Monthly Archives: April 2016

Zzzzz… Huh? What? I’m awake!

3 Replies

Oh my god, you guys.  I just had a ridiculously fun long weekend.

My in-laws came to visit (Hi, in-laws!) and we spent three days on the Olympic Peninsula.  We hiked, we picnicked, we beach-combed, and we played in the snow.

We rented a little cabin, tucked between a lake and a beautiful waterfall, and spent two nights there, between day trips across the Peninsula.    We went beach combing on Rialto Beach (along the Pacific coast). Ollie really liked that- especially the piles of stinky driftwood!WP_20160402_004And, we went up to Hurricane Ridge, where there were still feet and feet of snow on the ground!  It was just gorgeous! Ollie had never seen snow before, and I think he enjoyed it.  He rolled around in it like an idiot (an adorable idiot, of course) and tried (unsuccessfully) to catch the snow balls we tossed for him.  And he also managed to pose like a model for Doggy Vogue. (So glamorous!)WP_20160403_025Needless to say- we are completely beat.  I’m still in my PJs, and my husband could barely get out of bed this morning to get to work.  And I don’t think the dog has been awake for more than 30 minutes at a time since we got home.

All I want to do is curl up in my warmest, comfiest knitwear and read a book.  (Any recommendations?)

I’d love to wear this adorable striped, cabled, and pocketed sweater.  How cute and cozy!

Cosy… by Marion CrivelliDSCN0278_medium2[1]

And this shawl somehow manages to be both modern and very classic.

Campside by Alicia PlummerIMG_5088_medium2_medium[1]

But, really, all I want to do is cuddle up under this blanket and go to sleep.

Neat Ripple by Lucy of Attic244441709480_00f95eea23_z[1]

I can skip work today… right? Right?

What do you like doing after a big, fun, but exhausting trip?

Aura Giveaway Day

1 Reply

Woo!  It’s Giveaway day!

This seriously might be my favorite collection ever.  My fingers are itching to start knitting some of these lovely, summery sweaters.  (And, I think the Seattle weather agrees with me- it’s been beautiful, sunny and warm (ish) since the collection came out!)75230DAnyhoo, enough about my infatuation with this collection!  It’s time for the drawing.

With dozens of entries, I headed over to Random.org for the drawing.

RandomorgAnd the winner is (drum roll, please!):

Victoria!

Congrats, Victoria! I’ll be sending you an email later today to arrange the logistics of getting this fabulous book to you!

If you’re not Lucky Victoria, remember you can get your own copy of the collection here.

And, if you just want a copy of my pattern (the Magnolia Pullover), look here!

On the Nettles

1 Reply

You know what I love more than knitting?  Weeding.  Weeding is the best!  There’s nothing better than spending hours bending over, ripping up weeds by their roots and getting all sore and muddy (because it never stops raining in Seattle).

In fact, I love weeding so much, I think I might stop writing about knitting, and turn On the Needles into On the Nettles, a blog about weeds and weeding.

I can talk about dandelions!  They’ve taken over my entire yard- and all different varieties: short ones, tall ones, fat ones and spindly ones.  They’ve all got stupid yellow flowers and make me sneeze.  There’s nothing more satisfying than ripping up a dandelion, and getting a big ‘ol taproot with it.  Kill all dandelions!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, I live in Seattle, so my yard is has more moss in it than grass.  It makes for a lovely, springy lawn, perfect for walking on with bare feet- provided you don’t mind getting your toes wet and muddy.  The only problem with moss is that it goes dormant when it doesn’t rain, so my lovely, lush lawn turns into a crispy brown wasteland the moment summer hits.  Dumb moss.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAClover is supposed to be lucky.  Well then, I must be the luckiest girl on the west coast!  The clover usually keeps to my flower beds, but recently it has been sneaking out into the yard.  This one is a pain to pull up, and I can never get the roots out.  Not my favorite.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, I can’t forget the purple beauty of my lawn’s weed collection!  (Especially on this, the first installment of On the Nettles.)  It’s Lamium purpureum, or the purple dead-nettle.  It’s got a super-cool punk-rock name, but it’s just a dumb little purple flower.  It has suddenly appeared all over my yard in the last three weeks.  It’s a pain.

(April fools!  I’m not actually going to change On the Needles into a weeding blog, because that is a crazy person idea.  But did I get you?  Haha!)

(Also! Don’t forget to sign up for the Aura Giveaway!  The drawing will be held on Monday Morning!)