happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

freshly baked cookies

a weekly necessity

for a hungry husband

(a kitchen sink version of granola-dark chocolate this week... YUM)

soft, sweet, silky knits

set for blocking

a fresh, peaceful corner

of our torn-apart home

ahhhhh...

snail mail

that says just the right thing

house guests

of the cutest kind

snowed in, well-fed

admittedly

i was like a kid in a candy store

with the anticipation of the big storm that snowed us in last weekend

a friday off for my husband

made the whole thing even better

(i had house projects on the mind!)

we were well stocked and ready-

i hit the local farmer's market the week before and loaded up on winter root vegetables and fresh baked  breads

friday morning was spent at lowes and benjamin moore
(shockingly i was the only one in the home dec isles! ha...) 

we started the long weekend off right

grilled cheddar, butcher bacon, avocado + honey mustard
on great harvest's high 5 fiber (now at our farmer's market- yahoo!)

before getting down to business
i took a little "me" time
to knit and catch up with a friend

resulting in a super cozy
baby blizzard hat
for our newest next door neighbor
...
reid and i started painting at 8pm
with lights flickering
we watched the storm really pick up

by saturday morning
we woke to this

snow day bliss...

complete with a warm, stick-to-your bones breakfast

Cheddar scramble w/ roasted cherry tomatoes, sourdough avocado toast and (more!) butcher bacon

spent most of the day shoveling 

while I painted trim

stopping briefly 

for a bowl of

roasted root vegetable bisque

and then... 

back to the to-do list!

knit with love

there's something about
knitting something
for someone else-

winding
twisting
weaving
with each stitch
imagining the giving
and how they'll wear it

it can be a risk, for sure
there are people (and no offense if you might be one)
who just wouldn't get the goodness of a handmade gift-
think it too granny maybe
or just not appreciative of the hours
spent hunting down the pattern
the just-right yarn
and then the creating
and the pulling-out that comes along with it
...
but em
is just the person
my person
for a made-with-love gift

and this shawl
for this oh-so-special person
was perfect...


the color-

silver, but blue, but sometimes purple and slate, too

the texture-
merino wool. not itchy. squishy

the pattern-
simple. a hint of a ruffle. and a bit raw

the size-
large enough to wrap. and drape. and hold onto a shoulder when thrown on

and how she wore it?
better than i could have imagined.
for three days straight...

more on our winter weekend by the sea to come...
...
emily, i hope you wear it until the yarn disintegrates
xoxo

happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

avocado toast

the perfect post-swim snack

casting off

just in time

tearing down

and building up 

 

new walls
makes for a winter full of house projects!

freshly fallen snow

means happy pups

bunny booties

eeek! 

another week slipped by

leaving me no chance to check in here-

spring cleaning, painting, yard work

a quick overnight visit with a dear friend

and yes, editing the morocco pictures

...

i did manage to spend a few

evening hours

cozy on the couch

finishing these adorable bunny slippers

just in time to make it into tay's easter basket

yes, they are as cozy as they look-

she'll adore them for sure!

...

i'm going to try and snap a few snippets of spring around the house tomorrow morning

before we head out to celebrate easter with family

...

wishing you a lovely weekend

and a happy easter

(and/or passover!)

xoxo

hats, hats, hats

while in western MA

for our crafting weekend

my sister and i 

took a field trip 

to WEBS

holy. smokers.

america's largest yarn store? yes.

organized by weight. thank you.

WAREHOUSE of markdowns. like, OMG.

so, yeah...

i was inspired.

and my fingers were twitching.

i spent the evenings over that weekend trying a new hat pattern for my brother-in-law's birthday gift

once home- monday and tuesday knitting a last minute valentine's gift for my hubby

and a second warm and fuzzy cap to keep my newly-bald-headed uncle :( a little warmer out in CO

now, just back from our vacation and desperately missing the sea
i tried a new pattern for myself
using the most beautiful hand-dyed merino

 ...

and then there is the bag-load of other projects to queue.

