Almost Time for the Big Day!

Three days till Christmas Eve and four until Christmas Day.....can you believe it? Where has the time gone, I ask the same question every year and each time it seems to have gone faster than the year before. As for my blog posts, there haven't been many of late, but I've been very busy just like all of you out there reading this.

In between all of the shopping, wrapping, cleaning, cooking, card sending, etc., believe it or not, I've found time for some knitting and crocheting. I didn't get to do all I had in the back of my mind to complete, but all in all things turned out quite nicely. Above is another picture of my grandson's stocking which I'm really pleased with. I used Cascade 220 this time rather than an acrylic yarn and it really made a difference in the way the finished stocking looks.

I also completed the leg warmers for my mother as one of her Christmas presents using a hand dyed merino wool from La Lana and I loved the slight marling of the colors in this yarn. It's also very soft and warm which I know she'll like. I'm just hoping they fit her legs because I think I should have used larger sized needles. I knit them on size 6 and if I make another pair, I'll definitely use size 8's.


Finally, I joined a CAL on Ravelry to crochet the 'Divine Hat' and although this proved to be quite a challenge with the front post and back post doubles, it turned out rather nicely in the end and will be adorning someone's head this Christmas (although she will go un-named for now).

Please know that I wish each and every one of you a warm, happy Christmas filled with much love, joy, and good health, and naturally, lots of fiberly goodness in the New Year.

Christmas Projects

I've been working on several smaller projects for gifts such as the hat and mittens set above. Although the colors of the two look entirely different, that just goes to show how pictures can distort the true color of something. They're both knitted from Cascade 220 in a deep red and yet the hat looks much lighter. These are for my soon to be two year old granddaughter to keep her warm as she's such a tiny one and so precious as all three of my sweethearts are, of course!

I'm also in the process of knitting leg warmers for my Mom (who never ventures onto the internet so I'm not spoiling the surprise). I'm using hand spun merino from LaLana and it's in autumnal colors which are really very subtle yet lovely. The first one is about halfway finished and then one more to go and I know she'll be thrilled because she's always looking for a new pair and can never find any that she likes.

As for a few other things, I have my linen shawlette which is a gift for one of my sweethearts out there but since a few of them sometimes read my blog, I can't say who right now. It's a lovely shawl though and I know the recipient will be very happy with it.

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is one week from today and we all know what that means! Time to start shopping, decorating, wrapping, card sending, and last but not least, cooking and baking. I hope it's nice and cold and even a white Christmas would be soooo welcome this year (at least by me). I always have a safe and snug feeling when the time changes and the cold weather starts to arrive and it's during these few months that I get a lot of knitting and crocheting accomplished.

The Christmas Stocking

Here is the finished stocking for my sweet little grandson....and done with just a little over 2 months until Christmas, can you believe it? I used Bernat Softee Bulky yarn for this and size 8 straight needles for the leg portion and then switched to dpns for the foot. I kitchenered the toe and was very pleased with the decreases used in this particular pattern (Yankee Pattern). I know that his Mom & Dad will be able to fit lots of presents into it......which they'll just love, seeing as how they have 2 other children's stockings (which I knit in the past few years and are pictured below) to fill.

Completed Projects

Here is the hat I knit for my grandson and I know it will keep him nice and toasty. I used size 6 dpns and Jojoland Melody yarn which I discussed on a previous post, in case you'd like to know where to go and look it over. The pattern is Turn a Square by Jared on his blog, Brooklyn Tweed.

I really liked the ease of following his directions and the way the decreases turned out, although I think I may have made a couple of mistakes on the final decreasing before the last eight stitches. In spite of that it turned out well although, I'm not happy with the purl bumps that present themselves once I turned the ribbing up. If anyone knows how to eliminate that particular problem, please comment and let me know....I'd be very thankful.




As for the other completed project, DRUM ROLL PLEASE, I finally completed the long overdue linen shawlette. Talk about a labor of love.....I nearly went crazy waiting for the 2 skeins of linen to finally run out....they wanted to last forever and I was ready to jump ship on more than one occasion plus I found out that I don't care for knitting with linen so that's why it took me over a year to finish the shawl. I hope the recipient (no names mentioned as it's a Christmas gift for a loved one) will love wearing it as it is quite comfy and not bulky, yet very warm and it melds to the body and stays put.

