Kinda Sorta Fresh Start

Hi Knitters,

It has been one painful process to basically pull everything last thing out of the majority of our house and store it in boxes and bins in the garage, other rooms and the basement. That's not fun. However, the worst part is to reorganize, pitch, donate and determine what to save out of the stuff our family of six has collected over the last 20 years. This is the part that is most difficult for me. At times I am at a complete loss as to what to do with precious items that we really don't have room for but that I can't let go. I am talking about things like artwork, stories and all sorts of creations, photos of sports teams, cherished toys and childhood stuff in general. I don't know if anyone will want any of that in the future but I struggle getting rid of it. It's tough.

On a positive note, I have been finding and rediscovering lots and lots of fun things along the way. For example, the project above is a simple stockinette stitch shawl I started many years ago. It is made with Blue Sky Alpacas sport weight. I should finish this up as it is really lovely and mindless knitting. I think I'll bring it along to a soccer game this afternoon. I have found unfinished mittens, sweaters, scarves, hats and socks. Yes, those are all plural. I just need a little more time in the day. That's all.

The funniest thing about all of the unrest and chaos the house renovation has caused has been putting my old, heavily used (okay, downright junky) stuff back into the fresh and new rooms. It seems right and wrong at the same time, maybe more wrong than right. So it's a kinda, sorta fresh start for our family. What are you going do? I say embrace what you've got, right?

Anyhoo, I have had lots of requests for more photos of the renovation and I will do that. I want to wait until I have things back in place and until the house is actually finished. The kitchen is turning out better than I imagined. I have some tile on order from an awesome Madison tile store called, Tile Art on Monroe Street. The owner focuses on working as green as possible and uses materials produced locally and in the United States. I like that.

The tile I picked for the back splash is going to be so cool. It is stone and the rectangular pieces are long-ish, 6 inches or so and skinny (about 1.5 inches wide). It is in variegated shades of light green called, Ming Green. The grout is going to be a light gray. Yum. The tile will be the finishing touch for the kitchen project. Can't wait for that. Yeah, can't wait. It's like putting the frosting on the cake.

I still have workers at my house everyday from early morning to the late afternoon or beyond. This has been going on since mid-July and there is still much to be done. Progress is being made, sometimes at a snail's pace and sometimes quick as lightening. It just depends on the day. I am ready for it to be completed and to have some serious alone time. Peace and quiet are calling my name. Loudly.
Now, my sister and I started our basic quilting class last week at The Stitcher's Crossing. I am so glad my sister is there with me because she makes me laugh. I need that. The class is three hours long and meets three times total, once a week. My sister was concerned about going for three hours without eating. See, it makes me laugh just writing that. She is a snacker or a grazer, eating little amounts all throughout the day. Me? I just eat something to fill up a bit and then I don't think about eating again for a really long time.

During the class she definitely needed her snack break. She was starting to act a bit drained about mid-class so I actually had to remind her to stop and eat something. She snapped right back into action after her snack time. So funny! She's just like a little kid. We had a good time at our first class and we have a cutting fabric assignment for next week. I'll take some photos to share of our projects once we get going a bit more.

New topic, Alison Stewart-Guinee was kind enough to send me a copy of her new book, Fairy Tale Knits. I was touched that she wanted me to have a copy. Thank you, Alison. The book is adorable and there is a wide variety of projects for kids including lots of sweaters and accessories. Some of them are easy and some are more challenging. There is something for everyone. There are pirates, queens, mermaids and fairies along the way.

I adore the cover shot. It sets the mood for the book. The book is put together in a fairy tale-like way, of course. The binding and the pages and the feel in general give the feeling of an old-fashioned storybook. Love that.
This is my favorite project in the book. It is a crown hat that you can make with the hat underneath the crown or you can just make the crown part separately. Check out Alison's book if you are feeling like taking a wonderful storybook adventure with your knitting. Congratulations to Alison!

Take care, everyone.

best, susie

Birthday Wishes

Hi Knitters,

My second child turned 16 years-old last weekend. We spent most of the weekend celebrating this milestone with him. It's hard to believe he's mine. He's more fun than anyone I've ever known. He works hard and plays harder.

I simply want to thank him.

It's quite a process to see your babies become older and turn into capable, happy adult-like people. Parenting in general conjures up words in my mind like big-huge love, fun, laughter, excitement, adventure, worry, thrill, pride, hope, future, joy, tears, the hardest work I'll ever know, chaos, noise, silence, contentment... home.

