Pumpkin Sunrise

Yarn Along

2012-03-07T06:14:00.001-05:00

I've started two new knitting projects this past week. The first one is the color affliction shawl and I posted yesterday all about it. I am happy to report that I reached the short row section and have added the third color in the garter stitch knitting-yay! I will definitely be making this shawl more than once. It is very easy to knit and talk at the same time. The added bonus is I am not bored to tears with the garter stitch, my guess is the color changing makes it FUN.

My other knitting project is a cowl out of blue sky alpaca. This pattern is my own creation and I'm not sure if I'm liking the amount of stitches I've casted on. So, I will be deciding soon whether to keep on knitting or ripping out and casting on all over again. It would greatly help if I knew for sure if I wanted to wrap the cowl twice around my neck or just once. The yarn is heavenly to knit with. Super soft and fluffy!

I continue to read The House at Riverton. I suspect it will take me quite a while to read this book. I am enjoying it immensely and the author is very gifted at unveiling a complicated story line with many twists. I have my daughter home for spring break this week and next week my son will be off-I'm already a slow reader with an empty house so you can imagine that the book is just sitting there during their visits home.

Joining Ginny

On My Needles

2012-03-06T07:54:00.000-05:00

If this post in any way makes you buy some yarn or start a new project, then my work here is done. I have been drooling over the Color Affliction shawl for about a week. Okay, maybe more than a week. I had a serious problem. I wanted to make the shawl but did not have any yarn in my gigantic stash. I know! The horror!

Really and truly I did not want to buy more yarn. I was faced with a serious problem. So I meditated about it and my solution was simple. I needed to go yarn shopping.....again.

Lucky for me, I have been seeing many blogger buddies knitting with Quince and Co yarn. So that is where I started to look and that is where I purchased my yarn. I have to say they were very speedy in processing and posting my order! Makes me want to buy from them again.

My yarn arrived on Friday and I immediately casted on the project.......I've named the shawl "destiny". Because it was meant to be. (on a side note remember in Back to the Future when McFly says "Lorraine, my density has bought me to you."???? great movie moment)

Weekends

2012-03-04T16:41:00.001-05:00

This weekend contained:

-dinner out for a celebration
-a birthday-my husband's- with a chocolate cake topped chocolate icing.
-accidentally icing the cake too early---oops!
-fixing the cake to the best of my ability--hence the coconut sprinkled to cover up the mess :)
-our daughter arriving home for a week
-lazy daisy days with walks and knitting and relaxing
-finishing a knitting project
-starting a knitting project
-wearing regular shoes instead of winter shoes---it's getting warmer!

joining Amanda

This Moment

2012-03-02T07:03:00.000-05:00

Joining Amanda

Random Thoughts

2012-03-01T06:51:00.000-05:00

I am enjoying the very last bits of my rose. As it started to wilt, I plucked each petal and decided to display them, hoping to lengthen their stay in my home. I am excited that my yarn order has already been shipped. So I'm pretty sure I will be knitting like a mad woman to finish my current project.

I'm also thinking about socks. Yep. I need to cast some on and make some for my husband and for me. I really should work on my alpaca sweater but it has been so mild and warm, I doubt I would wear it. Technically it is not hibernating but my motivation is missing to work on it.

Tomorrow our daughter will be home. My husband will drive to get her and of course they will go out for dinner. It's a father-daughter tradition. They both really enjoy spicy ethnic food. Frodo and I will hang out here. Maybe I'll make a "big" (non spicy) salad. I would love to take a walk IF the rain stops.

Today I will menu plan for next week and sketch out what we are doing with the one week she is home. Already there are some must do appointments, so around those musts we need to sprinkle fun activities. Shopping will be one of them. Maybe a lunch out? Who knows!

Yarn Along

2012-02-29T06:09:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I casted on another shawl. This pattern was originally written for DK weight yarn and I'm using fingering weight yarn. I wanted lots of garter stitch (my main obsession) with any kind of edging. This shawl has a ruffle edging. I am doing some guess work on when the ruffle is started because of the yarn substitution but that is how I get my excitement :D The yarn is madtosh merino light, so very soft and wonderful to knit with.

I am pretty excited because I've ordered my first yarn from Quince and Co. :D I have been having shawl envy for this pattern on Ravelry. Can you believe that I did not have anything in the stash to cast on? I'm so excited for the yarn to arrive!

I started reading The House at Riverton last week and I already knew I would like the book because her other two books were fabulous. What was an extra surprise is the servant girl story line. It is so Downton Abbey-ish so far, I love it! If you haven't read any of Kate Morton's novels yet, you really should. There is a mystery that will slowly evolve but I haven't arrived at that part of the book yet.

If you haven't seen my finished wurm hat, the post is here. Everybody should knit at least one!

Joining Ginny

Wurm Complete

2012-02-28T08:04:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend I snapped some photos of my wurm hat. I have worn it twice and it is very very warm! I think because it's slouchy? I really love it and I recommend the pattern. It's fun, easy and goes wonderfully with TV knitting.

The yarn is by Cosymakes. It is a DK weight wool that's soft and a joy to knit with! I'm thrilled to report I also have plenty of left over yarn to knit up a pair of matching fingerless mitts.

I think next time around when I make this hat again, and I will, I think a wool blend would be fun. Maybe with some alpaca or bamboo or silk, something to give it a bit of drape so it slouches even more.

Weekends

2012-02-26T17:26:00.000-05:00

This weekend I realized that I do not kill all plants. My amaryllis that fell over from over watering survived its extreme conditions and blossomed. This poor poor plant fell over again from being so top heavy and yet keeps on blooming. Mind you it is propped up in the corner of my kitchen window sill, balancing gently on the sink edge.

We went into town to the used cd/dvd/gaming store to shop on Saturday. We saw some very interesting graffiti on an alley wall. The artist aimed to write "gangsta" but instead penned "gangtsa" ......so sad.....Why oh why did I leave my camera??

Also yesterday was Chinese food (and today!)......so so good!

I started a new project yesterday. I also made a big mistake. I am pretty good at dropping the stitches and working them back up. Not this one. I had to unknit about four rows....grrrr.....I was quite disappointed in my skills at that moment. However it's fixed and I'm over it.

Today was filled with: quiet morning with lots of coffee, reading the Sunday paper and pulling the puzzles aside, and best of all knitting with friends. I had a huge chocolate chip cookie too.

How was your weekend?

Joining Amanda

This Moment

2012-02-24T07:57:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda

Random Thoughts

2012-02-23T12:21:00.001-05:00

Mr. Frodo and I took a walk about the yard today and I grabbed the camera. It feels and smells like spring out there. Very earthy. The birds are singing and the air is fresh. Lovely to be out and having the sun beam down on me.

The first week of March is around the corner and our daughter will be home for her spring break. The following week our son will be home as well. This winter (which really is not a winter) has flown by for us and I'm amazed it's almost half way through their semesters.

There will be shopping trips and dinners out. Frodo will be beside himself with happiness. Ever since we did the mattress switching we have removed the baby gate to the upstairs....trusting him. Every day he runs up there and walks around and then comes back downstairs.

Both of the kids live outside their suitcases during school breaks and....ahem....most of their clothes lay on the floor. I have visions of Frodo finding and carrying around an odd sock waiting for someone to play the "catch me" game. He loves to be chased!! He is fast and he is squiggly-his main advantage. Mind you, if you do not chase him he will drop whatever he has in his mouth. But where is the fun in that?

Yarn Along

2012-02-22T06:12:00.000-05:00

For knitting this week, I finished my shawl and blogged about it here. I am so thrilled with how it turned out. I am still working on my wurm hat it, should be done in a day or two. It is a really easy pattern and it is great to work on while watching TV or talking. I bought a generous amount of yardage so I could have the full slouch effect from the pattern. The yarn on the right is madelinetosh merino light. I am thinking of a triangle shawl but not sure which one as of yet. So today I will enter the endless sea of patterns on Ravelry and stalk the ideas :) Of course, while I am reading everyone's blogs for the Yarn Along!

I have maybe ten pages to go on Rebecca--I know that it has taken me forever to read this book. It will be finished today, promise. I am glad that I've re-read it. I must say that I continue to be a tiny bit disappointed in the heroine's lack of a back bone but it was written generations ago. Maybe women with backbones was not the "in" thing. However, the mystery and the creepy mood of the book is wonderful. You tend to suspect every character in the book-fantastic!

Joining Ginny

Periwinkle Frost Shawl Complete

2012-02-20T17:15:00.002-05:00

The Periwinkle Frost Shawl is done. I finished knitting on Friday night but it took me a couple of days to get around to soaking and blocking it. Busy days!

The yarn is Madelintosh Lace. If you like to knit lace, I highly recommend this yarn. The subtle tonal colors are beautiful and it is oh so soft! Once it is soaked, it blooms a little and is a treat to hold.

The pattern is Cold Mountain and has three charts to follow along. If you are familiar with chart reading then this shawl is a piece of cake. There is a rhythm to the first and last charts because of the repeats. All the wrong side rows are straight purling, what could possibly be better?

Now to begin wearing it!!!

