Pumpkin Sunrise

  Hello, how are you doing? Our temperatures took a tumble and we were back to being cold and running the furnace. Today though is going to be in the 70s. I've been avoiding being outside due to the high tree pollen count and really miss walking daily outside but those trees will be done hopefully by the end of May. My weekend was really nice. I mostly read books and spent time knitting on the FOREVER lace christening blanket. I am almost done with chart two (out of five??).  On Saturday, my sister and I visited the local yarn store and of course I bought some fingering weight yarn this time in blue. I don't knit with blue very often so I thought that would be a nice addition to my stash. I love to support local businesses and I'm grateful I am able to do that. Sunday was Mass and doing our laundry. I had a very restful Sunday and I'm ready for the week! How was your weekend?

  In a month (!) our son, daughter in law and grandchildren will be moving here from Indiana. We have the countdown and I have 'things' I need to get done before that time. They will live 12 minutes from us and we are looking forward to our lives changing for the better.  I have some permanent baby proofing to do. Once their house is packed up, they will live in our house until the moving van arrives at their new home. They will frequently be here so I want to put away the items I do not want them to play with - they love to gravitate to that which is forbidden. I am trying to squeeze in all the things I want to get done before they move. I have knitting goals and reading goals. Currently I'm reading Homecoming and White Nights, both are good and entertaining.  It's okay if I do not achieve these goals, but I like to have something to work towards. My classes have mostly ended for the spring semester. Our summer classes (non-credit older adult classes at a local univers...

  Good morning! How are you doing and how are your projects coming along? I've been consistently knitting this Christening blanket every day and I wonder what have I gotten myself into because it's going to take a long time to finish! Also, as I previously stated, I do not think I have enough wool and have to figure out a way to ease into another similar color seamlessly when I do run out of wool.  How are your projects coming along?

  How are you doing today? I'm doing pretty good. It's been a busy week and today is a day where I don't have to be anywhere pressing. Of course I might go out but it will be because I want to go out. Before I forget, Happy Easter if you are celebrating! My sister's hosting Easter this year so I get to kick back and relax and enjoy the food. I will see family too! Around here, it will be getting warm and the tree pollen will be at an all time high. I have quit walking outside because of allergies since I can't take anything because of my health issues. I am enjoying doing you-tube exercise videos in my office. They are more challenging than my daily walks! I'm enjoying my lace knitting project that I talked about on Wednesday. It is a fun knit. Also, I had my first contact lens fitting for my 'medically necessary' contacts that will help protect and heal my extremely dry eyes. Once the lenses are made and in their office, I go back and get another fittin...

  Good morning! How are you doing and how are your projects coming along? I started two projects recently. First off, I started a lace Christening blanket and hope I have enough yarn, I have another skein that is close to this color and hope if I run out it will be when I start the edging...We will see! I started yet another baby blanket this one in a darker green and I like it. Babies do not mind the color as much as the like the softness! What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? My weekend was spent casting on new projects. I'm happy to share that our daughter and son in law are expecting their first child at the end of September. So of course I started a baby blanket and a lace Christening blanket over the weekend.  The Christening Blanket is challenging because the chart symbols are not the universal symbols that I am used to knitting. I am frequently flipping back and forth to the symbol chart to make sure I am doing the right stitches. I have already unknit 3 rows because I didn't even follow the chart correctly. I started another baby blanket (same pattern, forest green yarn). That is my TV knitting at the end of the day, I don't need to think about much when I am knitting that pattern. I hope to have updated project pages on Ravelry soon.  The weather is getting nicer, but the seasonal allergies are absolutely awful. So I've been doing indoor exercising hoping for some rain to tamp down the tree pollen. How as your...

