knit equals joy

knit equals joy, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting swaps, Spa Cloth

It’s Time for Another Summer Spa Swap!

Posted on June 1, 2017June 2, 2017 by Carol

It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside. ~ Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

Yes! Hurray! It’s time for another summer spa swap in the Knit Equals Joy Ravelry Group! In fact, this is our third annual summer swap – Summer Spa Swap III – Les Jardins. Our swaps are a great way to connect with other knitters – chatting, making and sending a small gift, receiving a fun package in the mail that another knitter made for you with care…come on over and sign up! Read more about this swap below.

Our wonderful swap organizer extraordinaire, jenb69, wrote this lovely piece about summer:

Summer. That one word can conjure up so many memories. When I think of summer, I think freedom (s.c.h.o.o.l is now a dirty word). Bare feet. Shady trees. Watermelon. Watermelon covered faces. Big floppy hats. Grills and backyard barbecues. Lazy days in the garden. Roses. Heat, humidity and thunderstorms and little boys with dirty feet and fishing poles.

I think I would love to live in Mayberry.

And she says this about the swap:

Regardless of where we live though, summer is the perfect opportunity to find some selfish time. This mini swap is all about sending your secret swap partner a mini “pampering kit”. This year we will use the summer garden as our inspiration. Your package will include a hand knit or crocheted wash cloth (maybe you have some extra special cotton or linen in your stash?) that has a Les Jardins (garden) theme or is inspired by the garden, a pretty and preferably a handcrafted bar of soap and one other fun little item that you think your swap partner would like (perhaps a pretty bookmark, some bath salts or a special lip balm….be as creative here as you like) (Max Value = $10.00).

Sign-ups end June 9th.

Mailing deadline is July 7th.

Part of the joy of the swap is in chatting with the other swap participants, and we post our thanks and photos as soon as we can after we’ve received our swap packages. It’s how we roll in Knit Equals Joy.

That’s it! I hope you will check it out and come sign up. If you’re not yet a member of the group, please join. If you haven’t posted in the group yet, please introduce yourself and let the group know how you found the swap.

You can read about some of our other swaps here.

See you there!

Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitting, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Friends

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Carol

Friends meet up at a fiber festival in Rhinebeck New York! And all wearing mitts knit from the same pattern!

Just one of the ways that knit equals joy~

Weekly Photo Challenge: Friend

Nature, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Northwest, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Evanescent II

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Carol

This challenge really struck a chord with me. The evanescence – fleeting existence – of the tableaus I find on the beach is part of their charm and attraction for me. Here are a few more Oregon Coast still lifes:

See the rest at Weekly Photo Challenge: Evanescent.

Nature, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Northwest, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Evanescent

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Carol

ev·a·nes·cent [evəˈnes(ə)nt]
adjective

Soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing.

The Daily Post, Krista Stevens

The still life tableaus I find at the beach are evanescent; I have to capture them at that moment, before the wind and the surf sweep them away. Their fleeting existence is part of what intrigues me and inspires me to look for interesting juxtapositions of color, form, and texture.

See more outstanding examples of evanescence at Weekly Photo Challenge: Evanescent.

Nature, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Northwest, photography, Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Newport, Oregon

Posted on May 17, 2017May 17, 2017 by Carol

More pics, as promised, of the fabulous Oregon Coast – specifically, Newport.

Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Northwest, The Coast, Wordless Weekend

Wordless Weekend: Yaquina Bay Bridge

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Carol

Last weekend, I spent a couple of beautiful, stunningly clear and warm days happily exploring this fabulous bridge and the area around it. It’s a lovely bridge and I had a happy time searching for different views of it – from the North, from the South, walking across it, directly beneath it, through foliage…

Here are some of the views for you…

design, Pacific Northwest, PDX Carpet, Portland, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Wanderlust

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Carol

All right! I love this week’s photo challenge! I have wanderlust, and I have it bad. I’ve had it since childhood, when my parents would drive the three of us across the country in our camper from Kentucky to California each summer to visit my grown sisters and their families. I would spend the hours mesmerized by the changing landscape or playing navigator for my dad. Such wonderful memories!

These days I don’t have to travel far to satisfy my need to wander. As you know, if you follow this blog, trips to the Oregon Coast often provide the opportunity for solitary rambles and new discoveries.

However, for this week’s challenge, the first image that popped into my mind was the iconic PDX (Portland International Airport) carpet. Locals often take pics like these when leaving for new trips or when arriving home. The carpet was replaced a few years ago, but if you know where to wander, you can still find a section of the original pattern. This is the original design.

Original PDX Carpet, Harbinger of Adventure

See other interpretations of this week’s challenge here: Weekly Photo Challenge: Wanderlust

Nature, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth

Posted on April 22, 2017April 22, 2017 by Carol

I love pictures of old stumps and pieces of wood; they hold such fascinating textures and multitudinous shades of brown, green, gold, gray. These are two of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them on this Earth Day!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth

xoxo

~knit equals joy

This is my 200th post! Woo hoo!!!

Nature, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, Salishan, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Security

Posted on April 8, 2017April 8, 2017 by Carol

The challenge:

For this week’s challenge, show us something that represents security. It could be your kids happily reading under their favorite throw blanket. It could be a roaring fire chasing away the last of winter’s cold. It could be a worry stone you keep in your pocket or that favorite tee shirt that makes you feel awesome every time you put it on. Krista ~ The Daily Post

Some time ago, I discovered these daisies along the trail at Salishan, on the Oregon Coast. The security comes in knowing that I will find them – or something like them – waiting for me every time I visit the coast. The Oregon Coast is awesome!

Find other responses to this week’s challenge here: Weekly Photo Challenge: Security.

Nature, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Northwest, The Coast, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dense

Posted on March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 by Carol

Shell Mountain at The Fish Peddler in Bay City, Oregon. It’s always an impressive sight when driving along the 101 on the Oregon Coast. I learned that the best shells are replanted and reseeded in the company’s oyster beds to provide for continued sustainability. Pretty remarkable!