Weekends

2012-02-19T18:08:00.002-05:00

This weekend was filled with lots of shopping. Now the shopping might be boring for some but maybe not. We were on the search for a new bed. There is a small furniture business that we have bought from previously. They were hit with the flood last September (five feet!!). A handy coupon and flyer arrived this week to persuade us that we need a bed :)

While we shopped the beds, there are many to choose from, I felt like Goldilocks......this bed is to hard, this bed is to soft etc...after selecting and paying they delivered the bed on Saturday (did I mention excellent customer service?). My husband insisted we keep our old set and we place it in our daughter's room. The rest of the weekend was bed switching, vacuuming, and rearranging.

Today we went to church, and I hope I don't sound like a broken record but AGAIN the people behind us were coughing. sniffing, and clearing their throats (different people). Sadly, I forgot my hand sanitzer. So during the sign of peace we waved enthusiastically to avoid the germs. My husband and I are thinking maybe we should try Saturday night service. Barely anyone attends and if they do they are old. I'll keep you up to date on the germ avoiding saga. And yes, I have a germ phobia.

Oh and I finished the blue shawl !!!

Joining Amanda

This Moment

2012-02-17T07:46:00.004-05:00

Joining Amanda

Baby February Sweater Complete

2012-02-16T08:38:00.002-05:00

I wish I had a baby here to model this sweater. A borrowed baby that is. I finished knitting this sweater on Sunday but then had to find buttons and bury in the ends. I made this sweater before and posted about it here. I will probably be making one more before winter is over. Seems to be a baby season.

This little sweater is for my husband's previous graduate student. He and his wife are expecting a girl. I do not know when and my husband probably doesn't remember either. So hopefully my dear husband has an address so we can ship off the gift close to the baby's due date.

Yarn Along

2012-02-15T06:17:00.000-05:00

While I was visiting my sister and being bombarded by delicious yarn at the knit and crochet show, I was on the look out for some DK weight wool. I tried very hard to be open minded on color and dyeing technique. I tend to be so specific of what I want in a yarn that I never find it. Above is the yarn that I discovered and immediately when we got back to my sister's house I nagged her to help ball it up with her winder and swift. I am making the wurm hat for me! The yarn is wonderful and it is made by cosymakes. It is quite soft and the color is beautiful!

I also have on my needles the never ending periwinkle shawl that should be done next week. At least I hope it will be done. My sweater has been woefully neglected this whole week.

Rebecca continues to adorn my nightstand and has entertained me overall. I do not think I am loving it as much as I did when I read it as a teenager. I think because the husband, Maxim, can be quite insensitive at times. Funny, I love Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff is a psycho (as is Catherine) and still I love that book! So maybe I'm being critical of Maxim? I received the new issue of Interweave Knits. I did a quick flip through and nothing caught my eye. I usually do not get interested in spring knitting until spring arrives.

Joining Ginny

Sisterly Visit

2012-02-14T07:59:00.002-05:00

We arrived at my sister's place around dinner time. My sister graciously invited us for a weekend visit since we had a great time together at the cabin. Also during this visit, there was the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Show. We attended just on the Saturday to do some yarn shopping, and drooling at the expensive stuff. Did you know sequins are big in knitting? Not my style but it apparently is hot right now.

These violets sit on her window sill. Aren't they pretty? I am not very gifted in the growing plants department. Right now I am killing an amaryllis. I just do not think it is going to bloom now. Over watering is my downfall every single time.

Whoop! This is what I bought at the show. Lovely lovely yarn. As you can see I was in a gray/purple mood and a green/yellow mood. I have no idea what I am going to knit yet. The green on the far left is becoming a hat and that is as far as I thought about it.

This is my sister's sewing/craft room. I thought it would be neat to share. She has an entire wall of shelving. See that yarn? Yeah. I want it too. That top shelf of yarn looks pretty nice to me-and the wool wash near the bears. You can never have too much wool wash. The raggedy Ann and Andy were made by our mother. I have a set of them too :)

We all had a great time together. We usually have all of our children when we visit and although we missed them, we had a fun time just being the four of us.

Weekends

2012-02-12T18:30:00.003-05:00

Oh boy was this weekend full of fun! There was sister visiting (more on that tomorrow). Yarn shopping. Dessert eating. Pen and paper buying!! Seeing my Favorite Aunt and Uncle.

Tell me which is better, buying a new book and smelling the fresh ink? Or.....buying a new notebook and pen and writing in it? I think both are filled with bliss.

The ride home today was filled with snow, wonky windshield wipers, low windshield wiper fluid and a visit to a gas station to solve that problem. One lane driving on an interstate because of snowy roads. A four and half hour drive took almost six hours....but I'm home and there is barely any snow here.

Late this afternoon we picked up Frodo who was wiggly and happy to see us. Unpacking, laundry sorting and scrounging around the freezer for a meal (I found curry!).

I will post some photos of our visit tomorrow!!

Joining Amanda

This Moment

2012-02-10T06:34:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda

Winter Returns

2012-02-09T08:27:00.001-05:00

I took these photos right before daybreak. I love how still and quiet they look. Frodo and I always get the newspaper together every morning. Most of the time I do not take my camera. So in he goes and I grab my camera and go back outside. I'm going to count that as exercise.

The above photo is just unwanted growth (aka weeds) but it is so beautiful with the snow on top!

This is our beloved white pine that is probably planted too close to the house. I'm not worried until it reaches full height and that is many many years from now.

I will be knitting this afternoon and hoping that the snow stays for a bit. I will also be nestled inside where it is warm with a cup of hot tea in my hands.

Yarn Along

2012-02-08T06:05:00.001-05:00

I have made some progress on the baby sweater. I am almost done with the first sleeve. It's a top down construction by Elizabeth Zimmermann. The yoke is first, sleeves, and then body. Last week when I started it, I was eight rows in and forgot to do buttonholes. Yep. I started over. I am so thankful that I thought of the buttonholes at eight rows!!! My other knitting project in the photo is the forever Hawthorne Cardigan that I have barely barely touched. I think I did one or two more waist shaping decreases, that's it. Not in the photo is my periwinkle shawl that I blogged about yesterday. Oh and I did finish the Sprouts shawl.

I was very eager to get into Rebecca last week. So after starting the book I never realized how SLOW the beginning is/was. Really, the first couple of chapters were not interesting and I seriously thought of shelfing the book. I stuck with it and thankfully the plot thickened and our dear heroine is living at Manderley, and is properly being spooked out of her little mind. Gothic romances are pretty good :)

Joining Ginny

Busy Hands

2012-02-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

I am on chart C of the periwinkle frost shawl! Why am I so excited to announce this? Well it is because this is the last chart of the pattern. Yep. I am almost done with this shawl.

That means that I can wear this shawl within the next two weeks. Unless I get sidetracked by another project. (who me? sidetracked?)

I could knit this pattern again and again and again. But not soon. I have some other ideas swirling in my head of what to knit next. Of course there are many shawl patterns just waiting to be casted on. However for now I will keep diligently knitting on this one.

Weekends

2012-02-05T16:19:00.001-05:00

My weekend was kind of boring but in a very good way. We went for a drive on Friday and really enjoyed seeing the countryside. As always the llamas (yes llamas) were basking in the mild weather. I'd own a llama but I think my neighborhood would not appreciate one. Sometimes I think my husband and I would like buy a farm when he reaches retirement.

Saturday was sitting and knitting. We had a plain dinner-he had steak, I had left over millet patties. The millet patties were better fresh, but still tasty. Oh and ahem.....there were donuts again. Could this be a weekend treat? We watched two episodes of Star Trek. We are almost half way through the first season.

Today we went to church and instead of paying attention I was totally focused on a man and his daughter behind us. They were sniffing and coughing-the sound drove my husband nuts. I was freaked out that I would catch it. Why oh why do people go to church sick? It is mostly old people at church (older than me, ha ha) they really do not need to have a nasty cold or the flu. I do not need a nasty cold or flu.

Later today we will be watching "the game" and eating really yummy food! Chocolate chip cookies!

Joining Amanda

Millet Success

2012-02-03T06:51:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I finally got around to making the millet patties from the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. I took some liberty and changed some of the ingredients. Instead of green onions I used celery and I used lots of spices because it was a little bland for me. I must say that they were tasty! I also really like that I did not have to worry about an egg being completely cooked through because there was not an egg in the recipe. Do check out their website- They has some delicious items listed on their recipe page.

I also made a peanut sauce (from the same book) that my husband loved. The sauce was supposed to be served with the steamed kale. Well.......I over steamed it! So that did not go over well. Also my husband informed me that he does not like kale.....I did not know that and I am amazed that I missed the information at some point during other meals when I served it. I think I need to put on my listening ears.

Anyways back to the peanut sauce...he loved it! I am not a huge fan but it was tasty in teeny tiny dippings. I would definitely make it again. I also served a green salad to balance out the meal-YUM!

Sprouts Shawl Complete

2012-02-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for putting up so many photos....I like each one for different reasons. Well it is finished! I managed to have a personal photo shoot with the shawl and myself. Self portraits are difficult for me but it does get me thinking outside the box and that is good for my age, ha ha

The ravelry notes are here. I used Malabrigo sock yarn and it was wonderful to knit with. I highly recommend the yarn for a lace project. It's springy and the dye variations are beautiful!

The pattern is Alcyone by Romi Hill. The directions are written out perfectly. There is charted as well as written out directions. I always go for the charted. It is so much easier to "see" the pattern on a grid for me and I think I knit faster.

It was my first time knitting a shawl from edge to edge and I did like that type of construction. Blocking the shawl really brought out the lace detail especially the border. Although I never memorized the pattern, I did get into a rhythm of knitting and was able to find my place easily on the charts whenever I picked up and started knitting.

