My girl...

Here she is, my girl, wearing her first ever I-made-it-myself sweater...

She did a great job and I think it looks great on her.  It is a slightly adapted version of Emma Fassio's design and is a really wearable and flattering little garment...

...love that hemline...so cute!  You may remember this version from earlier in the summer—it {like most clothes these days} is cuter on her but I don't mind a bit.  She made her version with a double strand of Berroco NaturLin {love this yarn!}.  The night that she finished this sweet tunic, she immediately swatched and cast on for her second ever sweater—Liesl, a Coco Knits pattern.  She's knitting it in Lang's Tosca Light {another great yarn}.  It's going to be gorgeous and is progressing nicely—I'll keep you posted.

I don't have to tell you how happy all of this knitting this makes her mama.  After a couple of early false starts with knitting {consisting mainly of last minute scarves for gifting and one ill-fated and unfinished sweater—due to an unfortunate combo of a poorly written pattern and icky yarn—no fun}, I feel confident that she is now a true knitting convert, and I am over the moon about it.  It is so gratifying to sit and knit with her, to see her reach for her knitting needles, to enjoy a Saturday stitching, talking and laughing at the knitting shop with her.  Knitting is such a huge part of my life, such a great source of joy and comfort to me, and it brings me no end of happiness to see my girl get it and share it...and how timely that it should come right now, right before she leaves the nest.

Which brings me to another little item...I will be absent here for a few days as we are taking my sweetie off to her first year of college.  I'm not going to delve too deeply into all of that right now...the feelings, the excitement that I have for her, the pride that I feel, the anxiousness, the knowledge that I will miss her more than words can say, and that I am so very happy for her all at the same time.  No, I am not going to go into all of that...there will be time enough and I just can't right now...no time to open that up right now {not that I haven't already had my moments~pass the tissues please}, but for now there is still so much to do and it's time to put one foot in front of another...one...foot...in front...of...the other...

I'll be back next week with a little show and tell {I'm really excited about this one}.  Until then...happy knitting!

~xox~
alison

LYS love...

The LYS {Local Yarn Store for any non-knitting types out there}, aka home-away-from home to most knitters—the place where so much more than knitting and yarn acquisition occurs {although, happily there is plenty of that too}.  It's where we gather and share our lives, where friendships are made and grow.
I live in a rural midwestern town {read—the middle of nowhere} and there are no knitting stores in our area, but shortly after our move here I was invited to teach and work part-time at a shop an hour down the road.  Needless to say, I jumped at the offer and through the intervening years it has been a godsend for me.  Yarns Unlimited has been a Bloomington institution for over 30 years.  It is known for its beautiful yarns and positive energy, and I feel so fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful shop.  When I think of Yarns, the words empowering and supportive come to mind.  Whether it's a tricky lace pattern or sending a child off to college, "you can do it—it's going to be okay" and "we'll be here to help you along the way"  are the words of encouragement that I, and so many others hear at Yarns.  That's really what a good LYS offers.

Now, I'll be honest, I do sometimes buy yarn online, and there are some wonderful indie yarn producers and online yarn providers that I truly love and happily support, but I have to say that no amount of online offerings will ever replace a good brick and mortar yarn store—you just can't get that touchy feely {and here I'm talking both about the burying your hand deep into a hank of lovely wool part of knit shopping as well as the "we're here for you" part}. 

So before we get too far away from our New England vacation, I want to take a moment to sing the praises of my Vermont LYS—

The Knitting Studio in Montpelier, Vermont.  You know that feeling you get when you walk into a yarn store and it just feels right~in a this could be my knitting home if I lived here kind of way?...Well that's how this shop feels to me.  It is my favorite kind of yarn store—colorful and cozy, stuffed to bursting with beautiful yarns from near and far {I especially love that they have lots of locally produced yarn}, gorgeous knitting accessory and notion offerings,  a great pattern/book selection, and with a staff that just oozes a good knitting~happy to be here~glad your here vibe.
Let's take a quick tour...  

