Upgrading

I'm quite proud of myself for owning the same phone for over 4 years.
I used to be against technology (and somewhat still am). I ignored everyone around me and bought my first SLR (Minolta, sniff sniff) instead of a shiny new digital. I caved and went digital only when I needed one for school. We didn't have TV until about 6 months ago. I think I was proud to carry around that "title" of the-one-who-doesn't-have-a-TV. It was just a title though, and it got too heavy to carry around.
I like titles, but they get old, and unbelievable, and somewhat pathetic.
So we got a TV.
But now, my title is the-one-who-has-a-phone-from-1990.
No, of course I bought my phone in the 21st century, and it's in color, and even has a camera and, well, that might be it. I kept eyeing the new smartphones and saying stupid things like "I really need to get a new phone". It's stupid because mine works perfectly fine.
Last week I went out to do some errands and came back knowing that it's time, I really do need a new phone.
Tecnology. Instagram. Those black and white pixel code reader apps. Apps. Waze. What's up.

Y has a thing for Hedgehogs. He loves them and thinks they're the greatest little animals on earth. They are pretty cute. We have a few in our yard, and every now and then we see/hear one scurrying away.
We live in a neighborhood where all the neighbors feed the stray cats. We've gotten used to it over the years.   It's no big deal anymore. I guess the food they leave out attracts the hedgehogs at night, so maybe it's a good thing in the end.
Last Friday when I left the house, I noticed the bunch of cats eating in a corner. One cat looked, different. Looking closer, I saw it was a huge (HUGE) hedgehog. All the cats were chilling with it, like he was one of the gang. All I could think about was, "I have to take a picture of this, Y will go nuts!" Until I turned on my phone, and figured out how to take a picture, another neighbor came out and the hedgehog scurried away.
I was more than bummed. That was the last straw. I know that if I had a smartphone I would have had a whole album of that hedgehog. (Or would I have?)

I feel stupid for trying to hold onto something I'm really not, like "against technology" and stuff like that. Truth be told, I've wanted a smartphone since the day after I bought my current phone. I want to know what the buzz is about. I want to worry about not dropping it, or ruining it. I want to download lots of junk I don't need.
It's hard to let go of something, and I know when the day comes and I'll hand in my old little heavy red phone, I'll have second thoughts. Too expensive, too fancy and mostly, I really don't need it.

Change can be good. And I'm excited for change. But it might come in a different form ;)

Zig Zag!

I finished the top of my quilt the other weekend...

Zig Zag quilt, so simple but so lovely

And today picked up from the PO a bundle of lovely fabric, for both backing (TBD), binding and another quilt or two ;)

Sigh... Oh how I love fabric...

Now, just need some filling.

I bought some "Hello Luscious" Charm packs a while ago and began my first quit. I think I'm in love.
I know I'm only half way through the process, quilting everything together and then binding still lies ahead of me, but up until now, oh what fun!
It took me forever to figure out what color binding would go best. I went with the dark turquoise, "Succulent honeyed turquoise". Yum.
And I might have bought some other fabric...
I haven't even finished my first quilt and already have plans for my fourth, fifth and sixth.
I love the look of Flying Geese, and think Oh Deer, by Momo would be an amazing quilt for a little boy. I cannot wait to get my hands on that.
But being realistic, my next two projects will be simple pink on pink and blue on blue zig zag quilts. I'm so excited!

Did you know I'm giving away a project bag?
Head on over to Lisa Bogarts blog to sign up! Plus a 15% discount using the code "knitwithlove912" at checkout, good until the end of September.
Halloween bags are in the shop, and more will be coming, here's a sneak peak :)

Ever so lovely Tula pink ;)

