Natalie Knits

The eye of a dragonfly has 30,000 lenses.

This guy was hanging out on our pumpkin vine last week, and didn't seem to mind being photographed.

If you haven't yet visited Earthchickknits, go and check out her blog. She is currently trying to raise money for Women Touched By Grace. As a feminist who has felt a lot of frustration at the lack of women leaders in the church, I think this is a cause I can get behind. As if one needed more reason to give, check out all of the amazing yarn and fabric related prizes she is raffling off to those who donate. An added bonus is all of the great craft and knitting related posts and pictures to check out-- I wouldn't expect any less from a fellow Ann Arbor knitter!

It is finally underway!!
I got the pattern for the CPH over a year ago, and the yarn a good 6 months ago. I wanted to make this for my sister (though I won't mention which one! Though she is, as of yet, sweaterless). And thus far, it has turned out to be the perfect Olympics project-- I've been making steady progress every night.

This is to be a Christmas present-- fitting, as the yarn is called "christmas green". I know it might seem a little early for work on something so far away, but I know once the fall term starts all bets are off as for what I can get done for the holidays! Plus, as I may have mentioned before, I am a sweater-knitting-junkie-- I can't get enough!

Yesterday was a great summer day. I spent the morning at the you-pick blueberry farm with Molly and her mom, who was visiting from West Virginia. I gathered a bucket full of berries--7 pounds!! They were so ripe they were practically falling off into my bucket.
After that I stopped at the market to pick up some produce to get us through the rest of the week. And as I had blueberries in the strainer in the sink, beets cooking on the stove, and zucchini and tomatoes from the garden all around, I realized, I had a whole garden rainbow in the kitchen.

Red Beets:

Orange Tomatoes (and pumpkin):

Red Tomatoes:

Green Zucchini:

And a mountain of blueberries. Heaven!

Lately I've felt that there are so many projects I'd like to start, but I've been keeping them all in my head, and not putting enough down on paper (or screen, as it is) to organize what I'd like to do, for whom, and when. So here goes-- a little knitterly housekeeping to keep my head from feeling too overloaded!

1. (Obviously) the Central Park Hoodie for Olivia has been at the top of my list-- and I've been making steady progress. The back and fronts are done, and because I did them all at once, no need to seam! I am on sleeve 1-- then I have 1 more sleeve, hood, button band and buttons, and blocking and seaming.

This weekend I am going to visit my Grandpa in PA, and I believe the sweater recipient will also be in attendance, so I had better not bring it along. Lots of covert knitting! She also knows her knitting, and is inquisitive, so I don't think I should try to slip it by her.
Thus, I've needed to find other projects to work on. So, here they are:

2. I've been dying to make some cowls. I've got some good patterns and perfect yarn, I just need to get the supplies all together. I've got some beautiful malabrigo silky to make Lindsay a cowl (and possibly wrist warmers) as a winter gift. This might be the knitting project of choice for the weekend! I like the pashmina cowl from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and I also am a fan of the sherbrooke cowl, from one of my favorite knitbloggers.

3. I've also been thinking about how wonderful it would be to make the ever-popular clapotis. I also stashed some Malabrigo silky for myself, and I could see it keeping me warm all fall.

4. Along the same lines, I think this is a pattern my mom would really like, and I've got a whole basket full of yarn with her name on it. I've been thinking of making the Clapotis and changing yarns ever few rows, to give it a more variable look. I'll have to start it and see how it goes-- but I have a gut feeling it would be pretty awesome.

5. Sweaters, sweaters, sweaters. I always have sweaters on the brain, because they are so lovely and useful and fun to make. There are so many wonderful patterns out there-- I just need to figure out how the yarn I have in the stash would look sculpted into my favorite patterns.

6. I am almost done with my latest scribble scarf-- and I am in love with the colors, perfect for this fall. I'd like to finish this off soon.

So-- I'm hoping to have something new to show after this weekend, even if it is a WIP. Or maybe I'll feel inspired and have a FO!