On the 'paying attention' to my health front, I've been walking every other (I know it should be every, but I HATE it) day and closely watching my carb intake, my portion sizes, etc. and I'm very happy to report that I've lost 4 pounds already so I need to update my weight loss graph asap. I feel good about the small changes I've made and vow to stick with them as I endeavor to add a few more changes to the mix over the course of time.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes!

I've long been guilty of not making my health and welfare one of my top 3 priorities and today is no exception. However, after talking to my mom who always has much wise advice, I think I'm overdue with paying much closer attention to my health, my exercising (recently, my lack thereof), the foods I eat, etc. and naturally, all of this takes the big T.......time. Now, why is it that many of us females do not think we're worthy of taking the time we should for ourselves? We see it as being selfish if we're not always putting others first. I know this is true because I've been thinking that way all of my life and yes, it won't be easy to make a few long overdue changes, but I'm going to give it my all and will hopefully be the better for it. To have a positive outcome can only benefit those in my life as I not only feel better, look better, and have more energy, but I'll also be pretty pumped about the changes I've been able to implement, even if they are slow in coming. The main thing is '"it's never too late to make these or ANY changes".

One of the blogs I really enjoy reading is The Happiness Project. The articles are thought provoking and I really like the idea of making happiness a conscious pursuit because it can be very easy to fall into the gloom and doom type of thinking especially these days with the bad news worldwide, day in and day out. Anyhow, reading these posts for awhile definitely has had some effect on my decision to concentrate on 'paying attention'' and honestly being aware of things each day no matter how small, or how ordinary. There is an honest beauty in the ordinary everyday happenings and I miss too many of them in the hurry-itis I've developed over time.

So, here and now I set my modest goals to begin each day with more awareness. That will be my goal for a week or two and then I'll move onto others such as those mentioned above. I will post both my progress or lack thereof, letting you know just how I'm doing and how I'm feeling about my efforts, in case you might be interested. Posting it here somehow makes it seem more real and it's good to actually have to 'fess up' even if it's only in cyberspace.

As for knitting projects, here is a picture of my progress thus far on a Christmas stocking for my grandson (he'll be a year old in January). I'm using acrylic yarns but they're very vivid in color, don't you think? I've also begun a hat for him using Jojoland variegated worsted (pictured below) and size 5 dpns. I ordered 4 different color ways and it's interesting to see the colors develop as I knit this hat. I'll probably use the other colors for hats as well. I still haven't managed to get a picture of the pink speckled Opal socks I just made for my sweet granddaughter but I will, I promise.

I ordered this yarn from Knitting Software and I just love these people, namely Carole, Noah, and Leah. They give great customer service and will help you with anything they possibly can, plus they offer a wide variety of knitting accessories, DVD's, needles, etc. I also own Carole's Sweater Wizard, Sock Wizard, and Math Wizard, although the only wizard I can think of is Carole herself...she is constantly outdoing herself with each of her creations. No affiliation, honest, just a very happy customer.

P.S. (October 5) I started walking again today which is the first time I've done so since the beginning of June so I'm feeling pretty good about beginning once again. Now that the weather is finally cooling off (although not cool enough for moi, LOL), I can get outside and do my walking........then when it gets too windy or snowy, I'll jump back on my trusty treadmill, at all times armed with my gifted MP3 player (from my fabulous son and daughter in law). Am I blessed or what???

Another Gorgeous Sunset

I'm posting this to try out some of my blogging capabilities using Flickr. I know I'm just tapping the surface but it's exciting to see what can be done. There's a plethora of opportunities open to me, but I need to study them and see how things work. First of all, I can check out if this post actually goes from here to my blog.

P.S. Houston, it's a GO!

Musings

Gaze upon the new swag arrangement we just got for over our fireplace....made by Laurie, who owns a gorgeous gift shop, takes custom orders for wreaths, swags, etc. I gave her the measurements I wanted, the colors, and from there to the above! Kudos to you, dear Laurie, you outdid yourself.

