Not to brag or anything

but I designed this. That's A Capricious Perspective's (my dear sister) gorgeous family.

I'm for hire. I'm cheap too.

Instinctual design?

My friend sent me this quiz to help me along in my color palette selection. I think I always think of interior decorating (do they still call it that?) as something that takes creative juices and a knack for, well, decorating, but what if it's all instincts? My results came back "Sun-kissed," and the one color I have chosen for our house to go in the great room, dining room, and kitchen (that one big open space...see floor plan) is Harvester. It's something between a Yellow Strength and Golden Burma.

Take the quiz yourself and see your color personality. I can almost bet you've already surrounded yourself with these colors.

Oh, and if I never write my novel, I want to be a paint namer. How fun would that be?! Jessaca, paint namer at large. That has ring.

House update: shutters?

We're told dig will happen tomorrow. It's been freezing around these parts, so I'm not holding my breathe. And we're really in no rush. We want it done right, and our inspector told us that a foundation shouldn't be poured in certain temperatures.

In the meantime, Jonathan and I have been contemplating window treatments. I never knew window treatments could be so exciting and sexy. And that's just talking about them! So I've been Googling. Good ol' Google. I don't really know what I like when it comes to decor. If I probably had to pick anything it would be a cross between something in Pottery Barn and Coastal Living magazine, which is how I came to shutters. Plantations shutters. But shutters can be expensive, so we can't afford, and wouldn't really want to, to outfit all the windows in shutters. So here's my thought:

You remember my floor plan, don't you? You've probably printed off your very own copy that's now creased and scraggly with little paths ran along the "floor" imagining yourself in the space. Uh huh. I thought so. Me too.



I think the different window treatments in the open floor plan will breakup the space. The only question I still haven't answered is what drapes will be in dining room. I want something dramatic.

What do you think?

No eff bomb

My gloves are almost done. Almost. I realized I got a little carried away and bound off too soon on my first glove, missing a cable row and five knit rows. Reading directions? Very important. Actually, though, if I had wanted I could have made the second glove in the same fashion. It's less bulkier without the extra cable and rows, but I really wanted that last cable row detail. The end result isn't as satisfying considering my yarn is bulkier and doesn't lay flat, but my co-worker Lucy had an excellent idea to make the edges not curl back, exposing the sensitive skin you're wanting to cover, and make the gloves more secure when typing: knit thin strips between the fingers. Why didn't I think of that?! I haven't ripped out and reknitted the first glove yet, so I need to do that first, but I'm already thinking how I can execute my modification. This whole process has me thinking about other modifications, like using a seed stitch (my fave stitch of all!) detail, and maybe even some matching leg warmers. For yoga you know.

Oh, and my post title, I actually handled my oopsie instead of getting beside myself (i.e. dropping some bombs and giving up). I know how to go back and fix the problem. I'm saved. Or rather the time I invested is saved. I think I'm a real knitter after all. I'll post picture soon, and I'll be taking orders: I have lots of this gray yarn to get rid of. Comment me if you want a pair. Price: Love and peace.

Have sweater boots, will travel

Okay, maybe not travel but be oh, so happy (and warm) looking at my feet. Bought these beauties and cuties online at DSW for $30(!). Knitting for my feet. Happy feet!

Etsy Fave Friday: cupcakecutiees

Cupcakes. Check. Funky damask patterns. Check. Cheap and fun. Check. Cupcakecutiees digital designs are cute and funky enough to eat. I think we just might have some elements to purchase for Miss Sassy's first birthday invitation. Hmmm, momma?

Gimme

One of The Purl Bee's posts this week was about the new knitting book Reversible Knitting. It's hard to not get a little impatient to be ready to knit the kinds of things in her book. I might have to get it for inspiration. And motivation.

Highly recommend

Pumpkin curry from Williams Sonoma. I could probably easily make it. But can I just say: This stuff is sooo good. And if you can't afford to go out to a $100 dinner, then maybe you can have a dash of something special and tasty. I wouldn't mind if Santa left this in my stocking.

