Pumpkin Sunrise

Yesterday became a day that you just soak up and enjoy.  The sky was brilliantly blue and the temperature was perfect for a walk.  I find that I look down more than I look up while walking, probably to avoid stumbling about in the world.  However looking up sometimes gives me a happy feeling and a sense of wonder.  I can't remember enjoying a blue sky in my twenties.  Or even in my thirties.  Now that I'm older (won't mention an age-because I'm ageless) I see beauty in my everyday surroundings. Have you noticed the days getting longer?  I have.  I'm one of the few that enjoys the dark days while approaching the winter solstice.  By Sunday the snow will be completely gone and we are in for some drippy days. Oh and the birds are singing!  My, my are they a bit early. Their singing is more than welcome on my walks. I've managed to clear out two bags of paperback books that I'm fairly certain I won't miss.  I've straightened up some drawers in the

I won the battle with the pi shawl , see yesterday's post for details. It ready for the first lace section out of three.  The anger has passed and I am loving it again.  As a reward I cast on another citron shawl .  I know, before you say "again?" I want to clarify that I did give one as a Christmas present.  So technically I only have the one to wear. The yarn is mystery yarn of sorts.  I bought it at the fiber festival from a vendor who was desperate to sell her yarn, I felt sorry for her and bought this lace weight.  It's NOT labeled and I wrote the name of the wool down quickly then couldn't read it when I came home.  My writing tends to be illegible at times. Anyways, from googling the many varieties of sheep I'm quite confident the wool is California Variegated Mutant spun lace weight (I wrote "cal var mut").  I like it because it has a crispness to it and it's somewhat soft.  I also get a giggle when I find bits of vegetable matter th

I've ripped out the green pi shawl , oh I don't know, over four times.  I should know to not make executive knitting decisions past eight at night, it's not my ideal thinking time.  I haven't been thrilled with the second lace pattern for quite some time.  I even wrote when I finished row one or row three and still I've found a mistake and where there isn't a mistake, I didn't even like that pattern!  Before dinner last night, I was on the mad hunt for another pi shawl that would be to my liking.  Lucky for me Elizabeth Zimmermann had one of her "pithy" directions in her Knitter's Almanac book. This morning I am fresh, renewed and restored, ready to tackle the beginnings again.  Ready to knit a pi shawl that will require minimal effort on my part besides the counting of stitches.  Wish me luck! I've tidied my crate shelves, that we found in a barn in Ohio when we lived there around 1987.  I love them so.  Notice the gaming guides

This weekend has been filled with: -new planners, new lists, and new plans.  I HAD to buy a planner for the classes, right? -shredding documents-I'm a silly one for saving every bit of paper, now I'm paying for it. -signing up for online statements for FIVE companies, only took me one hour but I waited two years to do it :/ -resolutions of the boring kind, like reducing paper. -sending our daughter back to her apartment, I'm beginning to be like my mother and grandmother before me.  I go through my pantry and freezer saying "do you want this soup?"  "do you want this peanut butter?", "how about a loaf of bread?" -my daughter said "yes" to just about everything, just like I did way back when -enjoying the undecorated house-it feels light and airy! How was your weekend? Joining Amanda

The past few days have been quite busy around here.  My daughter goes back to her apartment tomorrow.  I tidied up the Christmas decorations and rearranged some books.  I still have grand plans of thinning out the books upstairs.  I believe I have books in every single room in this house!  I kind of like that, makes me feel like the scholarly type :) I have pulled a long term knitting project out to work on which is this shawl .  It becomes twice the knitting for me because the lace section cannot be committed to memory (I'm slipping!).  So I knit what I think is the pattern and then I unknit and start again.  When a project sits neglected for weeks, there are dire consequences. As much as I love to knit, I hate to unknit and reknit. Don't you love my project bag?  My sister made it.  When I was visiting her during Thanksgiving, I went through her fabric stash and picked out some fabrics.  She said "that is not what you want" and then chose the above while shop

