Pumpkin Sunrise

  Good morning! How are you all doing? I'm doing just fine. After a few days (weeks) of feeling blah I am happy to report that yesterday I felt like knitting and any little aches and pains in my wrists were minimal. I saw my RA doctor last week and now am decreasing a medicine I have been on since 1997 while continuing the new medicine I started three months ago that will be fully working in another three months. I am excited for this change. Yesterday I blissfully worked on the gift cowl which is from leftovers from this cowl I made for me. I love working on this, simplicity is where my brain wants to be. I finished these socks for my husband just in time to give them for a birthday present. Originally I wanted the socks to be a birthday present but I was waylaid in my knitting!  Not only is my knitting rhythm back, I am also thinking of new projects to start, which to me is a sign of complete healing. What are you working on this week?

I'm chucking over my post title 'knitting news' when there is barely any news at all. Since I was ill most of last week, I managed maybe to knit a row or two each day if that. Each day my fatigue is less and my energy improves. I'm hopeful I can finish these socks for my husband by the weekend.  The first photo is a gift cowl from the generous left overs of my first cowl . I'm pretty sure I have enough yarn but we'll see as I progress. I know I can rejigger the pattern if need be to accommodate the left over yardage. What are you working on this week?

  Thank you for all of your lovely comments on the last post, I'm glad I'm not the only one who is saving things for a special day. I'm in good company! This weekend was nice. I tried out my new reading glasses that are just for cross stitching. So far I am quite pleased with the magnification! I'll be trying them out again in the next few days. My progressive lens glasses are fantastic, oh the things I can see!  I finally finished a sock, so now to cast on the second sock. I love knitting socks that have no pattern and I can just knit knit knit along without much thinking. This morning it snowed (again) and Frodo refused to do anything after a 12 hour sleep, so I have to take him back out there. He does not like cold weather at all, the older he gets the more he shivers and that is with a coat on! I guess I don't blame him at all. How was your weekend?

  This week I've been working on two projects but both of them are slow going. For some unknown reason my left wrist is hurting slightly, not sure why, so I am scaling back the knitting just in case that is the reason.  The socks are for my husband and I am half way to the toe decreasing. I wasn't sure what this color way would look like but it's a fun bright color way for these winter days. Next up is a feather and fan blanket from deep deep stash out of wool-ease. (I suspect that my wrist hurts from that since it's NOT 100% wool). For some crazy reason I wanted to start a blanket out of the yarns I moved to this house especially yarns that are in the stash for almost twenty years. Feather and Fan was my mother's favorite knitting pattern so whenever I work on this it reminds me of her. What are you working on this week?

  Right now I'm sitting in my family room with Frodo writing this post. The weather is freezing cold out there, brr. I like winter and snow - now I have to remember to bundle up and bundle Frodo up. I don't think there'll be a daily walk today. How are you? How are your wintry days going along?  My husband and I have been huddled up in the house. I am a homebody and loving it! Right now, I've been squeezing in more reading during the day which squeezes out other creative pursuits. My long list of what I want to do can never be accomplished in a given day and I'm okay with that. I'm being realistic.  I came across an interesting saying that I thought I'd share with you: You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can stop them from building nests in your hair - Chinese Proverb I've been mulling this one over and over again. I plan to do a creative art journal spread with this quote in my big notebook sometime today or tomorr

  There is something about January days that are delightful. The Christmas gift giving, planning, knitting and wrapping is completed. The house is undecorated from the holidays and clean spaces are everywhere where I look. The days are getting a little more daylight each day, do you notice that?  I continue to love watching the birds at my back yard feeder. Winter is glorious. After nearly a week, I am recovered from our trip to Cambridge MA. We have another winter storm brewing this weekend but I do not have to be anywhere important through most of it. While up in Cambridge I started a pair of socks for my husband who was the only knit-worthy person who did not receive a Christmas hand knit. Better late than never, right? I am just making a plain pair that requires no thinking on my part. I am knitting on auto pilot. I have been reading the Sister of Auschwitz during the day when my mind is fresh, it's really good. The other book Amaryllis in Blueberry is a really weird book, can