hearts on a string

whipped up a few heart garlands

to send off to tay

in a little valentine's day care package

they were so quick and easy

i made a set for above our fireplace too...

this little burst of creativity was a warm up for the weekend-

camped out in the woods

for our annual girl's crafting weekend

and it feels SOOO good to get out of the house!

back next week with the results

...

warm oats

knitting

has to be one of the best things about winter...

i seem to totally retire my needles come the warmer weather-

strange, because i so enjoy it- i just can't imagine working with wool while the sun is blazing

and, that i never seem to ever just sit in the summer!

sitting...

there has been PLENTY of that these days

my foot keeps me home bound, leg elevated and iced nearly all day

(i think i'm officially starting to lose it)

netflix and knitting

have been keeping me relatively sane

finishing the oatmeal sweater

my first garment (and for me!)

seems like a bit of an accomplishment

and at this point, i'll take it!

snow day hat

being snowed in this weekend

didn't make me feel quite so guilty

for (full)days spent laying on the couch

fire blazing, warm tea, fingers lost in merino

my parents (have i mentioned how much they ROCK!?!?)

came to town 

mum cleaned and did probably 10 loads of laundry

dad cooked and waited on me

(boy,  did we eat. like. kings.)

to keep from feeling totally useless 

i knitted daddio a thank-you-hat

now i've got to figure out how to sew left-footed

some mum can get some hand-made love too...

...

it's really amazing how 

fur-free floors

clean countertops

and freshly folded laundry

can truly make you feel 

human, again.

...

m+d: lova ya. WICKED.

knitting, lately

it seems all i want to do lately

is play with yarn

i've got a project in my purse, for lines and waiting rooms

and two by the couch

...

it will be a handmade holiday this year, for sure!

you can follow my projects here

weekend knitting

i know, i've said it a millions times lately

but i am really, really

loving fall

bulky, cozy yarn

+

chilly, dark afternoons

=

heaven

this is my second autumn hat

(i made a seaform version for myself late last winter)

it was a quick one-day-knit

for a very deserving mum

xoxo

birthday beanie

yesterday was my husband's 31st birthday

we celebrated first with my 'rents on cape

with breakfast at a favorite joint

and then

dinner in providence

with his fam

topped off with cake, a cozy fire and presents at home

...

his big surprise has yet to arrive

but i also knitted him a cozy beanie

to add to his collection

...

this was a great

back-at-it-knit

for my first project of the fall

and the yarn

uber-soft-like-cashmere

yum.

happy birthday, my love!

xoxo

slouchy in seafoam

while at nido a few weekends ago

i picked up the most yummy skein of wool

in a rich seafoam green

perfect for the autumn hat

that's been in my ravelry favorites all winter

such a satisfying project-

big needles, chunky yarn

two evenings

...

just in time

for those

misty

moody

early spring

beach walks

favorite shop: nido, burlington vt

while up in vermont

i had to make time to stop into (admittedly in paint-covered pants) one of my favorite shops in burlington:

nido

a perfectly edited fabric + yarn shop right downtown.

the exposed brick

warm winter sun streaming in the tall windows

antique cabinets and wooden crates

bursting with a rainbow of organic yarns

favorite projects

hung to inspire

anna, denise, nani

oh, my!

and the icing on the cake-

picture-perfect vignettes

featuring japanese goodies and the best in crafting books

it's like a little purl

in the great green mountain state!

march, in a nutshell

ok, so when even my husband comments on my lack-of-blogging

you know it's bad...

i've been all over the place.

lots of stories to tell-

pictures to share-

this was my march:

3/8: forcing spring

...

3/9: loaded strawberry shortcake in celebration of my mom-in-law's birthday

...

3/18: day with my mom complete with an afternoon beach walk in falmouth, ma

shells aplenty before tourist season!

...

3/19-20: weekend in little compton, ri...

ahhhhh.

...

3/26: projects, in progress

...

3/29: salem, ma for a day with the girls

all grown up

and brand new

knitted with love

...

now, catching up on my 1000+ reader queue...

stress!

i feel so out-of-the-loop!

hahaha