A friend said this flower looks like it came straight from a Dr. Seuss book. It has such a unique shape, and I really like the way the color spectrum moves from red to yellow.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
120/366
Little Bit's friend E came over to play. She was trying to figure out why I kept sticking the camera in her face. too cute!
Monday, April 28, 2008
119/366
I shall call it the peace soaker. My first attempt at stranded knitting... we shall see how well it goes.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
117/366
Little Bit enters the world of coloring and crayons. I won't tell you how may outtakes it took to get this one good shot.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
115/366
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
113/366
Little Bit helps clean up... Check out her feet accessories - think I can convince her to trade out those store-bought socks for some hand knits that fit?
Monday, April 21, 2008
112/366
For the Ravelry 365 group theme: the tools of my trade - I got a new project assigned today. Yeah!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
111/366
Last day of camping. The sun filters through the trees. It was harder than I expected to get the lens flare. ;)
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
108/366 - Baudelaire
One sock down, cast on for the second. Per the pattern, it is pretty tight through the instep, and yes it is. I have to work it very carefully to get over my heel, but it fits perfectly!! Cookie A is a genius!!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
107/366
A snippet of today's mail. It brought a check from our mortgage company, an unexpected surprise - that will go right back into savings.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
106/366
I've been busy knitting my first toe-up sock - Baudelaire! LOVE the pattern, can't put it down really. The yarn I've knitted this in doesn't show the stitches very well, but I know they're there ;)
Monday, April 14, 2008
105/366
My leftovers. This is what happens when you have a ball winder and leftover yarn (and a touch of OCD) - a yarn tower. Now what can I use these leftovers for?
Yarns you can see:
Classic Elite's Wool Bam Boo
Elmore Pisgah's Peaches & Cream
Fearless Fibers Sock yarn
Paton's Merino Worsted
Background - unknown worsted cotton
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
103/366 - Waste not, want not
I've been reading Serve God, Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth and I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. But that discussion is for another day, another post.
One of the things he suggests is that Americans have entirely too much stuff, and that we are wasteful with it. How many times have you lost something you know you have multiple versions of (scissors, pens, etc.). He suggests that we lose things because we have too much stuff for it to get lost in. And often, if we can't find it, we just go buy another one to replace it. Which adds up quickly.
How much stuff do we have? Do you know how many items you have in your home? Anyone taken a count inventory lately? Me neither. The task is daunting. So what about a smaller space, the garage, maybe, or the attic? Still too big? What about your closet? Ok, ok, the silverware drawer?
Suffice it to say, I have a lot of things in my house, way too many to count. And I'm thinking of the permanent objects (like books, dvds, clothes, shoes, etc.), not stuff like toilet paper or trash bags, jars, cartons, packaging - things that are meant to be thrown away. My daughter in her short life has already accrued enough toys to outfit 3 children well, not to mention the stacks and stacks of clothes she'll never get a chance to wear unless I change her outfit 2-3 times a day.
I recently came across this 20 minute video called the Story of Stuff. You should take the time to watch it. Not only do we have ridiculous amounts of stuff, but we're less happy, and incredibly wasteful with it, not to mention the damage that we are doing to the planet and our fellow human beings.
Books like Not Buying It and Affluenza address this topic as well. We frankly have too much stuff, and its taking us into debt and making us miserable. And Christians are just as susceptible to this illness as everyone else. One of our elders at church has talked about talking a long, hard look at our things and asking God if we should really have them (honestly) and being willing to give it away if we shouldn't.
I could do that with some things, especially things that aren't mine (specifically), like my husband's clothes, Little Bit's toys, etc. But ask me whether I need all the yarn and knitting needles I've acquired over the last 1.5 years and I'll protest loudly - but I might NEED those! What about those philosophy text books collecting dust on my bookshelf? Someone else might need it for class, or want to read it, or... Do I really think I'm saving it for my daughter to read? What am I supposed to do with it for the next 20 years while she grows up? And what if she thinks philosophy is a load of &*^%.
Sleeth says we ought to continually be lending and borrowing instead of buying. If you need a lawn mower, borrow a neighbor's (or her goat). Not Buying It tells the story of how you really can survive without buying things (unnecessary things), it certainly wasn't the end of the world for them. How about waiting a month before you buy something? Set the money aside for it instead of going into debt? If you have to make the sacrifice now (and it's optional instead of forced - by having to pay the credit card bill), is it really worth it? Do you really need it?
What I'm getting at is I am seriously considering putting myself on a stuff fast. I'm not going to force my husband to do it, but he just might join me in it if I do it first. I didn't do a lenten fast this year because it came up too fast and it was already over by the time I'd figured out what I should be giving up. But here are a few areas where I can take action right now:
1. I can go through my books and seriously cull out the ones that I'll never read again and donate/sell the rest (by the end of May).
2. I will wait at least a month before making any knitting purchases. I will only buy yarn that has a specific project in mind that I will be casting on for within the next month (right now). I will also donate/sell yarn that is currently in my stash that I has no project in mind. This will help me be more intentional with my yarn acquisitions as well as productive with the finished objects. By the end of the year, I want to have donated at least 1/10th of my finished objects to charity.
3. It's time to clean out my closet and donate/repurpose my clothes. (June)
I'm asking you, readers/community, to hold me accountable to this. Please join me if you feel so called. This is just a beginning, but I feel the need to start doing something about it now. Stay tuned for more.
Friday, April 11, 2008
102/366
A regular at our bird feeder, I'm certain they are nesting somewhere near by. I'm not sure what kind of bird it is, but everybody likes watching them :)
For Ravelry Project 365 theme.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
101/366
Spring time means garden time! And, of course, a little helper who just LOVES playing in the dirt. I think that is the longest that she has played with anything thus far in her life. Gardening is just so much more fun when you can explore every aspect with new eyes :)
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
100/366
It's day 100!! Break out the fancy german beer! I jut loved the way the bubbles looked against our green kitchen walls. Cheers!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
099/366
Playing in the clay. The husband got me a pottery wheel for our anniversary last year, but it's taken me this long (nearly a year) to find the time to start playing. So, a friend and I were just conditioning the clay, getting it ready to work. Hopefully I'll have time in the next few weeks to actually get out the wheel and make something (a mess most likely) :)
Clay is so much fun!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
097/366
Art night at Mosaic - putting together a stained glass window. This one was called Tree of Life.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
096/366
Hanging the diapers out to dry. These clothespins are really getting that deliciously weathered look.
April 19 is National Hanging Out day. You should try it! Your clothes will smell better and you won't spend energy on the dryer!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
094/366
The sweater is DONE. Well, nearly. I just need to get the husband to pick out a zipper (after I do much research on choosing the right length, attaching it, etc.), attach the zipper and then block it. But still, this mammoth project is off the needles!
I am feeling rather proud of myself... the collar even stands up on it's own! Oh yeah... I have finished my first sweater... and even if the husband doesn't wear it, I most certainly will... it is SO snuggly! Now it's time to look at making myself a sweater :)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
093/366
Love this yarn! It's Rio de la Plata Wool Solid, it is deliciously soft, but it stood up to being frogged and reknit wonderfully. I've got 2.5 skeins leftover from the sweater... what to knit, what to knit?
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
092/366
I got new shoes to show off my handknitted socks... of course, Little Bit had to try them on :) She actually managed to walk around a bit in them! It looks like it will be a while before she starts raiding my shoes though :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)