welcome weekend... xo

this weekend I plan on...

having my first pumpkin spice latte of the season...cozy knitting.... heaps of cuddle time with my little man...and rest...



elisajoy.com

I can't believe how fast the summer has gone! i'm already talking of pumpkin spice lattes and knitting a bulky sweater! crazy. but I do love the fall! and with yesterday's downpour, today will be perfect to grab a latte and hit up a park for a few hours... along with some easy knitting at my side... xoxo yes, that's the plan...


what are you up to this weekend? Is fall in the air for you? xoxo

it begins....

we can officially start our countdown....

It was a quiet one here yesterday... we said our good-byes again (and this time for real) ... my little man is such a brave guy... and I'm so very proud of him. I have to say, I'm thankful for the distraction of school starting for him this year, but I'm not so sure I'm ready for it.

In the meantime, my distraction will most certainly be the knitting season. can I get a hurrah?!?! oh how I love this time of year! And I especially love that my little man has requested a sweater!

I promise I have a few things to be showing you, and I'll take today to photograph, and write up some deets... but just know that I've been a busy bee. now that the countdown is on for my man to come home from sea, I'll be more productive, for sure! a huge thank you to all of you who have been so patient with me and this blog. xox

Tell me, how are you enjoying your last week of august? Do you have your back to school shopping all completed? I'm sure I'll be writing soon about lunch ideas. eeks!

Have a fabulous day today! xo

prepping for fall xo

hello! how was your weekend? ours was full, and a tad emotional :) we said our goodbye's yesterday as my hubby's ship was sailing for two months... only to realize that some tune-ups are needed, and the trip is now delayed by a few days. bonus is that we get to see him, but truthfully, the anticipation of a trip like this is harder, and you just want the count down to start already. also, I think it's pretty confusing for kids... so we'll have to have our (another) tearful goodbye in another day or two...  such is life in the military, I suppose... but we'll be ok.

at any rate... there's something I've been noticing... the geese are practicing in these parts. and you know what that means, right? fall is coming! oh man, I get giddy just thinking about it! even though my fingers are busy knitting away in the summer months, (no matter how hot it gets)... I still yearn to grab for that cozy warm wool for fall and winter knitting. no doubt with back to school excitement, also comes the excitement of bulkier knits, crisp, cool air, and pumpkin spice lattes. oh yum!!!

I, of course, am no exception.... and I had to cast on another project right away. ;) any guesses on what it is?

hope you're having a fantastic day today! xoxo

deep breath.

We are clinging onto the last few days of summer here. Listening to the hum, and basking in the late evening sunlight. I'm beginning to store away my favourite memories of this season... ...and look forward to cozy knits, heathered yarns, tweedy textures.... mingled with the sound of the fire, and cooler temperatures.

It's crazy how fast this past summer has gone. But that must mean it was a good one.... jam packed full of fun, giggles, sunscreen, water parks, slip and slides, campfires, and hammocks.
We've got some big changes on our horizon. Owen is getting ready for his very first days of school, and daddy has to leave on Monday morning for a two month trip to sea.
So as we quietly tuck away our summer... we look forward to the newness of fall... and what cozy, and exciting things that will bring for us. Already my brain is tinkering away of warm woolen patterns.. my fingers are itching to make squishy sweaters and toques.

http://tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com/page/12

 

I plan to have an extended weekend from the blog. Monday will most likely be an emotional day for us, and I think a quiet day full of cuddles, hugs, and fall planning will be in order. Wishing you a wonderful end of summer!

what do you have planned for your weekend? are you anticipating fall? xo

yarn, sister love, & online friends becoming real! ;)

I think it's high time I told you a bit about my trip to Virginia WA.. particularly the part about going to fibre space!!! of course seeing my family was the highlight of my trip... but honestly, going to fiber space, and meeting Sandra of duck duck wool rates awfully high! I was giddy.. so so excited! I knew I wanted to go yarn shopping while on holidays, but I wasn't about to drag everyone around so I could touch and feel yarn in every store... so I picked just one. (I know, right? that's so nice of me!) and it was fibre space. and I loved it! oh my goodness! my baby sister came with me, which is awesome, because she's picked up knitting in the past year or so, and has grown by leaps and bounds! guys, she's just finishing up her first Georgia! and trust me it looks awesome!

but i'm getting ahead of myself... haha anyways, we arrived before it opened... just in time to grab a lunch but not before I had to pose for a pic. (told you I was excited!)

honestly, this is the cutest store! I love their set up. having a place to sit comfortably and chat away is so important... and I love how cozy this space looks!

 

I am loving this deer above the fireplace!

