A Green Addition to the Family

A new little Green Bunny Nugget has joined the Easter family in the basket. He was in the making yesterday...

 ...and got his finishing touches today (stuffing, eyes, nose, and fluffy tail!). 

Yellow Bunny Nugget and Blue Chubby Chirp are sure happy to have a friend. Three is definitely NOT a crowd! The more, the merrier.

 Their Easter basket is starting to fill up!

 And the Next Fun Thing has begun...

 ...a new little baby sweater! In a delightful spring yellow. Yummy! 

In all the chaos and upsets of life, knitting calms my soul. The soft yarn is soothing in my fingers. The bright colors are uplifting. The rigid needles are strong and make it all work. And the repetition of knit and purl reassures me that if I just keep on keeping on, one stitch at a time, something good will come of my effort. I might have to frog and tink a bit, but I won't give up. And it's in the not giving up that I succeed in knitting...and in life. 

Onward. ~CJ~

Hello Spring!

I'm so happy you're back, Spring! I've missed you! Today my little backyard shows signs of waking up after a long, cold winter.

The Forsythia blooms are bright and multiplying. Soon the bush will be covered.

The grass is green, and Rascal kitty enjoys a peaceful moment, surveying Spring's progress.

The ground cover is filling in the garden stones and doo-dads.

And the tulips have broken ground and are reaching for the sky!

It's a happy day, and I appreciate very much the beauty of this first day of Spring. Welcome! ~CJ~

Christmas on St. Paddy's

Today was my lucky day! The lense for my camera body arrived on my doorstep via the big brown delivery truck, and I've officially made the switch from point-and-shoot to DSLR! I feel like a kid at Christmas! 

Ever since I was young, I've been interested in photography. My dad gave me my first film camera when I was about 12. It was an old Argus. I love that he encouraged me to take pictures and learn how cameras work. When I lived in Japan as a teenager, I bought a Fujica SLR (film) and used and loved it for years. 

When the digital revolution hit, my dad was there for me again, giving me my first point-and-shoot "didge." His only advice: Use it with impunity. (I had to look up that word in the dictionary!) No more paying for film and developing! And use it with impunity, I certainly did! I have thousands of photos in my digital library.

Today is a new era for me, and there is so much to learn about DSLR photography. I guess I'll start by taking pictures with impunity, same as before!

So, in case you've been wondering, here is the beginning of my newest project and one of my first photos with my new camera . . . my version of "2-socks-at-a-time" . . .  

I've started both socks on their own set of sticks. And I just move from one to the other as I complete a set in the pattern.

Love the yarn . . . It is Knit Picks "Felici" in the self-striping color "Afternoon." It's lucious both to look at and to touch and makes knitting a joy. 

I'm steaming some bright green asparagus for dinner in honor of St. Paddy's Day. Yum, it's done! I'm off to eat. Luck o' the Irish to ya! ~CJ~

Japan Thoughts

I lived in Japan for 3 years as a teenager. My dad was in the Air Force and we were stationed at Yokota AFB, north of Tokyo. When we arrived, it didn’t take me long to love the people of Japan. I felt of their kindness, generosity, and humility in so many instances. It is so heartbreaking to see what they are going through. Words seem inadequate to describe my feelings. I mourn for the lives that have been lost and for their grieving families and friends. I mourn for the homes that have been lost. I wish I could be there to help. Along with so many others, I have a constant prayer in my heart for Japan and its people. It's one powerful way we can come together as a world to help. 

As I see tragedies happen throughout the world, I am reminded of how precious life is. Our lives could change in an instant. As others have posted on their blogs, I echo that it's important to appreciate the beauty and goodness we can find in today - this moment we have been given, and to reach out to those who are less fortunate. We're all in this together, and we never know when our tides might change. ~CJ~       

The Next Fun Thing...

...is a bit of a surprise, so I’m not saying much about it. But I will say that Joann’s had a sale-too-good-to-pass-up on baby flannel, and the night of the big storm found me not holed up in my home, like a sensible person, but at Joann’s cutting table with a shopping cart full of the cutest fabric.

It was actually a great time to shop, because the store was practically empty (void of sensible people), and I got the best picks! I think it snowed 4 inches while I shopped - I did make it home without ending up in a snow bank, luckily. And now the patterns and colors are just too darling to keep secret. So here are some of my Fun Finds, all washed, dried, fluffed up, and ready to sew!

As for what I’m sewing, that will be the mystery. I'm sure having fun with all the fabric combinations. (Hopefully the photos haven’t given too much away!)

There’s another NFT that I can’t hold in…and it came by way of an Amazon box on my front step (such a lovely surprise to come home to - I want to jump and down with joy when one of those is waiting for me!). “It” is two new books all about embroidery: Doodle Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners and Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection, both by Aimee Ray.

I have to confess that these books have given me embroidery fever. And just as this page says, want to embroider my world!

I love the casual “doodleness” of her designs and projects (just like her covers promise). They are so fresh and simple. Exactly the style I go for!

I sat in bed looking through the books the night they arrived, and I couldn’t resist picking up a needle and thread to try out the pine cone design. I didn’t even take the time to trace it, I just eyeballed it and had a great time stitching away. A few minutes later and ta-da! It’s a bit out of proportion, but I thought it was cute enough to put in a little round frame. I’ll enjoy it in some nook of my home. And I'm looking forward to stitching many more of these fun designs!  

We've heard it a million times, and it's true...sometimes the simple little things bring the most pleasure. ~CJ~

Snow Day & Sweaters

Winter struck again last night, in a big way. My world is covered in a beautiful snowy blanket. Later, the sun came out made it look all sparkly and clean. Days like this give me so much energy!

Exciting news! Holly sent me pictures of her finished Baby Sophisticates sweaters. I love what she did with the brown one. She made the sleeves short, omitted the collar band, and turned the sweater to the purl side. There’s a slight curl on the center edge for such a cute effect.

On both sweaters, I believe she plans to put cute little fasteners and ribbon instead of buttons.

So creative! And so little! Love them! You inspire me, Holly! ~CJ~

Off My Needles & Onto My Feet!

They're done! They fit! They're comfy! And they're BRIGHT and fun to wear!

I'm having so much fun with these socks that I knitted for myself. What fun to graft the toe of sock #2 last night and then put both of them on. I didn't want to take them off. I felt like a kid who got new shoes and wanted to sleep in them. (However, I did finally take them off!)

Learning to knit has really upped the creative excitement level in my life. It's been fun to learn how to knit something other than a square. Thank goodness I have YouTube (the best teacher ever) to help me along.

And I have a nasty habit of getting so excited about a new thing, giving it a go, and then dropping it like a hot potato when the newness wears off or the Next Fun Thing comes along. So far so good in slaying that dragon and finishing my projects. A first for me, really! Only time will tell with future projects. Ha ha!

Can't wait to cast on again for the Next Fun Thing! Happy weekend! ~CJ~

Welcome March 1st!

It’s so lovely to see you, March. The view from my office window shows a tree’s bare branches lit up with your bright morning sky. Shine on, sun. Warm the soil, wake the trees out of slumber, and bring on Spring!