Spring Rush and a Pair of Socks

We have been very busy installing landscaping, since that is our bread and butter and spring is the season, so I have not done much in the creative world and have not put much thought toward the blog. So here is a little knitting moment, to keep the blog momentum going:

I used the pattern Pom Pom Peds from Purl Soho. It was pretty accurate and easy.

And here is my cat explaining to me that I should pet her instead of wasting my time taking pictures of my feet:

A Picture of My Mom

 

My Mom and I did not always get along well, but this picture reminds me of some of the things we had in common. It's also a great shot in which she looks really happy. And check out that sewing machine! Happy Mother's Day one and all.

Doing One Thing at a Time or Getting to Know Myself a Little Better

I was laying in bed this morning thinking about this. I am finally learning that even though the creative section of my brain can concoct projects faster than Superman can fly around the earth, the real joy I get from making things is tied to the physical process of making, which is slow. Also, finishing is a critical element in the process for me. I am so likely to hit a rough patch in a project and start another or have a "want to do" list that is pages long, and I am finally learning that this is something that takes away my motivation and satisfaction instead of adding to it. Because nothing is more likely to make me walk away from the act of making something than this:

And in fact, because I'm so likely to walk away from the pile, I get an amazing amount more done by just enjoying the project I'm doing. The difficulty for me is in ignoring that little voice in the back of my head that thinks that everything should happen at once. It improves with practice though, so here's to finally learning that you can't read all the books in the library and reading the one on the nightstand instead!

Rain Rain Rain

The weather has been rainy, totally in disregard of my desire to play in the garden. Tomorrow I am going to the grower's market, and I will put on my raincoat and plant, rain or shine, since our new garden beds are done. Yeah!

But for now there's this:

Pattern: Clover Tweed Dishcloth

I love the way these dishcloths turn out. They stay pretty nice after lots of washing, probably because the garter stitch makes them thick, and they brighten up the kitchen when the rain won't go away.

Also, I am slowly plugging away at this:

Pattern: Carnaby Skirt

A Carnaby Skirt. The pattern is a couple years old from Knitty and is a perfect match for some stiff unyielding red wool that I inherited a large amount of. It's very satisfying to knit because it's easy enough to do without looking at the pattern but not dull, and it looks great coming off the needles.

I'm exited to finish, but I'm taking a little break for a baby gift for a friend. Baby socks are just so darn cute.

Pattern: Closeknit's Two-Tone Booties which is a free Ravlery download.

A couple of easy knits

In the interest of completing some of the items I put on my Spring Wardrobe Ideas for Knitting and Sewing Pinterest board, I made a couple of pairs of socks:

Pattern: Drops ankle socks

These are knit with a double strand of yarn and are comfy, thick, and relatively quick to knit. (My gauge was nothing like the pattern, so my needle size was several times larger than recommended.)

I am also about three quarters of the way through a Carnaby Skirt, which is red like the one in the pattern, since I had a whole lot of some kind of course and stiff red wool that I inherited. (I'll post some pictures shortly, I hope.)

The knitting may get sidelined a bit by a good friends announcement of an upcoming baby, but is generally coming well. Sewing has been at a complete standstill however.

I was inspired for summer sewing by some of the new patterns from Collette, so maybe that will be a good incentive for me to complete a couple of my spring items. That way I can buy fabric in good conscience for some summer things!

Gluten-Free Pizza

As a last resort, I decided to try a gluten-free a few months back because I was having a myriad of chronic digestive problems. To my surprise, it really seemed to help. So for others in the same boat I will say that Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Mix is super easy and not a terrible substitute for when you really feel you have to have pizza! This was delicious. (I made two and on the second one I covered all the crust with sauce and toppings, which I actually preferred.)

After Christmas cardigan

 I finished my husband's Christmas cardigan (yes, it's almost the end of January!) which I made from a pattern in the Fall 2011 issue of Knitscene.  And then we had some fun photographing it.