Pumpkin Sunrise

   Good morning! How are you doing? I'm still recovering from the sialendoscopy procedure, the left salivary gland is still being stubborn and continues to act up. However the right side is perfection. I also have an ear infection (I know, ridiculous). I am still doing my daily walks and enjoying the fall fiesta views as I walk the neighborhood. Yesterday they said maybe snow on the weekend, now today they took the snow forecast away. So fickle!  I haven't made much progress on the youngest grandson's sweater since this weekend but I am a few inches into the body. And the socks , I am so so so close to the toe shaping! I hope these are done soon because I want to start making hats and mitts for the local grandchildren. What are you working on this week?

  Good afternoon! I'm writing this on a Sunday instead of a Monday morning. We will be busy with the kids starting today and into the following weekend. So the blog posts will be hopefully on time but maybe late, who knows. The weather has been glorious and I've been doing daily walks and enjoying it while it is here. I had my sialendoscopy procedure on Thursday and I guess it was a success in that it is done. However I'm having painful eating again which is not fun at all. Who knows when that will calm down, I'm praying soon.  I've been working on my youngest grandson's holiday sweater and love working on it! It gets me in a good mood while I am recovering. If I'm not knitting I'm re-reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn  which I am over half way through. I love to re-read books and be with familiar characters.  I hope you have a lovely rest of the weekend and a wonderful week ahead.

  Good morning! How are you doing? I'm pretty good overall. I'm excited to show you my new knitting project that I started last week. This is a top down fair isle sweater for my youngest grandson that lives in the Boston area. This is the ultimate knitting comfort because the fair isle section is over half way done. I love to knit for little people! This sweater will be his holiday sweater. So far for the two local grandchildren I am planning to make hats and mitts. I hope to make them birthday sweaters next year. Although it is not in the photo, I am on the foot section of the second sock for my husband. I really want to be done with those socks so I'm putting effort into them in hopes of being done by the end of the week.  What are you working on this week?

  Hello! How are you? I am feeling better (I swear I write this every single week but it's a true statement every single week). The weather has been glorious and gorgeous!  Well I did it, I finished the hedgehogs . This project was fun to knit up and they knit up quickly. The fiddliest part is the very beginning of the nose on double pointed needles. However, I got the hang of it eventually. I used cotton for the face and belly and then an acrylic-cotton blend for the body. The pattern is from Purl Soho and they are known for detailed instructions.  Now that this project is complete I'll be casting on a little sweater for my youngest grandson, the yarn arrived yesterday! What are you working on this week?

  Good morning lovely people! How are you doing today? I am rejoicing in the furnace kicking on because it is chilly outside in the early mornings. Yay.  My knitting this week has been hedgehog knitting . After I snapped this photo I had to rip out the white of the back two more times because my pick up stitching was not the same on both sides. The third time is a charm and I am ready to stuff this little guy today! Also I thought I was knitting five hedgehogs but my daughter in law declared love of them so now I am making six (hopefully). As an expert knitter this was baffling to me! I will blame it on the salivary gland infection and not feeling my best (but slowly getting better). I did see the nurse practitioner in my PCP office and she prescribed antibiotics again and I will be staying on a very very slow taper of prednisone for about a month to get me as close to the sialendoscopy procedure date (11/05) without an infection. May this please work! Say your prayers or send...