That's my sweet girl admiring the buttons.  As you can see by her shopping bags, we did some serious damage at The Knitting Studio.  Over the summer my daughter made the transformation from being a casual~I need a scarf for gifting kind of knitter to a real~I love to knit~finisher of projects knitter {you know how happy this makes me!}, and in one of those bags is a sweater's worth of yarn—she began and completed her first sweater ever this summer—huzzah! {Ahem...the other bag?...we'll discuss that another time}.

And here you see the lovely Lee {on the left, in the rosy sweater and gorgeous lace skirt—all handknit of course}, along with some of the shop's very nice patrons.  Every time I stopped by this gem of a shop {more times than I care to admit}, I returned home feeling the kind of happiness that comes from a spell of admiring beautiful yarns among really nice, knowledgeable and positive people.  You can just tell that this is a place where good knitting and good friendships grow...LYS bliss for sure! 
Do you have a LYS love of your own?...I'd love to hear what shop makes your heart sing and gives you that happy knitting, perfectly at home feeling?

Wishing you much bliss...knitting and otherwise...

~alison

Hanging on to summer...

Okay, so posting by phone from the mountains...not so much.  It seems that my posts didn't make it all the way through and ended up abbreviated and a bit choppy.  So sorry to those of you who received my mixed-up missives.  It was worth a try though, and who knows maybe I'll figure it out before my next get-away.  I love the idea of the quick pic and three sentence away-from-home post, but then again, I guess that's what Twitter is for, right?

Anyway, we are indeed back home.  Our visit to the mountains was idyllic in every way and was exactly what we all needed.  Here's a peek at the face of our summer vacation... 

...big smiles and floaty relaxation all around...love.

Now that we're home, we are back at it {and how!}...one of our bunch is already in school {so not right} and the rest of us are getting ready for the start of a new semester.  It promises to be a big one around these parts, full of change and lots of firsts—more about that another day.  Anyway, suffice it to say that we've hit the ground running.  It's amazing how many directions five people can fly in at one time.   All the hubbub makes our little break feel even more precious and I am trying to hang on to every bit of it that I can, in every way that I can.  I've been living on a steady diet of tomatoes, basil and olive oil...YuM...

{really, is there anything better than toasted crusty bread, rubbed with a clove of garlic, and then buried under ripe tomatoes and basil with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper?...no, I don't think there is}. 

I've been knitting and crocheting every possible moment...

Okay, the knitting isn't so different, but me crocheting and not griping that crochet isn't knitting is definitely a new thing.  I think that all of that yummy color must be doing it for me.  I'll post more about this little {actually not-so little} project very soon.

And lately I've become quite adept at ignoring the piles of laundry and stacks of books and yarn covering every available surface of our house—I figure the mess will still be there when things slow down a bit, and if I don't steal the remaining bits of summer that I can amidst all of the running around, it will be gone before I know it {but then there will be fall...lovely, knitterly, crispy fall...so no tears here!}.

Hope you are managing to steal a little summer for yourself...

xoxo~
alison

And the living is easy...

Hi from the Brookfield floating bridge.  Yes, this bridge actually floats—one of only a handful of floating bridges in the world.
I've been spending a lot of time drifting in this pond.  We make our way to the pond on every warm sunny day we get up here in the mountains (and even on some not-so warm days—brrrr!).  After all of the schedules and hubbub of our day to day it feels really good to drift aimlessly, letting all the cares of the world drain away and working on nothing more pressing than contemplating the clouds.  I usually have a hard time being still for this kind of thing, but this pond seems to do the trick for me and before I know it, I'm rocked into relax mode every time.

Sending you summer wishes for blue skies and aimless sunny afternoons.

 xoxo~alison

Unplugged...

Hello there!
We are here in the mountains without Internet and so I am trying
something new. I'm going to try to post from my phone. Fingers crossed
and we'll see!...
xoxo~alison

Someone is one!!!

Hi there!

Just popping in to let you know that Petite Purls is one year old!...and they are celebrating with a terrific giveaway! 

