Pumpkin Sunrise

I have been furiously knitting the barnacle cardigan  this week.  I had a brief hiccup when I realized that the design of the sleeve was using up too much yarn.  So I ripped out the sleeve and redesigned it.  Now it tapers down the whole length of my arm and I have plenty of yarn!!  One sleeve is done and the other sleeve has about four hours of knitting to go.  Today is the day it will be done.  phew.  I must say I'm excited about wearing this one.  The fit is wonderful, one of the many reasons top down construction is my favorite-I can try it on as I knit.  I'm a little giddy thinking about how it will look and feel after a wool soak.    Still thinking about how to fasten the top, either it will be hook and eye or tiny snaps, not sure yet. My reading is calm and mildly entertaining.  I bought this book at a book sale and it's been sitting on the shelves.   Prayers for Sale  is a string of short stories woven together in a long story about an older woman reminiscing

So while I was at my knitting classes last week, the shop received a partial order of Malabrigo yarns.  I tried and I tried to resist purchasing yarn.  You see, I have lots.  I do!  But I didn't own this beautiful skein of Malabrigo sock in the turner colorway.  That is how I justified the purchase.  I have a funny feeling that every time I teach, I'm coming home with yarn. My daydreams consist of new projects to knit while my current projects linger around calling my name.  This sweet little skein is destined to be a cowl.  I'm itching to cast on but so far have controlled myself and have been focusing on finishing up my sweater (I'll save that conversation for yarn along). I spent six weeks daydreaming about a clean coffee table and a clean kitchen counter and it became reality this weekend.  I love everything in its place and having order.  But I do miss the kids.  They are both getting busy and I'm not sure if there'll be a family vacation this year.

That my friends is a very bare empty coffee table!!!  As you may recall my daughter was briefly home for two weeks during the semester break but my son has been home for six long weeks.  Six weeks of neat piles of books and papers.  Funny when they are my piles I think they look fine :) So today my husband whisked him back to his campus while I went to church and prayed for an ankle miracle.  Seriously though, I am seeing improvement and the pain is tolerable but I wanted it to be better yesterday.  I am an impatient sort. Yesterday while knitting my first sleeve I came to the realization that I would not have enough yarn. So I ripped it all out.  I rejiggered the pattern so hopefully the sleeve will be long enough.  I'm optimistic and enjoying the challenge. Laundry is nearly done, the kitchen is clean and a cup of hot green decaf tea is waiting for me. How was your weekend? Joining Amanda

The list that brings me joy: -fluffy comforters and quilts during this cold snap -knitting the sweater that is near completion and dreaming of wearing it soon -an ankle brace!! -woolly socks and warm mitts -sliced cucumbers for a snack that echoes summer I had so much fun teaching my first knitting classes.  I loved seeing what colors were chosen.  If only you could have heard the thinking going on after the cast on!  I take for granted what I can do with my eyes closed.  Teaching others to knit became a moment of stillness in time to stop and observe.  As they left I wondered which ones would continue the knitting as their craft.  Some? All?  Would they be the kind that pick it up and put it down over and over until the "aha" moment, r be like me all those years ago, stubbornly determined to get it.  Pushing myself to continue and yes there were many many tears shed because that is how I get-emotional. I hope you have a lovely weekend!  We are getting a bit of s

Thought this week I'd show my progress on my citron shawl . For me it is compelling knitting, and it's not boring knitting.  I love this shawl and this mystery yarn is just as nice.  I am on the fifth ruching and I hope I have enough yarn to get to nine sections!!  It all depends on how much yarn I have, the vendor said 1000 yards.  Let's hope she was right!!  I posted yesterday about my sweater  and the sleeve is knitting up so fast compared to the never ending body. I finished my book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time and it was a very good book.  The main character is a boy with autism and he decides to investigate why his neighbor's dog was killed.  I found it fascinating to see the world through his eyes and his experiences.  It is a somewhat sad book in that he's misunderstood and yet you see how much he overcomes with life's challenges with his many coping strategies. His parents were real and even though they loved him dearly you co