  How are you?  I am enjoying the spring flowers outside but not the cold temperatures, I guess it could be much much colder and I shouldn't complain. Our patio awning was installed for the summer season and I wondered about those people working in 30 degree weather! I cannot wait to be able to sit out there and it will be soon. I had a knitting project that I started ages ago, a shawl, and recently pulled it out. I remember that I found multiple errors in the pattern (or I made a mistake which I highly doubt). So I fixed the mistakes as I knitted then set the shawl project aside for some baby knitting. Anyways, I returned to knitting this shawl yesterday morning and decided that I didn't like it and ripped out about 300 yards of knitting. I loved it! I loved letting go of a project that just wasn't sparking joy. I'm now knitting simple cowls instead with the yarn. In the past, I have ripped out entire sweaters because I didn't like the fit or style. I usually put a...

  How are you? How is your knitting or crafting coming along? I finished this sweet sweater over the weekend and love it! I enjoyed knitting this little cardigan for a family member's baby to be in July. As I have mentioned before this is the 17th time and there will be an 18th time as well and so on. I find comfort in knitting the same patterns over and over again.  What are you working on this week?

  Hello! How are you doing and how was your weekend?  Mine was quiet but productive over all. I worked on many knitting projects and then on a whim decided to knit some dish clothes for Easter gifts. I have left-over skeins from all the baby blankets I've knitted over the years and thought they'd make cute washcloths.  I also on another whim, decided to paint some Easter cards. Surprisingly, my creativity was overflowing. I wrote Happy Easter on each card but didn't photograph that part. Our weather is back to cold and rainy (although the rainy never left us). It's hard to decide how to dress. I don't mind the cold as much as I mind the cloudiness. I'm sure the weather will be warmer after a week or so. Besides finishing a knitting project I also started another baby blanket.  How was your weekend?

  Good morning! I finished my sweater !! I had a fantastic time knitting this pattern which was easy to follow. I wish the neckline dipped a little lower in the front though. The original pattern was a cropped version with 3/4 sleeves. As you can see I lengthened the body and the sleeves to perfection. I also like the size I made super cosy! I will knit this pattern again, I am sure but not right away. Right now I have some serious baby gifts to knit. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning to you! How are you doing? I have recovered from having family visiting last week and am right back to my ordinary quiet days. Spring is arriving again after being here for a few days then leaving for some frigid weather. Today will be over 60 degrees.  I've been having severe dry eye from my autoimmune disease (Sjogren's syndrome) and it's quite annoying. I did see the eye doctor and have a treatment plan but golly, I want it resolved yesterday. Over a month ago, I started doing some HIIT exercising a few times a week at home to improve my stamina. So I  lined up a bunch of videos that were low-impact, all standing routines ranging 10 minutes to 30 minutes. I expected that I would not enjoy this type of exercising but I have to confess, I love it. I feel empowered when I complete a video and am able keep up with them most of the time. Who knew? I continue to walk daily but the windy days make my dry eye symptoms unbearable. I am considering joining a gym w...

  Good morning! How are you? Right now, early this morning it is snowing! gah. Yesterday, I took a much needed break from my second sleeve (not finished but nearly finished) and started a baby sweater for a family member. I found out there is yet another baby coming in the family and I will be knitting more blankets and sweaters in my future. According to Ravelry this is the seventeenth time I have knit this baby sweater pattern!  I have already bought more yarn for another blanket this time going for a forest green and moving out of muted colors. I am happy to be knitting for babies to be. What are you working on this week?

  Hello! How are you and how is your crafting coming along this week? I have my family here until the weekend so I doubt I will be knitting much, but I did make it to the second sleeve of my vanilla sweater after I snapped this photo. I'm so excited that I am near the end. I'm still trying to decide if I should redo the neckline a third time...I will block it and see how it looks before I rip it out. I'm hoping the blocking will even out the edges. What are you working on this week? I will be busy with my family and will not post until Monday or Tuesday. We hope they find a house to buy!

