catch up part 3 inside edition

This post is to catch up on sewing and knitting projects.  First up, this little zipper pouch.  This is one of those projects that I had literally no choice in making. I woke up one morning, was scrolling instagram and saw a little hexie pouch in the "you might like" mish mash of recommended pictures.  I got right up and sewed the pouch right then - it needed to be in my life!  If you want to check out my inspiration it's from What Saysie Makes, and I'm also linking the blog post where she talks about it.  Her blog is beautiful as is her instagram profile.  Anyways, I obviously didn't have the same fabrics she used, but that's totally fine!  I have tons of cute fabrics to choose from!

Next up is this vanilla sock.  I know lots of people have said that they like this sock but I personally do not love the yarn.  Or, rather, the colorway. I tried a new to me pattern for the heel, it's called the OMG heel and you can find that pattern on Ravelry.  I really actually liked the heel, it was very very well written.  It was so clear and did not make any assumptions about heel knitting experience which I really appreciated.  I have knit a few knitting patterns where the designer assumes certain things are "understood" and I was the person who just didn't get it!  Thank God for google.  

I just had to include this sweet puppy picture. I woke up for work one morning and this was my Rocky dog sleeping next to me.  His ears! 

Ok so this next project is completely Kay Jones of the Bakery Bears fault inspiration.  She had talked about it on the podcast, and at first I was like - no, I don't need to knit this guy.  Then! she mentioned it again and talked about her inspiration and how she had seen it on instagram made by Lori so naturally curious I checked it out and I was like oh man I need this pattern!  It's called Sven Scandinavian.  So incredibly cute and detailed!!!  

It's a paper printed pattern so I ordered it from the website, Cottage Creations. Kay mentioned on the podcast that the service was really good and she had gotten a confirmation email after she ordered. I have to just say that she was right! I also got an email but mine was to let me know that the pattern was being reprinted because Carol, the designer, had run out of copies!  I emailed her back and let her know that I was not surprised since I had seen it on the podcast and I know there are a lot of followers both there and Lori's instagram.  

I received the pattern a couple weeks later, which I thought was great considering it had to be reprinted.  I set to knitting my version of Sven right away.

There are name suggestions in the pattern of alternate names. Carol encourages everyone to think of names as you're knitting.  I love that!  I have always felt as I make a doll, whether sewn or knitted, that their personalities develop as they are made. So, my Sven has actually turned out to be Jurgen! Isn't he cute?

Last weekend I had a baby shower to attend. The baby's room theme is cacti.  I knew I wanted to make a quilt as my gift.  I did a little google search, and found this quilt. I bought backing fabric and white on Thursday, prewashed it after work. I decided to do two rows of squares for the body of the cactus.  I pulled all green fabrics from my stash and didn't have any repeats!  I pieced the front after work on Friday and put everything together and quilted on Saturday before the shower!  Yikes! I was a bit late to the shower because I wanted to wash it before giving so it would pre-shrink.  She really liked it so that is a win!

I'll leave you with this picture of my fall mantel.  Mom, if you're reading this - that scarecrow is the one I was telling you about with the sign "no crows" and then I like to put that crow sitting next to him! ha! 

home, nesting and socks

Last weekend I was in Bend with friends for a ladies retail therapy weekend.  I may have gone a little bit overboard at Hobby Lobby, but that's easy to do there!  I want to do a gallery wall in the dining room and I found a bunch of sayings and scriptures and cute stuff!  Once I get everything up on the walls I'll share pictures.

I finished up these socks this week. I'm really pleased with them!  You can't see the sparkle, but the green yarn has silver stellina in it, which made it fun to knit!  These need to have ends woven in but then they will go in the drawer for cooler weather.  

Rocky was extra lovey when I got back from Bend, he was very snuggly.  One thing that really stood out was that on the way home, I was really looking forward to being *home*.  This house really feels like home for me which is such a great feeling.  

One of the fun things about my new house is finding out what is growing where.  I decided that this first year I will just observe.  I've been learning a lot!  This week the rose bushes in the front bloomed and they are beautiful.  So vibrant and lots of blooms.  I have a lily plant in the front that I think is right about to bloom, can't wait!  I love lilies.  So far, the roses, lilies and rhubarb will stay.  I really want to put in shrubs.  I've seen a couple houses in the neighborhood that have nice small delicate looking shrubs and I think I'd like some like those.

