Pumpkin Sunrise

  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...

  Hello! How are you? I'm doing pretty good these days! Ta da! I finished the shawl last week and finally blocked it out. I did some garter stitch edging on this shawl as well to use up the remaining yarn on the skein. I liked how it turned out. As I mentioned previously this is a holiday gift and I hope the recipient loves it. (I wish it was mine...). What have you been working on this week? Are you thinking of holiday knitting yet? I have been and have even started more projects!

  Good morning! I hope you are doing well. Over here we are heading into another heat wave (boo). I thoroughly enjoying wearing jeans once last week. The cold front was a hint of things to come. I cannot wait!  I don't know what got into me, but I was motivated to start some new knitting projects. I dug through the stash and unearthed some fingering weight yarn for a sweater and then dug some more to find something to make a musselburgh hat for my son in law. He loves my hats and he would love this one since it's double layered.  Selfishly, I was seeking some super easy knitting for the evenings. So it's a benefit for me as well. The grandkids slept over Friday night and as always we had a great time. Friday night is the easy day, Saturday morning comes with challenges to keep the younger one entertained. Oh! She had her family birthday party on Saturday afternoon. She's three years old, growing up! I think we are winning the pantry moth problem in the laundry room, eve...

  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! How are you? I am so excited to be on the last lace chart of this shawl . Knitting shawls is my potato chip knitting I cannot get enough. I have to set it aside when I'm watching a tv show because I make lace mistakes. However I am pretty good at catching them as I'm about to do them.  The sock I'm knitting that is not in this photo is almost to the heel flap, which I consider the down hill part of a sock.  What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? I haven't been doing much knitting this past week but last night I was knitting once again. I believe the virus fever is gone (fingers are crossed). I've been enjoying my current knit and love when I get to do the lace portion of the shawl . Before you know it, I'll be near the end! I find knitting shawls to be quick knits.  What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? I'm 'okay' - I've been plagued with aches and chills and yes a fever all day yesterday and through the night which sets off a nerve pain from a very very old disc herniation (1999). Thankfully ibuprofen helps me and I cannot wait to eat breakfast and take some, Tylenol just doesn't touch it. This virus was going through the kid's house two weeks ago and I avoided it skillfully UNTIL my husband started symptoms earlier this week. It was only a matter of time I would get it. Sigh. On Saturday before my illness we went with the kids and grandkids to the Children's Museum where they had an Eric Carle exhibit. The kids loved it. To be honest, I loved it. On the wall was his biography in bullet form that took mere minutes to read. Fascinating. I was surprised that the museum wasn't crowded either. I have been half-heartedly knitting the first sock. And I finished a few books since reading was all I could do yesterday. I also starte...

  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! How are you doing? Right now it is nearly 6 a.m. and it's still dark outside, the days are getting shorter. I am all in for the approaching fall like weather that is very very far away. As you know I was busy traveling to visit our daughter and her family and I barely knitted a stitch, but I thought I would share with you the beginnings of another shawl  when I did pick up my knitting.  I am doing the same pattern as the last time. I was in the Boston area and we decided to split the super long drive into two days of driving. On the way up we stopped overnight in Beacon, NY and on the way back home we stopped at Ithaca, NY. I went to every independent bookstore I could find that was opened in each town plus the Cambridge area. The above photo is my book and stationary haul from the entire trip. I am excited to dive into some of my books. Two of the books I've read more that 3-6 times which are:   Wuthering Heights and a Tree Grows in Brooklyn. ...

  Good morning to you! How are you doing? I'm doing okay, the air quality is improving. My knitting is the same and there is progress on the shawl! After finishing the lacework I had more yarn left over so I decided to add garter stitch ridges and some simple eyelet rows in between. I call it knit doodling and it was easy and fun. The sock  that I started last week has had little to no attention! I hope to switch that up this week. What are you knitting and working on this week?

  How are you doing today?  I'm doing okay, the Canadian wildfire has messed with the air quality which is messing with my breathing and my dry eyes even when I am wearing the scleral lenses. I tell you what, it is always something for me. Yesterday we all went to my dad's house to celebrate his birthday. We had a nice time. the grands (his great grands) were there and he had a potato digging event. The little ones loved it, they even had little garden gloves in which to dig into the dirt once the potato plants were emptied into the wheelbarrow.  Later on we had a lovely lunch on his screened in porch. In other news, I started another sock - don't be fooled I went outside for this photo and then came back inside due to the poor air quality. What's new with you? How is your air? 