  Hello! How are you doing? I spent the last two days burying threads on these nine glorious Christmas ornaments and they are finally done. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting them and I was glad they did not cause hand pain, I usually have issues with dpns and marathon knitting. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! I am writing to you on another chilly day and am loving it immensely. You and I both know that because I changed the bedding from summer to winter, the weather will switch back to hot. But for now, I will enjoy the chill. Yesterday was drippy and beautiful. This week because of the family visit my knitting was sparse over the weekend. I was thrilled to once again pick up the needles and knit. I am showing two projects today. First up is the little sweater ornaments, I am on number six out of nine if I am sticking to my current goal. I would love to finish all nine sweaters within a week.  Next up is the husband's socks , I'm still on the first one but am heading towards the toe shaping. I find once I turn the heel and complete the gusset the knitting goes quite fast. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you doing today? I'm doing quite well. I've been enjoying watching the black cherry trees drop their leaves while I sit on the back patio knitting. I am in a cast on frenzy state of mind. I started another musselburgh hat for my son in law for the holidays. He loves my knitting gifts and I haven't made him anything in a long time. The best part is I wanted super easy tv knitting and this hat is dead simple to be that very project I work on. In other news, I've been plugging away on the tiny sweater ornaments . Yesterday I feared I did not have enough yarn to finish the second sleeve of this sweater and was planning to knit from the body and then stripe the body of the sweater. Imagine my surprise when I did have enough yarn and plenty of it! I love when playing yarn chicken ends up in my favor. And call me crazy but I love that feeling of not knowing if I have enough yarn. Strange but true. I have knit four sweaters so far and would like to kni...

  Good morning! How are you? We have a long weekend here due to Labor Day. So today's Monday feels like Sunday and the whole week will feel weird. Also, our garbage day is one day later as well. I'll have to keep checking the calendar to see which day it is.  As you can see in the above photo, I've been knitting little sweater ornaments . They are definitely fun to knit and I seem to be able to knit one in two days if I am knitting each day. The local grand kids sleep over every weekend now for one night and I tend to not knit the day they arrive and leave. I get so very tired! ha ha. On Saturday afternoon my daughter in law and I drove an hour away for a bible study friend's baby shower. The photo below is the floral arrangement at our table. So beautiful!! We had wonderful table buddies who matched our sense of humor so there was lots and lots of laughing. Sadly I wasn't able to eat most of the food because of all of my limitations, but the salad and bread was ver...

  Good morning! How are you and your projects coming along? I've been very productive in my knitting. I've been inspired by the cooler weather and started thinking about knitting Christmas gifts. Yes! Christmas! Sadly today the hot weather returns and we are back into the summer heat. First up is my gray shawl that is off the needles this week but I'm waiting to block it, my laundry room had a deep clean and I was sidetracked by the deep clean. Once that project was off the needles I returned to the sock knitting . I made it to the first heel flap and gusset. I'm still thinking about whether or not to make them matching. I did like the freedom of just knitting the socks and not caring about the striping repeats. I guess I'll keep thinking about it, I've got some time. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning to all of you! How are you doing today? I'm good and I'm excited to show you my completed shawl . This was the third time I've knit this pattern and I already started a fourth one immediately after the day I finished this one. I'm addicted to it's construction.  As you can see, after I finished the lacework I added lots of garter stitching to use up the remaining yarn and I was quite pleased with the results.  I like the gradual changes in the brown tones. This shawl is a holiday gift and so will the next one I have already started. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! Happy Easter! How are you doing today? I'm doing pretty good. Since I last posted, I've been busy with the local grands because their daycare was closed Thursday and Friday (also today) for the Easter holiday. They were here both Thursday and Friday with their dad who worked from home and it was very busy.  Saturday we went to the Science Center where I did not take one single photo so you'll have to pretend you have some photos. The whiplash weather was nuts! We had 81 degrees Saturday then on Sunday it was 46 degrees....My body cannot handle it. The warm weather always makes me feel unwell.  Easter Sunday we went to Mass then afterwards to my sister's house for a luncheon. I brought a veggie tray (my standby contribution) also I baked the free turkey I earned at the local supermarket during November. There is no way my husband and I can eat a turkey.  I gave as much as I could away and have put the rest in the freezer. I labeled it so I know what it...

