a quiet weekend : a new knitting project to begin

we'll be sticking close to home this weekend. it's nice not to worry about packing anything:

no stuffing sleeping bags into teeny-tiny bags, no figuring out if i'm packing my warm jacket

or my huge puffy coat, no driving in circles trying to find the trailhead...don't get me wrong,

i love all of our adventures, but i'm looking forward to a weekend at home.

lucky for us we can still spend time in the mountains since they're just in our back yard!

this weekend there will be a hike, starting a new knitting project {a sweater!}, 

going to the last farmer's market of the year,

working around the house and yard, and attending friends' wedding {yipee!}

what does your weekend look like?

made-by-hand christmas and wishing for days when listening to stories on the radio was such a thrill

is there anything better than knitting by the fire
while listening to a child's christmas in wales or little women?
i could do this forever.

i'm making fingerless gloves for nieces who think the gloves are elegant and pretty,
and a cowl-neck scarf for celia jane because the cold constantly grips her...
and others that i won't mention here to keep some gifts a surprise.

are you making anything by hand for gifting this holiday season?

the results of a quiet weekend alone at home...

i tried very hard to keep myself busy for the weekend
while i was alone at home.
and i think i made good use of every moment.
i read prolific amounts
{going between printed books and my new birthday kindle}.
i practiced the piano, counting aloud and repeating measures over and over and over.


i also knitted this cover for my new kindle.
i finally broke down and got myself this electronic device
for the sake of ceej and those who come to visit my home--
the books at our place are overflowing into every nook and cranny.
of course, i'm not completely giving up on printed books {never!},
but this will cut down on the clutter significantly.
anyway, love the little cover i made with its button and ribbon.

note: the way to my heart is with either ginger or pumpkin.
i made myself some giant ginger cookies.
{get the recipe here}
i truly enjoyed sitting in my giant chair reading, knitting, eating cookies,
and, yes, listening to the BBC lord of the rings radio series.
one night i tried listening to edgar allen poe and other scary stories,
but was, well, too scared. i'll have to try again when cj is with me.

my favorite knitting project yet...i'm trying not to make twenty of these for myself to wear a different color everyday...that would be overdoing it?

do you remember this fabulous yarn i couldn't resist?
i've been wanting to make a cowl scarf as soon as i picked up my first needles...
and i did this new project all by myself. figured out the directions, which were quite simple,
and hoped everything would turn out ok.
and i am quite pleased with what my needles and yarn did for me:
created my newest favorite fall warm item to wear.
what do you think?

it finally feels like fall today, new knitting project, and a link list

my body has not been registering fall yet...it's been too warm.
it has been summer, summer, summer...until this morning.
the clouds have finally come, and a nice cool breeze.
my head has been trying to convince my body that fall is just around the corner...
next week in fact.
which means "tomorrow" is coming quicker than i was anticipating.
october, my birthday month, still seems months away.
it's only weeks away.
i have tried not to think too far ahead for my halloween costume,
but now i've realized i've entered crunch time!
november, cj's birthday month and thanksgiving, sooooo far away.
nope, just a month and a half.
and december, which felt like it wouldn't happen until next year,
is 2.5 months away.
december: fun holidays, and the big move.
it's here. tomorrow is here.
..........................................

i had an impulse buy at the yarn shop last week.
i went in to buy knitting needles...
i came out with the needles and two skeins of irresistible yarn.
and this yarn is special...why?
because i usually only knit with grays and browns and creams and blacks...so neutral.
this yarn has color.
i'm moving on in the knitting world...but i'm sure i'll hold on to my beloved neutrals.
............................................

things this week that i've found interesting or helpful:

01.
good guide. this website is amazing. it's a green buying guide. it makes everyday shopping
for sustainable products soooooo simple. it rates any product (out of over 50,000 everyday products) by how good they are for the environment, health, and society (i.e. good labor conditions). hooray for good guide! by the way, for those of you with iphones you can download an app that lets you scan bar codes in the grocery store and it will immediately give you the product's good guide rating. genius.

02.
if you're interested in politics, read all ten pages of this article in the new yorker.

03.
daniel goleman's book, ecological intelligence.
we're listening to it as we drive to all of our camping destinations.

04.
i started in my first book club ever this week.
we're starting with a classic: the joy luck club

05.
confession: i made a dress yesterday...even though it
was part of my "liberation list" to stop trying to sew my own clothes.
oops.

06.
confession: these photos of yarn were taken with a digital camera...
not film.
i decided that the "film only" rule did not apply to snapshots
of crafts and food i make.

