Pumpkin Sunrise

  This weekend was pretty chill except for the manic cross stitching that I did Saturday and Sunday. I'm pleased to report that not only did I finish the cross stitching, back stitching and personalizing the ornament with our grandson's name, I made it into an ornament as well. It feels so good to have another gift finished and ready to be wrapped up.  As usual, Holly was snooping around looking for Frodo in the family room yesterday, I love her 'innocent' look. Shortly after looking for Frodo, who she knew was outside with  my husband, she scampered back up stairs to do some buffalo stampede running back and forth in the hallway. She can sound loud if she wants!! How was your weekend?

Good morning!  This week I've been enjoying the trees and the colors that are in abundant display. It won't be long before they are all done and winter will be whispering in the winds. Sigh. Every year I find Autumn arrives quickly and is just as quick in leaving. Yesterday we drove up to visit my dad and step mom in the country. I worked on my husband's sock in the car but quickly set it aside to enjoy the countryside. Being in the country reminds me of where I used to live and the beautiful dirt road that I used to walk with Frodo. I do love my walks in my neighborhood but I miss the country (NOT the bears). I do like living here and it's so nice to be near family! My husband and I went out for a lunch at the local park on one of the warmer days so that we could eat out on their patio overlooking the pond. The views were spectacular! Frodo was recently groomed this week and he's been shivering since. Every morning I have to bundle him in a blanket. If I put a swea...

  That sweater is not as a rosy color in real life. It's a dark maroon hue and lovely, I guess the light was hitting the photo in a certain way. The second Christmas sweater for our grandson is gaining progress. I work on it most evenings while splitting my time with the socks in the below photo. The socks are for my husband who is wearing out previous hand made socks and needs his sock stash boosted. What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend?  My weekend was a making weekend. I dug out the Christmas ornament for our grandson after a full month of not working on it at all (gnome invasion?). Let's see if I can work on it each day and get this finished soon. I also worked steadily on my Grandson's SECOND Christmas sweater in a larger size than the first one I knit him which fits him right now. Overall it was a glorious weekend!! How was yours?

Yesterday we went to the the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History and had a great time. One of the better decisions we made earlier in the springtime was to purchase memberships that gives us admission to four museums in the Pittsburgh area.  After the museum, we went out to lunch then headed off to the local yarn store so I could buy some wool for our grandson's SECOND Christmas sweater. The first sweater he is already wearing at 8 months old even though I knit the 18 month old size. I cast on last night for a 2 year old size, let's hope he grows slowly and it fits for the holidays! Oh and that purple Malabrigo sock yarn is for a future pair of socks for my husband. Even though I am not sketching daily, I am trying my best to sketch when I remember. For some reason I'm in the mood for graphite sketching. Yesterday morning before sunrise, I spied the moon spying on me!  I loved our outing in the city but I loved more coming home, starting a knitting project and drinki...

  All I've been doing is thinking about gnomes and knitting gnomes . The photo shows seven completed and number eight which is the LAST one needs a beard and he is completed. The pattern is Nice to Gnome You . I used left over worsted weight wools from deep stash and went crazy with the color combining. The crazier I went with color combing the more I liked the gnomes. This morning number eight will be finished and I will be thankful. My hands are sore from the double pointed needle knitting. These little guys are all Christmas gifts. I must say it was ultra satisfying to knit something that is a stash buster! What are you working on this week?

  My weekend contained: -daily walks and gathering leaves - stay at home weekend - phone calls with family - knitting gnomes (the photo below is number seven!) - lots of reading - visiting my neighbor discussing Holiday plans and gifts for family - enjoying the BIRDS at my bird feeder - seeing a red breasted nuthatch at my feeder first time ever - getting excited for an upcoming museum visit this week - writing out my weekly plans and lofty goals! - hearing S N O W in the forecast (yay) - getting all the laundry and cleaning done in one day How was your weekend?

  How are you?  I've been mighty fine these days. The knitting frenzy continues as I am working on the sixth gnome! I am getting more crazy with the color combinations and chipping away at some half skeins that I know I will never use again. The gnome journey has been so much fun! The above photo is the scarf that I am making for me that I haven't worked on since gnome number two or three. I'm working on it today, it's a lovely pattern that is fun to work on. After a brief warm up in the temperatures, we are getting back to chilly air. A cold front blew through and the winds knocked down so many tree leaves in the neighborhood. Delightful! Frodo and I love to see the fallen leaves all mixed up on neighborhood properties. We have our fair share of leaves mixed together in our front yard. After a summer on NOT feeding the birds because of a raccoon family, we are back at it. The birds came right back! Hopefully the raccoons do not. My bird feeder is squirrel proof but no...

  I am half way done with my gnome making! I want to make eight total and I started number FIVE two days ago. The pattern calls for two strands of fingering so I substituted worsted weight on size five double pointed needles. What I am enjoying the most is blitzing through half skeins of worsted weight wool that I've saved from previous projects along with color coordinating my gnomes.  (In the background are two pilgrims that my sister made for me a few years ago). What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? Mine was busy! My sister had a craft show both on Friday and Saturday and I helped her on both days. Sunday morning the four of us went to the fall flower show at the Phipps Conservatory . This visit was my favorite one so far, probably because I love Autumn so much! My favorite spaces are the Japanese Garden and the Children's Garden both outside. I'm looking forward to their holiday show coming up sooner than ever. My weekend was filled with pockets of knitting, all those pesky household chores and writing lists so I remember everything I'm supposed to do this week!

  It seems that I get sidetracked in many ways. Above is a delightful array of mini-skeins of lolodit sock yarn and a skein of tough love sock by sweet georgia yarn that will be a good things scarf  I've been blissfully thinking of all the combinations I can do with what I have in my stash. The possibilities are endless.  So while I knit and mull over this multi-yarn scarf design. I am knitting up many gnomes. I'll be posting a photo soon, they are Christmas gifts and I need to think through who sees what. I believe I can post here with minimal viewings by my family. I've been sketching daily in October except for the last two days which were 'busy'. So now I am three days behind that I'll catch up over the weekend, hopefully.  The weather has been glorious this week. Lots and lots of blue skies, the air is crisp and the mornings are cold. Not only that but a cold front is coming through. yay! October has been inspirational for my creativity and my motivations ...

  Two weekends ago, yet it feels like last weekend, I went on a crazy knitting frenzy and whipped up TWO hats and TWO pairs of mitts. The bear hat  and mitts are for our grandson for Christmas. I never get tired of knitting this pattern, I've made it many times. For my grandnephew I made a car hat and mitts . He is going to be two years old in January and he loves everything that is cars and trucks. Let's see if he will wear a 'car' themed hat even though he hates hats! You never know with toddlers. What are you knitting this week?

  How was your weekend? Mine was pretty nice overall. My husband and I went to a garden center for ONE pumpkin for the front door and ONE mum to be planted in the front yard. Last year we bought three mums and none of them survived. I have no idea why, but also those pesky deer nibble them as well. So why invest in them if they will be disappearing? The weather continues to be gloriously lovely. Definitely cool days and sometimes drizzly like yesterday. We took a walk in the drizzle mist and gosh it was refreshing. Even Frodo loved it. I love this in between weather! I did not take a photo of my manic gnome making for the holidays. I have tons of worsted weight wool scraps and I'm just winging it as I go. What fun! Kat  has made many beautiful gnomes! I have dreams of depleting the scrap bag.....let's see if that dream becomes reality. How was your weekend?