For a while now, wood turning has been something the husband has expressed an interest in, but has never really taken the leap to try. Honestly, we don’t really know anyone locally that does it that could show him, and the equipment can be kind of pricey to buy when you’re not sure it’s even a hobby you want to stick with. A few weeks ago, we ventured to Columbus and made a stop at Woodcraft just to check it out and see what all they had. I was hoping he’d get some ideas to maybe strike some excitement or inspiration or something in him. But while there, we discovered…

I’m going to try to make this a weekly thing. I really am. Yep, I’m not at all going to fall off the wagon with this like I have everything else I attempt to do on a regular basis. For real, though. Self-care is something I lack. My own needs get ignored a lot of times, which I imagine is the same for women everywhere. I used to be better about it, and it’s time I try to reclaim some time back for myself. It isn’t all buying myself flowers or some retail therapy because I’ve certainly been pulling that retail therapy excuse an awful lot for someone who actually…

Today I’m breaking out another me-made item. It’s an Everyday Skirt and I made it out of some of that $2 clearance fabric I picked up at Hobby Lobby earlier this year. I made the large, based on my measurements, but this morning as I put it on to wear I ended up taking out one of the seams on the elastic waist and tightening up the elastic. The pattern is supposed to sit on your low waist, I believe, but skirts that sit that low drive my bonkers! I like them to sit on my natural waist, which is higher up on me and far more comfortable so i’m…

Fresh off the sewing machine, I have a new me-made dress! I turned that olive green linen blend from this post into a Hinterland dress for summer, and I think I’m in love. I used Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen and kept the skirt portion to the shorter length so it hits just above the knee. I purchased some olive colored buttons at JOANN yesterday to match the fabric, but unfortunately they’re too big for my button holes, which is why you see it unbuttoned looking a little less than flattering and more frumpy than it should. That bust dart isn’t as pointy-looking when the thing is buttoned up as it…

Years ago, when my knit group girlfriends and I discovered we all had Presidents Day off of work, we conspired to spend the day getting brunch and then yarn shopping. I’m not quite sure when, exactly, this happened, but I know it was many years ago as we’ve been going on our weekends away for about 7 or 8 years now and this has been happening longer than that. Time, really, is just a blur at this point. It’s just tradition. Sometimes we switch it up with MLK Day, but most years there’s this wonderful February Monday where we fill up on delicious food and then go touch all the…

Winter has finally arrived here in Ohio. Well, I mean, it kind of arrived last weekend… but today? We’re supposed to get up to 8 inches of snow. I can’t remember the last time we’ve had this level of snow here in my part of Ohio. I’m not complaining one bit, though. Declan’s gymnastics was canceled today so that meant sleeping in and a lazy Saturday morning, which is the best kind of Saturday morning. I’d be lying if I said I was having a quiet afternoon here. I came upstairs to my craft room to start prepping the fabric I washed yesterday, and Declan followed me and has been…

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Candice (@candiceknits) on Jan 12, 2019 at 10:02am PST College classes started back up on the 7th. After months and MONTHS of spending every weekend – nearly all weekend, mind you – glued to my computer in my craft room trying to find some peace and quiet to study… I had a normal weekend. Yes, there was homework. But was it the overwhelming, unbearable variety that meant me spending 20 hours out of my weekend studying? Not even close. In fact, I had SO much “extra” time that I was able to knit! And sew! And clean! And cook! And, more…

There’s something special about January. Not because of the new year full of possibilities, but because of the slow pace our lives take after the whirlwind of holidays and all that they entail. I don’t know about you, but I love this transition. I am perfectly content to hide away at home with some winter comfort food, some books or knitting, and just… breathe. December was an insanely stressful month for me. The end of the semester on my classes left me exhausted, burnt out, and depressed. There was an outright meltdown the weekend before finals where I just broke down and lost it – it was all too much.…

This cardigan and I have had a year-long adventure together, quite literally. I started it last year on my annual knitting weekend, not realizing how much brain power it would take me to knit from two different charts (one for the collar, one for the back). We would go in fits in starts, this cardigan and I. I’d knit a few rows here and there, then it would be abandoned for weeks on end because I just couldn’t find the energy to focus on it. It only got worse once I started back to college, and the project sat for months waiting for me to come back to it. Once…

My favorite time of year came and went – my annual knitting weekend away with my bestest knitting friends. This time, rather than our usual Hocking Hills, we headed north near Perrysburg. There, we enjoyed this AH-MAZING view of the river from the deck/sunroom, talked, laughed, watched movies, ate food, and, of course, KNIT. So much knitting.  The trees were perfect, the weather was cold but not overly so, and the whole weekend is exactly what my soul needed. Because we were in the area, we made a trip to Yarn Cravin’ for yarn shopping, and then headed – by recommendation of the lovely girls at the yarn shop – to…