November 27, 2006
Show and tell, well, at least SHOW
What's that in the hydrangea bush?
A mini pumpkin!
Do they grow on trees?
The funny thing is that I did not have any of these kind of pumpkins. Someone must have put it there for safe keeping!
And while I'm out looking about, look what I came across. This is absurdly late for a blooming beautiful rose!
AND.
Look who came to town.
In the mood to see some mittens? Not just any mittens, THE MOST WONDERFUL, FANTABULOUS MITTENS THE INTERNETS HAVE TO OFFER?
Go ahead and check out the New Warm Hands BLOG!
You can join if you wanna!
November 26, 2006
Red Scarf~ or Knitting Unto Others
I have taken this Thanksgiving weekend to Knit Unto Others.
My blessing abound and what better way to reflect upon them than making a Red Scarf for the Red Scarf Project!
What a joy to knit too! Made with Knitpicks, Panache yarn, Cashmere, baby! And the pattern? A wonderful creation of Li. Go ahead over and ask her for a copy of the pattern. She shares if you ask nicely. And tell her I sent you. (Again, this will not GET you anything special, I'm just saying). You will love knitting this simple yet satisfying pattern. And you can see the wonderful results for yourself! It's called the Diagonal Stitch Rib Scarf. Also known as the Herringbone Rib.
The back is interesting too.
UPDATE:
Nearly 100 homes were damaged in the Wednesday morning explosion. 25 homes are unrepairable. The devastation can be seen in the photo on this page. It turns out that one of Andy's Softball friends lived right next door to the explosion. He is bruised and banged up, more like stitched up but he if fine. It is a true miracle that no one was killed.
UPDATE:
Honestly, you grrls and guys are no help with the fringe v. no fringe debate. :) Did you see the results? Neck in neck. Fringe in fringe. A closer poll there could not be. My decision? I will order some more of the darker pink yarn and fringe it with that. And if she does not want fringe, she will be instructed to take it off. Easy peasy.
~~~
It's back to work tomorrow. But first, a laundry mini marathon and rides back to colleges! Happy Sunday.
November 23, 2006
Taking a break from the kitchen
We are celebrating Thansgiving here today. I have lots to be thankful for and I'm hoping you do too!
Warm wishes to you and your family, even if, for you, it's just plain old Thursday!
Oh, and Canada?? Can you smell the turkey cooking yet?
(Must get back to the kitchen. Mr. Turkey is still a bit frozen. Don't you hate that?)
November 22, 2006
It's time to vote! Do your patriotic duty!
2:48 am, sleeping blissfully in my bed, I was awoken from a noise. A huge noise. It was the kind of noise that wakes you up and rings in your ears but you can't figure out what it was. I lay there for a couple of minutes, seeing if I could hear another noise. Then I whispered to Andy "what was that?" If he heard it, it must have been loud.
I lay there for a couple of hours, trying to figure out what it was. It was a noise that worried me.
When I awoke this morning, I put on the news and it was an explosion about 6 miles from my home.
Read about it here.
Those poor people, forced out of their homes. Thanksgiving preparations stopped in their tracks. But no one died. Thank goodness for that.
And on the lighter side, please reflect with me, To Fringe or Not to Fringe:
Please do your duty to vote!
Added later:
I should have told you that I ran out of darker yarn and that is why I am undecided about the fringe. I want the darker but, frankly, am too cheap to buy a skein just for fringe. This lighter yarn, in fact is a different yarn altogether from the scarf yarn. I have NONE left.
AND. Keep in mind this is for a college student.
AND. I did not trim them up yet, of course I would do that before gifting it.
There. Now vote.
~~
Let's be thankful that our homes are intact today.
November 17, 2006
Sky Candy~ heh, a play on words!
Have you looked up lately?
And not 10 minutes later!
The same view, pinked up a bit! You've got to admit, that is beauty!
The view as refected in my new car!
Friday is looking good!
November 14, 2006
Half hearted sock and lovely Redness
The other day, Stasia so kindly asked me how the Tongue River Farm Socks were coming along. Well, they'd be coming alot faster if I'd actually knit on them!
I love them. I chose to do the Peaks and Valleys pattern. I love this sock so far.
With this photo, it is clear that the season of crappy photographs has now begun. Darkness means craptastic photography! For me, anyway! Lucky you! So, take it from me, this sock is much better looking than this picture would have you believe!
~~~
Have you thought about making a red scarf yet? The least that I can do is give back to the world and share a red scarf with an orphan, don't you agree?
Red Scarf to Be!
When I thought about a student at college, recently emancipated out of foster care, I thought about how lucky my 2 college kids are. Sure, sure, they do not KNOW how lucky they are, that will take a while. I can't imagine how lonely and scary college life must be without a Mom to share things with. Or a Dad. Or both. How can I NOT knit a red scarf? And how can I NOT knit a scarf with some cashmere in it? Knitpicks, baby! Affordable, wonderful,luxiouious red yarn that any orphan (or person for that matter) would love to wear! Now, for deciding the pattern. That is the best part, isn't it? The dreaming? That may be a couple of balls of yarn to an innocent bystander. But we all know that it's a world of possibilities!
November 11, 2006
Kitchen Duty
Christmas has come early to my home. And I couldn't be more thrilled! I have been dreaming over a kitchen aid mixer ever since I can remember. Buying one just seemed so extravagent. I guess I've now reached the age where that does not bother me anymore. That and a good sale! I told Andy that he should put it under the tree. He said no, that I should use it. It did not take me long to have it out of the box and on my counter top. In case he changed his mind, you know!
But when I got it to the counter, look what I found.
It would not fit under the cabinet. Rats. Double Rats. (oh boy, does my kitchen ever need a paint job! Look at that cracked paint! OY) We have a big kitchen but it just happens to not come with a lot of counter space. What to do?