Have a lovely weekend ♥

Letting Go

Today my loving husband told me I'm somewhat of a control freak.
OK, I get it, I like to know what's going on, to plan in advance, not to be surprised. I like it when things go as planed, work smoothly and come out as expected.
I think perfectionist goes right in there as well.
What he told me did not in any way come as a surprise. I guess I expected him to say I was getting better at not trying so hard. I just can't help it.
Pinterest is great for a lot of things. I think that had it not been for that site, I would have just kept drooling over gorgeous quilt patterns and jelly rolls/charm packs/fat quarters. Pinterest got me going, sent me to work, seeing other peoples projects made me believe that- yes I can!
Last weekend I began my very first quilt (beginners pattern- zig-zag). I bought a super pretty charm pack (Hello Luscious, Moda) and a solid pack to go with it. Because no matter how much I try, I cannot for the life of me cut a straight line.
And I have the most awful time deciding which colors go with which. Most of my time wasn't spent on actual sewing (or ironing those damn seams) but figuring out which pattern should go next to what, how the colors should line up, stressing over tips of triangles not quite matching, and being cut off.
Yes, I am a control freak. I get it.
But I take this as a lesson, and a start at letting go. Quilts, patchwork are known for their "mismatch" and I'm told that's what makes them so beautiful.
I'm still obsessing over the solid modern quilts, but for now am going to try to live on the wild side, different patterns and colors. That does NOT mean I'm not going to get a bunch of fat quarters, I'm not quite there yet. I've been eyeing the Oh Deer and Birds and Berries (both Moda) lately, now just to find a pattern.
I finished the top of the quilt today. I'd say I'm half way there. I need to buy some filling and plain white backing, and decide what pattern I want for the binding. Another hard part. What goes best?!

Check out my Quilt Love board on Pinterest , some of those quilts are now officially on my to-do list. And now that I know I can, I just need to find the time :)

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

Done!

I finished my first Ravellenic project, CAF Norie, earlier this week.
Whoopie, finally, a slouchy hat that fits and looks good on me! Now, the long and hot wait for winter...

Norie, great for cooler weather, if it ever gets here!

I bought the yarn for it quite a while ago, but obviously misread the yarn requirements somewhere. I used Madelinetosh DK, in the gorgeous colorway Happiness, which has 225 yards, while the pattern calls for 260. Gulp.

I really wanted a slouchy hat.

I knit all 4 lace sections, but just before the last I decreased. Then, only knit 3 single purl ridges, instead of 3 double. I was left with enough yarn, not enough for the full pattern, but enough so I didn't have to bite my nails until the end! It's slouchy enough and I love it.

Working on my second Ravellenic project, the Dahlia Cardigan is a bit trickier. I'm not too good with piecing together, and this just might end up a disaster. I keep telling myself that there's no reason, and that I'm a good and neat knitter. I just can't wait to finish it to admire and pat myself on the back.

Soon, very soon :)

Late

I feel like time is passing by way too fast.
Seriously, I need about 2 more hours each day. At work. That way I could get home and not stress over all the work I still have to get done.
As a graphic designer (and part time vm) for a large clothing company, I feel as if I live from collection to collection. I simply cannot wait until August 19th. And then after that, it will be a date in September. Then the end of September early October. Squeeze in three weeks of holidays and then another collection. Is it no wonder my time just disappears?
I feel bad for Y, I don't feel like going out on weekends, but enjoy the quiet, sitting on the couch and doing absolutely nothing. He looks at me with his big brown eyes and my heart hurts.
I'm late at getting house related stuff done. Last week I finally baked the brownies I've been planning to bake for over a month :)
July 11th I finished my Driven cardigan. And only now I'm getting to write about it.

I love the collar, might be my favorite part!

I love love love it. The color, the way it looks, how it actually fits. I'm so proud of myself for the last bit. The color change is ever so subtle, so I know I'll love wearing it as well. Cannot wait for cooler weather.
When I first started it, I was still in my old office, sitting alone with the AC cranked up to freezer mode. I had plans of keeping it in my office and cuddling with it.
In the beginning of July, I was moved over to another office with three others, one who does not like the AC at all, so I'm left sweating and swearing, both at the same time.

My Driven will have to wait.

This is my first year participating in the Ravellenic games over at Ravelry. I'm watching quite a lot of the games this year. Gymnastics are my favorite.
Norie and the Dahlia cardigan are on my list, two patterns I've had my eye on for quite some time now. Knitting the Dahlia reminded me of how much I love lace. My next project will be some bad ass lace project. Leaves of Grass maybe? I miss knitting a Jared Flood pattern!