 

of course I left with a little haul. (i may have mentioned that in an earlier post) hee hee... want to see what I snagged? of course you do!

 

 

I made sure to do some research before I came out, so that I knew what I wanted to scope out.. there were some amazing yarns there!

I also wanted to be sure I would buy yarns I would have a hard time getting at home.... and something I've never knit with before...

 

 

just before I left, I had heard about dye for yarn in a ravelry in a forum. something I knew I wanted to try. funny though, it's the first I've heard of this yarn, but apparently there is a pretty huge following! I had to get 2 skeins though. this colour is so rich, and I wanted the option of knitting up something bigger if I needed. with the name hot desire, I kind of had to get more than one. ;)

 

 

 

 

I have always wanted to knit with string theory colorworks. always. and now that i'm getting into sock knitting, I would be dumb not to have bought this skein. haha. this colourway is called: solar flare.. kind of fitting since we went to so many space museums. hahah and the stripe pattern works up with 10 rows orange, 10 rows red, 10 rows yellow. weee!

 

 

 

 

 

I have had my eye on the uncommon thread for a long time. I've never ever knit with it before.. and I know I will love knitting with this skein. it's uber lux at 50/50 merino wool and silk and this colour is amazing! brassica. swoon.

 

 

 

 

 

I also wanted to be sure to buy something local to the area... and this gorgeous skein by neighborhood fiber co. just had to come home with me. the colour is edgewood, and I feel like it's one of those colourways that can change a bit depending on the lighting. it's really quite stunning. Sandra was telling me that neighborhood fibre co. has been a part of fibre space since the very beginning. i'm excited to work with this!

 

 

 

 

of course the lovely Sandra was so nice to also gift me a skein of her very own yarns! guys, if you haven't had a chance to check out her etsy shop yet, you really, really should. Sandra has such a knack for colour. and her bases are amazing! this skein is called night bokeh. it's seriously beautiful!

 

 

 

having the opportunity to meet Sandra face to face was awesome! the knitting community is such a close one, and it amazes me the people I've had a chance to meet through ravelry and the blog. we chatted at the cute nook in the shop, and the time just flew by!  Sandra managed to snag a pic of my sister holding her new yarns too... see that skein of the string theory? that's some amazing pinks and red! isn't my sister cute?

 

 

 

of course we weren't leaving without a pic ... and huge thanks to les for taking this one :) (Sandra, your camera takes awesome pics!!!) I had such a blast! and I hope to see Sandra again some day. also to have been able to share this side of me with my sister was pretty special too! (and yah, that mannequin is creepy).

 

 

so there you have it :) this was definitely a highlight for me. and i'd go back in a heartbeat! do you have a fave experience of travelling and finding the perfect yarn store? have you knit with any of these yarns before? have you had a chance to meet up with other ravelers/bloggers ? come chat! these topics make me smile. xo



a solution...



nataliedee.com

you know that time of year when you want to be super inspired by your stash... you've been collecting at some awesome markets this summer, and you can't wait to cast on for warm, cozy fall and winter knitting? you also know that feeling when you look at your stash and realize you must have just lost all sense of organization and order? bahaha. some of you like to have our skeins wound at the store 'cause it's more convenient... but now you've lost all of those ball bands? what the? 

crap.




nataliedee.com

but don't you worry. guess what I discovered today? one of my besties, Shannon, of luvintheommyhood has the best solution!! it will honestly make your day... and your stash's day too! I promise!! this solution she has makes you excited to dive into your disorganized stash and show it who's boss... with a very pretty flair!

want to see what i'm talking about? you'll have to head on over to her blog today. I promise you won't be sorry :)

and now you can really tackle your stash, get it all organized, and soooo ready for fall and winter knitting! you'll fall in love with your stash all over again... and know exactly what you have! hurrah!

as for my progress on the sskal.. well I don't feel like showing you this week. lol! I've made progress, but it's hard to see... drops alpaca is some small sport weight yarn.. (uber small I think)... and the 3.25mm make for harder-to-see progress... I promise you next week though, you'll see some great progress! i'm still loving the sweater, and still can't wait to wear it! xo

so go on over to Shannon's post today! k? and have a fab day. xoxo

ps. I just love Natalie dee cartoons, don't you?? bahahah.

getting ready...

This fall marks some huge changes for our family... lots of new things. The biggest being that my little man is starting kindergarten!! How did that happen so fast?!  I'm certainly not going to get all emotional... not here, not now (probably later though..) ... but yeah.. boo urns! However, it does call for a new sweater for him. :) (any excuse to knit!)
Several years ago I knit owen the fisherman's pullover. it's a fabulous veera pattern. (love her patterns!) And it fit him so well! he looked downright adorable I think....  see?