  Good afternoon! How are you? We have been having wonderful weather here, I'm enjoying it immensely. It seems like a switch was flipped and winter is over. Don't worry though, we did not put the snow shovel away yet as a precaution. I don't know if you remember but Frodo (our mini schnauzer who passed last August) was a nosey little dog and I would call him Mrs. Kravitz whenever he watched the neighborhood (from Bewitched TV show). Well now, look at Miss Holly up there doing the same thing picking up the torch of being nosey in the neighborhood. I love it! (Frodo wanted to park at people, Holly is interested in the birds) This past week was really busy. Tomorrow is busy as well. I have a meeting at church then the rest of the day I'm helping out my cousin with her medical appointment and it's 40 minutes away. My aunt appreciates an extra pair of hands and I'm willing to help out. That is why I'm posting today instead of tomorrow. On my walk today I spied ab...

  How are you doing on this fine Tuesday? Right now the sun is shining and I already took a first walk and will take a second short walk after dinner. Well now, I finished the baby blanket! I am excited that I casted off over the weekend. Phew. I love to knit for babies and lucky for me it seems there is always a baby to knit for these days.  It's been really busy here and that is why I wasn't around on Monday. I don't know why I have a ton of appointments and meetings that all bundle around each other. I'm the one that schedules them! I should know better because I get overwhelmed when there is too much going on.  How are your projects going these days?

  Good morning! How are you doing today? This past week I've been reflecting on my focus. What do I focus on and is it something I want to focus on. I've made a strong effort to prune away my wayward attention span. Of course it's a work in progress, but I'm happy with the progress I've made so far. I get sidetracked by current events or 'interesting ideas' where I fall down a rabbit hole of researching on the internet and then find out that time has slipped away. I've become purposeful on how I focus and what I focus on each day.  The more technology advances to help us with our life, the more tangled it becomes on what is important to focus on and what is not important to focus on. Each day, I write what I want to accomplish. That helps set the tone of my focused attention. Anyways, this is what I've been thinking about.  You know what I love to focus on? My knitting which by the way has made significant progress. I hope to finish the baby blanket ...

  Good morning! How are you and how is your crafting coming along? I made it to the first sleeve of my pullover ! Before I started the sleeve, I had to undo the cast off for the neckline because I couldn't get it over my head. I used a stretchy bind off and now the neckline is a bit floppy. I am keeping my fingers crossed that blocking fixes that floppiness and the body edging that is also curling up.  The baby blanket is nearing completion. I am on the last full skein of knitting and if my memory is correct I use a teeny bit of the last skein. (I really should write notes to myself!).   What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? Even though it was mighty cold yesterday, I found daffodils sprouting in my yard. They are defiantly saying spring is on the way. Over the weekend the temps dropped down and I was once again doing my daily walk wearing double of everything. As long as there is no wind, my cold walks are manageable.  My weekend was busy. We viewed three houses for the kids and while one of them was a great possibility they are going to wait a few more weeks before committing on a house. Yesterday after the laundry was done, I read my books and knitted in the afternoon. I am almost done with the baby blanket.  Lent starts this Wednesday and maybe I will be posting a little less (or not). Can you believe that we change the time this coming weekend? Time flies by the older I get.  How was your weekend?

  Good morning! How are you doing?  My knitting news this week is very little. The baby blanket is almost done which I am excited about. I haven't knitted much this week because of being 'busy'. I've had routine doctor checkups that seem to be bundled all at the end of February and beginning of March (!) and we are looking at houses for our son and daughter in law. When I get home I am just too tired to think straight. Luckily I've got a few days to catch up with my knitting, reading and thoughts before the next house viewing this weekend.  What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? Mine was busy, but I still managed to catch some minutes with my knitting. I am very close to the bottom of this sweater. I'm so excited! Our son and daughter in law started looking at houses virtually while my husband and I go physically to some of the houses. So far, nothing of interest that meets their needs but it did take up a chuck of our Sunday afternoon.  On Saturday, we went over to my sister's house to celebrate our brother in law's birthday. It was nice to get together and catch up with one another.  I am easing into another busy week helping family out, going to my classes and another routine doctor appointment. (these doctor appointments tend to bundle all together...). How was your weekend?