The Woolen Rabbit

What a Mess!

Now that the studio is finished it's time to work on the house.  We have lived here now for 16 years and have been doing little renovations here and there as we could afford it, but this year we decided to bite the bullet and refinance our house so that we could really take care of the things that need to be done and upgrade.

We are making some major changes like adding a bathroom upstairs, but Ken is starting small with our living room.  Living in and fixing up an old house has it's challenges for sure, but along with those challenges comes some charm that you don't always see in newer home.

We had to take all of the exterior walls down to the studs so that we could insulate the walls.  Yep, that's right, not one stitch of insulation behind the plaster and lathe walls. 

What you see in the above picture are the 4 new windows that will replace the old wavy glass windows.  While I will miss that lovely old wavy glass, I will not miss the storms windows that screw to the outside of the house, making window cleaning very difficult or the cold breeze that tickles our toes in the winter.

While I am very excited to get started, I have to admit that the chaos makes me feel very unsettled.  I know you have to rip down to build it up, but oh my my....what a mess!

Word Play.......

Let us not be confused
With kaleidoscopic reality.
Using wisdom and courage to act,
Let us not add to the confusion.
Deng Ming~Dao

I mentioned last week that there would be a little more textile and fabric involved here this year and this little number is what I am starting with.  It is a needlepoint series called "Word Play", designed by Brenda Gervais from Country Stitches.

I purchased January and February's kits and decided to start with February so that I might be able to display it during the month. :-) 

....oh how the times have changed.  With aging comes all kinds of new challenges, which includes the ability to see these teeny little squares on a piece of 35 count linen.  Thankfully this pattern is worked one strand over 2 threads and with the aid of a magnifying glass I am able to do this. (even if I feel like an old lady with that around my neck)

Sadly I do not think I am going to be able to do this kit that I purchased last year.  It's called Feather Thy Nest and this particular design is worked with 1 strand over 1 stitch on a 28 count linen.  My eyes no longer have the ability to see that small which is disappointing, but there are enough designs that do not call for such small stitchery that I won't focus on what I can't do, but rather on what I can do.  :-)

I mentioned in my last post that I had found my word.  As I thought on it a little, I realized that choosing a word was kind of like making a resolution which I resolved not to do, so instead of embracing a word, I am just going to work towards that word (which is actually 2)
"Time Management"
I'll let you know how it goes.... :0)

A Major Award Here Too.....

To borrow Carole's phrase from our very favorite Christmas Eve movie here at The Woolen Rabbit, A Christmas Story, I won a major award last week...whoo hoo!  I am not usually a luck person, so I was tickled when Sherri emailed me and told me that I won the contest that she and the Quilted Garden were running.

7 beautiful fat quarters from the new Flora collection by Lauren & Jessi Jung for Moda.

I was over the moon to actually win something and even happier when I saw just how lovely and happy these fabrics are in person.  2012 is going to have a lot more textiles included along with the yarn, so this made me very happy.
Thanks girls!!  2012 is off to a good start. :-)

Oh....and I finally found my word for 2012...I will share that with you in my next post. :-)

A New Year....A New Knit...

Pattern:  Regina
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit WW Kashmir
Colorway:  Chimney Sweep
Needles:  US 6 and US 8

Courtney really loved the Regina hat that I made for Ashley for Christmas, so she asked if I would make her one in a dark grey color.  She wanted a hat to wear to some of her more dressy occasions at college.  This is a pattern that I really enjoyed knitting, so I was happy to do this for her.

The weather has been incredibly mild for January, so I grabbed my camera and we went outside for a little photo shoot.  When Courtney was a little girl, we used to do the "Lets see you make a __________ face. (insert the word,ie;scary, sad,happy, etc)

So as I was taking the pictures, I said...let's see you make a serious smoldering face......well, she held it for all of 2 seconds before she dissolved into a fit of laughter....

I guess happy face Courney is what she does and always has best. :-)
Thanks Courtney!

On another note, I have read on various blogs where people are finding "their" word/words that they hope will embody the new year.  I am going to have to think on this one a bit and see what I can come up with....hmmmm.
How about you....do you have a word that you are thinking about?

Wrapping up 2011.......

Moon above water.
Sit in solitude.
Deng Ming~Dao
This little reading from yesterday was a very good one for me to read on that day.

2011 ended with a flurry of hand knit Christmas gifts, which was a first for me.  I rarely put the gift knitting kind of pressure on myself for the holidays, but given that I could not do much other than sit after surgery, it kept my mind and hands busy, which was a good thing. :-)

Pattern:  Windschief (Stephen West)
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit ~ WW Kashmir
Colorway:  Man Cave Blue
Needles: US 6 and US 7

You haven't seen my son here too much on my blog....isn't he a handsome guy?  Ok, so I may be a wee bit prejudiced. ;-)  He had grown out a beard, which I loved, but alas his fiance was not a fan and it is no longer...LOL.

Pattern:  Autobahn (Kate Gilbert)
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit ~ WW Kashmir
Colorway:  Enchanted Forest
Needles:  US 7

I chosed the Enchanted Forest colorway for Ashley's husband, Brian because of his deep love for the forest.  He looks pretty darn handsome in his hat too, if I say so myself. :-)

Pattern:  Tabata (Anne Hanson)
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Pixie
Colorway:  Chimney Sweep
Needles:  US 2.5 and US 3

I love that Aidan loves handknits, almost as much as I do!

There is another hat for Courtney that did not quite make it under the 2011 wire, so I will leave that for another day. :-)

2011 was a challenging one for me in many ways, but there were lots of high points as well.  Starting my own business and being successful at it and Ashley's wedding. 
I am looking forward to many things to smile about in 2012!