Whoa Nelly.

in ,
 
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I'm so incredibly envious of all the folks I see mentioning that fall is coming! Cool weather! Leaves are turning!

It's not even remotely like it here. The only thing that I've noticed is it getting a little bit darker earlier on our evening walks.

So I'm pretending that it's happening here k?

I cut out a new quilt yesterday! I haven't sewn since I made my mod blocks quilt in May. That's crazy right?! I had almost a full day off from work yesterday and I decided to just put on some favorite music (lately I'm obsessed with old Death Cab Cutie) and just cut it out. I have two that I want to make, one sort of Autumn/Thanksgiving-ish and one Mystical/Fantasy-ish. I only got one cut out yesterday but I'm ok with it! I used a Moda Grunge that I haven't tried before, it's sort of a cream with darker cream splotches. I can't seem to find it online but I'll keep checking. I have no idea when I'll be able to sew it together but it was fun to cut it all out!

On a whim the second week of August I went by my local yarn store and picked up two DK weight yarns. I thought I'd try my hand at a Great Divide Shawl! I got a skein of Juniper Moon Findley DK in Buckwheat & Sweet Georgia Superwash DK in I think...Cayenne? Don't hold me to that, I've misplaced the tag. I cast on using size 9's (pattern calls for 8's) and just got obsessed with it! It's a *very* fun and addictive pattern. I could definitely see myself making multiples of these. I'm knitting it a little looser and English style. I haven't decided my border color yet- I have a skein of Tosh DK in Dahlia which just might be one of my new favorite colors. It's the prettiest wine-y plum. And then I have a skein of The Verdant Gryphon Traveller in Maijishan Grottoes. Which is also gorgeous but I'd originally planned on knitting a hat from it. Tough choice! I got some new stitch markers for my birthday that I stuck on my shawl Pecan Pie from Sweet & Savory Trinkets & S'more + PB&J From Sucre Sucre Miniatures!

I haven't been knitting as much as I'd like. At all. If it was up to me, I'd be have that shawl, some fingerless gloves and a new pair of socks done. My hand has been bothering me on and off all spring and has gotten much worse this summer. I've visited a few doctors about it and I'm not 100% in agreement with them so I'm trying acupuncture for the first time this week! I'm equal parts nervous and excited to try it. I'm giving it a shot until October when I have an appointment for a second opinion then I'll see an neurologist for an EMG. It's so incredibly frustrating to be surrounded by amazing yarn, great projects and not be able to work on stuff! But when I do take the time to knit, I enjoy every single second of it. Cute stitch markers, super nice yarn and a great pattern. It's a special treat to be able to work on it here and there.

I've been reading a TON. I think because I used to knit in the evenings, now I'm reading more! I've really gotten into the BookRiot blog & podcast! If you haven't checked it out and you love to read, you should. I also found The Readables BookTube Channel and she's so adorable. I've started reading comics and I was so excited to see that Chico has a great comic book store, BaT Comics!  (Next to a pie shop and one block over from the bookstore. See you later money & waistline ;)) The owner is super nice and really knowledgeable. I've been collecting a few series and have totally become obsessed with Manga this summer as well. In some ways not being able to sew and knit as much has inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things! Positive thinking right? Chop surprised me with a strange stuffed boar this spring, who I've referred to as Boarish Yeltsin, I decided he needed his own instagram account so I could share all my book-ish things. I love sharing what I've been finding at my local library- I got these on Saturday:

Our library has started using Axis360 and I've been REALLY liking it. Lots of brand new eBooks, you should definitely see if your library offers it! I'm currently reading Unbreakable and I kept thinking "is this Supernatural?" This morning I checked out GoodReads and read some reviews, yep. Supernatural! I'm not far enough along to say if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Before this summer I was a monogamous reader, just one book at a time. But now I have an eBook (for reading in bed at night), an audiobook (for listening to while I work) and a paper book (daytime reading) going at all times. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with the characters in each story or get plot lines mixed up but so far it hasn't been a problem. I get really excited when I get to switch between them as well.

I've been cross stitching a ton lately. Like, nonstop. And I've been enjoying it so much. If you've been reading my blog you might recall that I'm not the most confident of cross stitchers so my goal this summer has been to practice, practice, practice. Which has been a little tricky since my hand hurts and I'm sure it's contributing to the problem. But this is my job! I look forward to my mornings with coffee, my project and a book (or music!). I've made 3 bookmarks for myself, I stitched two of our new mini patterns AND we decided to use my personal project (remember- our patterns are stitched by ladies other than Ashleigh & I to test them) for the cover sample for The Mysterious Halloween Town. I feel fancy! ;) My stitching is not perfect but it's definitely getting better! I started stitching our new Autumn Harvest Festival pattern on a super pretty hand dyed aida and I really am enjoying it, it's so soft and dreamy. Also, we've added two permanent promo codes if you are interested: PARTYTIME which is $2 off 3 or more mini patterns and 15% off 5 or more patterns in a single transaction with PUMPKIN the 15% off one can add up super fast and if you buy some of the bigger patterns, it ends up being close to getting a pattern free which is always nice!

I hope you had a good summer :) My summer blogging hiatus is over and I'll be back to posting more often :):)