Girly

The quilting bug bit me yesterday and I had an open day in which to accommodate it. Only one time obligation which I have to admit felt pretty amazing. It was a quiet, music and laughter filled day. My phone had accidentally been left on silent, it was a pleasant break. My boys played very happily outside with only minor "you know you're not allowed to play with that" comments from me.

I sandwiched, quilted, and bound this lovely lap sized quilt yesterday. It took me from 12:30-5:30 t quilt it, we broke for dinner, and then I got the binding pieced, and sat down with the boys on the couch and watched Lion King with them hand stitching down the binding. Stopping to bathe them and get them in bed I worked on the binding from 6:30-10:40. I have to admit my hand is a little sore this morning but I wanted it done!! It's now been washed and dried and I just LOVE it.

The border and background print is an Alexander Henry. I love his fabrics SO much. His fabrics just always have a different twist to them :) For some reason it also got put on 60%  discount so I bought the rest of the bolt. I picked some various blenders to go with it. The pattern was from a magazine and was done in red and whites and was called "peppermint sticks" - I like my version better ;P

I did put minky on the back again, The photograph (of course) doesn't do it justice and while it's bright, it is not neon like in the picture. I am still trying to improve my free motion quilting and am pretty happy with how the quilting came out. The thread I used was grey and I think it softened the colors of the quilt even more which I like.

This quilt almost felt like a guilty pleasure as I planned it without a recipient in mind. I wasn't sure if I would keep it for myself or give it away, now I'm pretty sure it will stay mine!

Corbin has been going to Vacation Bible School for the first time. He came home the first day saying "You don't even know what a super fun time I had!!!!" He's known his verse from everyday and I love hearing him tell me about it. Just another preview of what school might be like :) Noah has been a little difficult to adjust to, he is not used to playing without his brother - and let me tell you - that kid does NOT stop talking!! Good thing he's pretty funny most of the time!

Dr. Seuss Quilt

Who doesn't like Dr. Seuss? An icon of the wonder, fun, and true imagination! When we got in Dr. Seuss fabrics at the shop I knew I should make the boys a quilt out of it. So I purchased the fabric based on a pattern that was in a magazine. I hated it. I couldn't make myself work on it and it got stowed away.

Fast forward 6-8 months. A new pattern made it's way into the shop featuring the fabrics and I loved it! I knew I had most of the fabric to make it work and only had to buy a few key pieces (the panel and the white on white). I cut it and pieced it in one evening, with only the borders left to attach. The next day the borders.....done! I had so much left overs that I knew I should piece that backing. I even had other panels left over from the previous plan that would have been cute. I laid it out and even took a picture so I could reconstruct it.

But then it languished......I really didn't feel like piecing the back. A month went by, it kept nagging at me and I knew I should just get it done. However! I was at work on Friday  and lo and behold Minky (super soft CUDDLY fabric) started rolling out from the back. It was around 20 bolts of Dr. Seuss printed minky! Minky is one of my favorite fabrics to put on the back of a quilt because it is so soft and I love the weight it gives to a lap quilt. Plus it's 60" wide of usable fabric so for most lap quilts I don't have to piece the back and I have very little waste left over. So I picked one out and came home and obsessively jumped into quilting it.

I outlined any of the "boxes" with my walking foot and then got out the darning foot and did some free hand outlining of The Cat in the Hat and then did a pointy scribbly stipple in most of the open space. I free motioned some wonky bars echoing the stripes in the border and voila! I trimmed the edges and got the binding on and by Sunday evening it was done! I washed it, dried it and now have a lovely new quilt for the boys to snuggle under. Finishing a project is such an energizing feeling!

Corbin is starting to want me to take pictures of him :)
He also likes to be involved in every step of whatever I'm doing.

I love how much they love each other!

Cute boys snuggling under their new quilt.

The boys dove under the quilt and were giggling hysterically. 

Airplanes, Moving, and Angora

Last Sunday my father was generous enough to take the boys and I to Alaska Aviation Trade Show. It was pretty amazing how huge the show was. They had planes of every shape and size and the boys were on cloud 9! My dad made rockets with them at the space camp booth :) It was a very fun afternoon that I won't forget.

My sister Whitney has officially moved out of Anchorage! It was fun to go out and help her. Her new place is quite lovely and I greedily enjoyed the time with my nephew. I can't wait to spend more time out there! My kids and dogs have lots of space to run around and it is already a happy home.

*Disclaimer* - We were stopped, I would never drive without a baby in their carseat ;P

I will occasionally knit samples for the shop and just finished these sweet baby booties. They are knit out of Lorna's Laces Angel. It's a luscious angora and wool blend. They are very soft and warm and used all of one little baby skein of the yummy yarn. They were a fun fast knit that I think took all of three hours in between helping customers. The pattern I used was the top down seamless booties pattern.

ZuZu II

My second Zuzu's petals were off the needles before my escargot hat. However, I've been trying to get photograph's of it on me and due to it's dark color that has proven difficult. So I've given up and figures these pics are better than no pics. :)

I knit this lovely lighter weight cowl out of Jojoland Melody super wash yarn. I love the feel and drape of the yarn, but what is really stunning is the slow and gentle color gradation. Not to mention that it takes only one 50g skein to make this cowl, which makes the materials cost for this project only $6.99!!!

I have only steam blocked the cowl, but really should take the time to wet block it as it would open up quite a bit more and have even more drape....but alas I was impatient to wear it!

Okay Okay.....here are some low quality pictures (i.e. iphone) taken during a welcome home dinner for my youngest sister Beka. Corbin and I were being goofy :)

Family

I was taking pictures for a new header (what do you think??) and really enjoyed being out in my yard on a sunshiny day with quiet around me. My mind drifted to the wonderful family that I have surrounding me.

