When I was growing up, my dad was the official family photographer.  He was, and still is, the one who takes photos at every event.  I've been meaning to make him a camera strap for a long while and finally did so this week as a birthday present to him.  The challenge was to make it masculine, but still somewhat colorful and with some patchwork.  I came up with this simplified version, using three fabrics and a limited color palette.  I think it works.  He liked it so there's that, too.

The other day I was walking through the empty kitchen and smiled when I saw all my trappings hung on the pegs that are normally home to a jumble of aprons and market bags.  I shot this photo and then took everything upstairs to their resting space.  A few more weeks and this sparse space will once again the center of all action most hours of the day.  I'm excited and a wee bit anxious.  I'm not sure what the anxious is about, but it is there.  The excitement, though, is paramount.  I am ready to bake bread and make granola and have ice cubes for margaritas.  And boil water for pasta and bake cookies and make our own pizzas.  I could go on - just thinking about it is getting me antsy.

In the meantime, there is a garden to plant (tomatoes! basil! cucumbers! peppers!) and a few items that need sewing (kids clothes! patchwork!).  I'm going to put my head down and focus on these little things so that before I know it, I'll be cooking with gas.  Seriously.  Cooking with gas wearing an apron that I can hang on those pegs.

I cannot wait.

Remodeling our kitchen has me itching to revamp a lot of our home.  I wonder why that happens.  To be fair, we have lived here 5 years and not one single room is what I would call finished.  At the end of this project, the kitchen will be complete and the family room will be close to getting finished too.  I know what I want to do in my dining room and will probably tackle that in the fall.  I'm still looking for inspiration and I know that there are all kinds of resources out there of which I am unaware.  So readers, do you have favorite home decorating/d.i.y./design blogs and what are they?

Thanks in advance.  I'm checking out for the weekend.  Back here next week.

Happy Tuesday.

We had a salad from our garden last night - pretty exciting and very tasty.  We set our two new raised beds over the weekend.  I hope to get the dirt and compost to fill them today.

Kate made her First Communion on Sunday.  She had a great day and I am so proud of her.  We went to a fancy dinner in a hotel with an modern art museum next door.  I need to remember to take the kids downtown more.

It's Derby week.

The peonies are getting closer to blooming.

I want to join in on Meg's Kids Clothes Week Challenge.  I'm going to start making my plan - nightgowns and skirts are on that agenda, I think.

The random number generator said 69 so Vicki is the winner of Comfort Knitting and Crochet Afghans. Congrats Vicki - I'll email you for your address!

Our cupboards are bare.  To the market, I go.

And thanks to all who bought scrap bags.  I'll make more available as soon as I have the scraps to fill them.  I best get sewing.

Back soon, I hope. Take care.

I am pretty amazed at the amount of fabric scraps that I have amassed over the last few years.  In an effort to lighten the load, make room for other fabric and begin collecting again, I just added a slew of scrap bags to the shop.  They are gallon sized bags stuffed with mostly quilting fabrics - some have linen or silk or wool scraps thrown in too.  You'll find Denyse Schmidt, Amy Butler, Heather Ross, Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner and other designer fabrics and some Japanese imports too.

Now to finish cleaning the rest of the studio...

Don't forget to comment on yesterday's post before 3 pm today if you want a chance to win Comfort Knitting and Crochet Afghans.  I'll announce the winner on Monday.

Happy weekend!

I have a large craft book library.  It's split pretty evenly between sewing books and knitting books.  It seems like a whole slew of books come out each season, and just like everyone else, I need to be selective about which books end up lining my shelves.

In that vein, I have come to appreciate craft books that focus on one area - maybe a technique like reverse applique or a theme like knitting for men.  The newest title in the STC Craft knitting library, Comfort Knitting and Crochet Afghans by Norah Gaughan continues this trend.  Using one kind of yarn, Berroco Comfort, Gaughan and her team came up with over 50 patterns for blankets and afghans.  The patterns vary in colors and technique.  Want to knit a solid throw with cables?  Or maybe lace is more your speed? You can find patterns that fit the bill.  How about simple stripes? Squares knit individually and sewn together? Colorwork? Those are there too.  Crochet is more your speed, you say? You'll find some simple patterns and some more challenging. Basically, there is something for everyone in this book.

This garter stitch throw is among my favorites. Simple and still interesting, it looks like the kind of project I could get into.

I also really like the fish ripple crocheted blanket.  Its small size (30" x 36") makes it a perfect baby gift.

There are so many more patterns (50+!!!) that I can't even begin to do the book justice.  The directions appear to be well written and easy to follow.  Additionally, the specified yarn, Berroco Comfort is machine washable and available in over ninety colors.  You can truly take any of these patterns and make it just like you see them or in the colors of your choice without having to worry about gauge.  I like that.

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If you'd like a chance at winning a copy of Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans, tell me about your favorite blanket or throw.  I will pick a winner tomorrow, Friday, April 23, using the random number generator.

I'll be back tomorrow with shop news!

Thank you for supporting me and my shop, reading this blog, commenting on my posts and sharing in my crafty adventures.  I'd offer you all a baby cinnamon roll, but the girls and I polished them off after riding our bikes to the farmers market on Saturday.  We brought home some yummy greens and radishes and asparagus - almost all of which has been eaten by now.  The garden is growing fast and the CSA is right around the corner.  I love spring and the abundance of good things it brings.

I hope your weekend was filled with delicious treats, too.

Stunning patchwork camera straps. Five differentcolorways. Get 'em while they're hot.

You can now find them in the shop.