Pumpkin Sunrise

I've been knitting a little bit each day on all three of my current projects.  So the progress is minimal at best but I am adding rows! My first project is the pair of socks for my husband.  I'm using a sock pattern that is memorized in my brain and is my go to cuff down traditional sock with a heel gusset.  I think it's the best fitting sock all around.  For variety I am doing a little 2x2 ribbing for two rows in between four rows of stockinette.  This is so I don't bore myself to death with a plain sock. Next up is my sweater !  Oh I feel all the feels when knitting this one.  Is it too big? Is it too small?  Currently it's just right.  All the stockinette knitting curls under and makes the sweater look smallish.  I have one more row (or two) to go and then I do the body shaping.  I love the miles of plain knitting for reading my Kindle at the same time. Last up is this cowl .  The knitting is a treat so I am taking my time and enjoying the knitt

my dad and step mom made this snowman for us for Christmas!  How was your weekend?   I'd like to say that I achieved so much BUT I didn't.  I finished a book and started another one on my Kindle.  I'm now on the last Gamache book ( A Better Man ).  I could spend every single glorious day knee deep in Louise Penny's novels.  I didn't really read much of the Grant biography. I did spend hours and hours researching and on-line shopping for a new rosary from my husband.  He said to me 'don't you have a hundred of those?'.  Um, no, I do not.  I have three rosaries.  My first one is from my Holy Communion, my second one is from my Confirmation and my last one is a spectacular glow in the dark rosary I purchased while in a church in NYC.  This isn't even buying one rosary per decade that I am alive!  I narrowed down my choices to four and he picked THE one.  I'm excited for Christmas now. four deer in the safety zone  I mistakenly bought

Well a full week of Advent is almost done.  Each morning I place an ornament on the Advent calendar that my mom made me when I was pregnant with my first child and living FAR away in Texas.  I think about her and her generosity with her creative skills.  I also remember past Christmases when I would receive one gift that was a craft.  I loved spending Christmas day needlepointing something new, or sewing or beading.  I also remember bursting into tears when I became frustrated.  I set expectations high even as a child. My mom would try her best to knit all the gifts and usually not make all the deadlines.  She would wrap up works in progress, give them as gifts then ask for them back so she could finish them.  This usually happened with sweaters.  My cousin once just received all the yarn - it wasn't a work in progress at all... My mother was ambitious in her Christmas plans. This year I scaled back on knitting madly right before the holidays.  I tend to knit all year long a

I finished the last hat over the Thanksgiving weekend and now I need to sew in the tags and wrap them up.  They are gifts for the adult kids who will all be here for Christmas.  I enjoyed knitting this pattern four times.  I continue to be a repeat offender when I find a pattern that I like. Also knitting with worsted weight wool has its benefits, these were speedy knits compared to my go to fingering weight choices. Now to cast on a pair of socks for my husband for Christmas! Ravelry notes  What are you working on this week? Joining Ginny

How was your weekend?   I was with my family for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I had a great time seeing everyone and being with everyone.  Not only does my dad and my stepmom make a delicious feast, they make an extra turkey and give me half of it to take home.  So you know me, I am eating turkey every single day in some variation and cooking minimally. My sister and I had a fun outing shopping at select stores on Black Friday, the only hiccup was me fighting another sinus virus/infection.  I lost my voice, found my voice then lost it again.  The cough was quite disruptive and now I am on antibiotics.  I'm hoping to feel better soon. Holly likes the cat themed blanket my sister gave me :) I put up Holly's Christmas tree for her to play with....seriously though she has been super good for the first 24 hours of tree temptation.  As a precaution, my husband bungee corded it to the wall just in case she decides to be adventurous.   She is so happy under it!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in my house.  Call me crazy but this time of year is my kind of season.  I love to be cold down to my bones, I love the cozy feeling of an early morning and evening both in the dark and of course the anticipation of the holidays. I am very lucky that both kids will be here for the holidays and they will overlap each other's visits during the Christmas week.  As long as I can remember, I have strived to get most of the shopping done before December so I can enjoy December.  I don't like crowds or pressure.  This year I might be done within a week or so. My mom was a fantastic gift giver.  She would ask us for our Christmas lists in September.  At the time I thought she was crazy but now that I know how long it takes to knit gifts, she was a sane person.  Not only did she knit clothes for my kids and my nephew, she would sew clothes for all three kids as well.  I miss her. So far Holly is respecting the ornaments th

