Easy Knit Shawl

I love knitting.  I learned fairly young and I’m glad my daughter is also picking up the hobby.  The rhythm of each stitch relaxes and calms me. And nothing better than having a finished product made by your own hands.

I bought this yarn by Fierce Fibers on our trip to Portland, Oregon last summer. It works so beautifully and I hope to make another trip to this year to spend more time in the city. It is a hand dyed yarn with a blend of Merino, Cashmere and Sterling.  Check out their bright and colorful yarns Here

I told Vanessa to pick the yarn and I would make her a shawl. The pattern I used was Simple Shawl by Jane at Hedgerow Yarns on Ravelry. I love Ravelry. Always so many fun patterns. CLICK HERE  for the free pattern.

She loves everything I make her and loves to tell her friends when I make her something. She is the hugest blessing in my life and things I make her is a large expression for my love for her.

Here is how the shawl ended up.

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Sacramento Zoo Zoom

My daughter is such a huge inspiration to me. She really enjoys running and is always asking me to sign her up for a 5k.  She’s pretty good too!!

So it was a joy to read our local zoo was doing a fun 5k run. We love our Sacramento Zoo. We gladly have yearly memberships there. It is small and quaint, but clean and full of lush trees and majestical animals.

The Zoo Zoom has you running through beautiful Land Park, where streets are lined with classic homes from the 30s and 40s and canopy trees that shaded us throughout.

The “little” pushed and pushed. She never wanted to quit, and our run ended right at the zoo, where we were granted free access for the day.  We quickly replenished with water and snacks and enjoyed the rest of the day watching the monkeys swing and the lions sunbath.

It’s such an honor to share this hobby with her and see her grow into the sport.

 

Dress for a Princess

It’s my cousin’s little girl’s 4th birthday. She is fierce with a heart of gold – the true makings of a princess. I knew exactly what I wanted to make her. A dress she can wear for when we go to Disneyland or to prance around at home.

I had Disney princess fabric that was waiting to be used for the right occasion. The pattern called for buttons (which I finally know how to do) and a placket (which was easy once I understood how to do one properly). Youtube is wonderful – I was able to watch the proper way to make a placket and buttonholes without screwing up the whole dress.  I love buttonholes now, btw!!!

Here is a glimpse of how it turned out.