Pumpkin Sunrise

This week I've been so thankful for the bit of snow that greeted me in the morning and fell most of the day, defying the forecaster's predictions.  I will ignore the warmer temperatures this weekend and hope for more snow in the weeks to come.  I just love looking at the holiday decorations in the evening, it seems so cozy!  I've pulled out the Christmas mugs and my tea just taste better because of it! I am one of those people who loves the dark evenings that creep up closer to dinner time.  I've missed walking Frodo after dinner and we haven't established a before dinner walk.  In time, it will happen.  Suddenly Frodo seems to be unpuppylike for most of the day.  Yes, he does funny little things but his napping is more frequent.  I'm not complaining, just noticing. I am thankful for:  cranberry bread warm from the oven, checking off items on my l-o-n-g to do list, advent calendars, twinkling lights, crossword puzzles, secret shoppin...

I've been flipping through this top down sweater design book the past week which I received as a birthday gift from my husband.  I haven't committed to any one specific pattern because I have Christmas knitting looming over my knitting hands for the next few weeks, but a knitter can dream right?  My sister wants to knit a sweater along with me, she's confident that Santa bought her the same book.  So for now I'll dream and plan.  I'm in the midst of Scrooge's transformation into a kind soul.  I do love his cheapness though as I continue reading A Christmas Carol  by Charles Dickens. My knitting is gift knitting and above is a photo of a fetching mitten.  I plan on making two pairs for my dog groomer (or Frodo's dog groomer) and her assistant.  They are so kind and loving to my little guy.  They deserve a hand knit.  Since they both own dogs, I think a pair of fingerless mitts would be wonderful! I still have a baby sweater to whip...

Last night the trusty weather man predicted only a dusting maybe an inch all to end by nine in the morning.  It is now nearly noon and it is STILL snowing and we have about three inches.  The photos were snapped at the crack of dawn (7 a.m.) when I went to get the paper with Frodo.  I bundled up and grabbed the camera. The kids are now safely back at their schools and I have reclaimed my clean house.  It is eerily quiet, almost too quiet.  Why is it when they are here I want quiet and when they're gone I could do with a bit of chit chat in the background?  It's a mystery that is unsolvable.  So isn't it nice that nature decided to gift me with a beautiful scenery to accompany my too quiet house. I'm thinking it's a chili making kind of day with some wooly knitting.  I've started some fetching mitts for the dog groomer and her assistant as Christmas gifts.  I love my pair and wear them all the time!!

Yes, there has been some yarn adopting, who could resist pretty yarns displayed begging to be bought? The top photo is yarn that was discounted and unwanted.  I am not a big fan of pink but I thought why not!  I could use it for a gift or maybe I will want something pink.  The top skein is  Classic Elite yarns Silky Alpaca Lace .  The other pink is Sheep Shop Yarn Company and the off white is Knit One Crochet Two Ambrosia . Earlier last week was my birthday (yay!) and with my birthday money from my dad and step mom I bought that super lovely Madeline Tosh Sock for a top down sweater (probably from the Ann Budd, top down book) in the Whiskers colorway.  My sister gifted me a skein of Malabrigo Baby Silkpaca lace in purple! and Shibui Cima in a honey color. I wish you all could see it in person.  This afternoon I will be adding them to my Ravelry stash and maybe start planning some projects.  Just thinking of new projects is most of th...

Oh this weekend was filled to the brim with family and food.  We packed up the car and headed to my dad's for our Thanksgiving feast on Thursday which is the best day to drive-no traffic!  We sat and talked and ate.  Afterwards we exchanged our Christmas gifts.  My dad loved his new pair of wool socks (and he was wearing the pair from last Christmas--I think I know what I will be making again).  My step mom loved her citron shawl, you know the brown one that was silk and wool.  How exciting that she knew what outfit to pair with it! I gave my sister the orange wurm hat and the orange cowl.  She never knits for herself always for others so I had to remedy that.  Everyone needs hand knits. On Friday, my sister and I did a yarn crawl and had fun with being together.  That's the best part, I just don't know what I'd do without my sister.  Oh and driving all over the greater Pittsburgh area-I sure did see some brilliant scenery. She had ...

I am grateful for blue skies and pumpkin pies.  For families near and far.  I am thankful for frost in the morning at my feet.  For school breaks and conversations face to face.  To once again eat a traditional meal with people I love. I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving day, see you on Sunday!!