I enjoyed the challenge of this shawl and it was fun whipping through the charts and thinking "just one more row"....that's when you know you have a good knit in your hands :)

Yarn Along

2012-02-01T06:06:00.000-05:00

I've decided to start another baby cardigan like this one. The yarn is Cascade 220 and I think it is nearly a full skein. My husband and I know two couples who are expecting babies and I cannot remember when they are due. I have a feeling it is sometime in the spring so yesterday was a good day to cast on a quick easy project. I finished the sprouts shawl and it is still drying in the guest bedroom. I think today will be its photo shoot and the post will be tomorrow.

My other knitting projects, periwinkle frost shawl and the hawthorne cardigan are still on the needles and have been progressing very slowly. I apparently have a hard time dividing my attention equally.

I finished The Kitchen House this past week and it was a very good book and I would recommend it. The whole storyline was sad and contained frank realities of pre civil war slavery. I really enjoyed how the author did not go into graphic detail to any of the violent scenes (and there were many). I am sqeemish. And yet without the detail, I still felt awful and empathetic to the characters of the book. This book also read easily and quickly went from one event to another. Never a dull moment.

I started Rebecca last night because I was in the mood for some traditional gothic romance. I've read this book a long long time ago. It is like a new read because my memory has dimmed as to the specifics of what happens.

Joining Ginny

Random Thoughts

2012-01-31T08:24:00.000-05:00

Last week Frodo and I took a walk about the yard and I remembered to take the camera and here are the photos that we snapped. It was quite chilly that day and the snow disappeared the following day.

All of my southern bloggers are worried about their blooms. So far nothing is sprouting out of the ordinary. It is the same plants that have little buds on them.

It's nice to have some purple color during the winter. During the summer there is never a bud....funny!

I did finish my Sprouts shawl yesterday but it is blocking as I type this so maybe I'll have some photos by Thursday.

In the background is some parsley that is STILL green! I must say this has been the weirdest winter so far. We are supposed to have normal temperatures this week but I do not think there is any snow in the forecast.

Weekends

2012-01-29T18:34:00.001-05:00

This was a very quiet weekend. We went out on Friday night to our favorite local restaurant for salad and pizza. Healthy and delicious! We also picked up some evil donuts and they were oh so tasty and oh so not good for you. I always get donuts with sprinkles, I am a child at heart.

Saturday we did a 40 minute drive to a grocery store so I could find millet. It was no where to be found for me locally and I had an inkling that the trip would be productive. I did find it and hopefully one day I will be making millet burgers......I have my fingers crossed that they taste as good as they read in the recipe! If and when I make the recipe, I'll take photos and share them.

This morning we went to church. After lunch at home, I had knitting with my friends. I have fun listening to everyone chat and seeing what everyone knits. Can you imagine if Yarn along on Wednesday was in person??? It would be the best social time ever!

Oh and I have discovered kalamata olives.......I wish I could eat the whole jar :)

Joining Amanda

This Moment

2012-01-27T07:47:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda

Best Things

2012-01-26T07:52:00.000-05:00

My favorite aunt, you know the one who received this shawl, cross stitched this lovely piece of art for us as a Christmas present one year. I cannot remember which year I received it, but I love the saying.

My best things are my family (including Frodo), the nature that surrounds me, memories I've made through the years and my peaceful existence in this world. What could possibly be better than that?

Yarn Along

2012-01-25T06:08:00.000-05:00

Another yarn along has arrived! I always enjoy seeing what everyone is reading and knitting every Wednesday. My knitting is still the same three projects. I decided to only show one project in my photo which is my sprouts shawl. I am over half way done and at first it was difficult for me to find my rhythm. I tend to memorize patterns so I need not rely on chart reading. Not so with this shawl. It is just not something to memorize, however I have found areas that allow me to look at the chart a little less often. I am thoroughly enjoying this knit. It is my first shawl that is knitted from end to end in an elongated triangle.

For my other knitting that is not in the above photo- I am working the body shaping decreasing on my hawthorne cardigan. This is my tv knit because of the miles and miles of stockinette stitch. I am not complaining, just stating a fact! I am almost done with Chart B of my periwinkle frost shawl. I am over half way done knitting this shawl and I love this pattern! If you're in the mood for lace knitting, try it

My book this week is the same, The Kitchen House. I find it a compelling read overall. I am enjoying the book and the story line never stops evolving. It takes place on a plantation in the late 1700's when slavery and owning people is the norm. This book skillfully exposes the hardships and adverse treatment slaves received without the graphic detail (I am ultra squeamish). But it makes me very very sad to know that events I am reading in a fictional book have actually happened.

Joining Ginny at small things

Book Acquisitions

2012-01-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we went to our local library book sale. I look forward to this sale two times a year. I always find something. My only competition is my son who happens to find many books that I would love to pick up. He is able to ferret out the classics so much faster that me. It must be his youth and internal radar to where they are placed in the room.

Anyways, I was quite happy to pick up seven books for under seven dollars! The Alcott book has a copyright printing of 1932-not in the best shape with the book spine. The Alice in Wonderland book has a copyright printing of 1929. There is nothing like an old book!

I was thrilled to find a copy of My Antonia, would you believe I haven't read one Willa Cather book in my life---the shame! I have read many of Alcott's books but I do not remember reading Rose in Bloom. I first read Little Women when I was thirteen years old. It was the "book" that inspired me to read in all of my free time. That summer I would lie on the front porch swing with a glass of home brewed iced tea and a book while my friends were playing softball.

Do you have a book that started your reading craze?

Weekends

2012-01-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

Friday night we went out to a different restaurant for dinner as a family and we had the best fries ever. Now keep in mind they were the worst fries for health because I believe they were fried twice-so crispy! It was nice to be out and about with our son since he returned to his campus today.

Lots of laundry was done by the laundry fairy so our son could pack as many clean clothes as possible. Starting Monday I am back to two to three loads a week. I am not complaining since the fairy and I are one person. We also went through the cupboards and stocked up on some snacks for the dorm. Nothing like shopping at home.

Saturday brought a beautiful fantastic snow storm. It was perfect-five inches of snow came tumbling down and we did not lose power. What could possibly be better? Because of the snow I decided to make apple raisin muffins from my Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. Check out their website, they have quite a bit of recipes that look yummy.

Today after church I made sure nothing was left behind from our traveler. It's so quiet now. I love when the kids are home and I love when it is just the two of us......oh and Frodo :)

Joining Amanda

This Moment

2012-01-20T07:53:00.000-05:00

(had to post two photos-when no one is paying attention to Frodo he hides under the ottoman and does tiny arfs until you look for him. I caught him in the act this time!!)

Joining Amanda at soulemama

Cardigan Love

2012-01-19T08:16:00.000-05:00

Every day I wear a cardigan and most of the time the cardigan was made my me. Cardigans are flattering for any figure and you can wear it buttoned up or not-gives it a different look. I have found the best way to have any knitted garment fit the way you would like is to measure existing pieces in your wardrobe and adjust the pattern accordingly. If you already have a favorite sweater-measure it! It is much better than measuring yourself.

For instance, I always knit at least seventeen-nineteen inches from the underarm to wrist since I am taller. I also will knit at least fourteen inches for the body of a sweater, sometimes more. Lengthening and shortening knitting garments is quite an easy fix for fit.

I tend to prefer to knit with thin yarn. Double knitting or thinner if possible. I have worsted weight cardigans like tea leaves, but they feel bulky when I wear a coat. I have to be in the mood to wear it. Of course thin yarn will mean that the sweater might take a bit longer to knit but to me it is worth it. Thin yarn drapes better and I think it pills less especially if it is a natural animal fiber.

Also I knit with at least a two ply. Single ply is just awful for a sweater- it pills like mad. Another way to avoid pilling is to knit with a tighter gauge. The tighter the gauge the less friction occurs in the knitted fabric which means less pilling.

My hawthorne cardigan is shaping up quite nicely. I love the simplicity of the pattern.

Yarn Along

2012-01-18T06:11:00.002-05:00

Good morning! I hope everyone is having a great week this week. I am always stunned when Wednesday rolls along, seems like the days are just flying by for me.

I finished Rilla of Ingleside and it really is one of the best out of the series (a total of eight books). I think I liked this one most because WWI breaks out and there is a lot of heart ache experienced by the heroine. A crisis seems to make the characters more realistic for me. So I have finished the series and I'm happy to report I am back to reading contemporary fiction. I started The Kitchen House last night and so far it's interesting. I am not too far into the story line so my opinions are newly developing.

My Periwinkle Frost Shawl has been my number one focus the past week. I finished chart A and started chart B which is not a very long chart to knit. I wish I could explain why I am so into this project. Let's just say it brings me great joy to sit and knit a few rows here and there. My other project is my Hawthorne Cardigan. I work on this when watching TV. Stockinette knitting and TV watching go hand in hand to ward off boredom and to minimize errors. I would hate to frog the shawl because of my mistakes. I finished the raglan increasing, divided off the sleeves and have joined the body. So there is only some simple waist shaping in my near future.

Joining Ginny at small things

Snow

2012-01-16T08:47:00.002-05:00

Today is a wintry tour of my yard. The above photo is my long driveway. The township already came and cindered the road. I wonder what time they awake to get the job done?