  Hello! Merry Christmas and soon to be Happy New Year! How have you been? I have been thoroughly enjoying the in between days and having absolutely nowhere to go unless I choose to go somewhere. I'm also enjoying my adult learning classes break. It's nice to be relaxed. My daughter in law and son gifted me the gilmore girls mug, I love it. I watch it when I want a comforting show and I can knit while it's on.  I've been feverishly knitting my sister's mitts and I started a sweater for me. Of course yesterday, I un-knit as much as I knitted. I don't know what is up with that. I did get frustrated though and set everything aside. I'm hoping today is a better knitting day. Today the temperatures are dropping quickly and the wind is howling outside. The weather has been crazy. I switched back to exercising inside two weeks ago because even though I can tolerate cold weather, my eyes and mouth get dried out and cause me problems (thanks autoimmune disease!). I h...

  Good morning from a very busy house! How are you? I'm doing pretty good.  My weekend had two sleepovers. Friday night our grandson slept over for the first time and we had so much fun. Then last night both local grandchildren slept over. We watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Frosty the Snowman. Great great fun.  Can you believe it's Christmas week already? Where does the time go? I think I am ready but who knows, I frequently forget stuff so maybe I'll remember something along the way.  The above photo is the Christmas scarf that will not be done by Christmas day but hopefully by New Year's Day. I cannot knit when the kids are here. I wonder why?  If you celebrate Christmas are you ready? 

  Good morning! How are you doing?  I have been doing okay. I have autoimmune symptoms that I'm battling yet again but it could be worse. Now it's dry eye and dry mouth instead of breathing issues. I am suspecting my outside walking is making my symptoms flare up, sigh. I'm staying inside this week to see if it helps me out.  My adult learning classes ended over a week ago except for one more Tai Chi class this week. I have thoroughly been enjoying the break! My knitting has blossomed. I'm trying to finish the pair of socks for my husband this week. While also spontaneously starting a Christmas scarf out of wool I received from one of my knitting pals where I used to live. The mail I get from the three of them is wonderful!!  I have a mighty to do list from here on out until the holidays. I finished wrapping all the gifts now I'm down to some selfish knitting and some last minute knitting. I love it! How was your week? How are your holiday plans?

  How are you doing? I am speedily knitting my cowl trying to finish it this week. I have less than 10 rows to go!! I hope the blocking shows the 'butterfly stitch'. I also hope I like the length and width when I am wearing it. I usually knit with fingering weight wool for around my neck. I believe this is dk weight (I can't remember!).  Also on the needles is the languishing pair of socks for my husband. I really want to put these in his Christmas stocking. I love that I can knit socks for him, in front of him and he hasn't a clue they are for him. Oblivious. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you doing? I did it! I finished the two hats for the local grands and have completed my Holiday knitting (except for socks for my husband but that doesn't count). Because the hats were knit on size seven needles, I knit these up quite speedily. I have a feeling they might be a bit too big but I'd rather have that than too small. Children do grow! What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? I celebrated another birthday and it was nice! Above is a photo of all the stuff I bought while in Boston at various bookstores. These are all for me, I didn't photo the gifts I bought for others. Whenever I'm in an independent bookstore I try my best to buy something in appreciation for the existence. Part of my birthday celebrations was to decorate the house. After 27 years we replaced one of the two Christmas trees we put up. Now I have an easy tree, it's three sections and then BOOM it's up. What a game changer for me. My only complaint about the new tree is that the branches are droopy and floppy so ornaments slide right off unless you precariously place and balance them. These are the 'hefty' ornaments. One of the neighborhood boys was selling homemade wreaths for the fundraiser for some sport, sadly my husband knows and I do not remember. However, the wreath is beautiful!! It's been two weeks since I started the second inh...

  Hello! How are you doing today? I secretly knitted up eight wee stars to give as little presents to my family. Last year I made the same pattern in a different color and enjoyed the knitting process. Yet again, I have completed something on my knitting holiday to do list! What are you working on this week?

  Good morning to you! I finished the Christmas Stocking for the newest grandson. I have yet to stitch his name on the top. I don't know about you, but I dislike duplicate stitching. I find no matter how careful I am I think it looks sloppy while I am doing it. But when I take a break from it, it looks lovely. I guess I am too critical. I will make one more stocking for my house just in case they are ever here for the holidays in the coming years. What are you working on this week?