Pumpkin Sunrise

  I'm excited that this blanket project is done and folded up tucked in a closet.  I don't know when I will be mailing the blanket to the recipient, I have plans to make a baby sweater too. The blanket  was a fun knit but cotton is stressing on my hands and I had to take many mini-breaks. A knitter does not want to have a repetitive stress injury! This blanket is for my daughter's sister in law in California who is due sometime in March. I will be taking a mini-blog break this upcoming Friday and will see you all next Monday. May your New Year's Day celebrations be filled with goodness and kindness.

  Hello!  My it's been a while since I've posted. My mini break was restorative, quiet and overall nice.  Christmas this year was simplified with just the two of us. We had a nice time together. We watched all the Lord of the Rings Trilogy over the past few days and now have started the Harry Potter movies.  I am soooo close to finishing the blanket - less that 6 rows! I was aiming to finish it last night but I got too tired and marathon knitting with cotton isn't a good thing for my hands. Maybe today is THE day of finishing it! Brie of Documented Journey provided some December prompts that I enjoyed this holiday season. I stumbled upon her you-tube channel and then you know what happens with unexpected rabbit holes...you tumble down and enjoy the ride. Frodo loved his new little toy stuffy that Santa brought him.  Holly is in LOVE with her new little mice - you find them sprinkled here and there throughout the house.  She loves to play catch with them and place them in

  Good morning to all of you! My knitting has been mainly two projects this week. My lovely yoke sweater is so so so close to the bottom edging. I'm less than one inch away - so close to starting the sleeves! I love working on this while watching a movie and having my lap so cosy warm. The baby blanket is making great progress, I'm over half way. Because of the yarn colors you cannot see the blanket pattern except for the seed stitch edging, that is okay.  I like having an 8 row repeat pattern so I can keep tabs on my progress and know that I am inching closer to the end. What are you working on this week? P.S.  I will not be posting this Friday, Christmas Day.  I'll be thinking of you all and wishing you a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday.  My celebrations are simplified because it's just the two of us and I want to enjoy the holiday and be present each moment. Thank you for visiting and reading this space!

  How was your weekend?   My weekend was uneventful which makes it a perfect weekend. The snow is still here and I guess in a few days it will be raining (boo). The bitter cold turned into a damp cold which feels chillier to me.   I completed the weekly household chores yesterday as well as went for a walk with my husband and Frodo. My weekend contained: -reading - knitting -  sketching -  watercoloring - menu planning - journaling - chatting with my sister - tracking some last minute packages - watching Lord of the Rings -  How was your weekend? PS:  I will not be posting on December 25th and January 1st, since they are both holidays and I want to be fully present on each of those days. I'll be thinking of you all!

  Well we received about 15 inches of snow and it took my husband half a day to clear the driveway and a spot for Frodo.  I am thankful that the electricity stayed on, they weather forecasters were predicting high winds and for us that did not occur.  Phew! I've been busy knitting and reading as well as listening to podcasts.  I continue to meditate daily managing my stress.  I consider the meditating a way to fill my 'bucket'.   I've also been sketching out how I want my Christmas day to look like since its a simplified Christmas without family or friends. We usually watch many Christmas movies leading up to the big day but this year we are thinking of doing a Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter  movie marathon.  Something different and non-sentimental.  What are your plans? I continue to make progress on the baby blanket and my sweater.  Both are thoroughly enjoyable and I love how I am 'in the moment' whenever I work on either one.  I cannot imagine my life wi

  Good morning!  My knitting this week has been fantastic. I've been working on a new project, a baby blanket , for my daughter's sister in law who lives in California. The colors in this blanket are soothing to look at and I am enjoying the cotton yarn from deep deep stash. My sweater , gosh I do love it and can't wait to wear it!  I will have to block the daylights out of it to get some extra room though.  (this is what happens when you skip gauge....) I am a bit sad that the color work section of the pattern is over but I am knitting super fast on the plain old stockinette! What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? Mine was quiet and steady, just the way I like it. We walked both days getting our fresh air and stretching our legs. I did art journaling on Saturday as well as hot glued some ornaments then stitched them together.  Let's just say I have respect for hot glueing - it is a mess and it's painful when you touch it! On Sunday I started a new baby blanket but I'm waffling on whether I like it or not. The yarn is pooling a bit. I could accept it and say it's artistic expression and leave it be.  I will just keep adding rows and thinking about it.  I like the yarn since it's 100% cotton and the baby is a California baby to be.   I worked on my sweater as well this weekend and really need to check gauge...eep.  If I'm off by an inch I know I can block the daylights out of it.  The yarn is 100% wool and I do not have the grace that super wash gives when it relaxes and grows which is a minor concern. It's wonderful that these are my pressing th

  I posted the kids the Christmas presents from us and now I am ready. This is the first time I am ready for Christmas this early in December, I wanted my packages out before the week before Christmas because I worried that the mail/shipping companies would be overwhelmed. This Christmas is a simplified Christmas and we are ready to enjoy a different kind of celebration. While I'll be missing my kids, I will be joyful and thankful for all that we have.  Earlier this week we had some unexpected snow which was delightful to wake up and see. Most of the snow melted by mid afternoon and the snow didn't impact any plans. We are having a tiny warm up this weekend so I doubt there will be snow surprises.  I continue to do a daily sketch with some watercolors added. The paper is mixed media and sadly doesn't hold up well when lots of water is added. I knew this going in so I'm at peace with the warped paper.   Did you see my sweater in the top photo? I am giddy with excitement

  Good morning! I love knitting this sweater so much . I only had to undo one row two nights ago because I messed up which row I was on (eep!) but otherwise so far I am knitting the chart correctly. I'm about 5-7 rows away from completing the yoke chart then I get to do short row shaping. What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? Yesterday my in-real-life knitter friends had our annual Christmas exchange. We met in a driveway and socially distanced while dropping off our gifts for each other while wearing masks.  We have not all been together since March. Later in the afternoon we zoomed and opened them. It was fun to do an annual tradition no matter what.  Look at all the goodies I received! The weekend sped by.  I spent most of the day yesterday doing laundry and wrapping the kids presents so I can get them shipped today.  I'm curious to see how much this is going to cost! But then I am saving tons of money on gas and traveling, right?  I believe I am done with shopping for the two of us and I have only a few more gifts to wrap up. Overall our Christmas is simplified and that makes planning so easy. I also did daily sketching, knitting and reading.  I'm stuffing my days with what brings me joy. How was your weekend?

  Hello! How have you been? How are your days as we approach the shortest day of the year? I'm still in shock that the winter solstice is so close. It seems like yesterday it was the middle of July and I was yearning for cold and bemoaning the hot and humid weather.  I've been keeping busy at home doing all the crafting, if that's possible. As you can see I'm making steady progress on my sweater . I might be half way through the yoke charting - I also want the color work to never end because I love seeing the pattern emerging.  I don't know how Santa knows, but he's giving me more yarn for more color work sweaters. Santa is a clever man. The deer started huddling in the yard the past week or so. I was lucky to get a photo before they scattered. We has some snow earlier this week much to my surprise. I don't think it was forecasted but then I wasn't paying attention to the weather news.  I've made a conscious effort to sketch and paint daily since the

  Over the weekend I finished the LAST pair of socks for the kids. I knit each adult child and spouse a pair of socks.  I am thrilled that I met my knitting goal before the end of November. The above photo is a pair of socks for my future daughter in law. What are you working on this week? Joining Ginny