Posts

This Moment

Image
                           

One More Time

Image
One more time, for another cowl .  This one can be looped around twice so it is going to look pretty good once it is finished.  Yesterday I spent some considerable time pondering what I wanted to cast on.  I want to make a wurm hat but could not commit to a yarn in my stash.  There are many projects I would like to cast on for (sweaters and triangular shawls) but I just could not decide for me.  However, picking a knit for my daughter it was easy peasy. This yarn she chose two or three years ago at a fiber festival for a pair of socks.  Which as you can see I never became a pair of socks.  I thought a cowl was in this yarn's future to go with those legwarmers .  I am really loving the simplicity of the pattern .  Watching Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part one was a breeze!! Our son is absolutely fine with less "wisdom", thanks for your well wishes!  It is truly amazing how resilient the body can be.  Of course the milkshakes were probably the best medicine (and

Yarn Along

Image
I hope everyone had a relaxing Christmas. This winter break is flying by for me, I think it's because the kids are home and each day takes a different direction on what we are doing.  I've been having fun, but there has been little knitting and reading done this week. I thought I would share a photo of my new cookbooks that I have so far flipped through-that's it.  I have seen some recipes that look really good but I haven't made a grocery list.  I'm okay with that.  I have plenty of time when the kids go back to try some new menus.  One of my goals for 2012 to is change up my eating and steer towards a whole food diet. I am also reading Digging to America which is a really interesting read.  Every chapter is written in the perspective of one of the characters and what they think of the others in the book.  Some of the thoughts are critical but it's based on the person's own values. For knitting, I am still working away on my Cold Mountain Shawl . I

Christmas Time

Image
This is our Christmas morning before the opening of gifts.  The two gift bags on the table contained food so of course they had to be placed where our dear Frodo would not find them. The larger gift was for him.....treats, yum!  Each year the presents get a little smaller because everyone is all grown up now.  This year we were reminiscing (this word looks like it should be spelled a different way) about putting together barbie houses and hot wheel garages.  It would take hours but it was fun.  Yesterday we listened to the kids new CDs instead of assembling toys. I think in the next couple of weeks I will be quite entertained with three new cookbooks, many novels, and a new photo editing software.  The software will probably stretch my learning abilities. The cookbooks are whole food based.  The one is dairy free, gluten free, and egg free.  I have two relatives who have celiac disease and I always have a tough time with dairy so I thought it would be fun exploring some new menus

Wishing You

Image
I am ready for the festivities to begin!  Did I finish my knitting goals for Christmas?  Yep.  Am I wrapped?  Yep.  Did I finish the baking?  Not really.  Baking is not my absolute favorite part of the holidays.  It just makes me eat more sugar than I really need to eat. As you know, we celebrated Christmas with my husband's parents in October and then my family during the Thanksgiving break.  That just leaves the four of us during the Christmas break.  I kind of like it.  We have lived away from extended family since our marriage (gasp! 25 years this year).  The Christmas break is filled with watching holiday movies, video game playing, walking Frodo and lots of reading.  Sometimes we venture out and do a bit of shopping.  It really is the only time during the year that we are all together.  I am sure in the near future the kids will be on their own and new traditions will begin. I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends, laughter and

Yarn Along

Image
Good morning, today  is another blog post and of course I totally forgot to take a good photo during the day yesterday-although there was very very little sunshine.  I am starting to believe we will have a very rainy Christmas...boo hoo. For knitting this week, I am on the second scrap hat.  I finished the first hat and blogged about it here .  So as you can guess I am thoroughly enjoying the decreasing of the sock yarn project.  The hat in the above photo has more odds and ends but I am trying to stick to some color scheme.  I'm happy with it.  My other knitting project is my shawl .  I am on my first chart out of three.  I am on the second repeat out of six.  I have a very very long ways to go. I am currently reading Digging to America  and only just started it last night.  It has been on my bookshelf for quite some time and I have no opinions as of yet.  I finished The Wednesday Sisters  which was a very good book, I just didn't like the ending.  There was nothing wro

A Little Scrap of Heaven

Image
I finished knitting a hat out of left over sock yarns.  Yep.  Done.  The very best part of this hat is that my son loves it.  The ravelry notes of my scrap happy hat are here .  I used about five different sock yarns and alternated every four rows.  I just guessed at how much I would need.  I do have some of the colors left over (still).  So I casted on another hat but it will be have more stripes, more colors. I do not know about you, but I save everything, even if it is only one yard.  You just never ever know when you will need some yarn somewhere for something.  Since I am in a hat making mood I might go for a third hat.  I timed myself burying all the threads for this hat and it only took a 1/2 hour!  Why oh why does burying threads feel like a lifetime? I have finished wrapping ALL the gifts.  I am ready for the gift giving part of the holiday.  Still have not made a complete grocery shopping list for Christmas eve.  It is just the four of us so it should be easy, right

Weekends

Image
This weekend contained: -me ignoring clutter. -me caving in to peer pressure and making this  Peppermint Bark .  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I am unable to eat it because of all the dairy in it.  I tried and felt awful.  Lactaid pills are only so magical for me.  The family LOVES it. -making potato and leek soup that was super yummy! (with homemade bread) -knitting while the kids are playing video games. -doing way more laundry than I usually do. -trying to come up with my menu plans, I was getting very comfortable cooking for two.   Joining Amanda at the habit of being

This Moment

Image
Joining Amanda at Soulemama

Ridge Cowl Complete

Image
Here are some photos of the Purl Ridge Cowl  that I completed last week.  I have not blocked the cowl yet and I am thinking maybe I should.  Very gently though because of the alpaca and alpaca can be droopy.  I love the feel of this cowl, but I am not thrilled with the curling of the stockinette area. I have been trying very hard not to buy any more purple yarn.  It's difficult because I am attracted to purples and grays oh and greens.   The kids are coming home today.  That means my clean and tidy house will not be clean and tidy.  Let's see if I can relax and enjoy the mess for the three to five weeks that they are home, I promise to try, really!!  I have only just started to menu plan.  I have to wrap all the gifts.   Are you ready for Christmas?

Yarn Along

Image
This week for knitting I have been concentrating on a floppy (slouchy) hat for either my son or my husband.  I wanted to use up some of my left over sock yarn from previous sock projects.  I striped four different sock yarns during the ribbing section.  I felt that I might run out so I added a fifth stripe in the body of the hat.  Each stripe is four rows.  I think it looks pretty good.  I will not be happy when I have to bury all the loose threads though. Here is my project page . My other knitting is the cold mountain shawl that I started a couple of weeks ago.  I have barely touched it, but I did knit a row or two this week.  I finished a little baby sweater over the weekend that just turned out wonderfully.  I think gray is my new go to color. This week I am reading The Wednesday Sisters.   This book is a very compelling read.  I am interested in all of the characters and the story flows quite nicely.  She writes about the personal lives of five women and weaves in their cu