1. Fresh flowers. I try to buy them as often as I can when I know I'll be home to enjoy them. My rule of thumb, under $10. Mostly thanks to Trader Joe's :) 2. Reading. Actual books. It has been awhile, but with summer upon us, I've been making more time to sit and read. My current faves. 3. The love of a doggy. Our sweet Puddles went to heaven two weeks ago. It happened suddenly. Her heart was literally too big. Oh, I miss her so. And so does Pa and Bailey. But we were blessed with that sweet girl for 12 years. I never, ever, ever thought I was a dog person until these sweet doggies ente ..read more

Oh Ed, how I love thee, let me count the ways. Seriously.  If you haven't listened to Ed Sheeran's new album, you're missing out on some happy. Happy St. Patrick's Day by the way!!! And let's not forget it's also time for our annual Irish Girlie Knits BOGO free pattern sale! Here are the details everyone... March 17-18 BOGO Free! with the coupon code: LUCKY Buy one pattern, get one free (lesser priced pattern will be free; Merrily and Sleepy Hollow Collections included, but other ebook collections excluded)! Only includes patterns published by Irish Girlie Knits Designs in ..read more

And just like that, February, or birthday month as we like to call it around here, is almost half way over.  Here's a bit of what is happening... {finishing} Another version of Magpie's 1st birthday sweater, this time a smaller version. A new design coming sometime this year. Funny, going back to read that old post, I knit Magpie's larger version in less than a week. This one was started when Blue-eyed princess was born, and she's already 16 months old?!?! {knitting} Those fingerless gloves flew off the needles. I just started those last week. Knitting mojo is definitely back ..read more

Definitely one of those weeks where daily I tried to find the good things. Here are just a few as I look back over my week. 1. OMG. Want. All of these. Seriously. The one that caught my attention originally was 'Unfriended a Racist' but other faves include 'Stopped Caring About Bullshit,' '   I could cover my Field bag in them. 2. Speaking of my knitting bag, I love it. Yep. That's unfinished Christmas knitting. Oh well. It happens to the best of us. 3. And I was pretty proud to be part of the knitting community last weekend. I was there in spirit. I was working with an awesome team ..read more

There are some designs that mean a little bit more to me than others. The ones named after my family I'm especially fond of. And the pattern I'm releasing today is one of those types of designs. Steward, shown in The Plucky Knitter Snug Worsted, colorway Icey Audrey Knitting this hat healed my heart a bit. I just didn't realize it at the time. I knit this hat over and over and over last year. It was probably the only thing I knit for months. The name came to me one night at bible study when my Pastor spoke about stewardship and that we needed to be good stewards of the gifts God had given u ..read more

Taking a few moments to share and reflect on all the lovely things that have been happening this past week.   {writing}   Yes. I sent Knitterella, my graphic designer extraordinaire, my first pattern of 2017. It felt incredible to be able to have the focus to sit down and write a knitting pattern.                 {reading} Technically, I'm listening to and reading this one. My only regret is not discovering Brene Brown's work sooner. But I'm not sure I would have appreciated it the same way. She Reads Truth. The just enough bible stud ..read more

Amazing how a simple picture can capture so much. It has been quite awhile since I've been able to sit down and watch a movie and knit. Let's face it. The knitting mojo went 'poof' the last year or two. That we already knew. So just the fact that I was knitting is exciting. But watching a movie and knitting, something so many of us knitters can do, has been challenging for me the past year or two. When my dad and I would watch tv together, he would ask why I wasn't knitting and I'd say it was too hard to concentrate or my head hurt or I just couldn't. HUH??!?! I know. If you're a knitter ..read more

That seems a bit crazy to be blogging for 10 years. And yet, here we are. I'm so glad we are still here, though posts are fewer. We still seem to stay connected via Instagram or Facebook or Ravelry. Heck, many of you are my dear real life friends now...we text, talk, meet-up, vacation, cry, laugh. All thanks to this blogging and knitting community. This isn't a big reflection post...I'm trying to get back into the things I love, like posting more regularly, so let's not make it harder, 'mkay?  Things I love you ask? Here are a few. Well, let's stick with the theme and make it 10. 1. Po ..read more

It has been a week of emotions for so many this week. I have tried so hard to continue to focus on positivity and all that I've been blessed with. Why? Because, honestly, that's the only way I've gotten through the past few months. I'll be honest. It has been a year around here. You've noticed the blog has been quiet. In part because I've been busy. But also because I've been trying to figure things out. You know me...if I don't have anything happy or nice to say, I tend not to say it. Ha. My knitting has suffered a bit from that too. Case in point: This hat has been on the needles since ..read more

BOO! It's fall. And even here in California, it is knitting weather time! Definitely time to dust off the keyboard and get back to blogging. I MISS you guys! Fortunately, I'm still around on Instagram and love seeing so many of you there. There has been a bit of knitting the past few months. Not much, to be honest. But some. Hats. The same hat. A long meditation of hat knitting. Trying not to jinx it, but hopefully an easy hat pattern soon to come! The munchkins got bigger. Someone started preschool!!! And someone turned ONE!! What a year! And since it is October, which is nor ..read more