Pumpkin Sunrise

  Good morning! How are you? I'm excited to share with you that the first sleeve of my sister's sweater is almost done. Last night I arrived a within a row or two of the cuff. I have romantic visions of finishing this sweater by New Year's Day but that might be a knitter's pipe dream. Still, it's exciting to know that the end is very near and I can get this large project out of my knitting bag and make room for 'me me me' knitting! What are you working on this week?

  Gosh it seems like forever since I've talked to you and yet it's not even been five days. How are you? How was your Christmas if you celebrate Christmas? We had a quiet one, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I missed the kids but we managed to talk to them over the weekend. On Christmas Eve, we were invited to celebrate at my sister and brother in law's house with her son and son's family and our aunt and cousin. It was nice! We had lots and lots of good food and unwrapping of presents. Having my grand nephew who is almost one year old made the holiday more joyful. That evening my husband and I had a mini-miracle - Holly snuck in to snuggle up to my husband on his left side and then Frodo jumped up to snuggle on his right side. Look at Holly's dirty look!?! She is a hoot. I know you are wondering and NO Frodo did not realize that she is sitting there, if he did he would have chased her and barked at her and that is the Christmas miracle. I don't know what it is abo...

  Now that the gifts have been gifted, I can share with you my last two knitted Christmas gifts. The above headband  was for my sister. I used left over super-wash Malabrigo Arroyo wool in the hopes that the wool would not feel itchy on the forehead. I await her evaluation. The only modification I did was to add two stitches to each end of the garter stitch edges since my yarn was thinner that the pattern called for. This was a fun and quick knit! Next up was a hat for my brother in law. I enjoyed knitting this and I did the striping on the fly. I liked how it turned out and it was fun to just decide last minute where to add some color and stripes. All of the wools were left over and I knew my green was a limited amount. I'm happy to report that I did not run out of any colors, phew. What are you working on this week? Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I will be posting again on next Monday and taking some time to enjoy the holidays over the next few days.

  Can you believe that Christmas is this weekend coming up? I cannot. The days are flying right by it seems. We had the teeniest dusting of snow yesterday morning but so far the forecast is for a green Christmas, bah humbug.  How are you? How was your weekend?  We had dinner at my sister's house on Saturday night and exchanged gifts because we couldn't wait. There's a child in all of us! I also received a gift in the mail from a friend AND a belated birthday gift from my daughter. I love getting gifts in the mail, who doesn't? Over the weekend I stitched a lot and here's the progress of all that stitching on the grand baby birth sampler.. This pattern is nice in that there is no backstitching except for the feet of three birds and they are tiny! Hopefully I'm not making any mistakes. We talked to both kids on Sunday, I really liked that.  How was your weekend? A NOTE: I will not be posting for this Friday or next Friday as a bit of a mini vacation of sorts. I th...

How are you? Around here things are settling down in the daily schedule. All of my packages have been sent and I am officially done with holiday shopping! I'm looking forward to enjoying the lull between now and the New Year. I might do some Christmas baking, but then again, I might not.  These days what brings me comfort and joy are:  twinkle lights - slow and easy knitting -  talking with the kids - a crossed off to-do list -  sketching and doodling - knitting for myself for a change - knitting with really nice wool - simple dinners - bird watching through the kitchen window while I do some dishes - friendships in real life and on line - the kindness of others - outdoor holiday decorations - the colors red and green - fountain pens - journaling - aspirations for the new year - family living near by -  What brings you comfort and joy? Yesterday we went out for an early lunch at a cafe in a local town, it was nice to be out - we rarely are out anymore and I have...

  Good morning! How are you? What have you been working on this week? My son in law lost his favorite hat on a walk in their new town and my daughter requested a replacement hat. Music to a knitter's ears! I eagerly dug through my stash and whipped this up on size 8 needles and have already mailed it to him. I might make a back up hat for the replacement hat in the new year. What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good! I had lots of knitting time, crafting time, reading time AND I am officially done with knitting for Christmas only if I decide not to knit my husband a pair of socks. I'm still mulling that one over. I'm trying to give my hands a rest from all the double pointed needle knitting which inflamed some finger joints when I did all those fingerless mitts one after the other.  On Saturday, my sister and brother in law came over for dinner and dessert. We try to get together once a week and it's a nice tradition - schedule permitting of course. Sunday after my weekly household chores I pulled out the baby sampler cross stitch project that I want to stitch up before the grand-baby arrives in early February - no official name yet so that will be stitched in once the baby makes his/her arrival. Surprises are the best. How was your weekend?