We're mid way through September and it's still blazing hot in my neck of the woods! Ahh well, I'm enjoying it anyhow and as always, looking forward to the crisp and cold weather. Life is good as I sit on both the patio out back and our front porch and gaze out at the beauty of God's creation. Yesterday, I was watching a few birds flying around with their long, graceful wings and it struck me that they just float and soar, and do whatever they want to without ever comparing themselves to another bird of the same species. They are content to be who they are and to fly and soar at their own pace and in their own space, never needing to ask themselves: "am I graceful enough, or am I flying as quickly as my fellow birds". So, it struck me that we should do the same and stop comparing ourselves to this one and that one and many times winding up feeling inferior somehow. It's a no win situation and it's high time that those of us who do this (myself included, of course), start living our lives as genuinely as we can and most importantly, as our OWN GENUINE SELVES, because that's all God asks of us, to just be who we are, and to be that person to the best of OUR ability.


As for my knitting, I did finish the Opal socks for my darling granddaughter and alas, in my haste to give them to her, I forgot to take the requisite pictures.....a fo-pah I will correct when I am over her house next time. They turned out so cute in that bubble gum pink color with flecks or purple, green, and yellow in them. My daughter told me that she wore them to her pre-school the other day and I was thrilled. When the weather gets mighty chilly, she'll surely have toasty, warm tootsies. The adorable yarn cones above are 'wallpaper' freely given by KnitPicks which is such a nice thing to do....isn't it cute?

September & I'm Lovin' It!

Goodbye to August and let's get to the autumn weather as quickly as possible, plueeese! I do detest the summer with the heat and humidity so naturally, I'm a happy camper when it comes to even the slightest hint, which in this case is only the date, that it may be getting cool soon. To me, the scene above is my idea of a great day, so hiss and boo me if you must, but there it is, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!

On the home front, things are moving along quite nicely as we're down to ZERO boxes in the garage which makes my husband a very happy camper since he can now get his car into the garage.....no more parking in the driveway and I haven't seen him this happy over anything is awhile now, believe me. Men and their cars, who knows?

The house is really feeling like our home now rather than just a new place that I'm trying to get used to. This home has a very cozy and restful feeling to it and I love that. I really enjoy coming out onto the front porch with my coffee in the morning and reading a book or just relaxing and watching some of the walkers go by in my own little corner of the world, as my mother always likes to say. Yes, life is good, I am blessed and I thank God every day .

As for knitting content, I have started a pair of Opal socks for my granddaughter who will be 4 on September 7th. They are a really cute pink with splashes of purple, red, and green throughout. She can wear them to school some days since she's going to pre-school 2 half days a week starting next week.....how exciting, but she's growing way too fast. Time, please slow down a bit so we can enjoy her childhood at a more leisurely pace. Pictures of the socks next time, I promise.

Beauty is Everywhere

This is the scene from our patio last night......3 beautiful creatures just prancing along. Previous to this picture a small spotted fawn ran past but I didn't have my camera ready. There is beauty everywhere we look if we just have 'eyes' to see with, and many times we don't always notice the beauty around us because we become so jaded by seeing things day in and day out. What a shame and I'm as guilty as the next but I am trying to become much more aware of my surroundings both in and outdoors.

There is a gal on Ravelry who is blogging about her recent move and seems to have so much more to say that I do on the same subject. Of course, one of the reasons could be that she moved from the west coast to the east coast so there are many more stories to tell but I do like keeping up with what's happening to her as she begins a new adventure in her life. She is very keen on living more simply and getting back to the land and I applaud some of the steps she's taken but they wouldn't work for me and my darling husband.

We are still living in the same area, albeit in a new home, but the stores, restaurants, banks, etc. that we go to are the same as before which to me is a comfort rather than a bore. In fact, I don't know the meaning of the word 'bored' and never have, I'm happy to say. My mother's answer to any of us daring to say we were 'bored' was "okay then, I'll give you some work to do and you won't be bored anymore", so that's a word I have no familiarity with and I'm glad.

Things are moving right along as we strive to make 'our house' to become 'our home' placing things here and there, settling in. We also found 2 lovely wing back recliners for our Great Room which turned out to be perfect for relaxing, reading, watching tv, or just plain dozing.

