i love yellow week

This post provided me with much mirth and merriment. Tracy hosted yellow week this week and I did a little post just letting you all know it was yellow week with a picture of a token yellow flower. So, my 'serious' posts are typically done just before the weekend and I was wracking my brain on what I was going to do. I wanted to continue my theme of collages around my colorful, recently knitted socks and stay true to yellow week - I was a bit stumped creatively. I went out to the garden to water my flowers and to think and as I was pondering my lack of ideas I looked down and saw my toes peeking out from under a leaf...they were yellow - OPI yellow - kind of a curry color...I was so excited, ran inside, grabbed my camera...and my theme was born.

I thought the Babe would split a gut as he was watching me bending over taking pictures of my toes, socks, flowers....I comprehend that it probably looked ridiculous...but, I am a blogger and I will go to extreme lengths to create my post! Ahem. I think pretty soon I will need therapy. The yarn from the socks above were purchased from Jessi at Alabama Fiber Dreams. Check out her Etsy store here. I must say, this yarn is the softest I have knit with and the socks are so comfy.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

yellow week

Tracy over at prickly pear is hosting yellow week this week. What a great idea. It should motivate all of us to get out there with the camera and see what we can spy in all things yellow. There are quite a few people joining in and I am pretty excited to see what these talented photographers come up with this week. It completely fulfills my motivation to look for some color in my photography.

in the pink

I have decided to push my photo creativity by trying to do a colour collage around my stripey socks I have been knitting this summer. This first instalment is based on pink stripey socks. I like doing this because it does two things - encourages me to really consider color in my knitting and then stimulates me to look for that color in objects or nature. What I am discovering about photography is that composition is the primary factor. Anyone can snap a picture with a digital camera - however, color, subject, shadows and light is what make the picture interesting or beautiful.

The other reason I have this obsession with knitting simple, colorful socks is because I finally started a BIG knitting project, all BLACK, and stripey socks are a fun diversion. The project will take me a while so don't look for much progress anytime soon. I am knitting Annikki by Nora Gaughan. I am using black Blue Sky sport yarn (100% baby alpaca). It is a significant project in size and requires 30 skeins of the yarn - making this an expensive project as well. I need to alter the size because the only downfall of Nora Gaughan's patterns is that she seems to create things for extremely tall, model stick-like women. The model on the pattern is wearing the 34 size and she is 5'10". Ahem, I am 5'0" - hence the issue. I am part of the way through the back piece and the yarn is knitting up beautifully.

birds of a feather...

I could not help myself - I had to post this picture because how often do you get six blue jays in your garden with three of them vying for a spot on a tiny birdbath. These three look like they are having a good gossip session over tea.

Life feels odd right now. I am back at work after my week off. I get into these introspective moods after coming back from holidays and I try to think of the quickest ways to retirement that I can imagine. I love my time off - especially if I am at home working on my garden, or knitting, or going for a run along the river. Time is such luxury! Moments to do the things I love to do and keep myself busy with activities that give me pleasure are so fleeting. The Babe tells me that after a month of the same, I would be bored...but, not having had that experience, it is hard to imagine that this would be the case.

I have a good job - good in the sense that it pays me well, I have a degree of freedom, and it can be interesting. But my career does not define me - my love of art, writing for fun (not for work), knitting, running, climbing and my photography comprise who I am. I can't imagine I would ever get bored of these pursuits.

lazy summer days....

It has been so nice being on holidays. I have done everything I wanted to do but, regrettably, in a few days I go back to work. Sigh. I have been busy knitting fun socks...pretty colors...easy peasy, just plain satin stitch and instant gratification. I love my colorful garden clogs and - of course - one must have socks to match each color!

I have also done a little bit of shopping - on Etsy of course. The little print pictured above was made for me by Jennifer from littlebird. You can view her prints here. I love this print because Jennifer incorporated a little white kitty like my Tencents and included her name in the title and she stylized the girl in the picture to have some of my elements. This little print will grace the wall of my newly finished sewing/knitting room.

The weather has been cooperating and nothing has been hailed on...so far. Most of my plants have recovered. The only thing I am battling right now is - cats. Now...I love cats, I have a cat, but I dislike cats pooing in my garden. I had a beautiful head of a day lily, almost ready to bloom, broken off by a bad pooing cat!! I went to the garden center and was told that one of the best solutions is to over-plant the bed as cats like to have space to dig. If a bed is over-planted, they typically will not dig. Also, I planted some English Lavender, which cats apparently do not like.

If anyone has any other non-hurtful suggestions for keeping cats out of my garden, I would like to hear them.