For now, it will reside next to the other new toy in our home.
Miss Kitchen Aid, meet Mr. Cappucino machine!
One of Andy's friends was moving across the country and generously gave this cappucino machine to us, well, to Andy because I don't drink coffee. Heh. My machine is bigger than your machine!
Unfortunately, these babies are resting on our kitchen table. This may be handy as a short term solution but not functional for long term storage. Luckily, we hardly eat at the table anymore. Do you? Eat at your table? We did when the kids were here, but not anymore. We are nomad diners. Pick up your plate and eat wherever. Perpetual buffet style, I guess. This won't do for the upcoming holiday meals. Can you imagine a turkey and all it's trimmings sitting around the kitchen aid and the cappucino? No.
So, I'm thinking that perhaps I can find a rolling cart of sort to store it on and wheel it over to the outlet when used. There has to be a functional way to store it because I know of someone who has one and it is not handy. If it's not handy, it won't get used. And I intend to use mine!
The christening mix?
Pumpkin Bread! YUM! Delicious and so appropriate for the season!
Kitchen Aid seemed to like it too!
And today being Saturday and all (is anyone still reading? Gads, I have gone on, haven't I?)
The sky as seen through my Rose of Sharon, one straggler leaf holding on for dear life! Hang on, little leaf!
November 09, 2006
Raindrops keep falling on my weeds!
After a gloomy day and a half of rain, I needed to lift my face to the sunshine. While I was there, I couldn't help but notice some beauty along the way. While it's not quite a Walk with Me or an Eye Candy, it's just plain old Thursday and there's something nice to look at.
The weeds are nice and green and growing strong. Go weeds!
The view of my home through our Dogwood tree. It's the dogwood tree that never disappoints!
November 06, 2006
A tisket a tasket
Look what I got for my birthday! No, it's not my birthday, but my sister in law and I have a tradition of giving late gifts so the day is extended. This way, it's always a surprise! Works for us!
She KNIT FOR ME! And even though she is not a blogger, she happened across the wonderful Nantasket Basket pattern not knowing that I love Susan! Small world, huh?
I absolutely LOVE it! I keep picking it up and hugging it like I'm a small child with a new teddy bear!
See what's in it? A tongue River Icelandic Sock! More love, I tell ya! That was not a gift, that is to be a gift from my needles. For Andy, but you can't tell him. SWEAR IT!
And look!
This was quite a surprise I got in Rhinebeck from my ride sharer/blog commenter extraordinaire, Manise! Sock Blockers. Not just any sock blockers, ones with pictures from my blog over the years. Is your heart warm? Mine is! Now, knitters, I have never blocked a sock in my life. And I may never still, but I will have these sock blockers hanging on my wall to remind me of what is wonderful in this world. You can get some sock blockers of your own. Go on over and see the wonderfully talented, Becky. Tell her I sent you. You won't get anything out of that deal, I'm just saying.
A very public Thank you to Manise and Becky who hatched up this wonderful surprise!
~~~~
Blog business:
If you are (or want to be) part of the Warm Hands Knitalong, formerly found here, now found here you should email me (or leave a comment, same diff) and I will send you an invite to join the wordpress blog. Then you will be free to post to that blog. You will also be free to join me in the being aggravated to death. Always room for company in the dying category. We'll figure it all out together.
I hope.
November 05, 2006
Novemburrrr
I'm afraid that if I carry on for any length of time today, this may turn into a whiney, complainey, bitchy blog post. And I really don't want to do that. I'm tired. I'm headachey. That's all I'm going to say about that.
But. I did get to host the family last night for Father In Law's Birthday. There is nothing I like better, lately, than cooking a meal for people that I love. I enjoy seeing everyone sit down and taste the flavors that I have concocted. It touches something way down inside my soul. It's a good thing.
But don't you have family members (Or perhaps even yourself, although, us being us, yarn is always an appropriate and encouraged gift) that you cannot for the life of you figure out what to buy them? They have everything and then some that they need in life. One more shirt will topple the pile of shirts in their home. Knicknacks? Dust collectors. Hobbies? Done to death. What do you get them? We usually rely on the old standard, gift certificates. This year, I also got for my father in law a flock of chicks. And it was so warmly received, I am grateful and thrilled and it brings tears to my eyes. There will be more Heifer gifts being given this Christmas season. Won't you consider giving chicks? Or ducks? Sheep, rabbits, trees, honeybees or even a heifer?
I love, I love, I love my calendar girl
Deb is holding a contest to show what is on your November page of your calendar! Novemburr is one of my favorite months, over the river and through the woods kind of thing.
Here's my Novembrrrrr Calendar page! How about yours? It's fun to see all the variety!
My walls are not yellow, by the way. It's the Novembrr light. Or lack of!
My knit
I'm knitting almost exclusively on the roommate scarf. Morehouse merino pink yarn, for those who wish to ask.
This is the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern. I love knitting it. I'm thinking my Red Scarf will be this pattern too. You ARE doing a red scarf, aren't you?
My father was an orphan without really being an orphan so I feel a special closeness to this project. This year, I will knit red and not light red. (not PINK, like last years!)
WARM HANDS
The Warm Hands blog has a new home! I decided that I cannot keep up with the updates like I should so I found a new home for the blog. Knitters can post their own updates to the blog. Wordpress may be the death of me yet. I have been dealing with issues all weekend long. It is still not running smoothly yet, so patience is needed there. But I am excited about it's new direction! Have a look!
Today
I have a crock pot of baked beans cooking, making the house smell heavenly and 2 hungry college students to feed and get back to their respective universities. Life has been filled to the brim with happiness and goodness. So, I'm wondering why I have a headache!
:)