Pumpkin Sunrise

  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?

  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 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?

  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?

 Good morning to you!! I am making progress on my three knitting projects but when I'm working on one I am looking at the others wishing I was working on them. I really want to finish the hat (burnt orange) and have merely an inch to knit before the decreasing. This is the project that I feverishly work on each evening and hope to finish by next week. The socks and the shawl are both making minimal progress while I focus on the hat. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? Boy did this week fly right by and now it's June? How has this happened? All of a sudden it's late spring and there are hints of summer. I dropped into Whole Foods quickly and spontaneously bought a mini watermelon and was quite surprised it was yellow inside when I cut into it (I did not read the sticker....). I do not like the texture and the taste was 'okay' until I ate a yucky piece (do I sound like a kid or what!).... Oh how I regret this purchase. Lesson learned, I must read the stickers. I pulled out my color pencils and did a big swatching session. I'm hoping I will be inspired to create some art or at least try to create some art. After feeling unwell for so long I'm now starting to feel like myself and want to dive back into creative pursuits that I shelved. No matter how my health is I am capable of knitting and reading but any kind of art producing like watercoloring, drawing or sketching is not something I can muster. I...

  Good morning! How are you doing today? Well I'm pleased to report that I finished this  shawl a few days ago! My knitting needles are on fire these days. It's been nice to be enthusiastic about my knitting, I think I was in a knitting rut for the end of winter. I changed the pattern so that there were two garter stitch ridges between the eyelet section otherwise I followed the pattern. I enjoyed knitting this shawl overall. I barely had 400 yards of wool so the shawl doesn't quite wrap around and drape. I had to do a loose tie but I think it still works out. This will probably be a gift for someone some holiday. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you and how was your weekend? I'm doing pretty good. Once again the weather went from hot to cold and once again I am happy about that. However, every I have difficulties dressing for the weather. Yesterday, I changed twice - I wasn't warm enough.  This weekend was quiet and uneventful. My husband and I did some clothes shopping and then gathered all the clothes in our closets that we did not want anymore. I got rid of all the clothes that are too big for me,  On Saturday my sister and I went out shopping and I bought some watercolor pencils, above is the doodle I did with them. We had a nice time out and about. We stopped at a new juice/smoothie place which was 'okay'. We miss the one that went out of business over a year ago, they were so tasty! I did a LOT of knitting. I'm trying to see how much knitting I can get done before my medical tests next week, it's a game that I think I am winning at. I would love to finish this shawl and the...

  Good morning! How are you doing? I have been bitten by the knitting bug this week, I started a baby blanket over the weekend, I cast off on my yoke sweater and now I'm back to working on this pink shawl . I am excited about all of the knitting projects and wish I could knit them all at the same time.  Yesterday I tidied up my knitting bag and put away needles and accessories that I'm not using right at the moment. I've made room for more projects.  What are you working on this week?

  Well well well, I am making progress on the impulsive shawl I started while still working on my yoke sweater. I am basking in the spring-like color and enjoying how each row gets longer and longer. I might give this as a holiday gift or I might keep it for myself. I'm not sure yet.  I reached the first sleeve cuff on my yoke sweater , a victory! I have about 10 more rows then I can start the second sleeve. My knitting time has been limited. I have more medical tests this week and of course picking up the sweet grands at daycare. A full busy life is a wonderful blessing!! How are you? What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? The weather is getting warmer and spring is definitely here. It's raining and will be raining off and on for the week. So that will really make the trees and bushes green! Yesterday afternoon on a whim I started a new project that will most likely be a holiday gift. I was just itching to start something else instead of working on my sweater or my hat. I already have the stitch pattern memorized and I did tweak the directions a bit.  What are you working on this week? 

