Making Me Smile This Week 6.26.09

Freestyle sewing- no patterns needed- so liberating, and fun! (Although it does steal some time away from the knitting...)

Kids laughing and splashing in the pool.

Homemade cole slaw- I love this recipe (it has buttermilk! I love buttermilk.) I will never again spend $3 for a jar of someone else's cole slaw dressing, not if I can help it. Sorry, no pic, I always eat it all too fast... seriously. (And I don't have the first clue about how to take a nice picture of cole slaw...)

Kids drawing birds.

Blueberry Scones- Why did I wait so long to bake these for the first time?

4 yr old's family portrait.


Sun tea. Yep. Summer has officially arrived.

Happy knitting-
ali

My Summer 2009 Knitting Goals & Contest Winners

I kept meaning to get my own knitting goals for the summer down on paper, but I kept getting sidetracked with 101 other things- that should tell me something. Something like keep it slightly simpler this season, time is fleeting, and my main goal for this summer is to enjoy the time with my family. That being said- I still intend to knit, and probably quite a bit. So here goes:

1. Baby J needs a new hoodie
2. Little M will need a Bulky jacket for fall
3. Some fancy mittens, pour moi!
4. Bulky mittens, pour moi aussi, for winter driving (I'm a major cold wimp, especially in the fingers department, no, especially in the any part of my body department)
5. 1 pair of socks for my husband
6. Cozy hats, in Worsted, for my 3 big guys (husband included)
7. New summer tank
8. Second Skinny Dyed shrug (and publish pattern)
9. A short sleeve variation...
10. Second (bigger!) stripey Sport Weight Baby J vest (and publish pattern)
11. A Felicity hat, or two... by Wanett Clyde
12. An Elefante, by Susan B. Anderson
13. A couple lacy washcloths, because little knit luxuries are so sweet
14. Ingenue, by Wendy Bernard
15. Tiny Brocade Cardigan, by Ann Weaver
16. A couple pairs of socks for Baby J (publish freebie pattern)
17. Design and knit a coordinating hat
18. Design and knit some short sleeve cardigans for the girls
19. Design and knit a zippered ribbed raglan for at least one boy
20. Design and knit a summery Cotton cardigan

I think that's enough for now (or maybe the next 2 years, we shall see.) I also have way too much sewing planned, some new recipes to try, a struggling garden to tend, picnics to have, and a host of other things to fill up my summer days. It will be snowing again before I know it- it always happens that way...

And for the news you've all been reading for- a random sequence has been generated, and the winners are, in order, The BeanQueen, Janice, aka The Viking Princess, and the non-blogging quiet Raveling, Purple. Congrats- and thanks for playing!

I really hope you have all been a little motivated with the goal setting exercise. Please, please, don't pressure yourselves. This isn't about setting yourself up for dismal failure, but rather, about having some clarity and focus in our knitting and various other creative endeavors. Now, on to the knitting, and don't forget to enjoy your summer!

Happy knitting-

ali

2009 Summer Knitting Goals Contest

Totally random pic, simply because it made me laugh!

It's that time of year again. While warmer temperatures have already moved in, the official start of Summer 2009 is just around the corner, and that can only mean one thing, at least in the tiny world that revolves around me.

It's time to set some summer goals, more specifically, knitting goals.

You may remember some lofty goals from previous years. I'm a list maker. I'm lost without a list. I forget things like buns for the burgers without a list. I'm also a goal setter. I believe in putting a little pressure on myself, for without it I would end up spending most of every day with a good book, magazine, or movie, eating pizza- with paper plates.

New Year's resolutions aren't good enough for me. They're great for a week or two, but I need something more, like quarterly progress reports, so I set quarterly goals, even monthly and weekly at times, and I'm not just talking about knitting. Research has shown that people who make goals tend to be more productive and more successful, and those that actually write them down are even more so. I don't accomplish even half of what I set out to do, but with my slightly thought out goals I accomplish more than I ever would without them.

Here's where the fun comes in- incentives, it's like a Tupperware party, except you don't have to sell anything. You don't even have to achieve your goals, just set some, even one. This annual contest is specifically about summer knitting goals -what to you hope to knit by summer's end?- but don't let that limit you, feel free to add goals in any area of life that needs a little more intentional living.

