summer crafting + links

The warm days have me reaching for lighter weight yarn and thread. I've got a linen Hitofude cardigan on the needles right now. It is slowgoing work for me. I have to keep myself from looking at the pattern in its entirety or else I might throw my hands up in defeat. This one is going to take forever. At least the lace pattern is emerging now, instead of just looking like I spilled oatmeal on my knitting needles.

I've also been crocheting daisies when the urge strikes. I hope in a week or two I'll have enough for a delicate daisy chain to decorate my mantel. I found the pattern on Her Library Adventures (via Moose and Bird).

And I decided I've become a little too precious with my handknitted socks; I rarely wear them because I don't want to ruin them. That's just silly and not why I made them at all. I'm making an effort to wear them more (or I will, come fall). I figure they'll last longer if I have more socks in rotation, so I cast on a pair of after-thought heel socks. I really like how the solid blue toe and cuff (and eventually, heel) tone down the variegated yarn.

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I hope your week is off to a great start. Here are some links to inspire more good days:

I want to make mini fudge popsicles for my boy and me.

I started saving avocado pits and skins as soon as I saw Liesl's amazing natural-dyed yarn. It seems like a fun project for a summer afternoon.

I wish I could smell Melody's latest blog post. I love the delicate scent of lilacs!

Joanna has me thinking about vacation. Where would you go? I've been dreaming of San Francisco and Yosemite.

If you're local, you should go to the Starlight Strawberry Festival this weekend. It's one of my favorite festivals of the year. Get there early for the best berries!