weekend!!

friday already?! though i always look forward to the weekend, i wish time didn't have to fly by so fast. that always happens as we get older, hey?

so what do you have planned for your weekend? last weekend, as you know.. we went camping. but i sadly didn't get much knitting accomplished. surely this weekend will be different! i'm determined to make it so, no matter how much we have planned. tonight we have a bbq with friends, tomorrow we have a bday party to go to in the park, and sunday we have another bbq with my hubby's slo-pitch team. not to mention there are games throughout the weekend for hubby's tourney. yah. busy. but thankfully knitting is portable!!

i'm excited for this weekend though :) it's been so long since i've seen my friends, and it will be so nice to spend time with them! let's hope i have something to show you come monday, hey?

just a little bit of yarn yey candy to inspire you for the weekend ;) ....what are you working on? come chat! i'd love to hear of your weekend plans. and if they include any crafting? xoxo

crazy proud!

i'm sure a lot of you know that i also teach knitting at a local craft store. it's actually a fabric store (which used to be a yarn store back in the '80's). a lot of my students are avid quilters, and are very talented in the crafting department. honestly sewing is something i'd love to be good at,but i'm pretty much a deer in the headlights with my sewing machine. lol!

anyways, there is this one particular woman who took my intro to knitting a while back... and she admittedly told me she didn't like knitting, and was really there only for the social aspect. ha! gotta love that kind of honesty! in the past she had tried knitting before, but had a really bad introduction to it. she's also the kind of person who doesn't really like following a pattern.

guys, she's got a serious creative side. she loves to take things and run with it! well after my class, i'm happy to say that she honestly decided to give knitting another chance, and she has really run with it!
one of the things she wanted to tackle were cowichan sweaters. now that's ambitious!
guess what. she's knit 3 of them! 3! and all in adult sizes.

it's always nice to give encouragement wherever possible. i certainly didn't want her to loose her fire. so when she asked me to help with seaming, and knitting and adding button bands, i was more than happy to oblige.
now she has 2 beautiful cardigans to gift to her family overseas.

there have been a few bumps along the road... learning the importance of gauge, of how to carry the alternating colour strands behind, and more importantly the importance of sticking with the project... and that all of her efforts are so worth it!

granted.. she admitted to be very happy to see these sweaters finished... but she's learned that process knitting is incredibly educational. i'm so proud of her! and that spark is still very much alive in her! i'm so glad she gave knitting another chance! aren't you??

i'd say it's a job very well done! xo i can't wait to see what she knits up next!

what's on your needles today? are you a fan of the cowichan style sweaters? come chat! xo

zoom

an oldie, but one of my faves.

tell me, how is it that this summer is speeding by oh so quickly? honestly, we're half way through july already!! how did that happen? ok well i'll just stand here in shocked silence for a bit longer while i try to cram even more fun into my summer. hahah oh yes, that's probably why it's gone by so fast. we are making ourselves so busy! but it's ok. we're busy with good stuff... fun stuff!! but it's one of the reasons why i've been a little bit quieter in this space. i've always wanted to maintain a 5 day blogging week, but i have to admit --- that's uber hard in the summertime! so i'm not stressing it.

instead, i'm enjoying as much summer family time as i can get my hands on, and i know you'll understand. because well, you're awesome. my hubby actually has to go away at the end of summer. he'll be gone until the end of october, so you can see why we're filling our days with camping, and travel, and just plain old family time...  the last time he went to sea for a longer period of time was about 3 years ago, so owen really won't remember... the adjustment might be a tough one, we will see..

welcoming daddy home 3 years ago

of course, i want to be prepping as well for the fall, because that's our prime knitting chaos calendar! so on the side, i've been tinkering away at something special.

i have been busy working away on test knits, and sample knits as well... and let's not forget my work knitting! and of course, the summer sweater knit along starts in about 2 weeks! so yah, there's that too. i'm still hoping to pull off a market or two this winter. (i'm actually in a market coming up in august!! more on that on a later post though) so my hands are always busy. and i love it that way.

