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Showing posts from October, 2015

Knitting, Reading and Multitasking Skills

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After returning from our weekend in Boston to visit our son, I found that more than three days I was still recovering from how much we packed into a tiny visit.  Did you read or see about the runaway blimp that went over PA, well it was THE news locally here.  My power went out but I highly doubt it was due to the blimp.  Crazy days. I'm on another round of medicine for my eyes.  My body didn't like the first medicine so now I have slight cornea damage....I can never do things the simple way. Don't worry, I can see and I am not in pain.  But it is a PAIN to now use three different medicines to clear this up.  Ugh. Do you save bits of yarn for putting stitches on holders?  I do.  I used to use spare circular needles and found that needles make more of a hole than using wool.  So each time I have less than a yard I bundle it up for when I need spare wool. I know I mention many times that I knit and read at the same time and thought I'd spend a bit of time e

Currently on the Needles

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I have been wanting to get my hands on this book, patiently waiting for it go paperback.  Well imagine my surprise while in Canada at the beginning of the month visiting my in laws finding this book in paperback and on sale!  Score!  I just started reading it so I have no opinions but I am really excited about reading it.  Have you read it? My knitting has been focused on three projects, I posted yesterday  about the mittens I'm knitting.  I started the first sleeve of my sweater  and made some progress on the shawl in the above photo. It's been a good knitting week :) What have you been knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Bluebird Mitts

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Nicole of  Singing of Hope  blog asked for some test knitters for some patterns she wrote up a while ago, so I thought I'd give her a knitting helping hand.  That's what knitters do!! I dug deep into my stash and unearthed some wool and cast on.  I'm having fun knitting with two colors and with some wooden needles.  I find when I'm dpn-ing (shall we coin a knitting verb?  double pointed needling....)  they are kind to my hands. Ravelry notes are here . As you may have guessed these mitts are for a holiday gift.  Ho ho ho!!

Weekends

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Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog. This weekend we visited our son up near the Boston area.  My weekend was jammed packed and non stop.  I think it'll take me a week to recover!  Friday night we were out and about in Cambridge, we did a bit of shopping and of course ate dinner.  The cold weather returned and let's say it was brisk!! Saturday morning we headed out to Concord to see the historical town and of course some super cool houses.  The one above is Louisa May Alcott's home...yup.  Totally neat.  Standing there taking a photo of her house knowing that she was standing there way back when looking at her house too.  I felt a kinship of sorts.  I wonder who will be taking photos of my house 100-200 years from now.  History was my LEAST favorite subject in school, how could that be?  I love it now.

Rich to See

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This week has found me in a lull of sorts.  It's a very good lull since I love the mundane and boring days the best.  I've been taking care of a mysterious eye infection (what door knob did I touch that had bacteria??) and also a sinus infection which very well maybe related to the eyes.  Anyways, I'm on lots of medicine and I'm feeling much better, phew. I am ignoring the warm up that occurred yesterday and the day before.  Some may say that the weather was glorious, I say "enough".  I'm yearning to layer clothes and see my puffs of breath outside.  My trees are at peak color right this very moment.  I rejoice each time I walk by a window and look outside, so beautiful. I remember when the kids were little and I was busy being busy.  My in laws came to visit us and my mother in law remarked over and over how beautiful the trees and landscape were in October, their favorite month to visit.  I was not struck by the beauty.  I was too busy being c

Currently on the Needles

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I'm nearly finished with reading Gone Girl,  overall a entertaining read but like I said last week, I'm not a fan of the shock and awe writing techniques.  I think I might be a prude... Anyways, I've been reading Taproot during lunch - a wee bit each day to make the magazine last until the next issue. My knitting has focused on my sweater  this week and I have reached the short row shaping of the bottom.  All that is left are two sleeves and the neckline.  Pretty exciting!!  I finished my socks  a few days ago but now the weather is warmer so wearing them will have to wait. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Weekends

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Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog. This weekend was picture perfect.  The weather was COLD, you know the kind of cold where you are cold down to your bones.  Funny, it was in the high forties low fifties but it feel so so cold.  I loved it, I'm weird like that. Friday night we met dear friends of ours for a dinner out in a neighboring town.  Lots of talking and laughing (and eating...).  We walked after dinner around the town, I took some photos of a public park, roses not knowing how cold it was going to be! Saturday was more outside living, walking around, being cold and loving every single blessed moment.  Frodo loves this kind of weather as well.  This week and over the weekend, we've been watching PBS on the XBOX app.  My husband figures these things out for me.  However, we've watched - Indian Su

October Forever

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I want to stop the passing of time and keep October forever.  Each day when I'm outside I see something new.  Yesterday while watering an indoor plant, I looked out the window and saw the light hitting the maples just so and dropped everything to get the camera (and Frodo) and snap a few photos. I cannot remember what life was like without documenting my days through a camera lens.  I'm hyper-aware of colors, framing views, seeing - really really seeing deep down to my soul beauty around me in the everyday.  The colors this year are spectacular and right now my favorite tree is the maple. While I tend to use my iphone for photos more than the big camera, I am being gentle enough to be happy that I have any camera at all snapping the moment.  Use what you have! I feel like I'm cheating on my love of the might oak tree.  However, I'm not.  Just like we can love more than one child and each love is unique, I'm thinking my love for maples is different than oak