To knit: Owls

I saw this sweater (It's a free pattern on raverly.com or you can download it at Kate Davies' blog.) and I can't stop drooling. There's even a children's version you can buy. I'm not ready to knit something like this just yet. Need more experience in the sweater department. But I have her saved in my libraby to one day cast on and love. Not sure what brought about my return to knitting, but I'm loving it.

Truly, madly knitting

Ahh knitting. I love you. I hate you. I don't really understand you. But alas! I prevail. Fetching, you have met your match. I'll knit you little thumb ring. I'll knit you in the end.

I apologize for the horrible picture, but when a knitter is in the zone, she shall not waste time on photography staging. If you look closely, you will see a white line of yarn on the upper right. That, my friend, is waste yarn. The pattern read: Using waste yarn, k7; slip these sts back to left needle and k them again using working yarn. Say what?! Translation: Instead of using your working yarn, grab a piece of any old yarn and just knit as you would your working yarn for seven stitches. I swear the hardest part of knitting is translating pattern directions. You literally have to do research on it. Luckily, we live in a modern age and you can just Google the directions in question and almost always you will find someone with the same question you had. I wonder what knitters did before the modern age. Gave up is my guess. Maybe one day I'll write a book Truly, Madly Knitting: A Book of Pattern Translations for the Sane Going Insane Trying to Read Knitting Patterns. I think it would be a bestseller.

Juicy photography

Web Design Ledger's recent post "100+ Photoshop Actions for Amazing Color Enhancements" has me banging my head with wanting a new camera. Can't wait to try some of these.

Almost famous

I was quoted on Yoga Maendy's blog. I'll try not to let it go to my head. That would be very unyogi of me.

Christmas card sneak peek

Designing a certain someone's Christmas card. This is only the beginning, and knowing this person, it'll go through more lovable revisions until I come to a perfect final.

Weekend knit project

In serious need of these at work. Guess what I'll be making this weekend?

Get my ornament on

Next year I think will be the year I venture down the make-your-own-ornament path. I have my dear co-worker Lucy to thank for this idea.

Last night, I went shopping for some ornaments for my sister (we do a yearly ornament exchange). And I really don't get it: What's up with all the fugly, crappy, and cheap ornaments out there. I even went to a Christmas store and I still wasn't impressed all that much. I guess I expected to be blown away. I still managed to find an ornament for my sister and my niece Abby, but I'm a little disappointed in them. I saw an ornament that was perfect Abby (aka Girlfried, Miss Sassy), but it was shoddy in craftsmanship. When you're a crafter, it's those little details that get you and make you think, "I could do better."

So next year, I'm making my own. I think I'll start with something simple like glass balls with rub ons. But I have a whole year to come up with my master plan.

P.S. I broke an ornament in the store too. I've always wondered what it would be like to be the person who broke something in the store. Now I know. It wasn't my fault, but still embarassing.

Etsy fave: Neena Creates.

I love shirts with inspiring, whimsical messages, especially those that inspire love, hope, and faith. Neena Creates creates organic or upcycled t-shirts (among other things) I'd want to wear everyday. A wearable pass it on card.

Buffy Kills Edward!

For the mantel

I'm not decorating for Christmas this year due to the move. I don't want the stress of unpacking a tree and Jonathan's stash of one million ornaments (not kidding, our tree leans because of the number ornaments we have) and then repacking it all up. Even more: I can't even get to the closet where the ornaments are stored. Hello, we're getting prepared to make the biggest move of our lives! So of course I'm already prepared with lots of empty boxes.

But even though I'm not decorating this year doesn't mean I can't day decorate dream for next year. The year I will have a mantel. But I know nothing of decorating, and less of decorating a mantel. But when I saw Pretty Ditty's post on yarn trees, I thought: Well, that's right up my knitted heart alley. Can't you picture it?