So this week after I finished my green and pink socks, I found I had no projects I wanted to work on.  I have one pair of socks on the needles but I didn't feel like working on them, more on that later.  I do have a cross stitch project but didn't feel like that was it either.   

Suddenly I decided I needed to make a pom pom garland for my mantle!!!  Yes!  I super love how it turned out.  I found that wooden whale up in Bend and had just set it there, and once the garland was on it just looked right.

I have to share this lamp shade that I bought.  A coworker had an estate sale this weekend and had a couple beautiful stained glass lamps.  I technically did not need another lamp, but I saw this dragonfly one and had to have it!  She gave me an amazing deal on it.  I swapped out the shade I already had on this lamp and I really like the way it looks.

This is the pair of socks that I was avoiding working on the other night.  See, the thing is, I had them on magic loop two at a time.  I had already finished past the heels even!  But I've come to realize I just don't like magic loop.  I've also realized that I accomplished what I set out to do which was learn how to knit two socks at a time but I don't have to keep it up if it's not a pleasure. 

You can see a progress keeper, that is how far I've gotten since Friday!  Also, I had been using size 0 hiya hiya sharps, but did not have that size in DPNs.  Well, no, technically I do but the ones I have are too long for my liking.  This set of Knit Pro Zings is the next smallest size I have.  I had ordered them awhile ago and when I got them they were a disappointment.  First, I bought the wrong size.  Then the color was not what had been pictured.  Further, they seemed to have too much drag.  There was like a powdery coating or something and I just did not like them.  So, I set them aside.

But!  Guess what?  I thought I'd give them another chance since I didn't have too far to go to finish these socks.  And the powdery coating has come off the more I knit with them.  And now I really like them!  The funny thing is that my gauge is the same as when I was using the zeros.  So there you go.  

My sewing room is still a disaster zone.  It's really bothering me but I also feel like way overwhelmed by it.  I have too much stuff.  But, it's stuff that I may use and hate to give away because then what if that day comes for that project and I have to repurchase.  The struggle is real.  But I need to get it sorted out quick because my creative energy is getting that pent up feeling and it needs an outlet.  Knitting doesn't do it, it's more just relaxing for me.  I need to sew and quilt and MAKE!  I need to just buckle down and do a little at a time.

beach thoughts

I know I've been quiet for a bit.  There has been so, so much going on.  In life, in my thoughts, in my emotions.  Just too much really.

Last weekend Rocky and I drove over to the coast.  Monday, April 4th was the third angelversary of my Scott's death.  I knew what to expect from the previous 2 years.  This year there is a deeper sadness that I can't exactly explain, nor do I really want to.  Everything boils down to life moving on, away from him, without him.

Maybe I'll elaborate another day when I have the energy.  Really, though, I just miss him so much and he is missing so much.

As usual, the beach is the perfect place for me to be.  The water all the days I was there was the color of Scott's eyes - deep blue.  Depending on the clouds, it could change to grey as well.  For the most part the weather was perfect.  Blue skies, sunny.  But it was really very windy which made it cold.  Here you can see the wind blowing up Rocky's ears.  Oh yeah, don't mind my finger in the shot there. ha

Here's Rocky longing to run down the beach and make friends with the dog by the water.  Oh how he wished me could be "off leash".  But, I'm afraid I may lose him if I let him run free.  Because he would run and run.

Tuesday we just walked on the beach at Crescent City.  Again, super windy but walking it felt fine.

Coming home was actually nice, this new house is so comfortable.  The bathroom is still a work in progress, but otherwise is coming together nicely.

Today I painted the walls in the bathroom.  Some of the wall texture stuff got on the ceiling which needs to be sanded off and then I'll paint the ceiling too.  I really love the way this color turned out - it's really limey and sherbert-y.  Oh, yeah that is my living room lamp in there since the light is not installed yet.

I almost forgot.  Yesterday I actually sewed something in my new sewing room!  Yes.  So a friend of mine asked me to make a mastectomy drain apron for a friend of hers that is having a mastectomy in May.  Of course I said I would make one for her!  I googled it to get some direction.  Turns out they are so easy.  I am going to make a couple so she can choose.

what happens at the beach

Rocky and I spent last weekend at the coast.  I had been feeling antsy and anxious and like I needed to get away for a little while.  I found a really great price per night at the hotel I usually stay at and packed up my boy and we went!  It was great.  So so good.

Here we are in the driveway - Rocky doesn't even know we'd be at the beach in 4 hours!

