I’ve been ignoring my blog for many many reasons. Mainly because I finally had a break from a very stressful (end of the) semester and was so happy to be spending two full weeks with the hubby over the holidays and laying around for an additional full week (that he took off) that I kept telling myself that I would get back here and never did. So, here I am.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m going to do here this year and what I’m going to do creatively, since I’ve come to the realization that my PhD work has pretty much taken over my life and if I want to succeed there, I have to sacrifice here. This is obvious in two ways: 1. I rarely update this blog, even when I’ve made something or been creatively inspired by something, and 2. I started and never finished a collection of earrings for Thread for the holidays. Excuses?…not really.

My goal this weekend, on my little trip by train to Saratoga Springs to see the bff, is to think about where I’m headed creatively and if there’s time to do what I hope to do in 2009. When I get some where with that, I’ll fill you all in.

Until then, here’s my small best-of list of 2008. I was going through massive amounts of pictures while transferring all data to the new MacBook (my xmas gift from the hubby), and realized I hadn’t made much this year. 2008 was the year of the dress. Here are my favs…

From the summer dress collection at Thread: t-shirt dress. Easy to wear, easy to sew.

Also from the Thread summer collection, strapless fun. I’d post a pic of me in this dress, but it looks more fun in the Thread window:

This year was the first time I sewed tiny dresses for my good friend’s daughter, the cutest 3-year old in my neighborhood:

My favorite dress to make and wear this year: good luck dress, worn to the grand opening of Good Luck:

Honorable mention: Not a dress, but this bag was fun to make…

I’m excited about 2009. So many things to make!

All this snow is making me want to hibernate, cook, and shop on etsy for the holidays. I’ve decided to take the handmade pledge again this year and buy as many handmade gifts as I can. If you’re looking to shop handmade locally in the Rochester area, I hope you’ll check out Second Storie’s Indie Market on Saturday and Sunday, November 29th and 30th.
My first handmade purchase this holiday season is a Let Is Snow print by hello handmade.

Hello handmade is a collaboration between my dear friend Shanna Murray and talented calligrapher Betsy Dunlap. These talented gals created a fabulous collection of holiday goodies, including a calendar and simple but elegant gift wrap ideas. You can see their entire collection here.

For daily creative inspiration, check out Shanna’s blog, flickr photostream, and etsy shop.

Enjoy the snowy weekend!

I managed to complete something. I carried around this scarf in my bag for a month and knit at very random moments and at very random places. (Christian was a bit surprised when I pulled out my knitting at the Volkswagen dealership the other week. We were in the middle of making a deal on a 2008 GTI and I was sick of the car-talk salesman schmoozen, so I decided to check out for a few rows.) It’s made from Silk Rapsody (70% kid mohair/30% silk) from Art Yarns. Some of you might remember that I knit the exact same thing for my sister last fall.

I haven’t decided if I’m keeping it or gifting it. Unfortunately, Mr. Mustard (a.k.a the kitten) also fell in love with it and pulled at it a bit, as you can see from the picture. I came out the bedroom the other day and there it was, laid out perfectly on the hard wood floor, with Mr. Mustard all settled on top of it—looking at me like he had finally conquered me. He was immediately gifted back by a short visit with the “spirit taker” (a.k.a spray bottle of water) but the damage was done. Hopefully, I can fix it.

Like last summer, I made a few visits to Nezinscot Farm in Turner Maine, down the road from Bear Pond where we stay every August. I’ve been wanting to knit this sweater in Fitted Knits and decided to buy some Peace Fleece (made in Porter, Maine) to start my project. It’s taken a long time to knit (mainly because school requires free-time reading more than knitting), but I’m so close!

I’ve been making adjustments as I go. For one, I lowered the waist band so it sits on my hips because the pattern didn’t work with my body type. I knit the smallest size, but I’m realizing now that the sweater is still going to be loose around the middle once I knit the button placket. Still deciding what to do about that…I’m hoping to finish the sleeves over Thanksgiving break, when I can squeeze in a few hours of knitting while visiting family.