  Good morning!  Boy oh boy did I have a time with my computer just now, what a bother. Anyways, all systems are up and running and I am ready to talk about knitting. In the midst of decluttering I still find time in my evenings to knit. I started a new shawl  project a few days ago. The left over fingering weight wool is a bit of a mystery since I didn't keep the tag with the yarn. I am enjoying this simple knitting project.  I finished the last Christmas stocking and the name has been duplicate stitched as well. I guess I'm getting better at duplicate stitch but I still despise doing it. This time I did not make any spelling errors, I felt quite proud about that. Last up is the second birch leaf shawl on the needles, I'm enjoying this soothing project and the repetitiveness of the pattern. I believe it has fantastic stitch definition this time around. What have you been working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? It's been busy around here and yet in the evening I am relieved to sit and knit and gather my thoughts. The past few days I have not worked on the second birch leaf shawl  (which is in the above photo) because I have been focusing on finishing the third and final Christmas stocking . I am so pleased to tell you that I completed the stocking knitting and now I am faced with the dreaded duplicate stitching of a name. Sigh. I am terrible at duplicate stitch!  I am romantically thinking of what will be my next knitting project. A pair of socks is always easy for me if they are plain, or maybe a fingering weight shawl... stay tuned. I need easy and light in these coming days.   What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! My knitting this week is the same as last week and the week before that. However I've finished two Christmas stockings out of three total. On Mother's Day, I duplicate stitched the names on and -oh boy- did I have a time with that. Apparently I forgot how to duplicate stitch and even though I had the names charted out in front of me I continued to misspell names.  Gracious! I have big plans to make another birch leaf shawl as soon as this pink shawl is finished. I love how the pattern is memorized and I just pick up and go go go. Since I'm busy with other 'life' stuff (who isn't) I need simplicity in my knitting. What have you been working on this week?

  Hello! How are you?  I'd love to tell you about how much I am knitting but that just isn't happening this week. My husband and I have been overly busy and as you know, some things get set aside for the busy. However, yesterday afternoon I had a blissful 2 1/2 hours of uninterruptedness and I knitted away on the second Christmas stocking while listening to some audio knitting podcasts. What bliss! So today no matter how busy I am I will be returning to this project and giving myself permission to ignore the 'busy' and give myself a much needed break. What are you working on?

  This past week I've been working on the same projects. As you can see in the above photo, I finished the first Christmas stocking and have started the second stocking. This is my zoom knitting because I do not have to think for most of it, just stockinette stitch around and around. The second project is the triangle shawl . I work on this mostly in the evenings, overall I love the pattern but the hand dyed wool tends to pool once in a while, I'm hoping that the pooling looks like a design feature. Unfortunately I was mid-row when I snapped the photo so you cannot see the triangle shape, trust me it is a triangle. What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? My Saturday was wonderful and my Sunday was 'okay'. Saturday I spent the afternoon reading The Outsider by Stephen King (it is really good).  Whenever I have an afternoon reading it reminds me of my childhood and teenage years when I would marathon read. I highly recommend. I finished the first Christmas stocking out of three to be made and cast on the second one. I'm pleased with my progress and now I know exactly how much red yarn I need. I will write some notes to my future self. Sunday is my chore day and I was delayed to do any of them because my husband has been doing some drywall mudding and painting in the laundry room and the master bathroom. I cleaned up all of that 'drywall mud dust' in the laundry room and that set off an allergic reaction. I wasn't wearing a mask and I should have known better. Being a human that can learn, I wore a mask in the master bathroom and thus avoided an allergic reaction. I was super grumpy over the