We got to Crescent City at about 4:30pm and luckily the yarn store was still open!  So the last time I was in CC was in April and I had bought some delicious yarn.  But, I had hemmed and hawed about this one skein and didn't end up buying it.  And then on the drive to Trinidad I immediately kicked myself because the greens were exactly reflected in the canopy of trees and ferns and bit of blue sky.  On this trip I was determined to find and buy that skein of yarn, which I did :) 

Okay so I know that the picture on the left is not great, I took it just on the side of the road.  But, you can kind of see the different greens and imagine that the foggy sky was actually blue.  I'm so glad I got there in time to buy this yarn!  I'm thinking of making the Whispering Pines shawl from Molly of a Homespun House.  

Next stop, the beach!  One of the great things about Crescent City is that almost any road you turn down will get you to the ocean.  There's an easy to get to beach that Rocky and I strolled down for a couple hours.  Lots of fun for my boy!  There were tide pools, barnacles, kelp, stinky stuff, sticks, rocks - all the good stuff.

 Right before dark we drove to another beach and saw the coolest, different thing.  A lady was riding a horse up and down the beach holding an American flag.  Keep in mind Friday was September 11th so it was quite meaningful.  At first I thought it was odd, then I thought it was cool - she was actively expressing herself in a way that everyone watching understood and could feel.

Saturday was Trinidad day.  It was perfect.  Yes, overcast and foggy but still warm.  Rocky is used to the beach now so didn't need my constant reassurance and affection, he just stayed close and chilled.  I laid right on the beach and hunted for agates.  Early in the evening Rocky let me know he was hungry and thirsty and chilly so we left.  For so many reasons, so many, that beach has my heart.

It used to be when I'd go over to the coast I'd wake up early on Sunday and jet home to pick up the dogs from the kennel.  But!  With my boy alongside me I could take my time, meander one last time along the beach.

Of course, Rocky and I did have a difference of opinion about what was fun that day.  I wanted to walk along the shore in the water.  He wanted nothing to do with the water.  ha!  Good thing for long retractable leashes, yes?  

Oh!  One oddball thing we saw before we left!  I know the bottom pic is hard to see what's going on.  But maybe you can just see there is a gathering of people in the distance.  If you click on the picture you'll get a better view.

I didn't get too close because I wasn't sure at first what was happening.  Turns out it was a group letting a seal go back to the ocean.  There were people holding signs and at first I thought it was going to be some sort of protest about to happen.  Then someone wheeled a large kennel on wheels down the beach.  There was someone videoing someone else talking, I couldn't hear it over the waves.  And then I saw a light colored seal squirming itself along back into the water.  It was very quick!  After it was out of sight the crowd dissipated except for a few stragglers.  It seemed very meaningful to them, one couple was holding each other crying. (?) After that I felt like Rocky and I should skeedaddle.

All in all it was perfect.  We relaxed a ton.  Rocky got more familiar with the beach, I got some more freckles.  So good.

first bit of Fall

Since I got that dresser set up in the spare room I've been determined to get the room put together into a functional guest room.  I went through the rest of the boxes and sorted out stuff I no longer use.  And I found this little llama!!!!  I love this llama.  Love.it.  It was a gift from Scott.  I have no idea where he came up with it...but he knew how much I've always loved llamas and that it would make me smile :)  I thought it had gotten lost or tossed somewhere along the say and a few months ago I looked high and low for it but didn't find it.  I had tucked it into a box with picture frames!  It is now perched atop the dresser.  Months had sort of munched it's fleece and yarn poms.  I am thinking maybe I'll make some new little poms to dress it up?

I just have to share this picture of my Rocky dog.  This is his thing, he eats laying down.  He does drink standing up, apparently eating, though, is too exhausting!

I've been picking the pears from the tree in the back corner of the yard.  They are small, relatively pest free fruit!  I just get the ones I can reach on the low branches.  The ones up high are pretty big!  It's been a treat.

All weekend I've been super lazy.  Kind of.  Like I've done the laundry and things around the house that need done but not the organizing I had planned in the craft house.  Instead I distracted myself with stitching!  I honestly don't know the last time I cross stitched on my Story time Sampler.  But, I'm now 4 months behind on the frames.  

I got stuck on the Peter Pan month, which was June's frame.  I really liked the frame except it didn't have Tinkerbell!  So I was waiting to see what the other people stitching came up with.  The cool thing about Instagram is that you can #(hashtag) your pictures and they go into a pool of similar pictures from other people.  So there's a pool for story time sampler stitchers and usually there are lots of cool modifications where I can get ideas.  This time there were maybe 3-4 Tinks.  So I got stuck.  But, I've come up with a plan to modify the pattern so was inspired again.  Plus, I need a break from knitting.