Anyways, sadly I hated the yarn I had used for this one. It pilled horribly. .. and he didn't get nearly as much use out of this sweater as I would have loved... so I think it's time for a re-make. He's picked the yarn... and I happen to have enough in my stash! (it's cascade eco + in a heathered purple) That in itself calls for a happy dance.

So somehow in the next few weeks, I'll pull off an amazing feat and knit him a sweater for school.... while still keeping on top of my other knitterly obligations. I can do it, right?

... besides, distractions are good... and my little man deserves this <3 daddy has to go to sea next week, and will be gone until the end of October... told you.. lots of big changes here...

How are you doing with the end of summer? Are you feeling nostalgic already for the campfires, swimming, stargazing, and late nights? I am. But I'm also really looking forward to fall. it is after all, my favourite time of the year! Even with the big changes this year ;) xo

another fab fibrations!

oh my goodness! fibrations was such a blast yet again!

there were so many fantastic vendors, and the feeling of giddiness was huge. haha my face still hurts from smiling. :) I shared a booth with Melissa of misocraftyknits this year. it was her first market, and she did so well! everyone loved her bags! guys, she had star trek project bags! trust me, they flew off the shelves in about the first 10 minutes of the event! something to definitely look out for at knit city!

 

I was able to wander around in the last 20 min or so of the event, and managed to snag a few goodies.
caterpillargreen yarns actually debuted their business at this event! I am so excited to see more of their work! I made sure to scoop up a skein of self striping called concrete and tulips. (there was another one of a kind I kept staring at... such a pretty yellow... I can't believe I left that behind!)

and of course I've been wanting to try morgan's yarns for a while now too! and these two skeins just wouldn't let me leave them there. honest. yarn talks to me sometimes. hahah. so vibrant! can't wait to see what this will become! the colourways her are goldenrod and brecknock sock. weee!! should they be a shawl? or stripey socks?? hmmmm

of course, this year I forgot to take very many photos. my hubby snapped a few after set up and then I basically forgot about the camera. sigh. so hopefully we'll see some awesome recaps of fibrations floating around the internet the next few days.

i'm already looking forward to next year's event! did you come to fibrations this year? what did you go home with? come share! xo

final prep!

Well we're into the final stages of prepping for fibrations. this weekend is going to be fun! Markets, for me, are always a blast... I like the crazy prep, the nervousness, the rushing around... I don't know why, but I do. The weather looks lovely for Sunday though! And you can bet I'll be ready to see all you fiber-loving folks!

There is something kind of magical about fibrations. Being an outdoor market is definitely part of it. If you're in the area, I highly suggest you come on by to check it out! Admission is free, and the toonie raffle is amazing! The prizes to be won are better than ever! Vendors have stepped it up a notch, and the items being offered for the raffle are enough to make anyone giggle with glee! I know I have my eye on many items! Come browse, bring a blanket.. knit in the sun,.. enjoy some of the food vendors, and shop! Sounds like a perfect weekend to me!
Here are the details again on the event!

I can't wait to see you!

have a fantastic weekend! full of sun, yarn, friends, good coffee, and heaps of smiles. xo

for him... xoxoxo

My hubby has been most patient.. and is so very supportive of my obsession passion. Honestly, not even a flinch when he accompanies me to the till at fibre space (because they awesomely offer a military discount) and pays for the $150 worth of yummy yarn. just  a smile and a loving squeeze.. to see me so happy (especially for the free bag!... but more on that in another post... promises).

 This sweet man never has knitterly demands for me... and tries his best to listen when I'm really excited over a particular stitch, or some new needles I need to have... or how the self-striping yarn stacks up. hahah . and is never. ever. concerned with what is in the stash... oh how I love him.

So really, it was high time I knit something more for him. He's gotten a few things from me in the past, but he gets warm pretty easily, and wearing the sweater doesn't happen as often as I'd like. And when my knit picks order arrived full of the felici yarns (hey.. they were having a sale..) he spotted the "building blocks" and exclaimed he'd love to see those in a pair of socks for him.  Even though I had kind of chosen that yarn as socks for me, how could I say no... he's actually asking for a hand-knit!! wahoo!

I bought the book "Socks from the Toe Up" by Wendy d. Johnson, as I had heard only so many awesome things about it .... and keep in mind, I haven't really done a lot of sock knitting... save for my skewed socks..  .. can you tell I have a thing for stripes? hee hee..

