Thankfully (04-21-16)

This week I am thankful for:

-Spring Weather
-Walks on the trail with friends
-Ritz Crackers
-A slower work schedule
-Time to knit
-A husband who takes care of me so well when I'm sick
-Lunch out with my mom
-A new spring jacket
-Soup Sunday at Church
-Drive Thru Chicken Dinners
-Time off work when I am sick

What are you thankful for this week?

Currently (27-03-16)

Knitting... I finished my March Socks. I used the pattern part of Hermione's Everyday Socks but with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel. I also did a provisional cast on and Fish Lips Kiss Heel for the toe. We'll see how comfortable it is. I used this BEAUTIFUL yarn I got for Christmas from Andrew's grandmother. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more yarn like this. It is so nice to work with! I started a pair of socks for Andrew for his birthday. I am using regia pairfect yarn and I'm really excited about it. The idea of having socks that will perfectly match without a lot of extra work is really appealing to me.

I am also working on using up my yarn stash by making hats to donate. I have all this bright red I need to use up and it is so hard to match with other colours. Not many colours go with this bright of a red and if you aren't careful when you pair it with white it can either look like you really love Canada or like you are trying to be Waldo.

A sweater is also in the works. I got a gift card for Christmas and I decided to spend it on a sweater. The pattern is Briquette by Alicia Plummer. I just finished the diagonal transition and I am really happy with how it turned out.

Spinning... Knit Picks Bare Roving. Andrew gave me a TON of this for Christmas. My goal is to spin enough to knit a sweater. I'm going to dye it after I spin it and I'm thinking a nice light blue. I'm also thinking Flax by tincanknits would work really well.

Crocheting... I actually made some good progress on my sock yarn blanket this week. Right now I have a total of 26 squared

Reading... I finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this past weekend. I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Andrew and I recently went to the library to get library cards and I got out a few books. I also reading The Women of Duck Commander: Surprising Insights from the Women Behind the Beards About What Makes This Family Work.  And I just started Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography.

Drinking... Annabelle's Fine Loose Leaf Tea's. I got five different kinds of tea from this place at one of my bridal showers and I finally brought them to work. I have Kenya Green, Panettone, Buckingham Palace Garden Tea Party, Cream Earl Grey and Long Island Strawberry. My favourite is Panettone.

Cooking... I baked a pie and bread this weekend. Both turned out really well!

What are you currently up to?

Currently (11-02-16)

Knitting... An Ugly Christmas Sweater. I finished the body of my sweater and then it sat for about a week. I tried it on and sadly decided it was too small and ripped back basically the whole thing. I've made good progress though, I'm hoping to work on this a lot while Andrew and I are in Niagara Falls this weekend.

I finished both my Statford Socks and the socks for my father in law and now I am working with some yarn I dyed with my mom last summer for my February socks. I decided to make one pair of socks (for myself) a month this year... Am I crazy?

Andrew and I purchased all of the Star Wars movies so naturally I cast on The Force Awakens Hat to knit while I watch them (I'm watching them for the first time, by the way, we started with Episode 4). This is my first time attempting colour work and I love it! I finished this hat last Tuesday and I finished another one for Andrew. I'm actually selling them on my etsy store if you are interested.

Spinning... I received this super nice mohair and wool blend for Christmas and it was a dream to spin with. I dyed it purple and now I just need to find something to make with it! Also, when you aren't allowed to get a pet in your apartment, you naturally start a cactus collection... right?

Crocheting... Still working on my sock yarn blanket. I think I have almost 10 squares. Progress on this has been slow. I'm losing a bit of steam.

Reading... Yes Please! by Amy Poehler. I'm still really liking the book. I've been trying to practice reading and knitting at the same time with my Kobo.

Drinking... Peppermint tea mostly. Roll up is back so Andrew and I will probably be visiting Tim Horton's A lot more

Cooking... Skillet mac and cheese! This recipe is delicious and super easy to whip up.

