KnItTiNg

Why do I have four knitting projects going at once?  I have no idea.  And I started that pink baby sock a million years ago, which makes it even worse!  : )

On the bright side, I am making progress on my brother's sweater!  The back panel has been completed and the front is about fifty percent finished. 

I have plenty of time to finish it before Christmas!

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Organization is the key

Yesterday I worked hard to get all of my photographs sleeved, labelled, and sorted for the craft fair next weekend.  I separated them in baskets and made signs and dividers with rubber stamp letters.  I also made and affixed price tags for most of the hand made items.  I'm working on alphabetizing my inventory sheet to make everything easy to find.  

Here's one of my photo baskets: 

I've also been working on my brother's sweater and I'll post a progress report next time!  

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Happy

Listening to this.

Watching this.  

Knitting more of this (progress photos coming next week!).

It will be a good weekend!

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Scarlet Letter

A new (old) book arrived in my mailbox yesterday!  Another of my dad's literary finds, it's a copy of The Scarlet Letter from 1892.  I know I've expressed my love for Jane Eyre many times, but The Scarlet Letter is actually my book of books.  If I could only read one book for the rest of my life, this is the one I would choose.  And this particular copy is so special, with it's red cover and hand written inscription.  

The novel is full of imagery and beautiful language, here's a line I found when I opened the book to a random page... "Her imagination was somehow affected, and, had she been of a softer moral and intellectual fibre, would have been still more so, by the strange and solitary anguish of her life."

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So...

Softies...

Booties...

This weekend I'm going to a Montessori workshop in Phoenix, but I'll be taking these booties to work on during the trip.   Oh yeah, and remember this sweater?  I need to work on it, too - it's been feeling a little neglected in the bottom of my knitting basket.  The softies are from a group I made a while back to include in my craft booth.  I love the pink monster!

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Loose Ends

I finished my new baby blanket, just a few ends left to weave in.  It will be another great item for my craft show booth!  

I worked on it over the weekend while listening to Yann Tiersen's album L'absente.  He composed the soundtrack to Amelie (my favorite movie ever) and his music is absolutely addictive.  

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Sketching (with quotes from Hawthorne and Frost)

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Small Things

I've been doing a little light crocheting this week, but nothing too elaborate.  I'm trying to keep it simple because I have a lot to do to prepare for my first arts & crafts show next month - making tags, putting photographs in sleeves, figuring out displays, etc.  All the little things that go along with putting together a booth. 

I intend to do more crocheting this weekend and hopefully get all of my photographs sleeved and labelled.  But mostly, I plan to relax!  

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Yay!

I received a package from my bookmark swap partner today!  The contents are so beautiful and it was a treat to get mail from the UK.  

First, this awesome pin - what a great surprise - that I'll be wearing to work this week: 

And the bookmarks, of course.  I especially love the one in the middle!   It has such great texture.  

My partner has a wonderful blog here, so check it out if you can!

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A Weekend Spent Outdoors

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Lithographs

My dad sent me a beautiful third edition of Jane Eyre with the most wonderful lithographs!  It was printed in the 1940s and the style and quality of the prints is amazing.  I just have to share a few...

Also, I just signed up for the Illuminated Phrase project at Smoothpebble!  It sounds like so much fun, I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

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Finished!

I finally finished my latest free form project!  I used both knitting and crochet to make this one

Also, you can see all the entries for Bunzi's August Monthly Makings posted here.  Mine is the little collage with seashell postage stamps.

I just found out today that the coffee house that was going to be showing my artwork next year is closing!  I'll have to start looking for some new opportunities...

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A small project

I started a small project yesterday - I only have one skein of this yarn, so I had to keep it simple. This is a really cute baby hat, it's sewn into a square so that when a little one wears it the corners stick up like little ears! That's why I refer to it as the "Little Pup" hat. The pattern is so basic and it's knits up so quickly!

Here's how it's done:

One skein of worsted weight yarn and US 8/5.0 mm straight needles

A yarn needle and crochet hook for finishing

Cast on 25 stitches.

Work in stockinette stitch until the piece measures about 12 inches.

Bind off.

Fold the rectangle in half, and crochet the sides closed. Use the yarn needle to weave in your loose ends.

That's it!

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