Pumpkin Sunrise

  Finally I can tell you all about the 'super secret project'. I was on a walk with my sister before Christmas and I was commenting on how warm my mittens were. My sister said she'd like a pair for her birthday which is in mid-January then added well maybe the next year since it was so close. Being the knitter that I am, I went home dug around my 'stash' of yarn and immediately started the mitts . Right before my son and his family arrived for a six day visit, I realized I did not have enough white yarn (I wasn't using full skeins). So I ordered more and waited for yarn to arrive and entertained family. Our family left on January 4th and that is when I picked up the project and knitted like a demon. Last weekend, we celebrated her birthday and she was somewhat surprised with the gift! She reads my blog and when I even mentioned 'super secret knitting' she was guessing in the right direction.

  Over the past week or so I've knitted up two pairs of fetching mitts to be gifted to family members. Now I am finally done with gift knitting unless I change my mind again. This pattern is an old favorite of mine that I rely on often. It's a mitt that fits any adult hand and the pattern is easily memorized. Now I'm working on gifts for me - I am mulling over some simple knitted holiday ornaments but so far it's in my imagination. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! I'm excited to show you my new hat that I've been wearing on my walks with Frodo. It is a warm hat and that is exactly what I needed. I wished the brim was a little longer and maybe the next time around I will pick a plumper DK wool. Otherwise I am thrilled with the way this hat turned out. I thought I was finished with knitting Christmas gifts and then remembered two more that I needed to whip up. Thankfully mitts are a super speedy knit. I've finished one pair and am currently knitting the second pair. What are you working on this week?

  Two weekends ago, yet it feels like last weekend, I went on a crazy knitting frenzy and whipped up TWO hats and TWO pairs of mitts. The bear hat  and mitts are for our grandson for Christmas. I never get tired of knitting this pattern, I've made it many times. For my grandnephew I made a car hat and mitts . He is going to be two years old in January and he loves everything that is cars and trucks. Let's see if he will wear a 'car' themed hat even though he hates hats! You never know with toddlers. What are you knitting this week?

  Good morning! How are you? Can you believe it is December 1st?? I'm thrilled to report that I've knit up another two pairs of the peekaboo mitts and I am done (well I think I am done) with the mitt knitting frenzy. There is a slim chance that I will knit one more pair for my husband but I will convert them to traditional mittens....that is still marinating in my little old brain. I did not make a new project page for these two pairs of mitts but added them to a project page for the previous mitts I made. I believe I've knit up five pairs of mitts for this holiday season. What are you working on this week?

  I started this little wee hat and finished it within 48 hours - now that is a fun satisfying knit. This bonnet is for the grandbaby-to-be and it matches the little sweater that I knit a few weeks ago.  I finished another set of fingerless mitts to be given as a Christmas gift. I have the pattern memorized in my brain so that gives for even speedier knitting. I definitely have one more pair to make - possibly a few more after that if I haven't burned out from making them. What are you working on this week?

 I know, I know you all are just stunned that I am finishing so many holiday knits. I've finished two pairs of mitts for my daughter and son in law for Christmas. This mitt pattern ( peekaboo mitts ) is a very fast knit and I've already started the third pair as I type this post up this morning. After the manic mitt knitting I intend to switch to hat knitting (also speedy knitting). What are you working on this week?

  I know what you might be thinking. There should be a finished project, like the baby blanket or the poncho or the never ending shawl. Well hopefully next week the baby blanket will be done. But instead of focusing my energy on madly dashing over the knitting finishing line, I decided to cast on something new. I am making a pair of fingerless mitts for Christmas giving. I was happy to be knitting a small project for a change. I hope to make more mitts for more people in my life over the next few months. What are you working on this week?

  I finished a pair of mittens for my husband a few days ago. I loved working with worsted weight and how speedy the knitting was for me. What a delight! These are based on the Bernie Mitts pattern - I changed the ribbing to a rolled knitted edge then a 1x1 instead of 2x2 and I did a simplified decrease at the top. I also did not do any color work on the thumbs because I was a lazy knitter. I started a new sweater three times. The first time, the ribbing was loose, the second and third time I was casting on while the electricity was out for about an hour last night for no particular reason. I couldn't see (even with a flashlight) so my counting of cast on stitches was wrong. Once the electricity came back on in about an hour, I cast on successfully with smaller needles. Phew. I have knit this sweater once before , I wear it all the time! What are you working on this week?

  Just like the Catholic Church, I'm in Ordinary Days. We are truly in the winter season and the wind is cold. I am wearing my wool socks and wool sweaters daily. Whenever I'm outside I have a hat, shawl/cowl and knitted mittens. I'm not complaining at all, I would rather freeze to death than sweat to death. My husband is withering away though, he loves summer and hotness. Have you noticed the days are getting lighter and lighter? Truly one of the blessings of January and February. It might be cold out but the daylight lengthens and brings hope. This week I've been focusing on lots of journaling and reflections. I find comfort in putting thoughts down to paper and mulling over all of my wispy threads on life and happenings. Along with daily writings, I've been meditating twice a day using the Insight Timer App , which I highly recommend. There is plenty to do that is free. I chose a year subscription to get to the courses. I'm sleeping so much better these days.

