flowers, etc. - summer in the boston public garden

Summer is winding down, but in the Boston Public Garden flowers are out in full force. Every few weeks there are changes in the arrangements, but I particularly like the bright colors dominating the flower beds this season. I am so lucky to get to walk through the Garden on my way to work each morning! <3 Boston. 

Follow me on Instagram to see more! - @annaknitsetc 

anna travels - saratoga weekend

Last weekend I had the chance to go to Saratoga Springs, New York with some friends. We strolled through the town and saw a yarn-bombed bench (part of the knitting store Common Thread Saratoga!), wore fun hats to the races, and cheered on our favorite horses. It was a really fun and different trip for me. The Saratoga Race Course is celebrating its 150 year of racing, so it was an especially exciting time to be there. You can read a little bit about Saratoga and the races in this recent New York Times article.

anna socializes

I've been working on a big-ish knitting project, which has occupied most of my summer. That combined with travel most weekends has led me to post less often than I'd like. While I hope (and plan!) to finish my current knitting project soon, you can always catch me on these other mode of socialization:

facebook

twitter

pinterest

bloglovin

instagram

ravelry

xx anna

nails etc. - summertime blue

Bouncer, it's me! by Essie (neons 2013):

While I always think of August as the height of the summer, it is really the time when summer winds down. Recently it has been a bit cooler here in Boston than the past few weeks, and with the cool breeze I've come to embrace a color palate full of blues and grays. I am particularly loving this royal blue nail polish, Bouncer, it's me! by Essie. It is a deep blue, but it has a brightness to it that keeps it summery. I'm excited to try some of the other polishes from Essie's neon 2013 collection. (The green reminds me of this post I wrote about color early in the summer!)

knitting, etc. - baby booties

I was talking to a friend of mine today about knitting baby blankets. They are a great gift for knitters to make for expectant mothers, but they can be time consuming projects (it is a blanket after all!). Our conversation got me thinking about other baby items that might be a little quicker to knit up. And that's when I thought of baby booties! Here are some of my favorite patterns:

Baby Mocs from the Purl Bee:

No Button Baby Booties by StitchLeft:

Fortune Cookie Baby Shoes by Sheila Zachariae

Also check out my knit octopus for handmade baby toy inspiration - but don't include the pipe cleaners!

anna lusts - summer cakes

It is officially my birthday month, which has me thinking about cake. Last year I was in a baking mood, and so I made my own cake - a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. It was delicious. I'm planning to go out on my birthday this year, but that hasn't stopped me from lusting over a few summery cakes. Here are three of my favorites:

Martha Stewart's Coconut Cloud Cake

Food52's Icebox Cake:

Blackjack Bakehouse's Lemony Cream Butter Cake:

You can follow my "Cake" board on Pinterest here!