How about you?
I thought you would get a kick out of this sight. The Collector often leaves me in charge of her baby when she is gone at school. This is the view from my chair this morning and lots of mornings. I don't pay much attention usually but today the sight of that baby wrapped up to the chin sitting next to me made me laugh. She just put her baby next to my chair and didn't say a word about it. Love that. Then when she gets home she always asks me how the baby was during the day. I always tell her perfect and that the baby didn't make a peep. The Collector smiles every time.

That's another toy I'm knitting away on in my bag. Knitted toys are coming out of my ears. I never imagined that toy knitting would become a focal point of my design work. It is a happy and welcome development no question.

You can see the (poorly lit) new wood floor in my studio. I'm pretty excited about it. I had a painted sub-floor ever since I ripped out the awful old carpeting from the previous owners many, many years ago. I just made do and I figured anything would be better than stinky old carpet. The trim and the floor boards need to go back in so I have not fully moved back into my tiny little room just yet. Hopefully by the end of the week I can get settled and freshly organized.
It's a dark rainy day here and I don't have my lighting set back up but I am in love with the new paint color in my studio. It is a Sherwin-Williams color called Open Air. It looks like the clearest blue sky you would ever hope to see. Fresh.

I have a few fun links to share:

For all of you dinner cookers like me, here is a list of links for a bunch of tried and true casserole recipes that you will want to keep around. Jaime made every recipe on the list and verifies that each one is delicious. I trust this girl.

Berroco has an incredible pattern booklet available for little girl sweaters. I really like this one.

Eunny Jang, the editor of Interweave Knits, has a new downloadable scarf pattern that I am crazy about. I really want to knit this one up! It's a snowflake fair isle scarf knit in the round with chunky yarn. Gorgeous!

I am starting my quilting class this week. I thought that my house would be finished by now and it's not. I have packed up all of my sewing stuff including my machine. It could be a challenge to find the space to work free of dust and construction workers. I am still excited to take a class and learn new things. I'll just have to do the best I can. I may not get an "A" in the class but I am sure I will absorb a lot of information. My sister is taking the class, too, which makes it all the more worthwhile. I get to spend time with one of my favorite people doing something fun. Good stuff.

I hope you all have a happy and productive day!

best, susie

Knitting Up a Storm. Really.

Hi Knitters,

It may not seem like it from the looks of this blog lately but I assure you that I have been knitting up a storm. Here is a little proof of that. I finished up another big toy project in the middle of the night last night. It is cool and fun and literally cool, if you catch my drift. I couldn't sleep worth a darn last night so I used the time for good at least. I am hoping for better tonight.

You may or may not know this but I have been adding some new knitting videos to my YouTube account. Check it out here if you are interested. I have recently added videos showing the knit stitch, purl stitch and the long tail cast on with binding off coming soon. The funny thing about showing how I do these basic knitting skills is the response. I know that I do things a little differently because I taught myself to knit and I mean I was all by myself. I basically made stuff up.

When someone writes me a note saying that I knit just like they do I wonder if this could be true but it must be. That makes me feel good for some reason. Now, I've never seen anyone purl like me. Since I just posted this video today I am waiting to see if someone says they purl like me. I'll let you know or... maybe it's you? Purling twins.

Different subject. I love the color combinations shown in some glorious skeins of yarn at this spot. Incredible, right? Makes you want to dig in.

Good night, Knitters.

best, susie

Gliding

Hi Knitters,

When we were in Door County we rented this pair of aqua bikes. We had never seen this type of bike/paddle boat before. We all took turns riding for an hour or so and it was really fun. There were single bikes, too. You could go farther and a lot faster and far more comfortably than on a traditional paddle boat. Gliding along.
Here are all four kids on the bikes. I don't know, I just found these interesting, maybe you've known about aqua bikes for awhile and I am behind the times in aqua bikes. Could very well be.

I have been collecting links for you again. There is never-ending crafting inspiration on the internet, we really are lucky. I can't ever get over all of the creative talent out there in the world. I wonder what my life would have been like if when I was growing up all of these crafting resources had been available at my fingertips. I'll never know but I imagine it would have been very different for me. I may have gotten started on my current path a lot earlier in life. It's kind of fun to think about.

Here you go with some top-notch links:

Salty handmade caramels on etsy- I am ordering these for sure. Salt AND caramel? Yes.

Edible Distractions blog - food and fun around the town and her Friday Favorites can't be missed. This is where I bookmark a lot of links.

Posie's simple square patchwork quilt- beyond perfect.

A site I enjoyed looking through-fabric-design-buttons-bags.

A polymer clay craft I want to do with The Collector.

Halloween ghost craft I may do with the Girl Scouts

Sculpy magnets-a must do craft with the kids

The cutest felt needle (sewing) book I've ever seen-can't wait for Abby's book, too.

Elle Decor Goes to Manhattan by Ingrid Abramovitch (one of Artisan Books own:)-a fun read.

