Pumpkin Sunrise

If you are looking for an easy memorizable knit for a gradient yarn, I highly recommend the junction shawl pattern.  I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this shawl.  The simple design lets a gradient yarn shine through! I might be making another one with another skein of gradient.  I also think this is a great gift to knit quickly and a great project for on the go knitting..  My modifications were simple, I opted to not knit the lace edging so I could use up as much of the yarn as possible.  I had 24 inches left, so that fun goal was achieved. Ravelry notes

Another weekend come and gone, how was yours?  I thoroughly enjoyed the cooler temperatures even on the drizzly day yesterday.  Just wearing a light jacket makes me joyful.  Now along with fall comes the fall allergies.  I cannot decide if I am experiencing allergies OR the preschooler gave me something.  Every week it seems she is sharing germs. I guess when you start preschool you receive more than an education. Whatever you want to coin my stuffy/runny nose, it's mild enough to ignore most of the time but annoying once in awhile.  That's why I lean towards allergies.  Anyways, my weekend was mostly quiet.  Friday night we ate at home instead of going out for dinner like we usually do.  We attempted yet again attending a fall craft fair that has become ginormous.  I bailed after an hour of being there.  There were too many people and I could not approach any of the craft tables due to the excessive crowds.  I wrote to my future self in my planner to not attend un

Finally the cooler temperatures have arrived and I'm in my glory.  Yesterday I switched the summer comforter to the winter comforter feeling completely confident that the heat of the summer is over and done with.  I hope so!  I loved the rainy drizzly day and the excuse to stay home. I had a pressing week where I felt stressed with all of the tasks that were before me.  Yesterday I had a 'do nothing' day. But you see my do nothing day is doing what I choose to do!  I stayed home and strategically plotted out what I wanted to focus on.  Of course I did some pesky chores like laundry and cooking dinner. I also made space for some walking around the yard and taking photos.  Enjoying the drizzle and wearing a jacket. I made space for lots of reading and knitting.  When I needed to stretch which is important to do every hour if you want to be able to knit more, I focused on drawing, sketching and journaling.  Frodo and I walked about the yard once more. Thr

I was hoping this shawl would be off the needles but yesterday was a babysitting day and a three year old doesn't stop much anymore.  Maybe today I'll be casting off!  I love working on this super simple shawl pattern and watching my gradient colors shift from one to another. I started a hat for me last weekend but haven't worked on it much lately.  Once the shawl is done I will be focusing on a 'me' gift. Last but not least are my mitts that I ripped out and cast on in the larger size.  I've done a lot of knitting but little to show since I started over.  I love working with this earthy wool. I'm reading: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (kindle) Glass Houses by Louise Penny (kindle) Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr Trevor Noah Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Joining Ginny

this is NOT my cat  Hello!  How was your weekend?  Well mine was interesting.  I was asked to babysit on Friday afternoon spur of the moment and while I could not do the entire time, I did two hours of the request.  The preschooler was asking me where my carrots and raisins were.  I usually babysit from early morning to early afternoon and share my lunch with her, hence the carrot/raisin request.  Ah little ones, she is a cutie. She spent lots of time creating art and made a picture of me!  I do like the color red so I see the resemblance.  Sort of.  Not sure about the glitter though and where is my smile?? Saturday was a stay-at-home-until-evening-Mass day.  I got caught up on some much needed filing of papers and I assessed all of my knitting from the past year and made preliminary plans of who receives what for a Christmas present.  I'm scaling down on who I knit for, it was quite intense last year with my manic knitting.  I decided on my 'priority' recipie

It's beginning to look like fall around here.  More leaves are turning colors but the weather is still holding onto summer temperatures.  This past week has overall been relaxing and calm.  I treasure the calm moments because who knows when and where the chaotic moments will occur. Sometimes the chaos is just in my thoughts. My daughter lent me a fantasy novel she really enjoyed in hopes to entice me into her genre of reading.  Initially when I started reading The Curse of Chalion,  I doubted my resolve to dig deep into a created world and a lengthy story (502 pages).  Like many people I will recite a mantra of 'I don't have time'. I've been treating this past week as a luxurious vacation since I didn't have to babysit on Tuesday.  I have a whole entire week to do whatever I want.  I've been digging deep in the freezer creating easy to heat meals.  Of course I've been knitting and then there is the reading. On Monday, I chose to read du

How exciting for me to tell you all that I finished the heather leaf shawl .  This has been quite the knit.  I chose this pattern for its simplicity and fantastic stitch definition.  Both are stunning and I wish you could see this shawl in person. To be honest, my most common shapes to wear as a shawl are rectangles, crescents and half circles.  I love to knit a triangular shawl but I seldom wear them.  Oh and I like assymmetrical shawls which isn't a shape or is it?? Anyways back to the banana leaf pattern , yes, it is easy and quick to memorize, well written BUT because of each and every right side row being different I could not read and knit at the same time.  I could listen to podcasts or listen and glance at a very talky TV show. Now could the weather get a bit cooler so I can wear my new shawl? Ravelry notes

This weekend was full of fun, my kids all came in and we attended a nearby fair.  Every year I look forward to going and every year my body gives out in some fashion.  Getting old is for the birds!  I prefer to go on a rainy day (less people) but the kids can only come on a Saturday.  Of course it was over 80 degrees! There is not much 'heathy food' at the fair but I managed to each food I didn't regret.  I always get some french fries and a slice of pizza.  Instead of the evil funnel cake, I opted for an apple dumpling.  There is apple in the apple dumpling so it's sort of healthy, right? Our son was agreeable for an impromptu photo shoot!  If he moves far away I'll be sad (but I will manage like I always do). Sunday morning the kids left after lunch in stages.  I cleaned the bathrooms, stripped the beds and did more laundry.  The house is back to being tidy until the next visit. We are still in the 80s but all too soon the temps will be dropping.

I've been content this week - I'd like to coin it as 'happiness' but happiness is a noisy word, one with overflowing joy or exuberance.  My contentment is quiet and still, it's drinking coffee in the same mug every morning while I write in my daily journal.  It's the same old same old, day in and day out boring stuff. Many times while I'm here writing to you on this blog, I'll tap upon something I'm worried about or something that is crowding out my inner joy.  Today I'm writing about nothing in particular and that is something. I'm a homebody, I love being home doing the same thing over and over especially after a trip.  I envy the travelers, the explorers and the wild abandon they experience while doing new things.  If I change eating my daily bowl of cheerios for breakfast that would be a crazy kind of adventure.  Don't get me wrong, I love to go away, see new places and do new things.  But coming home  is the bestest feeli