As for knitting content, once again I have NONE to speak of at the moment, but I will get back to my favorite past time as soon as I get some good lighting with which to knit by. I used to have a floor lamp which was behind our sectional where I sat when knitting but now the sectional is in another room, which means the end table lamps just aren't doing the trick when it comes to knitting. So, yes, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

We Made It!

We're officially moved in and this is the view from our back patio.....pretty darned lovely, isn't it? I love the tranquility of just sitting out and listening to the sounds of nature. Inside, it's still a sea of boxes that sit waiting to be unpacked. However, we have made progress enough to be able to get our car in one side of the garage, so that's not bad for just a bit over a week in our new home.

I was watching a rerun of The Waltons this morning for a few moments and I loved what John Boy said at the end about a house being a home and what makes it so. Although I can't remember his exact words, it was something like a home is comprised of all the people who live within it's walls. They're footsteps, voices, and happenings there are absorbed into the very structure of the place and linger there long after each has gone. To me, truer words were never spoken and I know that parts of myself linger in the homes I've lived in at various ages of my life.

At the moment, I'm remembering a home I lived in as a young girl around 11 years old and my very best friend, Margie, who lived next door. We were inseparable and she was the closest thing to the perfect person that I've ever met. She died very suddenly of an anuerism and I miss her so much.....so, I wonder, does a part of me still linger in that bedroom where Margie would sometimes stay all night and we'd giggle half the night in spite of my Mom's threats to separate us if we didn't be quiet. Yes, I can still hear us telling each other our dreams and plans.......we would go to New York, get fabulous, exciting jobs, and live in a ritzy apartment. Eventually, we'd marry, with Margie having 5 or 6 kids and myself having only 1~~~~~~ and naturally, it didn't turn out that way. We each married and she had 2 children, I had 5 kids and we never made it to New York or the jobs, never mind the ritzy apartment. But, I digress,

As for this home, I am slowly beginning to feel a coziness that the first few days didn't supply, but then how could they, with all the boxes and chaos. As time goes by, I'm sure this will be a very happy home as I slowly make it our own....a place of safety and refuge, when the world overwhelms and the only peace to be found is in one's own little corner of the world.....my haven, my home.

Boxes, Boxes, & More Boxes!

This is but a small sampling of the multitude of boxes we've packed, along with my very confused model, the Bunny Boy, who's asking, "hey, what's going on around here". As you can see, the boxes are all from the State Store after their shipments of 'booze' have been unpacked........NO, we didn't single handedly drink the contents of each box, or I'd be posting about other necessary issues to deal with, LOL.

I'm posting today even though, once again I have no knitting content, but because this will likely be my last post until we've moved and I'm connected once again to the wide world of knitters via the net. I will miss logging on each day to see what's going on here and there and just generally check my accounts, etc., to say nothing of playing the old Atari game of Space Invaders, the only game I was any good at according to my kids at the time.

Wish me luck as we move in about 6 more days and the massive job of unpacking and adjusting to life in our new home begins. I will need your thoughts and prayers because I fear it will be with much sadness that I leave this home for the last time. I know that life goes on and change will happen in spite of our best efforts some times, but that doesn't change the fact that I've loved every minute of living here and feel like I'm leaving some of myself as I go.

I will, of course in time, make the new home essentially "ours alone" but that will necessarily take some time and effort. So, dear readers and friends, say a prayer for us as we begin a new journey filled with the unknown. I'm keeping positive thoughts and goals in mind for our new home and I will keep you posted and provide some pictures once things settle down. See you in about 2 weeks...........happy knitting!

It's Official!

Our home has sold and what a load off our minds that is! The conscious awareness of this fact however, for me is bittersweet because I love this home and will sorely miss living here. We have our reasons for moving and thankfully, our new home is lovely and move in ready so I can picture many ways to make it "our own" and I'm already planning different ways to decorate the rooms as I lie in bed at night.