I have made very little progress on my barnacle sweater , I think it's because I am on size four needles.  I love every single stitch so the progress can take as long as it wants.  I love this yarn!  It is Quince and Co's Tern .  The twist is just perfect and the silk content makes it feel oh so soft!!  I finished all of the stocking ornaments last weekend and posted about it here . I am on the very last pages of The Tiger's Wife  and I do like the book.  I really like how there is a mystical quality about the story line and how neighbor's gossip and stories grow.  I don't really know if there is magic or not but I am fine with that.  It's like reading about Snow White or Cinderella.  You just accept the premise and keep on reading.  Her writing style is lovely. As you can see in the above photo, I am going to read A Christmas Carol  again during the holiday season.  Once a year I like to travel with Scrooge and see...

Right when my power was restored during the outage, I received an email from Melanie over at Mad Passions blog that I won her give away.  I was so happy and somewhat emotional.  Because everyone know that yarn cures whatever is ailing you at the moment :) Last Friday I received the best mail ever.  My skein of lovely squishy soft yarn from Rebecca at  Fibertopia  arrived.  I love the colors and cannot wait for Christmas knitting to be done with so I can get  to creating something for ME!  Rebecca has a blog over here  and is running a coupon code, this yarn is truly beautiful and wish all of you could see it in person.  Thank you Melanie and Rebecca!!! In other news, I will be writing up the little stocking ornament but do not know when exactly.  It's crazy busy this week with the kids and the holiday.  As soon as it is written up I will let you all know!!  Thanks for the compliments :)

I finished or should I say quit making the stocking ornaments!  Two are for a swap that I am participating in over at Christina's blog  and the rest are for people in real life.  Can't say who as of yet. You know sometimes very rarely I do keep a secret. I used Baby Ull yarn which is absolutely heavenly to knit with.  I love how soft it is and how springy and squishy the project feels.  The reason that I made only six is because I ran out of green yarn.  I had a skein of red but felt a little burned out from the process.  You see I have a sweater calling my name!! I am happy to report that I posted both of my swap ornaments today and I hope when they arrive it brings a smile to their new owners :) Project page is here

This weekend was filled with: -lots and lots of walking, the weather is beautiful and the scenery lovely! -seeing pink sunrises (without a camera) -seeing the moon and stars on clear nights (without a camera) -contemplating running for a camera and just giving in to enjoying the moment -spotting the BIGGEST pigeon ever!  It looked like a chicken! -finishing knitting stocking ornaments (phew!) -eating dill pickles, yum. -finalizing who is picking up which kid this week and when how was your weekend? Joining Amanda

I've been enjoying Michelle's Gratitude week and thought I'd join in.  Today I am grateful for: -a dog that loves to snuggle when he's cold -my cup of tea in a hand made pottery mug -blue skies -cell phones in which to keep in touch with the kids -wooly socks -peaceful quiet mornings to mull over what I want to get done, or not to get done -lunch with a friend -new pens -finding the mistake I made last night on my knitting thinking it was hopeless -for fixing the mistake so easily once I had a good night sleep! What are you grateful for today?

This week I decided to start a new project for me.  I've been focusing on holiday ornament making and yesterday I hit the wall.  I just had to hold new yarn and start a new project.  This yarn is beautiful, it is Quince and Co's Tern .  This pattern  caught my eye when I was up in Maine.  The yarn shop had a lovely sample on display.  It was an impulse buy that brought me great joy!  Here is my project page . I'm still reading The Tiger's Wife  and I like it!  Phew.  I was worried last week because it's a strange book.  I am enjoying how the story is unfolding and I love when fiction flips from present to past.  It still continues to be a strange story but I'm okay with it, I have a hunch it will continue to be a strange book.  Meanwhile I decided to show you two magazines I've been flipping through while eating lunch.  So far I'm not too thrilled with the Interweave but in the Jane Austin magazine I like. ...

Isn't Frodo cute?  I love how he stares outside and waits sometimes patiently for me to open that door.  If you haven't noticed before, I am a lover of the color purple.  I have been blasting through the odds and ends of my leftover yarns.  This is the last of it.  I created a warm snug hat to go with my many purple scarves.  This yarn is Malabrigo and other scrap purples striped in the body of the hat. The brim is a simple folded edge where I knit the cast on edge onto the knitting.  I like the clean look and of course there is minimal thread burying.  At the crown of the hat I was in the mood for something different.  So I decided to decrease like wheel spokes (that word just doesn't look like it's spelled right).  It was a fun design and it went fairly quickly. Now all we need is some chilly weather.  Oh and would you believe the electricity went off briefly in the middle of the night.  At 2 o'clock in the morning ...