Thank you for all the well wishes!  I am feeling much much better.  I woke up yesterday with significant improvement so much so that I decided to wait on the RA doctor for now.  I really do not want to take any more medicine-I am on many for my arthritis.  So it's been a lot of sitting in hard chairs and resting my foot.  I think my back and ankle when crazy over the weekend, hence the pain. Once my body settles down I am going to incorporate some gentle yoga to increase my flexibility.  Walking just isn't enough anymore. Onto the knitting! I am happy to report that I finished the body of the barnacle sweater .  I started the first sleeve and decided to use two circular needles instead of dpns.  Not my usual way but I thought why not?  Something different.  I am using a  chiaogoo needle and a knit picks needle .  The chiaogoo set is a recently acquired set and I do love them.  The ends are very pointy and the join is seamless.  I've owned the knit picks set for a co

This weekend could have been a wee bit better!  I'm having "issues" with my body.  I sprained my right ankle twice in the past six weeks (yep uncoordinated) and the second time hurt enough for us to do a quick run to the ER this morning to check to see if it was broken, and it wasn't.  I'm having lots of nerve pain.  Lots.  So sometime this week I'm hoping to see my arthritis doctor who never ever fails to cure me.  Wish me luck!! I've been wrapped in puzzles to whittle away my time and I snagged that new notebook that looks so much like my planner.  It's still empty of words.  I have such a difficult time making the first mark in a notebook.  Do you have that problem?  I keep looking at it and daydreaming what it could contain. How was your weekend?? Joining Amanda

In less than one week I'll be teaching my first knitting class, because of that and because I keep forgetting stuff I bought a planner.  I think it's going to help me immensely.  I love opening it up and seeing what I want to do or I write down what events are going to happen.  My son just registered for the GRE and the Math Subject test-boy oh boy are they expensive.  Anyways, I jotted down in the planner the days he is scheduled.  We live "out there" so it's a production and traveling is involved. This is my second week of menu planning.  Menu planning for me is checking the pantry and freezer for meals I already own or partially own and then fleshing out the odd days with what I want to purchase.  I still wake up and decide what I feel like making.  Now I have a list at my fingertips to choose from.  The fish dinner on that list has been pushed back over a week....I'm not that keen on that one!  I wrote out all of the meals that I make that we li

I continue to make slow but significant progress on my barnacle sweater .  In one or two inches I will be starting the lace edging.  I hope I have enough yarn!  I did buy the recommended amount but I would love to make the body a tiny bit longer since I'm on the tall side of life.  Right now I'm not overly concerned but when I knit it's in on my mind.  Fingers crossed!  I have romantic notions of working on the sleeves which should go quickly since there's less stitches.  One can dream. I finished The Snow Child  and really enjoyed it.  I loved all the snow talk and the story is compelling.  I expect that this first time novelist has some more stories to publish and I will be reading them.  If you haven't flipped through the book you should and maybe read it before spring arrives.  My son insists that I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time .  He's read it at least twice and I think it's one of his favorite books.  I only just started i

My organizational blitz through the house is still going strong, however it's illogical and sporadic, a drawer here, a closet there.  Yesterday I tackled my bedroom closet that contains so. much. yarn.  Most of it is inherited yarn from my mother.  I have difficulty parting from it even though it's unlikely that I'll be knitting with it any time soon.  Let's just say, destashing is a work in progress. Anyways, I've been wanting some tins for my family room to keep some "stuff" inside.  While going through the closet I found these two tins that were from my teenage years (antiques???perhaps!).  At one time they contained fresh writing paper and envelopes.  Now they are empty and ready to be filled with knitting notions and pens.  I'm excited that I didn't go shopping and re purposed what I already own. Also gone are many pairs of jeans, forgotten pajamas, tee shirts and socks.  With each item ready to be donated there is a freeing feeling.  

This weekend was: -very relaxing with a movie, Monsters, Inc. -making progress with my knitting without ripping out -foggy and dreary-perfect days for staying at home -spent falling into the rabbit hole called the "internet" -looking at ways to organize everything in sight! -phone calls with my daughter as her semester starts up -finished with pizza for dinner :) Just to add that the lovely table cover in the photo was hand stitched by my daughter for my birthday two years ago.  I just love it, and it makes me smile. Joining Amanda