the best part is that this obsession i have is portable! so i can bring it along with me to all of our family adventures. yes. all. ;) admit it, you love that part about knitting too! ;)

so i've got a few goodies coming up. so don't loose heart (or patience) with me. k?

and in the meantime, tell me.. what is on your needles? are you taking part in the sskal with luvinthemommyhood? what will you be knitting? what are you filling your summer days with? i've got bon jovi's "summertime" in my head, wishing for that beach blanket and bottle of wine... and knitting ;) xo

fireside... almost!

can i get a hip hip hurrah for the weekend! yeah, i can.  :) it's been a productive week for me! i got heaps of knitting done, and my list is looking more in control! we switched rooms for owen... and the yarn room is really getting there! i'll be able to show you soon! also, we've been getting a hole repaired in our kitchen. the plumber had to make a hole to get to the valve to lower our water pressure. it's been a bit of a headache... and a lot of drywall dust. but the painting will be done next week, and it will be like nothing ever happened there. (hopefully). haha.
but we're excited to be packing up and going camping this weekend! we could use a bit of quiet i think! i'm so excited to be camping on the west coast too. i just love it here. we are so very lucky and blessed to live here.

this is from last summer's camping trip up island in salmon point.

i'm looking forward to selfish knitting! hello summer sweater kal! tell me, are you joining in? what will you be knitting?
i've got some ambitious plans, but i'll divulge them in another post. i'm such a tease, i know ;)
tell me, what are you up to this weekend? i've got some campfire marshmallows to roast, and lots of knitting to do, and a 5 year old to chase around....

wishing you a wonderful, restful weekend.. hopefully full of yarn and fresh air! xo

finding inspiration...

if you're a follower of nook. on facebook, you will have noted that i did a crazy thing earlier this week.. (as in on monday...). i had been thinking of switching my little man's room and the yarn room around for a couple of years. his room just got too warm... and i'm sure it was not helping him settle on these hot summer nights. (hot for victoria... really i shouldn't be complaining). so i decided to finally switch the rooms. and i'm so so glad i did! though it was a massive job....  owen's new room is considerably bigger, and better suited to his needs. he's been spending so much time in there just playing. also, the yarn room is now just that. a yarn room. i was able to keep the extra toys in his room, so i feel less cluttered in here, and much happier to spend time in this space. it still has a little ways to go, but i'm so happy with this space already!
and now i finally feel that i can look for and find the inspiration i need...

i've always been the kind of person who's productivity is very influenced by my environment. i need order and cleanliness to be productive... i feel like i can finally start to breathe, and keep on top of my obligations. as you know, i do a lot of work knitting.. as well as sample knitting and test knitting... but i so have been wanting to dapple a little more in the designing department. now i finally feel like i can see, and find the inspiration i've been looking for.

it's so nice to see the yarns i have on hand.. to be surrounded by such colour, i just love it! it's just a sneak peek for you... i want the room to look just right before i show it all off to you. but it's a pic of some of my stash.
now if you'll excuse me... i've got some fibers to hug, and knitting to do!

are you a person in need of order to be productive? do you feel inspired by your stash? come chat! it's my fave topic ;) xo

i really should go organize the yarn.... but....

figuring out this balance thing in the summertime is a tough one! i can not believe how fast the days are flying by. we just keep packing in as much as we possibly can, and in the meantime, my yarn room is needing some very very serious attention.
it's a disaster zone. and it's probably unsafe to go in there. (lol... sort of)... and i still can't bring myself to take a picture of it... sorry...

