NaPoWriMo!

Join me!
...
NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

NaPoWriMo was founded in 2003, when poet Maureen Thorson decided to take up the challenge (modeled after NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), and challenged other poets to join her.

Since then, the number of participants has gotten larger every year, and many writers’ organizations, local, national and even international, organize NaPoWriMo activities.

Visit: http://www.napowrimo.net/about/

NaPoWriMo!

Stunning day...

...sketching at Dumas Bay
(Federal Way, WA)

Stunning day...

Not-So-Manly Socks

This pair? All mine!

Pattern: Manly Socks (download now)
Yarn: Dream in Color, Smooshy with Cashmere in "Electric Mauve"
Needles: Signature Needle Arts, 1.5mm 6" DPNs

Not-So-Manly Socks

Saturday afternoon...

Saturday afternoon...

Love Yarn Love Yarn

 

Yarn Love's Elizabeth Bennett in "Fairy Tale" 

Love Yarn Love Yarn

Stirrings...

Hello, dear readers...

Over the past two years I often wondered if this post would ever happen. Much of the time it seemed unlikely, and yet here we are again.

Spring is coming -- sooner in some regions than others, but it IS coming. Sap is rising, days are longer, and the earliest crocuses are testing the air with the points of their fresh, green leaves.

Perhaps not-so-surprisingly, such stirrings aren't limited to Nature. Take "Spring Cleaning," for example, a phenomenon reflecting our desire to clear out the clutter of winter's nesting and start anew...

Well, fresh starts aren't limited to homes and gardens, are they? For me, the first month of 2013 brought some interesting dreams (Thank you, Denise, for helping me interpret them!), new ideas, buds of future plans, and a stirring of creative energy.

Where will all this lead? I'm not quite sure. But I hope you'll check back and join me on the journey.


PS. No cliches were harmed in the writing of this post ;)

Stirrings...

Give in to your (summer-knitting) cravings.

Flower Child, available in Yarn Forward magazine (No. 29)

Image: Yarn Forward Magazine

Perfect for spring and summer, this top is a fresh take on 60s-inspired garments. A sleeveless top/tank top/vest (depending on where in the world you live AND how you deign to wear it), Flower Child sports an A-line skirt and bust darts.

At the curve-loving Empire waist and square neckline, brightly-colored, crocheted grannies spice things up. The pattern also features details such as bust darts, seed stitch edging, side shaping, slight gathering at waistband

Flower Child looks great on its own, and also shines when layered over a long-sleeved tee. It's a quick knit (with a bit of easy crochet tossed in for fun) that's certain to satisfy even the strongest cravings for warm-weather knits.

You can find my Flower Child pattern in Yarn Forward magazine #29 (October 2010).

Due to ongoing medical issues, I will be taking an extended sabbatical -- with definite plans to get back to designing as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Give in to your (summer-knitting) cravings.

A Thousand Pounds of Mmmmmm....

That's what it took to create this incredible sculpture, which was on display at the 95th Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show last week. This tableau was quite à propos, when you consider that the state ranks second nationally in butter production.

Sculptor Jim Victor, of Conshohocken (in Montgomery Co., just outside Philly), turned a half-ton of coulda-been-frosting into this gravity-defying wonder. The sculpture depicts a boy ready to throw a football to an NFL player (team unspecified) while a farmer hands out milk to three kids on a jungle gym.

Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, the sculpture was crafted from butter donated by Land O' Lakes in Carlisle, Pa. (in case you were wondering). The good news? All of the butter used will be converted into biofuel now that the Farm Show has ended.

Honestly, this was an amazing feat of engineering -- and definitely not something you see every day.

If you live within driving distance of Harrisburg, Pa., I highly recommend the farm show for a day of great food, cooking demos, sweet farm animals, and a ton of browsable vendor booths. (Yes, there were a few fiber-related booths.) That's more fun than most people are allowed to have in January...and it's extremely affordable!

***

Stay tuned to Knit*Six in the next couple of months. I'll be posting some book reviews AND I'll be giving these books away to my lovely readers!

Up first: Brave New Knits by Julie Turjoman.

A Thousand Pounds of Mmmmmm....