There are so many different threads that can bind a family together. I am lucky enough to say that those threads have been cultivated and shaped into more than just a thread, they have become strong thick ropes binding my family together. Not only do I have amazing parents and sisters, but I have grandparents,  aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and not to be - forgotten church family - that are included in this complex web.

Our family has been going through quite a bit this spring, happy and frustrating. From new babies (In fact a new one arrived this morning!! Welcome Kenzie I loved snuggling you this morning!) and puppies to indescribably demanding work schedules, major health issues and more. I feel so fortunate that even through these stresses, we are surrounded with love and support.

Even without my family I am blessed. I have food to eat, clothes to wear, and shelter over my head. However including my family, my cup runs over. No matter which area of my life  that I peer into, I can see God's hand. He has not merely provided for me he has made my life full. I am so thankful.

Take time today to tell someone close to you how special they are. You never know, that might be exactly what they needed to hear to make it through the day.

Escargot

I've got a new hat hot off the needles! It was fun to knit and explore a hat with some different construction. The lovely snails shell for which this hat is named, was part of the cast on edge and was very cleverly designed by Veronica Parsons. I really enjoyed knitting this hat and I think it will be a great beginner II class to teach over at the Yarn Branch this fall. I used the super yummy and soft malabrigo worsted (no itchy forehead here!), which as usual was delightful to knit with and is very well priced yarn.  I'm going to try and get as much wear out of this hat as possible in the next few months - even though spring has arrived here in Anchorage.

With the spiral farther forward.......

....and the spiral farther back.....
now the bet is on that if my father sees this post whether he will comment as expected ;P

I recently got some new fabric! The first set of four fabrics (two of which came from the stash - yippee!) is destined to become another tahiti tote and the second set I just fell in LOVE with. I couldn't pass them up. So I have no plan for what they will "grow up" to be! (Which is definitely breaking my fabric buying rules...sigh....some rules are just okay to break sometimes ;P)

The first is an Alexander Henry fabric <3

I am a sucker for colorful swirly fabrics!

Corbin got a new bike and he is such a big boy on it! John took him to pick it out so of course it's a pretty cool! Both boys got new helmets, and Noah's head is officially bigger than Corbin's...definite proof that Noah is related to my dad and my sister heehee.

Testing out his new bike in the garage....

The real deal! 

We also squeezed in a long walk with my sister Whitney, all three boys, and two dogs. It was a BEAUTIFUL day finishing up April with a pretty impressive bang! I am thankful that Whitney had the great idea to head south and walk along the Seward Highway, so we only met one other person on the trail, giving the boys and pups some much needed free reign!

Love my goofy, cute boys!

In the moment...but looking ahead

Corbin got to visit his future school on yesterday. It was amazing. He started out nervous (as I expected, he is a little to much like me about big pressure events and meeting new people) and ended with begging to go back. We were invited to participate in the Kindergarten classrooms from 8:15-9:00. It was rain day. The kids were all dressed up in rain clothes and had umbrellas and there were "rain showers" happening every few minutes as the parents and teachers sprinkled the kids with spray bottles. They were all having a blast and it got me pretty excited about the enthusiasm and overall method at the school. Corbin LOVED exploring the classroom. There was watercolors set out at a table, coloring at another, a weather station, zen garden (sand and pebbles), magnetic building sets, blocks, and the list just goes on.....I wanted to stay and play. The teachers and parents were friendly and I just (*almost*) wish that school started tomorrow. I really appreciated that they had set up this opportunity for all the kindergarten families. I know Corbin is just that much closer to being ready for Kindergarten as a result. Sorry for the blurry-ish pics but I was trying to not be that mom that just "had to have her phone out" so I was kinda sneaking them in. 

Corbin loves bees and puppet stages. I got a pretty good show hehe

A rain storm had just rolled through. Corbin watched from a safe distance and colored. :)

We had fun reading each story that was on the back of these shapes. I loved that Chicken Soup with Rice was up on the wall. One of my favorites from when I was in school. 

My sister Whitney has been going through sciatic nerve pain and is going to physical therapy to try and get it under control. As a result I have been getting a ton of nephew time!! I love getting to know my little Riggs and having a baby to snuggle. Watching my boys with him just warms my heart even more than I expected. There is just something about the invisible threads of family. I love watching them strengthen into the next generation.

Noah was singing to Riggs <3

Corbin was happy to be getting his doe of holding Riggs. Noah was generously sharing his "blanky" so that Riggs would be warm. He was tying it on so that it didn't "get lost" hehe 

 In crafting news, I'm getting back in the groove with my knitting. I finally pulled out my snap press and put the snaps on my needle "case". I can now have it hanging in the closet and keep my needles accessible and orderly. I look like I barely have any smaller size needles but unfortunately they are all busily sitting in various projects lol.

My now functional circular needle case. I sewed it sometime last year and it was just waiting for it's snaps!

I got all the sizes written on with a fabric ink pen. Not the prettiest but it was fast and easy.

I LOVE my snap press. One of my best purchases ever.

 I am already starting to think about what knitting classes I'll be teaching this fall. Zuzu's Petals was an easy choice! I love Carina Spencer's patterns and designs. I started this cowl early afternoon and it was on (although the ends still need to be woven in) by 9pm. So fun and I can't wait to make another one using Noro silk garden or some other gradated yarn.

Back view of Zuzu's Petals. I knit it out of Malabrigo Worsted in hollyhock. So yummy!

I couldn't resist throwing it on for a quick snap shot.