Another Year Gone By...

Today is my birthday.

I always get a little sad on my birthday... It's not about vanity or getting older. I'm a firm believer that with age comes wisdom and along with embracing that wisdom means you embrace the wrinkles, the aches and pains, the gray hairs. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but watching the years drag on while I was a child, then seeing them pick up pace in my early twenties, then suddenly start whooshing by makes me sad.

Will I ever see a flying car? Will I watch a woman become President? Will they ever cure the horrific diseases that claim the lives of so many? Can they stop global warming? Will I meet my great-grandchildren? These are the thoughts I had today, August 26th.

I wonder where the heck the time went. Did I accomplish anything spectacular since last birthday? Were there people in my life that meant a lot to me that are suddenly not there? Did I do something that made me proud to be me? I like to think that I worked hard, I accomplished a lot, I'm working on turning the little tiny boy we brought into the world last April into a little gentleman and that I'm making myself into a better version since last birthday. I've tried to be better at accepting people for who they are, cutting people more slack and being less harsh on myself. That last one continues to be a work in progress.

It was gloomy today. The sky was gray on one side and dark purple on the other. Rain was imminent and according to Siri (who lives in my iPhone) "it doesn't look so nice today." After a lovely brunch with my boys, we headed to somewhere we've never been before, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. An outdoor park with myriad waterlily ponds, trails, board walks and insanely beautiful plants and gardens, we braved the weird weather and raindrops and took a stroll to take some pictures. We practically had the place to ourselves and it was what I needed to recharge my batteries and look forward to the next 365 days until I reach another birthday.

The icing on the cake? Phone calls from friends and family (many with eclectic renditions of "Happy Birthday"), a GIANT blue heron gliding past us while we walked through the gardens, my husband walking in with a cake and candles in one hand and a bouquet of sunflowers in the other after leaving me alone for a bit to get some writing done, smiles from my son all day, a warm pug on my lap and a mug of tea next to my keyboard. I have everything I need right here.

Happy birthday to me!

The Farmer & the Dell

While I am no fan of summer (the humidity, the sweat, the hot sun beating down, the uncomfortable feeling of a giant pile of wool on my lap) I like August for a few reasons. I like the promise of autumn being just around the corner, the back to school aisles in the stores, the evenings getting a bit cooler, the days getting a bit shorter and as my mom says, the bugs going away. August also happens to be my birthday month, but I long for fall and winter. We have a wonderful farmer's market in Washington, DC called Eastern Market. It’s a brief walk from where we live on Capitol Hill and we like to strap my son in his stroller, leash up the pug and walk over, market bags in hand. The market is packed with fruit, vegetables, flowers every color of the rainbow, exotic cheeses, meats, crafts, jewelry, art and makes for excellent people watching.

We like to try veggies we’ve never seen before, chat up the farmers, coo over other people’s children and enjoying being together as a family. This little patch of market in the middle of a bustling city is a small haven filled with happiness, color, families, friends, treats and the fleeting final days of summer, quickly slipping away. These are the days that memories are made of.

I designed the Eastern Market Tote with our weekend trips to the market in mind. I find that produce and flowers do better in a bag that lets them breathe. The gentle zig zag of the lace allows for breathing room, while the strong garter handle can be slung over a shoulder or stroller and the pinwheel-like bottom will hold up. I find a lot of the bags we bring to the market aren’t deep enough, especially for flowers, so I designed it to be extra long.

I adore the yarn, Cascade’s Pima Silk because it is an extra strong fiber blend of 85% Peruvian pima cotton and 15% silk. The key to a knit market bag is a strong fiber that will last. This blend knits up like butter and has wonderful stitch definition. It was smooth to knit with and I know I’ll be knitting with Pima Silk again soon. This may just be my new favorite Cascade yarn!

This quick knit would be an ideal first lace project, or a good way to familiarize oneself with knitting in the round. With over 35 colors, you could knit up an arsenal to bring with you on your next trip to the market. Think of all the plastic bags you can say no to if you bring your own knit totes and go green! Knit bags can last forever, the yarn is strong and ideal for this kind of project and you can easily finish one in time for your next market excursion.

