Pumpkin Sunrise

  Hello! Happy post Thanksgiving! I'm dropping in for a quick update. Our families arrived on Wednesday night as planned but sadly our little granddaughter wasn't feeling well Thursday morning and so her parents took her to ER and she was diagnosed with RSV but not admitted and sent home.  That diagnosis dispersed our big Thanksgiving family to two houses instead of everyone at my house. My sister and her family stayed at her house and my family stayed at my house. My dad visited both houses. My sister and I were swapping dishes to complete the meals. (We cooked the turkey she made the stuffing etc). It was quite the production but we made it work and we each had a good Thanksgiving. Our little granddaughter is slowly feeling better and so far no one else has any symptoms (yay!). Our days are filled with babies playing, napping, crying and eating. We are living our best life. To make things more exciting, our new furnace quit working yesterday and we had to have an emergency te

  Good morning! How are all of you? Like my computer, I am slow this morning. I haven't been sleeping well (probably from waking up in the middle of the night thinking of everything I need to do even though it's written down...). Maybe tonight will be a good night, eventually some night will be. Our weekend was busy, I have been chipping away with the 'to do' list that I have written on pages and pages before all of my company arrives on Wednesday. The list is LONG.  Saturday, I thoroughly enjoyed working on a cowl and probably shouldn't have been knitting. Sunday was a no knit day for my hands to recover again. I am impatient! I have every intention on being here Wednesday, then I will take a break from this space to enjoy my company. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in case I am not here on Wednesday. 

  The beginning of Christmas has entered my house along with the holiday cheer. We are exchanging presents with my dad and step mom at Thanksgiving (which I am hosting at my home) and my daughter and son in law have never seen Christmas at my house.  I have about four lists written up for the next two weeks and have another list in my head that needs to be put on paper. Besides hosting 15 family members on Thanksgiving day, my family (adult children and grands) will be staying between 3-10 days. So before I forget, I will be posting here intermittently from now until the beginning of December.  While I was down in the basement bringing up the Christmas decoration boxes, I discovered a water pipe leak, and so my day today is waiting for the plumber. A forced day at home.  Also before I forget, my hands are feeling so much better! I am nearly recovered from the gnome knitting abuse. 

  Good morning! I have finished the gnomes !  Of course, this achievement came with great sufferings. My hands and wrists are painful and I'm waiting out the healing process. I am knitting limitedly and trying to be patient with myself. I have shelved all other holiday knitting and probably will not do it. I have always listened to my body and when it screams rest, I rest. I'm confident that this wrist/hand pain is autoimmune related and so it will go away eventually. In the mean time, I casted on a little 1x1 rib hat for myself to keep me busy. Aren't these little gnomes adorable? This time around I used double knitting and sport weight left over wools to create these little wonders. 

  Good morning! How was your weekend? Mine was quite nice and full of socializing. On Saturday, I went out shopping with my sister at some craft stores and two yarn stores. Oh my, the yarn stores were heavenly and yes, I did buy some yarn but I need to take a group photo of what I bought. Hopefully I will remember. Saturday night my sister and brother in law came over for dinner and game board night. Super fun and I didn't have to cook because my husband did (score!). Sunday was 'recovery' mode since I abused my hands with all those gnomes. I took it easy and started a hat for myself (photo below). I am rethinking what I want to knit from here on out until Christmas. My hands and wrists have given me a stern warning. I am positive it is my autoimmune disorder that is flaring from overuse. I am thankful that circular knitting with wool doesn't affect my hands. (don't worry my hands feel fine right now as I type this) How was your weekend?

  I am on the last gnome! This alone brings me joy and happiness. I hope I can finish number seven today but if not today definitely tomorrow.  How are you? I've been great, my aches and pains from over knitting seem to have eased up (like they always do thank goodness).  The weather has been nice enough for daily walks with Frodo. Sometimes I wish for colder weather and sometimes I am happy with the weather I have. Not too cold, not too hot, just right. While I finish this last gnome, I am thinking of little ornaments I would like to quickly knit up. My goal is to make at least four but I might make one for myself.  I was in Hobby Lobby yesterday and came across this sign which sums up my attitude about cooking. My sister loves to tease me about anytime I rejoice at not cooking dinner. Such a silly thing I love to eat. What makes my happy list:  Frodo looking cute and cuddly - Frodo's deafness and all of his fears are gone because he cannot hear the thunder or flies - Holly do

  Good morning! How are you? I am tired from the time change even though the time change was to my benefit. Sadly I am waking up at strange times and then having trouble going back to sleep. Also one of the many smoke alarms decided to chirp at 3:30 a.m. (grrr) I have FIVE gnomes completed and would like to make two more. I had to take a knitting break yesterday due to hand and wrist pain as well as neck pain. Too much of a good thing ends up being a problem. I feel a lot better. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How was your weekend? How was the time change? I have a rough time with the time change no matter which time change it is. I am tired and hungry at the usual times that are now changed. This morning, both pets were confused with the morning routines. As I sit and type this up in the kitchen, the sun is shining! It's supposed to be partly-cloudy, but the sun didn't get the forecast yet. Let's hope the sun stays for a while. This weekend I gnomed myself out. I worked on them, inching closer to my goal of seven total. I finished number five yesterday and cast on number six. I have more to knitting projects for after the gnomes are completed for the holidays and gosh, I'm starting to dream of knitting for myself.  I also painted a birthday card for my mother in law who loves my artwork. She is a talented artist herself but has advanced macular degeneration and cannot see well enough to watercolor. With her vision aid, she can enjoy my handmade cards. Over th

This past week my creativity has rebounded. Phew! I tend to go in waves on what exactly inspires me to knit, read and/or sketch. I've learned through the years to just chill and see what inspires me and when inspiration strikes, run with it. Currently, I'm knitting gnomes and the gnome knitting obsession initially was slow and somewhat of a chore. Yesterday, after I completed the fourth one, I was officially in the gnome zen of knitting. What helps my creativity is being out in nature. My daily walk is good for me physically and mentally. I see color combinations that would be great in a hat or a mitten. May there always be days where I have more ideas to knit and the projects are overflowing in my notebook. I have been thoroughly enjoying the dip in the temperatures and wearing wool on my walks. Frodo would disagree, since he is 14 (!!) he will be outside for a little walk if it is above freezing, he just cannot take cold weather like when he was a younger pup.   Of course, th

  Good morning!! For a few weeks now, I've been working on my gnomes for this year. My plan is to make eight of them, all of them gifts for Christmas except for one to keep at my home. I'm using up scrap yarns in sport weight and in DK weight wools. I do love pairing colors and eeking out as much yardage as possible from the scrap yarn bag.  What are you working on this week?