My favorite slip on boots that were hand me downs from my sister about five or six years ago. I do not think they will ever wear out. I can wear them with two pairs of socks (the outer layer is always wool!).

This is the back of the fence, remember over the summer when Frodo was escaping? Good times...

One of my lilac bushes that no matter how much the deer eat in the spring it blossoms. Very resilient bush! As for the deer, I am not going to try to stop them. I know I am out numbered. We have at least five deer that walk through our property almost every day. The twins are fully grown now. A couple of days ago they were in the woods watching me as I was out with Frodo. They are quite nosy :)

And last but not least I think this is golden rod.....but maybe it isn't. I know it is a weed and we did not purposefully plant it. I find it beautiful.

Weekends

2012-01-15T16:55:00.000-05:00

This weekend brought snow and some very very chilly weather. Like wear your wool socks and wool scarves in the house kind of weather. I snapped some photos and enjoyed the freezing cold air.

Because of my husband's affinity to sports, there was once again lots of football games to watch. I barely listened and I sat and knitted away on my projects. He'll ask me who I think will win, I'll ask who is the underdog (I always go with underdog). Then we have a discussion about whether the underdog has a chance. We have fun that way :)

Today I played hide and seek with Frodo. I sneak up on him around corners of the kitchen and family room, he loves it and runs around and goes crazy. A game that I can rely on to tire him out as he tends to have high energy.

Today was also a mashed potato-gravy-baked chicken-and yorkshire pudding day. There was corn served too and that is what made it healthy (besides not peeling the red potatoes). I am serving up my son's favorite meals before he goes back to his campus next weekend.

Joining Amanda

This Moment

2012-01-13T08:25:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

Side Tracked

2012-01-12T10:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I did some cleaning on the main floor. I dusted the family room, living room and then the dining room. Then I was sidetracked. I saw on the floor a big basket of sea shells that we have collected over the years from going to the beach as a family. I picked up the basket and started going through the collection, picking out the tiny shells and the pretty stones. I do not know how much time I spent doing this. Does it matter? I was on a mission!

My idea was to display them where I could see them. My kitchen window sill is the perfect place-I tend to stand there a lot during the day (I wonder why?). So now I have a beautiful reminder of family vacations where we would pick up one or two shells or stones and place in a pocket. I also have memories of big beach pails held by little hands, and shovels and digging for treasures.

Yarn Along

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have been casting on a lot of projects. I just can't resist. I have been really knitting up a storm on the periwinkle frost shawl and I am still on chart A. I am more than half way done with the first chart and I can see my progress-I love this shawl! My Hawthorne Cardigan has only had one or two rows added since last week. My Sprouts Shawl is working up nicely! I cannot stop singing the praises for Malabrigo Sock yarn-it is soft and squishy and has excellent stitch definition. I think it is a treat to knit with for socks or for a shawl. I also have in mind making a sweater one day out of it.

My reading this week is still Rilla of Ingleside. It might be the best book in the series. I am so glad that I am finally reading it. What a pleasure to observe the main character maturing during the events of World War I through her experiences. Amazingly she is taking care of a newborn infant at fifteen years of age. I remember babysitting a three month old when I was sixteen and it was not an easy task (for me). I called my mom every half hour peppering her with questions about how to get the little baby to stop crying. He must have missed his mother.

I thought I would include a photo of the the cowl I finished last week. Before my daughter left for school I remembered to get the camera. They match her legwarmers, so when she is running she will look so "together". Maybe she doesn't wear them together? I'll have to ask.

Joining Ginny at small things

Long and Winding

2012-01-09T18:18:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but it seems to be a little bit lighter than usual around 4:30 p.m. I was doing dishes and I thought "we should walk before it gets dark!"

If you utter the word "walk" anywhere near Frodo you are committed to walking. He looks so eager and happy, he prances all around doing twirls-he should have been in the circus.

We haven't walked the dirt road for many many weeks. Mainly because of deer season and I am afraid I might be mistaken for a deer. My dad insists that it would not happen but I do not believe him. So from Thanksgiving until one to two weeks after deer season I steer clear of the dirt road. Only paved residential roads.

It was so nice to be out and about in the woods. There might be one car that passes by. This walk there was a car and a neighbor's golden retriever walking down the road. He loves to greet Frodo. Frodo wishes he was as big as a golden retriever.

I might complain there is no snow this winter but I do enjoy walking in 40-50 degree weather and my running shoes stay squeaky clean!

I believe I will always want to live with woods nearby. I can listen to the silence and be in harmony with nature. I am so thankful that walking can be done anytime and anywhere with anyone. Frodo is thankful that he knows the word "walk"

(photos in this post were taken by my son)

Weekends

2012-01-08T17:51:00.001-05:00

This photo would be perfect if there was some SNOW in it....Sorry, I really am hoping for some snow and so far it exists only in my imagination. I am fondly remembering last year's winter when we had some decent snowfall and some beautiful quiet frozen mornings.

My weekend was a little bittersweet. I am seeing all of my coffee table (without piles of books) which I am thrilled to bits about, but I am seeing it because my daughter went back to her apartment on Friday. Oh well March break will be here before I know it (and so will the clutter!).

My weekend has been filled with reading and relaxing. More football games because of the playoffs. I am not a sport fanatic but I married one and sometimes I listen to what he says...sometimes. We also polished off all of the lingering left overs from the crazy holidays.

This morning at Mass I was a little sad that the Christmas carols are over. It seems that Advent and Christmas fly by for me. I also am loving the new mass editing more than I thought I would. It almost echoes a more traditional Mass that I remember from my past which is kind of neat.

Linking with Amanda at the habit of being

Hawthorne Cardigan

2012-01-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

Well I was pretty sure when I casted on that I needed to go down a needle size for my cardigan. The six just seemed too loose. How lucky I was to be wearing the first cardigan to compare gauge (without measuring) to notice that I needed to switch needles. I only had a couple rows to rip out so it was not devastating.

I know I have stated this before, but I love top down construction. I do not like to sew seams and I like that the bulk of the knitting is done at the very beginning. If you have not tried top down and you are familiar with sweater knitting, you should give it a try. The only negative to top down construction is that there are no shoulder seams which leads to less structure at the top of the sweater.

Today I will be transporting my daughter back to her campus. She is packing as I type. I can see my coffee table (over half) and my laundry duties will diminish somewhat. While I am traveling this afternoon, my husband will be home cooking up a curry for dinner (YUM!). My son will be helping his sister haul various "stuff" into the apartment and hopefully be doing some of the driving. These past three weeks have flown by.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

A Bowl and a Cowl

2012-01-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

Don't you think that bowl and cowl should rhyme? Well it was just a thought. I finished my daughter's cowl last night while watching the very last Harry Potter movie with the family. The drama had the stitches flying off the needles! I only just soaked it early this morning and I am not sure if I will get a photo of it being worn. I have my fingers crossed but just in case here are two photos of it drying in the guest bedroom.

I always block my knits and I always use a wool wash. I like knowing that I do not have to rinse the soap out of the knitwear. I think soaking allows the fiber to "bloom", it also removes any chemicals and last bits of dye that are still in the wool after it has been processed. It always feels softer to me.

I fill up the sink (or tub) with very warm water and add a splash of wool wash then throw the knitted item in and submerge it. I soak at least 20 minutes.......I have been known to soak for 7 hours because I forgot and that's okay too. Then I wring (yes, wring) it out. I try to do it very very gently. If it is a sweater I toss it into the washer and put it through the spin/drain cycle. DO NOT wring cashmere-it is too delicate. I only wring wool, alpaca, and silk fibers.

If it is lace, I pin out the project right onto my carpeting. Otherwise I just lay it out and gently reshape it.
I am to much of a chicken to try the hand wash cycle on my front loader, I am afraid I would be crying buckets of tears if it felted my knits.

So anyways, since the word bowl is in the post title, here is a wonderful gift I received from my father and his wife for Christmas. It's a hand crafted yarn bowl from one of their local artisans. Right now it's just holding some lace weight yarn. I have some ideas of some yarn that would be perfect to use in this bowl and see if it really works. When visiting my sister, she was knitting a scarf for her son using the bowl to control the yarn-great invention! I also think it is lovely to look at.

Yarn Along

2012-01-04T06:24:00.000-05:00

For knitting this week I have been focusing on finishing the cowl for my daughter before she goes back to her apartment on Friday. I have about 7-9 rows to go. I have great hopes that I will be casting off today and soaking in wool wash and blocking by tonight. My other project that has gained my knitting attention is a new sweater that I blogged about yesterday. I am winging it on the gauge......which means there is a good chance (50%) that I might be ripping it out. I tend to knit whatever needle size is called for in a pattern so fingers crossed that this is true. How I wish I would have documented the needles size on the first sweater.

I finished Digging to America and I really did not care for it as much as I had hoped. There really was no conflict to be resolved. More like a character exploration. At the very very end there was some tiny minor conflict resolution that had me thinking "that's it?". I am glad I finished the book. So now I have started the eighth book in the Anne series, Rilla of Ingleside. How did Santa know that I wanted this book??? He is just amazing sometimes.

Joining Ginny at small things

Prepare the Way

2012-01-03T08:50:00.000-05:00

Prepare the way for some new projects, of course!! I am so excited to start a few new items and both are for me. This lovely yarn is Prime Alpaca in sport weight that I bought at the PA Endless Mountain Fiber Festival in 2010, unfortunately due to the heavy flooding this past fall they did not have their booth.