Hannah Fettig's adorable knitted auto vest-too good! Get this pattern, Hannah is brilliant.

Knitters hit Brooklyn Heights-unbelievably fun knitting on the streets-wish I was there, be sure to look through the photos. I would go crazy if I saw this somewhere around my city.

Amy Butler's new fabric line called, Love. Well, I l.o.v.e. it. The projects are incredible.

That should keep you busy for awhile if you choose to look. Thank you to all of the fun readers who send me fun links. Keep it coming.

best, susie

Good Stuff

Hi Knitters,

Even before first off, Dawn Perkins please contact me, my email is on the sidebar. Your email address isn't working so I can't send your pattern order to you. It bounces back when I send it out. I hope you see this:) I need an alternate email address.

First off, I have a new free Rabbit pattern available over at Spud says!, the blog I curate for Spud & Chloë. It is already hopping on ravelry, too, if you want to go have a look-see.
Rabbit is meant to be a friend of Ribbit the frog, which is an earlier free pattern I designed. Rabbit has the same tennis ball inside of the body which makes for an added surprise. This would be a cute gift set to make for a baby or child, Rabbit along with the Bunny Hat from Itty-Bitty Hats. You could tie some matching ribbons around the ears on Rabbit and on the hat. That is a gift set I will make for someone someday for sure.
I have a couple links for you today, too. Here is an interesting, moving article from the NY Daily News about knitting. You may enjoy reading this one. I love to see knitting breaking into other venues and reaching out. Good stuff.

Kristin Nicholas is at it again with her awesomeness. Just look at what she made for her sister's wedding shower. Have you ever seen anything better than that? She made these, too, and I can't get over how much I love her stitching. Go Kristin! She has a new colorwork knitting book coming out very soon that I can't wait to get my hands on.

Well, into the weekend we go. My house renovation is still in full swing. In fact, I will be out of my studio for awhile for painting and a new floor. That will be tough because this room has been my "quiet" spot while the chaos has ensued around the house. I've had to completely clear out, which has not been an easy task but it will be good stuff in the end. Boy, you can really get socked into a space, right?

Yesterday I attempted to get Rabbit finished and posted in between three trips to the paint store and constant interruptions from delivery people and the contractor. It really was rough but I did it and that feels like an accomplishment of some small sort.

I'll take what I can get at this point.

Have a good, good weekend everyone.

best, susie

Sweet!

Hi Knitters,

Notice anything new on my bookshelf?
I received a sweet little package late last week straight from Artisan Books, my publisher. When I opened it up I found a brand-spanking-new copy of my next book, Itty-Bitty Toys. That is a moment in time, every time. It feels so good to hold years of hard work all bundled up in a beautiful book. It is difficult to describe.

I love Itty-Bitty Toys and I hope you will, too. The book is being released on November 3rd, 2009.

More to come on the toy projects inside the book and upcoming tour dates soon, very soon!

best, susie

September Pumpkin Knitting

Hi Knitters,

The Collector is so excited and proud. She finished her first pumpkin hat. She wanted me to share it with all of you. She cast on 56 stitches and used Blue Sky Cotton on a size eight 16-inch circular needle. We followed the simple baby cap pattern in Itty-Bitty Hats combined with the lil' pumpkin hat pattern in the same book. I helped a little bit with the top and the leaf.
She has decided to donate her pumpkin treasure to the September knitting charity on the Itty-Bitty Knits group. I requested the address and am sending it off later this week. This is the description of the charity group:

Avis Goodwin Community Health Centers, a non-profit located in Dover and Rochester, New Hampshire. They currently serve 8,000 individuals in comprehensive health care (prenatal, dental, cancer screenings, etc.), the majority of whom are low income.

A description of the specific project our donations will be going to, from the volunteer manager:

Welcome to the World Program: Each baby born through our agency receives a goody bag to welcome them into the world. The bag usually has at least one handcrafted item in it, such as a quilt/afghan, infant sized sweater, hat, booties and in the colder months, thumbless mittens. We deliver between 350 and 425 babies a year. The new moms are so touched that members of the community have made something special for their child to welcome him/her into the world. Most of the moms are low-income, uninsured and some face really tough times, this being one of the few nice new things their infant gets.

Now, the Collector is working on a hot pink bunny hat she wants to donate to this group as well. Maybe some of you will want to join in, too. Everyone is welcome.

