6 day birthday socks!

Sorry for the lack of posting, our family has been sick with a flu bug for a good week. Monday was the first day in 3 days that I actually got dressed and left the house...only because I had to take Sophie to swimming lessons and Ice skating. We are feeling better now...all of us bit by bit. I was well enough to climb the mountain today, it was rainy and chilly, it felt great.
Anyway, I wanted to share another recent knitting project. This was quite the undertaking. About 6 days before my dads Birthday I decided I was going to knit him socks after hearing him say, in casual conversation, that "wool socks are hard to find".
Now, I have knit socks before, One pair, but they took more like 6 months, not 6 weeks to complete. ..only because I was SLOW and got bored after the first one.
The idea of completing a pair in just 6 days seemed a little crazy, but I was up for the challenge. It gave me something to do while I worked many things out in my head. Knitting is such great stress relief, and I am a high stress person so I think it is a blessing really.
After picking out some wool yarn in my dads favorite colors I got started immediately and had the first sock done to the heel on the first night. Six days(of nonstop knitting) later they were done.
I think he liked them. Although said he would never wear them with shorts. What Dad, too loud for ya?
note: they look lopsided in the photo, but I assure you they were the same length.

One skein short ......

The "Tea Leaves" sweater by Melissa LaBarre caught my eye several months ago and I was hooked, I had to make it. My first sweater for me. The problem was I really wanted the colorway that was shown in the pattern(The yarn used for this project is called Madelinetosh and the color way is Tannehill) but I could not find it anywhere. It was out of stock in every on-line yarn store that retailed Madelinetosh yarn. So I got put on a wait list and four month later I got a notice it was available.....

Here is where the trouble starts. They had 4 skeins in stock, and my sweater called for 5. But me, being impatient and knowing how popular and hard to find this yarn was, I bought the 4 skeins and figured I would just get another when I got to that point.
So here I am, many many months after I first spotted the sweater, and in the middle of the hottest part of summer, at that point.
So I needed to find just one more skein. The store where I got the first 4 isn't carrying the yarn anymore so I found another shop, that did. I ordered my yarn and when it got here the colorway was WAY different than the other skeins I had used to make my sweater. It is much brighter and the colors are much more saturated...way too different to use. UGH! My sweater remains incomplete.
So I could go on and on buying skeins on-line and getting colorways that don't match. But yarn is expensive and I have no money to spare at this time. Madelinetosh yarn is dyed in very small dye lots and the labels do not have lot numbers on them. I emailed all the local yarn shops asking if they carried Madelinetosh yarn in the colorway that I am aching to find. And there are many, many local yarn shops in Portland.
But one place(the closest to my house, actually) got back to me and they are waiting on a shipment of the very same yarn that I am seeking. So I am hoping when it gets there I can go down with my sweater in hand and find a skein that comes just close enough so that I can finish it. I will keep you posted. Fingers crossed.

Illustration Sunday.....

"The music poured like sunlight from the belly of the box..."(from the story I wrote and illustrated in art school called "The Music Box")

Snowflakes in the summer....

Back in June I spent a glorious morning browsing the huge local fabric shop. I was by myself so I was really able to take my time( my little guy turns into a demon of some sort whenever he enters that building). I chose fabric very carefully that day putting back bolts, and changing my mind several times before I felt satisfied with my picks.
I couldn't wait to get started on a summer dress. So I started cutting out my pattern as soon as I got home. After several minutes of staring at my fabric...I saw it....A SNOWFLAKE! The fabric that I chose had snowflakes on it! I couldn't believe it. How did I not see them at the store? The fabric is brown and gold and red and I thought it looked Scandinavian....but not full of snowflakes and holly...which it is. The fabric is called Montana Modern.
I was heart broken but went on to complete my dress anyway(the pattern is Simplicity # 3807). My husband assures me he sees flowers, not snowflakes which is what I originally thought they were... until I noticed the holly.
Duh...
So this dress has been neglected this summer. I have only wore it once, to Pub knitting. But I am starting to like it again as it gets closer to Autumn. I will have to knit a sweater to go along with it so I can really rock this baby at Christmas time.

This moment....

A simple,wonderful, moment to cherish from our week. Inspired by Soulemama.

wANdErING wEDnesdaY......

This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I place I long for every summer. Lost Lake. I love it here so much. There is such peace in this immaculate gift of nature.
Yesterday I swam way out to the deep, deep water and floated on my back. As I floated, arms open wide, I felt a peace come over me....a much needed rejuvenation of my spirit.

Trying to dance...

I wanted to share a beautiful saying I heard a while back. Not sure who first said it. I am thinking of this often lately. I am going through a bit of storm of my own.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain"

Illlustration Sunday...Luna

(One with the toes to show scale)

(The colors photographed better inside)

I had an idea a while back about painting a picture of a moon, one for each of my kids, on a small canvas, and then painting the moon with glow in the dark paint so that the moon will glow at night when they were in bed......
Here in Sophie's moon. I am posting this quite late in the day because I wanted to add a picture of the moon glowing, but unfortunately the pictures didn't turn out. So you will have to take my word for it. It glows too! I will post Solomon's moon when it is finished.

This moment....

A wonderful,simple moment to cherish. Inspired by Soulemama.

wANdErING wEDnesdaY......

To the River.....
Inspired by Gardenmama.

Illustration Sunday...

I realized way to late that the paper I was using could not handle the watercolor. I just decided to go for it anyways. I even though about skipping this week because of how it turned out. But I will share it anyways, they are not all going to turn out.