I've decided to make the Gooseberry Cardigan, again. I wear this cardigan a lot through the winter and I want another one! Can you believe that I did not document what needle size I used on Ravelry? Jeez. So that means I have to do gauge. Bleh.

I thought you all would love to see my expensive swift, ha ha. For some reason two chairs back to back works for me and my upper arms get a much needed workout. Anyways, onto my other lovely bundle of yarn.

This is a skein of Malabrigo Sock in the lettuce colorway. I am not sure which shawl pattern I am going to start. I am leaning towards one of the seven shawls by Romi Hill. I love the decision making process.

Have you any new knitting projects in the horizon?

A New Year

2012-01-02T07:55:00.000-05:00

I was so lucky yesterday to wake up and see such a pretty sky when I took Frodo outside. So once we were back in our house, I quickly grabbed my camera and headed out to capture the moment. My first new day of the new year was spent going to Mass and then putting away the Christmas decorations. I know they are supposed to stay up until the Epiphany but I just cannot last that long.

I'm I little tired from the work. However, I had many helpers carrying the full boxes back to where they are stored until next Christmas. My living room looks so tidy and a bit empty. I still have the mess on the coffee table. That will be there until the kids go back to their campuses.

Today I am going grocery shopping and picking up some new ingredients to start the yummy meal plans that I have created from my new cookbooks. I am going to try one new recipe a week---at least! Steering towards whole foods and way less sugar.

I don't cook from prepackaged because they (food manufacturers) love to sprinkle dairy in everything. However I am in a rut and keep cooking the same meals.....blah. So as I experiment I hope to remember to take a photo of my hits and misses.

I wish all of you a very happy new year filled with lots of love, luck, health and happiness!!

This Moment

2011-12-29T12:12:00.003-05:00

One More Time

2011-12-29T12:11:00.002-05:00

One more time, for another cowl. This one can be looped around twice so it is going to look pretty good once it is finished. Yesterday I spent some considerable time pondering what I wanted to cast on. I want to make a wurm hat but could not commit to a yarn in my stash. There are many projects I would like to cast on for (sweaters and triangular shawls) but I just could not decide for me. However, picking a knit for my daughter it was easy peasy.

This yarn she chose two or three years ago at a fiber festival for a pair of socks. Which as you can see I never became a pair of socks. I thought a cowl was in this yarn's future to go with those legwarmers. I am really loving the simplicity of the pattern. Watching Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part one was a breeze!!

Our son is absolutely fine with less "wisdom", thanks for your well wishes! It is truly amazing how resilient the body can be. Of course the milkshakes were probably the best medicine (and the prednisone). Our daughter goes back to her campus next weekend-such a short break.

Yarn Along

2011-12-28T05:50:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a relaxing Christmas. This winter break is flying by for me, I think it's because the kids are home and each day takes a different direction on what we are doing. I've been having fun, but there has been little knitting and reading done this week.

I thought I would share a photo of my new cookbooks that I have so far flipped through-that's it. I have seen some recipes that look really good but I haven't made a grocery list. I'm okay with that. I have plenty of time when the kids go back to try some new menus. One of my goals for 2012 to is change up my eating and steer towards a whole food diet.

I am also reading Digging to America which is a really interesting read. Every chapter is written in the perspective of one of the characters and what they think of the others in the book. Some of the thoughts are critical but it's based on the person's own values.

For knitting, I am still working away on my Cold Mountain Shawl. I also started another wurm hat with the leftover Ultra Alpaca but I do not have enough yarn and I think it will be frogged today. I am really disappointed that there is not enough yarn but I just will not wear the hat with what yardage I have. It might be a good excuse to buy some more yarn.

Today our son is getting his wisdom teeth out so I will be scurrying around the town for the appointment this morning, picking up pain meds and of course the needed milkshakes!!

Joining Ginny at Small Things

Christmas Time

2011-12-26T09:10:00.001-05:00

This is our Christmas morning before the opening of gifts. The two gift bags on the table contained food so of course they had to be placed where our dear Frodo would not find them. The larger gift was for him.....treats, yum! Each year the presents get a little smaller because everyone is all grown up now. This year we were reminiscing (this word looks like it should be spelled a different way) about putting together barbie houses and hot wheel garages. It would take hours but it was fun. Yesterday we listened to the kids new CDs instead of assembling toys.

I think in the next couple of weeks I will be quite entertained with three new cookbooks, many novels, and a new photo editing software. The software will probably stretch my learning abilities. The cookbooks are whole food based. The one is dairy free, gluten free, and egg free. I have two relatives who have celiac disease and I always have a tough time with dairy so I thought it would be fun exploring some new menus.

I received The Impossible Puzzle (jigsaw) from my daughter and so far it is impossible. I have a feeling I will invest more time with this than with the new photo software, then again maybe not. My son gave me a hard sudoku book which is the only number puzzle I like.

I hope all of you had a great Christmas weekend. Just think in a week we will be celebrating a new year! Time flies when you are having fun. Oh, I have been mulling over what I would love to knit in the coming weeks. Stay tuned..

Wishing You

2011-12-22T08:59:00.000-05:00

I am ready for the festivities to begin! Did I finish my knitting goals for Christmas? Yep. Am I wrapped? Yep. Did I finish the baking? Not really. Baking is not my absolute favorite part of the holidays. It just makes me eat more sugar than I really need to eat.

As you know, we celebrated Christmas with my husband's parents in October and then my family during the Thanksgiving break. That just leaves the four of us during the Christmas break. I kind of like it. We have lived away from extended family since our marriage (gasp! 25 years this year). The Christmas break is filled with watching holiday movies, video game playing, walking Frodo and lots of reading. Sometimes we venture out and do a bit of shopping. It really is the only time during the year that we are all together. I am sure in the near future the kids will be on their own and new traditions will begin.

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends, laughter and good health. See you all next week, Merry Christmas!! -Karen

Yarn Along

2011-12-21T06:06:00.002-05:00

Good morning, today is another blog post and of course I totally forgot to take a good photo during the day yesterday-although there was very very little sunshine. I am starting to believe we will have a very rainy Christmas...boo hoo.

For knitting this week, I am on the second scrap hat. I finished the first hat and blogged about it here. So as you can guess I am thoroughly enjoying the decreasing of the sock yarn project. The hat in the above photo has more odds and ends but I am trying to stick to some color scheme. I'm happy with it. My other knitting project is my shawl. I am on my first chart out of three. I am on the second repeat out of six. I have a very very long ways to go.

I am currently reading Digging to America and only just started it last night. It has been on my bookshelf for quite some time and I have no opinions as of yet. I finished The Wednesday Sisters which was a very good book, I just didn't like the ending. There was nothing wrong with the ending it just seemed too far fetched for me. I would still recommend the book and give it a try.

Joining Ginny at Small Things.

A Little Scrap of Heaven

2011-12-19T13:19:00.001-05:00

I finished knitting a hat out of left over sock yarns. Yep. Done. The very best part of this hat is that my son loves it. The ravelry notes of my scrap happy hat are here. I used about five different sock yarns and alternated every four rows. I just guessed at how much I would need. I do have some of the colors left over (still). So I casted on another hat but it will be have more stripes, more colors.

I do not know about you, but I save everything, even if it is only one yard. You just never ever know when you will need some yarn somewhere for something. Since I am in a hat making mood I might go for a third hat. I timed myself burying all the threads for this hat and it only took a 1/2 hour! Why oh why does burying threads feel like a lifetime?

I have finished wrapping ALL the gifts. I am ready for the gift giving part of the holiday. Still have not made a complete grocery shopping list for Christmas eve. It is just the four of us so it should be easy, right?

Oh and I need to make some more cookies! Cookies are a necessity of life :)

Weekends

2011-12-18T13:17:00.003-05:00

This weekend contained:

-me ignoring clutter.
-me caving in to peer pressure and making this Peppermint Bark. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I am unable to eat it because of all the dairy in it. I tried and felt awful. Lactaid pills are only so magical for me. The family LOVES it.
-making potato and leek soup that was super yummy! (with homemade bread)
-knitting while the kids are playing video games.
-doing way more laundry than I usually do.
-trying to come up with my menu plans, I was getting very comfortable cooking for two.

Joining Amanda at the habit of being

This Moment

2011-12-16T08:05:00.000-05:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

Ridge Cowl Complete

2011-12-15T07:48:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of the Purl Ridge Cowl that I completed last week. I have not blocked the cowl yet and I am thinking maybe I should. Very gently though because of the alpaca and alpaca can be droopy. I love the feel of this cowl, but I am not thrilled with the curling of the stockinette area.

I have been trying very hard not to buy any more purple yarn. It's difficult because I am attracted to purples and grays oh and greens.

The kids are coming home today. That means my clean and tidy house will not be clean and tidy. Let's see if I can relax and enjoy the mess for the three to five weeks that they are home, I promise to try, really!! I have only just started to menu plan. I have to wrap all the gifts.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Yarn Along

2011-12-14T05:33:00.001-05:00

This week for knitting I have been concentrating on a floppy (slouchy) hat for either my son or my husband. I wanted to use up some of my left over sock yarn from previous sock projects. I striped four different sock yarns during the ribbing section. I felt that I might run out so I added a fifth stripe in the body of the hat. Each stripe is four rows. I think it looks pretty good. I will not be happy when I have to bury all the loose threads though. Here is my project page. My other knitting is the cold mountain shawl that I started a couple of weeks ago. I have barely touched it, but I did knit a row or two this week. I finished a little baby sweater over the weekend that just turned out wonderfully. I think gray is my new go to color.