Happy Wednesday, Knitters.

best, susie

S. Lk. Michigan Dr.

Hi Knitters,

I have to share the incredible house we stayed at for a few days last week. I was completely smitten with every inch of this home. I was going to apologize for having too many photos in this post but it would not be sincere. I am inspired when I look at the photos of our getaway location. So no apologies, just enjoy.
The name of the house is Eco House. The architect designed every aspect of the house with an ecologically sound influence and purpose, including the materials used and air flow for example. The red and white exterior represents the traditional Wisconsin barns that you often see when driving through the countryside.
The shape is fantastic.
In the early mornings when I was the only one awake I would sip on hot coffee, sit in this red chair and knit. I started reading the book, Coop by Michael Perry and I listened to Amy Grant read her entire book, Mosaic. Both authors are interesting and vibrant story tellers. Yes to both on my behalf.
There wasn't internet access or phone reception or many tv channels. The Collector brought her DVD set of the Brady Bunch series that the kids watched early in the morning. You can see Alice sprawled out on the Brady astroturf on the screen. That crazy Alice.

I loved every lamp, rug, wall color. Guess what? There was Filmy Green on the walls all over the house. That gave me a thrill.
The house was very open. It was loft-like but still with doors and walls. There were three of these windows that overlooked the main room. They weren't really closed off due to open space around the leaf etched glass. They swiveled open at by pushing either side of the window which the kids loved. It was something like Laugh In with all of the featured players replaced by my kids. They would open up the windows and sing or say something silly or ask a question. It made me laugh every time.
Sleepy boys.
The Collector in her signature pose with Mr. Brady in the background. Whenever I tell The Collector I am taking a picture this is the pose she strikes. It shows her zest for life that she feels this stance represents her mood so often.
Shhhh.

Long and lonely beaches without another soul in sight were only steps from our front door.
Look familiar?
I have such a thing for trees and branches.  I couldn't resist these huge tall vases with barren branches stuck in. (The taller vase was only knocked over once:)
The textiles sprinkled throughout the house were exquisitely selected, every couch, pillow, comforter and rug.
There was wonderful texture everywhere your eyes would fall.
Please.
Yes.
More yes.
A big huge yes! The Collector and I jumped up and down and clapped at the sight of this bathroom mirror. I want one, please.
Do you see the Laugh In windows? Under the stairway was my little reading and knitting nook.
We enjoyed eating together around a big table again. My 15-year-old cooked two meals completely on his own for us. As a younger boy he cooked all of the time and gathered quite a collection of cookbooks. He always said he wanted to be a chef when he grew up and I thought that it really might happen. In recent years he has been busy with sports and studies so he hasn't cooked very much. Suddenly he has been interested again. He made a deluxe taco bar one night that required lots of chopping and organizing and coordinating. He warmed the shells in the oven and served with a towel over them to keep the warmth. The other night he made chicken carbonara that featured sauteed red and yellow peppers, mushrooms and onions. Yum. The other kids helped out a little but he was the definitely the head chef. It was excellent. 5 stars from mom.
There were so many quiet, peaceful spots tucked about the house. It made you sigh and long for time.
I love the metal wall sculpture and the barn red highlights sprinkled throughout the house. Note to self: deep red and shades of green and khaki and gray and black and white = one good color mix.
The wall colors were all soothing. These closet doors slid open on the exposed black tracks above the doors. They were smooth as silk.
I enjoyed this comfy spot over looking the pathways in the front yard. In front of this chaise there is a fireplace. Could you imagine sitting here with a good book on a cold fall or winter day with a fire burning? Yes.
The counter tops were all concrete, which is the best. I love concrete inside and out of homes, anytime. This one is flecked with green bits. The kitchen counter tops are concrete as well.
The Collector still wears her adorned flip flops I made a couple of years ago. I can't believe they still fit. Here is how you make some fun loopy flip flops for your little girl. The rug is awesome, the best colors and shapes.
Perfect paths for running races were naturally cleared all around the house.
This book sat on the large bulky wood coffee table in the main room.
I skimmed through it and found the Eco House as a featured house. It was interesting reading about the Chicago based architect, Nathan Kipnis, and all of the thought and detail that went into his design.
The stair railing had these heavy wire strings that of course the kids (and my husband) plucked like guitar strings. They actually sounded like a bass guitar. Funny.
The pendent lights were green but the scrambled eggs my husband made were not.
Four seats, four kids.
The kitchen was spectacular with every appliance being top notch.
I have that same red tea pot at home. The stones on the wall were our favorite. In fact, we loved the pebble tile on the backsplash so much we are considering doing the same for our kitchen. I have a pebble tile sample in my hands right now. It was so full of earthiness and nature and interest and texture. Love it. I am still considering options for tile right now. This is a strong contender.
Door County, Wisconsin is full of beauty and rich natural settings and skinny country roads.
But the best part of Door County and staying at the Eco House for me was spending time with this lovable bunch. Who could ask for more than that? 

Thanks for looking at my photo album with me today.

best, susie