I'm working on a few more goodies to add to the packages, but here's what we're starting off with-

Package #3-

• 1 skein of Suri Merino from Blue Sky Alpacas, in Cloud
• 1 copy of the Tie Sweater pattern
• 1 cute little bar of very special natural soap
• some form of chocolate
• a lovingly handcrafted notecard

Package #1-

• 2 skeins of Skinny Dyed from Blue Sky Alpacas, in Pink
• 1 copy of the Simple Raglan pattern
• 1 copy of the Skinny Cardigan pattern
• 1 cute little bar of very special natural soap
• some form of chocolate
• 2 lovingly handcrafted notecards

Package #1-

• 3 skeins of Dyed Cotton (my favorite!!) from Blue Sky Alpacas, in Expresso
• 1 copy of the Fitted Tank pattern
• 1 copy of the Eyelet Cardigan pattern
• 1 copy of the ever adorable Baby Bobbi Bear pattern
• 1 copy of the so cute I can hardly stand it Knit Chickens pattern (by the very fun and talented Susan B. Anderson!)
• 1 cute little bar of very special natural soap
• some form of chocolate
• 4 lovingly handcrafted notecards

One of my goals (hehe) is to make the packages bigger and better each year! I'm having fun thinking of things to add...

I'm working on my list (always!) and will post it early next week. Now it's your turn. Set a goal (or 2 or 3), post a list (with a link back here), leave a comment, then on to the knitting, and the living, one day at a time, one moment at a time. Enjoy it.

Happy knitting-
ali

***Extra details- leave a comment by midnight June 21st, the first day of summer. Each comment will get a number and I'll use a random number generator to pick the winners. If your number comes up, I'll head to your blog and check for your goals list, if I can't find one, I'll go to the next number (so don't forget to post!)... If you're blogless, what is wrong with you?! Totally kidding! I guess you'll just have to leave a list here in the comments, no biggee, that'll work.

If This is Global Warming...

Here's a sneak peak pic of my new easy-peasy wrist and legwarmer pattern featuring Spud & Chloe's Sweater. I'll get the free pdf put together as soon after TNNA as I can manage.

Highs in the mid-50s in June? What's up with that? This week we're looking at mid-60s. This is definitely not going to make the sad looking peppers or tomatoes in the garden very happy, but it does give the girls an excuse to wear their legwarmers. And I was worried about the heat exhaustion that could come from the photo shoot on a hot sunny day and kids covered in wool...

I've got 2 sets done, the 3rd set is fighting with a vest and a couple hats for my attention. I've never been one for project monogamy.

I have no idea how I'm going to capture decent pics with all of the girls (they can wiggle and squirm with the best of 'em), but the youngest was sure cute running around Saturday morning in her bloomers (come on, bloomers on little girls are too cute, you know it) and her wrist and legwarmers, an admittedly odd mix of old-fashioned and funky that perhaps only a 2 yr old can pull off...

Working on organizing my life this week, so I guess that makes it like almost any other week, except that I'm trying to be a bit more intentional about it. Decluttering, making lists, looking at the calender, menu planning, cleaning, filing, school planning, it's never-ending, and the work doesn't get up and do itself. Grrr...

And knitting, there's always knitting, and getting caught up with the rest of life enables more knitting with less guilt... So, off for another 15 minutes of real work, then some down time with yarn and needles (I am enjoying playing with all of the new yarns from Spud & Chloe!), and since the weather is cooperating (50.4 degrees outside at this very moment), maybe some cookies?

Happy knitting-

ali

Legs Warm Enough For Now

We've been enjoying some warm days, wind and all, mixed with a few refreshingly cool ones. It's important for us to get some good outside time under our belts now, before the mosquitos move in for the summer and we become prisoners in our own basement.

For now, it's been fun watching the apple trees blossom and the maple trees release their 'helicopters'. And the birds. We love watching, and listening to, the birds. I was out back Saturday morning and a barn swallow flew so close to me that I could have reached out my hand and touched it, and no, I am not exaggerating. It was slightly startling. I love when they fly so low to the ground that you can see the brilliant blue of their backs shining in and reflecting the sun. So cool.

I've got my second set of wrist & legwarmers, in the new Spud & Chloe 'Sweater', on the needles. This set is for my current 2 year old, Little M. The first set was for the 6 yr old, Miss G. That leaves the 4 & 8 yr olds, and myself, if I want to fit in.

In garden news, we managed to get some broccoli, 36 hot pepper plants, and six 36 ft rows of corn in today. We're almost done. I do believe this will be our biggest garden ever- and with our friends coming up to plant and tend a huge section, it really looks big! (Ours in 40 ft x 120 ft, and theirs is 20 ft x 100 ft) And that's not including the strawberry bed, or should I say strawberry field? It keeps growing, and I keep letting it...

In other news, my hip is somewhat better. Recovery may be hampered by the fact that I'm not going to wear my Danskos in the garden! My chiropractor is just going to have to understand...

Happy knitting-

ali