Pumpkin Sunrise

Our daughter and son in law arrived on Saturday for their Christmas visit.  Saturday was our second celebration with lots of good food and MORE presents.  My house is very full and if you have been reading this blog for years you know the coffee table piles are driving me crazy.  I am trying my best to not look at the table. The weekend was jam packed with lots of busy work entertaining guests.  I've barely knit a row of anything nor have I read a page from any book.  Everyone leaves on January 2nd and I go back to babysitting.  I'll have plenty of time to knit and read in the new year.  Frodo is so happy the whole family is together and he takes turns sitting beside his favorite human.  Holly has been hiding from everyone.  Once in a while she braves the people only to retreat.  She is so shy.  In spite of her stress and fear, she willingly comes up to me for pets - once her devotion is won over, she is steady and true...

My Christmas was wonderful.  The day was quiet and I purposefully choose a simple meal for dinner so that my entire day was spent knitting.  I need to do this more often.  I tend to get caught up in what I believe 'has' to be done and I waste time on many tasks that could be put off until later.  I especially do this when the kids are visiting.  I find peace constantly tidying up but then I sacrifice my down time with knitting.  Truly there is a balance of both. As I mentioned before our son was with us for Christmas day and will be here until the new year.  Our daughter and son in law arrive tomorrow and we celebrate all over again.  Tomorrow will be a 'Christmas' day in the kitchen cooking and cleaning.  I'm excited for them to arrive. Above is the blanket started all over again, phew!  I am so glad I made this decision.  Now the project lays flat and I can see the simple stitch detail.  Also this project fits perf...

My knitting has been quite full.  Today I'll share my progress of three projects but I have another two or three additional ones I need to get into Ravelry and sorted out.  I am thrilled to be knitting without any deadlines.  I'm more productive with a deadline but the self imposed pressure can be stressful. First up are a pair of socks for my husband (I know, I'm knitting for someone else but I consider him part of me).  This sock yarn is super soft and has a lovely bounce to it.  The yarn wrapper calls for size 3 needles but I'm going with size 2.  I also adore the striping pattern. Next up is my super squishy cowl that hasn't had a single stitch knitted on it in a week but I took a photo and so I'll tell you I love it and can't wait to get back to knitting this cowl My 3 color cowl is nearing the end (sniff).  I can see why this pattern was popular!  The design is simple yet interesting enough to make you want to keep on going...

cowl getting bigger, yay! Are you ready for the holidays?  I am, truly.  I finished a few days ago and I'm still looking at the list of things to do before everyone arrives here.  I'm still feeling rotten from the sinus infection.  Each day I feel better but I want instantaneous improvement!  I will never be patient and I have no time to be ill.  Yesterday I relaxed and knitted and my body said 'thank you' to me by feeling better.  This time of the year is so busy with tasks.  But then is there ever a convenient time to be ill?  I don't think so. Feeling rotten makes me appreciate all the days I feel great though.  And I can knit so there's that. Our son is already here for Christmas, he returned from Italy with my husband.  He came down with a terrible head cold the next day (probably caught on the germ filled airplane).  He's feeling better and so far no one else has that virus... yet. napkins my mom made...

My husband and son were in Italy last week while I stayed home and enjoyed a quiet house, you do know how much I love being home.  Anyways, I googled ONE yarn shop in Florence and sent the address to my son.  I gave the parameters of what I was interested in.  Fingering weight or lace weight, 100% wool or animal fibers.  One day last week while they were in Florence my husband called and said 'okay, what do you want?' Another knitter would have had the information burned into their soul!  We had a long detailed conversation then I asked to talk to my son who does some knitting to make sure I was being clear.  I am thrilled with the wool and the color they picked for me!  I have about 1000 yards and could squeak out a sweater.  Super excited.  I love the rosary and notebook too.  Sadly, I suddenly and I mean suddenly came down with a nasty sinus infection earlier this week.  I saw the nurse practitioner ENT who stat...

I finished this shawl over the weekend and my oh my I love the color changes.  What a difference blocking makes a shawl.  If you remember, I knew I was running out of yarn to complete the shawl and added a maroon wool and merrily knitted away. After eight rows of maroon, I couldn't decide whether the added color was beautiful or ugly.  When in doubt I should put the project in time out but instead I added a few more rows while I thought about my problem. Friday night I picked up the shawl after a two day time out and decided I didn't like the maroon at all.  I had no other left-over colors in my stash that would 'go' with the gradient.  To be honest, adding another color would detract from the gradient. So I ripped out ten maroon rows then painfully added back on 518 stitches onto my needle.  I decided to just bind off.  I am thrilled with my decision and believe the gradient takes front and center stage.  Also, the shawl fits pe...

Hello!  How are you and how was your weekend? My weekend was jammed packed with Christmas preparations and a visit from my daughter and son in law.  I had a crazy crazy idea to make cut out sugar cookies with icing.  I don't think I will ever make them again any time soon.  The cookies were labor intensive and time consuming.  I have washed down my counters numerous times and I swear I still find 'sticky' sugar spots from the royal icing!  I was lucky to have help over the weekend to decorate them.  I just have to say all that time I was in the kitchen, I could have been knitting.  On Friday morning Miss Holly in her great wisdom decided to lean into the tree.  I never saw her run in fear so quickly when the tree fell over.  The good news is that I purposefully decorated simply.  I righted the fallen tree.  (I might have put branches back in wrong places....) and it looks a bit weather beaten but it's still cheerful...

I ran out of the gradient yarn this week on the shawl and added a dark maroon wool that I had left over from a previous project.  I can't decide if I love it or hate it, so I keep knitting and hope that the blocking makes me love it.  Maybe I'm becoming a crazy knitter.  Now that Christmas is getting closer I am picking what I want to fret about.  Yarn substitutions just doesn't seem like a pressing manner to me.  If I don't like it I'll rip it out and find something else. My lovely cowl has been shelved for this week because of the feverish shawl knitting.  I cannot wait to get back to it. On a whim I decided to knit a few Christmas stocking ornaments .  I wrote this pattern quite a few years ago and they are a nice little gift to give.  I'm planning on giving my trainer at the gym one with some money and candy in it.  He has changed my life and I'm thankful for my ability to move without pain. I thought I was done Chri...

This is the last gift present of the year! I finished the star shower cowl last week or so.  This cowl is oh so soft with the alpaca yarn that I used.  If you haven't made this cowl yet you might want to consider adding the pattern to your queue.  The cowl starts off like a shawl knitting back and forth.  Later it is joined together and knit in the round. I had fun with this unusual construction and following along with the directions.  I'd recommend this pattern for an intermediate knitter.  If you are a super adventurous beginner, give it a try as well.  I never followed the levels when I was starting out knitting.  If you ask me, if there is interest then you will figure it out eventually. Ravelry notes are here Now for a quick question!  Yesterday we went to an optometry appointment for my husband, as we walked into the medical facility I spied a KNITTER knitting on a bench in full sun in 38 degree weather....