This is my third Anne scarf; I’m unapologetically a pattern repeater. When I find something I like, I crochet (or knit) it more than once — and I really like this pattern (complete with both diagrams and written directions) so it’s likely this won’t be my last.

School started here a week ago for a 7th grader and a 4th grader. I’m adjusting to the new routine and the new activities that requires one of them to be at school by 6:30 a.m. “My” time starts around 7:30 a.m. and lasts till 3:30 p.m. every day, so there’s a grid that I can fill every day with tasks, errands, chores, or craft time. But I like to have something to show for myself by the end of the school year besides a bunch of check marks on a to-do list — progress toward a new challenge or skill. I have some ideas, but no solid goals yet. There’s one big commitment that I’d like to make since it’s a dream/goal I’ve had for a long time, but I guess it’s fear that’s keeping me from doing it. It’s not something I’m likely to share until it’s finished (and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with knitting or crocheting), but as I write this and record it here, I’m at least making myself think about it. Otherwise, there will be a million little things that attract my attention and time, until it becomes easy to avoid the one thing I believe I was meant to do.

I’m sure you know by now how obsessed I’ve become with nail colors. Part of the reason is that I use my hands all the time — knitting, crocheting, blogging, and even reading on my Kindle — so I’m always aware of my hands now and I want them to look nice. I’ve been getting adventurous with nail colors and trying out the ones that look fun or unique.

I recently discovered a ton of nail polish blogs (who knew?!) and I’ve come across a few “must-have” limited edition polishes. The majority of them don’t really register with me and I just look and move along, but the new Orly Cosmic FX line was intriguing enough for me to go in search of this popular color:

Orly Nails Space Cadet from the Limited Edition Cosmic FX line

In the bottle, it appears to be purple with green undertones, but the color shifts depending on the light.

This YouTube video shows the bottles and swatches. I love them all, but I had to have the Space Cadet — so I got one for myself and one for a lucky blog reader! Stylespotting.com is generously sponsoring this giveaway. If we get a huge response, she’s agreed to spring for another one of the new Cosmic FX colors for one of our lucky readers. Simply leave a comment here and share with your friends. I’ll be painting my own nails with it this weekend (photos to follow). Done! I added the photo to the top of this blog entry. It’s amazing!

Disclaimer: neither one of us is affiliated with Orly Nails in any way — we just love sharing our finds!

After a really horrible manicure two weeks ago, I’m finally convinced to just STOP paying somebody else to do my nails (typically no more than three times a year anyway).

This week’s color is a discontinued OPI color: NYPD Beet. It’s a great year-round purple/red shade.

Makeupalley Review of OPI NYPD Beet

Hook: Boye 1.5mm, Size 8
Thread: DMC Cebelia #10 in Ecru
Rock: my garden (I rejected the first stone – it was far too heavy and oddly-shaped)

Last year I saw this and Kati was kind enough to lead me to Resurrection Fern as her inspiration (her Covered Stones set is here).

As a brand new crocheter, I thought her stones were to be admired rather than duplicated, so I had no plans to attempt it until recently when So KnitPicky pointed me to the Purl Bee instructions for Margaret Oomen’s stones. I just had to try this simpler version of the coveted covered stones. Now that I understand the concept a little better, it’s quite tempting to try more of a free-form design.

Ravelry project details here

I took this photo a few days ago while I was in the process of making rice — it’s a ritual that repeats every few days for a young man who really loves rice and soy sauce.

So much happened this past week that was simply out of my control. It was helpful to do things that were easy and automatic — like steaming rice. Now it’s time to breathe and relax and knit.

Thank you for the enthusiastic response to my free scarf pattern! By now, everybody who requested one should have received their free pattern via email. It will eventually end up on my pattern page as a free download, so please look for it there soon!

I also have to send a special thank you to Andi, who featured a finished Leaf Lace Scarf on her blog last week! Thank you, Andi! You do beautiful work.

What’s everybody been up to? What are you working on?

Coming soon . . . comment here and you’ll receive the FREE pdf when it’s finished

Now available as a FREE download on my Pattern page! ENJOY!

