postcards from ahwahnee

hello!  we’re recently back from a most splendid trip to yosemite full of so much spectacular nature and cozy knitting, both of which i’d like to share in some photos below.  first, i wanted to extend a sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to read my last post and leave such thoughtful and thought provoking comments.  there are several avenues by which one can enjoy blogging and partaking in the blogs of others, but it’s so rewarding to take the time to write a time and brain intensive post and get feedback clearly demonstrating others are making the effort to engage.  you guys are wonderful, seriously.

seeking authenticity in a digital age

eli + mishka vs. eli + mishka

hi everyone!  gah, i have so many posts i want to write and really just haven’t figured out a good organizational method yet of how to get to them…i want to talk about my knitting background and some of my earliest projects as well as all the things i’m working on now.  but, things keep coming up that also seem worthy of some thought and conversation that interrupt those plans.  i think the answer is probably writing more often, which is always a goal of mine anyway, so maybe i could begin by carving out protected time each few days to do so.  sounds like a good new year’s resolution.

liberty & flannel popover poncho

check me out, delivering on my promise to keep sewing…very excited to share the latest pattern from womenswear mastermind, april rhodes!  you may know april from her outrageously popular staple dress pattern, and you have seen her work before on this blog both here and here (and my visit to her mom’s adorable shop here), with many undocumented but well-loved projects also hanging in my closet.  april has a wonderful niche in the women’s sewing pattern community, wherein she designs highly flattering, wearable, customizable patterns that are also very beginner friendly.  hers were some of my first patterns used when i began sewing for myself, and it was so rewarding and empowering to produce cute garments efficiently and without confusion or rage.  even now as a more confident seamstress, i return to her patterns again and again because they produce high quality, on trend products without any hassle.  her latest pattern, the popover poncho, is no exception!  seamstresses can expect the same clear, simple, thorough instructions (with diagrams and photographs) full of tips and tricks to quickly turn out something they will love to wear.

wool symposium 2014

i am so excited to talk today about a most inspiring start to my year of knitting dangerously.  it was a total coincidence that this event took place immediately after i decided to trade in my stethoscope for my knitting needles, but i’m pretty sure if i hadn’t really committed to this year, i would have never made the trek.  in fact, i doubt i would have stumbled upon this event in the first place.  i can’t even begin to express how fortunate i am for this serendipitous timing.  attending the 2014 wool symposium at the fibershed out in gorgeous pt. reyes absolutely changed the course of this year for me.

zero sum guilt and not doing what you hate

alright, i’m finally back to talk about my year of knitting dangerously!  it has been off to a pretty great start, full of excitement and opportunity and ideas, and a lot of knitting already.  i continue to be so encouraged and inspired by all of your generous support, stories, empathy and well wishes.  to be completely honest, i was a little anxious about so publicly displaying my denunciation of my real, concrete job to………..knit (?!).  in fact, i think much of the reason i wrestled so fiercely with the concept even in my own brain (and continue to, even as i’m deeper in it each passing day) boils down to guilt.  i am so aware of how fortunate i am to be in a position to do something so radical and impractical and self serving, it honestly makes me feel guilty to talk about it openly.

outdoor ready: workout shirts

hi friends, i’m over at oliver + s today with a tutorial on workout shirts.  this will be my last guest post over there for a bit as i’m taking the winter off to…KNIT.  i know, what a shocker.  if the seamstresses among you are beginning to develop some anxiety about the sudden sharp turn in content toward knitting of late, fear not.  i have lots of fun sewing plans in store as well for the coming weeks/months.  stay tuned!

wow, thanks.

you guys.  i am totally blown away by the response i got on my last post.  here i thought it was just my mom and her three friends reading/interested!  i am so completely flattered/touched/encouraged/inspired by all of your incredibly thoughtful comments and your outpouring of support.  while i get the sense that i might look back on this as a total “duh” decision, as we all know, sometimes (always?) even the most obvious answers just take the work to get to, and there’s no way around it, and we are enriched and emboldened by that journey.  mine is so full of promise and hope and excitement each day.  really, i feel like the luckiest gal alive.  but it’s also scary and nerve wracking at first, and you can’t imagine the confidence and comfort i feel knowing not only how much you all stand in solidarity, but also how much these struggles and challenges, wishes and dreams resonate with so many people at so many stages in their lives.

my year of knitting dangerously

you guys, i apologize in advance for this epic rant.  i wrote a far more succinct and diplomatic version of this post on a flight back from chicago a week ago, after which i noticed my computer charger had mysteriously disappeared from my checked bag (?!) and my laptop sat lifeless for a few days while i waited to get a new charger.  in that time, the concept of this post morphed somewhat in my head, and now i feel like there’s just a lot more to say.

the yosemite

a few weeks back, we took a family trip to yosemite national park, where some innocent tourist was forced to take roughly 500 photos similar to this for our potential holiday card.  this one is the winner.  also, we had an awesome time there, because it is one of the most beautiful and magical places on earth which even two toddlers and one puppy cannot sabotage.

super stocked super tote

 

as new, exhausted, exasperated parents, we often hear, “kids don’t come with an instruction manual.”  ain’t that the truth.  every baby is different, even if as a parent you are the same.  every one of them requires their own individual tool kit, and adding a new one to the fray can definitely throw that equilibrium out of whack.  there’s not much we can do as bystanders to aid growing families in this transitional period other than offer our love and support…and this bag.