Let's get cozy. — Hey Porkchop!

First off, thank you for all your kind words and emails on my previous post. It was amazing how many friends reached out and said "YES. The joy of creating isn't there anymore" or "Let's all share MORE little things". I have a few more thoughts to share on this subject but I'll save them for another day k?

Second off, can I just share with you guys some stuff that is inspiring me lately?

Tubularity! Whyyyyy is Martina Behm so dang CUTE? This is such a neat little pattern, it's something I can see myself wearing a ton. Also: I'm drowning in sock scraps. A quick dive into my scrap tub revealed these leftovers that I thought looked neat together. I probably will need to buy yarn or break into other full skeins today which I'm a-ok with! I'm not 100% sure I'm doing the increases correctly (she has a video but mine aren't looking *exactly* like she shows them) but I like knitting it. I'm looking forward to moving from yarn blob to yarn blob. That's a technical term k?

Ashburn! This is my summer knitting goal. I bought four skeins of Candy Skein Savory Fingering in Honey, Oyster, Grape Fizz & Plum. I got to meet Tami at Stitches West and she is just awesome! I can't decide which combo of colors I'll use but I'm excited to wear it next fall. This is one I'm really looking forward to just enjoying the process and relaxing with. I think it's going to feel similar to Multnomah, that is my current shawl that I keep it in my purse.

Bertie Bott's Yarn! Um WHAT! I was digging through my yarn bin and came across this cutie that Chop bought me...in 2012. WHY HAS IT NOT BECOME SOCKS YET?! Both pairs of socks on my needles right now at two at a time, which is totally fine but I want to have a single sock to keep in my purse. This is so sparkly. And Harry Potter themed. And a present from my favorite dude.

Reading. Reading. Reading. No seriously. I can't stop. This is my Goodreads in case you are also into reading. Which I hope you are.

The reading frenzy started when I discovered BookRiot. I don't know why it never occurred to me to look at book related blogs/websites but I fell down the rabbit hole and I AM SO INTO IT. Then I learned tumblr has a ton of YA book fandom. Now I'm using tumblr again and loooooving it.

My main reading goal this year was 75 books. But I wanted them to be REALLY GOOD reads. None of this "self published 100 pages stuff". Don't get me wrong, there are some super talented self published authors but I feel like the majority I read last summer/fall just weren't for me.

Here are five of my favorite books so far- also, I'm the worst at explaining why I like books so just pretend this is super eloquent k?

These Broken Stars. I've never read anything space related before and I reallllly liked this. Only the first bit takes place in space and I liked the world building. I hope the rest of the series involves space ships because they just seem really neat.
Cress. Oh oh oh. This is the online fandom I stalk the most. It's just such a unique series and it's beautifully written.
Dreams of Gods & Monsters. This is my second favorite online fandom. Taylor very boldly inserts new characters and details into this book- the last in the series. Full confession- I rarely read the last book in a series. Especially if it's one I love. I'm always too afraid the author is going to kill it for me. I was satisfied with this ending. I'm looking forward to re-reading the entire series again from start to finish.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. This one surprised me. The writing is just DREAMY. Poetic. Haunting. Strange. I liked it because it was just really unique.
Half Bad. I read one person say that this book could have been the childhood story of Snape. I'm not sure about that but it is also a really unique read. White Witches vs. Black Witches and White Witches...aren't the greatest. It's a dark story, I think it would be a good October read.

I'm currently reading The Name of the Wind, good friends suggested it and I'm looking forward to a long meat-y read. Speaking of meat-y reads- I decided that this summer my goal is to finish Game of Thrones. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm 59% through this book and just ARGH about it. I read it and I keep waiting and waiting and waiting for SOMETHING GIANT to happen but it's a about a MILLION little stressful events CONSTANTLY happening! I'd find myself reading until 1 or 2 am just waiting for it (I don't even know what it is!) to happen. It's just super suspenseful but also not at the same time. Does that even make sense? Probably not. But I follow a few fandom blogs on tumblr about the books and it's just a fascinating culture to me that I'm genuinely mad at myself for not just reading it! Also: 59%! That's a ton. But now I can't decide if I should start again or pick up from where I left off or WHAT!

Also, I'm currently cross stitching a new club pattern. And it's awesome. It's so kawaii and based on my favorite holiday EVER and I can't wait to start sharing photos with you. We have everything ready to go and I don't want to make any bold claims but this just might be the best thing Ashleigh has ever designed for me. Yes, for me. Because IT'S MY FAVORITE FLIPPING HOLIDAY IN MY FAVORITE COLORS. Granted, it's her favorite holiday and favorite colors too but...I request CAKE and there is CAKE. I said OWLS and received OWLS. I said PUMPKINS WITH ONE TOOTH and...yup. It's going to be good.

I'll be back hopefully soon to share my million photos of Once Upon a Time Sampler & Tea Time.

One last thing, Tracey suggested I try Young Living Deep Relief roll on essential oil blend. I'm pretty excited to give it a try.