Savor

Nine days. Can you believe it? Nine days. I keep thinking to myself that I still have three weeks, but I don't. Nobody does. Nine days...okay, I won't say it anymore.

I am planning to savor every moment. We have snow here, it is cold and brisk. There are lots of decorations in our town. Addison will be home from school for two weeks, starting tomorrow at 3:30. Life is really good.
Next week we are going to wrap presents, deliver cookies and gifts, visit friends and neighbors, read Christmas stories, visit our favorite donut shop, and do crafts at the library. I can't wait.
I will be back here next year, and I can't wait to see what 2010 will be like.
See you then.
Have a good one!

Crafty

We took a long weekend and went to visit our friends, who live in New York. We had lots of crafts and eating planned. We did both. Maybe a little more eating to tell you the truth.

We made these felted acorns. Won't they be great attached to gift, or a jar of cookies? You can find a tutorial here.

I had plans to make more of these little elves but I was exhausted after making this one. I don't enjoy cutting out little shapes of fabric. He is kind of cute though.

We made lots and lots of these cookie clay ornaments. You can find the recipe here, and see more pictures of them here.

Go ahead, get your craft on. You know you want to!

Today

We are feeling,

Thankful,

Better,

Festive,

Grateful.

We decked our halls.

Have you decked yours?

Down and Out

I guess we all just down. Down with H1N1. Everyone in the house is asleep right now and I am trying to enjoy the quiet, but I just can't. I am lucky. I seem to have only a touch of it. Everyone else has had a fever since Sunday. Addison got it first and has been hit the hardest. Anna threw up in our bed last night, everyone one of the kids has had a horrible bloody nose, that has dripped through the house, a cough that will not quit, a need for something all of the time. Which is fine of course. I am happy to be the one that is able to provide, but today I feel like it is all I can do, to not burst into tears.
I am worried about my family, about Addison missing so much school, about all of the things that I want to get done before Christmas.
Okay, enough of that. Deep sigh. Let's talk about something yummy.

See that book? I got it at the library book sale for a dollar. The binder even cracked a little when I opened it. I don't think it had ever been used.

The first thing I made was this yummy Wild and Brown Rice Salad. It was so good, I have made it three times already.

This time I added some leftover corn on the cob. SO good.

Stay well my friends. And thanks. For everything.

The Snowdrop Sweater

The Snowdrop sweater is one of those patterns I saw, bought, and cast on for right away. I started on Saturday evening and was seaming it up on Tuesday night.

I used some big, black, vintage buttons from my stash. I love the fit of this one. It looks great unbuttoned too.

The Details:

Pattern: Snowdrop Sweater Jacket by Woolly Mammoth Knits.

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman's wool, three strands held together.

Mod: I knit the collar different. I wanted something shorter and knit the button band all the way up.

The pattern says that it is a fitted sweater. I usually knit size 34 or 26, but decided on the 38 just to be safe. Before doing a wet block I could not even button it, which made me nervous. After the block it was a perfect fit!

All Year Long

So, I try to start knitting things for Christmas gifts sometime around the 4th of July. That way, I don't get so overwhelmed when I realize I have a zillion things to do and my Thanksgiving Turkey has not even digested.

Plus, I have a nephew, Abel who has a birthday a week before Christmas, and a niece who has a birthday on Christmas.
I finished this sweater for my nephew last night and had it blocking on the kitchen counter this morning. You don't even want to know what my six year old son said this morning when he walked by it.
Okay, I will tell you. He said," Oh, poor Abel."
Really, there are no words.

The pattern is the Scrap Cardigan and I adore it. You must be a Ravelry member to see it though.
It is free and you can use up all of your scraps and come up with a sweet little sweater.
I did knit the collar in a 2x2 rib for six rows, instead of garter stitch for 12, and I carried the button band all the way up to the collar.


Of course there is Toast to make for all of the fashionable ladies in your life. Something you can knit in a day or so is the best.

And cowls. Who doesn't need one of these? I love them peeking out of a coat, or with a long sleeve shirt. I wear cowls around the house all the time. They are so comfortable and warm and you don't have to worry about them getting stuck in the washing machine, oven, or dragged through a poopy diaper. Not that any of things have ever happened to me. Ahem.

What are you making for Christmas?

Fireside

I finally finished this knitting project. I started way back in March and it feels so good to be done with it. I could not get into it, but I got over that and knit the second side, back and two sleeves in two weeks. Once I got going it was a lot easier to read my stitches and memorize the cable pattern.

I have wanted this sweater since I saw the movie, The Holiday three years ago. I was not a knitter at the time, nor did I ever think I would be. I have to say, that this pattern is written exactly like the one Cameron Diaz wears in the movie. It is a little bit boxy, a little bit A-line, a little bit cropped. I made no adjustments to the pattern, even thought this is not the most flattering shape on me.

After doing a wet block, it grew, and grew, and grew. I thought I had ruined it because it got so stretched out. Thanks to a very good Friend, I was able to save it. I sent Leslie a very desperate email, and she came to the rescue.

Pop it in the dryer, check on it every few minutes. It worked! I will never forget that advice.

The Details:

Pattern: Fireside, by Amber Allison

Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool in white, about 2.5 skeins

Mods: None

I hear needles clicking...

Did you cast on already?