Here is my new shawl, Summersky. The pattern is meant to be knit with a gradient set but I didn't have any gradients in my stash. I did however have some black Shibui Maai and white Rowan Kidsilk Glamour and I love to wear black and white.

Summersky is shaped like a rectangle with pointed ends and knit in two pieces. As I was finishing the first piece I had an inspired thought to switch the predominant color for the second half while still keeping it black and white. Since this was a test I asked the designer and she agreed it could look great, but honestly, I don't think either one of us realized just how fantastic it would turn out! I simply love it and it looks gorgeous with just about anything I toss it over. 

After the two halves are knitted from tip to center, they are joined seamlessly with triangles. The instructions are easy to memorize, making it perfect for TV and travel knitting. The color possibilities are endless, and I really encourage you to look at what the testers came up with, here. It comes in three sizes and I made the second size. The pattern includes a page that shows different color effects plus a template for your own color experimentation. This is a pattern that I can't wait to make again and am thinking about this subtle cafe au lait light and dark combo below. I've got enough cream Kidsilk Haze Glamour leftover and can add that too. Won't this be gorgeous and sophisticated?

Now I don't want to alarm you and think that I've decorated for fall while it's still summer--that won't happen around here for a few more weeks, but, for the last few years these pomegranate branches sold out quickly.  If in the past you've ordered these too late and were disappointed, now is the time to order while they are still in stock. They are very attractive with silky leaves and the realistic scraggly look of a real pomegranate tree! We have pom trees around our neighborhood and this is exactly how they look.  Just one or two sets of these pomegranate branches will get you ready for fall. I just purchased another set of orange and I also have a set of red for my kitchen that I can keep out through December. Click here to purchase. One question before I go, will you decorate for fall and when?

You could fill out the bouquet with faux fall leafy branches but I adore this scraggly minimalistic look!

 

Just when I thought I was done knitting baby sweaters I was invited to two baby showers! First up is a little boy who will be born in September. I knit a size 9-12 months and I think it will fit this winter and have some room to grow. I used Koigu Painter's Palette in three graduated colors and used exactly half of the yardage and have enough to make one more tiny sweater. The pattern is So Faded Pint Sized by Andrea Mowry. If you are new to fading then this pattern will be helpful. Also I like the way this pattern fits--it seems to have good proportions which is so important even with babies. The neckline has just enough space for a baby's large noggin without being sloppy. This is my pattern project page.

As for the quilt, years ago I worked at a fine linens shop. We sold bespoke bed, bath and kitchen linens with our cotton fabric sourced from Italy and our linen from Ireland. The samples were quite large and just gorgeous; many of them embroidered and appliquéd. Twice a year when certain fabrics were discontinued the owner handed the samples over to me, sometimes bags at a time! I also got chummy with one of the reps and she gave me more. I made dolly clothes, tea towels, and napkins galore, but then started cutting the fabric into 6" squares. After I had two full shoe boxes of squares I invited my girlfriends over to make baby quilts. At that time many of my friends were about to become first time grandmothers. We met once a week at my house, and over several months we made simple patch quilts, sewing them all by hand and hand quilting them. Every single quilt came out beautiful. You can read about it here. I made three crib sized quilts--a mostly yellow quilt, a mostly pink quilt, and this one, mostly blue. This is the last one I have and I'm so happy to be able to gift it to the sweetest and most excited and most beautiful new mama I know. 

The gift box will have this quilt, the sweater, a pair of the cutest teeny weeny jeans, some bibs and towels that were on her registry, and a dozen gently used picture books that Carter has outgrown. I'm so excited and I think she'll love it!

