Pumpkin Sunrise

Oh the knitting, or should I say all the non-knitting that has been going on.  I continue to improve with how long I can sit without back pain, and I continue to knit more each day.  However, it is not up to my previous standards.  I'm still slow going. What is also an issue, is I've chosen some BIG projects that show little progress except for the hat.  When I have fast short projects on the needles, I wish for epic knits that take many skeins and hours.  So now I have all the epic knits and I'm wishing for a 200 yard project.  Sometimes I amaze myself at how I'm fickle I am with my knitting.  The Night Sky top is chugging along.  I love the endless stockinette and the feel of a cotton blend in my hands.  Right now this is the knit that I'm most obsessed about and spend the most time on. Ah, the cloverleaf shawl  sometimes it gets some loving but it's not often enough and when I do work on it the progress is hard to see.  I need to put marker clips

Hello!  I was gone again for the weekend.  If you know me well, you know that I am exhausted from two weekends in a row with traveling.  This time we went to celebrate my dad's birthday (Happy Birthday Dad!). We spent the day at his house for the afternoon in northern western Pennsylvania.  I walked about trying out all of my lenses with the Nikon.  I have a zoom lenses that is manually focused and apparently I need the auto function.  Oh well, the learning curve is always biggest when you begin something new. We had a delicious dinner together where everyone brought a dish to share.  My dad cooked chicken on the open fire after a long marinating brine (I think that is what he said).  babies! After saying our goodbyes once the festivities ended,  my husband and I spent Friday and Saturday night at my sister and brother in law's house.  Saturday, my sister and I shopped all morning long and had a lunch out.  My sister hosted the next dinner with more family co

Being home is wonderful, but you already know that.  I never get tired of my house, sitting at my kitchen table with my favorite mug filled with coffee writing in the early morning hours.  Such bliss.  Years ago, I started this morning routine and it has served me well.  I remember 'thinking' about starting a morning routine for a long time.  I wonder why I hesitated?  Didn't summer start off with crazy heat and humidity?  Yikes, I felt like I was wilting.  Yesterday and today was picture perfect with sunny skies and cool breezes while sitting in the shade.  I almost like this season.  While swinging on the back patio swing, I listened to the birds singing as I read a book.  This reminds me of all my teen summers of endless book reading on the front porch swing with a glass of iced tea.  Oh, my friends would get so frustrated with me because I would not budge unless I finished the book.  I cannot believe I will say this but I do love the gym.  (really!)  I

My knitting has solely been focused on this summer top.  I worked on this beauty the entire trip up to Boston getting the lace detail finished.  Now I'm on the stockinette stitching which to me is soothing and calming.  I find if I feel hectic on the inside, stockinette stitch gets me into a zen state of mind. My other projects have taken a back seat while I obsess over this current knit.  Ravelry notes are here .

Get ready, this post has a ton of photos, well ten photos.  However I took so many with my phone!  I'm trying to remember to take photos while having fun.  How was your weekend?  Mine was fantastic, we went to Cambridge to see our son this weekend and had such a good time. The ride up wasn't great - we hit the awful traffic of Connecticut.  While my back is slowing improving, riding in a car causes me pain that Tylenol barely touches.  (Remember, sitting is the hardest activity for me while I heal up).  used book store Friday night we were in Central Square and toodled about shopping and eating and talking.  Saturday morning was the BIG day.  We were all over the place.  After a subway ride into downtown Boston, we shopped a bit and ate at Quincy Market for lunch.  me trying not to squint.... my husband cannot walk and look at his phone at the same time We went to the aquarium and had a fun time, penguins were my favorite - runner up was the jellyfish an

Last weekend while I was knitting with my friends, I had yarn envy.  Serious yarn envy.   One of my friend's shared a current project on the needles and I fell in love with the soft cotton linen blend.  Three days later after a gym session, I drove to my LYS to purchase some of my own. The yarn is Nettle Grove by Plymouth yarn .  While waiting for Wednesday (yarn shopping day) to arrive, I spent tons of time on Ravelry checking out summer tops to knit, for me.   I chose Night Sky  as my summer top to knit.   The Dr Who hat is looking pretty good as I add the yarn in a semi purposeful way. The past week has been a fantastic gym week.  I challenged my body and feel stronger.  Of course my back is still sending me nasty messages but they are much quieter and I do get to knit now.  When knitting I can ignore a lot. Every time I strain my back I swear I will never take for granted my pain free days.  My pain free days arrive and - poof - gratitude goes out

I took some photos of this beautiful cowl yesterday and my was it a warm wooly cowl.  I'm not a fan of wearing wool in the summer so my photos where fast and furious.  Have you knit this cowl yet?  I know some of you have knit it up.  If you haven't, you should. I loved the simplicity of the stitch pattern yet the striking design of the slipped knit stitch.  I will maybe knit this again.  (I'm thinking a great Christmas gift...). The wool was from my daughter and son in law for Mother's day and the sturdiness of the wool gives excellent stitch definition.  I haven't soaked it yet, but I'm guessing a soak in a wool wash will make the fabric softer. I love cowls that can be wrapped twice.  I wear them the most and yet I own few that I've knit for myself! Ravelry notes are here