Texas | Love Is All You Knit

Jan 03 2013

How To: Plant Cactus Cuttings

I’ve been wanting a few cactus plants for my home as they are super low maintenance, which is my kind of houseplant. It’s pretty easy to replant cactus cuttings, so I thought I’d share my process.

I gathered some cuttings while I was out visiting my parents’ ranch over the holidays. My mom and dad helped me pick out the different types that you see above. You will also want some pretty heavy duty gloves to protect from their barbs.

I read online that a cutting needs to develop a “callus” at the cutting site before you replant it, otherwise it is likely to rot. I left these cuttings out for a week for that purpose. Then I filled my terra cotta pots halfway with slightly damp soil, and gently placed each cactus cutting into the soil and held it upright as I poured additional soil around the base of the cactus. I lightly watered the rest of the soil after filling the pot to the rim and there you have it: rugged greenery for your home.

Tagged cacti, cactus, planting, terra cotta

Jan 01 2013

1 Comment

Antics, designing, Dogs, Family, knitting, Music, Texas, Yarn

Insta-December

December was a great way to finish off the year. There were piano serenades, scooter rides with my love, fancy cocktails, dog snuggles, walks in the woods, more music, “fireside” cuddles with Henry, warm chunky-knit sweaters, family time at the ranch, SNOW, a trip to a cabin in the woods with some good friends, a little bit of knitting, and a toast to good things to come.

Happy New Year- 2013 is going to be a good one!

Tagged cabins, cockails, dogs, holidays, instagram, knitting, music, piano, snow, winter

Dec 08 2012

A Walk in the Woods

Today Joey and I went for a walk at a nature preserve near our house. It was so amazing walking down a winding trail covered in fallen leaves while looking up at massive trees arching over our heads. It was just what I needed to make me feel centered again.

We also took advantage of our beautiful surroundings to take photos for my newest design. I’m working on the pattern now and having it test knitted. I can’t wait to share it with you. Here’s a sneak peek:

Tagged design, knitting, rowan, rowan felted tweed, texas, yarn

Nov 29 2012

1 Comment

Antics, Dogs, Family, knitting, Texas, Yarn

Insta-November

Sharing a few of my favorite instagram snaps from the past month. Oh that Henry, he sure finds his way in there a whole heck of a lot. Miss Daisy even makes an appearance as we got to see her when we visited my parents ranch over the Thanksgiving holiday. She is queen of the ranch and loves it there.

You can follow my instagram antics here.

Nov 13 2012

2 Comments

Family, Music, Texas, Uncategorized

Redwood Studio

In May, my husband Joey and our good friend McKenzie started renovating an old garage workshop with the plan to turn it into a recording studio. It was the ultimate DIY job- an insane amount of hard work done on a shoestring budget. So much time and work went into the construction of this studio and with the help of some amazing friends and family, Redwood Studio has finally come to be. I’m excited to share these pics of it with you.

Nov 03 2012

Etsy Denton Handmade Harvest Haul

I spent a little time this afternoon perusing the local handmade wares at the Etsy Denton Handmade Harvest event. I came away with plenty of cards so I can keep track of the shops that I liked, and I bought two items that I couldn’t pass up.

The first is this great deer antler piece from wunderkammer culture

And the second is this lovely feather print by Anna Tovar

And here’s some link love for some of the other shops that I really enjoyed:

Rachel Elise bags

Infinite Bluebird jewelry

Quilts by Emily

Tagged anna tovar, craft fair, deer antler, denton, etsy, feather, handmade, handmade harvesst, haul, shelterandshine, wunderkammer culture

Sep 06 2012

1 Comment

Antics, Dogs, Family, Hats, knitting, Music, Texas

Hill Country Holiday

Joey is recording the new Israel Nash Gripka album so we are out in Texas Hill Country for the week. There are eight of us holed up in a big ranch house surrounded by tree-covered hills and cacti for miles.

The cathedral-ceilinged living area has been turned into a recording studio, where the music goes late into the night. Last night I sat in a hammock on the patio and listened to the sounds and watched the moon rise.

I have some knitting- a simple slouchy hat- but like me, this knit is taking it easy this week. There are good times to be had, pools to swim in, trails to explore, and music to be made.

May 13 2012

7 Comments

knitting, NYC, Texas, Uncategorized

The Fiver

Well hug your hanks and snuggle your skeins because I have a surprise finished knit to show you! May I present The Fiver:

When it comes to a sweater that was five years in the making, all I can say is that this baby has some stories. I cast on back in March of 2007, thinking it seemed like a million stitches since it was also my first time working a big project with fingering weight yarn. I knitted slowly through the bottom portion of the sweater over the next few months, but eventually got bored with it and put it aside for newer, easier-to-finish projects. When we moved to NYC that next summer, it was boxed up with my yarn and made the journey with us.

I pulled it out of that box just after Christmas 2008, at a time when all I wanted to do was knit on something, but I couldn’t afford to buy yarn for new projects. It was our first winter in New York, and it was a cold one. I remember sitting next to a space heater with Henry, knitting away at the sleeves, wondering if I would ever finish it.

I did finish the sleeves that winter, but I was never happy with my attempts at seaming and kept ripping it out. The sweater and sleeves went back into a box and were ignored for many more months. Again, they were boxed up with my yarn and made the journey with us back to Texas last fall.

I was chatting with a fellow knitter one day at work and happened to mention this project that I was always agonizing over in the back of my mind, that sweater that was completely finished except for a few buttons and some shoulder seaming and she just looked at me and said “I’ll seam it for you.” And sure enough, she did. And just like that, this sweater that I had put so many stitches, so many hours of my life into was finished.

I used to be more of a product knitter than a process knitter, but it seems the tides are turning. I really like the idea of looking at a knitted piece that took a long time to complete and remembering all the moments of my life that have been knitted into every stitch.

Mar 25 2012

4 Comments

Antics, knitting, Texas, The Beekeeper's Quilt

Puff ‘n Fluff

One of my favorite things about being out of the city is enjoying all the woodland creatures that inhabit the area around our little house. On any given Saturday morning, you can sit by my living room window (while knitting, of course) and watch all sorts of squirrels running back and forth between our big tree and our neighbors’ trees. Those squirrels get up to all sorts of mischief, and they’ve even worn a little squirrel path through the grass in our yard.

But as cute as those squirrels are, they’ve got nothing on the bunnies. Oh, the bunnies! I can’t tell you how cute these little brown bunnies are. I see one or two almost every night as I let Henry out before bed. They usually scamper about when I open the door, but that just means I get to see their fluffy white tails as they hop away into the darkness.

Speaking of fluffy puffy cuteness, I’ve been quietly working on lots of little hexipuffs for my Beekeeper’s Quilt, and they’re multiplying like…. well, you know.

Tagged beekeeper, beekeeper's quilt, hexipuffs, tinyowlknits

Jan 29 2012

2 Comments

Antics, Texas

A Room of One’s Own

Since my last post, Joey, Henry and I have moved into a little house and are starting to settle in. Henry’s favorite part is the big backyard where he sometimes spends hours laying in sunny patches of soft grass, digging holes to bury bones, or stalking squirrels. Joey’s favorite part is the room reserved for all of his guitars, records and studio equipment. My favorite room is my new craft room. It’s still a work in progress, but like any craft, the ‘making’ part is the best part.

I still need a sewing table or a desk, some curtains, and to hang some pictures on the wall, but I am already enjoying having this little room of my own.

Category Archives: Texas