-:- list update

It's that time of year again - time to eat cake, indulge in pretty things, and make another list of things to do in the upcoming year. When I look back on my list from last year, it feels like I left a lot unaccomplished...I still ask Mr. to drive whenever there's a chance we'll have to parallel park on a busy street. I'm not fluent in ASL and our kitchen and bathroom are in the same state they've always been in.

But I've accomplished so much more this year than was outlined in my little list. I'm still doing yoga 4-5 times a week at my studio. Starting that habit was so major for me - if that's the only thing I had accomplished all year, I'd still be pleased. I also managed to pay off one of my student loans and quit coffee. And in place of the two bigger renovations, we've completed many little projects around the house that have made big impacts around here.

This year, I have a bit more perspective on what my life out west is all about. And with that perspective comes a new, updated list of things to do before I turn 30.
(say what?!)

Here's to making my last year in this decade of my life something really special.

xox

-:- cotton and wool

I've taken a break from some of the larger projects I've been working on to make some comfort knits - here, here, and here - and to help a fellow Raveler in New Zealand who put out a request for some washcloths. Her daughter's school is raising money for a greenhouse and the washcloths will be paired with soaps and sold at a fundraiser.

I've officially decided to hibernate my Radian Yoke project - I plan on picking it up again in February or March so it'll be ready for next summer. And after I've made a few more washcloths, I'll finish that Stockholm cowl (which has been waiting patiently for me for a couple of weeks) before moving on to some larger projects and some gifts. Can't wait.

xox

-:- harvests

We are so grateful for this summer bounty - everything except the fruit has come from our little garden. It all makes for some really good eating.

xox

-:- my grandfather

There have been many things happening in these parts lately.
One of the bigger things was a last minute trip back east to celebrate my grandfather's life. He passed away in late July with little suffering or pain
and will be remembered very fondly by a lot of people.

I will always remember his twinkling eyes.
And his love of conversation and condiments.

xox

-:- yarn along // stockholm and paris

Last month, I got a box in the mail that held three skeins of DK weight yarn, which is downright bulky compared to the yarns I've been using lately. They were skeins of variegated yarn in a colorway I would not have picked myself - and I was very curious about how this yarn would knit up. I searched long and hard before I found a pattern I'd like to try - and once I found it, I couldn't help but cast on.

I'm making a Stockholm Scarf, which is really a long cowl that is knit in two pieces - and it's just what I need to break up the miles of stockinette stitch that are required to finish my Radian Yoke.

On the reading front, I finished Monsoon Diary and continue to recommend it. It's now sitting in my kitchen, ready to be used as a cookbook for a Monsoon Diary feast...maybe this weekend?

These days, I've been reading Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and a graphic novel called French Milk by Lucy Knisley. I've wanted to read both for a long time - years, even! French Milk is a travelogue about a trip the author took with her mother to Paris right before she graduated college. It's an honest book and it's fun and quick to read. It's also inspiring me to break out my sketchbook and draw something each day. What a wonderful way to journal, right?

xox

-:- hello from the boys

xox

-:- weekending

This weekend was all about gorillas, botanical gardens, vegan Chinese food from one of my favorite places, and the best instant ramen I've ever had. Lemongrass ginger flavored ramen - with no MSG (or other bad ingredients) and way less sodium than usual. So amazing.

I also went to yoga, cleaned up the house, started a new knitting project, and took a long nap - all while Mr. worked hard on the shores of South Carolina. This past week he has been in the field for the first time as a geologist, which meant I was flying solo this weekend.

Usually when I'm on my own, my tendency is to hunker down and not go anywhere unless I have to. I can knit, read, and cook for hours on end and be perfectly happy. But I've started to realize that I'm a bit happier if I balance some of that pure, unadulterated alone time with some time being out in the world, experiencing things. Finding new ramen. Chatting with my sister in a Japanese garden. Saying hello to some pretty wonderful primates. So that's what I did.

Balance is a beautiful thing. I'm so grateful that I found it this weekend.

xox