So here's the rundown:
pattern: gusset heel basic socks
(I cast on using the Turkish method)
needle: 2.25mm addi sock rockets
yarn: felici fingering self striping socks - building blocks. 2x skeins.

the Turkish cast on method is new to me, and I have to say I love it!
for my mods, see my ravelry page.

I know a lot of people like to match up the stripes so that both socks are identical, but I live on the edge here. haha I like the stripes to just happen as they want to.. maybe i'm lazy I dunno but I actually like how they look like this :)

As for the toe up.. I'm a huge fan of this method of sock knitting! I'm pretty much hooked. which is a good thing, because I kind of went crazy with scooping up all sorts of knit picks felici yarn that will be discontinued... when I see sale... it only justifies it. hah needless to say, we'll have some colourful feet in the future.

and my hubby is uber pleased with these new socks for him. they fit him great, and used up all of the yarn! hurrah!

bonus.. he wants more! bless him. It means I can buy more yarn ;) xo

are you a sock knitter? do you have a fave pattern that you always are drawn to? are you a fan of the self striping yarns? cabled socks? lace socks? oh the possibilities!! let's chat socks today! xo

i promise i've been knitting!

it's time to chat summer sweater knit along!!

although we are all well into the summer sweater knit along, let me just do my first official post about it, m'kay? haha. honestly, where has the summer gone?!? I thought I had heaps of time to do both sweaters I had in mind... but we'll see now. haha. considering i'm using 3.25mm needles i'd say I've got some serious knitting ahead of me...

but i'm up for it. because look at these lovely colours!! and this is going to be so soft and so warm when it's done!

this is certainly a sweater I have to have patience for though. not because it's difficult. it's really not ...but it's knit up in sport weight yarn. my drops alpaca I think is even smaller than what the designer originally used... and as i'm a loose knitter, I need even smaller needles (the norm for me..) I am however really enjoying this knit, and I have not gotten at all bored with the stockinette. the short rows at the beginning were such an interesting introduction to the first stripe... and i'm loving knitting with my signature needles.. (clearly i'm in love).  after knitting all day for work knitting, i'm reaching for my robin. I really am loving it! xo

as some of you know... the plan is also to knit up boxy in wollmeise..(wasabi)! and when I started a swatch in 3.5mm needles I have to say I thought it was too loose... so now i'm waiting out for my 3.25mm. good incentive to finish up the robin. :)

wanting to join in on the summer sweater knit along? you can even include your wips this year!! which is a total bonus and incentive to finish up long ago projects!!

dates: start - July 24th

          end - September 18th (but there's usually an extension so you've got heaps of time!)

 

for sign up head on over here

 

and for all other info regarding the rules... check out luvinthemommyhood's ravelry forum on it.

it's really such a blast and there are so many friends to be made! xo

tell me, how are you doing on the sskal? which sweater is on your needles?? this morning looks like an overcast day, complete with showers! we've promised my little a kung fu trial this evening before heading out for pirate pack day at whitespot...(apparently the grown ups get pirate packs too.. haha) and then drinks out with a friend... i'd say it's a good day to get some knitting done. no?

it's not my fault....

I couldn't help it. I cast on a new project... and for myself! weeee!!! I've mentioned in the past that I actually have a knitting gig that keeps me knitting almost full time (something I might be able to tell you more about in the future!! but in the meantime, just know that I knit a lot... and it's never anything that stays in the house)... I'm also doing the sskal... and I promise I'm making some progress on that... but you'll have to wait until tomorrow's post for that one....

I decided that I just needed another shawl. knitting pendulum has made me a shawl-knitter. I can't help it. I love them! There's something so very satisfying about those tiny stitches and that beautiful drape that shawls give you.... the colour options, the yarn choices... all of it. and of course, when I saw a friend's version of line break by  Veera Välimäki  I had to knit one for me.

and oh. my goodness....

I don't have to tell you how in love I am with the garter stitch do I?  Well I am. crazy in love. and paired with madelinetosh merino light in charcoal.... i'm in heaven knitting this!

I promise you though. I'm not rushing through this knit. no no no... I'm enjoying every single stitch. I actually just really needed some easy travel knitting... and this fit the bill so perfectly, so really can you blame me? i'm sure you would have done the same, in my situation.

but there are oh so many other shawls I have to knit! eeeeee!!! and I might even need to repeat some of these patterns. thankfully veera, and martina behm have many designs for me to choose from that should keep me busy for the next several years... yes, nuvem and viajante are both on my radar...  as well as many of her smaller designs... hurrah for having a stash that's mainly single skein projects!!  also, a good incentive to buy sweater quantity yarns at fibrations and at knit city. ... but that's another post entirely...
back to what's sidetracking me from everyday important duties like dinner and laundry though...