  Good morning to you! How have you been?  My knitting is on fire these days. I have three main projects that get equal treatment and spark immense joy. Above is the sweater that I am knitting along with my sister. I love the color and the construction so far of the sweater pattern and the yarn is very tweedy. Next up is my hat which is my third musselburgh hat pattern. Nothing is so satisfying as knitting endless stockinette stitch when you are reading a book or talking to someone. Lastly, I have a shawl on the needles, but I think there was a mistake in the lace portion of the pattern so I am correcting it along the way (and it could be that I made a mistake that I am fixing along the way!) I am pretty confident in my pattern alterations but my fingers are crossed if I have to fudge further along in the pattern as I continue to knit along. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? This weekend was one of the best weekends ever because we got snow and it was unpredicted which made it all the more special. I even took a walk during the squalls but decided to cut the walk short. Brr. Besides wintry weather, I am proud to announce I am ready for Christmas. We are going over to my sister's house for Christmas Eve dinner and do our exchanging with her family. It will be fun. Christmas day is just the two of us at home, plus lots of phone calls to family far away.  My son and his family arrive on Saturday for a whole week visit. I am excited about that. I am not ready for that, but I will be. (lists are my friend) The above photo is the morning moon winking at me. The very first photo is the odyssey shawl  I started before my car trip. I have ripped this back twice because I keep forgetting the pattern and keep knitting thinking I know the pattern.  I finished my husband's musselburgh hat , this will be in his Christmas S...

  Good morning! How are you? How's your crafting projects coming along? I finished this shawl last week and blocked it a few days later. I am pleased with how it turned out. I've knit this pattern once before and enjoyed knitting it a second time around. Now that this shawl is finished I can start something new!! What are you working on this week?

  Good morning!  My knitting has been progressing nicely. Two days ago though, I had to UNKNIT 385 stitches while working on this shawl because there was a mistake. I decided to change the pattern from 'make one left or right' to a yarn over because I could not see the pattern well and lace-weight yarn is oh so fiddly. I am happy with my decision but the unknitting took forever! (well it felt like forever but maybe it was an hour...) I am on the border and that is so close to a finish! What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How was your weekend? My weekend was swell, we celebrated my husband's birthday all weekend long. On Saturday, we did a few errands, stopped at the local library for a look-see, then dropped into Whole Foods for some special cupcakes. Later in the evening we ordered pizza.  On Sunday we continued celebrating and eating those cupcakes but thankfully they are gone today. Phew! We talked to our kids and some family members who called to say 'Happy Birthday'. I haven't been knitting much but I am knitting and enjoying my projects. Below is the colorful shawl, I'm making steady progress and love how each row gets longer and longer. 

  Good morning! How are you on this first day of March? March!, can you believe it? Time just fly by sometimes and sometimes it moves at a snail's pace. I love winter but I have to confess, I'm excited about spring jacket wearing weather.  With a new season so close to arriving, I'm thinking of goals. Personal goals, menu planning goals and what I want to focus on.  Whenever the summer schedule is released at school, I might do more exercise classes, maybe. I enjoy Tai Chi so much, maybe I would like the others and the only way to know is to try one out. What I choose depends on what class it is and when it is offered. I try to bundle my classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I like Thursdays and Fridays free for my regular life and other commitments. My knitting goals are to not have knitting goals. I am thoroughly enjoying my free and easy knitting time. Below is a shawl I started early in January. After a month long break from it, I have returned to leisurely kn...

  Good morning! How are all of you?  I'm still recovering. I know what a sad sentence to write. Early on Friday morning, 7:40 am, I snagged a doctor's appointment for my sinus infection that is now an ear infection in both ears and my hearing is compromised in one ear. I'm on a different antibiotic and a round of prednisone.  I'm still trying to schedule an ENT appointment, wish me luck! I have been knitting up a STORM people!! I don't know what's got into me. I think it's because the company has left, I'm not in classes at the university at the moment and I am motivated to cast on all the new shiny things. It's a wonderful feeling. The top photo is a shawl with changing colors that is thoroughly addicting. I chose a Helen Stewart pattern that I have knit before so it's like being with a best buddy. I won't tell you how I had to unknit twice four rows of knitting because I wasn't paying attention. Below is a baby blanket for my nephew...

  Good morning! How is your January going so far?  I am getting better but not fast enough for my liking. I need to work on that state of mind, I meditate daily but need to accept my reality. Yesterday,  my iphone alerted me that I am not as active as I usually am. Boy did I get angry at my phone. Doesn't it know I'm ill? (I did change the settings so that the phone doesn't alert me to any 'trends' in exercising and minds its own business). Part of the reason I took it so personally is because I am itching to get back to my exercise routine, I miss it so!! My plan is for Monday morning easing back as long as I feel up to it. We are supposed to get snow, my husband is hoping it's a little bit and I am hoping it's many inches. He had his summer season of glory, I need to have my own season. My physical body might be in recovery mode but my creativity is bursting. I have cast on a new shawl will that color changing yarn in the photo above. Frodo approves of the...