a quick recap of summer...

Wow - where did the summer go? It seems the older I get, the faster time seems to fly by - well, except for when I am at work watching the clock, then time seems to absolutely crawl.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful season. The midwest is starting to cool off a bit - this is a welcome change for sure. But that mean fall, which means winter - I sure don't want any of that.

I did get some knitting done this summer. I was able to complete two shawls - the one item I hardly have a use for but somehow, want to knit.


A Cerasifera shawl, pattern from Through the Loops, knit from La Digitessa Wollmeise

Then I cast on a Daybreak Shawl, pattern by Stephen West, using Plucky, Yarntini and HazelKnits yarn.

...it still needs blocking.

I cast the Daybreak on before flying out to Boston for a semi-impromptu trip with Carolyn to see Christine and attend her bachelorette party. I have never had such a whirlwind trip, or traveled out of State with girlfriends. so. much. fun. I only regret that most of my pictures don't include the people I met, or went to see. Why is it that I take pictures of stuff but not people? doh. I think I expect everyone hates to have their picture taken because I do. Need to rethink that.


This is table runner I sent to Christine for her wedding, which I sadly couldn't attend. I really like the heavy quilting.

This is the "crack house" from the movie The Fighter...


A hysterical highlight of the trip for me was to see some locations from the movie. I watched the movie again and compared the house to my picture - damn, that is it! Can you just see Christian Bale jumping out the window into a dumpster in the back? How d'ya like me now?

And most recently my girls went back to school - middle school for my oldest already. I could have absolutely cried sitting at the mandatory parent's meeting, I was thinking "gosh, I'm still a kid myself, aren't I?" A 40-year-old kid.


middle schooler and 1st grader - when did these little chickies grow up?

summer is just so grand

My Spicing up the Kitchen swap package is done - I really hope my partner likes these place mats - because I sure do. So much so that I think I will make my own set. I am so excited to get my package - so curious what might be spicing up my kitchen.



and the back - kind of reversible huh?

So what are you doing this summer? I seem to be finding my way back to knitting and I have been doing some quilting for this swap. But I have also been spending a lot of time with my family lately - nuclear and origin, that's been nice. My little one turned 6 - so we rolled out the patio furniture and hosted a little gathering. I feel blessed to have parents and in-laws that get along and even seem to genuinely like each other. So I just open the house and everyone can entertain themselves - gotta love that. I think I could spend the whole summer on my deck listening to this American Life, catching some sun and drinking cocktails. You?


yup - as devilish as she looks...

sadness, solitude, and self-indulgence

wow - it's been a month. a whole lot has been going on as school has gotten over, summer is officially around the corner, yaddi yaddi, yaddi...whew. I'm kind of tired thinking about it.

The last couple of weeks have had moments of sadness. After 17-years of daily companionship, my cat, Earnest, passed away. He very quickly stopped eating and got so dehydrated my heart ached. The vet found a large tumor under his tongue and we agreed he would not recover - and Earnest really liked to eat, so with a heavy heart, we said good bye.



I am incredibly sad, missing my shadow, but after 17-years, I am glad he had such a good life. He truly was the best cat I could ever have hoped to have, so I just think I was lucky to have him for so, so long.

I have been kind of productive. Knitting has allowed me a quiet solitude - I have finished some Cookie A Sock Club patterns:


Haleakala - using String Theory Caper Yarn


Boysenberry yo in a new and unnamed Lorna's Laces sock yarn

And for some self-indulgence, I have become addicted to the HBO series Game of Thrones.



I am not normally into midevil-esque fiction - but this has been so interesting. And two co-workers are watching, so we revert to mid-evil speak occasionally and all giggle, I have gone from "m'lady" to "whore" in one week - so that alone makes it worth watching. I am now reading the book series too. I have an addictive personality like that - if I like something I get all the way onboard. So here we go. Thanks for catching up with me.

lordy, lordy...