..................................

happy weekend!
we'll be heading into san francisco tomorrow.
can't wait.

i'm keeping knitting on the list

i started this sweater way back in may, but had to put it aside for the summer as i went to school and we traveled our hearts out. but i finished the last sleeve last week, and stitched it all together. my first sweater. my third knitting project. i'm pretty proud of it.
............................................................................................................
last night cj and i made some lists. these past two years of not having a job and going to school on and off made me feel that if i was free from a job i should do, well, everything. of course, soon i was overwhelmed and life was crowded: full of every hobby imaginable. so i had some serious "cleaning" to do, and i roped cj into doing the same thing.

list numero uno was "the liberating list": a list of all the things i don't need to feel i have to do or accomplish right now at this point in my life. so i felt free to give up sewing my own clothes, learning french, learning how to play the banjo, pressure (brought on by me, of course) to have professional looking photographs, becoming an expert historian on every period in every region under the sun, calligraphy, and many many more. maybe someday i'll come back to these items on this list when it is just the right time.

list numero dos was "the right now list": a list of things i want to put all my energy and effort into. school tops that list for me (and that includes studying for the GRE and learning how to speak spanish), i'm sticking with one instrument (the piano), knitting, cooking simple healthy meals, writing, studying one period and region in history, and a few more things that are on my list.
the de-cluttering of my life has begun!

we like to eat and i can't stop knitting

after our long day of hiking,

we had dinner at the mountain room restaurant

and the first thing we did was order hot cocoa...with whipped cream.
it was quite cool outside at nights,

and i needed something to soothe and warm me up.

back at home,

we went with the group to a very yummy mexican restaurant,

you can't go wrong with beans, rice, and cheese.

cj takes his ice cream very seriously.

especially when there's hot fudge involved.

this is me knitting late into the night at our hotel after our big hike.

i finished another hat

{and i'm still working on my sweater...which is 3/4 done!}

miscellaneous projects and why i am listening to heart this morning

first sweater: chunky yarn + learning to cable.

it's a men's sweater.

but i'm making one for me.

i think it will be my cosy yurt sweater

that can easily be pulled over anything,

leaving my hair a static-y mess.

yes, i'm already aching for fall and winter.

{that doesn't mean i'm going to enjoy every minute by the pool,

lots of picnics at the park and by the river,

or our biennial trip to hayden lake with cj's entire extended family}

i'm also attempting to read all of my textbooks at least once before school starts in june:

i need to do this, otherwise i will be behind. i like to read and re-read to make sure things are making sense. wish i had this habit in high school or even for the majority of my college career. oh well, i certainly have got the school bug now, and i find myself "nerdulating" more frequently these days. also, notice my truly skilled sketch...you're probably wondering where i acquired such skill and discipline. well, the honest truth is that i am a self-trained artist. i learned while in kindergarten and i've never looked ahead. i thought my style was pretty good back then, so why change it? anyway, i like to draw on big pads of papers. i draw my day-dreams. i draw with calligraphy pens or pens i don't even know what they're for: i just like the feel of them.

yes, i am listening to heart this morning. why?

because i made the break. i was honest. we're all happy. we're all relieved. it's time for dancing, like a real novice, and time for closing the eyes while singing along to the chorus. hooray for breaking! hooray for honesty! and guess what: i can do hard things. yup. i can with the help of everyone around me, and angels whispering in my ear.

"when i ask you how you did it, you just saaaaaaay, 'it was nothin at all'!!"

i am well aware that summer is upon us, but...

i am knitting like the first frosts have already fallen on unharvested squash.

i tell people i am in a knitting class and loving it.

they want to know what i'm making.

"i've made gloves, a hat, and now i'm working on a sweater."

they look at me sideways,

"oh, just in time for summer?"

i'm feeling quite like the ant, and pittying those grasshoppers.

when the cold comes,

i'll be ready.

did you hear? i'm working on a sweater!!

it seems impossible to fall in love with knitting any more than i already am...

this new hobby really does keep getting better and better.
i finished my first project,
and am on to the next
while making things for other people now.
i am in love with needles and yarn...oh the yarn!

a little tangent: two braids will most likely take over my summer. so easy.

getting back to my writing schedule...
with my new, hand-made, self-made gloves!!!
what do you think?

wondering what to make after i finish the hat...
any suggestions?

by the way,
have you seen tess's blog?
she shows you how to dye your own yarn,
and, now, how to use a spindle!!
love!

knitting class

i started my knitting class this week.
i get to go twice a week.
this has quickly become my favorite thing about my week,
hands down.
my monday class is full of women who are 30-40-50 years older than me.

it is reminding me that i get along best with old women...
i like their slow pace.
i love their wisdom.
i love their laughs.
i love their simplicity.
i love that they have lived history.
i love their stories.
i am truly most comfortable when i am surrounded by age.
i think this is half of my joy in knitting class.
i had no idea how much i would love knitting.

my first project is fingerless gloves...
just in time for summer, yes? ya right.
but i'll be ready come fall with an onslaught of winter accessories,
made by me, made by hand, with wool from local sheep.

update: some of you are asking where i get my local wool...

i get it at the Davis, CA saturday morning farmers market.

you might want to check out your local farmer's market to see if

you can snag your own local yarn.