Yesterday became a day that you just soak up and enjoy.  The sky was brilliantly blue and the temperature was perfect for a walk.  I find that I look down more than I look up while walking, probably to avoid stumbling about in the world.  However looking up sometimes gives me a happy feeling and a sense of wonder.  I can't remember enjoying a blue sky in my twenties.  Or even in my thirties.  Now that I'm older (won't mention an age-because I'm ageless) I see beauty in my everyday surroundings. Have you noticed the days getting longer?  I have.  I'm one of the few that enjoys the dark days while approaching the winter solstice.  By Sunday the snow will be completely gone and we are in for some drippy days. Oh and the birds are singing!  My, my are they a bit early. Their singing is more than welcome on my walks. I've managed to clear out two bags of paperback books that I'm fairly certain I won't miss.  I've straightened up some drawers in the

I won the battle with the pi shawl , see yesterday's post for details. It ready for the first lace section out of three.  The anger has passed and I am loving it again.  As a reward I cast on another citron shawl .  I know, before you say "again?" I want to clarify that I did give one as a Christmas present.  So technically I only have the one to wear. The yarn is mystery yarn of sorts.  I bought it at the fiber festival from a vendor who was desperate to sell her yarn, I felt sorry for her and bought this lace weight.  It's NOT labeled and I wrote the name of the wool down quickly then couldn't read it when I came home.  My writing tends to be illegible at times. Anyways, from googling the many varieties of sheep I'm quite confident the wool is California Variegated Mutant spun lace weight (I wrote "cal var mut").  I like it because it has a crispness to it and it's somewhat soft.  I also get a giggle when I find bits of vegetable matter th

I've ripped out the green pi shawl , oh I don't know, over four times.  I should know to not make executive knitting decisions past eight at night, it's not my ideal thinking time.  I haven't been thrilled with the second lace pattern for quite some time.  I even wrote when I finished row one or row three and still I've found a mistake and where there isn't a mistake, I didn't even like that pattern!  Before dinner last night, I was on the mad hunt for another pi shawl that would be to my liking.  Lucky for me Elizabeth Zimmermann had one of her "pithy" directions in her Knitter's Almanac book. This morning I am fresh, renewed and restored, ready to tackle the beginnings again.  Ready to knit a pi shawl that will require minimal effort on my part besides the counting of stitches.  Wish me luck! I've tidied my crate shelves, that we found in a barn in Ohio when we lived there around 1987.  I love them so.  Notice the gaming guides

This weekend has been filled with: -new planners, new lists, and new plans.  I HAD to buy a planner for the classes, right? -shredding documents-I'm a silly one for saving every bit of paper, now I'm paying for it. -signing up for online statements for FIVE companies, only took me one hour but I waited two years to do it :/ -resolutions of the boring kind, like reducing paper. -sending our daughter back to her apartment, I'm beginning to be like my mother and grandmother before me.  I go through my pantry and freezer saying "do you want this soup?"  "do you want this peanut butter?", "how about a loaf of bread?" -my daughter said "yes" to just about everything, just like I did way back when -enjoying the undecorated house-it feels light and airy! How was your weekend? Joining Amanda

The past few days have been quite busy around here.  My daughter goes back to her apartment tomorrow.  I tidied up the Christmas decorations and rearranged some books.  I still have grand plans of thinning out the books upstairs.  I believe I have books in every single room in this house!  I kind of like that, makes me feel like the scholarly type :) I have pulled a long term knitting project out to work on which is this shawl .  It becomes twice the knitting for me because the lace section cannot be committed to memory (I'm slipping!).  So I knit what I think is the pattern and then I unknit and start again.  When a project sits neglected for weeks, there are dire consequences. As much as I love to knit, I hate to unknit and reknit. Don't you love my project bag?  My sister made it.  When I was visiting her during Thanksgiving, I went through her fabric stash and picked out some fabrics.  She said "that is not what you want" and then chose the above while shop

Since Christmas I've been busy knitting small projects while neglecting the big projects that sit patiently in my knitting bag.  Once those socks in the background are completed, I will once again focus on that lovely brown sweater .  I miss working on it and I'm a little giddy thinking about spending hours on mindless stockinette stitch.  I made another wurm hat , because you can never ever just own one.  I think it's like the citron shawl, I could knit this hat again and again and again.  The yarn for the wurm hat is Cascade 220 sport superwash wool and it is so so squishy!!  You have to try it!! My book, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, is an impulse buy.  The main reason that I carried it to the check out counter is for the cover art and the word SNOW.  What sealed the deal was the description with words like:  Alaska and fairy tale.  It's about a childless couple and their sadness while homesteading in Alaska in the 1920's.  I think it's going to be a v