I also have a few new sewing projects on my mind. Quilting has always fascinated me, and I finally ordered some charm packs for a first. I was thinking a simple zig-zag quilt. More on that when the fabric arrives. (I'm so excited!) I'm also looking for a quilt-a-long to help me actually finish it and not abandon it somewhere.

And last, a short list of things I ♥

Dear Creatures anything. Their tumblr is such an inspiration!

Florence and the Machine is so cool. Plus, Bon Iver and Mumford and Sons? Too bad this concert never took place. Love your taste in music though! (Taken from this tumblr)

Gorgeous blog. Reminds me I need to get to Iceland ASAP.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, xoxo

Blankets in the Summer

I started to get this "thing" for knitting blankets.
I went through it with socks, then shawls, then cardigans, now it's blankets.
Really, I need to start knitting a bunch of different stuff at the same time, rather than 4 shawls all at once.

It's hot here. I don't remember it being this hot last year, or having our AC on for this long, everyday.
We drink twice the amount of water we usually do, at home. Last week we drank about 17 liters in a week. (Yay for bottled water helping us keep track).
Yes, it's HOT.

So why am I knitting blankets in the heat? I don't know, I'm just into them now.

A few months back (let's be honest, in December) I started knitting Anne Hansons ever so lovely blanket- the Hourglass Throw. We'll refer to it simply as "The Fat Warmer". I bought some local wool, ran out, so I had a pretty good excuse as to why I couldn't finish it.
I have 1.5 skeins left, which means one more repeat, and it'll be done. The thing is super huge, and I cannot wait for it to be completed.

The Big Green, It was supposed to be bigger...

But then came Camp Loopy. I didn't know what to knit, so I chose a blanket. Blankets are always good. It seems. Plus, I had a deadline, I had to finish it by June 27th. And that I did.
I would have liked it a bit wider, but it's perfect as a one-man-lap-blanket. (I had hopes it would be bigger, hence the name "The big Green") The color (Jade, Madelinetosh Sport) is amazing. Green is starting to grow on me. I still remember the days I owned zero green. What was wrong with me?

Checking out the size

The pattern, Heirloom,  is super simple (once I charted it) and went by quite fast. Would I knit it again? I don't think so, I have a long list of blankets I still need to knit!

Have  lovely weekend!

The Dexter

It's hard to get things done when I have so many hobbies.
Do I knit? Do I sew? Do I bake? Do I make marshmallows? Do I just sit in front of the TV with a bowl of Ice cream?
Decisions.
Everyday I walk past my fabric stash and I swear it gives me "that look".
Usually weekends I pull it out and sew something. But I always find new fabric, and my stash just grows and grows and grows. Instead of keeping some balance of I buy to refill. I know that stash actually means to grow larger and larger until it completely takes over your house, but my house is not that big.
Plus, I need to fill up my shop.
My dear husband loves my needle organizer. Of course he does though, finally my needles aren't ALL over the place.
But he also likes it because it reminds him of one of our favorite shows. Dexter :)

Dexters Kill Bag, Custom Prop Replica. Very cool. Taken from here

He calls it the Dexter because of Dexters, well, as google calls it, a "Kill Bag". I thought I'd skip the name and just go with "Organizer". I know there are a lot of Dexter fans out there, but not sure how well a "kill bag" would go.

 Enough pockets for all the needles you need to take with you

It took me quite a while to perfect this baby. How to divide the pockets so that all kinds of needles fit in. Perfecting sewing on a zipper (finally, awesome!) I have quite a lot of funky looking organizers at home, and not enough needles for them all (another kind of stash?)

A little zippered pocket, great for all those notions that always get lost

So, this weekend I pulled out my stash and started sewing another Dexter needle organizer. I love these two fabrics, gorgeous blueish herringbone and a dirty yellow flower pattern (Both Joel Dewberry). I think my favorite is pairing two fabrics up together. Might be why I have such a hard time finding the perfect fabrics for a quilt. they need to match EXACTLY. More on that later. When I have more time to sew.

* I'm having a quickie sale this weekend, 15% off everything in the shop, with the code "JUNE012" at checkout. Making room for some new stuff!