This week I am reading The Wednesday Sisters. This book is a very compelling read. I am interested in all of the characters and the story flows quite nicely. She writes about the personal lives of five women and weaves in their current events at the time. So I get a refreshing history lesson-how nice!

I am joining Ginny at small things.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-12-11T17:47:00.001-05:00

And what would keep a baby warm? Why a cardigan of course. Not just any old cardigan but the good old standby of Elizabeth Zimmermann's creation-February Baby Sweater! I decided to do a gray yarn because the recipient loves neutral shades.

I decided to eliminate the lace pattern so the two shades would be the main focus of the sweater. I also could not resist adding a touch of flare with the red buttons. The details of this sweater can be found on my Ravelry page.

Tracey over at Clover is hosting a little baby shower for Amanda from the habit of being. Hop on over to Clover to see all the lovely gifts for this very special baby to be :)

Weekends

2011-12-11T17:19:00.001-05:00

(this is me swirling my camera around as I photo the Christmas tree)

This weekend contained:

-shopping, on a Saturday, with EVERYONE on the planet.....well, it seemed to me to be everyone on the planet.
-realizing that I am not going shopping on any weekends before Christmas-I dislike crowds and traffic and tend to lose my Christmas spirit.
-relaxing knitting, which means I am not under any deadline, it is a good feeling.
-dinner out with my husband!
-lots and lots of Christmas music "it's the most wonderful time of the year".......Yay, Johnny Mathis! I also have the words to "Santa Baby" memorized, it is a selfish song that I cannot resist liking-- a '54 convertible light blue would look pretty nifty.
-knitting with my friends-honestly I think we laugh and talk more than we knit. I always take simple knitting so I do not make any mistakes.

How was your weekend??

joining Amanda at the habit of being

This Moment

2011-12-09T07:19:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-08T09:03:00.001-05:00

I snapped these photos around seven a.m. this morning when I went to get the paper. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved it when it snowed. I do not think I will ever get tired of it. Snow covered ground is beautiful and I love to be cold. (I am a little strange) Many people would say that I would dislike snow once I started driving---nope! It has not happened.

I am married to a summer lover. He is so happy swimming in the pool, while I am grumbling about the heat and my hair (did I mention that my hair looks awesome in the winter?) So yesterday when the snow started I heard his grumbling and I smiled. It is my season--I am happy!

I believe that this snowfall will be melting by this evening. The sun is shining and the temperatures are rising. Today I will keep looking out the window and enjoying the view. I will make more lists.

Next Thursday the kids are coming home for their winter break. Our son is off for five weeks and our daughter is off for three weeks. Of course I do hope the weather will cooperate with their travels...maybe some flakes sprinkled in the air?

Yarn Along

2011-12-07T05:34:00.001-05:00

This week for the Yarn Along I have been knitting up a storm on a project I am unable to speak about because it's a secret. So the gray project in the photo is all I can say about it. Yep, it's gray and it's a secret. Now I am thrilled to announce that I finished my husband's sweater over the weekend!! He has already worn it once and because it's 100% wool and it is not cold out, he had to take it off. I told him it could be a coat if one wanted a warm garment. I am still working on the Ridge cowl. I love this project because the yarn is heavenly to hold - so so so soft!!

For reading this week, I chose A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I have read this many times and I still enjoy Scrooge's transformation. You know, the Grinch has a similar transformation only his heart grows bigger. Scrooge just gets to see what a crummy guy he has been. Everyone should contemplate their past, present, and future (without the scary ghosts!). I am on the third ghost a.k.a. "phantom", so almost done with this little book.

Joining Ginny on Small Things

Lincoln Green Sweater Complete

2011-12-05T09:25:00.001-05:00

I finished my husband's sweater this weekend. It was a lot of knitting (two sleeves and neck) but I did it and I am overall quite pleased with the results. For the edging of his sweater, I did a 4 x 4 broken rib (the purl was replaced with garter stitch) pattern so it would not be too wavy. I finished the bottom of the body and the sleeves with five ridges of garter stitch.

I am not thrilled with the neck line but he wanted a VERY short vee neck shaping. I think it should be a deeper vee neck. Whatever-he is very very happy with it. I also decided to make the neck line overlap so there would be more elasticity. I am notorious for making neck bind offs too tight and always ripping out. I succeeded in doing this neck ribbing one time only :)

I really liked this universal pattern, however I wish they would give a standard raglan measurement. I was supposed to measure one of his raglan garments for the number, guess what? He does not own any! So I did the raglan shaping with pure guessing and he tried it on to make sure I was on the right track. That is one glorious benefit to top down knitting!!!

Weekends

2011-12-04T18:28:00.001-05:00

My weekend contained:

-a Christmas dinner party with husband's co-workers. (read that as no cooking!!)

-frantically knitting like a demon and finishing a project. But I will not tell you which one until the next time I blog....gotta edit some photos.

-starting another project that is super super secretive....ssh....

-receiving my *free* skein of yarn from eat.sleep.knit-I won on the yarn lotto card :)

-receiving a lovely gift from Emily (thanks!) in the mail, it really made my day.

-waking up on Saturday and having very little evidence of my cold.....I was thrilled that all of that tea drinking did me some good.

-playing with my ipod touch camera with some camera apps, hence the photo above!

-lots and lots of smiles reading comments with everyone asking about the glue on the gingerbread table from Friday's post. Yes there were TWO activities (so so silly) and no the glue wasn't intended to be eaten but I do believe Elmer's glue is non toxic....

Joining Amanda at the habit of being

This Moment

2011-12-02T07:41:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

Holiday Countdown

2011-12-01T08:44:00.001-05:00

This Advent Calendar was made by my mother in 1990 and every year I pull it out I have wonderful memories of her and past Christmases. When the kids were little they would fight over who was first to start the calendar. It was valued to be the last so you could place the gold star at the top of the tree. Now it is just me and every morning when I place an ornament I think of the kids. I know when they get back from school for the semester break one of them will take over the duty. Probably without the arguing.

I am so thankful that I started decorating the house last Saturday and finished on Sunday. I used to be able to decorate all in one day. Now it takes me two days, I am a little slower. I am okay with that. The reason I am thankful especially this year is because I finished before my tiny cold started. Now I am sitting with hot cups of tea staring at the tree.

My mom made the fabric tree, placemats and and the cross stitched table cloth! She was quite the sewing queen.

As you may recall, I am done with Christmas shopping for the extended family. All I have left is my husband and the kids. I think that is why I am not stressed out during December.

So I am off to drink more tea and kick my cold as best as I can. Have you decorated?

Yarn Along

2011-11-30T05:57:00.001-05:00

For my knitting this week, I was a teeny tiny bit side tracked. On the way to my dad's for Thanksgiving, I decided to whip up a pair of fingerless mitts for my son before he goes back to university. While I was knitting the the car my husband said "are those finally mine?"........Okay now I have decided to whip up TWO pairs of fingerless mitts! I am proud to say that the pattern is memorized. I guess if you do something enough it is burned into your memory. My on the needles project on the right is my purl ridge cowl. I pick it up once in a while and work a couple of rows. Easy peasy. I am still working on my husband's sweater, no new news there.

For reading this week I had to buy this book "More Last Minute Knitted Gifts". I will blame it on my blogger friend Lori Times Five who made this gorgeous sweater that I love to pieces. I knew when she casted on this project I would be buying the book eventually. Well eventually arrived over the Thanksgiving weekend. My other read this week is "Jane Austen Knits" which has quite a lot of patterns that I would knit up. I will shamefully admit that I am still reading the Deilverance Dane book....

This has nothing to do with knitting or reading, but I think I am getting a cold :(

joining Ginny at Small Things

Yarn Shopping

2011-11-28T20:29:00.001-05:00

I was lucky enough to spend the day with my sister on Black Friday out and about in the Pittsburgh area. Let me tell you that there are no lines at yarn stores and everyone is pleasant and kind. Best of all they have what I want.....yarn!
Our first stop was at Natural Stitches as shown in the above photos. The first photo is an entire wall of Cascade 220!!! Isn't it great? I just love to stare and wonder what color I like best. I could have spent the whole day there but I got hungry and it was lunch time. Food gets important as I age :)

The second yarn store that we visited was Yarns Unlimited in Sewickley, PA. This store has quite the collection of yarn as well. My sister and I have been going to this store for years....(I want to say a decade, but not too sure.) So when I enter this shop it is like visiting an old friend.

I ended up buying fingering weight yarn for some shawls designed by Romi Hill. I think the year 2012 will be the beaded shawl year, eventually! I bought lots and lots of beads at JoAnn Fabrics. I am ready. Now to just finish up my other projects that are on my needles. Of Course I did buy some Cascade 220 for another sweater and some sock yarn. Overall it was a great outing and I am not shopping for any more yarn any time soon (so I say now).

Giveaway Winner

2011-11-27T19:43:00.001-05:00

Thank you everyone for participating in the giveaway. I wish everyone could win!! Now for the results.
Drum roll...........