  How are you today? Well I'm doing great and I'm thrilled to share with you my finished pair of socks that do not match. I am a very matchy matchy girl so this is unusual for me, but you know what? It is freeing to have them not match. I finished this pair over the weekend and they are for my husband. I immediately cast on another pair of socks for him right afterwards. I need easy knitting when I'm watching tv at night. In other news, it's hot again and I am hiding in the AC waiting for the hot humid weather to pass me by. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you doing today and how was your weekend? My weekend was fantastic in that I did nothing exciting at all. I read, I knitted, I sat on the back patio watching my birds and relaxing. I am feeling restored and rejuvenated. Oh and guess what? I heard the cicadas for the first time this weekend. We are in mid-summer now.  I have been feeling wonderful! Yes you read that right, I am feeling so good these days and feeling like myself. I've been on the new immunosuppressant for eight weeks now. It will not be in full effect for six months but I'm enjoying feeling the beginnings of it working. The other fact that makes me feel good is that I do not have a doctor's appointment for a MONTH. Whoop!  So far in the past year I have had doctor appointments with PCP, Rheumatologist, Pulmonologist, ENT and Cardiologist. Then I've had so much testing done by all of them. I am basking in my one month of no doctors.  Because I'm feeling better I am also feeling ...

  Good morning! How are you?  Well the weather is much more manageable this week, phew! I found it interesting that when it was super hot the birds didn't visit my feeders much. They were probably dying from the heat too. Anyways, I am grateful that it's just regular hot. Today is the first day I wished it was fall and that is the fastest ever. I haven't even made it one month into official summertime. I have a long long way to go. The title should be non-knitting news this week. I was recovering from a cold virus so I didn't knit much and when I did I worked on the second sock . I doubt I will be knitting much until Friday. We have the grands sleeping over tonight and they take all of my energy!! Do you like my cellphone in the photo? My little granddaughter (almost 3 yo) will say 'hang on, this is an emergency' and answer it. Ha ha. So cute. What are you working on this week? Are you ready for FALL?

  Good morning! How are you doing? How was your week? Happy Fourth of July a few days late. We had a family gathering that day and I am so very grateful for the helping hands that made my work less work. I paced myself and delegated and yet I was still exhausted. I miss the days when I had endless energy when I was younger. Anyways, I was excited to get an email from the local farmer's market that their corn was in!! Wahoo! Their corn is superior to any store bought corn. Just saying.. Yesterday after Mass, we offered to watch the local grand kids for an hour or so while my son and his wife did boring errands. My granddaughter played 'hospital'. That's the hospital in the photo above. I must say she is a thorough doctor and made everyone feel better. My grandson was building cars from my son's old brio set. Because of my virus battle (still winning!) I had low energy and did minimal knitting. However I did sit on the back patio when it wasn't sweltering hot and ...

  Good morning to you all, how are you doing today? Are you in this crazy heat wave? I am so very grateful I have AC and can sit inside my house and ignore the weather. Thank you for the well wishes, I am feeling better and I believe the cold is mostly gone which is a miracle. I am slowly building up my stamina again.  My knitting has been slow but I have been knitting. I snapped this photo yesterday on the back patio and am pleased you can see the color changes better. I am half way through the last chart of this gift shawl . As I said before, I might cast on another one when this is finished. I tend to be a knitting repeat offender, ha ha. What are you working on this week?

  How are you doing this week? Are you going to get the heat wave ? We are going to have one all week long, sigh. I really dislike hot and humid but my husband loves this kind of weather so someone is always happy in this house. I love winter and he does not.  We've been sitting out on the back patio enjoying the birds, chipmunks and squirrels. They are busy little beings. I usually take a book out to read to pass the time if we are not talking to each other. As soon as I get hot, I scurry back into AC. Last Tuesday we babysat the local grands in the morning and our grandson had a stuffy nose. You guessed it, I got it and it walloped me. Even though I am on a strong immunosuppressant it seems so far I am winning the virus battle. I am grateful and I am super grateful for the nebulizer that seems to keep it out of my lungs so far. (I don't want to jinx anything by talking super-positively!!) Because of the wonderful virus gift, I didn't do much except read books and nap a lo...

  Good morning to all of you! I hope you are well and enjoying your summer. We have been having some pretty nice weather this week and soon it will be getting hotter outside. That means I'll be hiding inside. I've managed to walk a few times this week wearing my 'wind' glasses (moisture chamber eyeglasses) and they WORK. I love them more and more and am letting go of how they look on me. There is freedom in this thinking. My knitting has been the same, I continue to work on the socks (not in the photo), I just finished the second sock cuff and started the stockinette portion of the leg, that is bliss. My shawl  is almost done. I am on the last chart and work on it every single day. I love when the shawl gets longer and longer with each knitting row. I am seriously considering knitting another one in gray for another Christmas gift.  What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you doing today!  I'm pretty excited to share with you the current shawl on the needles. I'm having so much fun knitting this! Now the only drawback is knitting with a dark brown in the evening. Where are my youthful sharp seeing eyes when I need them!! If I get motivated enough I hope to knit on the back patio and listen to my birds.  What are you working on this week?