First, a cup of coffee. Jayne gifted me with this sweet coffee mug and it’s the one I use most often lately:

The word that best describes Jayne’s home is RESTFUL. Lately, life has been so unsettled for me, that I daydream about going back — I want to recapture and bottle up that restful feeling I had while I was visiting.

Jayne takes time to focus on the details — graceful, thoughtful little touches abound. I mentioned that I loved this shredded newsprint, so of course, not too long after I got home, a package arrived in which she included some to share with me. If she’s out shopping and sees something cute, she doesn’t hesitate to get it (one for me, one for her) and send it. She’s the one for whom I crocheted the pink and brown rippled blanket. I loved seeing it in her living room where it’s lovingly displayed (and used!) even though it doesn’t match her color scheme.

But I don’t necessarily want to focus on the inside of her home. She’s got a beautiful home, but it’s her outdoor living area that best reflects what she’s all about. The garden outside her kitchen window is home to at least two bird families. While we were there, hatchlings were being pushed out of their nests and learning to fly. She absolutely loves being outside in her garden and while I didn’t take as many photos as I should have, Jayne’s view from her yard is amazing:

And while it’s not easy to see in the first image, this one gives a better sense of the elevation — her home sits atop a hill:

Directly across the road is what used to be an apple orchard. Did you know that most of the apples in supermarkets come from Yakima and Cowiche? According to Wikipedia, in the United States, more than 60% of all the apples sold commercially are grown in Washington state. All the main roads that lead to where she lives are dense with orchards — not just apples, but cherries and hops as well.

Here’s Jayne walking into one of her favorite shops — Garden Girl in Yakima — (and, I discovered, the source of many of the awesome things she sends me):

(Jerri has some awesome interior shots of the shop and I hope to share a link to her photos soon!)

Jayne’s the quintessential Garden Girl, however, and has created a peaceful, quiet, and nurturing home. I can’t hope to even come close to recreating that here, so I guess I just have to go back and visit more often. (And really, I promise it’s not just to enjoy their local craft beers).

Every morning when I fix my coffee, this is my view. Although I live in a suburb where the homes are tightly packed into subdivisions, I love that we have so many trees here — along with a variety of birds to watch. Because I log so much time at my kitchen window, little mementos that trigger happy memories tend to end up there. When I visited Jerri and spent a long weekend at her LA home, I “borrowed” that Live with Passion plaque that she’d received as a gift from Jayne, our older sister. It reminds me of both of them. The plastic airplane is a salt and pepper shaker Jerri got on a recent Virgin Air flight. (She’s quite enchanted with Virgin Air!) To the right is a combination of goodies from both of them: a beautiful plate with shredded vintage newsprint topped with felted pebbles. There’s much more just outside the frame, including a scented candle from Jayne.

Jerri and Jayne both have their own distinct senses of style and I love how they express themselves. A gift that I don’t possess is their ability to stay true to their style while creating an environment that genuinely reflects who they are.

Here’s a peek at Jerri’s home in Los Angeles:

And my favorite view from her living room window:

Later this week, we’ll travel from Los Angeles to Cowiche, Washington to visit Jayne.

I don’t know how many times I re-knit this colorway, only to dig for my second skein in the same colorway to knit that one instead. Finally, I’m happy with it after cutting out a small section of neon yellow and dark purple. This colorway was the first one that I knit after my LONG Lizard Ridge sabbatical. Although I had high hopes for the pink and green shades, I was disappointed in it every time I looked at it, thus beginning the re-knitting process.

This puts me at the halfway point for my Lizard Ridge afghan. As planned, I’ll be putting away my squares until after the winter holidays and will finish the remaining squares and seam it then. I might sneak in a square or two before that, but it won’t be my focus — there are so many other things I want to work on! I’ll also have one more post in which I share all the squares laid out.

The first one in Spud & Chlöe Sweater, “Moonlight” No. 2507:

And the second in Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton:

This is now being offered as a class at Twisted Yarns, with permission from the designer, M.K. Carroll. I’ll be teaching this on Saturday, August 28, 2010, so if you know how to crochet and want to make this scarf, call the shop to reserve your spot. I recommend purchasing your yarn for this during the annual Beat the Heat Sale that takes place this Thursday and lasts through Saturday — you’ll get at least 15% off your yarn purchase!