As summer draws to a close, we’ll celebrate my birthday and begin to see the school buses coming back out, the sweaters pulled from storage and the air begin the change. It’s important to remember to take time with your friends and family to make memories during this beautiful time of year before we hunker down for winter.

Download the free pattern here.

I'm in the Mood for Nordic, Simply Because You're Near Me...

I love Nordic-inspired knitwear. What's better than the idea of trekking through the snow with snowshoes strapped to your feet, nose red from the cold, snow falling silently around you, the warm yellow lights trickling through the windows of a far off house and a Nordic sweater on your back? To me that sounds like heaven (if you added a thermos of hot chocolate into the scenario).

I recently designed a Nordic Pullover for Imperial Stock Ranch. Chock full of the techniques I adore, top down raglan, corrugated ribbing, fair isle and a pretty amazing coziness factor, I knew once I boxed it, sealed it up and sent it to them in Oregon that I might have to make one for myself. They have many great yarns over at Imperial, but my favorite of theirs is Native Twist. I was pretty excited when they told me that's what they wanted the sweater knit out of.

Being a summer baby, you'd think I'd jump for joy when the days grow warm, the sweat starts dripping from my brow for no reason and the days grow longer. Heck no! I long for dark evenings, snow drifts, chilly temperatures, warm woolies, steaming mugs of tea and the smell of fresh bread coming from the oven. I want a red nose, cold ears, icicles hanging from the roof and wet boots by the door. Knitting this sweater made me long for those days... They'll be here before you know it.

Download the Nordic Pullover pattern here. 150 days until the official start of Winter on December 21.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

There's hot and there's what's been happening here in DC and many other parts of the country... This goes beyond a regular summer with humidity that is my worst nightmare, evenings that don't go below 90 degrees, airplanes sinking into the tarmac (that really happened!), week-long power outages and the weather guy on TV baking cookies on the sidewalk (that also really happened).

When the weather gets like this there isn't much to do but go on lockdown. Take the dog for a quick walk after the sun sets to keep the panting to a minimum, don't run the dishwasher or washer/dryer until right before bed and look for activities to appease a 14-month old who is used to going on long walks and playing at the park, neither of which we've been able to do lately because of the heat. With the power outages here last week and the week before, all public places with good AC we usually hide out at like museums, the zoo or the mall were mobbed with people, all hovered near any available power outlet and looking like they were going into technology withdrawal. I actually heard a girl crying because she hadn't been able to get on Facebook for a few days.

Have we really gotten to this point? Instead of worrying about an elderly neighbor or pets not doing well in the heat, the wasted food in the fridge or the possibility of dehydration, we worry about FACEBOOK? Wow. This reminded me of a few things I had planned on getting around to when "I had time."

My husband is a green mechanical engineer. He was interested in it before it became trendy and has changed my life for the better (complete with changing my lightbulbs to LEDs 10 years ago when we first started dating). With weather like what much of the country has been living in these past few weeks, how can you not believe in global warming? Yes, it's hot, but guess what? It's our fault. We've ticked off Mother Nature and she's showing her wrath by reminding us we've lived responsibility-free for far too long.We live in a small apartment in the city and while it's not possible to live a 100% green life, we do our best to do what we can. We recently decided to live our lives paper towel and napkin-free. Think of all that waste! I've also been trying to use up some of my stash, whether it's yarn, fabric, cleaning supplies or soap (why do we have so much soap under the sink?).

This weekend I hauled out the 'ol sewing machine, dug through my fabric stash for scraps not big enough for any substantial project, gathered my rotary cutter, threads, cutting mat, ironing board, iron and got to work. I found an online tutorial here and changed the size up a bit for larger napkins. I knew I wanted 15 napkins as a start and that they would be doubled sided, with no 2 alike. A few hours later, I had exactly what I had hoped for! I forgot how much I love sewing and while I'm not fantastic at it, I love every aspect of turning fabric into something utilitarian and beautiful. I'll definitely be making more of these to build up an arsenal for when we have company.

Next up? New kitchen towels, a small quilt, pants for my son and maybe a few pillow covers.

Until then, stay cool.