New Yummy Yarn

Cake without calories - what a concept! I just love this color too- Classic Elite Inca Marl 100% Alpaca, color #1194. It's beautifully awaiting it's new life as something - just not sure what that something is yet? Maybe a scarf or fingerless gloves. Will wait and see.

I am so excited for two reasons!
1) I have finished a pair of socks for myself from the One-Skein Wonders book. I used Knit Picks sock yarn on size 2 double pointed needles.

2) I am posting something, which I haven't done in a very long time obviously.

I have many other projects on needles and will post about these soon.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season with their families and loved ones.

The Cutest Ever

I'm happy to say that I've finished the cutest pair of socks for my youngest son. I had received a gift of red and blue WoolEase yarn from my mom and my son instantly fell in love with the red. As I was knitting a pair of socks for myself, he asked if I was going to make him a red pair. What could I say - I can't turn down the opportunity to pick up my knitting needles for such a great little man. So, as you see, they turned out as perfect as any new sock knitter could expect! I love them and want to make a pair for everyone in the family.
I found the pattern in .

Best of luck in all your knitting adventures. Signing off for now. Movie night with the family. And of course a little knittin' time!

Snow Day

I don't know who was more excited today, the boys or me. Snow day for all of us - yippee! We had about 10 inches of snow!!

Things to squeeze into my lovely day: Knitting time and reading for me, and building a snowman and drinking hot chocolate with my boys!

Just finished up a great book titled Knitting: A Novel, by Anne Bartlett, along with the socks I posted about previously. I haven't taken a picture yet of them, but as soon as I do, I will post. I enjoyed the character development and of course the knitting references in Knitting. I've now got my hands on Maggie Sefton's Knit One, Kill Two (A Knitting Mystery) and will continue with the second book of her knitting series, Needled to Death (Knitting Mysteries). It makes me a happy girl to find a new series of books. Knitting and reading keep my hands and mind busy - not that I don't have a full plate already. I'm a full time elementary school librarian, have two awesome boys, a great hubby, a yellow lab, two cats and three fish! Life's full, but I gotta love it!

The Frog is Finished

The frog washcloth is complete and my son could not be happier. And of course this means there's a new project in the works. And speaking of frogs, I'm giving my sock a go around again. It's been ripped out twice. So hopefully the saying "three's a charm" is true! I knit the first sock pretty smoothly. The second sock was giving me the blues for a while, but I keep reminding myself that it's the first attempt at a pair of socks. I will definitely try another pair after I finish these. A few "ribbits" here and there will not keep a good knitter down - right? Right! I will probably go for a pair that uses a larger dp needle. The ones I'm making now are on size 2. My parents bought this really cool sock book, along with some yummy sock yarn and a great set of Lantern Moon needles. The book I'm working from is listed for those of you who are interested in trying your hand at a pair! I LOVE the designs in here.

So stay tuned...I will post a picture of the finished product as soon as I can. My feet are excited for the finish too. Spring weather has not quite sprung yet.

A Clean Act

My sister gave me this neat little booklet of garden design washcloth patterns. I finished up a sunflower washcloth in a pretty pastel yellow cotton the other day. The adorable frog pattern, using a dark forest green cotton yarn, is what's keeping me busy on this snowy Midwest day. My youngest son wants to know if it will be finished for his bath tonight. We shall see. If only dinner could wait, right!

A Celebration of Life

I've just returned from a memorial for a colleague of mine. She recently passed away after a courageous battle with stage 4 melanoma. She leaves behind a loving husband and two beautiful children. She also leaves behind her spirit for life. Her memorial was sad, beautiful, and inspiring. There was reference to all of us leaving a bit of ourselves on the quilt of life - each of us contributing to the beauty of the overall piece. And without each of us, the quilt would not be the same. It got me thinking about how each of us do contribute to the world around us. And how each of us handle situations differently. During these past few months I have learned to deal with the daily stress and sadness by knitting. A year ago I handled my dad's recovery from an emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm the same way. I handle much stress through knitting! As stitches are made, one after another, and the piece begins to unfold in front of me, thoughts become calmer, clearer. I sort through all of the things going through my mind as my hands continue working with the knitting needles. As I pick up my knitting later on in the day - my thoughts will return to my friend. This time I will try not to mourn for the loss, but for her celebration of life. Knitting brings love to those around us in more ways than a warm scarf or a hat to wear. Knitting brings love to those around us through all of the thoughts and prayers that have been stitched into the garment along the way. May you celebrate life today with those you love - be it through a hug, a kiss, or a gently wrapped warm prayer shawl.