Photo Challenge: High Angle

P hotography Challenge Day 5: High Angle. I took these images from the top of the jumgle gym at the park while we were waiting for MiniB's soccer game to start. Amazingly, I was kind of afraid up here!

Photo Challenge: Something Green

P hoto Challenge Day 4: Something Green. Isn't this plant so cool and unique? It's called a Rock plant and it looks very much like a rock. I've never seen a plant like it. It grow up within itself. I have no idea what it is going to do as it gets bigger.

Operation KSL: Marilinda

Operation KSL continues! In this post I wrote about Operation KSL and my quest to complete every pattern in the book Knit.Sock.Love by Cookie A. Marilinda is so far my favorite pattern in the book. Since this is only my second pattern, I'm excited for what the rest of the book holds! Marilinda is the perfect example of the genius that is Cookie A. Take a look at the heel. I love sock patterns that incorporate the pattern into the heel.

I won't lie. I had to rrrriiiippp back Marilinda a couple of times. The pattern repeat is more complicated than Hedera and BFF. I like to knit and watch tv and part of the problem and why I had to rip was because I would get confused about where I was in the chart and repeat a line and realize it later on. If you are a new sock knitter, I'd recommend you tackle BFF first.

Here are details on my Marilinda project:

Pattern Name: Marilinda, pg. 29

Yarn Brand: Socks That Rock (Blue Moon Fiber Arts)

Yarn Color: Cattywampus (lightweight)

DPN size: US 1

Size Knit: One size

Project Timeline: 26 days to complete

Here is a trick I figured out as I worked this pattern. Do you ever find that when you finish a row, you write down what the number of the next row is? Then when you come back to your work you see the row number you wrote down and can't recall if that is the row you JUST COMPLETED or THE ONE YOU NEED TO START ON? I kept having this problem (which would lead to more ripping) and so I made a rule for myself that I'll only end on an odd number row so no matter what number I wrote it better be odd which would mean the next number (even) would be the one I start on. Then I couldn't remember my own rule. I needed something easier and consistent and fast.

I bought these colored sticky tabs at Target and draw an arrow on them, and no matter what row I complete, I always put the tab on the row I should begin on when I pick the work back up again.

Photo Challenge: Clouds

Photo Challenge Day Three: Clouds

Instagram time! While MiniMe and MiniB were at soccer practice, I snapped some cloud photos. When I woke up this morning there wasn't a cloud to be found. As weather goes in Colorado, the clouds moved in by lunchtime. Taking pictures of clouds is SO much easier than trying to capture a picture of myself. I liked today's challenge! Tomorrow's challenge: something green. Oh the possibilities!

Operation KSL

If you knit socks, then you know about Cookie A and her incredible sock patterns. I was so excited when got her Knit.Sock.Love (great name for the book btw!) book. This book is like a beautiful coffee book to me. I love to flip through it and consider what colors I'd use for each pattern.

Then I had a brilliant idea....in much the same vain as Julie & Julia, I want to tackle every single pattern in the book. It is ambitious, I know. I don't have a timeframe, just the desire to do it. I'll call it Operation Knit.Sock.Love (KSL)Soooo........here are the BFF socks:

Pattern Name: BFF, pg. 23

Yarn Brand: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks That Rock yarn

Yarn Color: Mossley Manly (lightweight)

DPN size: US 1

Size Knit: S

Project Timeline: Took 7 days

This is a great project to work on while watching TV because it is easy to follow the chart AND keep up with the plot of the show. I love cables. I think these socks have a simple, clean design. I wear a size 7 shoe so I try to stick to size small (between 60-64 cast on stitches).

I only knit socks with Blue Moon yarn. It isn't that I don't like other sock yarn, I just find it easier to order online since don't have a LYS. I love their colorways and the yarn holds up really well over time. I'd love to branch out and try other brands. What is your favorite brand of sock yarn?

30-Day Challenge (2)

I t is day #2 of the 30-day photo challenge. Today's mission: Take an outfit picture. UGH! UGH! UGH! Seriously? Let me tell you, this was a hard one. I love looking at everyone's What I Wore Wednesday images at The Pleated Poppy and had NO IDEA just how tough it is to take a full-body image of myself. It is quite a coincidence that today is Wednesday so I'm going to link up with The Pleated Poppy just for today....

Striped shirt: Ann Taylor Loft

Capris: Ann Taylor Loft

Belt: Target

Shoes: Target

Ring: Target

Necklace: You can't see but I have to give credit to Lisa Leonard and her lovely creations!

Mini Me wanted in on a picture of her own. Here she is in her school uniform from French Toast!

I had initially tried to take my picture inside with some heels I think are much cuter than my flip flops. Honestly it looked terrible so I moved it outside and I couldn't book it into position and beat my timer with my heels on so I switched to my flip flops. Here is my inside image. How do you all do it who participate in the What I Wore posts? I have newfound respect! I'm sooo ready to take cloud pictures tomorrow. I'm much more inspired by nature!

Photo Challenge for May

I desperately want to be a better photographer. In 2010, I participated in the 365 Challenge. It was an awesome learning experience but it was also a lot to take on. I realized I started to become perfectionistic about which pictures I wanted to post and it became more time-consuming that I had initially thought it would. I made it all the way to August though taking a picture every single day and posting it. What I realized through that experience and in looking at all the images over the year, was it is pretty funny that from the mundane images I took, I have a really sweet life! From an image of my kids on their Slip-n-Slide to pictures of B's and my feet as we snuggle on the bed, I am blessed.

That brings me to Instagram. Don't you LOVE Instagram? You can make a boring picture look so fabulous with the touch of a button! So, I decided to do a 30-day photo challenge. Maybe I can actually be successful with completing this one. I found the below list off of Pinterest. Seems easy enough, right? Not so! My first photo is posted below (my self portrait). It took me forever to get it right and I'm still not satisfied (the lighting brings out my eye wrinkles, my smile looks fake, my hair was not flattering, etc.). But then I realized that looking at the list, I was going to have to take a lot of pictures of myself so I better just be real with this challenge and post a picture that might not be so flattering. And, just like with the other challenge, the imperfections are what makes life more real and special anyway. Anyone want to join me in this challenge?