Selling a home today isn't for the faint hearted, as I mentioned in my last post, because there are zillions of things that have to be done, approved, inspected, stamped, signed, and gone over with a fine tooth comb, wa-a-ay before sitting down at the setttlement table, so the entire process is extremely stressful (ergo, my current mood on the sidebar here). By the time it's all said and done, I swear I could give seminars to future prospective buyers on what 'to do' and what 'not to do'.

First order of business......you MUST keep ALL your ducks in a row as you go through the buying and selling of real estate, make no mistake about it. Otherwise you'll be in a tailspin, unable to find what you need when you need it. Then, you need to know how to show your home to it's greatest advantage and keep it neat and tidy at all times while it's being shown. When it sells, a whole other scenario opens up for you to take control of and it's called: PHONE CALLS to the MAX, getting everything lined up on the appropriate dates and times for your upcoming move, mortgage, electric, phone, internet, water, and the zillions of other things that clamor for your attention.

Now, you may ask, where's the knitting content in this post, and alas, I have absolutely NONE to share with you because I haven't had the time or the energy to pick up my knitting in the last two weeks or better and that behavior will have to stop once we move. However, I do have my linen shawl at the ready for just such moments after the move.

So, I leave you with the peaceful scene above and wish you all good knitting, happy times, and good fortune in your own personal endeavors each day.

Selling Homes Ain't for Sissies!

I know I'm taking license with the English language above, but that's the only way to tell it like it is, folks! I'm worn out already and we've only just begun.....it's all about cleaning, purging stuff, updating, staging, more cleaning, more purging of 'stuff' and so on and so on, ad infinitum. Every single nook and cranny has stuff in it and don't even mention drawers and closets....needless to say, they are filled with more than just clothes and the appropriate drawer necessities.

There are times when I think, "hey, we're really making progress here", and then I look in another room and realize that I'm only kidding myself. My sweet husband and I have really cleaned out the basement big time over the past month or so and it's been back breaking, to say nothing about dust clouds galore. That being said, you might think that the basement is now completely free of all extraneous 'stuff', but that's not the case and don't ask me why, because I'm at a loss to know.

I do know that keeping things in boxes which one never uses is bad business all the way around. There are people who would love some of the things and could really use them so why not give them away? Exactly what I decided to do and couldn't be happier that they will now finally get used by those who may need just what I had to give. It's a very good thing to pare down and actually use what we have rather than buying more all the time. I'm really understanding what the term 'simplicity' is all about these days and I am sorry it took me so long to want to live by simplistic principles.As for keeping things for your kids, I have one definite piece of advice: DON'T BOTHER. They a). don't want these things anyway, and b). even if they do they don't have room and proceed to tell you that the memorbilia and/or furniture that you've been saving for them "YOU can trash it" because they sure don't want it. You've been duly warned.....proceed with caution when storing things for your kids.

Okay, I see that I've been on a roll here so it's time for a bit of knitting content. I finally finished the Sockotta socks and now have a pair and in keeping with my resolution to pick up another unfinished object when I've completed one, I'm working furiously on the Linen Shawlette. I finally added in the last skein last night and to be honest, I thought I'd never use up the first one. The rows are really long getting from one side to the other now though, so this skein should be used up much faster and I'm looking forward to completing this project. I'm much further along than the picture below shows, probably about 3/4 of the way. I think it'll be a gift for an unnamed recipient because she may very well be reading this blog so I'll keep it mum for now, but I know she'll love it.

Springtime at my House

Well, it's been busy to say the least around my neck of the woods. What with keeping our home pristine just about every moment, and packing, selling, trashing stuff, it's a full time job which doesn't leave much time for the computer. I have however, managed to squeeze in some knitting (after all, I'm not that driven). Pictured above is one of the two socks I'm mending for my mother. I knit these for her a couple of years ago and the toes were somewhat worn out, so I put a new one in this sock and I'm working on the other one which is almost completed. I don't remember the name of the yarn I used and darn, I usually write them down knowing that in the future I won't remember the knitted details.



This one is the Sockotta sock I pictured in one of my previous posts and I'm down to the heel of the second one, so they should be ready to wear very soon. I think these socks will be perfect for the summer time. I think that will be it for the sock knitting for awhile, but don't hold me to it, just in case. I do need to finish my linen shawl so it can be worn over the spring and summer.


