Long Weekends Are Great

The turkey is gone. The pie is gone. My daughter is back at school. Back to work tomorrow. How was your Thanksgiving? Did you go somewhere? Do tell! I would love to know what it's like to go to someone's house for a holiday. It gets old having holidays at my house all the time.

So I cheered myself up and went to Joann's and bought some stuff. Here's the yarn I got.

I used some of that Vanna yarn last year and didn't like it. Maybe they changed it, but it's not bad, now I like it. For an acrylic. I just love that dark blue one with the glittery thread running through it! I don't know what I'll make with it yet, but it screamed at me to buy it. So I listened.

I started some mittens with the light brown and will make mittens with the light blue too.

That was a lot of 1 x 1 ribbing on that wrist, but it's done and now I can move onto the hand part. I love making mittens, haven't made any in a long time. I love how they work up quickly.

Back to the old grind tomorrow. Gotta earn that money so I can support my yarn habit. Too bad it doesn't grow on trees.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! This is my most absolute favorite holiday, just fun, food, no gift buying, a day of eating and relaxing with family. Did I mention food and eating? The best part! I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my house. We are going to have so much food. I'll be making a lot and more will be brought by my family. We are going to eat all day. I better wear elastic waist pants, lol!

I do have some things I'm grateful for this year.

1. My mom is not in the hospital this year.
2. I have a job.
3. My daughter made it home safely from school for the holiday.
4. Everyone is in good health.
5. There is plenty of food to eat today.
6. I have lots of yarn to play with!
7. I have made the most wonderful friends in my knitting group.
8. My house is warm.

I could go on and on, but that's enough for today, you get the message. What are you thankful for?

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble!

Cozy

The snow has been falling already and winter is knocking on the door. Time to batten down the hatches and stay inside where it's cozy and warm. And to knit. And light a candle. There's nothing like the nice warm glow of a candle in a room. Here's my newest one. It smells sooooooooo good!

My daughter bought me that candle at Cabela's. I just love it! Target had flannel sheets on sale. I treated myself to a new set. $15.99 for any size, what a deal! I love these.

Nice and cozy.

I wish I had this view out my front window. So cozy to be warm inside and seeing the snow fall, with nowhere to go.

But that's not the view I get. Someday.

It's been so cold I made a nice pot of minnestrone soup yesterday. So yummy! My sister gave me the recipe. It made a ton. I'm going to have to freeze some.

Very delicious!

I also treated myself and bought another Ravelry t-shirt. The other one I got is so so so comfy, had to get another one out of the new batch they just got in. I just love that dog!

The following is not cozy:

I do not want to wear a partially knitted sock with DPNs sticking out of it. Definitely not comfy cozy!

Time to go hit the couch with the yarn and the knitting needles and cozy up for the night with my kitties surrounding me.

And so the madness begins

It's coming. And it's coming fast. The "C" word. Christmas. I've started making some gifts. The first was this blanket for my grandson. It looks so nice and tidy all folded up into a pillow.

And then . . . TA DAH! You unfold it and it's a blanket!

Very easy to make. I did get quite warm with it on my lap while I did the blanket stitch all around the edge.

I didn't feel like doing all that blanket stitching all over again, so the blanket I made for my granddaughter got the fringed edge that you tie. Also very simple and easy to make.

Love that skull fabric! Speaking of skulls, I got these beads not too long ago. Don't know what I'll make with them, but HAD to have them!

That's all I can show you at this time. Still working on the Spring Forward socks. And something else. Hopefully I'll have time to knit this weekend. Once again I'm stuck with Thanksgiving dinner. So I'm going to get my house in order and get some of the food preparation started. And bought. It was so nice last year going to someone's house for a change. But at least this year my mom is not in the hospital, no one is sick. I do have lots to be thankful for.

Have a wonderful weekend!

My Civic Duty

I got summoned for jury duty. Ick. I hate doing it, sitting down there all day waiting to see if you will be put on a jury, waiting and waiting and waiting. The not knowing. The last time I was summoned I got picked for a jury. After that I never wanted to do it again, it was so stressful. But that summons came and today was the day to go. There weren't a lot of us there today. Very strange, usually there are lots of potential jurors waiting around. Found out only one trial was going to be starting today. Finally we got called to the courtroom. And I knew the plaintiff's lawyer. I was dismissed. Yay! What a relief! So I came home and played with yarn all afternoon. Lots more fun than jury duty!