It's hard to believe that this time last year only one issue of Petite Purls {summer 2009} was out there.  Thanks to a lot of online buzz, I discovered that first issue shortly after it went live, and I was immediately blown away.  Finally an online knitting 'zine devoted to clothing, nurturing, and celebrating children!  It was pretty much true love at first sight, so of course I was thrilled when last July found me feverishly knitting the Ladybug Coat for their Fall 2009 Issue.

Truth be told, I can't say enough wonderful things about this great online magazine and its creators, the lovely Allegra and Brandy.  If you're not familiar with Petite Purls, pop on over and check it out...you'll be glad you did...patterns, reviews and more!  Since the magazine's debut they have continued to add and expand.  The magazine now includes features on sewing, crochet, toy making, interviews with amazing crafters, designers, authors, bloggers and indie artists, and more, all devoted to creating and crafting for children...and all completely inspiring.  It's actually not entirely surprising that Petite Purls has come so far is such a short time—like I said Brandy and Allegra are incredibly talented and they work tirelessly {and I am beginning to suspect that they may have figured out how to survive without sleep...how else could they accomplish so much and make it look so effortless and flawlessly gorgeous?}.  

Entering the giveaway couldn't be easier...scoot on over here to see what you can win and then just leave a comment.  Lots of wonderful patterns and prizes are up for grabs, including a signed copy of Fairy Tale Knits.  Entries will be taken through today, July 1, 2010.  Best of luck!!!!

~xoxo
alison

Bonjour!...

We are home again!  My head and heart are still full of the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of beautiful Brittany and Paris.  Since our return, I have written and rewritten this post and I find that I truly don't have the words {or maybe it's that I don't have enough words}.  So I will keep it short and sweet by saying that sharing this post-graduation get-away with my daughter was absolutely wonderful and lovely in every way.  Enjoying time together, watching my sweet girl experience France for the first time {love that far-away look}...

...Indulging in leisurely walks and talks, immersing ourselves in art, history, and food...

{did I mention that we ate dinner at the table next to Catherine Deneuve one night?...amazing but true!}

...Relishing countless gorgeous moments in the many magnificent parks, gardens and outside spaces...

...The ongoing conversations about everything under the sun and the chance to reconnect with my dear and amazing friend,  Anne...

,

 {love that woman—if you haven't checked out her blog, you should—she is truly incredible in every way—here you see her indulging me in a little touristy silliness—like I said, what's not to love}...

 ...Getting to see first hand the incredible life that she and her sweet family have carved our for themselves in Brittany—absolutely awe-inspiring {for those thinking of spending time abroad with your family, you should definitely check out Anne's blog—these guys have really done it up right}...

...Meeting and talking to some very talented artisans living the dream in LaGacilly, a picturesque little town with shop after shop full of beautiful handcrafted items...

These and many, many other things made this trip so precious—one that I will treasure for years to come.  To say that I feel blessed would be an understatement.  Okay, stopping now...I'm getting all misty.  Suffice it say that our time together was the stuff of dreams, and it just keeps giving and giving with all of the memories that keep playing across my heart.  I may not be the first to say it, but I feel so lucky knowing that "we'll always have Paris".  Yes, Bogart said it best that's for sure...and happily it's so very true...

 And now a brief nod to the knitty bits of my trip {you knew there had to be some, right?}...

Here is the yarn I started with...some Adriafil Color that I picked up years ago in Italy.  It made it's way back across the pond on this trip...

 I started this project on the plane on the way to France...

 And finished it shortly after our return...

The design is by Emma Fassio...love this wearable little number and love her blog as well...good, good stuff!  It was a quick, quick knit—fun and relaxing—perfect airplane knitting.  My daughter just cast on for one of her own...it will be her first ever sweater project!...fingers crossed!

Well friends,  thanks for putting up with my travel prattle.  Now I've got to get back to my non-vacation, non-virtual life...lots to catch up on around here.  Apparently time and projects wait for no one, no matter how glorious the holiday.

Hope your summer is going along swimmingly...
~xox
alison