The winner of my birthday giveaway is cpcable who wrote:

Oh, Happiest of birthdays, Karen! And so sweet of you to give something away to celebrate. Hope you have a great holiday as well! :)

Weekends

2011-11-27T19:20:00.001-05:00

My weekend contained:

-lots and lots of time in the car! We drove to see my side of the family and then we had to get the kids back to their schools.
-pulling out the decorations and decorating the main floor for the holidays.
-being very achy and sore from all the decorating (I refuse to believe it is my age!).
-running a dishwasher because of having a full house.
-making more fingerless mitts for my husband and son. Almost done!!!
-reorganizing my knitting corner because of the Christmas tree.
-another wonderful afternoon with my knitting friends.
-going to Mass with the new Roman Missal being implemented....really was no big deal to me.

Joining Amanda at the habit of being

Shades of Autumn Finale

2011-11-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

This Moment

2011-11-23T19:01:00.000-05:00

joining Amanda at Soulemama

Yarn Along

2011-11-22T15:23:00.001-05:00

Yes you do see a new project even though I have that sweater that is taking forever. I just could not resist. I really wanted a triangular shawl with fingering weight yarn (I did buy the patterns on Ravelry--going to go yarn shopping soon) so because I have to wait, I casted on a lovely blue lace weight rectangular shawl. I have made this pattern before and I knew when I made it I was going to make it again. It repeats easily and there is a knitting flow that I got into with the charts. You know what I mean?

For my husband's sweater I am on the ribbing. I have blitzed through the body of the sweater with the aid of two Harry Potter movies over the weekend. I was going to go into a knitting coma if I had to continue stockinette with my podcasts. I needed visual input with my listening entertainment. I think I might do a broken rib for the ribbing. It has to be a multiple of four or eight that I know for sure.

I am very nearly done with The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and I have to say I have been enjoying it over all. It is entertaining and fills me with ideas of visiting Salem Massachusetts.....now to convince my husband of a trip! We'll see about that. Underneath my book pile is a very beat up copy of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I haven't read it in a couple of years and I just felt in the mood for Scrooge like attitude.

Joining Ginny at Small Things

Pumpkin Leg Warmers-Complete

2011-11-22T07:45:00.001-05:00

Well these photos could be a bit better....but it is all I have at the moment. I finished them!!! Of course I have no idea whether they look good on legs yet. I am waiting for my daughter to arrive today and then I will give them to her. I am absolutely terrible at waiting until Christmas when I knit for the kids. Plus she can wear them until Christmas and still be in the fall season and in an orange mood.

The ravelry page is here. The pattern was very easy to follow and it was all charts, which I love. I was able to knit these and watch tv!! I hope I can remember to snap a photo of the leg warmer's being worn.

Giveaway

2011-11-20T13:05:00.001-05:00

I have a wonderful giveaway planned to celebrate my birthday. I just wanted to thank all of my internet friends for the lovely comments that you leave on my blog. I also enjoy visiting your blogs and getting a peak at your busy lives. Blogging has been so much fun for me.

My sister has graciously given me this zipper pouch that she whipped up in her sewing room. This pouch is perfect for all of your stitch markers. To start you out she has also made two stitch markers that coordinate with this pouch.

To be considered for the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post. I will choose a winner using a random number generator around 8 p.m. next Sunday (11/27). The winner will be announced on next Monday's post.

Weekends

2011-11-20T12:59:00.001-05:00

This weekend contained:

-a lot of alone time-my husband had a business trip that gave me a few days alone with Frodo.
-finally finally remembering to walk in the afternoon, I missed walking so much that my body screamed it needed some fitness.
-eating leftovers so I would not have to cook
-my birthday!! (which is today)
-my husband returning home in time for my birthday :)
-a cheap dinner picked up at the grocery store along with mini cupcakes.
-watching two Harry Potter movies (4+5) so that the boring stockinette knitting of my husband's sweater would go faster in my mind.

Joining Amanda at Habit of Being

This Moment

2011-11-18T06:05:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

Shades of Autumn Challenge: White

2011-11-18T06:02:00.001-05:00

Thank goodness it snowed a couple of weeks ago so that I had the color white. This photo challenge made me realize that this year my autumn colors were predominantly yellow and red.

The above photo is my driveway and the snow arrived way before we mowed up (we do not rake here) all of the leaves. My husband likes to wait for them all to drop and do the mowing one time. I do not blame him. I am glad I don't have to rake.

I love this white pine that is in our side yard. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's photos this week!!

Yarn Along

2011-11-16T05:48:00.001-05:00

This week for the yarn along I think I am doing the same knitting and reading as last week. For knitting I have finished one leg warmer and am on the second one. My goal is to have it finished before the kids are home for Thanksgiving....the race is on! The pattern is quite easy once you decide which needles to use. My husband's sweater is chugging along. I can honestly say I have barely worked two or three rows because of the leg warmers. I am hoping that seeing it in the photo will spur me to pick it up. I am two-three inches into the body. The purple cowl is a knit for me that I started a week or two ago. Just something quick and easy. Again, I have been mainly focusing my knitting efforts on the leg warmers.

I continue to read The Physick book of Deliverance Dane. Which is a very compelling read! I have been drawn into the mystery and I love how I am getting a history lesson into the Salem witch trials. The book has been flowing along for me and I do love when an author switches from different years while telling the story. Give it a try!

Joining Ginny at Small Things.

Just a note to thank all of my fellow bloggers and sometimes worriers for the kind comments yesterday. I am very happy and worry free at the moment. Which is just the way it should be :) I also have many ideas for future shawls, stay tuned!

Happiness

2011-11-15T07:23:00.001-05:00

I have decided to embrace happiness, there I said it now may it become true. I sometimes find myself wasting time by doing stuff that does not increase my happiness factor. I tend to be a worrier. Sometimes I just pick something anything and just worry myself into a snit. Yesterday I woke up and vowed to fill my thoughts with endless happy ideas so I would not waste any part of my day.

So what is a good way to fill a mind with happiness? Why thinking of a new knitting project! I really love my traveling woman shawl and my noble cowl. I wear these so much since the weather turned cooler. Right now I am leaning towards another triangular shawl in fingering weight. I am just not sure if I should do a repeat of what I love or branch out and choose a new pattern.

My other fun activity was loading up a new ipod touch (for my soon-to-be-birthday on Sunday). I am still in the process of deciding what to keep and what to delete from the old ipod touch. I think over the next few days I am digging out my very old nano and filling it with Christmas music for the kitchen docking station player (I am at a complete loss of the correct name of this thing!). Wouldn't that be fun? Assuming it works of course!!

Any suggestions for a shawl that uses about 450 yards in fingering weight???

Weekends

2011-11-13T17:23:00.001-05:00

This weekend contained:

-getting ready for Thanksgiving and finishing up the holiday shopping for my extended family.
-knitting on a leg warmer and wishing it was the second one and I was done...
-switching from the itty bitty circular wooden needles to my tried and true DPNs....
-feeling like I betrayed my loyal metal double pointed needles...I will never ever give you up again.
-laundry (even though I have way less, I still have it!)
-knitting with friends at a local coffee shop and laughing more than knitting.
-forgetting to walk before dinner...we finally got it right on Sunday!
-having a very long streak of "good hair days", I'm thinking it is because it is fall and my hair is happy.

Joining Amanda at the habit of being

This Moment

2011-11-11T05:23:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama.

Shades of Autumn Challenge: Brown

2011-11-11T05:18:00.001-05:00

To me Autumn usually means brown but I was surprised to find evidence of it very close to this week's challenge. After all of the bright colors from the previous challenges I found brown to be comforting. Of course, I have loads of brown on my property since I am surrounded by woods.

I would not mind one little bit if fall would linger on. It is one of my favorite seasons (besides winter). I enjoy the crisp air and the dark nights. More time for knitting.

Only the oak tress are holding onto their last bit of leaves. Just like that the colors are finished!

I have blogged about this tree stump before and it never stops to fascinate me with all of the fungi that is growing on it. When we first had to cut the tree down because of severe damage, I thought the stump was an eyesore. Now....I just think it is such a great example of nature's beauty.

Loose Thoughts

2011-11-10T07:50:00.001-05:00

This is the centerpiece on my coffee table. My mother made the pumpkins so many years ago and I love when September arrives and I display them. I keep them out until I decorate the house for Christmas. Yes do you see a tv remote tucked in that basket. I thought it would be a good place to keep it.

The kids will be coming home for Thanksgiving break and we will be celebrating Christmas (!) with my side of the family during the break. I feel like I have too much to do to prepare and yet when I write my list it really isn't that much to do. So maybe it is the excitement that has me feeling a little edgy.

One of the things I most enjoy about the holiday season is that we have for years spaced out our Christmas gift exchanging. In October we exchange gifts with my husband's parents. It is difficult to get into the holiday season in October but because of commercialism the stores have some holiday items out for setting the mood.

November is when we exchange for my family. I have made many cowls and just need to pick up little usable gifts this week. So really I am ready....right? After this week I will be playing Christmas music and wrapping all the gifts, this usually sets my "in season" mood.

My other thought is that Frodo has been rolling around in something very stinky in the yard. I bathed him twice in one day not to mention baby wiped him down. I could wring his little neck (not really). So even though my fingers are peeling from the many soap exposures, he is meeting his doom sometime today for another bath. He is just very hard to love when he smells.

