Would you vote?

:: I'm deep in planning for the next year in the studio and there are big changes ahead in schedule and format.

:: It leaves me with more time to be with my boys, to homeschool, to cook, to make things to live an intentional life.

:: So my mind is stuck thinking about time and how best to use what I have and it begs a thought...


:: Would you mind taking a moment to glance at my sidebar and letting me know what you like to read in this space? Would you mind clicking through from your reader for a moment to help me decide where my time is best spent in this space? You can select more than one option and I would greatly appreciate your time and thought.

Get Ready...

February's sock, Wendy's Lace and Cable Socks from her first sock book. The pretty purple Leyburn socks are in timeout, not because they've done anything wrong but because I made one of the silliest mistakes a knitter can make- ignoring my true gauge and going with "but I always knit X gauge on that size needle!" Go ahead- mock me. Someday I'll actually learn. So they're in timeout while I decide whether or not to keep knitting and give them to someone else (even though that Claudia handpaint yarn was a birthday gift to me to use for myself!) or to rip them completely out and restart in the correct gauge.


These are going much better, thank you, *and* they actually fit...

And my sewing desk looks like this:

which is quite atrocious, I know, but necessary. I'm trying to get a few more things in before the beginning of Me-Made-March next week , including two skirts that are oh so close to being complete and a pair of pants to re-cut. And all the tulle? Petticoats, my friends. Probably two, maybe three. I started out using the Sugardale tutorial and then it became something else. It's probably not "correct" but it's going to work and NOT be itchy (since I'm using cheap tulle instead of crinoline).


The petticoat in progress is for a 22-ish inch skirt, but I also need one for tea length and I'm considering  a third for the two ankle length skirts I wear regularly, but still pondering how that will have to be constructed.


What are you working on this week?

For February

Today's Gratitudes...

11. The relief that comes after a week with sick little boys.

12. Extra knitting time this week.

13. Daisies still looking as bright as they did on Valentine's Day.

14. A few days of warmer weather, even though we know this winter is not over.

15. Unexpected visits from family.







Outside my window... another cold wet day, but it doesn't seem so bad after almost a full week of warmer weather.

I am listening to... Never Not Knitting podcasts while I've been cleaning this week.


I am wearing... a long black jersey skirt and a red blouse. I'm trying to branch out from the plain black I wear too much...

I am thinking... about first grade things still. I like to have a lot of time to consider and think through before making a decision, but I think I have an overall direction now.

I am reading... Found,  Redwall and One Thousand Gifts. Taking my time with Ann Voskamp's book.

I am creating... I've been working on this month's sock over the last few days and I've got a pretty big pile of almost finished sewing in preparation for Me-Made-March (hosted by Zoe) to finish up before March 1.

Always learning... we went to a local science center this week to explore the new water exhibit and ended up spending an entire morning there with plans to go back. It was so much fun exploring water pressure, currents, and building boats that would actually float.

Around the house... I'm planning some painting projects for this spring/summer and currently exploring colors. Brian is pretty set on a grey for the living room, and I'm trying to decide if I can be happy with that with the right accent colors. Thoughts?

I am planning... studio schedules for summer and fall- already! I can't believe summer enrollment hits in 6 weeks, followed shortly by fall enrollment...

Towards a growing faith... Back to getting up early this morning after a week of sleeping in. Getting up and down with sick boys all week really threw off my schedule. Back to normal today now that the boys are sleeping through the night again.

I am praying... for a dear friend possibly facing divorce. We are pouring prayers on her and her husband.

One of my favorite things... Dr. Pepper, but I'm trying to stay away. Caffeine has been wreaking havoc on my sleep and I really have to cut it completely to reset.

A few plans for the next week... getting back to normal around the house and in the studio, finishing up the details for our 10 year anniversary, a trip to the library for more YA to read, and much more sewing