I successfully knitted a bear hat and a pair of mittens over the weekend and promptly gifted them to the preschooler.  She was thrilled even though she is battling another cold (preschool!!) and feeling under the weather. I hope I do not catch it. I did a lot of hand washing and using hand sanitizer but I have a compromised immune system due to my autoimmune disease and the medicines I take.  Fingers are triple crossed I have dodged the germs! Anyways, I am done with knitting little hats and mittens for now.  I consider these small projects her PRE- birthday gifts.  What are you working on this week?

Last week I delightfully fell down a fabulous rabbit hole of knitting for the preschooler whom I babysit.  Finally I found a pattern that she was so excited about.  When I arrived early in the morning I showed her the cat hat telling her I needed to sew the ears on and then it was hers. She was thrilled!  Over and over she said 'Mrs. Karen, I love my cat hat'.  She wore it for most of the day. Because she loved the hat so much, I whipped up some mittens as well.  Thank you Jane for the mitten pattern recommendation.  Super easy and fun!  When I finished the first mitt, she tried it on and then said 'Mrs. Karen, you did a great job on my mittens'.  (YUP.) Today she thanked me again for her hat and requested that I knit the bear hat that was pictured with the cat hat on the pattern.  Well of course!

I finished not one pair but two pairs of mitts .  One pair is slightly longer in the hand and thumb for a known recipient's hand size.  The second pair is a 'guesstimate' size.  They will fit! Now that I've knit this pattern three times, I'm ready to move onto something different.  For several years now I will knit the same pattern a couple of times if I like it and believe it would make a great gift.  There is something soothing about knitting a familiar pattern and getting into a zen state of mind. What have you been working on this week? Joining Ginny

Happy November!  This month is my favorite because it's my birthday month.  I've been reflective this past week on two quotes I ran across while toodling about on the internet.  Both have had me coming back to them again and again. a dr. who reference First quote: "The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything" -Oprah Winfrey. Do I do that?  Do I make the best of everything?  I'd like to think that I do.  But I'll be honest, in spite of my 'positivity' on this blog, I do have a dark side where I get jealous or envious of others.  My main jealous notion is of people who have family living in the same town.  Gah, I want that. I get pea green with envy, and it can at times consume me if I let it. Here is the thing, when I'm jealous, I'm miserable and my worst self ever.  Being jealous is a choice and not a fact.  So I work at my thoughts and feelings.  I work to focus on the p

The knitting bug has bitten this past week, in that I am knitting wildly and furiously working on three projects. The first project is a second pair of fingerless mitts for holiday gift giving.  I had some loose half skeins in my stash in the same dyelot and knew I could eke out another pair.  I'm excited to do a second pair but I'll be glad when I am done with the second pair.  I might just be overdosing on the pattern a bit. I started a sweater for the preschooler in a size 4 and I hope she will like it, I know her mom will love it.  I just separated the sleeves from the body and am chugging along with the body of the sweater.  I finally (finally!) got to the the color work part of the pattern of my hat for me.  The white and hot pink yarns are from odds and ends.  The black yarn is 1 1/2 skeins of baby ull by Dale Garn  that I had in deep stash.  It is the soft super-wash wool ever. I should be done with the second pair of mitts today or tomorrow, then I wi

Good morning!  Thank you for all of your sweet comments about my trip last weekend.  I was a bit blurry with writing my post, I'm still lacking sleep and playing catch up.  But I am catching up!  I started a new knitting project for the preschooler.  I am knitting her another tiny tea leaves sweater this time in a size four for her Christmas gift that has to be completed by the beginning of December.  I'm in a mini time crunch with all I want to knit. My Christmas gift  mitts are nearly complete.  I have the second thumb to complete.  I have enough yarn left over to maybe make another pair.  I also have some loose ends of previous skeins in the same wool that could work.  Today I will be digging in my scrap bag to see if the dye lots are the same. My hat is finally at the body part of the fair isle pattern.  I chose to make a four inch ribbing band instead of one inch because I like to flip the band and double it up and I like a bit of a slouch.  Hopefully thi

This pattern was so much fun to knit that I've already cast on another pair for a Christmas present.  Sometimes I wish you all could feel the squishy factor in a project through the photos on this blog.  These mitts are super squishy and while I referred to the pattern frequently, it was 'an easier than I thought it would be' pattern. Sadly I cannot tell you much about the wool that I used.  I bought it at a fiber festival and the spinner didn't give any personal details to her skeins except that it was sport weight and romney wool.  I was delighted to knit and find little bits of hay in the spinning, a rustic wool but oh so soft and springy. I cannot wait to wear them.  Yes!  They are for me instead of a gift for someone else.  I also have some wool left over to maybe make a hat. Ravelry notes

I was hoping this shawl would be off the needles but yesterday was a babysitting day and a three year old doesn't stop much anymore.  Maybe today I'll be casting off!  I love working on this super simple shawl pattern and watching my gradient colors shift from one to another. I started a hat for me last weekend but haven't worked on it much lately.  Once the shawl is done I will be focusing on a 'me' gift. Last but not least are my mitts that I ripped out and cast on in the larger size.  I've done a lot of knitting but little to show since I started over.  I love working with this earthy wool. I'm reading: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (kindle) Glass Houses by Louise Penny (kindle) Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr Trevor Noah Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Joining Ginny