It started with decluttering the pile of magazines, then I thought I'll move these books, then those books and before I knew I was full blown in a job of reorganizing my wooden crate shelves that hold my vintage books, the kids music books and many cookbooks.  It was quite entertaining and I collected quite a bit for the recycling center.  I plan to do some shelves in my bedroom later this week and keep the momentum going. Today I spent time with two friends and knitted away.  I also lined up a few projects that need to be cast on and done for the holidays.  Dinner was ready when I came home (I will never tire of that!!).  We had lentil soup and some kind of Indian pancake (can't remember the name).  Both were delicious. Yesterday I had the pleasure of hanging out at a Barnes and Noble.  I inhaled the scent of coffee while I flitted from the magazine area to the the knitting books and then to fiction.  Shopping at a book store could be a...

The sun has been shining this past week nearly every day.  After two weeks of clouds from the hurricane, the sun lifted my spirits and made life seem back to normal.  I thrive on boring and normal. As much as I love the time change in the fall, I find it difficult to squeeze in a walk with Frodo before sunset.  We walk after dinner and it feels weird to bundle up and walk before I start cooking. Can I tell you the knits I've been wearing this week since it's been a bundling kind of week? I've finally worn my color affection shawl .  I loved knitting it but when it was off the needles I wondered would I like to wear it.  I'm here to say that I LOVED wearing it, it was very toasty warm and the best part was the wrong side looked just as beautiful as the right side.  I might have to make another one.   I've worn my fetching mitts nearly every walk and my wurm hat.  Also this week I've worn hand knit socks. Two days ago I started knitting so...

My knitting this week has been all about using up bits and pieces in my basket.  Last week I made a garter stitch cowl and this week I'm nearly done with this lovely hat.  The yarn is Malabrigo which makes it very decadent knitting :)  I have no idea who it will be for, maybe me, maybe a gift.  I finished the top last night while we tried not to watch the election coverage (we were flipping between channels).  I also started to knit some stocking ornaments that are not in the photo. I am reading The Tiger's Wife  and even though I am a few chapters in, I cannot give you thoughts about it because I really don't know what's going on!  I do like her style of writing and I do like how she switches her storytelling from the present to the past.  The reviews on Goodreads were very mixed about the book so I think my experience so far is on target.  I do like the book enough to keep reading, and that is a good sign. So while I'm in my holiday ...

I finished this shawl before the storm but had to wait until power was restored to block it.  I am not a pastel loving person but I think this shawl came out beautifully and I think my aunt will love it. What's nice is that it is a cotton wool blend so maybe just maybe it could be worn year round without being overly hot.  The pattern is Mulnomah  and I think it would be a good intermediate level knit.  Beginners who are adventurous could give it a try, why not? Oh and could someone tell me why with all my holiday music in the mornings I have THIS  song  (be forewarned it is a video) song stuck in my head??? Oh and it might get stuck inside your head too :D

Say hello to my friend, he's been hanging around our yard.  I was thrilled to sneak out the side door and snap three photos.  After the first one, he stared at me (perfectly) while I captured the moment.  I hope he can make it through hunting season. The hurricane came and went, and as quickly as the event occurred, my life is back to a normal routine.  I am still ever so thankful for my electricity and my water.  That is probably going to be a lasting feeling in the coming days.  From what we could see, we do have some downed trees but they are way in our woods so we won't be doing anything about them. Yesterday was quite relaxing. I began the big chore of going through a year's worth of photos to make photo books and a calendar for family members.  Today I'll begin the editing.  It's fun to go through the whole year and notice what I was reading, knitting or seeing through the lens of the camera. This morning I broke down and turned on ...

Last night our power was restored around 7:30 p.m.  Oh how very happy we were.  My husband and I were checking out and checking into a cheap hotel Tuesday and Wednesday.  I would come over to the house in the afternoon and start the task of throwing away food from the refrigerator.  Here are some thoughts and revelations I discovered: -I love electricity, internet and indoor plumbing that works :) -I do not do well under stress and become some what teary eyed and cranky (who me??) -I found the most kind thoughtful people in unusual places, hotel lobby, restaurants to name a few. -Kind words soothed my nerves and gave me a smile -Neighbors-banding together, commiserating, sharing their stress-meant so much to me -dare I say I see the glass half empty when there is no coffee and shower in the morning? And now to my resolutions after the no power experience: -I am not going to hoard food in the freezer and refrigerator.  As I threw away package and p...