So I am 40 today. I had been telling myself for the past year "it's only a number". But subconsciously, I have been in some kind of crazy, dark place - very bizarre and perhaps my thinking somehow personifies "mid-life crisis". Ew, I haven't liked it one bit. But somehow, now that I am "over the hump" so-to-speak, I think I am okay. I actually had a woman at the Aveda Store today tell me "congratulations" when I told her I was 40 today - "congratulations"? And you know, I am pretty sure she meant it - and somehow that might have been what I need to hear to help me believe maybe I'll be okay.

It has been so daunting because I have never really been overly concerned about my age or a new wrinkle or my pre-maturely gray hair. But then this year, I have struggled to stay active, pounds have creeped on a bit, I have abandoned yoga practice, I have lost my knitting mojo here and there - insanity compounding insanity. So, while many people make new year resolutions, I think I need to try to live my 40th year more mindfully. It's kind of like waking up after a too long nap - I need to remember I am in control here, now to grab the wheel, right? Sheesh.

So, I got a cool new bicycle, and I am going to yoga tomorrow - I have committed to my teacher I will be there. It's a start.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest - now let me show you someone special:


My new, stinking cute nephew - Benjamin was born on May 2.

And the Plus quilt I am slowly but surely making for him:



I made it using the tutorial here. I can't wait until he is all wrapped up in it...come on mojo!

Come on, get happy....

Yarntini Self-Striping Superwash in Sunshine

These socks just evoke such a happiness...they say summer to me. Ah, the beach. Just simple ole stockinette socks are so darned nice for the ego. Easy peasy.

What else made me happy this week was a trip to the sewing machine repair shop. My machine has been slowly showing some age, but finally, the presser foot just wouldn't go down - the presser foot and the thingy to put it down weren't friends anymore. Unusable. I have had my machine for 12 years and have never taken it in...many of those years it sat neglected - but still, it needed to be cleaned at least - I felt like a bad pet owner, I mean I wouldn't stop feeding my cat, would I? Anyways when I called Jen at The Electric Needle she knew exactly what my problem was. I took it to her on Wednesday, and by Thursday she had it back to me. I am not going to lie, I felt totally giddy just getting my machine back all shiney, and working. Now I have some new fabric, and need to make something. I love that feeling - all of that possibility.


some scraps of flea market fancy that I traded my first born for...

I feel another mug rug coming on...

joining the madness!

If you have been stalking sewing on flickr or blogland, you have probaby heard about Mug Rug Madness...



It is 10 days of tips and tutorials on the latest sewing trend - mug rugs. How cool are they? Mini quilts that can be as simple as you wanna be, or used as an opportunity to try more complicated bits of sewing. And mostly immediate gratification - and who doesn't like that? They are called mug rugs but they can also be potholders or small table pieces incognito.

I was inspired by the hubbub to try my own mug rug. I was able to use the teeniest snippets of flea market fancy fabrics by
Denyse Schmidt - I confess that I find it kind of thrilling to use this hard to find fabric, but I also feel like it needs to be savored and spread as thin as possible.



I used an english paper piecing template and tutorial found here. I reduced it to 33% and shazaam - mug rug.

good things...

I received my {Urban} Home Goods swap package last week from Strawberrylicious...



Isn't this piece a-maz-ing? It was created based on the folded table centerpiece pattern here. It is so intricate - I could have cried when I opened it - so much effort for me, shucks, that feels pretty special. I am thinking I would like to try this technique...on a much smaller scale...using this potholder tutorial. It is always exciting to have something new to try.

This weekend was the Madison Knitter's Guild Knit-In. The highlight for me was that Christine from near Boston and Carolyn from near Chicago came to my hood and we stayed in a swanky bed and breakfast that had many perfect places to knit. And then the icing on the cake was The Plucky Knitter had a booth FULL of fantastic yarn at the event. I was able to help set up and get a pre-look at every skein, self serving as it was, it was fun to get up way too early to fondle all of that yarn. num.



Christine and Sarah, the Plucky Knitter



What I won't show you is a picture of my sitting my sweats all day today - I took a vacation day to recover from the weekend, cause knitting and enjoying the company of friends is real tough work. The best kind.