**swoon!**

I am happy to report, that all other work knitting has been getting done, even with this beauty staring at me... I am, after all a responsible knitter.... (wink wink)


how about you? are you enamored with shawl knitting as I am? do you have a fave pattern you just have to knit? come chat shawls. it's an excellent topic for today :)

fibrations!

after having the better part of 2 weeks off (really?!?) I think it's time I get back to business here, hey? now this is a bit of a reality check! I really did have such a blast on holidays. and seeing family again was amazing. I certainly hope it won't be another 2.5 years before everyone meets up again that's for sure. but of course, it makes these visits that much more special. I do have lots to share with you on the trip, and I still have heaps of photos to go through... so please bear with me while I get all of that organized...

in the meantime, it's really high time I told you about the event i'm vending at this upcoming weekend! whaaa?! yes that's right. haha i'm so sneaky.

i'm excited to be a vendor at fibrations again this year! I had such a blast last year! honestly, most of us were high on yarn fumes. it was amazing. and I sure am excited to be a part of it again this year!

for those of you who are just hearing about this event right now, fibrations is really an incredible, and fun event! it celebrates everything fibre - related. and it's oh so fun! it's not just for knitters and crocheters, (but there are heaps of us gathering there, just to be warned) but for spinners and weavers too! really anyone who just loves pretty fibery things! :)

also, there's an awesome toonie raffle that you have to be apart of! the prizes are fantastic! everyone has really been stepping it up. all of the vendors donate a beautiful item (or two or three and up!) towards the toonie raffle, and  you have a chance to win these amazing products! honestly, i'm drooling over them!

would you like to see what you could win from nook?

how about an uber squishy cowl? perfect for fall and winter and those biting winds that we get on the west coast. yes I know it's still august, but luck favours the prepared... ;) also, most of us are probably already starting to think about holiday gifting, this can be a head start on yours, or even just something for you :) xo because before you know it, you'll be buried in yarn in getting ready for the holidays. ... just sayin' ;)

all of the money from the toonie raffle goes towards this awesome event, and we want to keep it going, because really... it's awesome! and we fiber-enthusiasts unite!

so tell me, what are you up to this sunday? from say... 10-4pm? wanna come visit? it would be the best time to get inspired for your fall crafting... and get stocked up! also, i'd love it if you came to say hi! i'll be sharing a booth with the fabulous Melissa of misocraftyknits. squeeee! also, admission is free! so really, you should come ;) xo

want to find out more about this event and see the complete list of vendors? check here.  I can tell you, there are going to be a lot of fabulous vendors there! I can't wait!!!

are you getting a head start on your fall crafting? wanting to grab another fiber festival this summer?? I sure hope to see you there! I promise you'll have fun. xo

i'm back!!!

hi! remember me?

how has the time gone by so quickly?? we had such a blast in virginia! oh my goodness, it's absolutely beautiful there! and the visit with family was far too short... (as i knew it would be)... but to have had a week with them was amazing... and especially for all of the little cousins. what memories!!!!

today is only our second day back. so of course, we are feeling still jet-lagged...our travel day was 22 hrs long!!! and no sleeping for any of us...  but we're getting back into some sort of a routine. i can hardly believe though, that my hubby has to leave for sea in just 2 weeks! and then school starts. where has summer gone?!? ... that reminds me, i have to get some back to school shopping done soon.... and this of course is another milestone for our little family... kindergarten! geez there will be tears. but let's just save that for another post hey?

as for my trip? i have lots to share with you! i was pretty productive on the knitting (surprisingly, as i hadn't seen family in so long!) this would also include teaching my nieces how to knit. weeee! i promise, i didn't force them ;)

i can't wait to show you some of my goodies, and my knitterly progress, and of course some fun family photos... you have all been so patient while i've been absent... and i'm so happy to see that you've popped in here from time to time...

i did manage to remember to sign up for some classes for the upcoming knit city! wahoo! and yes, i snagged the yarn harlot's "knitting with speed and efficiency class" !!! eeks!!! (i had heard this class sold out in a matter of minutes!)

some kind of neat news, both of our laptops are being replaced... they were just getting old, and lagging, and shutting down for no reason at all... which makes blogging (and various other work) difficult, for sure...  so over the weekend, we'll be setting them up, and i'll have pics etc to show you of our trip :)

so tell me, what have you been working on while i've been away? any exciting projects? are you working hard on your sskal sweater? any selfish knitting?  how about prepping for back to school shopping? are you done yours yet? i will be trying to make up meal plans for sure...

come chat!! i've missed you so much! xoxox