  Good morning! Even though I have the mildest case of ennui with my knitting, I have been knitting faithfully on two projects and enjoying them both AND I am mulling over a third cast on in the near future just haven't decided on a pattern as of yet.  First up is the pink shawl in the above photo. This pattern is super easy to memorize (for me) and I just truck along row after row after row. There are two ways to knit the shawl - bottom up triangle (the one I chose) or an edge to edge construction.  Now about the Christmas stocking below, I wish the Past Me would have made better notes when I made these 5 years ago for my daughter and her husband and documented how much yarn I used. Sadly, the Past Me wasn't diligent. The Current Me is just hoping this takes one skein of red.  It's not a big deal at all, just something I am mulling about. I have two skeins of this red and would be pleased to get two stockings out of it. Somehow the unknown is thrilling and gives life a b

  Over the weekend I finished the LAST pair of socks for the kids. I knit each adult child and spouse a pair of socks.  I am thrilled that I met my knitting goal before the end of November. The above photo is a pair of socks for my future daughter in law. What are you working on this week? Joining Ginny

  Good morning! How are you and how are your knitting projects or other works in progress?  I've been in a knitting frenzy this week. I started a new project, a top down sweater that is the last photo. It would have been the first photo if Blogger would upload my photos in the correct order. This sweater has been such a delight to cast on! I get excited each afternoon when I pick up and knit a few rows.  I'm using yarn from my stash which permits me to buy more yarn right? The above photo is a hat a started earlier this month and haven't spent much time working on it. I decided to photo the project and add it to my Raverly notes so I remember that I should be working on this beautiful hat. Lastly, I will be finishing the last sock of the last pair of holiday gift knitting. I estimate that I will be done in three days. I'm so excited to reach my knitting Christmas goal! What are you working on this week?

  Lately it seems that each day that comes and goes is just like the previous one. How have you been? Have you been able to make the days feel different? Today I am planning on wrapping some Christmas gifts and I'm toying with decorating the house this weekend which would be a week early, just because I can. I hope to have a walk after dinner and take advantage of the milder weather. The local radio station said they will start playing holiday tunes, that was a bright beacon of delight to hear! When I was in high school, I loved Christmas and the days leading up to it. I would wear jingle bells tied to my shoes and I'm amazed that the teachers and Sisters at my Catholic high school allowed this. Maybe they liked the 'jingle jangle' or maybe they had great restraint at being annoyed.  I upgraded my phone after waiting since March to do so. Unfortunately I lost October and November photos due to a rookie mistake. I was so consumed with making sure my husband's photos

  I finished the third pair of socks for holiday gift giving out of four pairs! Of course it's the same pattern memorized in my head that is somewhat soothing during these trying times. My only slight problem was when I pulled from the center out to begin the socks I must have messed it up and I had to knit almost one sock before the massive tangle was undone.   Ravelry notes What are you working on this week?

  Good morning to all of you! How have you been? I've been focusing on my knitting and my relaxation techniques which includes daily meditations. I am also trying my best to NOT multitask. This is quite the challenge since I love to be doing two things at the same time. Apparently multitasking increases stress levels, who knew! I have two projects on the needles, another pair of holiday knitting socks (number 3 out of 4) and a hat for me that is of my own design.  I haven't made a project page for the hat as of yet. I'm enjoying both projects immensely and while working on them I think about a knit for me. In other news we woke up to a 'bear' incident yesterday morning. The little stinker got into our garbage and threw that around as well as broke into the fenced in area and tried to walk on the pool cover.  We think it's a cub based on the footprints below. This is one huge disadvantage of being surrounded by woods in a rural area.

  I finished two projects since I last posted my knitting news update. Sadly I have to guess when I finished these socks ! So let's say sometime last week? I have no idea. But they are finished and they turned out great. I'm knitting a pair of socks for each of the kids and their partners. I am half way done! The baby blanket turned out so nice and because it's all cotton, it's soft and has a cosy feel to it. I'll be wrapping this up for the nephew's baby to be within the next week or so. I have a wee cardigan to go with it, more about that next week. What are you working on this week? Joining Ginny