Currently (14-01-16)

I've decided to change up the currently blog post series, I've been doing a ton of different things (most involve yarn) that I want to share but I am struggling to find a way to share everything. The writers block is real guys. I figured if I had a structure to just fill in every week it might be easier to post rather than having to come up with new topics every week. I hope you enjoy getting to read a little more about what I'm up to in my spare time!

Knitting... An Ugly Christmas Sweater. I ordered yarn back in November but it didn't arrive in time for Christmas, so I'm knitting them (I'm making one for Andrew too) now for next year while it is still "sweater knitting" weather. I'm also trying to reduce my yarn stash by knitting hats/mitts to donate for my Women on a Mission group at church. And I have another pair of socks on the go for myself with yarn I bought when Andrew and I went to Stratford for the day.

Spinning... I'm learning how to spin. It's fun and pretty relaxing. I'm spinning this 100% merino right now and it's nice but the dye is turning my hands blue... Depending on exactly what weight of yarn I end up getting I might try to make a shawl or scarf out of this!

Crocheting... A sock yarn blanket! I have accumulated a ton of scraps of sock yarn from knitting Christmas socks for my family so I am making a blanket out of it. I am going to make a couple of these granny squares every day to slowly tackle all the scraps.

Reading... Yes Please! by Amy Poehler. I am really enjoying it so far. It's a really fun book and I'm glad I bought it. One of my goals this year is to read more and this is my second book so far!

Drinking... Pumpkin Chai tea by David's Tea. I have this kind at work and I'm really enjoying it lately. Even though it's not fall right now I think this tea can also be appropriate in the winter months too.

Cooking... This week I made this Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet that is really quick and yummy!

Yarn Along (12-09-15)

This semester is winding down and I'm getting more and more time to read and knit. I recently purchased a Kobo so that I could read and knit at the same time and so far I love it! I am currently reading the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia. I'm not the fastest reader, but I'm hoping to get lots of reading done over the break.

In terms of knitting I am working on three main projects. My second last pair of Christmas socks for my family, I am almost done the first sock. My advent scarf, which I've been adding to every day, and a stuffed pyramid stand to hold up my kobo. I think I'm a little over halfway done the pyramid.

Patterns: Advent Scarf, Four Leaf Clover Socks, eReader Pillow Prop

My Dreams Lately

Lately I have been coming up with crazy life plans. I'm pretty obsessed with these ideas and I thought I would share them with you since I have been having some major writer's block for the past several months.

Open a Tea and Yarn Shop

I think this would be awesome! The shop would have both tea and yarn and places to sit. You can pick up supplies for a new project and grab a cup of tea and start it right then and there. I wish my small town had a place like this, where I could go and get out of the apartment for a bit and chat with other knitters/tea drinkers.

Spin and Sell my Own Yarn

Andrew bought me a spinning wheel and I've started to teach myself how to spin! I love it! I think it would be so cool to make a career out of this.

Buy a Farm and Raise my Own Sheep

This is probably my biggest dream, and the one I am most motivated to achieve. I love the idea of having a hobby farm with a couple of sheep (we're talking like 5ish) and spinning my own wool from those sheep. I've been looking at hobby farms all over Ontario and getting an idea for how much this dream costs, but I think it's doable. And Andrew is totally on board because having a farm means he will probably need more tools. 

Those are my life dreams. Maybe they will come true, but even if they don't, it's still fun to think about :)

Announcement + Giveaway!

A few weeks ago my good friend Marsha asked if I would like to be a vendor at the 1st Merry Marketplace event at her church. I've thought about knitting and crocheting things to sell before, but I never had a good opportunity to start up a store. Now that I have this awesome opportunity I've decided to give it a shot! So this blogpost is to officially announce Camp Girl Crafts! Yay! Right now I am just selling these chunky crocheted cowls, but more things may be added in the future, we will see how things go.

If you live in the area, I would encourage you to check out the Merry Marketplace event on November 7th, it's going to be awesome

To kick things off, I am giving away one of my cowls for free! You can enter the giveaway below! The giveaway will stay open for 1 week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway