Knitting has been one of the things getting me through this moment in time. For whatever reason, I am having trouble sewing. Knitting, however, keeps my hands busy and lets my mind rest. And my mind needs to rest.I finished this Birkin sweater last week. I had cast on in January with yarn that Fatty gave me for my birthday last May. It's Brooklyn Tweed Loft and I just love it. It's so soft once blocked and comes in so many beautiful colors. I had a hard time choosing a main color. I waffled between an off-white, gray or the navy. Once I settled on the dark blue, the rest was easy to choose.As far as the knitting goes, it's a nice pattern. The yoke was slow going - parts of it have three colors per row. It's also fingering weight which I had to knit on size 2 needles to get gauge. I took my time and managed a few rounds each day. Once I was finished with the color work, it was all stockinette stitch in the round. While it took awhile to finish and got tedious at some points (size 2 needles! fingering weight yarn!), I am so glad I kept at it and finished. I am beyond thrilled with the finished knit and the fit.I posted all of the details on my Ravelry page, including the modifications I made, but the highlights are:Pattern: Birkin Sweater by Caitlin Hunter; Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Loft; Modifications: No bobbles, increased length by 1/2", did not change to larger needles for body shaping.I immediately picked up another project. This time it is a sweater for Jane. I saw the Throwover by Andrea Mowry and knew she'd love it. She picked the colors, we ordered yarn and it was off to the races. I'll be sharing that soon...I have about 1" of ribbing left on the body and the sleeves. It's a super fast knit!

Inspired by Jane and Kate (my college girl and my soon-to-be college girl), I designed a new hat pattern! The College Girl Hat! It's a fun one...super squishy yarn and chunky cables. I even added a cute faux fur pom! It takes one skein of bulky yarn and knits up super fast....perfect gift knit! I've already made a good half dozen, with yarn for many more beckoning me to sit and knit in front of my favorite holiday movies. Love Actually, anyone?You can find the pattern on Ravelry. And it's on sale through this Friday, 12/13/19, for $2.50.I'd love to see your hat when you make one. Tag me on Instagram (@houseonhillroad) and use the hashtag #collegegirlhat.Happy knitting, friends!

Hey there! I have so much to share with you all. I arrived home Monday from Quilt Market in Houston (and finally got to hold my book in my hands!!!) and am slowly getting myself back into the groove this week. I have spent a total of 30 minutes in the studio, making a camera strap for a donation. I hope to be back up there today, cleaning first and then attacking some WIPS and starting some new quilts. Nothing like being around a bunch of quilts and quilters to get those creative juices flowing!

In the meantime, I have been knitting. Prompted by a friend, I did a mental count of all the unfinished knitting projects I have going at the moment. Two shawls (the Honey Plum as shown above and What the Fade), two socks (a vanilla stripey one and the Clark sock), two sweaters (Ramona Cardigan - so close to being finished! - and Rendezvous Peak - languishing from last fall),  and a hat I started yesterday (surprise knitting). Geez, oh Pete, that is a lot of yarn on needles, isn't it?

The truth is that I have been knitting a lot and if you'd love to read about why that is the case, I invite you to click over to Hello There, Friend and read my first essay as part of the writing team. I was equally scared and excited to write this way. I feel like I am stretching myself, but in the best way. I'd be delighted if you'd take a minute or two to read! Back soon, friends.

Woodstock 3

Woodstock 4

Bertie botts sock

Oh, September. It seems like you just started. I had good intentions to be back in this space weeks ago, because in my mind, Labor Day marks the end of summer. Never mind that summer officially ends tomorrow or that, for us, it ended mid-August when the girls started back to school (a sophomore and a senior!). It always takes me a few weeks to adjust to the new normal and I think that I am just about as adjusted as I will get this year. Or so it seems.

Our summer was full and good and productive. I read a LOT, I made some quilts, I made some gifts (that I can't show yet), I knitted a TON. I thought I'd dip my toes back into blogging by sharing these things with you all over the next few posts.

First up, some socks.

I still find it somewhat unbelievable that I like to knit socks. This pair was a complete delight. The yarn, Woodstock by Must Stash Yarns, is self-striping and I just love, love, love how it knits up. It's super soft and the colors are so beautiful. Not to mention that I kept knitting to see what stripe came next! Stacie packages the yarn in two identical skeins so that your socks will be exact matches - love that! I started these as a pair for myself, but as the stripes showed themselves, I decided that I would give them to Kate.

Having two matching skeins was a prefect opportunity for me to try something new: two-at-a-time magic loop. I started off strong, but ended up having to separate them after about three inches as I had a knot in my yarn that I could not figure out how to fix with both socks on one needle. Oh well. I am not sure that two-at-a-time is for me yet - I found it kind of fiddly dealing with two yarn cakes. I am not saying I won't try it again, but for now, one sock magic loop knitting seems to be the best and fastest method for me.I used Susan Anderson'sSmooth Operator Sock with an afterthought heel. I have knit this pattern four times now and I love it for self-striping and self-patterning yarns. The heel is a bit of a challenge the first time, but Susan's pattern is extremely detailed and has tons of photos which help a lot. I also find that the afterthought heel feels a tad tight for me when I try the socks on. Once blocked, it fits like a dream - not tight at all.I like having a sock on the needles at all times. It makes for the perfect knitting in the carpool line, waiting room, or if I have five spare minutes to kill. I am knitting a pair for Jane at the moment. She chose this happy, cheery yarn by Stitch Together Studio while we were on vacation in Michigan this summer. The color is "Bertie Botts", which we noticed after we had left the store. Perfect for my Harry Potter fan and fun for me to knit! When this pair is finished, I am going to cast on these for me!

I'm joining Leslie this month, taking photos of the things around me, looking for light and inspiration in my every day.

And knitting. I am knitting.

For the first time in a long while, I have the urge to knit more than a hat or a cowl. So when the temperatures dipped into the 30's, it seemed like a sign to buy yarn. Sweaters for the girls, that's what this pile will become. Lightweight in Belize for Jane. Simple Cardigan in Iceland for Kate.

I casted on and swatched for gauge. Size 4 needles it is. Tiny, right? And slow going. But the good slow, the one that makes me sit still and work quietly, forgetting about the laundry that needs doing and the sink full of dishes for a few moments. The kind that helps me rest my exhausted mind and lets the muscle memory of knit and purl take over, creating a larger piece of fabric with each stitch. A pick up and put down easily kind of project, perfect for carting around in my purse letting me sneak a few stiches in here and there when time allows between the cooking, the cleaning, the driving that make up my day-to-day. A treat, really.

Over the years, I have been part of a craft swap group. Each person in the group chooses their own craft and makes one for each of the other swappers. We took a hiatus a couple of years back and just started swapping again this past summer/fall. When I found out that our next swap would be in the winter, I immediately knew that I wanted to knit something. I had seen the pattern for the Cullin cowl on Quince & Co.'s site. It looked like a fun, fast knit and any excuse to buy a rainbow of yarn works for me.

I started in September, carrying various cowls around town as I sat in various waiting rooms and gyms while my kids did their things. Over the course of the fall, I knitted eight cowls. And I was right about the pattern - this is a fun and fast knit. The lace pattern is simple and easy to memorize. Plus, size 10 needles and a good, chunky yarn was easy for me to manage without my tendonitis flaring up. Each cowl took a little less than one skein of Puffin so it was fairly economical as well.

Last night I plopped the pile down in front of my friends and they each chose the color they wanted. In exchange, I received a set of patchwork coasters, three stone topped bottle stoppers, an adorable fabric and paper decoupaged canvas and a cool leather cuff. Oh, and four cowls to put in the gift closet. Or maybe it'll be three for gifts and one for me, seeing that no one picked green.

I've been knitting a little bit. A couple of rounds here and there on this project. I've got another onein the car that comes with me to piano lessons and volleyball games.It's slow going, but steady, just the kind of work I need at the moment.Something to keep my hands busy and quiet my mind.

I've been sewing some, too. Little things that are not at all newsworthy. I want to sew big things, like dresses and quilts and then more quilts,but my days are pretty full at the moment. I'm hoping for a few hoursin a row at some point this weekend to get one quilt top basted. Thenmaybe next weekend I could quilt it.

Bookwise, I've just finished The Tiger's Wife and started the new Tana French book. Heather Ross Prints has been devoured by myself and Jane. I've already designed something and had Spoonflower print it on fabric. Tea towel calendar, anyone? But more on that later...

Enjoy the weekend.

(Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Knot Thread Stitch - you have until Sunday night!)