1. I ruined my brand-spankin new grey boots by wearing them in the rain. 4 times. Without protecting them. So, now I have brand-spankin new grey boots that look very…loved and not new. I still heart them.

2. I can’t stop eating swiss chard. I think I might need an intervention soon.

3. I’m consciously ignoring my blog and blaming it on all my school work/stress. I haven’t decided if it’s the school stress or just that I’m at a creative stand-still. It’s entirely possible that no one is reading it anymore…(mom?).

4. To push myself out of a creative stand-still, I’m making a small collection of earrings for the holidays. As usual, they’ll be at Thread. All leather. Scope them out by Thanksgiving.

5. The studio progresses. Translation: The second floor of our house is still gutted, but is slowly beginning to beg for insulation and dry-wall. I’m tempted to post pictures this week of the progress.

6. I’m giddy about the upcoming Second Storie event. Check it out here. I wish I could participate as more than a sponsor, so instead, I’ll see you there cash in hand, buying every possible holiday gift I can get.

7. I’m excited about this new blog. I’m proud of this fabulous gal I’m lucky to call my friend. Can’t wait to see her new stuff.

I found time to knit this weekend. Picture this week…

I’ve been ignoring my blog for weeks. School is overwhelming most days, so I haven’t knit or sewn in a month. Hopefully, this weekend I’ll squeeze something in. Until then, I wish had more time for this:

This is how I’ve been feeling:

(pictures from a recent rally in Rochester, NY.)

Made my first bubble dress last night:

I’ve been avoiding my blog lately. Felt like I needed a break from it, despite having knit and sewn numerous things in the last few weeks. Tuesday starts a new academic semester and I no longer get to avoid my computer, my research, my (new) job at school, and other random things. I’m sad that tonight marks my official last day of summer, but I think I’m ready to buckle down and do something different after three months of sitting in my hammock, traveling, reading lots of great books, and eating a lot of great food.

We spent 10 days traveling around New England visiting family and friends and arrived back to a massive tangle of tomato and basil plants. I guess this is what happens when you give your plants a hearty dose of organic fertilizer and ignore them for a week:

I’ve been working on a few random sewing and knitting projects for the fall, but haven’t had a chance to take any pictures. Hopefully those will come later this week. In other news, we have a new family member…Despite the fact that our house is completely gutted upstairs and we’re a bit squeezed in right now, I couldn’t resist adopting this sweetie for my husband at the Rochester City Pound last Wednesday:

He was the only completely orange kitten in the pound, three months old, and very very sleepy. Saturday afternoon, I surprised Christian by bringing him home. This is our very first pet together. (My very first pet ever!) Christian named him Mr. Mustard. He spends most of his time sleeping on Christian’s chest/lap and sneezing–he has a cold.

I’m trying not to feel sad by how dark it gets by 7:30 now. Tonight, I decided to make a very altered variation of this recipe with all of my South Wedge Farmer’s Market zucchini and tomatoes. Mr. Mustard kept me company:

He blends into the kitchen floor so much, I almost tripped on him a few times. Here’s a little video of Mr. Mustard getting some love from Christian.

good luck opening dress:

Just finished the dress and I’m excited that I already have something(s) to wear it to! First, Nook is reopening in Pittsford this evening. I’ve been visiting the store for lunch breaks over the last two weeks, as my good friend Shanna has been slaving away getting it set and ready for the opening tonight. Check out the sneak peak here.

Then, we’re off to the grand opening of Good Luck. We’ve been watching this restaurant take shape all spring and summer, as our good friend Chuck (manager of the best Rochester cafe ever, Javas and co-owner of Good Luck) has given us weekend and late-night sneak-peaks of the space for the last five months. I’m thrilled that the restaurant is opening in the old Fabrics and Findings space (small tear); now my former favorite fabric store will be my new favorite bar/restaurant. I’m particuarly excited about the cocktail menu, which Chuck developed and perfected himself–we were lucky enough to sample some of these drinks in process over the last few weeks.

Hope you’ll stop in and support both!
Pictures of the finished dress to follow…