Pumpkin Sunrise

  Buckle up! I've got lots of knitting to show you this week. First up are these quick and easy wash clothes I whipped up as a little gift. I used left over worsted weight cotton and enjoyed immensely how fast they knitted up. Wash clothes are the palate cleanser of knitting for when you finish a big project (the never ending blanket) and want something that is instant gratification. I stared a gift cowl in one left over skein from my sister's sweater. This is knitting up fast!! And finally a much better photo of the shawl I am currently knitting that has eyelet rows galore. I know when this is blocked this will look fantastic. I rather enjoy the knitting (reminds me of the hitchhiker pattern - addictive) and I have another skein of variegated wool wound up and ready to cast on maybe when I finish this one or maybe before I finish this one. I'm in a 'cast on' mood. What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend?  Mine was quite restful and calming. On Saturday we went to a few shops and a garden center as an outing. For the entire week we have been having rainy cloudy days. On Saturday I was just tired of it all. Did I move to a different weather zone? Or it just an unusually wet spring? Based on my photos you can see I am adoring the dogwoods that continue to blossom and shine. The above water feature was in a business building that I had to capture, sitting in the rain seemed appropriate to reflect the never ending downpours in this town. Sunday, Mother's Day, the sun came out and it was the most cheerful day. The entire neighborhood came out to garden, ride bikes or walk their dog. We all gave a collective sigh of relief. This week looks like it will be a really nice week. My Mother's Day was quiet since both kids live out of town. My aunt and cousin came over for a chat which I just loved! One of the reasons we moved here. Of course I saw my sister and we ex

  As promised, here are the photos of the never-ending blanket that has ended! I need a ticker tape parade (hopefully you all know what that is). I enjoyed the beginning and the end of the blanket and the middle was taking forever. I am taking a break from blanket knitting until the fall. The yarn is wool-ease which is hard on my hands. The pattern is Old Faithful - feather and fan stitch which I've mentioned before reminds me of my mother who loved this pattern and made this as baby blankets for many babies in her lifetime. Ravelry notes What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you on this wonderful Monday morning? The weekend was pretty good. I didn't do anything super exciting which is fine by me. The weather was fabulous on Saturday and super drippy rainy on Sunday.  I am thoroughly loving the flowering dogwood trees in the back yard. I've shared with you one photo but gosh my phone has so many. All of a sudden everything is green! Trees, bushes and lawns, the beginnings of the month of May are simply the best.  I worked a tiny bit on the cross stitch project which is so challenging for me since it's on linen. I know some of you say to keep at it but at one point I wanted to scrap the whole project and start over on Aida cloth. I resisted and will keep going. Sunday was all day rain and some rumbly thunder. I put on some piano music for Frodo and it seemed he didn't hear the thundering (he is afraid of thunder!). I might be onto something good. How was your weekend?

  This week I've been working on 'being present' in what I do. When I'm on a walk with Frodo I notice what I see, hear and feel. The wind, the neighborhood dogs barking to say 'hello' to Frodo, the birds singing and feeling my cold hands and face while Mother Nature dips into wintry weather (I am not complaining!).  I've noticed that mornings are favorite times to notice the here and now.  I am a part-time dabbler in the 'what if' scenario thought process. "What if this happens?"  "What if that happens?" These thoughts are not being present. And so I work hard at my mindfulness techniques, a constant work in progress.  Guess what is NOT a constant work in progress...I finished that blanket! Oh boy what a labor of love. I hope to have some photos of the blanket for you next week. I'm excited that I can now do some casting on of short term projects while I mull about what long term project I want to do in the future (not a blank

  Good morning! How are you? Well surprisingly, we are back into cold temperatures and I'm not complaining. This past weekend was too hot for me. So once more, I'm wearing some wool apparel and am at peace with that fact. Summer is around the corner and there will be plenty of time to be hot. For today's knitting, I'm sharing with you a shawl I casted on a week or so ago.  Nestled in that squishy garter stitch are lots of yarn overs that will not be visible until I block the daylights out of the shawl. Seriously the instructions say this is so and I'm trusting the directions. Blocking usually does wonders to any lace shawl. The pattern is repetitive and easy to memorize and I'm happy to have this in my knitting tote bag. I am confident (??) that I will be sharing with you my never ending blanket that is on the LAST skein. Stay tuned. What are you working on this week?

  Oh boy was it hot this weekend.  Saturday I was all 'yay, it feels so nice' and by Sunday afternoon I had to put the AC on due to my hands and wrists swelling and aching. (The arthritis symptoms I experience are terrible in hot weather). Isn't it crazy that it was so hot? Isn't it crazy that too much of a good thing could be wrong? The dogwood trees in our backyard are about to bloom, for that I am truly grateful. I had many at our old house and am quite pleased we have them here as well. I also have a resident Mr and Mrs brown headed cowbird couple that are adorable. Sometimes they eat at the bird feeder and sometimes they are standing on the ground eating stray seeds that have fallen down from the bird feeder. I did a bit of watercoloring and sketching over the weekend. It was good to be returning to art in some form or another. My husband did major gardening work on Saturday then was achy on Sunday! I did my weekly laundry chores and cleaning the house.  I'm re