Beige and Coral Baby Accessories

 

Z. modeling our Mission Falls goods for Etsy 

I had made a promise to myself that I would wait until I actually made some money selling my other projects before I purchased any new yarns. Such statements are common - sometimes I believe I actually have the willpower to follow through with them. Most often, though, I abandoned the mountain of perfectly good yarn I have stowed away in various rubber bins in search of the "perfect" color or texture for whatever design of the moment I have in my head. 

Ignoring the tiny bits of acrylic, silk, blends, bulky weights and sock yarns that have been longing to be knit into a project for years, I head over to my local yarn shop in search of some machine-washable cotton for some future baby knit.. mostly, for my own baby this time. I ended up finding some of the most gorgeous cotton ever: Mission Falls 1824.. and I found it for nearly fourty percent off the original price. 

My joy is bittersweet. This yarn really gives that vintage, homespun feel to my knitting that I've been searching for. Unfortunately, for me, the yarn is discontinued, so the search goes on.

New Online venture

 

My lack of posting lately can be blamed on the fact the I have been putting one hundred percent of my energy into a new online shop selling knitting goods for babies and children. When my daughter was born, I began knitting fun things for her to wear, mostly because I was tired of her wearing all of the pink clothing and accessories that people tend to give at showers for a baby girl. Not that she doesn't look adorable in pink, but.. I really just wanted some more color to choose from! I ordered myself some fun, colorful yarn, and got to knitting. Not long after, it seemed like every time we left the house someone wanted to know where I had purchased this or that. Finally, it occurred to me that I must not be the only one looking for something colorful, unique, and hand made and designing an Etsy shop began to consume my thoughts! In the last few hours, the shop details have been finalized, and I have received some fantastic feedback. Now, its back to knitting, spending time with my little girl, and dreaming of new designs!

Etsy: Lion and the Crab

Photos of The Lion

                                                       Project 365: Photos of My Little Lion

I haven't exactly been wordy lately. I've been spending a lot of time knitting and spending even more time trying to overcome my lack of professional instruction in photography. I've always felt a little pride at being self- taught, but lately I've been feeling the limitations of that pride. I had started Project 365 back before Zoey was even born, thinking that since I was home from work I would have plenty of time to take pictures. Oh, I had plenty of time to take pictures, but I never quite got around to uploading them.
I've come to the conclusion that I will be studying and shooting my way through these limitations. It's time to get back to reading - the manual, all those books on exposure, metering, and photoshop that I bought ages ago, and hopefully getting some critiques along the way.
Hopefully I will begin to incorporate some photos into 365 that are not just of my daughter. This is supposed to be an exercise for me to expand, after all.

Naptime Crafting

I love when Z. takes a lengthy nap; my creativity and ability to craft is directly influenced by not only the length of said naps, but by the frequency of them. Fortunately, just before Christmas, she began napping regularly. This enabled me to get lots and lots of knitting done. This piece is my favorite and one I would have loved to keep for myself had I not been commissioned already to knit it! This is a great bulky scarf with nice subtle color changes and a tweedy feel. It was my first attempt at a Basket weave pattern - Just complicated enough to keep me interested but still so simple as to glance at the television every now and then.

Things I Love

Most of my past New Years resolutions seem to come from a negative space. If I'm feeling fat, I resolve to exercise more. If I'm sick of being broke, I resolve to work harder toward that promotion or spend less time ordering drinks at the bar. The majority of the time these resolutions don't last beyond the second week of January. The beginning of this new year finds me in a slightly different state of mind than those before. This year I am overweight not because of alcoholic beverages and fried foods, but because I have so far lacked the ambition to shed these ten or so post-pregnancy pounds. And our "just above the poverty level" household income is due to the fact that we believe it's better for me to raise our infant rather than some anonymous daycare worker. Rather than dwell on the negative, I have resolved to begin the New Year with a post about things I love.

Among the things that follow, I have one big, big love of the year. I loved being pregnant. I loved feeling Zoey kick and stretch inside of me. I loved the thought that she was growing, each minute detail so perfectly created day by day. I loved the moment that I realized I was going into labor (and thought I would soon meet our little girl,) and the nearly three day experience that followed, frustrating that it was, because it meant that she was on her way.

1. The smile on my daughter's face when she wakes in the morning.
2. Seeing a wedding band again on my husband's finger. (He lost the first band last year sometime.)
3. The cobalt blue of a winter sky just after the sun has set.
4. Soft creamy paper and a fountain pen.
5. The clicking together of wooden knitting needles.
6. The rush of exhilaration when an artistic endeavor is finished, or begun.
7. Excited voices singing to God in a crowded room.
8. The quiet, electric buzz that hangs in the room when our community group is in prayer.
9. The smell of cedar and ferns and pyrite when days are dry and I am hiking.
10. Over saturation of color in French films.
11. Anything that reminds me of my Grandmother (long list, be warned...)
hot dog buns baking in the oven, needle arts, I Love Lucy, Heidi, bowling, simple German phrases, marigolds, Red Pop floats, Big Boy (especially the Slim Jim Sandwich and cup of soup she always ordered,) lunch at Jacobsen's, walking with her up and down her driveway, playing Candyland, Wheel of Fortune, & Solitaire, and dressing up in her and my Grandfather's old clothes. I so wish my daughter Zoey could have met her.
12. Pedestrian cities, even if I get a little panicky when I'm turned around.
13. Coffee from a French press.
14. Spices like Curry and Ginger.
15. The book of James.
16. Waking up before sunrise and having a purpose, somewhere to be.
17. Yoga - the way it makes me feel longer, taller and lighter.
18. Camping - the drowsiness of sitting around a campfire and the chill of the Earth after waking up in a tent.
19. The lush greenery of my Husband's Grandfather's place in the summer.
20. Driving down gravel roads in search of old architectural relics that time seems to have forgotten.

Mostly, more than anything, I love that God has given me this fantastic Husband, Daughter and life. I love that he has brought me to Him and opened my heart enough to let me fully appreciate it. I am so grateful.