Pumpkin Sunrise

And what would keep a baby warm?  Why a cardigan of course.  Not just any old cardigan but the good old standby of Elizabeth Zimmermann's creation-February Baby Sweater!  I decided to do a gray yarn because the recipient loves neutral shades. I decided to eliminate the lace pattern so the two shades would be the main focus of the sweater.  I also could not resist adding a touch of flare with the red buttons.  The details of this sweater can be found on my Ravelry page . Tracey over at Clover is hosting a little baby shower for Amanda from the habit of being .  Hop on over to Clover to see all the lovely gifts for this very special baby to be :)

  (this is me swirling my camera around as I photo the Christmas tree) This weekend contained: -shopping, on a Saturday, with EVERYONE on the planet.....well, it seemed to me to be everyone on the planet. -realizing that I am not going shopping on any weekends before Christmas-I dislike crowds and traffic and tend to lose my Christmas spirit. -relaxing knitting, which means I am not under any deadline, it is a good feeling. -dinner out with my husband! -lots and lots of Christmas music "it's the most wonderful time of the year".......Yay, Johnny Mathis!  I also have the words to "Santa Baby" memorized, it is a selfish song that I cannot resist liking-- a '54 convertible light blue would look pretty nifty. -knitting with my friends-honestly I think we laugh and talk more than we knit.  I always take simple knitting so I do not make any mistakes. How was your weekend?? joining Amanda at the habit of being

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

I snapped these photos around seven a.m. this morning when I went to get the paper.  For as long as I can remember, I have always loved it when it snowed.  I do not think I will ever get tired of it.  Snow covered ground is beautiful and I love to be cold.  (I am a little strange) Many people would say that I would dislike snow once I started driving---nope! It has not happened. I am married to a summer lover.  He is so happy swimming in the pool, while I am grumbling about the heat and my hair (did I mention that my hair looks awesome in the winter?)  So yesterday when the snow started I heard his grumbling and I smiled.  It is my season--I am happy! I believe that this snowfall will be melting by this evening.  The sun is shining and the temperatures are rising.  Today I will keep looking out the window and enjoying the view.  I will make more lists.  Next Thursday the kids are coming home for their winter break.  Our son is off for five weeks and our daughter is

This week for the Yarn Along I have been knitting up a storm on a project I am unable to speak about because it's a secret.  So the gray project in the photo is all I can say about it.  Yep, it's gray and it's a secret.  Now I am thrilled to announce that I finished my husband's sweater over the weekend!!  He has already worn it once and because it's 100% wool and it is not cold out, he had to take it off.  I told him it could be a coat if one wanted a warm garment.  I am still working on the Ridge cowl .  I love this project because the yarn is heavenly to hold - so so so soft!! For reading this week, I chose A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  I have read this many times and I still enjoy Scrooge's transformation.  You know, the Grinch has a similar transformation only his heart grows bigger.  Scrooge just gets to see what a crummy guy he has been.  Everyone should contemplate their past, present, and future (without the scary ghosts!).  I am on the

I finished my husband's sweater this weekend.  It was a lot of knitting (two sleeves and neck) but I did it and I am overall quite pleased with the results.  For the edging of his sweater, I did a 4 x 4 broken rib (the purl was replaced with garter stitch) pattern so it would not be too wavy.  I finished the bottom of the body and the sleeves with five ridges of garter stitch. I am not thrilled with the neck line but he wanted a VERY short vee neck shaping.  I think it should be a deeper vee neck.  Whatever-he is very very happy with it.  I also decided to make the neck line overlap so there would be more elasticity.  I am notorious for making neck bind offs too tight and always ripping out.  I succeeded in doing this neck ribbing one time only :) I really liked this universal pattern , however I wish they would give a standard raglan measurement.  I was supposed to measure one of his raglan garments for the number, guess what?  He does not own any!  So I did t

My weekend contained: -a Christmas dinner party with husband's co-workers.  (read that as no cooking!!) -frantically knitting like a demon and finishing a project.  But I will not tell you which one until the next time I blog....gotta edit some photos. -starting another project that is super super secretive....ssh.... -receiving my *free* skein of yarn from eat.sleep.knit -I won on the yarn lotto card :) -receiving a lovely gift from Emily (thanks!) in the mail, it really made my day. -waking up on Saturday and having very little evidence of my cold.....I was thrilled that all of that tea drinking did me some good. -playing with my ipod touch camera with some camera apps, hence the photo above! -lots and lots of smiles reading comments with everyone asking about the glue on the gingerbread table from Friday 's post.  Yes there were TWO activities (so so silly)  and no the glue wasn't intended to be eaten but I do believe Elmer's glue is non toxic.

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

This Advent Calendar was made by my mother in 1990 and every year I pull it out I have wonderful memories of her and past Christmases.  When the kids were little they would fight over who was first to start the calendar.  It was valued to be the last so you could place the gold star at the top of the tree.  Now it is just me and every morning when I place an ornament I think of the kids.  I know when they get back from school for the semester break one of them will take over the duty.  Probably without the arguing. I am so thankful that I started decorating the house last Saturday and finished on Sunday.  I used to be able to decorate all in one day.  Now it takes me two days, I am a little slower. I am okay with that.  The reason I am thankful especially this year is because I finished before my tiny cold started.  Now I am sitting with hot cups of tea staring at the tree. My mom made the fabric tree, placemats and and the cross stitched table cloth!  She was quite the

For my knitting this week, I was a teeny tiny bit side tracked.  On the way to my dad's for Thanksgiving, I decided to whip up a pair of fingerless mitts for my son before he goes back to university.  While I was knitting the the car my husband said "are those finally mine?"........Okay now I have decided to whip up TWO pairs of fingerless mitts!  I am proud to say that the pattern is memorized.  I guess if you do something enough it is burned into your memory.  My on the needles project on the right is my purl ridge cowl .  I pick it up once in a while and work a couple of rows.  Easy peasy.  I am still working on my husband's sweater, no new news there. For reading this week I had to buy this book "More Last Minute Knitted Gifts".  I will blame it on my blogger friend Lori Times Five  who made this gorgeous sweater that I love to pieces. I knew when she casted on this project I would be buying the book eventually.  Well eventually arrived over the T

 I was lucky enough to spend the day with my sister on Black Friday out and about in the Pittsburgh area.  Let me tell you that there are no lines at yarn stores and everyone is pleasant and kind.  Best of all they have what I want.....yarn! Our first stop was at  Natural Stitches  as shown in the above photos.  The first photo is an entire wall of Cascade 220!!!  Isn't it great?  I just love to stare and wonder what color I like best.  I could have spent the whole day there but I got hungry and it was lunch time.  Food gets important as I age :) The second yarn store that we visited was Yarns Unlimited  in Sewickley, PA.  This store has quite the collection of yarn as well.  My sister and I have been going to this store for years....(I want to say a decade, but not too sure.)  So when I enter this shop it is like visiting an old friend. I ended up buying fingering weight yarn for some shawls designed by Romi Hill .  I think the year 2012 will be the beaded