Speaking of springtime, aren't these pink azaleas just lovely....they're right out front and I just wish that they lasted longer than a couple of weeks. The intensity of the colors this spring is unbelievable, maybe because of a good deal of rain.

Okay, so I'm overdoing it a bit, but I can never resist purples, pinks, or reds, so here you go and with that I wish you a happy bloomin' springtime wherever you happen to be. Oh, and one more thing to report, I've finally gotten back to my walking program, which I abandoned in the last few weeks. I needed to kick start the rest of my weight loss goal, so I'm off and 'walking' once again....wish me luck!

Toasty Socks!

Wow, my time spent online has been sparse other than the necessary things such as checking accounts and email, etc. but overall, it seems that when I have time to spare on the net I wind up at Ravelry which is undoubtedly addictive. There are so many groups and one can make lots of friends and discover answers to knit or crochet questions, patterns, yarns, and just about anything else you can think of.......it's a cornucopia of fiberly plenty and I love it. That being said, I must say I've still been doing my fair share of knitting such as these 2 completed pair of socks for my tootsies.

I'm also finishing up another pair of Sockotta socks one at a time on dpns this time. I'm rounding the toe area on my first one so when it's finished I'll post a pic here as well. I have so darned much sock yarn that it's just as well that I love knitting socks, right? I think my next ones may be knit using some Lorna's Laces that I just got in a trade at: where else, but Ravelry in lovely shades, of off white, light purple, dark purple, and black.

On another note, DH and I are going a little bit crazy because we've decided to put our house up for sale and move to a smaller place and you know what that means. People coming through on a moment's notice, ergo, living in a 'fish bowl' so to speak, to say nothing of taking a look around at all the 'stuff' we've accumulated over the course of time and figuring out what to do with it all......now, I admit, I've parted with some of my yarn stash, but I can only get rid of so much....a girl's gotta' keep what a girl's gotta' keep and all of you fiber fans out there know of whence I speak.

I share with you here , yet another picture of the Bunny Boy who never tires of having his picture taken......I think in this one he's saying something like, "hey, is it safe to come out yet, or is Mommy going to snuggle me some more"?

P.S. Check out the weight loss ticker at the bottom of my blog......I'm teetering on 30 pounds lost so far. Ohh, it's been so long in coming and here's to the next 30!

I'm On A Sock Kick!

Yes, I seem to be constantly beginning new socks which is unlike me in the knitting arena. I've begun the mate to the sock pictured above, which I mentioned in my last post. I called my LYS and she briefly explained the picot cuff so I went for it and all things considered, it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. However, I think it's way too much fiddling and time spent for the cuff of a sock that no one sees anyhow. So, this will probably be my last pair of picot cuffed socks, but it's something new I've learned which is always a good thing.


I discoverd a lone ball of Plymouth 'Sockotta' which I couldn't very well let sit there all by it's lonesome, now could I? I've never used this sock yarn before and so far, so good. I think these will be just the right socks for the upcoming spring and summer. I'm using size 2 dpns and getting about 8 sts. to the inch on these.

This Tuesday, my DH and I are happily celebrating our 20th anniversary......my, how the time flies by! He is such a sweet man and a wonderful father too, so I've been richly blessed to be married to him. We're going out to dinner at a very lovely, colonial (think historic) type place and I do think a champagne toast is in order, if I do say so myself.

Normally I would ask for yarn or a gift certificate for an anniversary present (yes, I know, not very romantic is it), but this year I'm all about simplifying my life and trying not to buy 'things', especially those things which I honestly don't need in the first place.....they are just 'wants' and definitely not 'needs' so I feel the desire to begin 2008 with a new goal: that is, "Own only the things I love, not let other 'things' own Me".




"Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water."
- WC Fields

Socks & More Socks!

I finished my Regia Surf socks and I really like the way they turned out. I used size 2 circulars and knitted them both at the same time, so at least when completed I'd have a PAIR of socks instead of a lonely orphan waiting for it's mate. I wore them yesterday and they're really comfy......I like the short row heel and the garter stitch gives it a very soft feel against my foot.

