The Hills Are Alive

I'm proud to say (admit?) that I'm a die-hard Sound of Music fan.  Seriously.  Going on the Sound of Music tour in Salzberg, Austria, was one of the great experiences of my life.  I've seen the movie no fewer than nine bazillion times, and I always think it's as great as the first time I saw it.

So when my mother sent another one of her crazy email forwards that she trades with her friends, I was pleasantly surprised to find these nifty pictures (rather than some blessing that I have to send to eight friends in eight seconds or risk eight days of bad luck).  I'm a sucker for these kinds of cast reunions, so these were particularly exciting for me. 

How amazing for those seven "kids" to have been a part of something so . . . epic?!  That must be a great cocktail party story.  Or it's perfect material for those "two truths and a lie" games.  Let's see:  I'm afraid of spiders.  I went to Hawaii last year.  I was Marta in the Sound of Music movie. 

Anyway, hope you love these as much as I do! 

Lovely Colorful Etsy

I've been having issues with Blogger, so I'm a little slow in getting this great treasury posted.  I was so excited to see the Appleton Street sweater featured among such fun, colorful items!  I love the purple and  green theme in this treasury.

The treasury was curated by the talented Jenn of Jenn Maruska Design.  Be sure to stop by Jenn's Etsy shop.  She has some beautiful hand-sewn items, including adorable needlebook and pincushion sets. 

Closed for Christmas Orders

I have to close the holiday queue early because I'm completely booked.  I've been completely overwhelmed and excited by the rush of orders!  So, at this point, I can no longer guarantee orders for Christmas delivery.  All orders placed through today, October 24, will ship Fed Ex by December 17.  Those placed after today will ship in January.  In-stock sweaters will continue to ship within two days. 

Thank you so much for the interest in my sweaters!

Remodelaholic Feature

Remember the post on my "updated" back patio?  (If you missed it, you can find it here.)  Well, it was just featured on Remodelaholic, which is one of my favorite blogs!  I love seeing all of the great things people do with their houses.  I'm amazed at some of their ideas.  Such fabulous creativity.  Please check it out here, and spend some time browsing the blog.  I promise you'll experience "remodel envy."

I'm in Love!

I just got these fabulous pictures of the Peabody Street sweater from photographer Trish McCoy.  Aren't they fantastic?!  That little red chair looks like it was made for the sweaters, and the models are so charming!  The Peabody Street sweater is one of my best sellers, and I think these pictures really highlight what a bright, playful sweater it is.

You can see more of Trish's beautiful work on her Facebook page.

Today I Ran To Canada

And back again, underwater.  The Detroit Half Marathon was really fun.  The weather was perfect for running, and the trip across the Ambassador Bridge at sunrise was as thrilling as advertised.  I particularly liked the stretch in Windsor along the river--so beautiful!  I ran a little slower than I usually do, but I felt "good" further into the race than in past half marathons.  Usually, by mile 8, I'm really starting to wonder if I'll make it through the back five, but today miles 7, 8, 9, and 10 flew by.  Mile 11 was even tolerable, which made me really happy!

I'm recovering in my hotel room now, and I fear I'll be feeling all 13.1 of those miles for the next few days, but it was worth it!  And check out that cool medal!

Off to the Race!

I leave today for Sunday's half-marathon in Detroit on Sunday.  I've had a really rough week at work, I'm totally sleep deprived, and I haven't run at all this week.  Doesn't that sound like the recipe for a perfect run?  So I'm more than a little nervous about whether I'll be able to make it through the whole 13.1 miles.  I guess I can always go for a nice long walk, if it comes to that . . .   And I'm super excited about getting to go across the Ambassador Bridge, walking or running!

In any event, I'm looking forward to a nice weekend out of town!  Think good thoughts for me on Sunday!  Hopefully I'll have a good report next week.

Deadline for Holiday Orders

The current deadline for knit-to-order sweaters for the holidays is November 15, but I reserve the right to move that deadline up if the queue fills up sooner.  Based on the rate at which custom orders are coming in (wow!), I think that may happen, so order early if you want to give the gift of a handknit baby sweater this holiday season.  I'll post any changes to the deadline here on Inside the Yellow House.

Orders placed by November 15 will be delivered by December 23.  If you need your sweater earlier, let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate you.

In-stock sweaters can, of course, be ordered up until the bitter end.