Ah-Choo

I raked the stupid frikkin leaves the other day and now I'm sick. I hate all that stuff mixed in there, mold spores, pollen, yucky stuff. This happens every year. I always have hope that it won't happen. So far, no luck. So here we go again. Pass the tissues please.

My daughter came home again for the weekend. It was a nice relaxing weekend. We didn't do much. We did have fun playing with Sculpey clay! It was such a nice evening. So now we have another crafty hobby to do. See what we made . . .

I made the snowman on the left, the stocking and the mini pumpkin. She made the other snowman and the deer. Lots of fun. I never realized how hard it is to make little teeny things with clay, like those eyes, and the carrot nose. I think we did pretty darn good for our first attempt.

Now it's time to go rest and hopefully get rid of this dumb cold real soon. I've got jury duty on Tuesday and I sure don't want to have to go there carrying a box of tissues.

Veterans Day

It's Veterans Day today. Thank a Veteran if you know one. I didn't get the day off, I'm not one of the lucky ones who gets the day off to go to all the Veterans Day sales. Everything is so commercial.

I made a couple more cat toys over the weekend. These are for my cousin's kitty. They're in the mail to her as a surprise. But no mail today, so hopefully she'll get them tomorrow.

They work up quickly. I need to make some for my kitties.

I had my Katie cremated. This is the urn I will keep her in. I thought it was so cute. A kitty and yarn.

I really miss that cat.

I've been working on the Spring Forward socks. I have the heel turned on one. Yay!

This is the best heel I've done so far. Now it's onto the foot. But I may set it aside for a few days and work on something else. Can't show you yet.

So tell me, what are you working on?

Field Trip

My daughter and her boyfriend came home for the weekend. It was so good to see her! We went on a little field trip yesterday to a great big huge sporting goods store called Cabela's. WOW is that place huge! I had never been there before. You name it, they had it for any kinds of outdoor sportsman, hunting, fishing, camping. Clothes, furniture, tents, food, fishing poles, lures, hunting equipment, it was there. Fun to look at. But what I enjoyed the most were the displays.

They were just beautiful.

They looked so real, but they were replicas.

Those buffalo were huge!

Can you see the moose hiding in the bushes? What a beautiful creature.

Another beautiful moose.

I loved this wild boar.

We were in there for hours. It was so fun. My daughter bought me a candle, and I bought her a top. Her boyfriend was in his glory. He's a real outdoorsman. He bought something for his fishing pole for ice fishing. It was a very fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

But they have left now and are on their way back to school. I guess I'll sit and knit this afternoon waiting for the call that they are back. I'm working on a sock called Spring Forward. I just finished the heel flap and am ready to turn the heel.

This sock is working up pretty fast, I started it about a week ago. I've never made a lacy sock, maybe they work up faster. I am enjoying it so far.

A Heartfelt Thank You

First off, let me say a great big thank you for your kind comments about my Katie. I'm just amazed what a big impact she had on my life and what a void there is now. These little pets sure do make a difference in our lives. She is missed very much.

Isn't it amazing how sometimes things just happen when you really need them? I came home from work the other and my aunt had sent me some homemade ornaments . . . just because! She had no idea about my kitty. These sure brought a smile to my face. I love each and every one and will be so honored to hang them on my Christmas tree.

They came to me at the perfect time.

Now I'll talk about some knitting goodness. I did get my fair isle hat done last week, and finally have a picture to show you. I really like it. It's all blocked and ready to wear.

I love it! What a fun technique to know. I can't wait to make something else with two colors. I did get some yarn for a future project. I can't believe how absolutely soft this yarn is:

I just can't get a good picture of the beautiful pink color with my camera, so that will have to do.

And last but not least, I have a friend who was selling some yarn for her friends. Beautiful alpaca. I just HAD to buy some. OMG, just absolutely heavenly soft. It feels like a cloud. I love just petting the skeins.

I don't know what I'll make with it yet. So until then, I'll just keep petting it.

Katie

I came home yesterday and found my dear cat Katie had left this earth.

She was my best friend, and she's gone.

She made me laugh, she was loyal, she was loving, she was always at the door waiting when I got home from work.

But she's moved to the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. She went peacefully in her sleep.

Good-Bye Katie, my dear best friend. You will be missed so much.

Sometimes you gotta make something silly

Introducing . . . my little Hedgehog! Didn't he turn out cute (if I say so myself)?

I took him over to show my mom today and she fell in love with him, wouldn't put him down. Wanted him. So I let her have him. I can make another.