Striking a Balance

It's the end of a busy week as I try to strike a balance between family life and work prep.  Mom, can you give me a ride?  Mom, can you help me give my dog a bath?  Mom, can you help me pack and move some furniture?  And don't forget the copies I asked you to print.

Mothers will do almost anything for their kids.  I've made the most of my flexible summer schedule, but I know all of that is about to change when we flip the calendar page.

Today I spent a few hours trying to reconfigure a kit pattern.  I procrastinated as long as possible, but the deadline for this project is approaching.  After ripping out the same colorwork round two or three times, I decided it would be more productive to spend a little time at my desk instead.

Just a heads up that club orders will close after this weekend.  If you've been thinking about joining, now is the time.  You'll find all the details here.

I need to feel like I've accomplished something today, so I'm off to finish a couple armholes with Italian bind off.

The colorwork project will keep until tomorrow.

Last week a few of us managed to squeeze in our annual blueberry picking.  The season was winding down, but there were still plenty of berries.  This week's color inspiration . . .

Berry patch blues.

Weekend Break

It's been one of those weeks.  A couple small household projects morphed into hours and hours of extra work plus an afternoon without water in the kitchen.  I only have a few items left on my summer to-do list, but I'm almost afraid to tackle them.

Thank goodness it's Friday.  I'm taking a break for the weekend.

This week's color inspiration . . .

Peachy.

Neat and Tidy

Fall is fast approaching, and I'm tackling a long list of samples.  Some are already on the needles.  Others are patiently waiting in the wings.

I worked on two or three projects over the weekend and made good progress.

This one isn't actually a sample, but I finished the body of my Weekend Slipover V-neck (Ravelry link) and wrapped it all up with an Italian bind off.  If you're not familiar with this bind off, give it a look.  It makes a neat and tidy edge.

brat

Fresh from the dye pots.

I couldn't resist the brat bandwagon.  This fun colorway is available on Lillian, Shimmer and Lucia DK.  Add a pop of color to your next project.

I've really enjoyed the hydrangeas this summer, but they're almost done for the season.  On a recent walk with Hank the puppy, I spotted a small group of them in a protected area.  This week's color inspiration . . .

A lovely shade of blue and purple.

Sometimes It's Easy

The heat continues.  I'm running an abbreviated dye schedule most days, and that leaves a little extra time for sample planning.

The other day I stumbled on this color combination.  Sometimes it takes a while to sort out the colors and the pattern.

Since I already have a pattern in mind, this one is easy.