This week we've had a definite dip in temps - 40 in the morning and maybe 60-ish in the afternoon.  The air has a brisk, icy chill to it.  So I put the first flannel backed quilt on my bed today.  My lightweight summer quilt is just not warm enough at night.  This is the first time I've used this quilt!

I hope you all have a great week!

Joe Jo Bear

The sweetest dog in the world died yesterday, my Joey.  The house feels very empty without him.  I am so thankful I still have Rocky and George but the absence is palpable.  Rocky misses his brother and friend.  I miss my sweet Joe-bear, my constant by-my-side companion.

Joey, you are so very loved.  So very missed.  I know you are having a big dog party with June, Sam and Cricket, and of course your Daddy,  Scott.

I have to say I'm really digging these socks!  Two at a time on one needle is fiddly, yes, but I feel like I'm making faster progress than I would doing just one sock.  Or, maybe I'm just really liking knitting right now?

Today was a bright sunny day, I got all my laundry done - win!  So I ventured out to the craft house and did some sewing.  I finished listening to Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy on audiobook.  It was an abridged version but still an enjoyable listen (read?).  

I made a little bit of progress on my Rainy Day quilt.  I rearranged the squares a bit, trying to break up some of the colors.  I added in the new fabrics I bought over at the coast and in Chico for my birthday.  I'm liking the way it's turning out.

I finally finished listening to the last book called Inheritance in the Inheritance Cycle books, by Christopher Paolini.  I had read Eragon when it first came out and then listened to the audiobooks of the last two.  I have to say I hated, hated the ending.  Hated.  I mean, I get it, not every book has to have a happy ending.  But dang dude!  It was a stark disappointment.  And in the way that I didn't see any possibility of something better eventually happening.  The circumstances sucked and after everything he put into these characters it seems like a waste.  I did enjoy the boy up to the end, and I kept hoping maybe there'd be a last second change, or an epilogue where he'd change his mind or something. Nope.  

In other news, I don't want to jinx anything but I think I found a food that Joey can keep down!  So, my boy 

has been sick.  We're pretty sure he has lymphoma.  I took him to the vet and they did an aspiration of his very swollen lymph nodes and it showed lymphocytes.  Friday they did a biopsy, which a whole lymph node was removed and we'll know in a week or so what we're dealing with.  In the middle of all this he hasn't wanted to eat.  And when I can trick him into eating he just gets sick.  But!  I searched every bag of food at Grange and Petco and found a food that he's not allergic to!  And he likes it!  And so far so good on keeping it down!  He had a serious case of the toots last night but I don't even care.

I changed a row of my Modern Maples quilt, the farthest row on the left in the picture below.  Previously it had just been the orange leaf at the top and then alternated beige and cream squares.  I realized that it was bothering me.  So, I seam ripped it apart and add the fuchsia and yellow.  You can't tell in the picture below but the yellow has little sheepies on it!  Bah!  love it.

Here's a close up of the fuchsia addition.  I really just love both of these fabrics so had to add it in somehow.

I just had to add this picture of my turkey cat George.  I know it's a bit blurry - eh.  While I was doing my nails last weekend she was investigating the tote I keep my nail supplies in!  Silly girl.

Another blurry picture.  Every day I come home for lunch, and have to wake Joey up from his snooze to give him lunch.  This picture was Thursday or Friday?  Not sure but he is laying across my pillows!  He work up right when I snapped the pic, but he had been so fast asleep!!  My dogs have it pretty good - pillows to sleep on and much love.

Here's what I made this morning.  I suddenly decided I need a double pointed needle holder for my sock project.  Basically it's just a rectangle of fabric, lined, folded over and snaps attached to hold the needles in there.  Not that I've had a needle mishap, but still.  I didn't really mean to match the yarn, just picked up two squares laying on my sewing table.  I love that I've gotten to use those vintage snaps that I've had for, like, ever! 

I'm kind of thinking I might like to make a roll up needles case next?  Not sure really, but thinking it would be nice to have the needles I use most often in one spot.  Easily accessible spot, that is.

 I'll leave you with this picture of my wildcat.  I just went to shut the back door and spotted her in the tree.  I love how her blue eyes stand out.  What are you up to today?