Socks

I had been on hiatus from listening to my favorite podcasts for a while.  I recently started listening again.  One of my favorite podcasts is The Knitmore Girls and they have an ongoing contest called #OperationSockDrawer .  Hearing this again resounded with my love for sock knitting and desire to get more than three pairs of hand-knit socks in my drawer, so I got to knitting.  Unfortunately I've been extremely busy with my kids and family life recently so I've not had the time for knitting that I'd like.  These socks have mostly made progress on-the-go.  But today I am finally turning the heal on the second sock!  A new finished pair is just around the corner. :)

The return of peace

Things have indeed been chaotic at my home this summer.  My kids were on top of each other and fighting.  Meanwhile I was trying to push my fiber business off to a start.  I had spinning orders to fulfill, a pattern I wrote, tested, remade, and tested by others, and finally released.  My fiber graphics have become fairly popular and I've sold several orders. Oh, and I've been photo journaling my art projects before bed every night.
 

Today school started again.  I have one kiddo in public school in a special needs class and that is working *wonderfully* for him.  My oldest kiddo I homeschool, and now I'm working on paperwork to get my youngest into preschool.  I hope I can get her in so my oldest and I can get some work done in peace for a few hours.

Recently I've joined in a craft swap hosted by my favorite podcast Knit 1 Geek 2.  I was inspired by my spoilee (the secret person I am spoiling that I will not reveal online) to create yet another knitting pattern.  I am *so* excited about this one but I can't reveal my concept yet.  I can get it done before the deadline if I'm quick, but I would really like it to go through test knitting first if I can.  So, I've pulled in a friend to help me with part of this project and she is just excited as I am!

I can show you a little bit; below are a few swatches I've knit, and above is my stack of research books. :)

Oh, and yesterday, I stuck my toes and spent a little money to promote my latest pattern on Facebook this week.  I'm curious to see how that goes!

Podcasts

I am never doing just one thing. I just don't have enough time in the day to do everything I need and want to do one-at-a-time. I listen a lot as I go about my daily routine.   This engages my mind as my hands do routine tasks. I love my audiobooks but I often listen to podcasts, too.  Some educate me while others inspire or amuse me.

Knit 1 Geek 2

My favorite podcast!  Maggie and Karen are just like me; geeks who are knitters and knitters who are geeks. They are funny and passionate about their interests from knitting and spinning to TV, books and the silver screen.  I love so many genres that it is rare to meet someone as passionate about my variety but these two hit nearly all of them!

The Bird Thing Podcast

Marly Bird is a wonderful host; she makes interviews fun while telling us what is going in in the fiber community. She mostly focuses in knit and crochet subjects. There is always a giveaway!

The Knitmore Girls

This is a multi-generational family-friendly show.   The mom and daughter duo often talk about knitting or spinning with the 3-year old granddaughter and make me think of my own little girl's interests in fiber arts.  These two women have been immersed in the fiber community their whole lived yet still enjoy talking about their weekly victories and mishaps. 

Domestic CEO, Quick and Dirty Tips

Not fiber related, but its a good 5-ish minute podcast on how to manage your home.  There are lots of good tips from getting organized to how to clean out the refrigerator.