To be honest I haven't worked on my sweater for over two weeks, but to keep the blog info current, I'm throwing in a photo.  Let's pretend I've knitted a stitch or two, okay?  If you remember, I ripped out the first try and now I'm down a garment size and starting over.  I'm nearly caught up on the big rip out though. This is hat number THREE out of four!  Yes, I'm over half way over and I work on the hats every single night.  I predict that I will be done with all four hats by the end of November.  Phew!  They will be ready for tags and wrapping and stuffed into a Christmas stocking for my adult children. This sweet cowl has seen a row or two, but not much.  I'm saving this for holiday visiting coming up because I can knit and talk at the same time and not make a mistake.  That is valuable during the holiday season. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow if you are celebrating!! What are you working on this week?

do you see the deer? This weekend was full of extraordinary goodness.  Our son is home for his Thanksgiving break from Penn State, more than likely the last one since he is graduating and applying for professor jobs (praying he is close by!!).  We won't know until early to mid spring if he has job interviews or offers. I've been working on my to do list for the Thanksgiving event.  Everyday I've listed something to do so that I get it all done in a timely manner. The sunrises have been brilliant and beautiful.  I love waking up and taking Frodo out in the early morning light and witnessing nature. Speaking of nature, it SNOWED.  Yes!  I don't think it was even in the forecast and we got about 2 inches of beautiful snow.  It usually snows around my birthday, so I consider this snowfall a belated birthday present from Mother Nature. I decorated the house for Christmas, except for the tree.  I will put that up next weekend.  I strategically decided what

I finished the first hat out of four hats for my adult kids.  Three more to go (assuming my math is correct ha ha).  I made a mistake when telling you about this hat, the pattern is the March hat  and it is a free pattern as well.  I have no idea why I thought I was knitting the October hat... Of course I cast on the second hat immediately. This week my mind is in a 'hurry hurry hurry' mode, so I'm counteracting my frenzied thinking with 'slow down, slow down, slow down' mode.  It isn't easy for me,  but I've been successful in my slowing down. I celebrated my birthday (yay!) and I was graced with phone calls from family and friends not to mention many birthday cards in the mail.  I am truly blessed!  Every day this week, my priority was to enjoy whatever I was doing while doing the task.  I fail on Babysitting Tuesday for some reason working one day a week tires me right out and makes my intentions waver.  My daily goal is to get all of the

I finished the little cardigan for the preschooler over the weekend.  Overall I'm happy with the results including the automatic striping.  Hopefully this will fit her (she currently wears size three and I made a size four). I'm disappointed that when I bought the yarn I thought  it was machine washable.  It is not.  My mistake and I put a tag inside instructing the preschooler's mom that it is 'hand wash".  My reading skills were lacking while I was enjoying the pretty subdued colors. Ravelry notes

How was your weekend?  Mine was somewhat productive, overall.  I had a blissful two days at home wrapping some gifts for extended family that I will be seeing soon.  I feel like I'm on top of my game, right now. Saturday morning I witnessed a beautiful sunrise and also the moon still peeking as the day slowly started.  I will never tire of early mornings and the silence that surrounds me knowing that the whole day is ahead of me and I can do lots. Sadly, I ripped out the hat and the sweater .  Yes.  Both were too big (who does gauge???).  I am very happy with my decision and know now that I am on the right track with both projects.  In my defense the sweater is a drop shoulder design which I haven't knit in decades....so I'm going to blame my rustiness on that.  The hat, well I have no common sense when I started a large knowing full well it was a large amount of stitches to cast on for a hat in worsted weight.  I have no hat excuse. With the ever so de