Yarn Along

2011-11-09T05:51:00.000-05:00

This week I have been focusing on the legwarmers that I started a couple of weeks ago. I usually knit with double pointed needles and I decided to try out the itty bitty circular needles for a change. Especially since there is straight tube knitting. So far they are okay. I am not madly in love with them but I do not hate them. What I like is that I am on circular needles. What I do not like is that they are wood and I always prefer metal-I think stitches slide around better. What makes my evaluation confusing is that the yarn I am using reynolds-wash-day-wool is very splitty to knit with. I love this yarn because of its softness and its durability. Wash Day wool wears like iron!!

For reading this week I am still on the same book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and so far I am liking it a lot. At the very beginning, on the first page, the author was talking about a character cooking lentils then eating the cooked peas (this stuck in my mind).....I thought peas and lentils are from the same family but two separate foods? So after I got over her pea-lentil interchangeable description I fell into the story line. Who cares? I love lentils and I love peas :D I am enjoying the mystery unfolding.

What are you knitting and reading this week?

Joining Ginny at Small Things

Simple Pleasures

2011-11-08T07:54:00.001-05:00

Well maybe this isn't really a simple pleasure to most of you, but it is to me. Over the weekend I was thinking about my two projects left on the needles and how both of them are not for me. I also know that I have at least three more knitting gifts to make before Christmas if I feel up to it. So what do I do? I dream of something for me! I wanted a super easy cowl that is in worsted weight which would knit up quickly in case I do get motivated to knit for others. Ahem.

The yarn is Ultra Alpaca by Berroco that I picked up in Pittsburgh around two years ago. I was going to make flip mittens out of it but I changed my mind. The pattern that I am following loosely is the Purl Ridge scarf by Stephen West. My ravelry page is here.

Weekends

2011-11-06T18:40:00.004-05:00

This weekend contained:

-watching the movie Iron Man and finding out I like superheros!
-sharing a dinner with good friends while laughing and talking about our kids and our animals.
-enjoying the time change Sunday morning and leisurely getting ready for church.
-being a little sad that in a few weeks the after dinner walk with Frodo will have to be before dinner or not at all because of the darkness.
-savoring a meal made by my husband-it feels like a vacation for me every time he cooks!
-chatting with both kids and looking forward to Thanksgiving vacation.
-only having two knitting projects and daydreaming about what should be my next project.
-a walk around the property with Frodo, snapping photos of all the fallen leaves and bare trees. Only our oaks are holding on to their leaves.
-just being happy being.

Joining Amanda at the habit of being.

Shades of Autumn Challenge: Purple

2011-11-04T07:50:00.001-04:00

I managed to uncover some purple in my yard but it required me to think a little. Autumn usually means to me yellow, orange and red. Imagine my surprise to find that purple is a fall color-honest!! This photo above is one of my wild dogwood trees.

We planted this weigela bush in our front garden for its beautiful pink flowers in the spring. Little did I know that I would discover purple leaves in the fall, thank you little shrub of mine.

This is a shawl that I knitted this summer and has been my "go to" shawl to wear during the chilly mornings. It is wool and it is warm. It is wonderful.

Looking forward to seeing everyone else's purple themed photos.

This Moment

2011-11-04T07:47:00.001-04:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

The Body of Truth-Lincoln Green

2011-11-03T07:28:00.001-04:00

Remember this old thing? This is the Lincoln Green Sweater I am knitting for my husband. I am a couple of rows away from finishing the raglan shaping. The very best way to make sure a sweater fits someone is to measure their favorite sweater. Which I did. However this pattern required measuring a favorite raglan sweater or sweatshirt and get the raglan length. The sweater that I measured was a set in sleeve design. So I am missing a crucial number.

To guess the number (accuracy is my forte!) I did two things. I number crunched how many stitches I needed for the sleeve width and body width and knew what number of stitches I wanted.

Then the other thing I did was lengthen my circular knitpick nickel plated needles with the knitting needle cable connectors so that my husband could try the sweater on........Ah, a live body!! Now I know I am on the right tract. So clever!

I love top down construction......don't you?

Yarn Along

2011-11-02T06:27:00.000-04:00

My knitting this week has been quite productive. I finished a mystery knit which I cannot post a photo as of yet. However, in the above photo is the very LAST cowl for a Christmas gift to my extended family. So the only people I have left to knit for (if I want) is my husband and two children......easy peasy!! The above cowl is the same pattern as the others. I only casted on 120 stitches instead of the 200 stitches since I only have one skein of yarn.

I finished my featherweight cardigan and posted about it here and my ravelry page has the details. I am thrilled that it is off the needles :) I love tiny needle knitting but a much needed break is in my future.

For reading I picked up this book at the bookstore about a month ago. I chose it because of the cover....I hope the story it holds is as good as the cover art. I just started reading last night so I have no opinions at this time. The title is The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.

All the snow that fell over the weekend has melted. I thoroughly enjoyed the snow and as much as I wish it would stay, it is kind of nice to go back to fall weather. We have gone back to our after dinner walks with Frodo. Once the time changes next week, I do not know how that is going to work out. We eat dinner earlier than most people so I am hopeful our walks continue.

Joining Ginny at Small Things

Wren Cardigan Complete

2011-11-01T07:35:00.001-04:00

For how long it took to knit this sweater, it was worth every teeny tiny stitch. I love how light weight it is and the drape is fantastic!! I am very pleased with the fit this time around. Going down a needle size did the trick.

The ravelry project page is here.

This only took one skein of Madeline Tosh Lace. I barely made it with the yarn though....I would have liked to have had one more inch to the collar. I have another skein in the same colorway but just was too lazy to ball it up on the winder. My idea to use a different leftover green madelinetosh yarn was not very nice looking. In other words, it was a bad idea. I cannot wait to wear this!!!

Weekends

2011-10-31T07:51:00.001-04:00

This weekend contained:

-SNOW! I love it and I sat most of Saturday knitting and watching it fall :)
-a dinner out with my husband at a new local favorite restaurant, their french fries are fantastic.
-a movie night watching Frankenstein (1931) I was not scared one little bit and could not stop smiling because I kept thinking of Young Frankenstein.
-last night we watched a new show from NatGeo titled: The Incredible Dr. Pol. Now this show I watched through my fingers (I am very squeamish when it comes to blood) and it is not a show for little kiddies, however his love of animals and his vocation shines through.
-guess what-----I found the lost mitts!! They were in the hall closet that I searched twice before in a place I already checked.....I am apparently blind these days.
-lots of thinking of what I have to get knitted up for the holidays....they are looming closer each day and I need to get to it. I think I need two more gifts made in November, then three in December. I can do it, right???

Joining Amanda at the habit of being.

Shades of Autumn Challenge: Red

2011-10-28T07:31:00.000-04:00

Today and yesterday were days of rain. I have been keeping my eye out for the shades of autumn challenge during the week just in case. This challenge has made my favorite season so much more enjoyable. I think I am really "seeing" nature around me through the eyes of my camera. It is fun and beautiful capturing nature.

This Moment

2011-10-28T07:29:00.000-04:00

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

Substitute

2011-10-27T06:25:00.000-04:00

Here is a photo of the fetching mitts I whipped up in the car on our way to London Ontario. I must say when you work with worsted weight yarn after days and days of fingering and lace weight yarn, the project is super fast and instantaneous.

I did four repeats of the simple cable for the cuff and three repeats of the cable for the palm. So now my mitts are extra long and bigger.....maybe I'll see them if and when I drop them. I still love my first pair where ever they may be.

Yarn Along

2011-10-26T06:18:00.000-04:00

Drum roll please.........I am on the collar of my featherweight cardigan! I know most people do not like to knit sleeves but for some reason I fly through them. I think it is because I know the end is near. You know, the project is near completion. I made the sleeves three quarter length and now that itty bitty bit of yarn left over is for the collar. I do have another skein of Madelinetosh lace in the same color but I really do not want to wind up 1000 yards. So I might fudge the collar with another green from this project. If I do not like the way it looks together then I guess I will be winding lots of lace yarn this week.

This week I am reading How to Knit a Love Song by Rachael Herron. It is very lighthearted and entertaining so far. I have to admit I do love all the knitting that is being sprinkled in the story line. Love and yarn paired together? Sure, why not!

I finished The Distant Hours and I have to say the ending was spectacular!! If you have not read the book, it is a must read. So keep an eye out for it when you are at the library or the bookstore. You will love it.

I still have not found my lost mitts. I guess they are lost. I tore apart the hall closet once, doing it again will probably not make them appear. I have made a resolution of sorts. I will not sit in the car and take off my mitts and keep them on my lap! That is the only way I lost them.

Joining Ginny at Small Things

To London

2011-10-25T07:41:00.002-04:00

My husband and I were back in Canada, this time in London Ontario to visit his parents. It was a quick weekend trip and it was the first time without the kids. I have realized we get to places faster when it is just the two of us. We also decide where to stop to eat faster too. But I still missed having them with us.

His parents have recently downsized their house and over the summer they were in between moving from one to another and it just wasn't possible to visit. So my husband and I did the trip, saw their little house and we had an outing to the Covent Garden Market in downtown London. No where near as big as the Ottawa market but we still had fun walking about and window shopping.

The weather this past weekend was beautiful! I love when it is chilly enough to wear a wool sweater but not freezing cold for heavy winter coats. I saw lots of women wearing cowls. I think they are definitely in style.

I originally thought this sign said "the little red rooster" and I was wondering what that had to do with coffee.....Hmmm.....I think I need to brush up on my reading skills.

I had to have a photo of these metal trees! I bet they look fantastic when there is a ton of snow all about.