Currently on the Needles

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Good morning!  My knitting has been productive this past week.  I've been focusing on finishing those socks and hopefully by next week they will be.  Phew!  Once these are finished, I'll be starting more holiday gifts, the season is upon us (me). That luscious orange shawl was started over the weekend I think.  My in real life friend dyed this beautiful skein as a Christmas gift for me and I've been waiting and thinking about what to make.  I found this Serenity shawl and I thought it was perfect.  It's an easy shawl pattern and the yarn is wonderful to knit with! I'm nearly half way through the book, Gone Girl .  Over all the story is interesting, I just find the characters quite distasteful which I believe is what the author is striving for.  However, I really don't like them!!  There is also some foul language that turns me off.  I do enjoy and use "sentence enhancers" (Spongebob reference) but I dislike when they are overused to shock me.

Weekends

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Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog. This weekend our plans were altered and so I found myself with an entire Saturday with NO plans.  So you wonder what did I do, right? Well I'll share :) In the morning I knit while reading three short stories by Flannery O'Connor then read some more from one of my magazines, while continuing to knit away.  Frodo and I went for a walk with a jacket on and some mitts (me not him...).  In the afternoon, I read a bit from the book that will not prop open so I couldn't knit. I added a few rows on my sweater, then undid a row, grr...rookie mistake on my part, I forgot to do the every six row thing.  Dinner was tomato soup with grilled cheese!  Yum.  I also had an apple with ample peanut butter on each chuck I cut up.  It's the new taste treat for me I guess.  Way healt

Quiet State of Mind

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This fall so far has been spectacular.  I walk down my road, past the duck pond and drink in the colors of the trees.  Yellows giving space for oranges and reds.  Honestly this time of year fills my happiness immensely.Those long summer endless days are a memory and now that I'm fully immersed in Autumn glory I think wow, summer went fast (but it didn't). Even if the weather is warm, it's not WARM.  You know?  There is an undercurrent of coolness in the breezes and the evenings drop in temperature every single night.  Sure the allergies are out there, sure I'm sniffing but I'm happy to know I'm approaching cold weather day by day. The holiday knitting has been furious and I'm happy sitting and knitting and thinking of who will receive what project.  Being a knitter is a wonderful thing!  Not only am I hand crafting a present but the stitching one after the other lulls me in a quiet state of mind.  Dabbling in anxiety is difficult when knitting.

Currently on the Needles

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See that candy corn?  Just so you know it is not healthy nor does it have an ounce of nutritional value but I cannot resist a tiny piece. One of the best foods of October :) My knitting has turned into some holiday knitting.  I finished the super secret project that I cannot talk about and then cast on a hat for another present.  However, I can say it's a hat and it is my own invention.  The yarn is an antique, if a yarn could be an antique.  The skein was in my mother's stash and that has to be well over 20 years ago.  Wool is wool!! I started reading Gone Girl , I know, I know I said I would NOT read this book but my son made the book sound really good and he promised me it is not graphic.  If it is, I'll never believe anything he says ever again.  I finished The Remains of the Day  and while it was good, there were times I was bored with some of the writing. I'm glad I read it, so give it a flip through.  Also if you like Downton Abbey this book might interest

Weekends

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Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog. I had a fun weekend visiting family in London, Ontario.  While up there we went to Grand Bend  and enjoyed a very brisk (blustery) wind and the end of a tourist season.  Nearly all of the shops were closed for the season and yet I had fun being on the sidewalks and boardwalk taking in the sights and sounds. I do love a beach!  We visited family, ate out for lunches and dinners, laughed some and enjoyed each other's company.  I'm now home (sweet home).  I had an internet break and missed checking in with all of you.  Hopefully this week I'll be all caught up! There was: french fries :: knitting in the car :: knitting whenever :: finishing a book :: holding a grand nephew :: meeting a new puppy who was wiggly and made me miss Frodo :: beautiful Sunday driving :

Ordinary Little Things

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Last night as I snuggled into bed, I listened to the rain.  We haven't had a good soaking rain in quite a while so listening to the dripping from the gutter was a treat.  My hair...well let's say it's frizzing up and doing it's own thing.  I'm just ignoring the mirrors for the time being, it works.  The fleece jacket has been worn and even some fingerless mitts, this season makes a hard core knitter happy. The ordinary little things make my world go round. My backyard was raining yellow leaves today, so beautiful!  I love how yellow leaves lead the march towards winter.  Next up will be the oranges and reds.  The kids went home on Monday and I had a day of adjusting to the regular home.  Setting the home back to the way it was helps with the adjustment.  Knitting does too. Just so you know, Fall is officially here, because Frodo is sleeping on the sofa and NOT under the ottoman.  Delightful! In my Magnificat magazine, there was an article about Junip