Marnie, speak! Good girl.

It's here, at least in Oregon and it's lovely so far.

This rock has a heart on for spring and I have a juvenile sense of humor

Spring means more trips to the beach.

Did you catch that excited whimper out of Darwin?

And more playing in the yard

I think D is aerating the lawn a little too effectively

And renovations.

New wiring and an end to that pepto pink closet, in the works

And maybe a little something else getting an overhaul, too.

Coming soon, if I ever finish doing all the things

The new Twist Collective is live and it is easily my favorite Spring/Summer edition and an all around beautiful edition by any measure. As always, I'm proud to be a part of it. Check out all the great patterns and articles.

You can find my pattern, Lyssia, here, and on ravelry, here.

My newest cowl pattern, Nieve, is a double knit design, with tutorials for casting on, binding off and double knitting. The instructions include modification notes for making the cowl both longer and wider, and includes yarn estimates for each modification.

If you don't tend to have a lot of success with colorwork, you might really appreciate the benefits of double knitting. Yes, it's thicker and takes longer to work than a single layer, but there are no long floats to wrap or keep loose for proper tension. The end fabric is so much more elastic and reversible as well.

Worked in worsted weight yarn, this is a reasonably fast project, and takes only one skein of each yarn.

The pattern is 4 pages long, plus a cover. The motif is charted and the cast on and double knitting instruction include step by step photos.

Want to find out more? Check out my pattern page, or visit the ravelry shop page.

Obligatory tortured dogs shot

The skies have opened up and we're having a perfectly Oregonian kind of day, so I can't get any proper pattern shots, but here's a little sneak preview of something in the works; a double knit cowl in some Berroco Vintage

Thea's on the fence but I think the color suits her.

Thea was born sometime around today-ish, six years ago. She was a challenging puppy, fond of destroying stuff, and indifferent to even the sternest voices. She was cute though.

But now she's all grown up, mellowing out and a real love monkey. She's gentle with her older sister, but rough houses with her little brother and always, ALWAYS snuggles next to me at night.

And she's still cute, in a ridiculous sort of way..

Happy birthday to my little monkey butt.

Oh and happy birthday to my brother too. I guess he's ok.