Summer Sweater Knit-along Plans

I'm so excited about the beginning of the Summer Sweater KAL!  I had a million things on the
needles in June, but now I'm down to six.  This is really good, my friends.  I expect 2 will be off the needles by the time I return from vacation.  Of course, all of this maturity has given me the urge to go insane planning more projects than I can possibly manage for this KAL.   And planning more road tripping knitting than will comfortably fit in my car.  And pretending I'll have room for two projects in my backpack on our hike.

Why don't you hop a ride on the Crazy Train and pretend with me.  All images are linked to their ravelry pages so you can go a little nuts too.

There's Journey, which may be finished before the KAL begins

Heritage will be what I begin with the group on Cast On day.  I'm knitting it in a tonal gray.

The Feya cardigan, by Amy Christoffers, will be my second cast on for the KAL.  This totally makes me think of high school.

Speaking of high school, Libby Jonson's Timely makes me think of cardigans I wore then, too.  I want a navy and white striped version.

I'm dying to try knitting a fingering weight yarn held together with a lace weight mohair, like in Soirée

The Sourcebook Chunky Cardigan needs no flowery description.

Then, I want a Quadrillion, but not a regular Quadrillion.  It has to have a neckline exactly like Alaina's (below).  Luckily she and other raveler's have detailed notes.

Then there's the classic Boxy sweater by Joji, the v-neck version.

Again, I want to copy Isabell.

What will you be knitting for your Summer Sweater?

Perfect Day

Here's what my perfect day in Galveston looks like.  First, you get in the ferry line early enough to eat brunch at Mosquito Cafe.  We like the walnut crusted brie and shrimp tacos.

Then, I piddle around on The Strand, checking out creepy dolls in the antique store and forcing my daughter to sit next to that nasty stuffed bear.  There's usually some chocolate from La Kings or the Chocolate Factory involved.

 Next, it's to the Seawall, where we park and walk or run down the beach for an hour or so.

 Then we lay on the beach an hour or so.

By early evening, we are a satisfying kind of tired from a day in the sun.  We climb the steps to the Murdochs deck to get a drink and watch the birds.  No matter who I'm with we always seem to be laughing at this point.  Last time, my daughter I got cheesy Galveston tourist shirts because we didn't know when we'd get a chance to go there together again.

 If we have time, I like to eat on a patio somewhere along the Seawall.  But if we're on a budget, it's back to the ferry.  My favorite thing is to stand at the front of the ferry and watch the sun set while feeling the spray.

 (more on instagram and flickr)

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Some Jewelry

Maybe you have noticed the jewelry I wear in some of my blog posts.  I don't know, maybe no one reads blogs anymore.  But, I've had these photos of some of my favorite Native Clutter jewelry for a long time, meaning to tell you guys about it.

This jewelry obsession is something I never would've seen coming.  I have always leaned toward the tomboyish side of things.  I associated jewelry with the awful stuff girls bought at Claire's Boutique in the eighties.  The only jewelry I ever wore were things from my grandmother and some turquoise and leather pendant necklaces I made from a couple of keychains.  But those were the adornment I liked: vintage pieces and natural rocks.

I think I first heard of Native Clutter from Stephanie's maker's blog. I was blown away by every thing in her shop.  Every thing.  There are all types of stones, geometric shapes, and vintage fittings.  There is nothing she designs that I wouldn't wear, even if I'm just hanging around the house.

I get compliments on them all of the time- from men and women.  Yesterday it was a boy working at Starbucks.  So, if you happened to notice them in lots of my photos, it's because I wear them all of the time.

For Christmas my husband asked Stephanie if she'd make a custom design for me and this necklace and earring set is what she created.  I was speechless.  I also couldn't believe he heard all of my hinting.

So, yeah, I've amassed a collection over the last few years.  When I have extra cash that I might once have spent on a piece of clothing, I buy this stuff instead- this, books, music, and yarn.

Oh look, here's more photos of me looking incredibly solemn in my jewelry and finished knits.

Below are some functional bracelets that I also love to wear wear.   If you're a knitter, you've already seen them.  I got my Wrist Ruler from Tolt Yarn and Wool.  I wear it daily and use it constantly to make sure my gauge isn't going haywire.

The stitch marker bracelet is from Magpie Fibers.  They have some other styles that I like too, but this one was my favorite.

  (more on my instagram, ravelry, kollabora, and flickr)

Seaside Colors

I've spent some time at the beach recently.  I can never get enough of the blues and browns.  Also, I want to dump some photos.

(more on my flickr and instagram)