I'm working on a couple of other socks (albeit, one at a time). One pair I began a year ago trying to master the Magic Loop, which wasn't to my liking so I left the first sock partially finished. I picked it up last week and using 2 circular needles, size 3, completed the heel and all of my decreases and now I'm working on the foot so it will only be a matter of time till the first sock is finished. The problem is that I did a picot cuff with the help of a friend and now have no idea what I did, or how I did it, for that matter. I guess I'll have to take my yarn with me and ask the wonderful Jackie, if she would coach me through the picot cuff one more time. I'll have pictures next time.
For this sock, I'm using a sport weight yarn on size 3 circulars called Norwegian Ringel and it's imported from Austria. I got it from Knitting Korner and I'm really enjoying knitting with it. Naturally, it's a bit thicker than fingering weight but it's soft and doesn't split either. I'd highly recommend it if you're looking to try a sport weight yarn for your upcoming socks. Ninah is a joy to deal with and always ready with help if you need it.

In between the above, I'm knitting furiously on my ever present Euroflax Linen Shawl using Judy Pascale's pattern, Shapely Shawlette. It's an easy knit but it does seem to take awhile to grow and of course, I haven't helped matters any because the other night I noticed a slight mistake and ripped back a good 8 to 10" worth of work! ARGH!! However, I know that would have bothered me indefinitely so I frogged with wild abandon. I'm not sure if this will be a gift for someone but I'm leaning that way and I want it to be as perfect as humanly possible.

That's all for now so until I blog once again, be happy, be safe, and knit to your heart's content!

"We must act the way we believe or we shall eventually come to believe the way we act."

Happy 1st Valentine Birthday!

Well, it's my sweet little granddaughter Anna's very first birthday. Anna with the lovely disposition and the big dimples! She dearly loves her sister, Christina who is 3-1/2 and smiles the biggest grins whenever Christina comes near her. Christina is so sweet with her too and helps her whenever she needs help with getting her balance, picking up a toy she's dropped, or whatever the case may be. Reminds me of the song in an old Bing Crosby movie (and no, I'm not THAT old), "Sisters, sisters, there's nothing else as close as sisters", etc. and although that may not be the exact wording of the song, it's a good one. Nothing is so beautiful as the innocence and trust of young children and may they always be protected by our dear Lord.....AMEN. Happy Birthday, dear sweet Annna......and a Happy Valentine's Day to all of my readers with lots of love, chocolates, flowers, and dinners out , too!

Ahh, the Life!

IIt doesn't get much better than this, Bunny all stretched out on the blanket as I knit! Talk about the life and being spoiled rotten! Those of you with pets know just what I'm talking about so no explanations needed. I continue to work on the baby blanket for my new grandson and I'm very close to finishing it. I plan on putting some edging on it tomorrow or Saturday so that will be the final thing before I give it to sweet Johnathan to keep him nice and toasty. That being said, we've had a very mild winter here which disappoints me because I love winter time with it's biting cold and snowy days now and then, but alas! It's appartently not happening at least not this year because I'm still waiting for winter to arrive. This is how I picture the perfect cold weather, a Thomas Kinkade scene:

I'm also working on completing my Regia Surf socks knitting 2 at once on circular needles and on these socks I used a garter stitch heel which seems as though it'll be very comfy against my foot. I love the color of this yarn and the way it creates the rings as I knit it. I have about 3 more inches before doing the toe and then it's kitchener time and voila! Pictures will follow once I'm done.

I'm sorry I haven't put any pictures of my grandson but I've never been comfortable putting family photos on the internet. Just know that he is adorable with golden hair and a cherub's face as are my 2 granddaughters, both with auburn hair and sweet dispositions. I'll say goodbye for now and leave you with a couple of inspirational thoughts. (I hope you agree)

"If you would live with ease, do what you must and not what you please." Benjamin Franklin

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." Elbert Hubbard

Our Precious Bundle is Here!