When I cleaned out my sewing room a few years ago I really tried to be practical and donate half finished crafts and craft supplies that I had lost interest in. I had a large stack of quilting fabric and I didn't see myself ever making complicated quilts again, but maybe I'd made a simple patchwork quilt? I really had enjoyed making those simple quilts with my friends. It was clear I wasn't ready to say goodbye to quilting completely so I took all the fabric and cut them into squares and now I have one shoe box full--perhaps enough to make a full size quilt if I choose. Sometimes I think I will make a quilt and sometimes I think I will donate this box, but I don't have to decide yet. It's there if I want it and it takes up very little space. It's funny, but quilting was such a big part of my life until knitting took over 20 or so years ago. And when that knitting bug bit, I was a goner! I've got one little needlepoint Christmas ornament that year after year I just can't seem to finish. I love needlepoint, but with all my knitting I just never pick up anything else. How about you? Any crafts or textile arts that you've neglected because of knitting? I'l bet there's a lot of us out there!

But back to my friends--with a time bomb ready to explode they hired help and were able to get through their entire house by their deadline. However, it was extremely stressful, so much so that my friend had to be hospitalized twice during the process. Moving is stressful enough no matter what, but there is something we can do now to make it easier, even if you don’t plan on moving for twenty years. So right now, if your house feels a bit too crowded, then don't wait until a move forces you to prune, prune now! If you begin that declutter journey right now you'll have years of enjoying the benefits of owning less (and I'm not talking about becoming a minimalist because I would hate that too) and profit from knowing that everything in your home is something you want and love and actually use.  And moving day, even if years from now, will be an easier venture.

I'm happy to tell you that my friends are happily nestled into their new home on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. Life is definitely good for them, but she shudders when she recalls the moving experience and as an aside, my husband was overwhelmed by what they went through. I assured him that our moving story, whenever that happens, will be different, no doubt chaotic, but perhaps less so? Fingers crossed my friends. But right now I do know that I can open our drawers with no struggles, I see empty space in the cabinets, and when I open a closet, there is nothing falling onto my head. I'm not a declutter or organizing expert, just an ordinary person with the very first world problem of owning too much and not liking it. I'm pretty proud of what I was able to achieve during my declutter journey of the last few years. I took the slow but steady route and you can read about it in these posts:

I said goodbye to grandma’s china in this post.

I binge cleaned and then and tackled my paper clutter. 

I continued my cleaning binge, including sentimental items here.

My last binge cleaning post tackles the kitchen and includes great organizing and money saving tips.

Generations of photos and family memorabilia were also tackled.

How I'm nibbling away at my stash and making it more manageable. 

I decluttered my Christmas calendar and holiday chores so I could enjoy my holiday!

So you've decluttered? Here are some tips to help stop you from accumulating too much stuff again.

I also decluttered my digital life. Why I Gave Up Social Media, and I've never regretted it.

Sewing Room Tour with tips on how you can create your own creative space and keep it decluttered.

We couldn't let our friends go without a goodbye party. The pictures above are from our neighborhood going away party we threw in our backyard. Our neighborhood parties are always casual, always potluck, often last minute, and always very fun. We don't organize the food or drink and it always works out, but as with any typical potluck, we bring whatever we like to drink, plus more to share, plus a dish to share. The host supplies the plates and cups, and this neighborhood expects paper and plastic. We had a beet salad, an Indian rice dish, chicken kebabs, meatballs, cucumber salad, brownies, and so much more. It was quite a smorgasbord. Someone brought chips and onion dip and it was devoured! We were all exclaiming about how we never have chips and onion dip anymore and why not? It's so good! We had an exchange student from Italy at our party and he might have thought our food selection was a bit alarming but I know he had fun. When visiting another country it's so fun to see how the natives party, don't you think? 😉 I put out nuts and a bowl of cherry tomatoes and made tomato bruschetta that was gone in a flash. I also made flower arrangements for each table of course. I grounded them with huge magnolia branches then filled in with zinnias, dahlias, shasta daisies, and cosmos. The night got chilly, and for the late stayers, I was happy to give them my knitted blankets and shawls. That alone is a reason to keep knitting! 

Happy Sunday folks, 

Kristen