Drive-Thru

Lately I find myself spending lots of time thinking about yarn. I've been knitting for about 6 years and I go through phases where I knit nonstop and then other times when I don't pick up the needles for months. Usually the winter is knitting season and the summer is for sewing. This spring though, the knitting bug seems to have no interest in departing. That's ok by me. I could spend hours clicking through Ravelry, flipping through books, dreaming and planning.The problem is, I just don't have time right now to get much done. I content myself with a few rows before bedtime or while I'm cooking meals but would really like to have uninterrupted hours in my favorite chair with my feet up and a project in my lap. A girl can dream can't she? All that said, I don't have anything new finished but I thought I'd share another project I finished over the winter. I knit this sweater in just a week in January. Granted, I was recovering from a minor surgery at the time and was able to just lay in bed and knit.

The pattern is one of my favorites and one I'll use over and over. It's the Drive -Thru sweater by Wendy Bernard. It's knit with Cascasde 220 so it's fast and the resulting fabric is soft and durable. There are truly endless ways you could customize this pattern and that's one of the reasons I love it! I'd knit it once before in the wide faux-isle stripes but this time wanted to challenge myself. I've kept this sweater in my favorites for years, wanting to make something similar. I adapted some of her beautiful charts from here wanting to incorporate more purple. I still find colorwork a challenge but I felt like I made definite improvements working on this. Even though the kiddo picked out the colors and declared it "awesome!" I don't think she's worn it once. Ah well, I made a larger size so it'll fit her next year hopefully too. Sometimes the best part of knitting is the journey and not the end result.

I've really reached a point in my life where I'm craving simplicity and quiet. Our days are so incredibly hectic, I'm constantly frazzled and stressed trying to fit everything in. I guess I'm afraid of life passing me by, so I want to do as much as I can, to fill each day to the brim. But am I enjoying it? Not so much. I feel that a lot of things are being left out, like reading with my kids, playing games, cooking healthy wholesome meals, knitting, sewing, reading my own books, all things that are so incredibly important to me. There's just no time these days. I know that everyone struggles with these things, how do you all juggle it?

Springtime in Hollis

Thank you so very much everyone who left such kind comments on my last post. I can't tell you how much that means to me! Right now I feel so very unsure about so many things that it's so heart warming to know that I still have you all to talk to regardless. It feels as though Spring is taking her time coming this year, even with the sun out today it's chilly and I'm glum. Every time I turn on the the TV or hop on the internet all I see are the extremely horrific images of the damage in Japan. I can't even begin to imagine the fear of losing your home, or having the health of you and your children put at riskbecause of radiation. My heart aches for them and I feel selfish for being down about silly things like wishing I didn't have so many bills, or wishing that I didn't have so much laundry to do. I made a donation today to the Red Cross. It wasn't much but every little bit helps and it felt good to be able to give even that small amount. It gave me hope.

But, because I don't want to leave on a sour note here's a little knitting. It's the small things in life that are beautiful and I must remember it's the small things (like knitting) that make life so wonderful!

This is for my little red head, the color perfectly matches her hair and I almost wish she'd grow a little faster so she can wear it. I finally broke down and ordered some Quince & Co. yarn for this project. I absolutely love the yarn and the finished project. I'll definitely be buying more of their scrumptious fibers. And the gorgeous little dress underneath is from one of my favorite designers EVER, Heather of Skinny LaMinx fame. Here's the Ravelry link for more details.

Where I've been, Where I'm Going...

Wow, 5 Months. It's been 5 whole months since I abandoned this blog. I'm sorry for leaving without a word, without a "goodbye, see you soon." I got swept up in a tornado and I'm only now touching down again. Let me start by saying that I'm fine, the family is fine, the kids are more than fine! Nothing bad has happened. First and foremost I blame my absence on THESE GIRLS. Yes, I lost my mind and went and joined the local Roller Derby league. Not only did I join the league as a skater I became the league Creative Director, managing and designing posters, trading cards, merchandise, etc. etc. Roller Derby has completely taken over my life. But you won't hear me complaining. I'm happy and fulfilled at this moment. I've gotten myself out of the house, I've met some really incredibly amazing women and I've even managed to lose some weight and get in shape! Woohoo!

