Net Outage

I was without internet most of the day today, so I was running around all day dealing with that and a broken cell phone. I didn't have a chance to finish my Inspired Monday post, so I'll just have to save it for next week. I did do lots of fun sewing over the weekend, so I'll be posting some photos in the next few days with my pattern reviews. See you soon!

Cotton or Wool?

For such a long time I've wanted to make a Ripple afghan. For years though I've been more of a "finished object" knitter / crocheter instead of a "process" one. Meaning, that I was happier getting to that end result or product rather than just enjoying the process of making. A ripple afghan is seriously no project for a person that just wants to hurry up and get it done already. However, recently I've become much more of a process knitter. It's become a time for me to walk away from all the other stuff that I have going on and really meditate. And it is such a meditative thing to do. I don't really have to watch my hands anymore or count if I'm working on something simple. I can sit, knit and just "be" for awhile. My hands moving of their own accord, in such a repetitive relaxing way, it's so utterly soothing. So, I'm thinking now may be a good time to dust off my trusty hook and start a Ripple. My first hurdle though is trying to decide whether to use cotton or wool yarn. A quick Flickr search yielded some incredibly inspiring Ripples and the yarn was about evenly split between wool and cotton, so no help there. We are finally coming into the warmer months and the thought of a giant blanket on my lap made from wool makes me feel sweaty. On the other hand, the winters are so long and cold here, it would be very nice to have a wool blanket to cuddle under. So, I haven't begun and I'm already stuck. Dear friends, any suggestions? Which would you recommend?

Thrift Score

Some pretty pictures of some of the killer things I brought home with me over the weekend from the thrift store.

Inspired Mondays

I'm a little behind today with real work but I had to share this wonderful illustrator that I found via the Etsy front page last week. GollyBard offers original watercolor paintings that are insanely affordable. I would love to have one of her pieces for my home. The color palettes are so soothing and lovely. I hope you'll check out her Etsy shop!

Finding Balance

Last night I sat down to start a mate for my "Sock a month" project and realized to my utter dismay that I've lost my beloved sock recipe! You see I took a sock knitting class about four years ago this summer at Loopy Yarns in Chicago and during that class was given THE BEST recipe ever for knitting socks. It listed formulas for every weight of yarn you could imagine and was my go-to every time I knit a pair of plain socks. It was seriously dogeared and stained and falling apart and now it's gone. I get a little choked up every time I think about it. While I was frantically searching for it I did find a number of other things I thought I had lost, my old iPod for one (seriously) and much to my chagrin yet another pair of unfinished socks. However in this case I can kind of see why I didn't finish them. This was definitely a case of the yarn in the skein being much, much prettier than the knitted fabric. Still, they shouldn't go unfinished because at least they can keep my toes warm inside my boots. Problem is, I no longer have my pattern to finished them *sniff, sniff*. So I would greatly appreciate being pointed in the direction of a great basic sock pattern. And this sad little single sock would really appreciate having a mate.

All of this though brought to my attention the sheer number of incomplete projects I've got laying around. As a very lovely lady said to me earlier in the week, It's a blessing and a curse to love to do so many different things. I'm starting to realize that certain things are suffering because of my inability to stay focused on one or even two hobbies or projects. Sigh. What to do? Do any of you have this problem? How do you focus your creativity, or organize your projects so things don't get forgotten? Do I have to sacrifice something or several things to really move forward? I'll be contemplating these questions this weekend as I continue to search for my sock pattern.

On a positive note, the sun is out and I'm determined to be productive this weekend. Thank you so much to those who've stopped by and left wonderfully kind notes. You truly add something special to my day!

My Love for Yarn...

My love for yarn runneth deep. It also threatens to overrun my house. This new poster is my ode to yarn and I hope it puts a smile on your face!

Inspired Mondays

In an effort to make Mondays not so dreadful I've decided to start sharing some of the amazing artwork that inspires me. Today I'm inspired by the lovely Lizzy Stewart and her shop "About Today". Her work is so achingly beautiful it takes my breath away. I love the detail and the tiny spots of color. As soon as this money diet is through I'll be picking up a few of her pieces for myself. I hope you'll hop over to her shop and get inspired too!