will have to wait until the end of next week.  puhhh.

you know what isn’t waiting until the end of next week?  MEETING POINT.  she’s the soft little babe in the bottom left corner there…

(Holla Knits Spring/Summer Collection 2013)

allyson pulled together an amazing collection and it will be released on monday, april 15th on ravelry - check out all the delicious details at holla knits! or at allyson’s home blog, the sweatshop of love.

happy weekend xo

ravelry link time (it's been a while!)

life gets in the way of mindlessly browsing the ever-growing catalog of knitting patterns online but with the weekend upon us and spring break for many on it’s heels i think it’s a good time to gather new delicious patterns to dream about (or maybe even cast on!)

some of these aren’t exactly new patterns any more… but brilliant just the same.

java summer scarf

 lazy bosnian slippers

eastern pagoda egg

aranami shawl

mesh panel tee

baby bows sandals

westport shawl

filtering daylight

eastern egg rabbit heads

3 flavor delight cardigan

basket kit

tutu

calumet

baby kit for liv

happy knitting! xo

turn & zhi zips

hello friends!  it’s been hectic and a bit overwhelming around here as of late, but so many sweet things have been tumbling down to us, too.  my mama and step-dad renewed their vows, we had my future sister-in-laws wedding shower to attend, our little finches are laying eggs, and the weather has turned even if only slightly after such a mild winter.  the days are warm and breezy, a bit dreary at times and the air here is thick with spring.

i’m still scrambling to get such a long list of to-do’s checked off.  hubs and i had a mini meeting yesterday where i cried and he listened and we agreed that action needed to be taken.  being home with the girls is fantastic and i love the freedom it allows, but working - or trying to without specific work time drawn out has proven disastrous.  even one day with no distractions or questions or someone/something needing to be tended to would relieve the mounting pressure.  with that said, i’m still expanding my horizons.  my mind soars and my hands struggle to keep up the pace.  lauren was the recipient of one of my tester baby t’s and says she’s getting compliments.  i think her freaking gorgeous little norah may be the real reason for the good feedback - that kid can make a paper sack look high (baby) fashion!  but, i guess it’s time to take the baby wears off the back burner any way.  HA!  

now, for the fun stuff.  this amazing lady had asked about resizing the zips for one of her girls.  i got all the measurements and made it happen.  they’re a bit big on mae but she loves them.  i think they would make a cute mama & me set for boys or girls.

ZHI ZIPS

1 skein KnitPicks Andes del Campo - pictured color way is Wharf Heather

*i got both the zip mits and the zhi zips out of one skein*

1 set DPN US 8 (or needle size to get gauge)

4.5 stitches, 5.5 rows/inch in stockinette

other notions: yarn needle for finishing & one stitch marker

size to fit children approx. 5 - 9yrs

CO 28 sts distributed as follows: 10 (to be called “needle 1”),9,9

join for knitting in the round and work even in stockinette, knitting every round for 5” (or desired length)

set up for gusset: k4, m1L, k1, pm, k1, m1R, k to end

next round: k4, p1, k2 (slipping marker), p1, k to end

GUSSET

round 1: k to 1 st before marker, m1R, k1, slm, k1, m1L, k to end

round 2: k4, p to 1 st before marker, k1, slm, k1, p to last 4 sts on needle 1, k to end

repeat rounds 1 & 2 until you’ve worked up to 16 sts on needle 1 (ending with round 2)

next round: k4, BO 8, k to end

rejoin for hand as follows: k3, sl1, k1, psso, k to end (29 sts)

work even in stockinette for 1.5”

BO & weave in ends

(make another one and wear!)

now i’ll leave you with something cute to look at.  happy tuesday, all! xo

Wobble Leggies to start.

first, a knitty bit.  i just posted these little leggies as a free pattern.  you can find it here or under my shop link up above.  simple.  fast.  snuggly.  done.

i still haven’t found the time to button up the millie pattern but it will happen when the drag of other things subsides.  i’ve been hustling to get wears made for homespun so that i can ship them out… tomorrow even?  can i do it?  i bet so.  and i have a box that i’ve been compiling for my lady in the mountains.  it’s good.  it makes me happy.  the sun has finally begun shining on us here in corn country.  man did we miss it.  i don’t think i even realized how gray the world has been until i went out early this morning and realized the landscape was tinted pink.  sunrise, wow.  hi! i haven’t seen you in so long!

i’m happy to see monday today, too.  with the change in our schedule and the birthday celebrations with friends and family from thurday to sunday i’m seriously tired and now realize we know a fist full of aquarian people.  last night we celebrated with our sweet friends from metamorphosis and i’m telling you - a first birthday can be intense! monday comes and everything slows.  wow.  

my girl turned 11 on thursday.  yep.  weird.  her sister was so excited about getting her some gifts and wrapping and baking and surprising with balloons and song and we really had a great time of it.

but, my big girl… she’s going through a lot of changes and i’ve been having one hell of a time navigating her.  i’m really feeling an ache about this - mostly because i don’t see a smile on her face much any more.  the weight is coming on her and i remember it, but holy moly!  coming at it from the parent’s side is hard.  time magazine had a great article about raising introverted children in an extroverted community and it gave me a frame of reference.  our poor babe is an introverted air child not only in an extrovert society, but in an extrovert home with water people.  i’ve taken some cues from the article and i’ve already begun approaching her in a different manner.  we’ll see how it goes.

as for the rest of the week… it was full of friends and love and yarn.

mae got to play with mr. nelson and it was just darling watching them together.  such a sweet boy.  oh how we miss him!

i got to play with my friend, too.

you can see things from his lens here.

we also stopped by one of our lys and i grabbed some delicious malabrigo…

i have big plans for this yummy stuff, but i think i’d better get organized first.  i’m working on two patterns right now and i’ve already decided it’s too much.  i have notes spread out all over my work table, my computer desk, my book shelf, on business cards, and on my phone.  i foresee a shit storm.  i’ve been working on a hooded jacked with a lot of shaping and the vision is there i’m just not sure what happened to the drive.

i’m also working on a short sleeved summer sweater in a cotton & linen blend yarn that i normally wouldn’t be interested in.  it’s a flat yarn and those usually give me the creeps but this one is soft and delicate and when it’s knit up it doesn’t have that flat yarn edge.  does that make sense?  HA!  so they have both sort of stopped in place and are waiting for me to figure it out.  my brain is telling me to get that cropped jacket off the needles since i really only have a few more inches before separating the sleeves, but my hands say no way.  the summer sweater is giving me fits because i’m such a one-piece-wonder that the mere thought of knitting the sleeves separately and sewing them on is giving me a stomach ache.  it’s a construction issue.  i’m being such a cry baby!  so… that’s that.

i’ll leave you with a few quiet moments from last week.  xo