Tied Up With String: A List of a Few of My Favorite Things

Hello, Friends! It has been a crazy last few weeks! Saturday, one of my friends got married and I was given the duties of a Wedding Coordinator for the ceremony. It was so fun! I'm not a super detail-oriented person, in fact sometimes, too much makes me nauseous. However, I had a blast helping one of my closest friends on her wedding day and would do it again for her in a heartbeat. She is one of my best friends and our husbands are also really close. The wedding, coupled with Thanksgiving made for a busy and fun couple of weeks!

Another thing I want to mention is an addition to my design process. Usually, I would just pick a random thing off of the list of design ideas and go from there. Now, when I spend time with Jesus at the end of the month, I ask Him what He would like me to make the upcoming month. And I'm so glad that I do that now! Last month, in the final week, I designed and knitted a DK weight shawl that is now going out to test knitters. And on Sunday, after some listening, I am going to knit a sweater in DK now! I can't wait to share with you my design. I even started buying yarn from indie dyers, which is something I have always wanted to do! I cant' wait to show you more of what I have cooked up!

Moving on, I thought I would share with you some things about myself, to get to know me better!

1. I don't have a favorite color. But, if Kristy Glass were to ask me if I prefer color or neutrals, I would choose neutrals. When I think of neutral colors, I immediately think of tan and mauve and brown. But neutrals are forest greens, navy blues, mustard yellows, burnt orange, etc. I call them "warm colors". When I think about these colors or wear these colors, I just feel so warm inside and a sense of hygge.

2. So far, my favorite show on Netflix is "Stranger Things".

Those kids are absolutely adorable in the series. The show reminds me a lot of "Stand By Me", one of my favorite movies I watched as a teenager. I'm not a big fan of horror, but I can stand the horror in this movie.

3. If I had to choose a favorite DC Comics superhero, I would choose the Flash.

I want to make a disclaimer: I've never read any of the DC Comics or Marvel series before. But, I am really loving "The Flash" on Netflix. I love the character of Barry Allen, who always seems to be seeking justice, whether for his family, those closest to him, or citizens of Central City. I love watching this show and am going to be sad when I finish it on Netflix.

4. So far, my favorite garment to knit is a shawl

I have three shawl WIPs going on right now, all of them designed by someone else.

A. Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry

Pictured above is the original design of the shawl. Isn't it beautiful?? The Find Your Fade will be a gift for my mother. Every month, I have been buying yarn to knit this with and so far I've been knitting a blue fade. My plan is to have it done by her birthday in April.

B. With the yarn I have left over, I am knitting the Ardent Shawl by Janina Kallio

This shawl will be mine and with the left over fade colors, it will be like an adorable mother-daughter combo!

C. And, with all the fingering weight yarn I will have left over, I'm going to work on the Marled Magic Shawl by Stephen West

I've wanted to knit a Stephen West pattern ever since this shawl came out. He is such an eccentric designer and all of his patterns leave me breathless. I can't help but be excited to finally knit one of his designs! I have three more sitting in my Ravelry cart that I would also love to knit! :)

5. My favorite type of stitch is Cable stitches.

This afternoon, during our lunch together, my husband asked me what my favorite stitch is. I taught him how to knit a long time ago and he has seen the kind of stitches I knit. I like cables the best for a couple of reasons. One, I love how bulky and squishy it is! It adds structure and volume to a pattern. Two, it makes me feel warm. Because it takes a lot to knit the cables, I feel like I have more fabric in a piece and enough to keep me warm throughout the cold weather. Finally, though they look difficult, I find them really fun to make. I really like Celtic cables and random cable stitches such as double tree or nestled diamond cables.

This is just a small list of my favorite things. Maybe I'll make this an annual tradition, in which I share my favorite things every quarter, or once per year! Thank you for reading!!

With Love,

Amanda

#freelancing #faith #knitting #knitdesign #hygge #myfavoritethings