Secondly, I blame my absence on one big old fashioned case of "burnout". The summer season of farmer's markets, culminating with Renegade in September and wholesale orders just did me in. I was such a massive ball of stress for so long that I just fizzled out. The blog started to feel like a chore and I needed a break. I never imagined it would be such a long one.

So, that's where I've been. As far as where I'm going? I really don't know yet. I greatly miss you all, my crafting friends. I've been knitting like crazy in what tiny bits of spare time I have so maybe I'll try to share some of those projects with you. Or maybe I'll tell you a little bit more about my Roller Derby adventures. As far as the Etsy shop goes... well... I'm taking a break. Making things for kiddos has gotten a bit scary with all of the new legislation so I think that those days for me are over. To me, it's not worth the stress or the worry. This saddens me but also excites me because I feel this as a new beginning. There are SO many things I would like to do. There WILL be a new shop at some point...Whether it's still "June Craft" remains to be seen. I've got ideas and plans spewing out of my brain, have been making endless lists and sketches and I'm excited about the possibilities. I hope I haven't lost you my friends and I hope you'll welcome me back into your world a little at a time.

Happy March!

Hoot! An Owl Tote

Recently I was super lucky as to work with Michelle from Cloud9 Fabrics on this awesome project. Michelle designed this adorable little owl tote to showcase their beautiful fabrics. I got to write the pattern and design the layout. I had a blast because not only did I get to work with Michelle, whom I greatly admire but I got to make this awesome bag first! I made mine with some vintage fabric and yellow canvas I had on hand and I love the way it turned out. This pattern would work so well with so many different fabric combinations. I even heard it suggested that this would make a great Halloween Trick-or-Trick bag! I think that's a fabulous idea and would look so cute made from felt or other Halloween themed material. It's a super quick project (about an hour) and would make really great holiday gifts. You can purchase the pattern here!

More Printing....

The baby took two marathon naps today, probably because of the cold rainy weather. (Boy, I could have used a nap too...) But, I was able to get a TON of printing done, yahoo! Another new shirt and a two color poster for the mister's band. I'm having a blast!

Totes in the Shop! - And Why I'm Behind with Kids Clothes Week

These pretty new screen printed totes are now in the shop!

I know, I know, I'm dreadfully behind on Kids Clothes Week posts... I honestly haven't gotten much sewing done in the last few days. I have hopes though that I will be able to finish at least a few more things for the kiddos before the Sunday deadline. I've been so super busy this week working on projects for friends. One big one is still a secret but I should be able to share it with you next week. The other is designing and printing new shirts for my husband's band. I'm sure I've mentioned it but he's an upright bass player in a rockabilly band. Those guys and their wives are like our second family and I've been busting my tail this week to get shirts printed for an upcoming gig. I finished these girly tees in the wee hours of this morning. I'm still learning the ropes but I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out being my very first two color shirt! I've got the guys shirts to print and several posters also. I'll share those with you when they're done! Hope everyone is having a really wonderful Friday!

Kids Clothes Week - Day 2

I've been wanting to try making some of these super cute reconstructed kids tees for ages but I've been a) terrified of working with knits, b) terrified of non-pattern sewing and c) too busy. Since I had a full evening last night to myself (yay for the mr.'s band practice nights!) I thought "what the heck, I'll give it a shot". I have a tub full of thrifted tees and knit scraps, so I just went for it and to my great surprise it turned out better than expected! My sewing is still a little wonky, I'm still working on not pulling the knit while sewing but for the most part I was able to iron out any puckering. I started by cutting of the sleeves and collar. Then I cut the diagonal section out to make it look like a raglan style shirt. I used the pieces I cut as templates to cut new pieces and it worked perfectly. My only wish is that I had, had a few more knits in girly colors to make this a little more girly. Adding the ruffles at the bottom definitely helped with that though, even if they don't really match. Best of all, the big girl LOVED it! Success. She wore it to school this morning over jeans. It's totally her style, a little kooky. I'm going to try to get to the thrift store today for supplies to make a few more.