Fall Frolicking

Yesterday, I received a few pictures of E.D. taken this past weekend.  She wore her custom-designed Yellow House Knits sweater on a hayride to pick out the family pumpkin.  Regular readers may recall (here) how pleased I was at how this preppy little pink and green sweater turned out.  Well, I'm ESPECIALLY pleased to see how great E.D. looks in it.  Looks like it was a fun day!

This Land Is Your Land, This Land is My Land

I'm a long way away (18 states, to be exact) from having visited all 50 states, but I'm still so jealous of photographer Carol Highsmith's undertaking in her 21st-Century America Project.  As part of the project, Highsmith will photograph the country, state by state, capturing the cities, towns and countryside of 21st-century America, and the life of its people.  The whole project is expected to take an amazingly ambituous 16 years.  She's donating her pictures to the Library of Congress, and you can find them here.

She's already finished Alabama, which she shot this summer.  I particularly love the way she included both iconic structures (the Pettus bridge in Selma) and everyday places (a candy store in Mobile).  Here are some of my favorites. 

I plan to check in on Highsmith's progress periodically and post highlights as new states are added.  In the meantime, I wonder if Highsmith needs a photographer's assistant?  If so, count me in!

Semi-Annual Sale Starts Today!

The Yellow House Knits Semi-Annual Sale begins today!  The sale will run until October 24.  ALL sweaters will be 40% OFF.

Don't forget the additional special offer for bloggers: Blog about the sale before October 17 and receive free shipping on your sale items (in addition to the 40% off) or save 15% on a future order. Blog postings must include at least one picture of a Yellow House Knits sweater. Email yellowhouseknits(at)gmail.com to let me know where to find your posting, and I will email information about redeeming these offers.

Ellie in Aspen Street

I love these pictures of Ellie in the Aspen Street sweater.  The coloring is perfect for her fair skin and blue eyes.  She doesn't seem to be shy around the camera at all.  What a happy young lady!

Photos courtesy of Alexi Killmer.

All Bundled Up

Here's little A.J. in her Yellow House Knits sweater, all bundled up on a crisp fall day.  Isn't she adorable?!

Just a reminder that I offer 10% off a future sweater purchase to anyone who sends me a picture for the Photo Gallery. 

Status Update

I'm a little delinquent in posting my monthly update, but that's how my September was unfortunately--even with vacation, I felt like I was late for everything, always rushing.  Here's to a calmer October!

35 Before 36 Update

1. Read 12 books.  6/12 complete.  Read in September: "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" and "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson and "Stash" by David Klein. 
2. Go to New York City for a Broadway weekend.  Reservations made for November!  Trying to decide what shows to see. 
3. Start saving regularly—even if modestly—for the addition to my house.  On track.
4. Clean out my closet and give a lot to Goodwill.
5. Finish my state streets project.
6. Donate to: Washington Humane Society, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, and my various alma maters: Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Michigan Law School, the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
7. Go to the U.S. Botanic Garden.
8. Get a massage and/or a facial each month.  4/12 complete.
9. Purge and replenish my underwear drawer.
10. See 12 movies in the theater.  4/12 complete.  Saw in September: "The Town" and "Going the Distance"
11. Spend a weekend the Omni Bedford Springs (my favorite).
12. Keep an inventory of food in the freezer.  On track.
13. Run three half marathons. Detroit is coming up!
14. Try yoga again.
15. Start to research the history of my house.
16. Reorganize my pantry.
17. Buy a nice piece of jewelry (pearls?).
18. Try 12 new (to me), local restaurants.  4/12 complete. Tried in September: 701 and Brasserie Beck.
19. Improve my bread-baking skills.
20. Take Bullet on a weekend trip.
21. Get a new camera.
22. Take more pictures.

23. Pay off my car.
24. Master real push-ups.
25. Make at least two meals per month to freeze for later.  On track.
26. Organize my knitting and needlepoint supplies.
27. Send more postcards when I travel with notes telling people I’m thinking of them.
28. Make a star tree-topper for my Christmas tree.  Canvas is purchased--need to start needlepointing.
29. Have a party.  Planning for Alissa's shower is well underway.

30. Go to the renovated National Museum of American History.
31. Go to the beach.
32. Buy fresh flowers more often.  I'm still trying to pick some up whenever I got to the farmer's market.
33. Paint my old patio furniture (or have it painted).

34. Take a crafting class.

35. Walk home from work at least once a week, weather permitting.  So far so good.