Since Christmas I've been busy knitting small projects while neglecting the big projects that sit patiently in my knitting bag.  Once those socks in the background are completed, I will once again focus on that lovely brown sweater .  I miss working on it and I'm a little giddy thinking about spending hours on mindless stockinette stitch.  I made another wurm hat , because you can never ever just own one.  I think it's like the citron shawl, I could knit this hat again and again and again.  The yarn for the wurm hat is Cascade 220 sport superwash wool and it is so so squishy!!  You have to try it!! My book, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, is an impulse buy.  The main reason that I carried it to the check out counter is for the cover art and the word SNOW.  What sealed the deal was the description with words like:  Alaska and fairy tale.  It's about a childless couple and their sadness while homesteading in Alaska in the 1920's.  I think it's going to be a v

My days have been quiet and filled with peace.  I always relish the days when I haven't a worry or care in the world.  Every single day should be like that.  So I savor those non-stressed days and bank up that contentment feeling for when the storms brew in my head. I just love these "charlie brown christmas trees" in my yard.  We have many and they always make me smile.  I imagine a very large heavy ornament pulling their tender trunks towards the earth.  While my husband and kids were snowblowing and shoveling and sledding, Frodo and I did a walkabout to document the snow fall.  He loves when I grab the camera! Soon the end of the year will arrive and resolutions come to my mind.  I could list so many tiny goals and invent more and more.  I could be more productive, healthier, knit more (love that one) and organize this house from top to bottom. However, I just want to be in any moment in fullness and appreciate the beauty.  I want all my moments captured

These days have been quiet and calm.  Snow lays on the ground and there is a possibility of more snow this weekend.  I've been knitting and finished two projects.  While knitting my mind wanders to new projects that I'd love to start, another sweater, another shawl.  Yet I still have a sweater and shawl on the needles.  Ideally I like to stay under four projects on the needles.  Over four and I lose my mind.  Four is the perfect variety for me.  Do you have a maximum number?  Just wondering. I'm  still trying to get used to buying groceries for four people, that is a work in progress.  When they leave I think I'll have perfected the skill, only to then revert back to buying and cooking for two people.  I must say that the fingerless mitts are so wonderful in person.  The yarn is cascade 220 superwash and it is the softest wool EVER.      I hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

We are all just hanging out and relaxing, enjoying our time with one another.  Yesterday went by so fast and in between the opening of presents and the forever cooking in the kitchen (and the cleaning), I managed to sit and knit and just BE.  It felt good and I felt so happy.   I am tolerating the mess on the coffee table brilliantly.  Even Frodo looks like he is stunned by it.  It just wouldn't be Christmas without that big old pile of mess. Some yarns that have been knitted with and that blue is going to be a wurm hat eventually.  Haven't started it yet but I love looking at it. While cooking I managed to ball up two more skeins for my sweater that has been idle on the needles.  Every day my forearm feels better and I think it was more arthritis symptoms than abuse.  Let's just say I like to think it isn't from over knitting-tsk tsk tsk-that is like swearing.  Seriously I am happy with the amount that I can knit comfortably. How was your Christm

The wrapping is done and the menu is planned.  I still have a teeny bit of baking to do.  I am enjoying my family during their school break and there is plenty of laughter, talking, planning and remembering past Christmas activities.  Tonight, after the Children's Mass, we will watch A Christmas Carol  (with Alistar Sim of course!)  and eat many many desserts. I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!!

A happy solstice to all of you!!  Yay it's winter time officially, now if only we could have some flakes to make it look like the season.  Would you believe that we had no power from 4 a.m. until 7:15 a.m.???  I am all flustered up because of it.  I did not drink enough coffee and I am behind in everything on my list. My son and I are leaving shortly to go pick up my daughter.  My husband will be making some homemade pizza which I am so looking forward to eating for dinner.  The wrapping of presents is nearly done and I haven't even begun to bake.  But it's on that list that I was talking about so it will become reality.  Very soon.  Just not today. So as I type this post I am once again reminded to be grateful for such simple things.  I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful weekend.  May peace surround you as you approach this holiday and you can celebrate with the ones you love. Have a lovely weekend!