(this one will have to do... it gives me better vibes. lol)

the afternoon sun comes into my little man's bedroom, and then makes his room the hottest in the house. he's finding it hard to settle at night, and i'm actually considering switching the two rooms. his room for the yarn room. but it's a ton of work.  the other room would be a bit bigger for him... and we could keep his toy kitchen in there as well... and he'd be much cooler.
buying an a/c unit is really not on the table. victoria doesn't get all THAT hot... and certainly not for very long. so i feel it's something we really don't need. the bonus is also that i'd get an opportunity to do a serious purge. (i'm weird like that... in that seeing this as a good thing... it's really more work which i don't have a lot of time for... but in the long run, order and less stuff is soooo appealing to me)...

this of course means, that it includes purging some yarn. but before you get all excited... my really nice yarn stays. ha. i have a lot of yarn i've been holding onto for years... to make afghans? i dunno. lots have been given to me, but really it's not the stuff i like knitting with any more... i've grown in my knitting... and my yarn preferences....  but i still hate the thought of throwing it out. i can still think of some uses for it, but mostly it's just taking up too much space... and therefore making the room feel overwhelming.. ... so i'm thinking of donating it. it's mostly worsted weight stuff... and dk stuff...
but right now thinking about it makes me want to just close the door....

but really i should get it done and organized... because before i know it, fall will be here and knitting will be even more fast and furious. besides, i need more room for the yarn that i love... and i might have just ordered more...

how do you keep yourself organized... do you organize by colour, by project, by weight? how do you store your yarns? let's chat... it's helping me to procrastinate ;) xo

home!

and i'm back!!!! oh my goodness, it feels as though i've been gone FOREVER! i don't think i've ever gone this long without posting since i've started this blog. it feels strange... and so so good to be back! we actually got back on wednesday.. but yesterday was a big catch up in laundry, and cleaning, and grocery shopping. today i'll be spending some time on the balcony tending to my plants, and getting some knitting in!

this was taken at around 10pm!!

speaking of knitting.... you bet i've been a busy one while we were away! i have to admit, i was feeling pretty frustrated with sock knitting. not because i hadn't found a pattern i liked, but more because of the pair i was working on... i really wasn't digging the yarn... :( so it sits at just one sock at the moment. i was knitting with knit picks chroma. and i just find it to be too thick and too fuzzy for me. who knows, i might change my mind come fall and winter... but in the warmer weather, i just didn't want to knit with it... so i ended up ordering more yarn from knit picks (always a happy package!) and my husband spotted the felici in building blocks.(it seems they are discontinuing that colour too!)... i kind of bought it for socks for me... but he immediately thought they were awesome and wanted them for his feet. hahah. of course, any excuse to knit for him, i take... so i cast on at the airport, and instantly became addicted to socks once again! hurrah!

though i had work knitting that needed my attention, i had a hard time putting these socks down! i just wanted to see one more stripe! i am just about finished the first sock now... the heel had to be redone a few times... as i had to change some numbers in the pattern... (i promise to give a full review and post once the socks are completed and we have some fun photos to boot) .... but i'm really pleased with my progress, considering i did in fact work on my other knitting that needed to be done.

and with temperatures sitting at around 34 degrees i'm amazed i was still knitting (well no... not really, we all know i would probably knit in any circumstance. any weather, any situation.... i actually feel a sense of anxiety if i don't have some knitting with me now... totally normal behavior though, for a hard core knitter... no?)

as for the running? sadly, i didn't get any runs in. but come this weekend, that will change. i've had to take a few days to recoup... and get this house in order... you know how it is.

we had a lovely canada day celebration while we were out camping with my husband's family, it was nice to sit by the fire, knitting in hand...  the only thing i could do without was the bugs... all of the rain alberta has been getting has made those mosquitoes and horseflies vicious. but i'm quick like a ninja... most of the time... unfortunately my little man had many itchy bites... we are sure happy to be back on the island where we don't have to worry about that now :) and have some milder temperatures too...

it's always nice to go away, but it's so nice to come home again, isn't it? 
tell me, what are your plans this weekend? i'd love to hear from you! what are you working on? any f.o's to share? anything new on your needles, and hooks? i'm itching to start another shawl i think! come chat... i've missed you so!!! xoxoxo