We welcomed our sweet grandson, Johnathan, into the family on Friday weighing in at 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20-1/2" long! He is just adorable with blondish hair and a sweet, angelic face too. Needless to say my darling daughter is glad he's here at last although the birth went smoothly for her and for that I'm so grateful. We have 2 beautiful granddaughters and this is our first grandson. I watched the girls while my daughter was in the hospital and what a treat it was......my little 3 year old GD was so adorable and we snuggled and talked each morning when she woke up. She calls me Mimi which she started all by herself....I think it's so cute. My little 1 year old (on Valentines day) GD is getting around at lightening speed so it took some energy keeping up with her. She has one dimple and the cutest little smile and it's amazing how smart they both are at such young ages. Do you notice a 'grandmom bragging session' going on here or what, LOL?

I finished my Fortissima Colori socks using the Baby Cable Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. One lesson learned for me though was that on the left sock I stuck with the number of stitches in the leg section but on the right hand sock I decreased a full 8 stitches when I got to the foot which was a full inch narrower. The fit is much better with the latter sock so in the future depending on which yarn and needle size I'm using, I'll have to remember to decrease in the foot area for a snugger fit. I don't know why it took me this long to realize this but better late than never, I guess.
I'm working furiously now on this ripple blanket (albeit, crocheted), for you know who. I should have had it finished in time for his arrival, but it should only take me another week or so to complete. The final size will be somewhere around 30x40" so it'll be good for a carriage blanket as well. I'm using Jaeger Baby Merino with a size J crochet hook because I'm doubling the yarn as I crochet it rather than using a single strand since I just liked the density of the yarn doubled much better than single.

I know it's been too long since I've posted but I don't seem to keep up with my posting as often as some of you but I'm going to try and do better. The thing is, I don't always have significant knitterly progress to show you, but then again, I guess I could post and just chat without pictures. So, until next time, be well, warm, happy, and knit on.

I Love Winter Time!

I know, I know, I'm certainly one of the few who like the cold weather but just think....snuggling up in front of a blazing fire, sipping a cup of steaming hot gingerbread tea, and knitting to my heart's content...what's not to love? Now that the holidays are over, it's time to dive back into my knitting and crocheting! I've already begun a baby ripple blanket which can be seen on my crochet site listed in the sidebar here. I'm using Jaeger Baby Merino 4 ply in multi colors of blue, ecru, darker blue, and another color which is hard to describe, kind of like a golden color.

I've been getting down to business with my Baby Cable Ribbed socks, completing one and already cast on and done the ribbing on the second one. I've used Fortissima Colori yarn and size 2 dpns for these socks, ergo, one at a time. I got a bit impatient with the progress on this sock and started the heel at only 6" of length on the leg which I know I will wish I hadn't.....it already looks like my foot is huge compared to the leg portion and I hate it when my knitting isn't balanced, but alas! What's done is done, I suppose, and I'm not about to rip it all out. The pattern is from the Sensational Knitted Socks book by Charlene Schurch which is the first time I'm using a pattern from this book which I've had in my collection for over a year. I was just a bit put off by the directions in some places in the book and also the 4 to 5 pages of errata, but I figured that this particular pattern not only appealed to me, but is one of the few that doesn't have any corrections, at least not the last time I checked!


Above are my second pair of socks which I had going on the needles before Christmas and which have languished far too long unloved and not being worked on. I'm ready to do the heel after about 3 more rounds to make my sock leg about 7" long which is a good length for me. I'm using 2--24" circulars (Addi's) and I put a dab of red nail polish on the points of one of them so I can keep track of which needle I'm supposed to be knitting with. The beauty of all this fussing with circs is that when I'm finished, voila, I have a pair of socks to put on my feet right then and there which makes it worth all the fiddling. I really don't think it goes any quicker (at least it doesn't for me) but again, it's great to get finished and have TWO socks waiting to be worn rather than only one.


I don't know if any of you have noticed my exercise ticker at the bottom of my blog but look what my darling son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas! Yep, it's an MP3 player that is mini small and holds more than 500 songs....which is amazing to me. Now I can walk a lot quicker listening to my favs as I tally up the mileage. I really love this thing and is clips right onto the neckband of my pullover for ease of skipping to another song or re-playing one. Can you tell that I'm excited, oh yeah, because it gives me a much needed boost to my exercising in general. Thank you my sweethearts.